My on-going project-repairing my slouchy hippie bag.
I’ve started slow stitching to keep my hands while I care for my elderly parents. Caregiving is the toughest job I ever had. It is extremely stressful because of dementia.
I needed something to take my mind off stress and keep me in the present. My on-going project is a slouchy hippie bag that I’m repairing with patches and stitching.
Covering up the stains with stitching.
It’s just random stitching, leading itself from one type stitching to another. No big plans, not ever sure when I will know if it’s done. As long as it helps me quiet stressful noise of caregiving.
Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.
I donated my recently passed husband’s suits to Men’s Warehouse suit several summers ago, and they gave me 30% coupon. I really didn’t have any use for it or knew anyone at that moment who could use the coupon. Then I remembered as I walked into the store, I passed two young men trying on tuxedos for a wedding. That’s when I decided who would get the coupon. They were so shocked to get this out of the blue.
My husband would have loved that he helped someone look great for their wedding. He was such a clothes horse. It was a small way to remember him.
I’m so excited. I got a package in the mail from the UK. It’s my English paper-piecing (epp) kit. Kate from The Last Homely House inspired me with her hexagon quilt for her granddaughter. Here’s a link to a playlist of Kate’s hexagon quilt. Paper piecing uses a paper template as a base. The fabric is wrapped around it and stitched for stability. This kit is my first attempt at it.
I purchase a Hexagon Cushion Kit from Kate to test the waters of epp. It’s a twelve-inch pillow with an epp on the front. It’s a small enough project that wouldn’t overwhelm me to quit.
Look at all of the goodies that come in the kit. It’s so fun to get stuff from faraway places.
The kit comes with fabric from Kate’s favorite designers, Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, and Phillip Jacobs, paper templates, a spool of Aurifil 50-weight thread in grey, and an instructional booklet on how to make the pillow. The kit had four colors, and I chose orange/yellow. I wanted something bright and cheery.
Kate’s quilt got me thinking about all my scraps, and I thought it would make a beautiful quilt. It could be my long-term project that I could have in the background—something to do when I got tired of my other projects—just something for me.
My paper templates are covered. The process wasn’t hard, and I did it faster than I thought. This step has passed the “dipping my toe in the water” test. Now to lay the pieces out.
I am doing the hexi shuffle to get my piece placed in an order I’m happy with.
I’ve gotten through stitching my hexi squares together. It is on temporary hold to get two patchwork quilts done. The first one is almost done, just finishing touches, and I’m thrilled to be so close to the end. The second needs a bit of restart. I don’t particularly appreciate how the quilting looks, and I need to rip out the stitching and develop a new plan of attack. Stay tuned for more epp and quilting updates.
Princess Hot Flash 