Sewing Your Story

I recently had a good friend tell me she doesn’t like to show off her needlework because she feels it doesn’t compare to others in her sewing group. I think most of us who sew do it for a multitude of reasons. In my 50 plus age group, we learned to sew in junior high and home ec. classes and 4-H clubs. We sewed and put our projects into our hope chests. Remember those? I always felt like mine was so hopeless and besides I didn’t have a chest—both the bosom kind and the wooden blanket chest kind.

Girls from my era were destined to be teachers, nurses, secretaries and wives, not lawyers and doctors like today. Being able to run a household and take care of our families ranked very highly during that time. Our mothers told us to learn to sew so we could make curtains for our first home, clothes for ourselves and our children as well as tablecloths, napkins, and of course Barbie Doll clothes. Sewing was cheaper back then, not today.

Many of us have left utilitarian sewing and have embarked on a new hobby of quilting and “fun” sewing. We indulge ourselves and spend a lot of time and money on our “fun.” But like everything else in our society, perfection is a must. There is always a new and improved everything. We have sewing machines that will do everything for us but make our dinner and sweep our floors. Just when you think you’ve got one thing learned, here comes another technique to learn and along with it perfection.

I love perfection and do strive for it like so many of us. The problem is, we sometimes forget the journey. Remember the first sewing project you made with your mother, or perhaps your grandmother? Your first stitches weren’t perfect, but you remember the good time you had---- it is the bonding that we do with family and friends that really counts. The next time you are stitching with friends, take the time to ask them about their background in sewing.

Everyone has a story to tell. It is surprising who among us did alterations, made custom drapery, knitted neonatal hats for children’s hospitals, crocheted blankets for nursing homes, or who made charity quilts for aids and hospice organizations. Then there are the ladies who just sewed for their families, mending and making prom and wedding gowns. How much more important does it get than doing things for the events in your family’s history. No matter what kind of needlework we do, it is all done with some kind of a needle with the thought of doing something for others.

So…. be proud of what you make or design, and share with others. The story behind the project is what is really important, and if along the way you achieve a blue ribbon for those perfect stitches, enjoy the ride!!!!!

Ohio Quilters: Sue Spargo

Folk Art Quilts are a unique form of art quilts, and no one does it better than Sue Spargo. I was introduced to her style of quilting at NEORQC two years ago while cruising the classes to see what was being offered and what other folks were making. Sue was there, and I fell in love with her designs, wools, trims and all the special “findings” she uses to finish one of her projects.

Sue’s website, http://www.suespargo.com/ is filled with all sorts of interesting and beautiful designs. Born in Zambia and trained as a nurse, she worked her way to the United States and Uniontown, Ohio, through South Africa and England, bringing with her a rich background evident in all of her designs and work. Many of her projects incorporate hand dyed wools done by her sister who lives in the Pacific Northwest. Talent runs in the family.

I took one of Sue’s courses entitled Ginger Grove last year. The course had my name in it, so it had to be good. I wasn’t disappointed. It was filled with embellishments, which is my favorite thing to do. It also afforded me the opportunity to do another one of my favorite pastimes, shopping for quilting stuff. You know, stuff that I “need”. But mostly I enjoyed being in class with Sue, who not only teaches, but inspires.

It was a big project, and I will be working on it for several years to come. But it allows me to study her technique in designing what appears on the surface to be simple primitives, but are actually well planned, well thought out, complicated works of art, confirming her reputation. Making something look simple is often times the most complicated thing to do. My rule with any project that is difficult, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Sue’s website describes her three areas of interest: Designs, Workshops, and Books and Patterns. Her talent takes her all over the country giving lectures and classes, often times scheduled years in advanced. Her patterns and kits sell all over the country. Her retail operation is unique to her and her materials, patterns and style, including notions, fabric and jewelry…and she is located right here in Ohio.

So if sometime in your quilting pursuits you have the opportunity to take a class from Sue Spargo, or sit in one of her lectures, or even come across her patterns and unique materials, SIGN UP. You won’t regret it.

Ohio Quilters: Cindy Zlotnik Oravecz

Sometimes what we desire the most is sitting in our own backyards. As a stitcher, I am always on the “hunt” for new shops associated with wonderful destinations. One of my favorite shops is Quilters’s Fancy, owned and operated by Cindy Zlotnik Oravecz. Right next door are two more stitchery shops, The Lacemaker and Designers II quilt shops. This is one stop shopping for those who love handwork. And if you like antiquing (I am always looking for pie birds and half doll pin cushions), those in the know in Cortland go to Lovejoy’s.

A friend tipped me off a few years ago to Quilter’s Fancy. I have been hooked ever since. Like so many of us, Cindy Zlotnik Oravecz has been sewing all of her life . She worked as a journalist for a police department before marrying and having a family. At that point she started freelance writing. She wrote her first article on sewing and the rest is history. Cindy is an expert on crazy quilting and anything to do with Victorian sewing. She has written several books on flower making including Into the Garden and The Enchanted Garden. She has designed two tools specifically for her flower making: the Ruching Edge and the Mini Ruching Edge.

