Where is Flat Mary?

Since I've been asked that question a few times this week, I thought I better update you. Okay, they didn't ask where "flat Mary" was, but that's the best word I can come up with to describe my current state of mind.  I'm not unhappy or sad, but I am flat -- unmotivated by the things that usually motivate me.  I have to say thanks to those who have come looking for me this week!

I really admire the folks who've managed to stay completely absorbed by their avocations during these unique times.  I have hardly been near my sewing machine for over five weeks but I have been happily busy most days.  It's that time of year in this area where the garden needs to be prepped for winter and so that's been accomplished with the exception of a couple little tasks that need to happen today just in case this is the last mild day.

I've been knitting everyday -- working a few Christmas gifts that I won't share but I did finish this sock test knit for Sandra C Designs -- it's her newest pattern and you can find it on her website or Ravelry.  That trim above and below the stars is a Latvian braid and much easier to create than I imagined!

I am focusing on using yarn that is "in stock" in my stash (which thankfully isn't as overwhelming as my fabric stash) and it feels good!  The socks are made with a self-stripping yarn and happy coincidence, the longer dark gray sections were just enough to get all the way through the star sections.  I also made three sets of thumb-less mitts on strings for guess who??

We had a bit of cold, slightly snowy weather so they tried them out already.

I have finished two quilts recently -- my black and white rainbow version of Mississippi Mud is ready to bind.  I kept the quilting very simple!  If you missed my posts about this new color version, you can check it out HERE.

My proudest finish is the temperature quilt I pieced in 2017 that documents the beginning of the eighth decade of my life.  I hand quilted it using pearl cotton in several colors (so I didn't have to go shopping!?!) with "big stitch".  

The backing is a fabric I loved so much that I had to have a big hunk but could not cut it up for piecing.

It's a large lap robe size and it doesn't go with anything in my house but I'm keeping it just the same!

I did a ZOOM lecture for a guild in Indianapolis a couple weeks ago and it went really well.  I was a bit reluctant at first since it's been two years since I stepped away from teaching. Maybe if I get energized this winter, I'll organize Power Points and update a couple of my lectures and get back out on the circuit?!?

The activity that has almost totally absorbed me for the past six weeks is my husband's family history!

I sit here at my desk several hours every day (until my brain can't unravel on more thing) and scour genealogy websites looking for clues and information about this group of people.

As a teenager, I wanted to be a history teacher and I seem to be returning to my interest through this work.  Doug's grandfather was estranged from his mother as a teen and carried that hurt forward in his life by not sharing any of his early life or family history with his children or grandchildren.

That void has become the focus of my research and the discoveries have amazed me -- so far on his mother's side, I've taken almost every line back to a Puritan emigrant from England in the mid 1600's!  Yesterday this map that another person shared on an Ancestry profile caught my eye and several ancestors' names popped out at me plus a couple clues that might help me find another person.

I'm so hooked!!!

The hard part of this history is learning about their involvement in the subjugation of the native inhabitants of the area.  I'm determined to include that part of the family history in a more realistic way than in the past. 

My desk binoculars are close at hand, too so I can keep track of what's happening at the feeders and around the back yard.

I was delighted to have this big fella show up last week -- pileated woodpecker --

but not quite as happy to have this big fella roaming around out back.

I can't decide if he's a 8 point or 10 point but whichever, he's big.  There was a second buck and the two of them were stalking a doe and they made several laps through the yard during the course of the day.

I continue to largely ignore the news as it is so disconcerting to me. To compensate, I'm watching for positive posts (mostly on Instagram) that motivate personal reflection. A couple weeks ago, @katgoldin of Gartur Stitch Farm in rural Scotland shared a post in which she focused on the accomplishments of the past six months in the face of the disruption her family and business have endured.  

That reminded me to watch where my focus is directed!!

Early in October, knitting designer Marie Greene's (oliveknits.com) said it so well in a newsletter -- "Being creative gives us unlimited ways to cope with stress and uncertainty. There's something about funneling that restless, worried energy into something useful that makes us feel like we really do have a handle on things (even if we don't)."   Here's a link to a recent podcast of hers -- love her cheery voice as much as her positive ideas!  

I've realized that once I "get started", I'm good.  Setting a small goal yesterday for today is helping because "thinking" first thing in the morning isn't my strong suite.   I pulled out another charity quilt this morning to get back into a daily machine quilting routine.

And yesterday,  I've tidied up the design wall and plan to spend the next dreary day up in the studio pushing forward with this neglected piece.

