Mabith's 2017 Crafts (Meredith)

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Mabith's 2017 Crafts (Meredith)

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1mabith
Jan 7, 2017, 1:14 pm



My crafting is expanding this year from embroidery and knitting into sewing and I'm pretty excited. This morning I got out the pieces for a large-ish project bag for my best friend using some cute fabric from spoonflower (with knitting supplies and happy yarn skeins on it), and got the interfacing ironed on so it's all ready to stitch.

I've also finished the cross-stitch version of a 1900-ish cover of Little Women, so I'll be starting to stitch that in the next few days (I've also done covers of Little House on the Prairie, Understood Betsy, and Five Little Peppers and How They Grew).

2lesmel
Jan 7, 2017, 3:10 pm

Pictures! You need to show us lots and lots of pictures of these awesome sounding projects!!

Also, how do you like spoonflower? I keep meaning to try my hand at recipe tea towels from them.

3mabith
Jan 7, 2017, 3:26 pm

I think with Spoonflower it depends on the designer. The two fabrics I got don't have enough contrast. Looked fine online, but just need be a bit sharper in person. I imagine some designers will get samples of their fabrics and then adjust them, and others won't. I have a friend who has a number of prints on there, and hers I would trust. I think I'll be much happier buying in person though.

This is the Little Women cover I'm using:


There are covers I like more but that just wouldn't work as cross-stitch on the scale I want. My branch is also different, as I'm using a combination of antique patterns stitched together with my own bits and bobs. Tempted to fill the whole body with leaves and flowers but I don't want to lose the original. It will be going on oatmeal aida.

4scaifea
Jan 8, 2017, 11:07 am

Yay for sewing! And yay for Spoonflower! I love that site, myself.

And I LOVE the idea of cross-stitching book covers - I can't wait to see the results!

5avaland
Jan 10, 2017, 6:26 am

Cross-stitching book covers is indeed a great idea! Looking forward to seeing all your projects.

6mabith
Jan 29, 2017, 4:11 pm

>4 scaifea: I love the idea of Spoonflower, and I'm very glad it exists, but with my finances I think it's too risky not seeing the fabric in person. Bookish cross-stitch patterns definitely make up SO much of my stitching.

>5 avaland: Thanks!

7mabith
Modifié : Jan 29, 2017, 4:17 pm

I finished the big project bag for my friend, complete with inside patch pocket, but forgot to take a picture! It was about 12 inches tall and wide, in this fabric:


It ended up being a slight nightmare after I accidentally sewed the lining and outer together the wrong way, and unpicking stretched the outer fabric which was then a bit too wide at the top and then the drawstring channel was too small and AARGH. It was imperfect, but functional, and I know my friend appreciated the effort.

Now I can finally start the Little Women cover!

8lauralkeet
Jan 29, 2017, 7:04 pm

I love that fabric, it's perfect for a project bag. My sewing is prone to mishaps, too. So frustrating! I'm glad you were able to recover from it.

9mabith
Jan 29, 2017, 7:43 pm

I loved that picture of the fabric, the actual product had far less contrast and I wouldn't recommend anyone buy it.

10dudes22
Jan 30, 2017, 7:18 am

It can be a bit disheartening when those things happen. I was making a book bag for a friend last year and I got it all done only to find I had forgotten to sew the bottom of the pocket to the lining. I ended up sewing it by hand because I didn't want to take the bag all apart. The funny thing was, I was making a second bag and, when I was putting the pocket to the lining, was when I realized that I had forgotten to sew the bottom on the first bag.

11scaifea
Jan 30, 2017, 11:18 am

Oh, I love that fabric!

And I sympathize with the sewing mistake - I've been sewing since I was a kid, and I *still* need to use my seam ripper on nearly every project. So don't feel too bad.

12mabith
Jan 30, 2017, 11:56 am

I was mostly just mad at myself for getting too cocky about my extremely limited sewing experience. I need to get some books from the library.

Exciting news - I'll be moving into a house soon and I think I'll get to have a dedicated craft space!

13avaland
Jan 30, 2017, 2:34 pm

Very cute fabric. I'm sure your project was wonderful in the end! Looking forward to the Little Women cover!

14scaifea
Jan 31, 2017, 12:08 pm

Yay for a new place and a crafting space!!

