Finding Balance and Joy in the Chaos

 The Rear View IS 2020!

Finding new paths to Joy has been my mantra for the past several months. The chaos, the political windstorm and the uncertainty that 2020 has wrought has caused me to look at life slightly differently. I'm exploring new paths.

Early on in the shutdown I lost my creative mojo. It's never happened to me to the degree that hit me in those first months. Each week brought more show bookings and guild cancellations and more bad news as the virus firestorm crossed the country. It was depressing and I'm not prone to depression on any level. I missed people and I made masks. I missed teaching and sharing and I missed all the structure and project management that goes into working in my chosen industry. I made masks. I missed people.

After many weeks of mask making I turned to what gives me energy - organizing everything in sight. Even though we have only been in our house for three years I found myself tearing into cupboards and closets with new enthusiasm. Towels were folded just so; files were organized and labeled; papers were shredded and recycled; bins and boxes were labeled and everything had it's place.  "Things" were looked at with more discerning eyes and honestly after a few weeks of those kinds of projects realizing the only thing left was to alphabetize the pantry items (gasp!) I asked my hubs if he wanted to tackle some remaining organizing in the garage. His response was an enthusiastic "Really, you will help me sort bolts and empty the last few boxes from the move?" Oh yes, I even relished that task and soon our house was in "For Sale" order even though we were not selling.

Now what? 

If you are a DIY "MacGyver" like me there are always projects waiting for the time to complete them. There are new things to try. New things to learn. Since our house is new my attention turned to some different things.  During my organizing and assessment phase above, I made lists of things I wanted to get accomplished. You know those projects that you want to do but never seem to find the time. Or perhaps it involves a new skill or takes you out of your comfort zone? I like to see if I can figure things out and rarely resort to online videos for help as I love the challenge of something new.

We have had this chair for several years. When we moved I had it recovered in this bird fabric and when I ordered the fabric for it I purchased three extra yards for some throw pillows. It's my favorite reading chair and I sit in it often. After a while I realized what would make it more comfy is a foot stool...a tuffet! I love that name. As luck would have it, I had the makings for one in my stash of miscellaneous DIY stuff. I felt the beginning stirrings of creativity happening. 

Oh and a reason to buy some new tools! Always a fun thing. If you plan to do any upholstery projects I recommend an electric  staple gun. I also have a cordless nail gun, but this is better suited to stapling fabric to wood.

 

I figured how hard could it be? I've never done any upholstery, sure lots of sewing, including home dec stuff but this was a new challenge. I gathered some wood, some foam, thick batting, 3/8" cording, tacky glue, 5/8" long staples and some cute bun feet that I took off another piece of furniture thinking I would repurpose them someday. I started out by covering the piping and then cut the fabric circle for the top and attached the piping to the edge. Next up was the side piece and that took a bit of engineering but it went together pretty well.  I was not used to dealing with such heavy fabric but after changing to a larger sewing machine needle things went pretty smoothly.

I used a jig saw to cut the circle of wood from some scrap lumber I snagged from the hubs stash and painted the bun feet.  I tested the height and since it seemed comfy I covered the wood bottom side with some quilt fabric I had. I put some tacky glue all across the center and stapled it around to the "top side" that would be where I would glue the foam. I wanted the bottom to be as pretty as the top and the glue would ensure the fabric would not sag. Once that was done I set about attaching the super thick quilt batting over the foam to soften the edge of the tuffet top. I just used some heavy thread and a big needle and hand gathered it to the bottom of the foam cushion.

 

Next up was to glue the batting covered foam to the wood, again tacky glue all over the wood. And I mean all over and a lot of it. Then I slipped the bird fabric cover over the foam and flipped the whole thing over and started stapling. Once I had the cover in place - not using too many staples as I knew I needed to staple on the final cording - I just brought the fabric up over the wood and folded it under so the edge was finished.You can see here the progression of my steps.

At this point I needed to add the large covered button I had made. I had pre-drilled a hole in the center of the wood so I could pull the string through to the bottom and put some tension on it to give the tuffet some tufting. I remembered seeing some really long giant needles at JoAnn's in the upholstery section so off I went to snag one. Once I had the 12" long needle the button was installed without incident - proof again that the right tool for the job makes the job easier. 

All that was left at this point was to attach the bun feet. I had pre-drilled some holes in the feet before painting them and just used some drywall screws to attach to the tuffet base. Drywall screws are so versatile and I use them for so many things. Since I could see the knot of the string I used to attach the button on the top I glued a large button over that to tidy up the bottom. Yep my type A is showing and as I put my feet up with a good book, I gave a fist pump for another new thing I learned and an item on my to-do list checked off!

