Actual Work on Tent Begins!!! Well kinda... At Least Measuring & Cutting

I can't believe it! We are really doing this!!!

I asked Robert to help me get the measurements, we went and got the chalk line... Asked if he was ready (BTW I got a Nope! But don't think he ever would be...) We are honestly both a bit nervous here! But together we can do this.

So here we go! 

First we have to move the canvas - we got 100 yards so this is not small task! The shipping label said 113 pounds. Robert is smart and goes and gets help to move it. 

We make it a family event. Waiting until later in the evening allowed it to start cooling down some, but it also meant that we were working against the clock. (We did not quite make it. We have one more piece to cut out for the top section - but we can get that tomorrow!)

Katherine was helping us do measurements and getting things as we needed them so that we could try and keep moving as quickly as possible. I had my large cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter out with us as well. Boy I am so glad that I quilt and have supplies like this! It sure made the job a lot easier. With the chalk lines it made it easy to know where cuts need to be made and made it much easier to get the angles we needed. The rotary instead of scissors gives a more precise (and quicker line). Eventually we ran out of daylight, completely. And I called it for the night and moved inside to do a few of the cuts inside while the kids got ready for bed.

Tomorrow I am going to practice (really, who am I kidding - I am going to FIGURE OUT) doing a flat-fell seam. I have never done this so going to just use some of my scrap fabric first. Also going to try and figure out and play with my new sewing machine and maybe even practice on a little canvas. Hopefully things will go VERY smooth and I can start sewing on the actual tent pieces very soon!

And yes, that is canvas behind me, and on the floor, and really it is a lot of canvas you guys! It is going to be everywhere!!!

Making T-shirt Quilts for Others

When I started doing quilting for others I thought I would be focusing on baby and toddler quilts. They are quicker and easier - and therefore cheaper. But it seems that the people that find me are taking that in a different direction. I just finished a Full-sized t-shirt quilt. This is the second larger quilt that I have done for a non-family member and apparently there are more people looking for someone to do t-shirt quilts!

T-shirt quilts have been fun and special for me to do.

This is the first t-shirt quilt I did and I was happy to be able to help a friend save some very special memories. It included items from her baby shower, her daughters' coming home outfit, her baptism, several runs that she had done, and other things.

I learned a lot doing this one and I am glad that she was patient as it was a learning experience to say the least, and life was crazy at that point too. It took longer than I expected. I learned what not to do and what works better in with several different things. 

With that experience I was able to give the next person a much better time frame, and I know that for base price I needed all the squares to be the SAME size! I would be willing to do different size ones again, but would definitely charge for it!

Stabilizing the t-shirts is critical for some many reasons. But mainly they stretch so much that it is difficult to get an accurate cut or sew straight seams. This is the latest t-shirt quilt I did with the squares stabilized. 

With the squares ready, I started sewing them into rows. I had discussed design with the client when I met with them and she had picked out materials. She decided to go with sashing (the purple pieces) and cornerstones (the pink pieces). Straight sashing can be easier, but I like the look of the cornerstones best myself. Getting them to line up can be tricky though.

All the rows are complete. This was before I sewed the rows together. But you could really see it taking shape. I honestly was not sure how the colors she had chosen were going to work out (even though they are some of my favorites to use myself!). But at this point, I knew it was going to be amazing! I sewed the rows together.

And added the border pieces. (Top and bottom only pictured here)

Next is putting the backing down, for this size quilt it is two pieces of fabric sewn together and laid out, then the batting on top of that, then the quilt top on top of that. The most difficult thing is making sure that all of them are as flat and straight as possible. Otherwise you end up with a LOT of ripples and ridges in your quilt. I have found that I prefer to baste my quilts with curved basting pins. They look like safety pins that have curves in them. This is with the quilt basted and ready for quilting!

