“I still remember sitting with her in her apartment…quilting while she told me her entire life history. I wish I had the sense to have had a tape recorder, but alas, I did not,”Susan Lazear says, as she relates her experience in a blog entry about restoring her grandmother’s quilt.

Image: sxc.hu

How many of us wish the same…that we’d recorded stories and memories of parents, grandparents and other relatives who are no longer here to tell us about our heritage?  Or we wish we’d at least jotted down some notes as they told stories.

These family stories are precious.  When we hear parents and grandparents telling them, we think we’ll always remember.  Or we may even get tired of hearing them, so tune the person out.

Then, years later, we wish we could recall the details.

It isn’t always convenient to record while someone is talking or it makes them uncomfortable.  At least jot down some notes and record the details.  Sometimes you can even get them to write down their memories, as I did with my dad and aunt.

My mom enjoyed my “interviewing” her as I did other people in my work as a newspaper reporter.  “Are you going to interview me now?” she asked, as we settled at the kitchen table with a cup of tea.

Keep a record of these memories, even when you think you’ll never forget the endless tales of family members. 

Also, record your own memories! 

 ”Mom, you spend so much time on family history but don’t write down your own memories for us,” my daughter commented.  So I’m starting to record mine, too.

There are so many options for cutting fabric these days, from fancy motorized scissors to a new machine that cuts strips of fabric for quilting.

So what works for you?

Are you a hard-core rotary cutter fan?  Or do you go old-school fabric shears all the way?

What do I like?

Well, it depends on what I’m cutting out.  For clothing and most craft projects I rely on my trusty Gingher shears.  They’re lovely to work with, sharp and well balanced.

I wouldn’t use them on polar fleece or vinyl though… that’s a sure way to trash a pair of good scissors!  That’s a good reason to have a “second best” pair of fabric scissors - an older pair of scissors that still work well is a good choice.

For quilting or when I need to be really accurate, I like to pull out my rotary cutter and gridded ruler.  It allows me to make very precise cuts - handy when an extra 1/8″ can throw a pattern off.

image: Stock.xchg

I look at the old quilt I made with my grandmother more than 50 years ago and note some of the small repairs I must make so that the fabrics don’t deteriorate further.  For a quilt that’s well used, it’s in surprisingly good condition.  Those feed sack fabrics have endured the years well.

Image: sxc.hu

When you restore family quilts, you’re restoring memories, too.  I recall sitting at Nanny’s side when I was about eight-years old, selecting fabrics, cutting them, and then hand stitching the blocks together.  While we worked in the farmhouse kitchen, Auntie bustled around with housework and cooking.  Ah! What delicious aromas came from her many dishes simmering or baking.

Do you have quilting memories?

Susan Lazear shares her memories of quilting with her grandmother in Repairing Family Heirlooms. She also shows photos of one of her grandmother’s quilts she and her mother have repaired.

Also, if you’re at a loss about repairing an heirloom quilt, Susan describes and shows in pictures how she and her mother did this one.  It may help give you some ideas and get you started.

Utilizing scraps and old garments for quilts and even for clothing was a popular practice among the pioneers.  In the early days of our country, homemakers usually either made their own fabric or recycled what they had on hand.  Rarely did they have the money to purchase new fabric from the general store.

Image: sxc.hu

Nowadays, in our stressed economy,  recycling garments has become popular once again.  Not because fabric is scarce, but because people can’t afford to purchase new.

I used fabric from old garments for quilts and for my daughter’s clothing many years ago.  It was fun to pour over the quilts and find scraps from sewing projects and family garments.

Nowadays, women are rediscovering this art of making quilts and clothing from old garments.  In addition to fabric shops being popuplar places to shop, quilters and dressmakers are pulling out the old fabrics and garments from their stashes.  They are finding these items also at thrift shops and rummage sales.

Have you utilized old garments for your sewing?

Related Posts:

Aprons in Art, Business & Memories mentions recycling clothing as aprons.

Penny Halgren’s Cutting Up Garments for Fabric gives a tutorial.

When you say the word “cartoon” most people think of the funnies in the paper, but there are different kinds of cartoons - just for fiber artists!

Cartoons are a paper drawing or guideline that weavers and fiber artists use to guide their work.  You can go for a detailed, scale drawing or just a rough sketch.

In this case, I’m using a cartoon to help my decision making about the number of squares in a baby quilt.

I shared a few different fabric picks in my fabric post yesterday and I’ve decided that I’m going to use the cloud print and yellows as the framework for my quilt.  I’m going to use the other colors are random accents.