15mabith
Modifié : Fév 11, 2017, 1:24 am

I've been reading so much in print so far this year it's had a dramatic impact on my crafting. I'm going to work on a design for a "Nevertheless, she persisted," pattern. I've been working on a giant fill section

In the meantime I'm stuck in potential house land. My bedroom will be painted in some very print purplish reddish something or other. Mostly I'm thinking about the garden. The yard is quite small, so we'll be removing all the grass and mainly planting edibles, though now I keep being tempted by flowers. There's already a blackberry bush, blueberry bushes, strawberries, azaleas, phlox, and two lilac trees. I want to add raspberries, gooseberries, loads of herbs, tomatoes, kale, and saffron crocuses.

We're also going to art up the cabinets by decoupaging and other treatments onto foam core. My mom can't get over the pink counters (which I really don't care about, that's never something that will bother me), to the extent of feeling very conflicted about what color to paint the walls. So we're just going with white or grey. I photoshopped some examples for her:





I just used random images I had around, but I like the idea of pictures of quilting and embroidery for the textures.

Are these images showing up for you? Photobucket has been really screwed up.

16dudes22
Modifié : Fév 11, 2017, 5:02 am

Yes - the pictures are showing (for me at least). What a great idea. I like that corner one with the big flowers and the lady to the left of that. That will be quite a project. Can't wait to see it finished. I think I had that counter in my bathroom. It had been there since we bought the house (22 yrs) and I always hated it but did nothing about it. Now we're moving and the new people will get a new counter.

17lesmel
Fév 11, 2017, 7:15 am

>15 mabith: Oh! That is brilliant! Now I want to run out for foam core and decorate my cabinets. If you do get tired of the pink tops, there's a product kit that will cover them in an epoxy or similar and then some sort of sealant. I saw it on HGTV ages ago when I still had cable.

18mabith
Fév 11, 2017, 9:25 am

I think what I love about being in a house vs an apartment just doesn't have much to do with paint and surfaces. Living in a serious art house would be great though.

My mom hates the cabinets too (or hates the shade of brown they are combined with that shade of pink), but doesn't really want to deal with painting them. So the art idea is right up both our streets. We have seen those counter treatments, but realistically in the time I don't think it's hugely do-able. She's torn about it, but since I can't do most of the house stuff myself or even help much with it I think it's my job to give her an easy out.

There's a huge basement in the house, so I'm hoping we can find an artist who wants the back basement room for a studio (it has a separate entrance and there's a bathroom down there, plus laundry sinks). It's an unfinished room, but lots of light as the house is on a steep hill, so that back room isn't underground at all. I think it would help push me to have an artist about especially if they did something with fiber or had a glass kiln.

19avaland
Fév 12, 2017, 6:53 am

What a fab idea for the cabinets! Very creative!

I sympathize re the pink countertop. The house we bought in MA in '99 had the same color countertops, perhaps a bit paler. I was forever scrubbing out stains. We eventually redid the whole kitchen. When we moved up here, once again, I have an old kitchen, including the countertops, this time a pale blue. I hope to do a limited redo at some point.

Oh, and I like the idea of a "Nevertheless, she persisted" project!

20scaifea
Fév 14, 2017, 6:55 am

Ooof, super-cool idea for the cabinets! You'll post photos when you're finished? I so want to see what you come up with!

21mabith
Modifié : Mar 10, 2017, 10:29 am

>20 scaifea: Absolutely! The cabinets probably won't be worked on until after I'm fully moved, but I'm excited.

It's not needlework, but getting the house ready has been taking up pretty much all my time and 200% of my energy. The house is really coming together though.

Living room and dining room area:


Wonderful old mantel my dad found on the curb in pieces. I cleaned it, he put it back together, and I painted it (picture taken at night, so the color isn't right):


My partially painted room:


So happy with the orange. It's so brightening we keep thinking we've left the light on when we haven't.

22dudes22
Mar 11, 2017, 10:23 am

That's looking quite nice. I like the lattice work out the window in the first picture. Covered porch? I'm in the process of trying to decide on room colors for our new house and I'm having the devil of a time trying to make up my mind.

23scaifea
Mar 11, 2017, 1:04 pm

Oh, I love the colors! That mantel is excellent!

24mabith
Mar 11, 2017, 1:19 pm

Betty, there is a covered porch, though the lattice is up against the yard fence to help support the blackberry patch. I was having more fun planning the garden (the yard is very small and we'll be covering all the grass area with raised beds), but now I'm too exhausted to think about it!

I almost regretted when my mom gave me freedom to pick any paint color for my room. It made it SO hard to decide. Really happy with my choice though.