Rainy summer days... In Oklahoma! Not a common thing, but makes it great for getting some quilting done! Quilting any quilt, but especially one this big, on a small home machine can be challenging. But it can also be rewarding. I am not spending money (nor are my clients) to send it out to have it done. And I am not having to wait until someone else has time to do it. I did free-motion stippling on this quilt and it was the first time I have done that without any guidelines at all. I have been practicing free-motion quilting without drawing lines on quilts that I have been making my kids. But those have been smaller. I am very glad I had done a larger quilt similar to this and practiced free-motion on quilts for my kids! It  gave me the confidence that I needed to be able to do this project with relative ease.


After a couple of days of quilting, I got it done! This was really relatively quick! Now I cut away the extra batting and backing (you have to make sure there is extra because the sewing machine feeds it in at a slightly different rate and it will mess of the dimensions if you tried to have them the exact same!) and prepare the binding. This is cutting strips of fabric, sewing them together into one BIG, LONG chain, and ironing it in half. This is where I do things different than a lot of people. I sew my binding to the front first. Then I turn it over and machine sew it to the back. I do this because, first the front looks better this way, and second I machine sew to the back because I am a busy momma with 4 kids! If I were to have to hand sew it, it would take much longer, and I like getting quilts....

 DONE!

 I am excited to be getting this to the client this week, and right in the middle of the time frame estimate I gave her! It is rewarding for me to be a part of preserving the memories that they have - even if I do not know them, into something that I know that they will treasure. I love being able to create and be creative with quilting. I always hope that my clients love their quilts as much as I have loved making them for them!

And here we go!

The canvas of the tent shipped yesterday, it is due to arrive Monday. I now also now have a heavy duty sewing machine, needles, thread, and extra bobbins on the way. They are also due to be delivered Monday!

Project for this weekend (sometime not sure when yet...) is to figure out measurements for fabric cuts. That is between a sewing project, a consultation for a full size quilt, and a party we have been invited to! Busy and exciting, but wouldn't have it any other way.

Clothing Progress and More!

So I have been busy at work making clothing, finishing quilts, and we have been doing a TON of stuff with SCA. And loving every minute. We have had a few medical issues this year and I have gone back to work on a much more part time basis. Still trying to find a good balance there, but getting better.

So I have figured out a great deal with the clothing of late. I mixed and matched patterns to make the dresses and tunics. Joseph has a tunic, Katherine and I have underdresses and apron dresses made. Next is Isabelle and then a better one for Lillian (did her's first and learned a LOT and not extremely happy with it.

This first picture is me working on my dress. After a whole day of cutting and sewing and everything going really smooth... I had an OOPS! I had started sewing a right side to a wrong side... Me and my seam-ripper became friends.

Left picture is me in my dress, almost done. I had to shorten sleeves, and finish up hems.


Using the things I learned between doing Lillian's dress, Joseph's tunic. and my dresses, by the time I got to doing Katherine's it was really getting to be much easier! Here is her's getting ready to be measure (and marked) for straps on apron dress. She loves it!

I still have finish touches to add to our dresses. Going to use some trim that I have weaved... (left) and we are working on some other finishing touches.

Next is dresses for Isabelle and Lillian, another tunic for Robert (that fits him better), pants for Robert and Joseph, and then some more complicated clothing for those of us who are not growing like weeds!

On to my other projects... Embroidery and FINISHED Quilts!

I was asked to do a Celtic knot hand embroidery for a hand-fasting as part of a wedding ceremony a friend was officiating. It took some time, but I really love how it turned out, and so did the bride and groom! They have already made it part of a permanent keepsake. Makes me so happy to know that they are enjoying it, as I truly enjoyed making it for them.

Now some of the quilts I have finished in the past 6 months to year... This one has now SOLD! :) It was a camping theme baby quilt.

This one is still currently available for sale. It is one that I have done for Autism Awareness (which my niece has). It is called Unzip Autism.

This is a quilt that I did for a friend who was wanting a memory quilt. It included a couple of embroidered pieces that I made, t-shirts from events she has participated in, part of her late father's shirt he used has part of his business (I embroidered his information on it), and her daughter's coming home outfit.