 

 

When you unleash joy, creativity often follows.
 

As more cancellations of trade shows and teaching events arrived in my email box I looked for more creative things to tackle. 

 

Glass flowers for my gardens? 

Oh yes! I had seen several in some garden stores and boutiques and discovered in my cleaning and organizing that I had many glass and china pieces that would make some lovely flowers. 

 

All I needed to do was drill the glass - wait what? Drill glass? Are you nuts?  I remembered we had a few ceramic bits from installing grab bars in the shower (for the future and for the parents when they visit - I'm not frail yet LOL) and I remember using water to keep the bit cool since it takes a while to drill glass and ceramic. So I grabbed a couple of Oui yogurt jars from the recycle bin and filled up my large tub with water, set a chunk of wood on the bottom so the glass would be just submerged and started drilling. 

 

What works is a normal speed, angle the bit to start, once it grabs and starts to cut a little groove, you straighten the bit as you would normally drill. My first yogurt jar was a success! Another was on deck and I got a bit energetic with the pressure and it cracked. 

 

What I can tell you is this: Buy a good quality bit, use water, GO SLOW. Slow even pressure, not force, gets the job done. Ceramic is way harder to drill and more time consuming but I persevered and TADA! I have a lovely collection of glass flowers in my garden. I used some water line copper tubing - the kind you would use to hook up the ice maker and some 1/2" copper conduit and soldered (A FIRST!) some stems and leaves to the conduit. The drawer pulls, some silicone caulk (100% silicone) and some nuts and washers to hold them all together and after pounding some 4' steel rebar pieces in the dirt, sliding the "stem" over the steel, they were glittering in the sun after several days of work. I loved this project especially since I learned some new things and went at it like a fearless DIY Diva!  These just make me smile when I see them in the yard.

Focus on the good, look for the joy even if you are the one that has to create it!

 

Having unleashed my DIY Ninja I decided to finally tackle a project that I have needed to do since we moved into our new house. Over the next several weeks I made a slipcover for a chair I have had for decades and a ottoman that didn't even match the chair! It is the perfect "sit and read" chair and when we moved we donated the matching couch but kept the chair for our bedroom. What I liked about the slipcover project was it was mostly engineering. Taking something flat (fabric) and making it 3D and removable. Talk about a challenge. I won't go into the steps but you can see by the collage below that there were many. I barely had enough of the fabric from the chair to do the ottoman (which I had purchased with the idea of only doing the chair and not the ottoman too) so I had to get creative. In order to cover the legs I used the piping fabric to make vent pleats and I literally had just a few scraps of the paisley fabric left once I got the whole thing done.  I love projects where I have to problem solve and get creative to get the outcome I desire.

I am really pleased at how these two pieces that didn't belong together turned out and now look so fab in our room.  Not a beginner project on any level but I loved the challenge and the outcome. Who knew that giving new life to an old but still comfy chair and a mismatched ottoman would give me such a sense of accomplishment.

As you can see 2020 had it's challenges. Being unemployed in the quilt industry all year was not something I planned on and yet digging deep into the creative problem solving well God gave me, I found immense satisfaction and JOY! I still have some show quilts to complete even if there are no shows where they can be entered...I'm not quite there yet but inching ever closer.

Port Austin, MI with my ski racer 💕

While I don't know what the rest of 2021 holds I do know that I'm going to continue to open my eyes and my mind to trying new things, go down new paths, maybe look for new opportunities and in the process be thankful for all the goodness that is around me. I invite and challenge you to do the same. I'm not looking back!

Blessings,

Linda Thielfoldt

PS: Thanks for hanging with me in this long post - hope you enjoyed my long winded musings 😊

Getting Things Done

This is the year I clear out my UFO pile. For Good!

...said no quilter ever.

 

Seriously though after moving last year into my dream studio I was forced to look at (and pack and move) all my quilt and crafty stuff and ask myself what do I really want to create, spend time on and above all complete.

 

My husband and I are using this awesome book and the GTD program to help us in our time management of both work, home and volunteering and there are some awesome ideas and strategies to help us meet our goals. He went to an all day workshop his company put together and there were some really awesome tools that the book didn't have. I'm going to see if I can find one and attend at some point in the future. We have set aside time each week to "hold each other accountable" and it has been fun to have a productivity partner. 

 

My office is already seeing the benefit of this GTD mindset and now I'm incorporating it into my quilt life. After six months my studio is finally organized from our move to a point where I can really function and find things and I'm loving how clearing out the clutter has inspired me to be more creative and productive.

