Have Fun Storming the Castle!

This has been my last full week off before it is back-to-school time. JJ, "That Girl" (his girlfriend of four years) and I are on a trip to Branson, MO--no, we didn't come for the country music.  I love it, but JJ and I have an agreement that we never play "that kind of music" within his hearing; so we're not here for that kind of vacation.

No, we came to the Branson area to see the castle!  Some time back, JJ came across an article about a French-style castle being built using traditional medieval methods in northern Arkansas.  Road trip!

We drove to the Ozark Medieval Castle in Lead Hill, AR, just about 40 miles south of Branson.  OMG!  It was the most wonderful day, even if it was about 100 degrees outside and there was minimal shade on the site.

We spent about three hours touring the site watching stone being quarried and shaped. The masons were working on the wall and tower construction.  The Belgian draft horse pulled a cart laden with stone and was later hitched to a cart to carry sand for making the cement.  One artisan was making rope. The blacksmith was hammering away at the anvil.  There were several pieces of hand-thrown pottery drying before being fired in the stone kiln.  A weaver was using a drop spindle to spin hand-dyed yarn from wool recently shorn from the castle's sheep.

It was totally fascinating to watch and to talk to the artisans about their work.  I cannot adequately describe it, so the best thing is just to take a look at the castle's website:  http://ozarkmedievalfortress.com/ 

The castle is supposed to take about 20 years to complete.  I made JJ promise me that he would bring me back in 2030 to see the finished castle even if he has to push me in a wheelchair.

Too bad our middle school is more than 5 hours away.  This would be a fantastic and very educational field trip for the 7th graders to go along with their study of the medieval period.  I took about 50 photos and I think I will put together a slide show to share with the 7th grade social studies teachers.

We are on our way back home to the St. Louis area tomorrow and hopefully, back to some last weekend of summer vacation sewing before next week.

To quote Miracle Max and his wife Valerie, "Have fun storming the castle!"

TTFN!  Woohoo!

Vickie

FBA? What Does That Mean?

Acronyms--we live with them constantly.  Sometimes it's easy to guess what they mean, and sometimes not.  I had personalized license plates for my car: "SWS-MS."  My mother's parents were Swiss immigrants; I am a Ms. "SWS-MS" makes sense, right?

Well, one of my cousins, same side of the family, and her husband were trying to figure out my plates and they came up with "single woman seeks more sex"--much funnier than my intended message, but not quite right.

This leads me to "FBA."  In addition to blogs about quilting, I have found some great ones about sewing.  Once you start following blogs, it can become quite addictive.  If I start reading ones about cooking or machine embroidery, I might as well have a laptop permanently attached to my body.

Anyway, I was reading a blog about sewing and the acronym "FBA" was used.  What the heck is that?

Okay, it's been a while since I studied clothing construction at Mizzou, but I do not remember THAT term at all.  Trying to use "context clues" to figure it out, like good readers do, the best I could come up with was "Fat Body Alteration."  Wow!  Right up my alley!

However, I didn't really think it could be that simple, or that, well, such an "un-nice" term would be used for modifying patterns for those of us with hourglass figures that have just a bit too much sand in them.

So, I did a little hunting around.  The internet is wonderful.  You can find almost everything.  Eventually, I came across an entry in the "SewMamaSew" - http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=486 explaining that FBA means "Full Bust Alteration."  Again, right up my alley.  Though, there are times, when I think it should be "Falling Boobs Alteration."  I knew gravity would finally catch up with me.  I remember my mom admonishing me in the 70's not to go braless.  So, now, I guess I have to pay the price.  Anyway, the post in Sew Mama Sew explains how to redraft a princess-line pattern for a fuller bust, which was something I knew I had to do for the top I was making.

I had picked up New Look 6911 as something I wanted to make sometime.  Come on, we all have those.  Just like our fabric stashes.  The things we are going to make someday when we have the time. And with my slimmer body, I am trying to go for a more structured, classic look than my previous big shirt, Earth Mother look.

As luck would have it, I found the "perfect" fabric before I ever got out the door of the fabric store.

The leaves are iridescent gold and I found some large, Byzantine-looking buttons to go down the front.  I can wear this alone with black pants or a black skirt.  I might wear it as a jacket over the new black embroidered sundress I just got from Holy Clothing (an eBay store.)  Well, maybe I haven't given up the Earth Mother thing quite yet.