Quilter’s Fancy is a tiny shop that is large on inspiration. For me, a day at her shop is like being on a mini vacation . I peruse the newest books, French silk ribbons, embellished trims, new laces to hand dye, plus so many other wonderful things. Time always flies much to quickly.

Sign up for one of Cindy‘s classes and she will make you feel extra special, maybe even offering you a cup of tea in a vintage tea cup. Class offerings for small groups and/or individuals are listed on her web site. .

When I was finishing my crazy quilt ( a nine year endeavor and well worth it) Cindy was my quilt guru for such things as how to tie the quilt. Crazy quilts are usually not quilted, they are tied in such a way that stitches are not visible on the front of the quilt. She gave me an article that she had written for a magazine on just that particular problem.

Cindy can also provide information on where to find quilt appraisers, quilt restoration specialists. If she doesn’t have the answer at her fingertips, she will help you locate whatever you need.

In this day and age when everything is computerized and so impersonal, I find it is refreshing to make the human connection. So, the next time you need a mini vacation, take a ride to Cortland, visit Quilter’s Fancy, walk through Lovejoy’s Antiques and have a little lunch in town. It’s a fun day.

I will be featuring another Ohio quilt artist/author next week.

Remember “Take a stitch on the wild side.” You never know where it will lead you.

www.quiltersfancy.com
www.pimafitz.com
www.preservesmart.com
www.colorwithquilts.com

PINCUSHIONS, PYNPYLLOWES, PINKEEPERS, and MAKEDOS

I am crazy about pincushions…a lowly serviceable item that we all have in our sewing rooms. Have you ever counted how many you own? The oldest one that I own from my life experiences was given as a favor at the mother-daughter banquet in my home town of Shiloh, Ohio when I was about 9 years old. It is a little felt hat that is actually a needlebook made by the ladies of the church. It is amazing that I still have it given how many times I have moved over the years.

I am a collector by nature and of course have collected a few pincushions here and there. If you count the half dolls, I have probably collected 25.

The first record of pincushions appeared 15th century in England. Since metal pins were very costly and considered precious items, ladies kept their pins in small boxes made of silver, bone or ivory. During the Tudor era, simple stuffed shapes started to be used to house pins. These little stuffed treasures were made of silks and linens and were decorated with tassels and laces.

By the 18th century, new materials were used to house these little “pynpyllowes.” They were embellished with fancy threads, beads, knitted silk and other fine things. During the Victorian era, which is my favorite era, pincushions remained very popular and decorated parlour mantels in Victorian homes. Ladies made their pincushions into shapes such as fans, shoes, dolls, teacups, fruits and vegetables.

Today, the tomato with a strawberry attached is the icon of American pincushions. The attached “strawberry” is filled with very fine grit that is used to sharpen needles. Check out Martha Stewart’s web site. She has tomato pin cushion patterns along with cherry tomatoes.

At NEORQC I learned how to make two new pincushions. First, I took the Peony class from Sue Spargo and made a wonderful pincushion complete with a bird atop it. Then, as a surprise, my friend Rene ( who is a pincushion Nut) made a strawberry “makedo” pincushion for everyone eating at our table for the weekend. Last year she gave us an acorn “makedo.” I happened to have a tiny hedgehog pincushion which I gave her. These are made by the owner of Lacemaker in Cortland, Ohio.

“Pincushion Mania” has hit!!!!

If you are a “pincushion nut” like my friend Rene and me, go and count your pincushions. What a wonderful link to the past with ladies of the 15th century. And do check out our modern day links with Sue Spargo, Martha Stewart, Helen Gibb, Clotilde, The Lacemaker and Vintage Vogue. Happy stitching ladies.

Not Yo' Mama's Yo-Yo's!!

Once more, everything old is new again…and the quilt world is rediscovering yo-yo’s. These aren’t the “walk the dog kind”, but lowly little circles of fabric. Several weeks ago, the Carnation Quilt of Alliance hosted national quilt award winner Karen Phillips Swallen. She spoke about her collection of quilts, including a beautiful yo-yo quilt. This “coverlet” contained several hundred, if not a thousand, yo-yo’s stitched together in fabrics ala the 1920’s. We all ooh’s and ah’d, and thought to ourselves we should could go home and start a yo-yo quilt…or not, as we look at the unfinished projects sitting around our work areas. But here’s the thing. Karen Swallen makes her yo-yo-quilts in her free time, oftentimes while waiting for something else to happen. It takes very little time to make a yo-yo. It just takes hundreds of them to make anything made out of them look like something.

Yo-yo quilts were very popular during the 1920’s-30’s. Women didn’t have a lot of money so they frugally used their fabric scraps in as many ways as possible. Nothing went to waste. A basic 3 to 4 inch circle was stitched around with a needle and thread, and then drawn up to form the yo-yo. Sooner or later, there would be enough of them to make a quilt or coverlet.

At the Aurora NEORQC event last week, the women were sopping up yo-yo makers like water in a sponge, with many of the vendors selling out of them. These makers allow you to make various shaped yo-yo’s, including flower and heart shaped. They are made by an outfit called Clover Company, and sell for around $5.95. I bought a set of yo-yo makers for $24.00 at the Columbus Quilt Show last spring made by another company. So they are around if you want them. We have come a long way when women would use can lids for patterns.