25mabith
Mar 11, 2017, 1:20 pm

Thanks, Amber! I've wanted a big, old mantel forever, as they frequently have larger, fancier ones at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Really happy to have it. Now the walls around it and the other wall without windows in the living room are totally lined with bookshelves.

26Lyndatrue
Mar 11, 2017, 2:07 pm

>25 mabith: Interesting. I just realized that your mantle is not in front of a fireplace, but is purely decorative. I'd just looked again at the picture when I saw the comment about surrounding it with bookcases (because I was a bit worried about heat and smoke). Very clever repurposing of the mantle; I'll have to keep it in mind as a suggestion for others who are trying to do something interesting with a blank wall. Is that an air return for a furnace, or a heating vent?

I do like orange. You'll have to make a virtual tour when it's finished, so we can all visit (so to speak).

27mabith
Mar 11, 2017, 2:49 pm

Lynda, yup, just decorative! I'd line the walls with them if I had more. It's an air return, my plan is to put shelves inside the mantle place as well that will leave the air return open but hide it a little.

I will definitely compile a tour when things are done. It will be a bit of a gradual process, in terms of decorating, but the painting on the main floor is nearly done. Still the kitchen to do, the rest of my bedroom (two tiny walls behind the door and the interior of the big closet in my room will be in an orchidy-purple, and a new coat of yellow in the hall).

Wish my grandma were alive to pass on her skills at making slip covers, since my couch badly needs one.

28avaland
Mar 15, 2017, 7:48 am

Oooo, I love home remodeling! Love the orange, it's akin to the rich sunflower color I did our livingroom with. I'm glad you got a much-desired mantel! I love a colorful home. Perhaps you will inspire me to get that wallpaper project done....

29lauralkeet
Mar 15, 2017, 8:29 am

Wow, that's quite a project and it's really looking good! I love the colors. I'm surprised how much I like the orange because it's not a color I typically go for.

30mabith
Avr 2, 2017, 12:04 pm

>28 avaland: Colorful is the best! It's so exciting to have a relatively blank canvas.

>29 lauralkeet: Orange is one of my favorites anyway, but I was a little hesitant to choose it for my room. I've been sleeping here for a week though and I really love the warmth of it and how it looks when I can see the yellow hallway through the door.

31mabith
Avr 2, 2017, 12:10 pm

More house pictures!




The floor cloth I painted for the dining room.


I love this rug so much.




These are the posters I had printed for the cabinet facings. Others will be painted, decoupaged, covered with fabric, etc...

32avaland
Avr 3, 2017, 4:05 pm

It seems like you are having a ball!! You, go girl!!

Have you seen the design work of Susan Sargent? She was "big" sometime ago, but she was pushing color when the trends were going the other way. I have several of her books.
http://www.susansargent.com/index.html (the books are better than the website and they are probably available cheap now).

33lesmel
Avr 10, 2017, 10:12 pm

So, was the house all those colors when you bought it? It reminds me of

A) the day we walked into my grandmother's house and the living room was bright fuschia. I can't even remember what color it was before then. Beige, maybe. Something really neutral.

B) my mother's house. She took forever to decide, but the house interior has like 8 different colors that all work.

I love when people aren't afraid of color!

34mabith
Modifié : Avr 11, 2017, 1:11 am

>32 avaland: I miss the house makeover shows of the late 1990s when color was king! I hadn't heard of Sargent, I'll have to get some of her books from my library.

>33 lesmel: I think when my mom originally bought the house (which my sister and her family lived in for the last 5 1/2 years) the walls were mostly white, baring a very bright cerulean blue in a former child's room. She painted the living room and dining room grey, similar to our repaint for my move here but in a blue tone which my mom disliked (the tone now shades more toward lavender, but it all depends on the light). She painted the hallway yellow, but the bedrooms a light blue and light green. We carried the light grey into my roommate's room and the guest/craft room. She let me choose for my room, and I gave the hallway a new coat of the same yellow paint.

She hemmed and hawed a lot on the kitchen (which my sister and BIL were supposed to strip of old wallpaper and paint but never did), but decided on more grey! Given my love for color the greys makes a really nice non-white neutral, since everything looks good with grey. I didn't get too involved in her kitchen indecision, since I am still renting from her, and she was the one who had to paint that. She's happy to let me go *fairly* wild, but I'm making sure to ask permission on most things since she is the landlady.