This one is a quilt that I did for Joseph. The top part is from a pattern called Jelly Roll Race 2 and went together super quick, like a few hours, including cutting! For the quilting I wanted to do something different and Joseph was all for it. I was practicing my free-motion quilting and each of the 32 rows are at least a little different. The theme of the fabric was a mix of "school" and circus stuff. So I did A, B, C's on some and his name is on others. He loved the musical notes and apples in the fabric so I quilted some of those. I also did train cars and some more traditional loops and zig-zags, and peaks. It was fun to get more creative with this one and try to come up with some different stuff than I usually do!

This is my latest completed quilt. It is for my little Lillian. She LOVES it. It gets taken with us most places right now. The bright colors and flower patterns really fit her personality!







Other things we have been doing...

We have been very busy (happily!) with the local SCA groups (both OKC and Norman areas, as we are right at the boarder between the two). It has been a blast! SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism (Here is a recent NBC piece on SCA - https://www.facebook.com/NBCNews/videos/vb.155869377766434/989879561032074/?type=2&theater)

We do weekly activities including Archery and Thrown Weapons older kids to Chivalric (heavy fighting). We have been to various other meetings and activities - monthly Populous meetings where we learn what is going on in the area, event planning meetings, Arts and Sciences where we either learn new things or work on our own projects (we have done court dancing, cap making, and I did viking embroidery). We have also done baronial work days with both groups - get signs ready for upcoming events, sewing banners, painting tents and painting tents again.

Court Dancing

Robert's Thrown Ax (YES he does hit target!)

Me helping prep tent by tracing projected design.

Group of us finishing painting and retouching one side of tent

Almost complete painting of second side of a tent. Waiting on more paint to come in.

So what is coming up for us? Well we are definitely continuing with SCA. The values that we hold high and want to make sure that our children are taught are held in high regard within the SCA - honor, integrity, honesty, friendship, family. If the kids are not doing their chores they are not corrected just by us. Others are reinforcing that they have to obey us and do their work! The kids are included in so much that we do.

We will be busy with events coming up this fall and early winter, so day events and some weekend camping stuff. We will have weekly practices still, as well as more work days, and event planning days. I also have a few quilts that are being commissioned by others!!! (I get paid to do what I love doing! YEAH!!!)

But we are adding a BIG project to that list... We are making our own TENT! Yes, you read that right! We are making our own tent! I just ordered 100 yards of water repellent, mildew resistant, flame retardant 100% canvas.

We are also planning on making our own furniture including beds, mattresses, tables, chairs, shelving, chests, and more! Stay tuned and I promise to do better on updating more often so it is not so long all at once...

Underdresses here we come!

Got all the kids measured for underdresses (girls) and tunic (Joseph). I have not made clothing in a few years, and it is kinda a bitter-sweet feeling. I have usually done projects like this with my grandmother who taught me to sew, my Munner. Unfortunately she no longer remembers who I am, nor how to sew...

So with reading several patterns and trying to figure out how to cut everything (without a "paper pattern" which I am used to having!) here I go! Starting with Lilly's as the linen was on sale so I got extra of it, plus her's is the smallest so if I mess it up I have more "wiggle room" to re-cut and start again.

I currently have the body done, neck hole and slit cut, and one sleeve sewn to the body. Hoping in a few more hours I will be able to finish her dress.

This is the dress I am working on -

from http://www.excaliburgirls.com/lopvmakersbuildalong/current-project/viking-wear-2014-workshop-1/

New Leaf, New Direction, Big Changes!

So I quit my job... This has NOT been easy for me... But it has been GOOD!

(I will add pictures to this later!)

We have a garden in this year! We did lady bugs, and butterflies, and are anxiously awaiting our praying mantises hatching. The front garden is getting the attention it needs. I am taking a more hands on approach for my kids schooling - which they need! There is a LOT less "screen time" around here. (Like getting closer and closer to none!)

Then Robert get's a kidney stone... OH NO!!! 3 ER trips, trip to doctor, 2 trips to specialist... Stone gone! (yeah!!!) Medical bills coming in... We are currently up to $1800+. Add Belle needing oral surgery and my parents were in a motorcycle accident... YIKES! Everyone kept asking what I wanted for my birthday and I kept saying NO MORE ER OR DOCTOR TRIPS! (And I was serious!!!) I had been to the ER, surgery center, or doctor appointment 8 times in 10 days - not including our weekly chiropractic appointments. I was DONE!

