A Father's Greatest Gift

Carmen and Jerry

As the month of June hits and summer comes into focus we get around to celebrating our Dads for Father's Day.  Beyond the 'neck ties', 'kiss the cook BBQ aprons', 'Whale of a Dad ice cream cakes' and the silly cards with pictures of dad's mowing the lawn and polishing their mid-life crisis sports cars, what else does this day mean to us?  This Father's Day I thought I'd ask you all to consider, what is the greatest gift that your father has given to you?  I'm not talking about money or the antique lamp from your great granny, I mean a gift in the form of his legacy.  What has your dad imprinted upon you that made you a better person?

I first began to think of this subject of the greatest gift my father had given to me, a few years ago when he passed away.  Some things he had given to me are obvious; my sense of humor, my logical way of thinking; my big round face; my love of mathematics and that bite of the gambling bug that I feel when I think of the sights and sounds of the inside of a casino.  Of course there are also intangible things he taught me.  Little pearls of wisdom, that even though I may have rolled my eyes at him as a kid and a teenager he was right to teach them to me and I now understand their lessons.

Here are only a few of them that I fondly remember and laugh about often;

It's important to check in with those who love you and to always be truthful.  He had one rule, call home periodically when you go out at night and let him know where we were. He used to say; "Kimmy, I don't care what you're doing or who you're doing it with, I just need to know you're okay so I don't pace the house all night waiting to get a call that your car's in a ditch somewhere.  We can talk about the rest in the morning." I always called and was never afraid to tell him the truth about where I was or what shenanigans I was into that day.  Many times I walked through the door and just flat out gave myself up; "Dad, I skipped Sunday school and instead my friends and I were smoking cigarettes behind the rectory", "Dad, the big orange construction saw horse with the blinking light on top wasn't put int he driveway behind your car by the DPW, my friends and I stole it and put it there for a joke last night."... believe me, it was always better to tell him up front and face the consequences than to have him find out (he always found out) and then you'd be in trouble for what you did PLUS double trouble for having lied  to him.

He taught me to be prepared.  No matter how cheap your car is there are things you don't skimp on; tires, brakes, a good battery and changing your oil every 3000 miles, for those things you spend as much as you need to so your car is always able to get you home. 

Math is literally every where!  When I was a kid he'd quiz me in the isle of the super market holding up two cans of beans, one small and one gigantic; "Kimmy, quick look at these two cans of beans, how much is each per ounce and which one should we buy?".  I'd laugh because he'd tell me that "even if we throw the extra beans away, you have GOT to go with the best value!"  he was right and I remember this lesson when I choose most every big purchase I make.

Sometimes you have to be grown up enough to make the tough decisions.  When I was learning to drive he used to sit in the passenger seat tap the dash board twice and say; "Kimmy, when I do this you slow down", he'd then tap the dashboard twice again the very same way as before and say; "Kimmy, when I do this go faster."  When I looked at him to question what he had said he'd interrupt me and say; "It's up to you to know which one!"  Today I am an awesome driver and I'm not afraid to make a confident decision.

All these things are just memories, lessons learned from a parent that taught in his own way, with his own style.  At the time, while I was busy huffing, puffing and rolling my eyes I didn't realize that he was doing a great job at teaching me and although I didn't know it then, he was getting his point across.  Is this a legacy?  Do these things add up to the greatest gift that my father left me with?  If that's not it, what is?  Then all at once the answer hit me like a ton of bricks in the days leading up to his death. 

