Peer pressure

When I first received Tula Pink's new book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks, I carefully studied every page just like I do all my quilting books. I had seen her sampler at the MQG show in Austin and loved it before I even knew it was from her book. In fact, I photographed it thinking I would like to do something similar one day. One day. Not tomorrow or the next day. One day.

At least that's what I thought.

I put the book on the shelf and forgot about it. Until I got a text from a friend asking if I had the book. She thought we should make it and use peer pressure to keep each other accountable. There are 100 blocks so we decided to make 2 a day and send each other pictures when we had completed each day. Two little blocks a day didn't sound that bad so I agreed. We started our little challenge in August. I decided to mimic Tula Pink's colors in each block to achieve the same rainbow effect and my friend decided on a group of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

We started off really well. I even made blocks up ahead of time for the week we spent at Disney and our camping weekends. I faithfully sent pics every day while at Disney because I knew if I didn't, JLew would stop and I might lose her for good. This was her idea after all!

50 days of commitment is a lot but even if we missed a day, we made it up the next day. Until the end when we were both dragging and we let a few slip. Our challenge is over and while I think JLew has a few blocks left to complete, over all we did really well! I have to say peer pressure works!

Some days were easy and some days had way too many pieces, but I think we both learned a lot. I know I learned a whole lot about color combinations. I used all scraps and I started just grabbing whatever came up next. It made for some interested pairings that I wouldn't have planned.

Now we just have to get together to put these monsters together over a few bottles of wine and totally inappropriate commentary.......

(There is a block missing in the very center. Somehow I missed it, pretend you don't notice!)

Improv makes me nervous

I've been holding onto these fabrics for a while, not wanting to cut into them for fear that I would do the wrong thing. Something about cutting into a perfectly whole piece of fabric (especially when I know it's out of print) just seems wrong. And scary.

I really like the whole modern, improv movement in the quilting world. In theory, it's incredibly freeing and the epitome of creativity. For me it's kind of like spilling a whole tin of double fifteen dominoes on a wood floor. In a room full of screaming kids and barking dogs. Crazy chaotic mess.

But I want to create freely and peacefully the way I see the women in the books! So I calmly cut out some strips and pieces.

Well now I have to think! Nobody said anything about thinking! Just creating! But I'm determined so I start sewing and after a little while you actually do work out your own rhythm.

Actually, I kind of like it. But it is definitely a exercise in stress management for me. And it is kind of freeing when you let go of your control freak tendencies and let it just become. I may have to start doing more of this. It is so much faster than following a pattern and I really love the uniqueness that it produces. I might have to change the title of this post to " improv makes me happy"!

What a year can do

This weekend marked the first weekend of the "fall" camping trip season for us.  I was very excited because as strange as it may sound, I actually get a little "homesick" for the camper.  I really enjoy camping.  Everything just seems simpler and there are no pressing items on the to do list.  A 30' camper is a lot easier to keep clean than a 2700 square foot house, even with 3 dogs in tow.  We eat healthier because there are no fast food places.  And we just don't need as much "stuff".  But my absolute favorite part is being out in the woods, away from people (or at least there aren't as many people), just being and enjoying everything God created.

This weekend also marked (roughly) the one year anniversary of our camping.  McKinney Falls was actually the first park that we went to one week (!) after we purchased the trailer.  When I scheduled us for McKinney this weekend, I didn't realize the significance until later.  That first weekend we were nervous and excited and trying our best to get there before dark.  Backing into our spot took more than a few tries.  It took us a while to set up too, learning where all the hookups were and finding the best method for everything.

 

2012

 

A year later and approximately 20 trips later, Kyle and I have setup down to a science and Kyle can whip that trailer into even the tightest spots in the dark.  We have made so many wonderful family memories!  A few arguments when I'm trying to help direct but that's the way I remember camping goes!