And the old fashioned way still works. If you are computer savvy, take some time and surf the web. You will find site after site dedicated to the art of yo-yoing, demonstrating the techniques that my grandmother used. Talk about marrying the old with the new. As my grandmother said: Waste not! Want not! No new fangled sewing accessories for her. So I am teaching my students this wonderful “new” idea, using a computer, to show them how they did it in the old days.

Here are some links to some web sites relating to yo-yo’s. Next time you go to throw out that 4” square scrap of fabric, think about making a yo-yo. Then when you are through, go walk your dog.

ALL ABOUT YO-YO'S OR SUFFOLK PUFFS

GLENDALE QUILTING GUILD

JAMMIES, CORKS AND SECRET GARDENS; Fun at N.E.O.R.Q.C.!!!!!!

For one weekend each year in February, we quilters get to “getaway” to The Bertram Inn and Conference Center in beautiful, downtown Aurora, Ohio. We plan for this all year as we dream of being away from our husbands, kids, and all of the attendant responsibilities associated therewith. We spend our weekend enjoying our friends, learning new sewing techniques, eating our meals together, and even getting a massage….if we are so inclined.

The quilt getaway event is sponsored by the North Eastern Ohio Regional Quilt Council (NEORQC), an organization that meets four times a year and is made up of quilt guilds from 22 counties from our part of Ohio. Any quilter who belongs to a member guild can attend the weekend event. Pay up front!! No refunds if it snows!! And we all gladly pay.

At the core of the getaway is a “Quilt Challenge.” Quilters are given advanced notice of a theme, and have their efforts judged that weekend. Cash prizes are awarded on Saturday night. This year’s theme was “My Quilted Garden.” This year’s first place ribbon went to Donna Gaier, a member of our local affiliate, the TQ Quilt Guild of Canfield. Donna’s entry was an art quilt which was hand painted and embellished with miscellaneous flowers and fibers. A former member of our Canfield group, Rene Norman, won best of show. Rene now lives in Michigan, and presented a garden quilt entry made completely from wool with an extraordinary amount of handwork.

In addition to the challenge, various classes are offered to allow us to hone our skills. Packing light is not an option as attendees are required to bring all of the accoutrement with them, including sewing machines, thread, fabric, scissors, and anything else you might need for your stitching amusement.

This year’s highlights? There was the unnamed lady who made herself right at home, jammies and all, in the room, in the hallway, in the ballroom. And let’s not forget Sue Bell’s garden hat, filled with dangling corks. We will be polite and not ask her what she had to drink, and how much of it, to get so many corks….but it certainly is a novel way to keep the flies away!!!!

By the end of the weekend, we have all made new friends, learned something worthwhile, exchanged email address so we can share information with each other, and leave looking forward to next year.

STUDIO ENVY

Everything today is over the top. My job is filled with forms and computers and numbers and budgets. Television requires two college degrees to change the channels. The clock next to my bed takes an electrician to reset every time the electricity goes out. So as of late I renewed an old passion of mine, the needle arts: a solitary, basic activity rooted in old fashioned skill and patience. Something where I could find personal peace, and the joy of developing my own skills.

Well, sort of. I decided I wanted to learn more about art quilts, where my creativity could run amok. These are wonderful things, filled with color and expression. They are free form and not bound by the rules of “regular” quilting. The sky’s the limit. Finally, I could let my creative juices flow.

So I decided to take a class in art quilting in Columbus. It was a two day workshop, and what I discovered was what I didn’t know about a quilting is a lot. I was surrounded by people from all over the country, indeed the world. And I discovered that quilting was now filled with forms and computers and numbers and budgets. I was up the proverbial creek.

As I sat eating humble crow midst these very talented people, I discovered that what they had that I didn’t was a “studio”. To be a cool quilter, you need a studio. Some of these folks had pictures of their “studios”, and they would make they the House of Chanel look like a lower east side sweat shop. With lights and boards and tables everywhere, these folks personified the saying, if some is good, more is better.

I returned to Youngstown, down but not out, determined that I would have a studio, too. Unfortunately, the only thing that would resemble a studio in my experience was my mother’s old dining room table where I did my 4-H projects (yes, I belonged to 4-H) and sewed my Barbie Doll dresses…and it don’t get much better from there.

My visions of studio grandeur are now confined to the basement of my 3 bedroom ranch home… the dry part. I’m OK as long as the sump pump in the far corner keeps working. The lighting isn’t good, but it doesn’t make any difference because I can’t see anyway. My artistic inspiration is continually interrupted by my 22 year old son bounding down the steps to do his laundry, or my husband calling down asking me for some sort of food of one kind or another. Of course, he will never find any because my display wall is the pantry door. He has taken off 20 pounds since I stuck one of my quilts in front of it.

This year’s trip to Columbus is now looming in front of me. I found a really neat picture of a sewing studio in Southern Living Magazine. So when they talk about their “studios” in Columbus next year…hey…what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

In the meantime, I think I will move the quilt on my pantry to get some potato chips.