In 2008, 82 years had passed for him and this once larger than life man with the booming voice was a fragile old man, his wife had been deceased for some 26 of those years, his health was failing.  We got the call that he had been taken to the hospital with kidney failure and that it didn't look good.  When I got to his bed side I asked him if he was in any pain and if he needed anything. He said "No Kimmy, I feel fine".  He then looked right at me and said, "Kimmy, I think this is it for me."  He and I have always been very honest with eachother, and there was nothing wrong with his realistic and rational mind so I said, "Well Dad, it just might be your time, are you ready?"  What he did and said next is something that I'll never forget.  He said, "No Kimmy, I've just got to call my friend.  Can one of you kids get me a phone and dial your Uncle Jerry's number?".  Jerry and Mary Aquino and their family are one of those families that were always considered uncle, aunt and cousins even though they were not related by blood.  Jerry and my father had been the best of friends for 60+ years.  We handed him a phone and listening to their short conversation   He said "Hello Jerry?  It's me Carmen.  I'm in the hospital again and this time it looks like this is 'it'.  You've always been a wonderful friend to me and I wanted to tell you I love you very much and I'll be waiting in Heaven for you when you get there."    All of us in the room just stood there, speechless.  In those short moments in my mind I realized all the years that these men spent together, sharing weddings, births, deaths, successes and failures, a whole lifetime of true, honest friendship.  They talked for a few more minutes and then he hung up.  I never asked him what Jerry said on the other end of the phone but I could see the expression on his face, it wasn't sad or stressed it was peaceful and calm, it was an expression that said to me that he just checked off a box on that invisible checklist inside his head.  At that very moment I could see it, I knew what he left with all of us, what he instilled in all of us, what his legacy and his gift to us was.  This was a man who made solid connections, he was loyal and honest, sometimes to a fault.  When you were his friend the line got blurred and you were folded into his family.  I remember when my  mother passed away him saying that she was the social one and that it wasn't his thing to be social.  That wasn't the case at all.   His rough, hard, blunt speaking exterier really did have a soft inside.  He kept a special place in his heart for friendship and he passed that trait on to all of us.  He continued to talk and visit with each of his children, grandchilden, siblings and friends over the next three days leading to his death.   We all got our last lectures, talked about memories and and his honest assessment of what we've all done right, what we've done wrong.  This man, who died with virtually no money and nothing of any monitary value, surrounded by his family and friends was rich beyond his dreams.  He was rich in the loyalty of the friends he kept and in the family that surrounded him and if we're lucky we're all just a little bit like him.  I think I am.. I hope I am.  I think about my 5 siblings and myself and how we all have "family" and "friends" at the top of our priority list.  I think of how all 6 of us have life long friends, childhood connections that have lasted all these years.  This is his gift to me, his greatest gift, that he taught me to make connections, be kind and generous with my friendship and keep these bonds forever.  With any luck I will pass this gift off to my son who I look at each day and in his big round grinning face I see my father's face looking back at me.

Rainy Day Fabric Comes In Handy

Sometimes the plan and design comes before the fabric, and other times the fabric is something that catches my eye at the fabric store and I can't leave it behind.  As was the case with this bit of fabric, I just couldn't leave it behind I knew it would fit just right for some project on the horizon.  So I bought it and saved it for the proverbial 'rainy day' project.  The fat quarters that you see in this photo were presented in a pack of 5 ranging from light to dark in a variation of white, gray and black floral prints.  Alone each one of these would easily fit into many quilt projects, however I was determined to keep them together.  When I purchased these fat quarters they had displayed next to them the two additional fabrics, a bright yellow geometric design that held all the colors in my 5 shade stack as well as a floral with the same shades plus this same vibrant, bright yellow color, obviously from a designer's pattern family.

For literally months and months when I finished a project and my quilting table was empty waiting for the next I pulled these out and looked at them, moved them about on the table, imagined a design to use them in, but nothing came to mind for these.  I just couldn't find something that I wanted to use them in.  Then while scrolling around some images on the internet I stumbled across a quilt done with log cabin blocks that had various black and white fabric designs within the log cabin squares while the center square of each block was a bright red print.  The red was used just as an occasional accent, I was inspired.  I got the pile of fabrics out, my extra long pad of graph paper, colored pencils that approximated the colors that I had to work with and off I went.

Since I kept the design fairly simple this project went together extremely fast.  This photo is blurry because it was taken with my cell phone and a lot of times I don't realize it but I'm taking pictures through finger prints on the camera that is on the back of the phone.  This is about half way through the center portion of this quilt top.  Not certain you can tell from this but most of the way through I followed my quilt plan and used the map as a guide.

As I often do, I attempted to calculate my center field pattern of the quilt to fit the width of a twin sized bed.  That was the design, but I had taken a gamble that the fat quarters that I had for the shades of white through black prints were enough to finish the project.  They were literally just enough, but not without a little re-positioning of a bit of the design map I had made.  Once the quilt top was complete, before it went up onto the frame it got a dry run on Jason's bed to make sure my placement of the quilted field appeared correct.  It appears here as though the center extends beyond the mattress top boarders but when quilted it will loose an inch or two on either side.  Should fit a twin bed nicely.

 When this one came off the quilt frame I had prepared two different colors for the binding; gray and black.  I thought the gray would lighten it up a bit as there is a lot of black in this project, however the gray seemed to fade away and just wasn't bold enough.  I went with a black binding and I think it ties the fabrics together.

This project will be one of two that will be donated to the Salem Christian School spring auction this year, hopefully it will earn a good amount of money for the school.

The binding, backing and quilting.

The finished project.

Great Expectations

I know, this doesn't look like my usual color pallet, more like a color wheel exploded all over the quilt room.  These fabrics were selected by a client of mine who had hired me to create a quilt for her.  This quilt was a gift for her first great granddaughter due to be born this May.  She knew just what she wanted, picked out and purchased all the fabrics ahead of time and even selected the pattern / design.  All I had to do with it was piece and quilt it. The pinwheels came together very quickly and were a lot of fun; check out my previous post and tutorial on the process I used for putting them together <HERE>.


