Here are the first two pieces to be repaired. The blue bracelet on top needs a clasp. The white bracelet is missing a part that holds a joining link.
I found a link on a different, not repairable, bracelet. It is not the correct color, but it works.
My solution for the white bracelet was more elegant. I found a “bead” on a broken necklace that could be fastened to the bracelet pieces with jump rings. It is a little longer, but beautiful!
I showed you this bracelet in the original post, but I forgot to post about it with a follow up.
Most of the original cabochons were in the bag of pieces, but they were still a few missing. I improvised.
This cute little pin was in the bag .
I am not quite sure what someone did to bend the back like this. Oh my!
I straightened it as best I could with a pair of jeweler pliers… Not perfect, but functional.
These items need a little bit of glue or jewelry cement. The middle piece is a pin.
The two bracelets below just need a jump ring inserted to make them whole and useable again.
This pin was actually in two pieces. I glued one on top of the other to make it usable again. It measures 2 inches across…welcome back to the 60s or 70s.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the update on the bling from the scrap bag of jewelry pieces. There are many more of these to come.
I did finish the final quilt today and will be showing you that later this week…
When I started making these childhood memory quilts, my purpose was to get to know our new daughter-in-law, Tracy. I also thought that she might like to get to know us a little better as well. I actually learned some things about my husband as well, which surprised me after being married to him for almost 38 years!
In this quilt, Sweet Childhood Memories, designed by Pat Sloan, each block has a theme. I chose fabrics from my stash to represent the given theme of each block. Here is a detailed look at my fabric choices:
Dan’s favorite color is purple, but I also used as much nature fabric as possible. At home and cabin, he likes to feed the deer, turkeys, and squirrels. We have traveled to Yellowstone National Park many times to watch the wildlife, too. He likes to fish with friends and family.
Block: Fairy Tales
This block is based on Dan’s favorite stories: Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. He loved watching Fess Parker as Davy Crockett on Sunday evenings on The Wonderful World of Disney.
The center of this block is a majestic moose. I also used the last of the Alaskan batik fabrics throughout this quilt.
Block: Best Friend
Dan’s best friend is also my cousin, Todd. Todd is a great fisherman. The fish seem to know he is around and beg to be caught on his hook! (Dan claims that he has been on trips when there were no fish caught, but I don’t know if that is really true.) Dan also hunts with Todd and his family at their fantastic camp. It is a beautiful, peaceful place in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
I used camp and nature fabrics in the corners. I used water fabrics for the background. I had some great fish and fishing panels that I fussy cut for the triangles in this block.
Block: Bedtime Routine
All four of these quilts have newspaper print for the background in this block. Everyone reads or has been read to at bedtime in our family.
Dan didn’t remember much of a bedtime routine when he was growing up. He remembers brushing his teeth every night. Everyone uses some water when brushing their teeth.
The striped fabric is green forest with birch trees. It fits the outdoor theme of the overall quilt.
Blocks (from left to right): Easter Sunday, Sing a Song, and Summer Break
Easter Sunday was the time to visit with grandparents. Dan’s family colored eggs. The Easter bunny brought a basket with delicious Gardener’s chocolates. He usually got a nice peanut butter filled egg…ohhh, yummy!
The middle block is for Sing a Song. De Camptown Races was a favorite song from elementary school. Listen to it hear. The brown fabric represents the dirt race track.
Ahhh! Summer! Dan spent a couple of summers in Canada with his grandparents. He did a lot of fishing for Walleye with his grandfather. The fabrics in this bottom block are mostly about fishing. I snuck a piece of Alaskan batik into the center.
Block: Ride a Bike
Dan used his Uncle Randy’s orange and purple bike with tiger handle bars until his grandparents got him his own for Christmas. It was blue-purple with orange highlights, too.
Blocks (from left to right): Books, Favorite Outdoor Game, and Movie Time
Dan’s favorite book was loaded with stories. He read the Disney Big Book of stories until it fell apart. We still have this copy, fixed with duct tape, in our library. We also have a copy in perfect shape that we bought at a yardsale. The book cover was red and colorful, so is the block.
