Ain't No Mountain High Enough...

...No Valley Low Enough.....to keep me from sewing!

A few weeks ago, Henry and Joel brought in my new Koala sewing studio to my current sewing space. Since I was gone when they did this, they "stacked" all the notions and fabrics and stuff on the pool table and any horizontal surface to move the old stuff out and make room for my new and fabulously beautiful studio. I have done my best to not wait until it is all in place before I started sewing. If I wait that long, I'll be a wreck.

Plus, you know how it goes when you get new furniture. You measure and vision and are sure it will work this way and then it arrives and it has the wrong "feel" in that configuration. So for the past two weeks, I have moved these four fabulous pieces around my sewing space. I have tried nearly every configuration, drawn it out and dreamed about it. I go to sleep thinking, "if this piece is here and I move that there...." A couple of times I got up and went to my sewing room in my pajamas and started re-arranging furniture.

Most of the time I kept shoving stuff around and moving stacks of books, patterns and notions around. Knowing that if I start putting it in the drawers, I won't have a good feel of where everything goes until everything is sitting where I want it. And, even with that I can't set it all up because in early December I am having the carpets cleaned. It will all be upended again!

So why the hurry to do anything? It is my dream space. It is my getaway and all it does right now is scream "Get Away!" With Thanksgiving coming, I don't want our guests to enjoy every notion, thread, fabric and publication I have ever purchased being spread out all over the pool table and the air hockey table. (Those are my room companions.) Feeling the crunch of time, I decided to implement plan B. That would entail shoving stuff into storage. Since the closest storage is the room for the house electrical, that seems obvious to me. I am sure my husband Henry will veto it when (and if) he sees it. Nonetheless, in the relief of having some of the mountains of stuff out of the way, I visioned a new way for the sewing room to sit. Poor Johanna (my 17 year young daughter) got recruited for yet another move around the sewing room. She has her own studio piece in the room; so, she is a bit motivated to assist me. And magic happened! I had been trying to take up as little space in the room to save space for a TV for Henry and ample space for the kids to play pool and air hocket. Then it dawned on me...this is really my room and I am just letting them share it with me. So, I spread out a bit more and found a lovely configuration to the room. I selected the studio pieces that my family can all sew together when they come home at holiday times. With the newest piece from Koala, I have a cutting station that can also be fitted into TWO sewing spaces. I absolutely love these pieces. They are heavy critters but they are so manageable and functional. I selected the tallest pieces of them that I could have ample shelving for my publications, fabrics, notions and even my knitting stuff. I also like the higher height with the adjustable foot rests. On top of that, they are so pretty. Mine are the cherry finish. When I get the room all "set" and decorated, I will certainly share those pictures. However, I always think it is great to share with my friends the process pictures. The pictures in progress should make you feel a little better about your creating space.

The process is what is the most fun and the most invigorating. The product brings closure and sets balance for me. However, it is the process that gives me the energy and the inspiration to go. That I get so excited about configuring my sewing room gives one a glimpse of how I think. Imagine what happens when I vision sewing and creating?!

A couple of my favorite magazines Where Women Create and Studios by Cloth, Paper, Scissors really speak to the creative in each of us. I study the way the rooms are set up and love to see personalities blooming from those spaces. Not usually highly stylized spaces many are so functional and normal....perhaps tubs for fabric, recycled dressers, shelving units borrowed from other places. Each of them speak of functionality and comfort for the designer. Then today a home design magazine came in the mail. While beautiful spaces with large open areas, I kept wondering where their "stuff" was. Where do they keep the magazines they are studying? Where are the notes, the artwork and the creations of clay from kids and grandkids? I wonder if they keep boxes of special things to sort and study. While I need enough order to find my things, my spaces are combination of who I am, who I was and who I love.

Occasionally my daughters will tease me about things mauve and blue or the many hand-woven basket, but I just cannot part with things that still have function and still bring me great joy as I remember their childhoods of growing up in a house of country blue and mauve and a lifetime of collecting their things and my things in baskets handmade by friends. With age, I just get more and more sentimental. However, just as it was when I considered the space I should take up for my creating time, I am old enough now to relinquish any sort of modesty about being inordinately tidy or organized. I doubt I will be much remembered for someone else's vision and will be more likely remembered for the passion for life that I have.