Color just makes me so happy. I'm really loving the orange room. My goal was to make it feel very warm, especially with focusing on cool colors in the living and dining rooms, and it definitely achieves that.

I'm largely unpacked now (except the craft supplies, waiting to get some more shelving up), so I've been able to focus on some of the more fun decorating pursuits and the garden. I'm SO much happier now, and it feels amazing to be able to walk out the door and sit on the porch in the morning to drink my tea and check on the plants. No stairs, no elevator ride, no awful neighbors. I can't wait to finish decorating so I can have a grand housewarming party.

35mabith
Avr 11, 2017, 1:19 am

Here's my mostly complete plate wall. Missing a few things on the edges, and I'll be filling a couple of the small gaps here with pieces from my mom's childhood tea set (I have a double set of plates of saucers for it from buying an almost complete set that I found online in a complete fluke).



Just waiting on the smaller plate hangers to finish hanging the pieces I've still got about. Plus there's a bit of room to expand. Part of me would love to expand all the way around the room above the door and window frames but my mom thinks that's a step too far (it is in the dining room so the plates are appropriate).

Quite a few of the plates are family pieces, including one hand-painted by my great-great-great grandmother!

36scaifea
Avr 11, 2017, 6:42 am

Oooh, I LOVE the plate wall!!

37thornton37814
Avr 11, 2017, 8:19 am

>35 mabith: I would be so afraid to put plates on the wall. We have small tremors from time to time. I'd be afraid we'd get one that would cause them all to come crashing down.

38lesmel
Avr 11, 2017, 10:38 am

>34 mabith: The house I was mostly raised in had slate blue/grey walls (all over except the wallpapered walls) that matched the carpet. My room was country-ish antique with a rough wood wall...hm, I wonder if I have photos of that room while we worked on it...painted country white. The wood wall was only about 6 feet tall and had a cap/shelf for holding various knickknacks. I had an iron and brass antique bed (still have that bed) and antique dresser and washstand (mom has both of those still).

I loved my room, but I would probably have been happier with a starscape. I was star-mad growing up.

>35 mabith: The plate wall is so neat!

39mabith
Avr 11, 2017, 7:24 pm

>36 scaifea: Thanks! I'm soo pleased with it, and I love the added texture it brings. I did actually plan it out carefully, despite my usual slap-dash nature.

>37 thornton37814: No real danger of tremors here in West Virginia. (well, not right in Charleston anyway, closer to fracking areas are different...). I don't think they'd come off anyway though. I used nails with a nice defined head and did some of my hammering with all the plates on the wall. If a plate didn't fall when I was hammering right next to it I think it will take a serious disaster to shift them. I'm not putting them any lower though, since I want to minimize the chance of someone bumping into them.

>38 lesmel: That room sounds like it would be perfect for an Anne of Green Gables fan though! I love those old bedsteads. If I'd been able to choose a theme/style for my bedroom as a kid I'm not really sure what I would have wanted. An Oz themed room maybe, based on the John R Neill illustrations.

40avaland
Avr 13, 2017, 1:02 pm

Love the plate wall. I have collected a few platems here and there.

41mabith
Mai 1, 2017, 9:30 pm

Lois, it's hard to pass up a really pretty plate when the price is cheap!

42mabith
Modifié : Mai 1, 2017, 9:32 pm

Still none of my normal crafting, but this recent project did involve fabric! This chair was an extremely dirty off-white, but for $5 I saw promise in its lovely lines (plus being solid wood, sturdy, and all the legs the same length). I foolishly forgot to take a before picture, but here's the after. Finally using a bit of the gorgeous fabric my mom picked up decades ago.





I have three or four gold notes in the living room and it's nice to carry that into the dining room. I regret not sanding down that big drip of paint on the center piece which was on there when I bought it.

43scaifea
Mai 2, 2017, 6:43 am

Cool chair!! Love the color and the fabric!

44lesmel
Mai 2, 2017, 3:31 pm

>42 mabith: Never would have seen the drip if you haven't said something. Isn't that the usual way it goes? P.S. I love the blue!

45avaland
Mai 2, 2017, 6:56 pm

Well done! I like the redo. I have a couple of black chairs here I've been meaning to redo. I go as far as getting the seat off one of them but then got distracted.

46mabith
Mai 10, 2017, 4:01 pm

Thanks all!

>43 scaifea: I was so happy my mom was alright with me using some of that fabric. She hasn't really done any sewing in the last 20 years, but she's only just started being okay with relinquishing her stash (and that is one of her favorite pieces of fabric). I'll have to make something nice for her with it.