Wiffle ball was a favorite outdoor game for all the kids in the neighborhood. That reminded me of the movie Sandlot, when they play baseball at night under the fireworks.
101 Dalmations, the cartoon version, was a favorite movie. Notice the paw print fabric. Movies were not available on VHS, DVD, or even on TV at that time. It was a special occasion to go to a movie in a theater.
Blocks: Nursery Rhymes on the left, Fun School Memory on the right
Here it is. The nursery rhyme:
Mary had a little lamb,
And when she saw it sicken,
She sent it off to packing town
and now it’s labeled chicken.
You will notice the sheep and chicken fabric.
The tulip block is the fun school memories block. At the end of sixth grade, the school district Dan and I attended took students on a week long camping trip to Bald Eagle State Park. His class had a great time. Those poor teachers! By the time my class got there, this trip had been permanently cancelled. I got to go for a day trip…basically a walk in the woods…whoopie.
The flower body was cut from a postcard block. It looks like a camping trip to me.
Block: Childhood Home
Dan’s childhood home had dark brown siding. It was on the mountain above Port Matilda, Pennsylvania. I loved to go to visit there when we were in college…lots of trees, deer, and peace and quiet.
I snuck in more of the Alaskan batik with the mountain at the top…not the same mountain, but a mountain nonetheless. There are also trees and more earth tones.
Blocks: Toy Box on the left, and Favorite Teacher on the right
Tonka trucks are used to play in sand and dirt. I used Tonka colors.
Mr. Hoak was Dan’s favorite social studies teacher. I used Americana fabrics to represent him in this quilt.
Blocks: Favorite Bedtime Toy on the left, Holiday Memory on the right
On the right, the block represents bedtime “toy”. I used mushrooms, castle towers, and balls to represent this. Enough said…you figure it out.
Dan’s favorite holiday memories were of hunting after Thanksgiving. I used fabrics that looked like the big woods.
Block: Something You Learned
Dan’s lessons from childhood seem to be related to nature and the peace and serenity that can be found there.
Three quilts down and only my version to go! I hope to have that assembled and ready to show you by next week sometime.
I started this sew along to get to know my new daughter-in-law better. We are glad to have her in our lives. She makes our son happy. She also seems to like my sense of humor. I enjoyed hearing stories about her childhood and where she grew up. This quilt gave us topics to talk about and share. She also got to hear stories about our family, too. She didn’t run away screaming, so that’s a good thing.
In this quilt, Sweet Childhood Memories, designed by Pat Sloan, each block has a theme. I chose fabrics from my stash to represent the given theme of each block. Here is a detailed look at my fabric choices:
My daughter-in-law’s favorite color is green. I used as much green as possible with yellow and pink as accent colors.
Block 1: Fairy Tales
Rumplestiltskin was a favorite childhood story. I used straw fabric for the center and golden threads fabric, too. Straw spun into gold. The pink flames just happens to be the sashing between the blocks.
Block: Best Friend
Tracy had a great story about the best friend theme. When she was little…6 or younger…she spent the night at a friend’s house. In the middle of the night, they prepared breakfast for her friend’s parents. They made toast and raw eggs! She said that she didn’t ever remember staying the night with that friend again. Hmmm!
I used egg yolk and toast colors in this block. I had some scraps of fabric that had lace fused on top. I am certain that these scraps came right out of the 1970’s!
Block: Bedtime Routine
All four of these quilts have newspaper print for the background in this block. Everyone reads or has been read to at bedtime in our family.
The water fabric represents bathtime before bed every night. Bathtime was an important part of bedtime routine at Tracy’s house. She remembers playing a game called, “You are a washcloth” with her mom to help her identify items around the room. The center of this block is made with textured fabric to represent the washcloth.
I modified this block with a green sashing because I cut the squares incorrectly for the half square triangles…oops!