Given the good vibes that have been produced by folks checking up on me, I'm motived to do the same and pay it forward over the next couple days, checking in with a few friends.

Have a pleasant weekend and I won't stay quiet for so long again.

Mary

P.S. Someone contacted my "flat blob, Willie" so here he is enjoying the sun puddles this morning!

I'm still here, are you still there?

 Last week, I found this happy place -- so many pumpkins and squash and gourds!

I just let myself have at it -- it was like fabric shopping but I don't have to make anything out of them!

I can just sit and admire them!

Then we can eat them or feed them to my son's chickens!

Win, win!!

Fall happens so fast here and I don't want to miss my favorite parts of it.

So I've been indulging myself and staying outside as much as possible.  That means there hasn't been much stitching (saving that for the rainy days just around the corner).  I'm doing as much walking and  birding and puttering in the garden or knitting in the back garden as I can

On a good day, I can enjoy several of my past times simultaneously without leaving the yard!

This red-breasted nuthatch and it's sidekick spent most of a sunny afternoon "planting" sunflower seeds around my flower beds while I carried on knitting close at hand. 

(I couldn't get them to understand there are new seeds everyday so no need to hoard!?!)

I'm knitting Katie's Kep, the featured pattern for this year's virtual Shetland Wool Week, when another knitter's version on Instagram caught my eye -- it was a perfect interpretation of the landscape colors I'm seeing all around me.  

(Check out the hashtag #katieskep on Instagram for an eyeful.)

A creative spark flashed in my brain and suddenly I was snapping pictures on my walks to interpret in another version of the Kep (Shetland talk for cap).

(Note: walking into a pawpaw grove with the woman I raised to bird with me!)

Of course, I don't need another project.  

One of the discoveries I've made about myself during "isolation" (or perhaps just finally admitted) is that I have the attention span of a gnat!!

The result of this is a lot of UFO's.

However, if I have a specific reason to make something, I'm much more likely to finish.

So happily, my subconscious (love that part of my brain) figured out while I was poking through my yarn stash that I could make mini-Fair Isle mittens for the triplets using those color inspirations.

Creative inspiration + "need" = finished project . . . of course, I'll finish Katie's Kep first! 

Last week, at the end of a babysitting day with the triplets, their mom brought home their first set of wheels!! 

Smiles all around!!

He is a natural at steering and one of his sisters was as happy to push as he was to drive.

I must say I was feeling pretty glum when I started this, but that cup of coffee and "talking" with you has cheered me right up.  There was crummy news this morning (I need to have a tooth extracted) and wanted to cry all the way home -- it's not that awful in itself, but it's just one more thing?!?  

So when I got home, redirecting my energy and my mind was absolutely necessary.

And there you were, waiting for my return to this page.

So thanks for reading!

Think I'll head outside and deadhead some plants.

Hope you have strategies for lifting yourself out of the doldrums!!

Mary

What Day Is It?

 If you haven't reached the age of Medicare, you may not realize what a scary question that can be.  You see there are these nice, well-meaning (younger) medical types who ask us mature ones that question regularly.  It's part of the question battery to confirm one's mental condition. 

I'm pretty sure I would have flunked that question this week!

It seems everyday, I've had to figure out what day it is -- thank goodness for date books and calendars!! That and a conversation with a friend a couple days ago made me realize September is on the way out and I've not done one thing to reach my studio goals for the month!?!

I haven't even been in my studio for a week!  What is that all about??

It didn't take a genius to figure it out once I walked through the door!  It's a mess . . . again.  And avoiding it means it's time to tidy up.  So I tackled this mess just inside the door.

As usual, it was a treasure hunt!  I found long-forgotten teaching samples most of which I discarded (!!!) but I kept this cheery stack that will make a sweet little 9-patch quilt.

And my photo album from high school and college -- made quick work of this and pared it down to 10 pictures to keep!

(I feel like I should point this out to my kids so they know I'm trying to thin things down.)

It really didn't take long until I could sweep the rug and then I was entitled to sew!

These are step samples from teaching Double Irish Chain -- I can't even remember the last time I taught that -- why am I saving them???  One of the challenges of dealing with sample pieces is that it's hard to toss them when they are made from pretty fabric and skillfully pieced!  

But I've gotten pretty good at wrangling them into something usable.  I don't do improv piecing  but I do organize random blocks and bits improvisationally! 

It's a little runner (I think) and it's in the "to be" box with that hunk of fabric now, so in the future who knows what it's destiny will be?