 

The biggest change, however, has been with Reese.  Our first trip to McKinney Falls involved lots of whining and crying, frustration, and reluctance to do just about anything.  He would start complaining the minute we started on a short hike and we had to be back at the trailer before it got dark, otherwise he panicked.  We were just driving around the park in the truck one night and he was hiding behind the set because the sun was setting.  If a bug got anywhere close to him, he would freak out.  And I mean FREAK OUT.  Screaming at the top of his lungs, park rangers running kind of thing.  And instead of us having to make him stay out of the fire (like most boys), we had to beg him to just stay outside a little longer.  Talk about frustration.  It was so hard for us to want so badly to hike and explore and not be able to because of  Reese.  My parents even offered to keep him so we could enjoy a weekend of hiking.  After things didn't improve after the next couple of trips, I started to question the wisdom of continuing to camp.  But I had waited so long for this camper that I wasn't about to give up that easily. 

 

And I'm so glad we didn't.

 

Things did improve.  This weekend Kyle and I were astounded when we realized that Reese had accompanied us on a 2 hour hike and didn't complain once.  Didn't even ask how much further. In fact, part of it he pretended to be a soldier and another he raced me.   We walked past the swimming hole on our hike and he said not one word about how he hated to hike and wanted to swim instead.  A year ago he would have been whining and crying about us making him do something he didn't want to. 

He requested that we build a fire so we could roast hot dogs and gladly cooked his own.  He saw a bug in his chair and instead of screaming about it, he told me calmly so I could remove it.  I didn't even flick it that far and he sat in the chair anyway.  A few months ago he even held a bug!  It was a doodle bug, but still, it's progress.  When we left on Friday he was watching a movie he hadn't seen before.  He calmly remarked in the truck that when we got back in a couple of days, he was going to continue the movie.  This is not the same kid we had a year ago!!

 

I still can't say that he looks forward to camping trips but he does find ways to enjoy it and some aspects he eagerly anticipates (he loves swimming in the rivers).  And he actually has a favorite park (Pedernales Falls State Park). 

2013

 

 

I'm so glad that we didn't give up.  We have made some concessions, such as the Ipad and the computer to watch movies but Reese needs that downtime.  His mind is constantly running so to him, media is a time when he doesn't have to think.  He has learned to enjoy himself and that to me is priceless.  These camping weekends are priceless.  Our sweet camper is priceless.  And our memories will last forever.

Our crazy homeschool day....

Homeschooling means many things to us, but today the most important was flexibility.  Our day has gone like this:

Discover a barely breathing baby mole at the back door

Research said mole while eating breakfast
Discuss why it's not a good idea to keep the mole as a pet
Math lesson
Science experiments using polymers (super snow)

Check on mole (still breathing)

 

 

Painting project (art) (I was a model for this picture - see me on the bridge??)

Discuss what RIP means
Conduct funeral for baby mole

Spelling lesson with discussion of prefixes

Learning about balance with "sculptures"

The rest of the evening will include another quick math lesson and an English class video

Our days are not always as exciting as this one (it's not every day we conduct a funeral in the back yard) but we are able to go with the flow.  Neither the science experiments or painting were planned but Reese asked to do both so we went with it.  Homeschool gives us the flexibility to do that.  I can guarantee you that he learned more about the properties of polymers because he ASKED to learn about it.  And how many kids can say they've held a live mole???

Slouchy.....

I've been wanting to make a "slouchy" zippered bag for, I don't know, whatever.  I just like bags, okay?  I don't need a reason to have one more.  I decided to play around tonight and this is what I got.

There is a magnetic closure to just fold down one side, kindof eclectic like.  Or you can just fill it up and not snap it over.   I'm not digging the rope handle.  It wasn't my first choice but I couldn't find the canvas ribbon.  It's a generous bag (12" x 12") without getting too big. 

 

Guess I'll have to let this one stew a little.  Maybe add some pleats and a different handle?  What do you think?

Ahoy mateys!

My sweet, sweet 9 nine year boy is a very special kid.  He has this incredible imagination.  He told me one day in frustration "you just can't see the possibilities!"  I think that sums it all up.  He can see possibilities that I cannot. 

He wanted a big birthday party this year so I asked him to give me a theme.  He had been playing a specific game on his ipad a lot and decided that he liked "momonga", the flying squirrel as a theme.  Ummmmm......okay.  I'll have to do some research but I think we can do something with that.  I looked around a little bit, but I knew with him it was bound to change a few times.  I was right.  We went from flying squirrel to jungle to medieval to pirates.  We were down to a few weeks before the party so I told him he couldn't change anymore. 