>44 lesmel: And yes, that's definitely always the way. I don't think any crafter (or most people) looks at anything looking for the mistakes but they can bother us so much in our own work.

>45 avaland: There's a lot to be distracted by! I definitely think I'll be going with spray paint for all other chair work, but maybe not. I've definitely been seduced by the ease of it.

47mabith
Mai 10, 2017, 4:20 pm

Finally got back to some cross-stitch and boy did it feel good.



I might stitch another one (possibly with different colors) right away. One of my good friends here (met through the local book club, of course) really loves it. She's done some cross-stitch but she probably won't actually get to this ever and has been having an incredibly difficult year. We'll see.

48mabith
Mai 21, 2017, 8:44 pm

I finished my chair upcyclings. Finished for now anyway since I'm out of chairs (my dining table has two benches, but I prefer something with a back myself.



Only managed to take a comparison picture of one:




Yes, that slip cover on the back has a pocket (two actually, one for the other side as well). The fabric was a sleeveless jacket with bad runs at the shoulders, and having those pockets present was the only way to have the top and seat match. I'm trying to think of something clever to put in the pockets for my niece and nephew to find next time they're up.

49Lyndatrue
Mai 21, 2017, 8:47 pm

>48 mabith: You are just so clever! That jacket was probably lovely as a jacket, but it really gives the chair some real personality. Awfully pretty, too.

50scaifea
Mai 22, 2017, 6:35 am

Very cool! I *love* that you kept the pocket!

51judylou
Mai 23, 2017, 7:04 pm

You are so capable of such a variety of things. Those chairs look great.

52mabith
Mai 23, 2017, 7:41 pm

Thanks, all! It was really fun, and meant I had to get my craft room/guest room in enough order to sew. Still working on decorating it.

53mabith
Mai 31, 2017, 9:09 pm

Got a heap of sewing done! I made placemats for my friend Christine's kids.





I also made a couple of curtain panels for my silly theatre curtain tv area thing.

54avaland
Juin 7, 2017, 8:54 am

Just catching up. I like the chair re-dos. I have some similar projects I'd like to get back to.

LOL. I love the TV theater project. Very clever!

55mabith
Juin 17, 2017, 7:52 pm

Lois, it makes me smile every time I look at it! I'm definitely going to get some dark red fabric and add some more panels. I also just really like being able to hide the TV.

56mabith
Juin 17, 2017, 7:56 pm



Starting on the first couple of many pillow covers. I definitely wasn't smart doing the floppy feather pillow first, but it's good enough.

57mabith
Juin 23, 2017, 11:51 am

Most of the pillows have been recovered (just one small one left, I think)! The couch and ottoman will eventually be covered in unbleached duck canvas, which I was going to paint in an abstract water color design. Now though I think plain is best since all the pillows are in different fabrics.



58avaland
Juin 23, 2017, 5:31 pm

You are having a lot of fun!

59judylou
Juin 24, 2017, 1:53 am

Love those two floral fabrics!

60mabith
Juin 25, 2017, 3:18 pm

>58 avaland: If I was ever doubting that the sewing machine was a good purchase (it was quite cheap, though at my income level anything is an investment), I'm not doubting it now.

>59 judylou: I'm really happy with them, and might actually get more of the purple, yellow, grey one. I like the other one a lot, but these are my cool color rooms, so while I'm not totally avoiding reds and oranges I do want to limit them.

61mabith
Juil 30, 2017, 9:40 pm

What HAVE I been doing for a month... Well, I knit a small blanket using the bits and bobs of bulky yarn I had around:


And I recovered the ottoman that goes with my couch. No more early 90s floral fabric, no more dated looking dust ruffle. Also made a Strawberry Shortcake shirt into a pillow cover.

62mabith
Modifié : Juil 30, 2017, 9:45 pm

Oh, I also started a pieced name placement for my niece, just to practice piecing (I made no attempt at consistent sizing)


And I turned an old skirt with a great pattern into a sewing machine cover.

63Lyndatrue
Juil 30, 2017, 10:18 pm

>62 mabith: Completely in love with the sewing machine cover. It's just beautiful!

64judylou
Juil 31, 2017, 2:29 am

That must have been a beautiful skirt!

65scaifea
Juil 31, 2017, 6:56 am

Oh, cool! All of those projects turned out amazing!