The in-process photos of this B&S quilt project.  This was a fun project for me because the lady who hired me chose a full sized quilt pattern and wanted her version of it to be a crib size.  It sounds simple to do, but when the dimensions of a pieced design need to be shrunk it all has to be done .. every dimension of every shape.  Good quilt math practice for me, my 10th grade geometry teacher (Mr. Cataldo) would be proud. :)

Colors chosen were bright and vibrant and off set by  a contrasting fabric called 'confetti', named for the specks of bright colors through it.

Quilt top complete and awaiting backing, quilting and binding.

 

A bit of an up close photo of this quilt top.  As I mentioned, a little more of a a busy design and colors than what I usually use.  However, the purple in this pattern (along the boarder and in the lattice design) match the color in the baby's nursery.  For a little girl's room this should fit right in.

On the quilt frame...

 

Had some extra fabric so the client asked for a small pillow to match...

I had some fun with this one, quick project to put together that was really appreciated by the client who ordered it.  Hopefully the baby that it was made for will enjoy it for years and years.

Pinwheels In A Flash

Need to make up a lot of pinwheels but hate piecing fabric triangles on the bias?  Me too... So, I had found a tutorial a long time ago in a desperate search for ways to make half square triangle piecing easier.  For those of you who may not know what that is, a half square triangle is just simply a square made out of two right-angled triangles.  A traditional way of making these is to cut your triangles and then sew them together via the long side of the right triangle.  The problem I have with this method is that it is often my experience that the small point of the triangles at the beginning of your seam tend to get all stuck and  bunched up in the machine, not to mention the fabric stretches along the bias cut of the triangle.  I needed a faster, more fool-proof method; and that just what I found.  Since you're reading this now, now that's also what you've found.

In this project the pattern called for 12 large and 12 small pinwheels.  This method creates 8 half square triangles which in-turn will make 2 pinwheels which makes this prep work a really a fast method for pinwheels.

Step 1  - Create squares of fabric that will make up your pinwheels.  For this project I have solid colors with a white 'confetti' background fabric.  The squares size will depends on the finished size of your pinwheel.  Mine is an odd size here as the final project is a quit for a crib that is slightly larger than the crib mattress size.  You would need to measure is the size of the triangles needed for the half square triangle pieces and work that into determining the size here.  Like I said, mine were a odd size so the squares I've made are approximately 10 inches square.

 

Step 2  - Lay your fabric squares together, right sides of the fabric touching. 

 

Step 3 - Draw lines on the lighter color of fabric in the pair.  Here I've drawn a line from corner to corner, then the other corner to corner and then pencil lines in the center of each straight side.

Step 4 - Use the diagonal line(s) as a guide and sew your 1/4 inch seam on either side of ONLY those diagonal lines.  I've flipped this example over here so you can what this looks like so far.

 

 Step 5 - Cut along the pencil lines that you drew in step 3.  This step will leave you with 8 pieced half square triangles.

Step 6 - After pressing your seams all you need to do is assemble the final block.  For the project I'm working on with this fabric it's pinwheels, but you can use the half square triangles for any pieced block that calls for them.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Throw Quilt

Each year for Christmas I try a new quilt pattern or design.  I get out the giant bin of holiday fabric and start digging and then usually spend a few weeks in the quilt room.  Only thing is, with me when it comes to quilt patterns (and fabric for that matter) I'm like Steve Martin's character in the movie "The Jerk" in that scene where he's picking up the *only* things he needs and the list just keeps going and going... "The ashtray, this paddle game, and the remote control, and the lamp, and that's all *I* need."  It's almost to the point of a sickness.. I can imagine the scene now.. me and a room full of old ladies with eye glasses that have those decorative chains on them so they can take the glasses off and hang them around their necks like my high school homeroom teacher Mrs Smith... then I gingerly step to the podium and say.. ".. Hello.. my name is Kim and I'm addicted to fabric and quilt patterns.. " to which they all respond "HELLO KIM!" and then clap.

The reason is easy, for me, the Christmas pattern designs are festive and colorful and since they're given away as gifts you haven't been sitting there looking at them all year getting tired of them.  Also, I still enjoy making each of the designs I create during the holidays, so I don't want to give any of them up and keep them in my project list and then add a new one each year.  A few  years ago the Christmas project was the Bethlehem Star, which I'm sure you're all sick to death of since it's become my go-to project.  I'll admit it.. I love sewing stars.. so sue me!  Then last Christmas I did a star and added a wreath wall hanging.  and this year the wreath became a throw and I added a new pattern, a 'twisted Rudy'.  I know what you're thinking, 'sounds like the name of a cocktail from an awkward Mary Tyler-esk dinner party'. Yeah, but it's really cute and turned out to be super fun to make.