My house is cleaner than it has been in YEARS! We are doing school almost all orally or project based and the kids are excelling. I got a quilt done and 2 more almost done, as well as an afghan almost done too. I am starting to learn to knit, and needle felt, and picking up my crochet and cross-stitch again.

We went to the Medieval Faire in Norman again (like we have almost every year, for me for about 20 years). We got connected with the SCA group again. After discussing it with Robert we decided to go ahead and join up. Of course with Robert and myself, if we decide to do something we DO it! The kids are joining right in too. We have already been to a day event and a weekend event (camping for the first time ever as a family!). The older two kids have been doing chivalric (combat) practice. (Kat was in the finals after 2 practices! We are so proud of her.) Robert sung at the Torchlight fights. Lilly tried to join the fire dancers!

We are staying home this weekend and what are we doing? Robert is out making me and Kat inkle looms for weaving and I am in researching and starting to get things ready for making tunics and dresses! Linen is ordered, and I will probably go get a little more from JoAnn's since it is on sale and I only need some off white type colors (that is really all they have!).

We are all wanting to get into archery, Robert wants to do siege weapons, I want to do blackwork, and Robert and I are interesting in scribal, and the list goes on and on... These are things that we kept saying we wanted to do or learn. And now as a family we are working on it! Teaching history in a more hands on way in the process as well some practical skills (sewing, woodworking, ...).

Time for a CHANGE!

Boy the last couple years have been an experience! So much has happened... I was working, and I am thankful for that opportunity to work from home. But it is time for a new season! I realized that I while I was working from home, I was physically present with my children but I was not really present for their lives. I am so incredibly thankful for my husband for allowing ME to see this and help me to make the changes needed, without forcing it (even though he saw it for a long time before I did!).

Most of this came from us loosing another baby. While that is always difficult, I had significant blood loss and was really terrified of not seeing my little ones again! I was in the ER for about 10 hours, and was in "recovery" from home for a couple weeks and was barely coherent for at least a week. I am grateful to dear friends who helped my children while I was in the hospital and helped bring me things to help me recover. After that the family member who was renting our house gave notice that she was moving out (just as I was able to get out of bed again for more than 2 hours at a time)...

We spent November and December fixing the old house, almost daily... It was LONG and HARD as I was still weaker than I should have been and of course had 4 children to try and entertain. I painted over the nursery I had created (and SO LOVED!)... I cried, BIG TEARS! I had promised Robert I would never ask to do a project that big again... I hadn't. I did most of the painting with Robert coming down in the evenings after work to help in areas that were more difficult to get to. My dad helped SO much with getting flooring in - Yes we did it ourselves! My mom helped with cleaning up flower beds. Some friends came over and helped with cleaning, replacing fixtures, scrubbing, and some of the other repairs. It was long and hard on all of us! We ended up with a couple different contracts, as one fell through after closing had already been set. It was heart breaking! Once we finally got it done we went on vacation to Dallas for a couple days. It was very much needed.

But through all of this my hours of working were cut WAY down for 3 months! Money was TIGHT! Medical bills, repairs, paying mortgages on 2 houses... It was stressing me. I was angry... I don't like that feeling. Through it all I had my little Lilly keep coming to me - "Momma, read me book." "Momma, I wuv you!" "Momma, I cook with you." "Momma, HUGS!" All with her huge smile, blue eyes glinting, and blond ringlet curls. My children are what I prayed for. I had the things that I had always said were MOST important to me! And the worst thing is I WAS NOT TAKING THE TIME TO ENJOY THEM! My oldest had turned 11... ELEVEN already! Where did the time go?!?!

My oldest is already half way to adulthood, my house was a mess, I was stressed (almost all the time), chores and schooling were not getting done, I always felt behind on everything! Something HAD to change... I had to be fully present in my children's lives!