I recently came up with a couple of forms that will help me track progress of my quilting creations and project elements which will be a HUGE help when writing patterns.

The Log

This is the form I use for all projects that have been started. This is not a Want To Do list but rather for things that are already underway. I decided I needed to see where I was in the process for each project and I can put a date in the box under the steps as well as a deadline. This info can be helpful when scheduling my week and how I plan to get to my goal.  This is what I used when I wrote my book and my calendar had items blocked out by the headers.  Example on Tuesday morning I'm doing the binding on X quilt. I had to do that in order to meet my deadline. The form prints on 11 x 17 and I love having that option on my Brother printer/copier....best tech money I ever spent. (Model MFC J6920DW)

 

 

Quilt Project Worksheet

 

 I do mostly my own designs when making quilts. In the past I would just figure things out as I go and write down block or math details on whatever paper I had handy.  This is problematic if you ever want to go back and write a pattern after the fact.  This happened to me frequently. I would make a quilt, take it on the road and share in my lecture and I would get asked for the pattern.  So much so that I would go back and write the pattern from often sketchy notes. This is a tool that I can use to help keep track of the details and the math on every quilt and I'm very excited to incorporate it into my creative process. 

Both the log and the project sheets are kept in a binder and when I start a project I grab a worksheet and keep it with the project until completion. I printed them on heavier paper so they can hold up well to being handled a bunch as I work my way through the process.

 

I hope this gives you some inspiration as to how you can GTD in your creative life....I'll keep you posted.

 

Blessings,

Linda

 

Procraftinating: The art of doing fun stuff when you should be doing other things!

What an amazing year it's been.

A new house, a new studio and OMW moving!!!

A couple of decades in the same house and putting everything  you own in a box is a huge process and quite frankly a shock. Sorting through all your things and deciding what to keep and what to part with can be overwhelming. Sometimes you need a break in the process and that's where the Procraftinating comes in!
 
I love using ordinary things in a new and cute way and this waste bin is the perfect way to upcycle something that might have otherwise ended up in the trash.  Those holiday popcorn tins are popular and we enjoy the contents but did you know with a little spray paint, a little quilt theme decoupage and you have the perfect waste bin for your sewing room?  

 First make sure it's clean inside and out. Then break out the spray paint.  My absolute favorite is Rust-oleum Universal. It's paint and primer in one and comes in many colors but the one I used the most for decoupage is the Matte French Cream. I love the way the paint goes on and my hand never tires while painting like it can when using traditional style spray paint.  The can has a spray pattern more like a professional paint sprayer and I love how evenly it goes on.  (No endorsement deal here, just about 50 or so cans of the stuff under my belt.) I don't seem to get any runs with this paint and I can't say that about others I've tried.

Several years ago I found these nifty spray paint helpers.  They are little plastic pyramid triangles that keep the item you are painting (in this photo a vintage weathervane) off the cardboard or drop cloth so you can keep all the edges nice and neat. I swear by these.  Found them at Ace hardware.

 Next gather the images you want to use for the decoupage. These can be things you have cut out of quilt magazines or images you find online.  I have a ton of vintage sewing theme graphics on my Pinterest page and they can be printed out and used for this project. Text images from magazines are a nice touch that I placed on top of the quilt images.  Just remember that if you use an ink jet printer to print your images, the ink can smear unless you seal them first with a clear spray sealer and let them dry completely. If you use a laser printer you can decoupage without any sealer.

 I just pick a spot and start gluing the images to the popcorn tin.  I mix up the sizes and they are placed randomly with some images overlapping others. I try to keep smaller size images handy to fill in gaps. It's all pretty random.

Boxes can be up-cycled too.

Shoe boxes!  Who doesn't have shoe boxes?  My favorite are the ones that Clarks come in as they seem to be pretty sturdy and hold up well over time. Oh and there is the fact that I love wearing them and have a gazillion pairs so I have easy access to plenty of them.  Anyway I just found cute tissue paper (wrapping tissue) and glued it to the box and cover using Mod Podge.  To really seal it I added a coat of Minwax Polycrylic and because I like to know what is in the box I added some metal label holders on the end of the box. I found them in the scrap booking section of my local Joann's store.  Punch a hole in the cardboard and use the little brads to hold them in place. 
A cheap and easy way to add some fun storage to your sewing space (or anywhere really!)

I've gotten in the habit of making the binding (or at least cutting the strips) for any quilt I make at the time the top is completed.  This way no matter what decade the quilt is completed in, I have the fabric/binding to match. Clearly, since both these "binding" boxes are full, I need to spend a bit more time machine quilting!