The process for adjusting for a full bust, which I do now remember from my pattern drafting class, was a bit more complicated than I wanted to do at the time, so I took a short cut, which may have been a long cut truth be told, but my top ended up looking pretty good anyway.  I just have to do the buttonholes and buttons and it will be finished.  From layout to cutting to nearly-completed project all in one day!

TTFN,
Vickie

Getting the Sewing Bug!

I am a bi-polar sewer!

I will go for long periods without getting near my personal sewing machine and then I want to sew non-stop!  This is why I SHOULD have a room dedicated to sewing, embroidery, quilting, etc.,--a room that I could just go into whenever I want.  I wouldn't have to worry about putting things away.  It could all just sit there till I am ready to come back.

Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of space.  Maybe that's part of why I am such an erratic sewer...

NAH!  I know better...it's this stinking ADD.  Really!  It is so hard when you really want to be doing ten things at once...well, maybe not ten, but let's see:  crocheting Brandi's scarf, working on Sophie's quilt, working on Gavin's quilt, crocheting the sweater for Sophie, playing around with my embroidery machine, and a few more.  And then I have about a dozen books I want to read:  novels for fun, books on the science of baking, Buddhism, machine embroidery and quilting, stuff for school, etc.

The fabric I ordered online on Monday arrived today.  OMG!  It is a piece of gorgeous eggplant bamboo knit.  Yes, you read right, bamboo!  I had purchased a chef cap made from bamboo fabric and when I saw this, I decided to go for it and see how it sews and wears.

Anyway, this fabric....it has the most wonderful hand--almost like a silk jersey.  And the color is luscious!  I can't use enough exclamation points!!!!!!!!  I just want to drape it over my body.

This picture does not do it justice.  It has more of a fuchsia cast to it.  This just looks like Pacific High purple.

Unfortunately, I can't start sewing yet because although the fabric got here in 2 days, I am still waiting for the pattern to arrive.  I ordered the "Madison Avenue" dress pattern from textilestudiopatterns.com  It is a sleek sheath dress with a vee-neck.  I know I will never look like the model, but I've lost a few pounds, so if I suck my stomach in, maybe it won't look too bad.

Hopefully, the pattern will get here soon, because I SO want to wear this dress!

TTFN!
Vickie

The Process Is Often More Important Than the Product!

As a teacher, I have said this phrase many times, "The process is more important than the product," generally followed by, "So what did you learn by doing this?"  These are not necessarily the words 11-14 year olds want to hear when their cookies come out of the oven looking like something they might want to scrape off their shoes.  Or their bread dough is so tough you couldn't stretch it if it were attached to two 18-wheelers.  Or if their shorts look like...gee, what's the worst I have ever seen?  The boy who cut a small front and a large back?  or the girl with the 1-inch casing at the front and the 3-inch casing at the back?

I stumbled across Rossie's blog the other day about "fresh modern quilts" http://r0ssie.blogspot.com/2010/05/process-pledge.html 
and I was struck by post "The Process Pledge."  In this post, Rossie explains the necessity and the philosophy of posting about the process of quilting, but this could be about anything one is learning how to do. 

I like to journal--about what I am thinking and feeling, things I am struggling with, things I want to do better, etc.  On her blog, Rossie invites other bloggers to take the pledge to blog about the process.  Now if I were computer savvy enough, I might add the pledge, but I haven't quite figured that part out.

See I am blogging about the process of becoming better with the computer.

Anyway, I have been working on a baby quilt for my new grand-niece the past couple of months.  I promised her mother I would have it done before her first birthday, so I have, let's see, ummm, 10 months to go.

Actually I have the top all done...finally.  Hey, I am really good at the sewing machine.  I tell my students I have been sewing for 43 years and I KNOW what I am doing when it comes to a sewing machine, but I will NEVER, EVER (see the all caps thing)  buy a kit of pre-coordinated fabrics again!!