Affording ourselves a space and time and freedom from serious restrictions on our creative expression is the best form of self-care we can enjoy. Cultivating a healthy amount of self-expression and an avenue for us to keep touch with who we are is the most life-giving thing we can do to afford us each the chance to better serve others and to become who we are called to be in our daily walk.

I need a sewing day...scratch....MONTH...scratch....LIFE

Having been on the road the past six weeks for work and family, I have been too long away from home and my own sewing room. The nice thing is I have had a couple of chances to quilt and got a bit of escape. Problems and worry just melt away when I machine quilt. I know this isn't so for everyone but for me, it is like a child with chalk and a blank sidewalk. What makes it easy for me isn't that I have a natural bend to it but rather complete abandon. I don't get all hung up about if there is a "right way" to quilt. In fact, if there is a "right way" I am sure to find a new path.

I have great appreciation for quilt masters. I am transfixed watching Karen McTavish dance the needle across her quilts. I am in awe to watch the details of Diane Gaudynski's work and am always thrilled to see my own replicas when I use an embroidery machine with her designs. While at the AQS show in Des Moines, I got to spend some time watching Marilyn Badger and the easy conversation of how she enjoys her APQS and the new cruise feature.

While on retreat, I got back to my Red Silk quilt. My rendition is from Terry Atkinson's Happy Hour book, called Snap Shots. I love this quilt and loved it more as I quilted it with one of my new favorite products....silk that is variagated. I love silk thread anyway and variagated is beyond my wildest dreams. I FINISHED my quilt in a day and quilted it such that the rectangles "popped." Let me know what you think. I love it!!

When I was a younger soul, I longed to be an artist. I have no regret even though I am not living in Paris as a starving artist. My life, my creative journey, my passion, my family and friends are so much more than I envisioned. Life is always a surprise and an absolute joy to me. My Red Silk lovely is my expression and MY dance. Give it a try. Red Silk kit is a collection of fat quarters that will take you to a new place with your imagination!

I have been asked what am I going to do with my Red Silk Dance. I am not really sure what that means. Red Silk Dance has done so much for me. I smile everytime I see it. I loved every minute of sewing it. I even love the pictures of it. Do you think anyone asked Vincent Van Gogh what he was going to do with his painting Starry Night?

There need not be a practical side of my sewing. But, if one needs to justify it, I would suggest that Red Silk Dance makes me happy, brings me joy. So, it is better than medication!

All the Best to You, jill

QuiltPosium Shipping September 1!

Did you get your copy of the NEW Sew Inspired News from Pine Needles? This is the first of a new copy for just tips, techniques and inspirations and online stuff . Then we have a separate mailing just for in-store events.

A few months ago my friend Jim West of Sew Many Places asked me to write an article for an online magazine he was going to offer people about quilting with articles about sewing, gardening, travelling and life in general. Wow....and in my true style, I took my time and was very late with getting my article in to Jim. But he was a good sport about it. I shipped it off and forgot about it.

Last night a couple of friends came over to our house and told me they had seen my picture in a magazine and that it was with others like Kaye England and Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson. I was VERY confused. We were celebrating my arriving at the 25th anniversary of my 25th birthday and I did as all of us in that age bracket due when faced with confusion...ignored it. (Confusion becomes a friend after a while....easily forgiven.)

Then this morning, I log into Facebook (FB for those of you new to this lingo) and learned that I AM in an article and it is featuring the release date of a new publication that you can get for FREE. On September 1, you can get your own online subscription to QuiltPosium. Just go to the web site and register yourself. You can be in the ground floor of this new publication. And. Indeed, I do have an article in the magazine. (hmmm....wonder what I wrote about.)

At any rate, QuiltPosium is featured as "Living and traveling with a Quilter's Eye". Dubbed at the most exciting, ground-breaking, online magazine quilters will ever see! It's informative, entertaining and it's FREE! You'll enjoy articles by some of today's biggest names in the quilting industry* Jinny Beyer, Kaye England, Eleanor Burns, Ricky Tims, Meg Cox, Alex Anderson, HD Wilbanks, Luana Rubin, Matt Sparrow, Jill Reicks, Rita Fishel, Pat Sloan, Tim Holtz, Charlotte Angotti, Alex Veronelli, Kathy Blank, Pam Holland, Doug Eagleson, Andrea Bishop, Vicky Tracy, Debbie Homer and many more!

