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January 26, 2006
Piecin' it together . . .
. . . one piece of discarded clothing at a time.
I have taken up quilting. Yes. I know I needed another hobby like a hole in the head, but there it is. I'm not sure what put it in my mind in the first place, but I decided it would be cute to make a lap quilt out of our old jeans, specifically something using the back pockets. So I started saving the jeans the kids outgrew and the ones that Cowboy wore through.
Then one day, I mentioned the idea to my friend Spring who is also an author. I also mentioned that I had no idea how to quilt. It turned out that Spring had a hankering to start quilting as well and that she wanted to use old blue jeans to do it, but that she only wanted the legs. It also turned out that her mother is a professional quilter and was willing and able to give us long distance advice. So we pooled our stock of used blue jeans and got to work.
So now, every Wednesday afternoon, while Spring's son and Thing Two play board games, we quilt. We have a lot of fun, although I'm pretty sure my favorite part is when Spring's husband, Louis (who is a history professor and just wrote this really cool biography about Buffalo Bill) gets home from work and makes us all gin and tonics.
I finished the lap quilts, one for Cowboy's mother for her birthday and one for my sister for her birthday, and we've started new projects. Spring is sewing scraps to dryer sheets and I'm making a quilt out of my father's old ties.
When we cleaned out my father's closet after he died in 2004, I took all his ties. This is not my first foray into stealing my father's ties. I was in high school when ANNIE HALL came out and we all started wearing ties and vests and trying to be as adorable and neurotic as Diane Keaton. I've got the neurotic thing down cold and my father had lots and lots of ties. I never thought he'd miss whatever one I'd decided to "borrow" on any given day.
Trouble was, we seemed to have the same taste in ties. I invariably chose to steal, er, I mean, borrow, the one HE wanted that day. This set up a number of unlovely father/daughter confrontations that we laughed about later. Much later. Like decades later.
So now, as I rip the seams out of his ties and iron them and get ready to piece them together into something that my family and I can snuggle under on the couch, I can't decide if he's up there saying, "the damn kid is stealing my ties again!" or if he's smiling that special little smile accompanied by the twinkle in his eye that I always felt was just for me and saying, "the damn kid is stealing my ties again!"
Posted by Eileen at 11:34 AM | Comments (9)
Comments
Oh, my God. Are you TRYING to make me cry? This is so sweet. :::sniffle, sniffle:::
And why is your friend sewing scraps to dryer sheets? I don't get it... ;)
Posted by: Lani ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 26, 2006 2:33 PM
Sorry, Lani. Blame it on PMS. Yours or mine. Either works.:-)
And my friend is sewing the scraps to dryer sheets to make a crazy quilt. Each scrap-covered dryer sheet then becomes a square in the quilt. I think it's going to be darling (and static-free!) when it's done and her house smells really good while we're working on it.
Posted by: Eileen at January 26, 2006 3:56 PM
*sniffle*
What a wonderful story!
I keep saying I want to try quilting, but my first love is cross-stitch and I always have another one to work on... Someday...
Oh and have you seen what Tamara Siler Jones quilts? Gorgeous! And PBW quilts too.
Posted by: May at January 26, 2006 10:52 PM
I'm impressed! I went through a quilting phase a few years ago. I finished piecing a full-sized quilt but it's folded up in a closet, unfinished. I just don't have it in me.
Posted by: Amy at January 26, 2006 11:45 PM
That sounds like a good idea with the dryer sheets, hadn't thought of that...or heard of it either before! What a sweet story about the ties! I never quilted before I got with my SO, but he did, so I've started somewhat. We like to do baby blankets and lap blankets with the "pictures" you can buy, then we hand quilt the picture. Sadly, my SO can sew better than me! lol
Posted by: TeresaH at January 27, 2006 2:14 AM
I'm also a quilter, although since Muffin came to live with us almost four years ago, it's been tough. He's too rambunctious, although he's getting better. He doesn't put as much stuff in his mouth as he used to. Also, we have a craft room just for MOMMY now and as soon as I get it organized that quilt in the hoop will be finished! I have a book on tie quilts and want to make one someday.
Posted by: romancechick at January 27, 2006 7:59 AM
Ummmm, I'm really hoping Muffin is a cat or a dog. :-) Either way, I know what you mean. Whenever I'm trying to lay something out at home, our cats walk on it. One time, they chased each other across the soccer banner I was making for one of the kids' teams while the fabric paint was still wet and left little paw prints across it. Which tie book do you have? I've only seen one.
They are really time-consuming. The denim lap quilts took FOREVER to finish, especially since we only work on them once a week. I'm hoping the ties go a little faster. We certainly won't bend as many needles as we did on the denim. Those were thick quilts when we were done.
I hear you on the "there's always another project" thing, too. I took up crocheting a year and a half ago and always seem to have two more projects to get going before I'm finished with the one I've gotten started.
Posted by: Eileen at January 27, 2006 11:08 AM
He's actually my 3 year old son, Noah. We do have a guinea pig names Muffin, but he doesn't actually get involved much in household events!
I have "Daddy's Ties" by Shirley Botsford. I got a bunch of ties from my father-in-law and at garage sales, but I pitched them all when we moved. I just could justify another box of potential crafts in the moving van from PA to Louisiana. I hated to do it, but something had to give.
Posted by: romancechick at January 30, 2006 9:18 AM
Yep. I have the same book. I love the quilt patterns although some of the clothing items were a little scary . . .
Posted by: Eileen at January 30, 2006 1:06 PM