My first sketch was for a 36″ X 38″ quilt with 4″ squares:

I think that’s just a little too busy, so let’s try moving up to 6″ squares:

Much better!

Cartoons allow you to plan and change without ever cutting your fabric.  I’d much rather spend half an hour playing with my sketchbook, than two hours cutting fabric to find out that I’m not happy with the result.

images: © C Findlay-Harder

Kara Mastin photo

If you’re operating a crafting business, you may be wondering if or how President Obama’s “changes” will affect yours.  Will some of the policies he’s introducing and, in some instances, already passed have a positive or negative effect?

I have a “change” poll at Home Biz Notes, where you can express your opinion.  You also can write your view in the comments section of this post or the one at Home Biz Notes.  It would be interesting to see whether you expect, or already see, a change of some magnitude.

I’ve been itching to start working on baby projects and I thought it would be fun to start with a quilt (or three, or ten…)

I decided to take a look through my stash and see what I could find that work work for a simple quilt.  Nothing too fancy - after all, it’s going to get well used!

Here’s my first pick - traditional pastels, soft, pretty and a little more delicate:

Since I don’t know if I’m having a boy or a girl, I think it would probably be better not to go overboard with the floral prints.  The yellow or the blue clouds would make a great background with the busier prints as accents.

Of course, I could also go bright.

Really, really bright…

Yes, I realize those bugs may be scary - but how about as a toddler quilt?  I think it’s fun personally

Time to get out the ruler and rotary cutter!

images: C Findlay-Harder

 The stories associated with the crafts your family enjoyed in past years or pursue today make a fascinating history and contribute to your family heritage.  I’ve particularly found it fun to trace my family’s connection with quiltmaking.  This is on my mother’s side.  I haven’t sound much connecting any of my dad’s family to crafts and handiwork, although I imagine they did these as part of their daily chores.

Image:sxc.hu

 For women of years ago didn’t need to find a hobby.  They had all the handiwork they could manage as they made quilts for beds, crocheted and hooked rugs for their floors, sewed clothing for their families, made samplers to teach young girls stitching, did gardening as a necessity (although they planted flowers to cheer their lives), and wrote letters as a means of communication.

 Through Mother’s family, I’ve found my quilting heritage.  My grandfather, in his journals, mentions his mother attending quilting gatherings (he didn’t call them bees).  My mom spoke of learning to sew when family and friends gathered.  Her older cousin wrote her about quiltmaking (and I still have that letter). 

I recall learning to quilt and hook rag rugs at my grandmother’s side.  My mother encouraged me to pursue this as a home business at one point in my life.  My daughter and granddaughter have continued this art.

 So….record the memories of family crafts.  Take pictures of your work and that of family members.  Save old quilts and quilt squares and try to find their history.  Retain the stories of your family craft heritage for future generations.

 Many crafters, quilters and fabric artists find their activities good for their mental health and alleviating depression.  Perhaps you’re going through a stressful time in your life.  Why not concentrate on your creative activities?

Image:sxc.hu

 In addition to giving you something to concentrate on when your thoughts could delve into darkness, crafts and related arts may bring you together with others in your field.  This helps you find new directions and boost your spirits. 

 I’ve found working with my hands a great diversion over the years.  The actual task of quilting, scrapbooking, crocheting and other crafts is relaxing.  Often you can take your work with you.

 My daughter began her serious venture into quiltmaking when her husband was seriously ill.  The small hand projects were easy to tote along to hospitals and waiting rooms.

 If you can begin to earn income through your crafts to help with the family budget during times of budget crunches, this also helps alleviate the stress of life.

How have arts and crafts helped you through tough times?

Flowers have inspired artists and craftspeople for centuries.  Quilt designs often have floral names.  Think about looking at the floral quilt patterns for ideas.  They can inspire other crafters, too. 

Image:sxc.hu

Quilters might follow the traditional patterns exactly or develop variations from them as my daughter does. 

 You could use floral designs in: 

• Rug hooking (My husband’s grandmother made lovely hooked rugs with floral patterns.)
• Crocheting & knitting  (My mother-in-law used flowers in some of her crocheted afghans.)
• Painting & sketching (I’ve always enjoyed painting flowers, in fields and meadows, as well as in vases.  I’ve often used them in notecard designs, too.)
• Latch hooking (My cousin has made vibrant hangings with flowers enhancing them.)
• Tole work and painting on metal (Flowers greatly enhance this type of work.)
• Leatherwork (My brother-in-law and his wife often tool floral patterns into their wares.)

How do you use floral designs in your work?