I had looked online and in some books for ideas for this year's new Christmas quilt pattern.  I wanted something that I'd never done before.. something interesting.   So I stumbled upon a 'youtube' video for a ruler that makes Twisted Squares.. looks like a helpful product and for $8 it will make creating twisted blocks fast and easy.  A twisted square is a square made from a 4 patch block where the seams are set on a 30 degree angle.  Now, I enjoy a good quilting gadget as much as the next person... but $8 plus shipping for a 4 inch square of plexiglass with a few lines printed on it just wasn't going to happen.  Some might even choose to use the word "cheap".. I'll stick to frugal and maybe crafty.  Well, anything to save a buck.. or possibly 8 bucks!  To add insult to frugality, the pattern for this quilt could be downloaded, but wasn't free.

I had some fabric that I felt fit the project well and who am I to let a good pile of fabric go to waste...  so.. if this quilt was to be made I was going to need a pattern.  That's where my nerd meets quilter's brain came into play and it was time to reverse engineer the Twisted Rudy design.  Not real hard to do, about an hour, some graph paper and my son's Crayola colored pencils and whalla.. I had a plan.

I cut this project with the help of a ruler that I already had in my quilting ruler stash that had many triangle markings on it, including a 30 degree indication.  It wasn't as fancy as the special one that only does one thing, but didn't cost me $8 either.  The finishing of this project was done by machine tying the quilt with a double polyester batting which made for a really fluffy warm little throw blanket.

This twisted Rudy was donated to a very worthy cause, a fund raiser to raise money for a family who has a baby girl who was very ill and the Mommy had lost her job after having to be at her daughter's hospital bedside.  Since this is a Christmas project.. and Christmas brings about the spirit of giving, I figure donating it is somewhat fitting.

This was a fun project, I'm also thinking that perhaps I'll do a few other "twisted" block projects and perhaps a tutorial on this 'Twisted Rudy'.

Click here for a link to photos of this and other Christmas 2012 projects .

Necessity.. The Mother of Invention...

Necessity and to be honest, and a bit of jealousy is the mother of this invention.  While my sewing studio is still in the planning stages for the basement of our house (crossing my fingers for this spring) the B&S quilt room continues to be my families dining room.
 
I've got a fairly good set up here with my sewing machine on the dining room table and two 6 foot folding rectangle tables that act as my ironing and cutting stations and when necessary get pushed together for large work and basting when I choose not to assemble the quilting frame and long arm finish a project.  All in all, It's a setup that works... especially when compared to the 32 inch round table this quilting venture started from.

Well, the jealousy part comes from my visits to my sister's workroom.  She runs a very successful business of fabricating high end draperies, and pretty much anything else she or a decorator can think of to be made out of fabric.  I go to her work area often and get advise or search through the rolls and rolls of left over fabrics.  She's made her self a work table, a ginormous work table, and in the past I've gone there to lay out projects on her work surface as you can iron and pin on it.. it's sturdy... it's virtually indestructible.

There's no way I could fit a table like hers into my dining room and for quilting it would really be overkill but trying to maneuver 44 inch wide quilting cotton onto a tiny ironing board is also not ideal.

So, seeing as I am terrified of the power saw, I enlisted the help of my workroom handyman, who also happens to be my husband.  I had him cut a piece of plywood to the width of one of my tables and nearly the length (48 inches) saving me several feet at the end of the table.






He then had the idea of rounding the corners to match the corners of the table and cut in this handy handle that will end up on the bottom for my fingers to go in when I lift the finished board.

I then went back to my sewing guru and asked what to cover it with.  I needed something that I can iron on and that would also not get damaged or grow mildew when it gets wet or hit with a lot of steam.  The materials that I would need you can order online or just get at your local fabric / craft store; 'Worktable Padding' and 'Canvas Worktable Covering' (or some places call it duck cloth).  It comes in 60 inch widths, so for this project I didn't need a lot and it could be done fairly cheaply.

I laid out the pad that would go underneath and cut that to the exact size.

I then cut the cover cloth slightly larger than the plywood and began to power staple it up around the sides, starting with opposite sides and stretching it as I went along.

The finished board on my table.  As you can see I left the space at the end to fit my little ironing board that I had been using when I do quilt piecing.

I like having both on the table as you can see the board can accommodate a standard 44 inch width of quilting cotton while small piecing can still be ironed without moving larger fabric on the smaller board.  This was a very easy and inexpensive project and really saves me time while quilting as I don't need to keep moving fabric to properly iron it as I had before because a full width didn't fit on my small ironing board.