I have always loved sewing since I was a little girl at about 10 and started making Barbie clothes on my Mother's treadle Singer sewing machine. Actually this machine was originally my great grandmother. My uncle had installed a motor on the machine but I was not allowed to use the motor until I was a little older. Mom made almost all the clothes for herself, my sister and myself on this machine. I remember standing in the middle of the kitchen table so Mom could use the hem guide to hem our dresses. When the dresses were done we would spin in the living room to see how far out the skirt would go. That was of course after we sometimes found a wayward pin in the waistline. Not only was Mom an inspiration for my sewing but also my Aunt Kate. If Mom didn't have a solution to a problem with a pattern, Aunt Kate surely did. And then there was my friend's Mom, Mrs. Muir who lived up the street that was always helpful when I needed it. They all encouraged me to keep sewing and I continued to use the old Singer machine. When I got my first full time job, I bought my own new sewing machine. It was a Pfaff cabinet model and I bought it at Witherill's from Mr. Thorne. And, this machine went in reverse! I soon upgraded to a Pfaff free arm machine and then to a Pfaff 1471. I am fortunate to have three beautiful daughters and I can't begin to tell you how many hours are on that 1471 making them clothes from infancy right up to adulthood. Play clothes, dress, coats, 1st Communion dresses, dozens of Halloween costumes - even in high school and prom dresses. For many years I did little sewing and missed what I call "my therapy". There is nothing more relaxing to me than to spend an evening sewing. So, last Spring I bought a used machine. I said, I don't want a fancy one - I don't do embroidery but the 2170 fit the bill for the features I wanted and it did embroidery. Well, I was soon taking classes at Knecht's and have found a love of machine embroidery. I was jealous of the other sewers with their Creative Visions and soon upgraded to one. I am having so much fun with this machine and have found a whole new world of sewing in embroidery. I thought that I would share some of my projects as I go along. I don't profess to be and expert seamstress but I love sewing and I love sharing these with you. Hope you enjoy them too! Thanks for looking.

REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY PICTURE FOR A LARGER IMAGE!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Breast Cancer Quilt




I wanted to make a quilt that was pretty pink and didn't "SHOUT" Breast Cancer.  A few months ago, I developed a "need" to make a Breast Cancer Quilt.  Did you ever have that feeling that you just needed to something?   I had to do it.  Now many of you know that I have not been a "quilter".  It's kind of a running joke.  I actually do quilt, but just small items.  This is my first larger quilt which is lap size. I wanted to make a quilt that would make a Breast Cancer patient feel pretty because as I know, your don't feel very pretty when you are going through chemo.  I think that I accomplished this.  From a distance, it's just a pretty pink quilt but up close it has all the elements that subtlety say Breast Cancer.   I found the fabric at Pucky Huddle Quilt Shop in Candor, NY. A fabulous little shop run by a wonderful Mom and daughter.  Too bad it's and hour and a half from here.  The fabric is from Timeless Treasures Love and Hope collection.  The pattern - well, I made that up. The light pink fabric has a Breast Cancer embroidery design and the other plain blocks have the outline of the Breast Cancer Ribbon as part of the quilt stitching.  The backing is a nice soft and warm pink flannel.  This quilt will be donated to the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of Central New York as well as the other items shown below. 

 As a seven year Breast Cancer Survivor I have been honored by Carol Baldwin to have a Lecture Series awarded in my name and to be presented at "The Night to Remember Gala" at the Turning Stone Casino on May 11.  A  Grant has been named for Susan Buckley, the mother of my co-worker and my friend  who unfortunately did not survive. We were diagnosed within days of each other and had become each others support.
 This is my way of giving back. 

Information on the Gala is at:
 http://www.findacurecny.org/

 So I thought why stop at this quilt and I made just a few more things:


These little wrist bags were made from scraps from the quilt and other bits and pieces of fabric that I had.   My daughters carry very large bags - that of course I made for them - and they like these little wrist bags  to keep their wallet in for a quick trip into a store.


 I LOVE these  purse organizers which on the inside have a pad of paper and pen on one side and a calendar on the other side.   Under the calendar are slots to hold credit cards, appointment cards and insurance cards.  When you are going through Breast Cancer therapy, there are so many appointments to keep track of and questions to be asked of the medical staff.  Here it's all in one little bundle.   I used a few ideas from items I had seen and designed this to fit the needs of a patient. 
This pillow is an embroidery pattern that I found by Connie Palmer called "My Mom and Friends".  It's a machine embroidery and applique pattern featuring words of encouragement.  It's just nice and soft and snugly.

I'm donating all these items to the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Foundation in hopes that Carol and  Beth will be able to pass these along to women that have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer to make them feel pretty and loved and know that we are here and care about them. 



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