You'll also read about gardening, cooking, crafts and take a journey on our Sew Many Places cruises and tours as you learn more about the fun places quilters are going around the world.

And you'll be in stitches as you view the very first centerfold to ever appear in a quilting magazine-legendary educator, designer and author Kaye England! You won't believe what she is up to in that centerfold!

Don't delay, register today! Pre-register for the Premier issue NOW!

While I realize that emails and blogs and web sites aren't as interesting as sewing and creating, I am fascinated by the way we can connect to incredible talents all over the world and have a network of friends.

If you aren't on our email list, you can go to our web site and join one or both email lists. Just REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE for our newsletters.

And if you want to catch a peek at our newest email I just sent out today...there's an article about sewing with silk, the clip about QuiltPosium, a peek at My Quilt Village and a great Block of the Month. Didn't catch the email....
Click HERE to see the today's version of our Sew Inspired email news!

All the Best to You, jill
P.S. As to the "biggest names in the quilting industry..." (EDITORIAL NOTE FROM JILL: "this is their writing not mine, but thanks for putting me among some great talents. It's nice to sit at their table a bit.")

Tree of Life

Therese recently finished her Tree of Life quilt. This one has been a quilt she has been longing to do for quite some time. Designed by Ricky Tims, the kit is made up of hand-dyed fabrics that Ricky's team creates in their hometown of LaVeta, Colorado (Home of The Quilt Show...which he hosts with Alex Anderson). The quilt is phenomenal because it combines Ricky's techniques from Convergence Quilts combined with raw-edge applique. This was an incredibly inspiring project for her to work on and especially inviting with Ricky's hand-dyed fabrics. Therese is now going to have her grandparents sign her quilt as part of her family tree, Tree of Life.
It was so much fun to see these quilts again that we made sure we put several options for a class on Convergence Quilting for the Fall run of classes.

I celebrated what one might deem as a "big birthday" this last week. Jackie Onassis, Stevie Wonder, Rita Scott, Olivia Maharry and I all share the same birthday. While a lot of people enjoy taking shots at us old people about our age, I have never found it amusing. Don't get me wrong, I am not vain about my age. I have always thought it rather pointless....it isn't a choice after all! I do enjoy being older for a lot of reasons. I would never want to be 20 again. It was a fun age to be, but the wisdom and knowledge I have now are so much better than I thought I had then. I also love being more comfortable in my own skin. I look around my sewing room and am less annoyed with tidiness than celebrating the freedom I enjoy in creating. I have always loved being with little kids. They so get the world and how to think about it. But, I enjoy them more now as I am aging because I am past fretting about my own kids being a reflection of my parenting (another benefit of aging...my kids aren't aren't truly a reflection of us if we raised them to think for themselves).

So, after ten years of saying "I'm almost 50" (Yes, I have been saying that for ten years. Then people would go "whoa, you DON'T look 50"....even though I might have been only 41.) So now my friend Kay Shindelar is telling me that she says "I am in my fifties." I like that!

In closing, my sage advice for the day is this....eat dessert first...you might not be hungry enough to have it at the end of the meal. And, dream big and live abundantly.

All the Best to You, JILL

Love Those Details

When my kids were younger and loved fussy kid clothes, I loved the detailing. I learned to applique for the first time on a homemade onesie (that is BEFORE onesie was a word or a thing). It was awful applique as I didn't understand stabilizer and my $99 sewing machine didn't allow me to reduce stitch length to a satin stitch. I bought that little machine when I started college and made all of my clothes except my jeans. Of course, everyone on my floor thought that since I had a sewing machine I would want to mend their jeans. (It didn't take me long to discover that I didn't need to reveal that I knew how to sew.)

In teaching myself to applique at that time, I didn't have access to fusible products as we have now. So, I improvised with stitch witchery which I used now and again for hems. Expensive for this process but I was thrilled with the results. My resource for learning these techniques was an ancient sewing book that I had pretty well memorized. Before my $99 machine, I could only do bound buttonholes--not even knowing that was an advanced technique. My sewing machine from high school was my mom's old machine, a Singer with a wooden case that I ran with a knee control and it only had a straight stitch. So being self-taught, I learned from a 30 year old sewing book (which now would be almost 60 years old) and now realize that the techniques I learned are fine techniques with great details and great finishes and are actually considered fairly high functioning detail work in sewing.