Every kid has a way of making their parents feel guilty, right?  Reese is really, really good at it.  He told me that he hadn't ever had a birthday party (not true, we just haven't had a big one in a few years) and he really, really wanted something cool.  Pinterest to the rescue!  I decided that this year, I was going to be one of those moms. You know, the ones who make everything really cute and matchy??

So after a lot of money, printer ink and time, this was the result:

 

I found downloadable pirate party stickers and papers designed by someone on etsy.  Some of the labels you were able to change but I had to do some creative editing on Photoshop to get the others to say what I wanted.  The jugs are everyday decoration in my house and the feed sacks have decorated numerous party tables.  I actually made a sail too but you can't really see it in the picture.

 

Treasure chests were filled with pirate coins, gems, "diamonds", packages of rolos with the outer wrapper removed (they look like round bars of gold) and Hershey gold nuggets.

 

 

The red square bowl says "Fish & Chips" and has chips and goldfish mixed together.  Behind it is a box that has "gold bars" in it.  I hate that I didn't get a picture of them because they were really cute.  They were twix (the only thing I could find that had a gold wrapper) wrapped with wrappers that matched everything else.  (See? Matchy, matchy)

 

 

 

We had "Pirate Ale" (root beer) and "Sea Water" to drink. The "ale" went over really, really well.  They were all gone.

 

 



 

We had eye patches, tatoos, pirate hats, bandanas, pirate mustaches, everything a pirate needs.

 

 

"Polly's Crackers",  "Cannonballs" and "Pirate Booty" (peanut butter filled pretzels).  All of these ideas came off of Pinterest and various blogs.

 

This is the only original idea I can claim.  I made pirate ships out of pallets and my sweet hubby screwed them together for safety.

 

Each pirate ship was stocked with water balloons.

 

 

 

The ensuing "cannonball" fight was my favorite part of the party.  The kids had a blast!

 

 

Okay, maybe I did have one more original idea....I hid these little treasure boxes all over the yard.  Each one had a number on the bottom and the kids drew for the number they had to find.  That way they couldn't just pick one up.  It was a little more challenging.

 

 

 

 

 

Reese about fell asleep eating his cupcake so I

think that's a good sign.

 Reese got a very special visit from Ms Sheila and Mr Adrian, a couple whom we barely know but Reese is determined to adopt into the family.  I wish I had gotten a picture of them together but he was too busy giving them the "tour".  Note to self:  clean out the closets before inviting anyone new over 'cause Reese is going to show them everything!

 All in all I think it was a success and I enjoyed being that mom for a day!

Yes, there is a pirate mustache on my chest.....they were very itchy and hot and they were ending up in some very strange places.....

Second chances

We went to the sweetest wedding last night for a sweet friend who definitely deserves the second chance that God graciously gave.  The kids took part in the ceremony and the combined family is precious!  I think when you're older or you've been given a second chance at love, you value it more.  You truly understand what it is that you've found and understand the work involved in keeping it.  The bride and groom wrote their own vows which were beautiful and sincere.  At the reception, they had "daddy-daughter" dances with the two girls (her youngest child and his only).  He got down on the 7 year olds level and danced to a One Direction song, "That's What Makes You Beautiful".  He even sang it to her and it was one of the most precious things I've ever seen. His daughter even sang a song to the new couple.   After all the traditional dances, they put on "We Are Family" and the new family all danced together.  Cute, cute family.

And a great excuse to give away a quilt!  I had started this one a while back and was busy quilting on it when I realized that it would make a great gift. 

 

This was really fun to quilt because I got to use a template and put something pretty on there!  In the white spaces there are horizontal lines of a lotus type pattern, hand quilted in grey.  The bars of blacks and greys are quilted with a single line down the side of each bar. 

 

The fabric is Little Black Dress by Moda, the pattern is by me and it is a throw size.  The back is pieced with leftover fabric so the quilting design looks really interesting.  I was in a hurry taking a picture and I didn't get a picture of the back, nor did I get the label sewn on.  Oh well.  Next time maybe I'll remember.  And hopefully Jackie and Baron like the quilt well enough that they'll remember where it came from.  A new quilt for a new life!