66mabith
Juil 31, 2017, 9:38 am

It was a great skirt, but not made correctly so it never fit well. I've had it sitting around for almost 16 years, just couldn't get rid of it since I loved the Gibson girl fabric. My sewing room is also the guest room and my niece sleeping over made me finally make the cover. Not that I'm distrustful of the kiddos...

67lesmel
Juil 31, 2017, 9:47 am

I'm now going to have to find a Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt so I can have a pillow of my very own. HA!

68mabith
Juil 31, 2017, 12:52 pm

>67 lesmel: Thrift stores and discounts stores can be gold for children's tees! I found that one at a discount/overstock place, along with several Golden Book shirts (one with the back cover image, one with the Tawny Scrawny Lion which is my favorite, and another with something else). They'll all be pillows or put into a t-shirt quilt.

69Lyndatrue
Juil 31, 2017, 1:55 pm

>68 mabith: There are shirts with golden book illustrations on them? I love so many of those old books, and I believe that the Tawny Scrawny Lion ought to be everyone's favorite. :-}

70lesmel
Juil 31, 2017, 3:29 pm

Now I want a silk screened print of Lambert the Sheepish Lion. That's gotta be my all time favorite Disney short. This cover though:

71scaifea
Août 2, 2017, 11:44 am

OMGoodness. The Tawny Scrawny Lion! LOVE.

72mabith
Août 8, 2017, 11:39 pm

With the new gains in print-on-demand quality we can put anything on a shirt! I'm sure there are some more official dedicated sellers though. The Marvelous Merry-Go-Round is a close second for me.

73mabith
Août 9, 2017, 10:21 pm

I've started stitching my Little Women cover, but haven't had much time for it. My mom's been ill and was admitted to the hospital with failing kidneys. Her bladder was so inflamed that it was keeping the kidneys from draining into it. With the various scans they found masses and nodules and stuff. Still waiting on the biopsy but the doctors are 99.999% sure it's cancer and maybe 85% sure it's ovarian cancer.

So I've been spending most of the last five days at the hospital with her. The understaffing in our hospitals is just scandalous. It's definitely taken a toll on my crafting and my reading.

74Lyndatrue
Août 9, 2017, 10:24 pm

>73 mabith: I'm so very sorry to hear this. It's so very hard to have those we love suffer, and hardest (I think) for it to be your parents. You will be in my heart, and thoughts.

75scaifea
Août 10, 2017, 6:45 am

Oh, Meredith, I'm so sorry. I'm keeping you and your mom in my thoughts.

76lauralkeet
Août 10, 2017, 7:47 am

I'm sorry to hear about your mom's health. It's great you are able to be with her though.

77lesmel
Août 10, 2017, 9:50 am

My thoughts are with you during this time. Ill health is always draining and stressful. A cancer diagnosis can make that so much harder!

78mabith
Août 10, 2017, 10:11 am

Thanks, y'all. It's my first parental health crisis, and my mom is truly my best friend on top of it. After general anesthesia from putting in kidney stents she was just so pitiful and weak, the polar opposite of how she generally is, and that hit me so hard. My aunt is here for a few days, so I'm trying to recharge my batteries. I am thankful that because I can't work I can follow my mom wherever she ends up going for treatment. She works for an airline and can fly for free, and we've got family scattered all over.

Her own mother died due to malignant melanoma (and her mom's sister died due to breast cancer a year or two before that) when she was 15, so this has been a shadow slightly haunting us for most of our lives. Treatments have advanced so much though, and I know so many people who have had extreme recoveries during stage four cancers. It's hard to get that first picture of cancer out of your head though.

I've been sick since I was 19, and disabled since I was 20, so I'm trying to make sure she has (and feels she has) autonomy and that we're respecting her wishes, prioritizing what makes HER feel better, not what makes US feel better.

79avaland
Août 10, 2017, 11:45 am

So sorry to hear about your mom. I'm glad you will be able to be with her, I'm sure that will be a great comfort to her.

And when you do get a chance to get to the sewing machine, may it be restorative for you. I'm glad you have some time to recharge your batteries.

80mabith
Août 10, 2017, 12:26 pm

Lois, I threatened to sew her some pouches to hold her nephrostomy bags! :D

If she ends up going to Texas for treatment she might take me up on that. Plastic being held against your skin not being all that comfortable.

81judylou
Août 10, 2017, 7:47 pm

SO sorry to hear your Mum is so unwell.