Just look at how cute these fabrics are.  They coordinate so well.  And there are all these cool textures for a baby to touch.  YE-AH!  But they are a sewing nightmare.  Remember, 43 years of sewing.  I have done wedding and bridesmaid dresses, Dumbo and Piglet costumes, a Harry Potter hat, a sequined looking prom dress that broke the needle every 5 minutes, etcetera, etcetera.  Lots of different weights, textures, amounts of stretchiness and slipperiness...But WHO thought it would be a good idea to put ALL these fabrics together in one project and hope for it to end up squared without puckers?   UGGGHHH!!!



The green velour stretches crosswise, but not lengthwise.  The flannel is stiff. The satin frays like it's trying to win a contest for first fabric to totally disintegrate!  The cottons would be perfect if they weren't teamed up with these other dillybops.  So that is my gripe--pairing fabrics that really don't like each other!

Me, who rarely has to unstitch sewing, has finally got the top "sewn" together, though I know where every little pucker and mismatched seam is.  Now it comes to the machine quilting part.  I fear even the stitching in the ditch is going to be a nightmare.  But I will persist.  Hey, I've got a deadline:  May 26, 2011.

What saddens me the most, is that I wanted to create something precious for someone precious.  I didn't realize what a hair-tearing experience it would be.

Sweet Little Sophie, I love you and your momma, Andi.  One of these days you'll get to hear all about the nightmare the making of this quilt was.  And if I end up like your great-great-grandma Virginia, you'll probably hear about it again and again and again.  Then you can all laugh at me for repeating myself.  I won't mind.  Been there.  Done that!

Where Does the Summer Go?

Anyone who thinks teachers just laze around for 3 months in the summer haven't got a clue.  First, we don't get 3 months off--more like 10 weeks, that's if you don't count the days for curriculum writing and summer workshops.  Then if you add in teaching summer school for 4 weeks...well, now I am down to about 5 weeks.  Yeah, I know that sounds like a lot of vacation time, but I am responsible for over 120 middle school students between ages 11-14 every day.  Want to trade?

Anyway, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Leah Day's "365 Days of Free Motion Filler Quilting Designs," and she was talking about all the things she wants to and has to get done.  I know the feeling.

I wish I had the time to learn to do everything and be good at it too!  In addition to wanting to get better at machine quilting, I love to do hand quilting, crochet, cross stitch...  I want to get better at machine embroidery and maybe make some money with that.  Here's a pic of the linen towel I made for my mom:

I want to learn how to do Tambour work, which is a type of chain stitching on netting.

I want to learn to speak Farsi (Persian) and would like to improve my French.  And I would like the opportunity to speak both languages with native speakers.

I wish I had time to read ALL the books I would like to read--books for fun and ones to stretch my brain. I bought  some new ones on the science of baking this summer that I want to explore further and then actually get to make some of the recipes.  This has a professional purpose as well as a personal one.

There just never seem to be enough hours in the day to do EVERYTHING!!  So I guess, then I should just concentrate on doing the things I can do and try to add a few new ones along the way.

To that end, I am off to brouse through my modern Persian book and listen to the CD's.  And maybe later, I will take a look at my "Baking Illustrated" book (or should I say tome).

TTFN,
Vickie

School's Out! The Fun Begins?

I think my mom is the only person who reads my blog--well, maybe a sister or two or three. Yes, I have 3 sisters, 1 brother, 4 nephews, 3 nieces, and 1 grand-niece. I am the second oldest and will have another birthday soon--not telling my age.

Summer school is out and I have had one whole week off. Have I done all I planned to do? Not yet. Who could do it all in one week?

I used to make lists of things I needed to get done by a certain date. Now I make lists of things I want to get done. It makes me feel much better when I don't finish everything. Hey, whatever it takes.

I have done a few things this past week, though. I made a lilac linen sheath dress. I stopped sewing for myself after I gained weight. No fun to make clothes when it seems everything looks yucky on you. But since I have lost about 12 lbs. since June 4, making and buying new clothes has become fun again.

I have a couple of more dresses, a jacket, pants, etc. that I would like to finish this summer. With losing weight (which I plan to I plan to continue doing), I have decided to change my style of dress--things a little more close-fitting--not so baggy.

I cleaned up and reorganized part of the kitchen. Not finished yet. I have new restaurant style shelves and a stainless steel counter to put together if I can get my darling son, JJ, to help me.