A while ago I found some cool boxes at IKEA.  They are white plain and a bit larger than a shoe box. TJENA is the name and  I bought a few of them and covered them as well.  They are the perfect size for supplies.  I have purse hardware in a couple of them currently. 


The one thing I do like about using the TJENA boxes is the fact that they are all the same size. That keeps my Type A personality pretty happy when I see them all stacked neatly in my closet. 


As we head into a new year with a list of goals or resolutions, be sure to keep in mind that "Procraftinating" can be a good thing! Since I still have plenty of unboxing and organizing to do in my new studio, you can be sure there will be more procraftinating in my future!


Blessings,
Linda

 

Cutting Loose

Winds of change....

 Some of you will get this....the last week I have been going in and out of my sewing room (the place I make the quilts) and not really getting much done. Sometimes I just go and sit and look at quilt pictures and projects. Other times I was organizing things that really didn't need to be. I've been doing this for a few weeks. I thought it was maybe the "let down" of the book being done. I have been so focused on that, I wondered if now that it is done if there was anything else for me to strive for. 
 
Then I realized that I had this Dr. appointment this week. 23 years have gone by and yet it's there. Funny how it is in the back of my mind. Until you have faced that giant you probably cannot understand. It's not fear - I'm not afraid to die. It's not even about getting sick again. What I discovered it is about is the fact that a lot of years have gone by and I have lived more life than I have left to live. Something about the ski racer turning 60 this year......maybe? I don't know.  What I do know is I'm taking stock and contemplating cutting things loose.  Not just in my sewing room but in my house. I have so many quilts - show quilts and snuggle quilts and quilts I made when I was just starting out (not that many) and my house is full of them.  This list from my insurance agent for my land and sea policy that covers them is 2 pages long. So I have begun to look for ways to cut some of them loose.

So last night I was going through the lovely boxes up on the shelf above my design wall where I store projects in process (see the pic of my sewing room above and imagine about 2x as many as when that pic was taken) and asking myself questions like "do I even like this fabric" or "do I really plan to finish this" and "will this quilt make my heart sing while I work on it?" Honestly there are so many projects (and so much fabric) that I feel the need to clear out. I'm being brutal with the answers and several projects have already been cut loose. Luckily I have a BFF who loves random blocks and makes beautiful things with them so there is no guilt.  I can give them to her and put the rest of the fabric that was set aside back into my stash.

But I think the whole Orlando tragedy, the fact that I'm getting older and that another cancer anniversary have all converged into "what do I want to really accomplish before I leave this earth" and while I don't have the answer I feel energized at the process. Like I don't want to waste a minute.

So I have come up with some questions regarding my quilting; works in process as well as future quilts:

Will it make someone else happy to see it?
Will it make me feel good while creating it?
Is this show worthy? Do I want to invest that kind of time in the quilt?
Who else in my life needs a quilt made by me?
What charity group that I support could use one of my quilts for an auction?
Do I have any bed in my house that could use a new quilt?
Is there another book in me and is this project a candidate?

I have the answers to a few of the questions but time will tell hopefully about the others.  But it does not end here....


I also have a studio.  

My studio is where I quilt and embroider. It is also where a completed top goes and is no longer considered a UFO. I know that's a bit crazy but it works for me.

My "to be quilted" closet is full to the gills. Charity quilts, a few customer quilts and lots of quilt tops I have made over the years that were just for fun and are still not quilted.  Show quilts have a deadline so they get quilted and are not usually in that closet for long. But it's full.  I need to find time this summer to make a serious dent in that closet or cut them loose for someone else to complete.


And then there is the stash!

I have a relatively small sewing room with a large closet - it is full.  I have a cutting table that has a skirt and under the skirt are wire basket drawers that are full.  Bolts are under my sewing table and there are more in the studio that could be backings...... It's starting to come in on me, not so much that I want to get rid of it but more like "Get busy Missy and make some quilts!"   





I have gone through much of it and culled a ton of fabric that is now in bins for use on Quilted EMbrace quilts.  There is so much, I could make hundreds of quilts and probably not make much of a dent.

 And then there are the bins of string strips.  I love making those quilts but how many strings does one girl need?

So I'm reviewing everything.  Deciding what I'm really interested in working on and with and what I need to cut loose!

Now the question goes to you ~ the reader of this blog:   

Have you been where I am and what did you do to navigate it and did it inspire you to new a greater things and more creativity?  Please share below.

~ Blessings
          Linda