Blocks (from left to right): Easter Sunday, Sing a Song, and Summer Break
Tracy said that one of her favorite Easter things was getting a basket. We talked about egg hunts and coloring eggs, too.
The middle block is for Sing a Song. Tracy loved the Alphabet Song. The small black blocks have the alphabet in print on them. The pig fabric was extra from a previous block…storytime. Tracy introduced me to the story, Perfect the Pig. It is a great story. It is out of print, but you can listen to it here.
Ahhh! Summer! I used colors that reminded me of climbing trees. Tracy had a yard and neighborhood full of great trees to climb.
Block: Ride a Bike
Tracy had a bike that was glittery pink and white. I added the pink flames just for fun!
Blocks (from left to right): Books, Favorite Outdoor Game, and Movie Time
Tracy’s favorite book was Perfect the Pig. I didn’t find that great flying pig fabric until after I made this block. I used sky fabric and butterfly wings to represent the story. Eventhough this story is out of print, she did find a copy for baby.
Freeze Tag was a favorite outdoor game that Tracy played with the other kids in her neighborhood. I used sky fabric to represent the outdoors and snowflakes for freezing.
Tracy loved Cinderella, Snow White…any Disney movie as a little girl. I had some very small scraps of Minnie Mouse…perfect. I used green spider web fabric to represent all the cobwebs that Cinderella cleaned up.
Blocks: Nursery Rhymes on the left, Fun School Memory on the right
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet and had to put up with a lot of spider webs. I have an amazing amount of spider web fabric. I HATE spiders. I know that in crazy quilts they were added for good luck.
The tulip is for a trip to the planetarium. I love this fabric, but never found a use for it…until now!
Block: Childhood Home
After I made this block, based on Tracy’s description of the house she lived in, she found a picture. Her house was red brick. The yard was full of big trees to climb. There was ivy growing everywhere. I found fabric for all of those elements.
Blocks: Toy Box on the left, and Favorite Teacher on the right
Tracy loved playing with Barbie dolls. I had a great collection of these, too. The dancers in this block remind me of Barbies in elegant gowns and cute shoes.
Tracy’s favorite teacher was Mrs. Baney, an English teacher. I used more alphabet fabric…and the great Perfect Pigs.
Blocks: Favorite Bedtime Toy on the left, Holiday Memory on the right
Since bathtime was an important part of her bedtime routine, Tracy said that her favorite toy was stacking cups that she played with in the tub. I used colors that represented stacking cups. I also found a set of these at a yardsale that I gifted to her.
The fabrics in the Holiday Memory block represent Easter…lots of bunnies and baskets.
Block: Something You Learned
Tracy’s lesson learned was, “Never burn bridges.” One of the star points has a bridge on it. You will notice it is not on fire.
I am happy to assemble another one of these quilts after months of work. Hopefully, the third one will be ready for viewing soon. I hope you enjoyed this quilt narrative.
So much potential in just a few pieces! I like the necklace, but rarely wear them. With a little snip of a link, it will become a bracelet. With some extra hardware, it will make three more!
By combining the large jewel beads and the crystal rosary pieces, I made this fantastic blinged out bracelet. Now I just need a party to go to…
The citrine pieces from the broken necklace were pulled off the pins on the chain segments. There was enough to make a bracelet on .7 mm elastic cord.
Glue time! These lovely pieces need a pin back glued on to them.
This bracelet is mostly intact. One gem needs reattached with some cement or glue. It also needs an o-ring to reattach the sections.
This bracelet has elastic in fantastic condition. Most of the missing cabochons were in the huge parts bags. Glue time!
What progress are you making on your latest project? I love hearing from you!
I am adding a new category to my blog…jewelry! I have been making jewelry for more than two decades. I don’t make jewelry often, but I do enjoy this as a hobby, too.
I like to fix pieces of jewelry so that I can continue to wear some of my favorite pieces, usually bracelets or earrings. Harbor Freight sells a set of 6 jeweler’s pliers to make this easy. Lots of big box stores carry findings for making earrings, bracelets, etc.