Fit for a queen

I recently completed a quilt for our bedroom which is currently stuck deep in the makeover process.  By that I mean that the bedding is complete and I have a matching rug, the new curtains are still in the bag and the old are on the windows and the room is still pretty much blue.  But if you can just center in on the bed and pretend for a moment that it's been made, it looks really good!

I made this quilt using a wonky log cabin block and lots of imprecise cutting.  It was crazy easy and very freeing.  My inspiration came from a book called Block Party and a quilt named Once Around the Block.  No rules, just sew what you like. 

This was one of my very favorite tops to quilt so far.  I used three different colors - grey, lt yellow and dark yellow - to quilt large squares and rectangles to mimick the log cabin blocks.  I'm trying to learn better how to make my quilting match the piecing.  To enhance it instead of just being there. 

 

I usually dread quilting a queen size because of the bulk, but this was really fun and fast.  I should have taken a picture of the back too because it is pieced with leftover fabric and extra blocks.

 

 

Now I just have to make another one for wash days!!

 

 

Design wall

After about a year of complaining about not having a place for a design wall and really needing one, I finally figured out a way to do it! My studio consists of mainly windows (which I am NOT complaining about) so I had to get creative. I had seen the roll up type design walls but they are terribly expensive. I was trying to figure out how to manage a portable board type wall until I got this book.

 

 

The authors suggest a roll up shade mounted in the window covered with flannel. Genius. I went to Lowe's to get a shade. Turns out they are hard to find than I thought they would be. I wanted a fabric shade but had to settle for a plastic blind type shade. Roll up is key though. I bought a 72" shade and hurried home. Turns out my window is 71". Stupid builders. Standard is 72", could they not make it easy on me??? Luckily my DH said he could cut it to fit. He got it all situated and hung up for me last night and this morning I got to start adding the flannel.

The plastic blinds made things a little harder because I had been planning on just stapling the flannel to a fabric shade. I decided that the best way to attach it would be by sewing it on. So starting at the top I sewed a spot every 24" or so to the cording on the blinds. You have to make sure to put the flannel behind the pull cord on the front or the shade isn't going to roll up properly.

 

 

 

 

 

Voila! I now have a roll up design board that can be out of sight when I'm not working.  Although I'm having a lot of fun just staring at my quilt in progress so I haven't rolled it up yet.  And I didn't get enough flannel so I have to get another 3 yards.

 

This is my first improvisational quilt and it has been fun and stressful at the same time.  I'll be blogging about it at a later date.

Starting over...

I've started several blogs over the years. I've had several businesses over the years. Recently I realized that all of my business names were product specific and narrow. They also didn't hold much personal meaning for me. I tend to change art mediums frequently and really I love them all. So why limit myself or my business to just one?

I was thinking about a new business name and how there are so many cute names out there that just stick in your head - Pink Magnolia, Cabbage Rose, Lime Gardenia, etc. I wanted something that MEANT something to me, that had a story behind it and therefore might mean something to someone else too. And suddenly there it was. The perfect name for me. Something that was one of the most important things to me in my childhood.

The farm.

My German heritage.

The country life.

Richter Lane.

The road that was named after my great grandparents.

So here it is, what this name means to me:

Richter Lane is the kind of place where the neighbors come by for a visit on their tractor, a day at the beach is spent on the banks of the Sandy creek or at the end of a cane pole at the pond. A place where exercise means a walk in the woods and running into a critter or two. A place where everybody is kin somehow, the women gather fresh eggs in their aprons and the men bring home something fresh for dinner. Sweet tea, hot apple pie and a swing on the front porch. The kind of place my great grandparents loved and passed down to the generations. The kind of place I wish I still had in my life and long for daily. We can't all have that type of heaven but when I sit down to create something with my hands, I feel like I'm living a little bit of it. Even though physically I'm a "city girl", I'm a country girl at heart and everything I make reflects that independent, "make something with your hands" mentality. I'm excited about every project I start and I think my Grandma Richter would be proud of the things I create.

So come visit me at Richter Lane for a little bit of this and a little of that. Have a cup of joe and watch the birds on the feeder for awhile. It's relaxing and rejuvenating here. You might even get a little inspired! www.etsy.com/shop/richterlane