My new Brother embroidery machine came and I have tried it out on a tee-shirt. I have a couple of onsies I want to embroider for Sweet Sophie, my grand-niece. I am also considering doing some embroidery to sell at craft fairs. I found some lovely white linen hand towels I want to try this with. (Mom, ignore this, since I plan to do one for you to start with.)
Onesies and linen towels--good start.

I think I will see if I can remember how to add in photos and post pics of the 2 dresses I have made so far this summer.

I have more things on the list of "Things I Want to Do This Summer." Hey, sounds like a good title for my next post.

TTFN (Thanks, Tigger!)

Summer School--One Week to Go!

I can't believe how quickly Summer School has gone by. It has been great this year. No serious behavior issues--what's a little talking--I can deal with that.

The students in my "Cooking around the World" class have completed their Powerpoint presentations on their selected food cultures and will start presenting them on Monday. Do you know how difficult it is to find usual mealtimes for other cultures? Most of the other info on their lists wasn't too difficult: main protein food, main veggies, main fruits, spices or flavorings, etc.

One thing they did struggle with was the concept of "or." What do I mean by that? Well, I asked them to find special food restrictions (such as, no pork in Muslim areas, etc.) "or" special eating behaviors (such as, eating with hands, eating from a common dish using chopsticks, etc.). I think several of them stopped reading after they got to "special food restrictions." They seemed to forget that there was another choice. Hence, the "or." So, when I was reviewing their final drafts, I did some nudging to get them to research a little further.

I think all of them have enjoyed the food labs we have done: Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones, Bavarian Pretzels, Scottish Shortbread, Mini-Calzones (my own creation), and Bread Puddin' .

Next week, we are having a Pasta Lab. Each of the 6 groups will prepare a different pasta dish and then they will get to eat a bit of each. I also plan to give a demo of some different grain foods from around the world, spinach pilaf, couscous, barley with honey & milk (one of my Pakistani husband's favorites), chapatis, and Jamaican rice and beans.

And though cooking really isn't part of the "Needle Me This!" class, I am planning on having them make Cinnamon Knots on Monday. They are fast, very easy to make, and taste delicious.

It's been a bit difficult for me this summer because chefs usually do a little taste testing. I have been following the "Flat Belly Diet" for the month of June which doesn't allow most of what we have made. But since I have lost 8 pounds so far and finally got down into the next 10 pound range on the scale, I don't think I have missed much. And in fact, buying new clothes has been lots of fun!

Summer School 2010

Hey all! Another summer school session has started. This year I have 21 girls, ages 11-13, in my "Needle Me This!" class. Try teaching all 21 how to crochet at once. It's a challenge, but also a lot of fun when you see them begin to have some success.

Of course, in a class of any kind, you always have a few who give up way too soon. One of my girls today said she was ready to stop for the day with 30 minutes left in class!! Needless to say, I don't let that happen.

So for those of you out there who are trying something new, remember, it takes a while to get really good at any new skill, be it crochet, quilting, cross-stitch, or basketball. That's my usual example because middle school girls and boys both know what I'm talking about.

I have changed the crochet scarf a little bit. This year we are using a size N hook (the biggest one you can get without going for those special ones that cost a lot more). We are also going to make the scarf narrower (10 single crochet stitches) and longer (about 8 feet).

This will make a scarf that can be folded in half and looped through, a style currently worn by lots of girls and women in the St. Louis area this year. I'll take a picture soon so you can see what I mean.

The girls are excited because we are doing some other fun things: counted cross-stitch bookmarks, macrame bracelets, machine embroidery on a purchased tote bag, and whatever else I might make up along the way.

Leaving a Legacy of Needle Arts

Summer School for Middle School is about learning something new and FUN!!



No papers or projects to grade! No tests! But lots of fun!



For the past couple of years I have been teaching a class called "Needle Me This!" (An homage to the Riddler from TV's Batman.) Yeah, I know, I am dating myself.



Why I created this class...



I grew up in a small town in Missouri outside St. Louis only 3 houses from one grandma and 1 mile from the other. And my great-grandmother lived halfway in between. All of them were sewers and needle artists. From them I learned hand sewing, crewel embroidery, Swedish embroidery, pulled thread work, smocking, crocheting, etc. (My grandma J. tried and tried to teach me to knit, but I found it too hard to keep the tension even, so I gave up. I needed what I tell my students all the time, "More practice!")


