Gathering Dust

Old vs New? Less vs More?

For someone who loves to play with "stuff"- rearranging bits and pieces to take pictures of, or making displays at my antique booth, I have a very undecorated house.

I think a lot of it is disinterest, laziness, or I'd just rather be doing other things.  I've had the same ugly light fixtures in my house for 25 years.  I knew they were ugly when we moved in, and they still are.  About a year ago or so, I decided to stop even thinking about it, and realize that I'd rather be sitting on the couch knitting or quilting or gluing little bits of paper in my journal than hunting the perfect light fixture.  And for me, that's okay.

My motto for 2015 became "I just want to make pretty things and get enough sleep".  (I saw that on Pinterest and borrowed it.) 

Last year, my motto was "mindfulness". On a spiritual level, I may be devolving...

I have a lot of stuff in my house, and some of it is even cool stuff..but there's a lot.  So much, that once, after buying some awesome picture or piece of furniture or mirror, I asked my husband if he liked the new whatever it was.  He said "I didn't notice it, there's so much stuff it would be hard for me to tell if something was added".  He didn't say it in a mean or sarcastic way, just as a very matter of fact statement.

This is one piece of furniture in my living room.  And on either side of it is more of the same.  Bookshelves, desks and chests circle the room, each one piled high with treasures.

Last Friday, husband and I went to Ikea to get a new dog bed for Buddy, a new chair for the living room.

Of course, we had to walk through the WHOLE store, and I was strangely drawn to a modern little dining set.

And we bought it, even though it looks nothing like anything else in our house.  Before this, I had an old farm table covered with two contrasting lacy tablecloths, slew of pitchers and vases and unmatched chairs.

I really like the simplicity of this, and I think the contrast between the new table and chairs and the old cupboard make both a little more interesting.

I even have a plan to re-do the wall behind the table.  I'll  get rid of the cupboard, replace it with a modern buffet, hang an antique mirror, and add some open shelving with black transfer ware and white ironstone.

The old with the new will make the whole room more eye catching.

Or I might just sit on the couch and try to make pretty things.

Another Lady's Sewing Bag: Feedsack Quilt Squares

A couple weeks ago I posted about buying a bag full of feedsack quilt squares and yo-yos.

This nine patch square with dogs on the fabric is one of my favorites, but there was just this one piece.

As I've been sorting through the bag, I've been amazed at how much work went into it.

Cutting all these 2" squares in the days before rotary cutters took lots of time and probably some blisters.

The pieces have been sewn together with tiny even stitches, and the seams are pressed so the quilt will lay flat.

And I'm curious, why weren't these ever turned into real quilts? 

I'd guess there are the starts of at least five quilts.  Did the sewer not have enough fabric to finish?  Were these made by different people and collected by the woman I bought them from?

All of these things were running through my head as I sorted through the fabric.

When I got to the bottom of the bag, I found these little china doll arms.  Could it be that a little doll did all of this cutting and sewing, and exhausted from her efforts, her arms just fell off?

January Crafting

January really lends itself to crafting.  Here in Kansas, it's cold, windy and the days seem short; curling up on the couch under a quilt with a little crafting project is the perfect antidote.

This month, I've worked on a lot of different projects; but I'll just show some of the things that are finished, or finished part of ongoing projects.

My mom gave me this book for Christmas.  I've had a lot of fun doodling or "tangling" on lightweight coasters...

...and then hole punching them and sliding them on a big ring. 

The author of the book started making zentangles while waiting at doctor appointments.  She found it relaxing and helped her stress level when dealing with ongoing medical problems.  I'm not surprised, there is something meditative about simple repetitive motions.

Speaking of simple  repetitive motions, knitting is one of my favorites.  My sister in law gave me this beautiful skein of specialty yarn from Interlaken NY.  It's from a series called "Memorable Women" and this color is Dian Fossey, of Gorillas in the Mist fame.

(The short white fibers are not part of Dian Fossey, they're part of Buddy, who seems to be shedding enough that he could come up with his own line of yarn, too.)

I knit a shawlette- a shorter shawl meant for spring/summer.

The bind off on this pattern was fun- cast on two, bind off four, and you get this little ruffled edge.

I'm loving the journal Karla made me for Christmas.  I've never worked in such a pretty and BIG journal.

I just love the French net lace and velvet edging.

For my first page, I went back to playing with one of my old favorites, vintage wallpaper.  I don't really like the "Use the Good Stuff" medallion, but I figure that's ok- I can go back and cover it with a version I like better, later. 

I just want to keep it there to remind me that even though my journal is just for me, I should still use good materials.

Another wallpaper page.

And this page is a collage of one of my favorite color combinations: red, light blue and cream.

January was a long month, but doses of crafting made the days go faster.  I've got a lot planned for February, mostly finishing up things that were started in 2014 (or earlier).