Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - Worthy Causes
I've taken a rare day off work and let myself sleep in this morning, so the 15 minute challenge post is a bit late today. I tried to write the post last night, but I've been a bit short on shut eye time the last week or so. All that kept showing up the screen was "mmmmmm" and "chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" because I'd nod off while trying to type. Hopefully, I'm a bit more lucid this morning, but don't count on it. I'm still working on my first cup of coffee.
Drama Teen and I weren't feeling too well the latter part of the week (we're thinking bad tacos), so my effort to sneak in 15 minutes of sewing every night wasn't very successful.
I did manage to get in one more day this week than last week for a total of 4 days. Now all the blocks for Mon Ami are made and squared up, so they are all ready to sew together. Hopefully that means I'll get at least one more quilt finished this year. Mon Ami is supposed to be a Quilt of Valor. I've not donated a quilt since Drama Teen was in 4th grade (about 5 years ago), so I'm past due. This month's fostering creativity theme is to get involved with a good cause. Most of July's posts have been about the benefits of donating a quilt to a good cause, so this week it's time to list some of those good causes:
Some of the best known include:
Quilts of Valor (or if you want to deal with a quilter involved
with this cause try Alycia Quilts)
Project Linus
Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative
Threading Hope - Works directly with non-profits and
foundations to provide quilts to families all over the wold.
Plus there may be local charities that are looking for donations of quilts. Those include police departments, hospitals, social services. Your local guilds are probably a good way to find out about those. Searching the web, you can find people collecting quilts in times of need, such as after the Joplin and Moore tornadoes, the Texas fertilizer plant fire, etc. Katie Blakesley over at Swim Bike Quilt is doing a "100 quilts for Kids" drive that started July 1st and goes till the end of September.
After I finish Mon Ami, I'm thinking about making a quilt for Project Linus. I have some juvenile novelty prints from when Drama Teen was little that she would cringe at now. Making a quilt or two from them would be a good way to lighten up the stash.
What have you been up to this week?
Drama Teen and I weren't feeling too well the latter part of the week (we're thinking bad tacos), so my effort to sneak in 15 minutes of sewing every night wasn't very successful.
I did manage to get in one more day this week than last week for a total of 4 days. Now all the blocks for Mon Ami are made and squared up, so they are all ready to sew together. Hopefully that means I'll get at least one more quilt finished this year. Mon Ami is supposed to be a Quilt of Valor. I've not donated a quilt since Drama Teen was in 4th grade (about 5 years ago), so I'm past due. This month's fostering creativity theme is to get involved with a good cause. Most of July's posts have been about the benefits of donating a quilt to a good cause, so this week it's time to list some of those good causes:
Some of the best known include:
Quilts of Valor (or if you want to deal with a quilter involved
with this cause try Alycia Quilts)
Project Linus
Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative
Threading Hope - Works directly with non-profits and
foundations to provide quilts to families all over the wold.
Plus there may be local charities that are looking for donations of quilts. Those include police departments, hospitals, social services. Your local guilds are probably a good way to find out about those. Searching the web, you can find people collecting quilts in times of need, such as after the Joplin and Moore tornadoes, the Texas fertilizer plant fire, etc. Katie Blakesley over at Swim Bike Quilt is doing a "100 quilts for Kids" drive that started July 1st and goes till the end of September.
After I finish Mon Ami, I'm thinking about making a quilt for Project Linus. I have some juvenile novelty prints from when Drama Teen was little that she would cringe at now. Making a quilt or two from them would be a good way to lighten up the stash.
What have you been up to this week?
Monday, July 22, 2013
Design Wall Monday - July 22nd
Monday already? Last week is a bit of a blur. Both Drama Teen and I weren't feeling well, we think it was something we both had for lunch a few days ago. We were both pretty much back to normal yesterday. I did get some stitching in, but that's about all the sewing that got done for the week. All the Mon Ami blocks are finished and up on the design wall.
I'm still playing around with the layout, the blocks with the white background especially. I'm pretty happy with how it's looking. The blocks have all been squared up, so that they are ready to sew together once the layout is worked out.
I'm linking up with Patchwork Times today and hope to be able to check out everyone's design wall creations this evening.
 |
| Modified from Mon Ami by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company |
I'm still playing around with the layout, the blocks with the white background especially. I'm pretty happy with how it's looking. The blocks have all been squared up, so that they are ready to sew together once the layout is worked out.
I'm linking up with Patchwork Times today and hope to be able to check out everyone's design wall creations this evening.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Stash Report - Week 29 of 2013
It's raining, I mean really coming down. We are under flash flood warnings. That's not atypical for May, but for late July, that is almost unheard of where we live. We can really use the rain, it's been a hot and dry July.