I was one of the lucky ones. I had women in my family who not only did needle arts, but were also willing to "pass it on."



A lot of my students these days don't even get to see their grandparents that often. Our families are all too spread apart anymore. Plus lots of them don't have grandmothers who know this stuff nor do they have the time to teach them. A lot of grandmas nowdays have full time jobs. Heck! I'm old enough to be their grandma and I'm STILL working full time.



Anyway, back to my Summer School class...



I want to leave a legacy of Needle Arts. So, in summer school I have been teaching students to crochet a scarf with a simple single crochet stitch. It's really fun. The kids do a 2" x 2" sample of some scrap yarn and then get to start on the real thing. This takes most of a week. Remember, I've got about 20 kids and almost all have no experience. It takes awhile to get everyone going.

This was done by one of my students in about a week of 2-hour classes!

After about a week, I introduce a second project: a needle point bracelet or a macrame bracelet--it all depends on what kinds of kits are available. I give them a couple of days for that. Most of them work on it and then go back to their scarves (those take more than a few days).

How many of you made loop potholders when you were a kid? I lived in a neighborhood with no girls even close to my age, so I did a lot of reading and stuff I could do by myself. I made potholders for my mom and grandmothers. Some of them became rugs for Barbie. I remember jumping on my bike and riding to Ben Franklin for more loops.

Anyway, it's a really fun and fast project. Plus the kids taught me you could make a bracelet or a long belt by fingerweaving the loops. Yeah, teaching the teacher--it happens!

So far, the class has been pretty low tech. Next time, we'll continue with the other projects, plus how technology is introduced into a basically hands-on class.

Happy sewing and quilting!

Vickie

Inspiring Future Quilters & Fiber Artists

I'm Vickie. I've been a Middle School FACS teacher for about 12 years. I came back to teaching in my mid-40's because as a single mother, I was afraid my son Jared would be grown and gone and I would have missed it all working. Yeah, I'm still a working mom, but at least I get home earlier most nights, and I've had a few weeks in the summer off to actually spend time with him. (Well, he doesn't have as much time for me since his girlfriend replaced me.)

Oh, for those of you who don't know, "FACS" is what used to be called "Home Economics."

I absolutely love what I do--both working with middle schoolers and teaching FACS! There is nothing so rewarding as hearing students say, "This tastes great!," or "Look what I made!"

The idea to start blogging was inspired by two very different women: Leah Day of "365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs" and Susan of "Hanging on by a Needle and Thread."

Leah is 20-something mother of an adorable young son who has vowed to design a free-motion filler design for every day of one year. Wow! What an undertaking! And in just a few months, she has created more than one hundred designs. Hopefully, I will be able to do all of them one day.

Susan is more of my generation--old enough to be a mother and grandmother (although, I started on the mother thing late, so still no grandkids for me--besides, I'm really TOO young to be a grandma yet!) Not only does is Susan doing some great quilts, she also introduced me to the "skip stitch" blade for my rotary cutter. I am so excited to be able to do more quick and easy blankets for "Project Linus."

I have been trying to get students interested in doing quilts for Project Linus for a couple of years, even providing all the equipment and materials out of my own pocket. I just can't seem to get them interested in something that takes a while, but they don't get a grade or extra credit for.

Anyway, I got my "skip stitch" blade in the mail yesterday and have already bought some remnants of fleece and as soon as I get the baby-weight yarn tonight, I am going to try my hand at those really cute and easy crochet-edged baby blankets.

My mom, Yvonne, likes quick crochet projects she can do in the winter when it is too cold to hang out in the yard. I don't know how many crocheted hanger covers she has made over the years. I wonder why I have never been on the receiving end of those hangers? Maybe 'cause she knows I can crochet and should be able to make my own. When will I ever have time to do that?

Anyway, my goal is to make some blankets myself for Project Linus, get some students to do it, too (I know single crochet is not that hard to learn), and also get my mom to make some, too. I mean, how many crocheted hangers does a person really need?

So, that's my first post! I am off to the sewing machine to do something fun. Yayyyyy for snow days!

Happy sewing and quilting!

Vickie