When I moved on to advance my applique skills, I add heirloom sewing skills and loved the concepts of pin tucks, winged needles and lace insertions. I became a Martha Pullen groupie, nearly looking holes in every publication I bought. I never learned smocking as it wasn't one of my favorite techniques but I was enchanted by cutwork. I have always studied fabrics and textures to try to figure out how they use them and what could be done to add more in detail. I really love gadgets like rolled hem feet, rufflers and bias binders. They are such smart tools. After having sewn on a lot of machines in my lifetime, I have a real appreciation for the fine tooling of these accessories on my Bernina machines. Not because I am a dealer but rather because I have had my share of the generic ones for the other machines and love my Bernina accessories which are tooled for performance and durability.

With machine embroidery...well that is the ULTIMATE sewing tool for me. Being able to do cutwork, applique, digitizing and so much more, my head spins with ideas!

This last week, I got to sit in a bit on our Master-Your-Machine classes on heirloom sewing. It was like looking in on Santa's workshop as I watched them do a lace insertion technique and fall in love with winged needle work. I wondered what happen to all the blouses I made over the years with those techniques. However, as I think about it...most of that stuff was my maternity clothes. (Oh yeah, passed them on to friends. I am sure they have had a good life.) What a delightful treat to remember these techniques. It is like finding a good novel and reading the good parts again. (Or am I the only one that does stuff like that?)

It also reminded me of Monica's apron she made while we were on vacation. Our kids grew up with mom sewing and always had ample access to sewing and crafting. However, I never pushed it. They all sewed at some level out of a desire to learn. To this day, I can't say that I have done a lot (except stay out of the way and smile and encourage) to teach them. I am available when they have questions, but like myself, they learn a lot by observing, questioning and researching. So, I was thrilled to see Monica take on an apron of this proportion. Details like a reversible apron, gathered bodice, draw string neck and classy pockets made this a challenge for her. But she is very proud of this as am I for her !

I have had lots of mothers tell me they have to work so hard to resist the urge to pull out stitches their kids sew or to not start working for the kids to rush things along. I have never really had that urge. I think it is because I know how much I grew in my own sewing skills by not having someone hover over me. I took on projects that good sense should have made me never consider. However, I also know I am not alone. Many sewers my age keenly remember winging it and learning on our own. I give a lot of credit to programs such as 4-H. If parents and leaders can just cheerlead and stay out of the way, kids can do great things. Next week, our kids camp starts at the store. I love it because I get to see the kids soar. We give direction but we always leave room for the kids to express themselves. I think I have as much fun as the kids do!

My kids didn't always wear or use everything they sewed, but they each have memories of the process. Keeping in mind that Monica's first sewing project was sewing a thumb mitten that she could put on her thumb at nights to help her quit sucking her thumb, I would say her apron is a long and positive way. But, I still wish thumb mitten would have survived the wash and wear (and probably eventual flushing) as it still makes me smile to think of it.

Sometimes I like to just practice a few techniques and envision what they will be on a valance or a table cloth. I like to just play on samples and write notes on them. (But then I am probably the person who while I am reading a book, will skip ahead and randomly read a future segment, then watch the plot unfold trying to figure out how the author will get the story line to my random reading.)

So now that you got a glimpse at the weird way my brain works, I hope I have encouraged you to go and pull out the decorative stitches on your machine, thread it up with a winged needle (or better yet a twin-winged needle) and see what comes of it. Be sure to use a natural fiber (cotton or linen or flax) as it will only keep the holes with natural fibers.

All the Best to You, jill

p.s. If you want to learn more about the book Monica used, just click on the photograph and it will take you the link about it.

My Summer Vacation...

Having been an elementary school teacher, I am all too familiar with the routine of class starting with "What I did on my summer vacation..." I consider myself blessed (thank you University of Northern Iowa) that I was encouraged to think outside the box....way outside the box. I have always looked for the challenges and what is beyond ordinary.

It has been a few weeks since we went on vacation to a cabin with the fam. However, I JUST got around to unpacking some of my projects as the trip was followed with a trip to San Francisco with Bernina. Then when one is away from the store for such a long period of time, the mail and the responsibilities just don't go away. As I unpacked projects, I celebrated my learning on our trip.