I've been MIA for much of this week. Apparently Drama Teen and I ate something bad for lunch one day last week and neither of us have done well since. By late yesterday evening, both of us were finally feeling well enough to contemplate doing something besides laying around. Not a lot of sewing this week as a consequence, but I did get a bit done early in the week.
Used last week: 0.45 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 49.33 yards
Added for 2013: 131.08 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 81.75 yards
So at least there is more going out than last week. Nothing in is always good for the bottom line. The net stashed is getting less negative. Not by much, but lots of little successes can add up to a big success.
Check out Patchwork Times for the latest and greatest stash reports.
I've been MIA for much of this week. Apparently Drama Teen and I ate something bad for lunch one day last week and neither of us have done well since. By late yesterday evening, both of us were finally feeling well enough to contemplate doing something besides laying around. Not a lot of sewing this week as a consequence, but I did get a bit done early in the week.
Used last week: 0.45 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 49.33 yards
Added for 2013: 131.08 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 81.75 yards
So at least there is more going out than last week. Nothing in is always good for the bottom line. The net stashed is getting less negative. Not by much, but lots of little successes can add up to a big success.
Check out Patchwork Times for the latest and greatest stash reports.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - The Feel Good Effect
Tuesday came fast this week. Monday night was more hectic than I had planned for. Drama Teen had to teach at a volleyball clinic last night across town and will again the next two nights. My office is having a "Sweet Treat" coffee hour today and everyone was encouraged to bring a favorite dessert. That meant a trip to grocery store for eggs and flour so I could mix up a chocolate Coke-a-Cola cake. So needless to say, it was a bit late before I made it upstairs to the sewing room last night. It would have been so easy to just collapse in the recliner, but that would have made a slacker week even worse.
Only three days in the sewing room this last week. I guess the hot temps of last week just crushed my sewing mojo. I hope to do much better this week, especially since this month's fostering creativity theme is "get involved in a good cause" and I'm so hoping to get my Quilt of Valor quilt to a finished flimsy stage by the end of the month.
For quilters the most obvious way to get involved in a good cause is to make and donate a quilt or quilt blocks to a good cause. How does being involved in a good cause help your creativity? According to the University of California, Berkeley:
1. Giving makes us feel happy
2. Giving is good for our health
3. Giving promotes cooperation and social connections
4. Giving evokes gratitude
5. Giving is contagious
So how do all these things foster your creativity? Being healthy and happy are important factors, it's a big leg up if you feel like being creative. Studies have shown that when you give you are more likely to get back, somewhere along the line your generosity will be rewarded. Being rewarded for your creative efforts, makes you more likely to be even more creative. Gratitude is integral to good health and happiness, so that feeds back to the first point. Studies have shown that giving releases oxytocin, a hormone that induces feelings of warmth and euphoria. At least for me, feeling good and being happy are big energizers, I feel like doing more and am more likely to tackle something out of my comfort zone, i.e. be more willing to take a risk in making something I wouldn't otherwise.
How creative have you been the last week? Have you found time to sew a bit, knit a bit or something else that gets your creative juices flowing?
Only three days in the sewing room this last week. I guess the hot temps of last week just crushed my sewing mojo. I hope to do much better this week, especially since this month's fostering creativity theme is "get involved in a good cause" and I'm so hoping to get my Quilt of Valor quilt to a finished flimsy stage by the end of the month.
For quilters the most obvious way to get involved in a good cause is to make and donate a quilt or quilt blocks to a good cause. How does being involved in a good cause help your creativity? According to the University of California, Berkeley:
1. Giving makes us feel happy
2. Giving is good for our health
3. Giving promotes cooperation and social connections
4. Giving evokes gratitude
5. Giving is contagious
So how do all these things foster your creativity? Being healthy and happy are important factors, it's a big leg up if you feel like being creative. Studies have shown that when you give you are more likely to get back, somewhere along the line your generosity will be rewarded. Being rewarded for your creative efforts, makes you more likely to be even more creative. Gratitude is integral to good health and happiness, so that feeds back to the first point. Studies have shown that giving releases oxytocin, a hormone that induces feelings of warmth and euphoria. At least for me, feeling good and being happy are big energizers, I feel like doing more and am more likely to tackle something out of my comfort zone, i.e. be more willing to take a risk in making something I wouldn't otherwise.
How creative have you been the last week? Have you found time to sew a bit, knit a bit or something else that gets your creative juices flowing?
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