Slow day = Sew day

Despite the fact that the calendar read March 24 yesterday, it snowed ALL DAY LONG.  My kids had no school.  Many people chose to stay inside.  It was a slow day at the shop.

That didn't hurt my feelings one bit!  I used the slow time to chat with the knitters who showed up to stitch together (it would take more than a snowstorm to keep them away from a Knit Together Tuesday!), and I made a quilted wine tote for my brother for his birthday.  These things are seriously addicting to make!

Tomorrow, my mom is going with me to the wine shop to find a wine to go inside.  This might be my go-to gift for my wine-drinking friends this year!  I made one for my sister, too, using the same fabric I used for her double potholders that I made her for Christmas.

When I came home, dinner was ready (I love my crockpot!), so after eating, I settled down to watch a few episodes of Parenthood (I'm on Season 2), while I worked on my latest toothbrush rug.  That class continues to be one of the most popular at the shop.

Today, I'll be working on my knitting needle case, and then teaching the kiddos how to make their tote bags during the after school program.  It should be a good day!

Inquiring minds want to know

Well, then, I guess Toothbrush Rugs aren't widely known.  Basically, it is a crocheted rag rug made with strips of fabric, but I don't know how to crochet so I use a toothbrush needle.  The toothbrush needle is usually made from plastic, but some people custom make them from wood.

Back during the Depression era, they were made from toothbrushes, which nearly always had a hole at the end of the handle.  The bristle end was cut off and then filed down to a rounded "needle" point.  You tear (or cut, but I think tearing is better because you you eliminate much of the fraying that way, it is quicker, and oh so therapeutic to just RIP!) fabric strips the width of your fabric from selvage to selvage.  I don't know the exact width you are supposed to use, but I tear mine approximately 1.5" wide (but I don't measure).

Here's my first rug on a porch chair before I realized how great it would be under my sewing machine pedal. 

I learned the technique by watching the video at Rag Rug Cafe.  I have fabric that isn't really appropriate for quilting, but that I wanted to use for something.  My first round rug has been under my sewing machine pedal for months now.  I love that it keeps the pedal in place - the pedal used to always scoot around on my wood laminate floor in my sewing studio.  The rugs can be round or oval or hearts or rectangular.  I encourage you to Google "toothbrush rugs" if you want to learn more.

But after all that explanation, I haven't really worked on my rag rug since my last post.Instead, I've been focusing on cranking out some baby quilts.  First up, one of my karate instructors is having twins (girls, they say). For her birthday a couple of years ago, I made her a mini confetti quilt in rainbow colors, so I'm planning to make rainbow quilts for her babies, too.  I started with this rail fence - the blocks are made but not sewn together yet.

Inquiring minds want to know - how do you feel about square quilts?  For some reason, I am more drawn to rectangular quilts, so I am debating adding another row or two.  What do you think?

I plan to make the other twin a quilt in the same colors, but probably a chevron pattern - similar, but not the same, just like twins.  You guys know I'm an identical twin, right?  Twins hold a very special place in my heart!

Oh, and bonus for the rail fence quilt - I made the blocks using my pre-cut 5" charm squares so I wouldn't have to seek out and cut fabric.  I put the two fabrics right-sides together, sewed along two opposite ends, then cut 2" in from each sewn side, giving me two identical sets of 3.5" x 5" blocks.  I set one set aside because I only wanted each fabric to show up once in the quilt - you know, scrappy ole' me.  To the first set, I added a 2" x 5" white to each block, and voila, 5" rail fence blocks.  But now, I have a whole other set available, just awaiting the white, so I can make another baby quilt for another expecting mother some other day without too much preparation.  I love it when things work out like that!

On the home front, things are stable.  My MIL is hanging in there at home.  I'm hoping to get back up to see her during my kids' spring break later this month.  My mom has been struggling with some health issues, too, and I'd love to get up there to see her, but all the snow days have cut my kids' spring break in half, and it would be a challenge for us to make it all the way up to New Hampshire and back in just 4 days.  The boys and I have been busy with scouting (Pinewood Derby was this past weekend), and karate (my third mid-term test is this Thursday - I'm on track to test for my second-degree black belt in October).

Oh, and I gave notice at my job, so starting in July, I'll be a free agent.  I've already arranged to teach quilting to middle school aged kids at an art camp in July.  I'm ready to stop working at the breakneck pace I've been maintaining for years and be more creative.  I feel excited and proud of myself for taking this leap of faith (after all, who gives up a secure and lucrative job in a recession and sequester and in this job market???), but I'll admit, I'm a bit nauseous, too, not knowing what comes next.  I'm choosing to just believe in myself and that someone up there rewards leaps of faith.

Checking in

My goal this past week was to take time to recharge.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of time available to do that, but every moment I could find to sit and stitch or read or just relax, I did it.  My latest project, beyond working on some baby quilts since everyone seems to be pregnant these days, has been making another toothbrush rug.  I had two large fabrics that aren't really right for quilting that I decided to make a rug with.  I still have a long way to go, but so far, I love it!  It is about 16 inches in diameter right now.

I have so much more to write, but it is going to have to wait.  Instead of using my weekend to recharge my batteries, I gave a friend a chance to recharge hers.  When I found out that my friend had not spent even one night alone with her husband since her first son was born over 10 years ago, I offered to have her 3 boys over for a sleepover.  This weekend was the big day.  She was a bit of a Nervous Nelly dropping them off, but the boys - aged 10, 9 and 4 - were like old pros at sleepovers, even though 2 of them had never done sleepovers before.  We played games, we ate, we watched a movie - it went well.  And hearing this morning that she slept in until 9:30 AM and then was able to drink her coffee, - uninterrupted and while it was still hot! - well, even if it hadn't gone well, it would have been worth it.  As it is, they are definitely invited to come stay again.  If there is one thing I've learned through my 10 short years as a parent, it is that I am a much better parent when I take the time to take care of myself.  When I am rested and healthy, I am so much more patient and engaged with my boys.

So instead of rambling on, I will sign off for now and go have some ME time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!