A clean floor and a little pieced top entitled me to cut this new charm pak up into 2" hexagons

and lay out a little Christmas runner.  It can be my "sew-off" project over the next couple weeks while I get that set of blocks on the design wall into a finished top.

This morning, I got up all perky from yesterday's studio time and layered up my temperature quilt from 2017 so that I can start hand quilting it this fall!  

So back to what day of the week it is -- I woke up this morning wondering if time was as important two hundred years ago as it is today (probably thanks to history musings related to my current genealogy research, which is also why my desk is so messy).

I suspect it was important to know day from night and recognize the seasons but I don't believe the exactness that we live by now was important.   These past six months have given us a taste of that and might be why I'm experiencing this sense of being adrift in time.

I am getting comfortable with the lack of commitments and a thin schedule.

How about you? 

I wonder if I'll slowly drift back into the modern frenzy when this is finished.

I don't think I want to do that, but I don't want to flunk the date question either!?!

That desk needs a good tidy-up . . . . tomorrow.

Mary

Redeeming a Dreary Day

 I'm not sure what triggered such a positive approach to today but I'm grateful for it.  Willie (my faithful black cat) and I were rudely awakened this morning by a monster clap of thunder right outside our bedroom window!?!  A quick look at the local weather radar made it clear that this was the leading edge of a huge thunderstorm that would last the rest of the morning.  

My plan for the day was to work in the garden but . . . . . .  well, at least the rain barrels are full again and I won't have to water all my patio pots or the last few days transplants.

It was obvious I'd get too wet and too dirty even doing some deadheading or starting the end of summer clean-up of the borders.

The morning glories tried to bloom but it's mid-afternoon now and today's blooms should have waited until tomorrow.  I guess they just couldn't avoid their destiny?!? Today was their day to bloom!

Happily, I had the inspiration to change my plan to an activity that would lift my spirits and cross a few things off my never ending list -- I would dedicate this dreary day to finishing!  Finishing something always gives my spirits a big lift!! 

 But first sourdough pancakes with fresh peaches and maple syrup to get the day off to a special start!

Nourished and armed with my first cup of tea for the day, I tackled the onerous task of weaving in yarn ends on a pair of socks I finished knitting yesterday.  Oh, my goodness?!?

It seems to be a universally despised task among knitters but you can't get cute socks like this without doing it!?!

These were designed by Wendy who I follow on Instagram @warmstripes and it's a free pattern she shared for her birthday in August.  You can make your own version!  Click HERE for her pattern.

I made a little modification to customize it for my librarian daughter.

There now, that wasn't so bad!

Time for another cup of tea.

The plan was to have a cup of all my favorites over the course of the day -- good thing I drink mostly decaf!!

Time to address the almost finished charity quilt clogging up my quilting machine.  I just needed to quilt the border but it's been sitting for over a week while I wait for "inspiration".  

Just do it, Mary!!

Oh, and there were threads to bury -- a lot like weaving in yarn ends!?!

Fortunately there weren't many as I've been disciplining myself to bury them as they are created for the past couple years.

After lunch, I adjourned to the studio to bind the quilt and listen to another chapter of A People's History of the United States.  What an interesting book -- its giving me a new perspective on many aspects of  our American history leading me to an improved understanding of the source of some of our society's problems.

+

My final finishing goal for today is six masks -- I don't enjoy making these so decided instead of letting it drag out all week, I'd just power through them.

My neck and shoulders were screaming for a break so I'm here writing to you but once I finish and figure out a supper plan (what are you having?), I'll head back up and finish them.

So three finishes today -- wahoo!!!

It's doesn't shorten the list too much but I'm feeling good about my day in spite of  the gray brooding weather.  This week, I have plans to layer up a couple more quilts from the "ready shelf" -- one to be machine quilted and one to be hand quilted.

I also wanted to share a series I'm streaming via my PBS station -- Africa's Great Civilizations.

The six episodes are hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and explore the rich cultural history of Africa of which I was completely unaware.  I think one of the keys to eliminating racism in this country is developing an appreciation for the history of Africa and it's people.  They might teach some of this in world history classes these days, but they didn't 50 years ago so I am grateful that PBS is making this series from 2017 available.  If you are interested and your local station isn't streaming it right now, check out your library or better yet, click HERE and buy it from PBS, watch it and gift it to spread the awareness!

Finally, I went out to dinner Saturday night!!

A good time was had by all and they are better veg eaters than their grandmother!

I hope this lingering period of isolation is helping you understand yourself better -- what would you do on a dreary day to lift your spirits?