I ventured out with a small suitcase of clothes and my largest suitcase with sewing projects. As I packed I dreaded the thought that some of this stuff would go untouched and return home and be put back in the cubbies to wait for another sewing venture. The thought of carrying that heavy suitcase upstairs and facing the guys (especially Henry) saying, "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TAKING IN THIS CASE?!"....well, it was overwhelming and I considered shipping it Fed Ex as my private stash of fabric.

When I gave up and lugged my suitcase upstairs to be loaded in the van, I was shocked to see that my girls each had two or three times as much stuff as I had packed. I felt much better as I watched them trying to stuff everything in the vehicles. A week of fishing and sewing and enjoying the beautiful weather and lots of rest and I am happy to report that I sewed on every parcel except for one in my bag and even that I made sure I did some studying and cutting before I packed it up to return home.

What I liked the best about this journey was I took mostly bundles of fat quarters. I studied them and selected a project, sew it, then I would study what was left and sew another. I worked every stack down into a little mound of scraps that I saved until the end of the week. Very little went to waste and I even had a hard time not scooping it up and layering it into Aquamesh and creating a free motion design scarf for myself. (Guess that venture will be another day!)

Now this week as I prepare for VIP....we are featuring Christmas in July....I can't wait to show what I did with this great new collection from Benartex, Winter Parade. This quilt took me only a matter of a few hours. It will be a great little throw for my godson, Kai. I used up the rest of the fabric in two other projects. I will be showing those this week as well. Hopefully some of you can join us. It is free to attend. However, we are asking that you give us a call (319-373-0334)or an email (sew@pineneedles.net) and let us know when you want to come. It is always a fun time as we get to show you what is going on in our sewing rooms and give you our tips and tricks and share the learning we are doing all the time. If you want to know more about the times, you can go to our VIP (VERY INSPIRED PEOPLE) section of our web site.

I am glad that I rarely have ordinary times...even on summer vacation!
All the Best to You, jill

Our Hearts in San Francisco

My daughters always give me a bad time because I like hearts. I like charms of hearts and the image of hearts. Of course, I love Brighton...while I don't have but three pieces of Brighton, I love the silver hearts on all of them. My girls think I like them because they don't like them. Well, if that were true, it would be about time I worked at getting under their skin! However, that isn't true. I love the image of hearts and love the symbolism and am probably just a romantic. So, forgive me if I break out in song....left my heart in San Francisco. Truly, this was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. I could easily go back there for more of a visit.

We were there for close to a week at Bernina University...soaking up new tips, new techniques and being inspired to come back and share so much with you, our friends. We got a chance to see the new Designer v 6.0 software. The sketching options will amaze and thrill everyone. So intuitive, we are anxious to get our hands on it for our training in August and will be sharing more with our customers. We also got a chance to see a new tool for cutting designs out using your embroidery machine. Talk about making that a multi-faceted machine....who would have ever thought of it. Being a big fan of cutwork, traditional and contemporary, I have some great designs roaming around my idea bank and this cutwork tool is going to be just what I need to let that inspiration soar!!

And for you garment sewers (or wanna-bes) we put our heads together with Linda Lee and are going to be launching Project Sewing Workshop at the store. This is going to give you a chance to work with Linda's designs and to have fabric choices for fabulous garments right at Pine Needles. You will want to be sure to make it to VIP in July and August as we release information about how you can get a chance to win some great prizes just for expanding your wardrobe with the Sewing Workshop. A couple of us from the store will be attending Linda's workshop this summer and will be working on planning Linda's fall visit to the store. You will want to watch the fall newsletter for those details.

Perhaps our favorite part of BU is the fun we get to have with other sewing machine dealers and fabric store teams from across the country and around the world. Our enthusiasm for the Bernina products and the fabrics and notions and publications is almost a genetic bond with us. We not only get to see these people at our trainings and market and convention, but we have developed some great lasting friendships. I always come home energized by all the great ideas I gather from across the country. So, indeed, forgive me for being away from my blog activity, but I was doing what I tell all of you to do...live a widely interesting life and report back when you get a chance to inspire others.

We got to share this Bernina University with Therese and Joel, our daughter and son-in-law. It is great to hear their perspective and watch them grow in knowledge and insight about how to bring more sewing excitement back to Cedar Rapids.

Hope to see you soon in the store. Be sure you get signed up for some of the coming events and see what San Francisco and Bernina University inspired in our sewing world!
All the Best to You, jill