82mabith
Août 11, 2017, 10:32 am

Thank you, Judy. I went back and forth about saying anything here, but it's one of those all-engulfing things.

83lauralkeet
Août 11, 2017, 12:18 pm

It sure is, and many of us have been through similar experiences. This is a safe space to unload when you need it!

84dudes22
Août 11, 2017, 1:05 pm

I too am sorry to hear about your mom. Accept all help that's offered even if you feel you should be doing it yourself. Even those little rests will help you deal.

85mabith
Août 11, 2017, 3:39 pm

Thank you both. It is a lot of strange new feelings to navigate. Waiting on the biopsy results is somewhat torturous.

86judylou
Août 11, 2017, 6:46 pm

I have learned a new term lately - scanxiety - the feeling you have when tests are imminent, or while waiting for results. The waiting part just sucks.

87mabith
Août 11, 2017, 8:34 pm

That is a perfect word. I think my mom is almost happy for the wait, since the next steps will be so tedious and just to put off knowing 100% for sure. We'll hear on Tuesday.

88mabith
Sep 10, 2017, 9:45 am

Judy, yes it does. I'm so impatient to be by her side again. This is all so surreal given that three months ago she seemed in perfect health. Hopefully they get a treatment plan worked out early this week and I can fly down late in the week.

But first I've decided to attempt to make my first quilt, a lap quilt for my mom. I've asked her sisters and my siblings to send me pictures of "I love you" in their own handwriting (and their own words) that I'll embroider onto the quilt.

89judylou
Sep 28, 2017, 1:51 am

That will be such a beautiful gift for her.

90mabith
Oct 3, 2017, 10:42 pm

Things went very rapidly with my mother and unfortunately she passed on Sept 19th. We all knew something was wrong with her starting in July, so we're still incredibly shell-shocked. My sister and I made it to Texas when she could just barely speak a few words. I dispensed with the embroidery idea and sped through quilting with the wrong batting and the wrong foot (and pieced it in the wrong order), so it's pretty much the worst quilt ever. But she saw it and slept under it a little bit.

I'm still going to bind it and keep it myself. She was my best friend, as well as being a wonderful mother and role model. She's also the main support with my disability. It's still totally surreal and impossible feeling.

91Lyndatrue
Oct 4, 2017, 12:25 am

>93 lauralkeet: I'm sure that I'll be merely the first to say how sorry I am, and that we all share, just a bit, in your sorrow. My own mother's been gone since 2004, and yet there are times I still pick up the phone to give her a call, and then catch myself, and feel sad.

Consider this a heart-felt hug from over in the northwest part of the country. :-{

92judylou
Oct 4, 2017, 1:15 am

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. Nothing can replace the relationship one has with their mother, I just hope you can find peace without her.

93lauralkeet
Oct 4, 2017, 6:45 am

I am so sorry for your loss, especially as it all happened so quickly you didn't really have time to come to terms with it all. I lost both parents last year, a few months apart, so like others here I can empathize. I wish you peace.

94scaifea
Oct 4, 2017, 7:36 am

Oh, Meredith. I'm so, so sorry that you've lost your mom and your best friend. I'll be in the same boat one day, but can't begin to imagine how lost that will feel. Also, I love the quilt - I think it's beautiful.

95dudes22
Oct 4, 2017, 10:22 am

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. My mom's been gone 10 years and I think occasionally when something occurs about calling to tell her. The quilt is very nice and I'm sure it will give you some comfort in the days ahead.

96mabith
Oct 6, 2017, 9:25 pm

Thank you all. I was so unprepared for this. She was only 66. It's so hard to convince myself that she's really gone. My brain keeps trying to insist that she's just in Europe, even though I saw her minutes after she died.

I am writing letters to her when I feel like it, which will maybe help. Her sisters will all be here in a week, and I'm so thankful for that. They've been absolutely wonderful and we're so lucky in our family.

97avaland
Oct 7, 2017, 10:40 am

I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She sounds like a wonderful person and she will certainly live on in you, so in some ways she will never be gone. The quilt was a wonderful gesture.

98scaifea
Oct 8, 2017, 8:46 am

I really like the idea of writing letters to her. What a great way to suss out your thoughts and feelings.

99mabith
Oct 8, 2017, 2:00 pm

Thanks, Lois. She will definitely never be truly gone. Nothing is ever truly destroyed or gone, after all, it just changes forms.

