Tag / hand stitching

by princesshotflash

What I made in 2023

I started a post the other day about my holiday baking. I couldn’t finish it. I was not feeling it. I decided to dump that post and start a new one about what I made in 2023.

I like doing these wrap-ups at the end of the year. It’s a great way to look back at what I accomplished. It does surprise me how much I got done.

Being a full-time caregiver sometimes feels like I’m a waitress or maid to my parents. This is the reason for my projects. It gives me purpose and keeps my sanity from the stress of caring for loved ones with dementia.

Here’s my rundown of all of my mades.

Stitching

I picked up stitching in 2022 as a way to quiet my brain. It really works. I do it in the morning with my cup of coffee.

Left to right: coaster made with machine and hand quilting, scrappy trivet, scrappy bowl

Lei-making

My beautiful pakalana plants were so fruitful in their second year. I made my ten girlfriends each a (at least three strands) pakalana lei for their birthday. Pakalana is seasonal, so the birthday leis were always a surprise as most of them arrived long after their birthday.

Many stages of leimaking

Quilting

I took on a commission in 2022 to create a quilt with the fabric provided. I could do any pattern, but it needed to be as big as possible. I got stuck for several months after finishing the quilt top. I made no move moment on this quilt. I decided to rework my workroom, which was the key to getting me going again. Now I’m on quilt #7. I got the bug.

All my scrappy quilts. One was commission piece plus seven for donation or gifts.

Knitting

My knitting has been the back seat to my quilting; I have only finished a few items this year.

Left to right, top to bottom: Grandma Nancy’s shawl; Blocking Boneyard and Grandma Nancy’s Shawls in the sun; mitts for a friend; Orange loves to help; Zabutons to throw pillows; Zig zag pillow; February hat; Zick zack scarf

Finishing up          

These are the partially finished projects that were gifted to me that I finished up this year. On Instagram, there’s a group called Loose Ends, that finishes up projects for the loved one. I guess this is my own Loose Ends project. I tried to return the finished project to the giver, or I gifted the project to someone special.

Left to right: This Hawaiian quilt pillow only needed quilting one little corner. I turned it into a pillow by adding an envelope back and binding it in some gifted fabric (in the perfect prints and color), then I made a pillow insert to finish off; I got three embroidered panels she made while recuperating from broken ankles. I turned one of the panels into Komebukuro (rice bag in Japanese) to hold her next project.

I’m stopping here or at this rate, I’ll never publish this before the end of 2024. I hope I have another productive crafty year. Happy New Year!

by princesshotflash

Things are changing

I started this post last night while lying in bed after my dad woke me up at 2am. I heard someone in the kitchen moving around, and I got up to see who it was. I expect to see my mom as her dementia has been fussing with her internal clock, and she wakes up at all hours in the early morning. But instead, I found my dad in a state. He asked me what was going on. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. He said why did I wake him up. I told him I didn’t do that. I was sleeping. I take it he didn’t believe me and went back to his room mad at me.

Well, this just added to my bad mom day, and going back to sleep took a while. I tried to compose this post in my head but refused to get up and start writing on my computer.

Mom’s day reminder
Mom and Orange taking a nap

Besides composing my post in my head, I started to think about how things are probably changing in my life. I think my parents (my mom, for sure) are entering a new phase of dementia. Mom has changed at a rapid speed, and I think she is now in the middle stage. My dad has been stable for quite a while, but I think Mom’s changes have stressed my dad to have this episode last night.

I have appointments for my parent to join an adult daycare group two days a week. I hope it’s not too late for my mom. My hope was the added stimulation of people and activities would help my parent’s dementia or at least slow it down. I also looked forward to having time for myself. I should stay positive that they are okay to join. It is so hard to see her change so quickly.

I’m trying to keep myself busy so I don’t get into a caregivers funk. It is really hard not to let it get to you. I’m do a lot of handwork, it some how keeps the anxiety a bay for me. I’m working on quilt #6, making a pouch for my double points, and knitting on the Noro scarf. Here’s some pictures of my progress.

hand stitching binding
attaching binding
cutting binding
quilt back
quilt top

Quilt #6 for a friend

getting ready to hand quilt
Mamo print, batting, denim
Mamo print

Zipper pouch for my double point needles. Using a Mamo print scrap with denim for the rest of the pouch. Quilting the scap as a Hawaiian quilt patch.

Noro scarf still going
My little helper

I’m still working on my Noro scarf. I’m kind of feeling like it is endless. I’m aiming for the end of the year to finish it up.

I guess that’s it for now. I probably could on and on. But I’ll stop here for now. I need to run out and do some errands while the caregiver is here.

by princesshotflash

My First English Paper Piecing

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.