Mary

 Machine quilting and finishing some projects has carried me through the past couple weeks!  That is all good for sure!!  Last week, I finished my youngest grandson's "big bed" quilt -- major goal reached!! 

 I made this quilt during the #littlemisssawtoothquiltqal led by Melanie at @southerncharmquilts via Instagram.  I used a layer cake I had stashed with 1 1/2 yards of background fabric for the blocks.  I moved through this project pretty quickly, starting the blocks last September and finishing the quilting this week -- not even a year!?!

So this week, I've been working on a small charity quilt. Remember this "sashed 9-patch" block I shared with you in March?  (Here's the original post with my directions for piecing these scrappy little blocks -- it's at the end of that post.)

I pieced twelve of them and set them together with sashing to make a wheelchair laprobe and my charity quilting crew layered it at our July gathering (outside on the front porch, of course).

My current strategy is to alternate quilting one of my own pieces and then a quilt to donate.  The idea has worked well for me because the charity quilts are generally small and by keeping the quilting simple I've been moving through them quickly but this time, after ditch-stitching the sashing, I froze.

My quandary was how to keep the quilting simple while enhancing the piecing.  None of my straight line ideas were inspiring me to continue.  While I don't consciously assign design tasks to my subconscious, I'm glad it goes to work on my creative blocks anyway.   Between looking at the quilt everyday laying on the machine table and some Instagram scrolling, I was inspired to adapt a four-point star motif someone shared so it fit my blocks.  As I worked with chalk sketching the idea, I enhanced it with a pumpkin seed flower to fill up the central space of the block.  Thank you subconscious for the inspiration!!

Here is my chalk sketching of my idea.  I've understood that I'm a visual person for a long time and sketching on the real thing helps me make decisions more easily.  I use "chalk wheel" devices that lay a line of chalk which I can brush off if I don't like my lines.  My original idea was to bisect the center square with straight lines that connected to the inner V's of the star but when I couldn't figure out how to stitch that without back stitching previous lines or extras stop/starts, I experimented with the pumpkin seed flower which could be easily worked into the design with no back stitching and no extra stop/starts.  

So let me walk you through it!

I used minimal marking for each block -- these are the center lines to guide me from point to point.

I start at the upper left corner of the block, aligning my straight guide tool with the corner of the block and the first centering mark.

Once I reach the centering mark, I reposition my guide and stitch out to the lower left corner of the block.  The foot on my machine is a ruler foot designed for APQS machines to use with plexiglass guides.

I continue in that way until I reach this final centering line and am in position to begin the pumpkin seed flower which is a series of free motion arcs.  My goal for each line is to reach the center X in a smooth arc.

Here I am with just two more arcs to stitch and I'll be back at the starting point of the flower at which point I'll use the guide ruler to return to the corner where I started.  One continuous line!!

Finished!!  In about four minutes (which includes marking and tying off the thread ends) I'm ready to move to the next block.  With just twelve blocks in the quilt, I can get half the blocks quilted in under 30 minutes which tends to be my session limit at the quilting machine.  When I stick to my 30 minute work limit, I find it easier to avoid a cranky neck and shoulders!

Here's the progress so far -- I have six blocks left to quilt and then maybe a straight line down the middle of all the sashing and something in the border.  I could have this piece ready to bind by Monday!

Then I can layer up and work next week on a laprobe that I've selected from the "ready-to-quilt" shelf for a housewarming gift!

It's been a pleasant week -- my goal to get back into a regular walking routine is progressing.

I enjoyed two all day babysitting sessions with the triplets!  BLISS!!

I enjoyed a couple small social gatherings (with masks).

Perhaps most important, I decided to embrace a couple perks of the current isolation.

I'm noticing my almost-empty schedule has led me to pay more attention to details and have more patience when needed.  

For example, I've started putting things away when I'm done using them because I don't have to rushing on to something else so the house is tidier and I (almost) always know where stuff is?!?

That's all good!!

  I'm doing more advanced knitting projects but I'm making lots of mistakes in my projects (argghhh - lack of experience).  I still get in a snit but they are usually short and I can back-up, undo, and fix the mistake -- like the sock that I knit twice before I got it the right size.  It was worth it!!

So I hope that I can take these habits forward with me.

It might mean I won't be as "useful" to other people but they are just going to have to get their own act together, aren't they?

Mary, the efficient dependable multi-tasker has retired!!

(All of you who've had your "slow living" act together for a while are smiling.)

So let's go have a good week and if you've had a "light bulb" moment as a result of isolation, share it with us!!

Mary