>101 mabith: I've always been a journal-er, so it was definitely a go-to for me. There's some family stress about her affairs (especially since she went so quickly) and it's also a good way to hold myself accountable to what she wanted.

100mabith
Modifié : Oct 24, 2017, 8:00 pm

This is a portion of the quilt my mom pieced by hand while she was pregnant with my brother (her first baby). She wanted to quilt it by hand but never got around to it. My brother will find someone in his area to quilt and bind it. It's quite a large piece. I'll be happy when it's finished.

101mabith
Oct 24, 2017, 8:09 pm

When eBay became a thing my mom went on a bit of a buying spree of old quilts (and vintage glass beads). I'm hoping to snag and repair these two.



102lauralkeet
Oct 25, 2017, 6:56 am

Such lovely keepsakes. My mom was a quilter. When my grandmother died (my dad's mom), she left behind a quilt she had started in 1935, when my dad was born. She kept it for ~60 years through numerous house moves, but never got back to it. My mom took the unfinished work -- mostly strips of pieced fabric -- and finished it. When my mom passed away last year, the quilt came to me. It is a simple design, but I treasure it.

That's a long way around to offering a suggestion: my mom wrote up a short history of the quilt which she printed on fabric and included on the back. It reminds me of my grandmother's amazing life every time I read it, and will do the same for future generations. Just an idea for the quilt your brother is having finished.

103avaland
Oct 25, 2017, 12:26 pm

>103 avaland: Bless her for piecing by hand! I don't think I've ever done that!

>104 mabith: Interesting crazy quilt! Is it made of cottons? I can't quite see the print fabrics to get a sense of its dating, but there is a fabric in the lower left corner that resembles one of the prints in my vintage quilts. Let me know if you could use some vintage squares for repair. I have a fair bit of solids and extras of the prints I didn't use for my quilt.

104mabith
Oct 26, 2017, 10:13 am

Laural, that's a wonderful idea! My brother hadn't realized the quilt even existed, and I'm not sure my sister knew either (I only knew because of pestering my mom that she should give it to me when I was younger). It lived in a box for so long.

Lois, with the sewing machine she had at that point it might have been easier to hand piece! Also I don't think the room the sewing machine was in had heat and it was an especially bad winter... The crazy quilt is a mixed bag. Cottons, satins, crepe, silks, corduroys... I might take you up on some vintage squares. I'm debating whether it's best to try to repair that one, or divide it into a couple of wall hangings. There are two other vintage quilts I'm taking as well, since it turned out my sister didn't want any (one of which really only needs new binding on two sides). I love how soft a well worn cotton quilt becomes.

105avaland
Oct 26, 2017, 3:11 pm

Let me know re squares, how many and so on, prints, plaids, solids, colors... I think I still have a shoe box full and I have no plans for them.

I also love soft, worn cotton....mmmm.

106mabith
Déc 24, 2017, 1:44 am

I finally got back to a little crafting for Christmas. Not much, but it felt good to make something again (I hadn't since my mom died).

These stitchable cuff bracelets DMC came out with were so much fun. I did them for my niece and nephew. I went back and did a little backstitching around the letters on Evie's so the V stood out more.



Then did this by request for a friend's office. She's in a largely male workplace and has gotten fed up with all the "hey man"s and "thanks man"s.

107mabith
Déc 28, 2017, 4:56 pm

Finished up this long-term UFO. I got it all done but the background and then lost steam four years ago. It was my second time stitching this pattern and I do four colors on the background and it got too tedious. Luckily I'm in the mood for tedious now.



It's based on a mosaic found at Pompeii.

108scaifea
Jan 2, 2018, 9:16 am

Oooh, I LOVE the Pompeii mosaic! Very cool.

109lesmel
Jan 2, 2018, 9:27 am

>110 mabith: That is REALLY lovely!

110mabith
Jan 2, 2018, 1:55 pm

Thanks! It was the first picture pattern I created (basically via the tracing graph paper method) and the first big pattern I stitched, way back in 2010. It felt like the biggest accomplishment.

111avaland
Jan 2, 2018, 2:55 pm

Glad to see you back at stitching. I, too, love the Pompeii mosaic. I spent an afternoon in the ruins of Pompeii back in '05; it was fascinating.

112mabith
Jan 2, 2018, 3:53 pm

Lois, thanks and I'm so jealous! I got hooked on Ancient Rome everything as a kid and it's never left me. There have been some amazing documentaries about Herculaneum recently, which in many ways is better preserved than Pompeii.

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