Last year, when our friends came to visit, I discovered that my friend enjoys making jewelry, too. I started stocking the cabin with jewelry making supplies, too.
I found a yard sale that had HUGE bags of scrap jewelry…parts, pieces, some unusual, but functional pieces. Again this year I bought another HUGE bag…I sorted for two days! I wish I had taken a picture of the huge bags…I probably only paid about 50 cents per pound! Here are a few pictures:
The table in the cabin seats six! It was covered with parts containers and all sorts of bits and pieces. I love using repurposed tackle boxes for parts containers. The lids close tight enough to keep the contents in the divided parts…no resorting required. I have four large containers: glass beads/shell beads, wooden beads, and assorted beads, and one for findings. Seed beads are bagged and kept in a separate box.
This bin contains jewelry that is usable as is…no fixing required. In a future post, I will lay out the pieces in categories, like bracelets, necklaces, etc. to share with you. Some of these I will gift to friends/ family…or wear myself…or donate to charity.
This is the small bits container before I sorted it. It contains all sorts of beads, findings and cabochons (things that need to be glued onto something else). The baggie to the right contains pairs of parts suitable for earrings.
The container in the picture shows larger beads that were once upon a time rather large and chunky bracelets. One bead at a time, with smaller beads to make up most of a bracelet, these will be beautiful.
Behind this container, to the left, is a silk flower pin. It has a glued on center made from seed beads. That flower now decorates a basket in my sewing area. It was too gaudy for me to wear, but looks great on a basket.
This pile has an interesting bunch of bits…some of them are clip on earrings. Look at those amber ball creations…and those silver “horseshoes”! Woo-wee! There are also blingy thingys that I will be turning into pins.
This basket is full of things that need a little bit of TLC (tender loving care)…a little glue here…an o-ring there…as good as new. I will post pictures of these reformed pieces later, too.
This is full of pendants…anything that can be put on a chain or choker. Look at that fabulose gold pendant. It is as big as the palm of my hand! There are some others buried under there, too.
These bags contain several other sorted items: Rings, button covers, tie clips, purse hangers, cuff links and a watch! I will picture these in a future post, too. Some of the rings are right out of the 1970’s. Oh, baby!
I also have a bin that I did not picture above. It is full of things to take apart and repurpose. I plan on decortating my world with all of this “junk”. I will share my repurposing adventure with you later, too!
What “new” craft or hobby have you tried recently?
After months of working on four of these quilts at once, the first one is finally assembled into a top! This is our son’s version.
In this quilt, Sweet Childhood Memories, designed by Pat Sloan, each block has a theme. I chose fabrics from my stash to represent the given theme of each block. Here is a detailed look at my fabric choices:
My son’s favorite color is red. I used as much red as possible.
Block 1: Fairy Tales
I also included legends and other stories in this fairy tale theme. This block reflects a love for the story of Robinhood. The fabric has a forest theme: browns that look like bark, green leaves, and snowy cold nights.
Block: Best Friend
This block is for Henry. Henry makes the best chili con carne in the world. He and Jeremiah also brewed homemade beer at one time. Chili and beer colors are represented in this block.
Block: Bedtime Routine
All four of these quilts have newspaper print for the background in this block. Everyone reads or has been read to at bedtime in our family.
The water fabric represents bath time before bed every night in this block. I modified this block with a maroon sashing because I cut the squares incorrectly for the half square triangles…oops!
Blocks (from top to bottom): Easter Sunday, Favorite Outdoor Game, and Summer Break
The Easter Bunny was a crazy creature. He one time brought a swing set. Another time he brought a turtle sandbox…represented by the cross fabric. It looked like a turtle shell to me. He loved dyeing eggs. After Easter we always made a big batch of pickled beets and eggs to enjoy…and to use up those hardboiled eggs.
One of our son’s favorite outside activities was riding his bike. He also mentioned playing a game that was similar to Lord of the Flies. I don’t even want to know.
Ahhh! Summer break was always a great time for our family. As teachers we had time to spend traveling, etc. The red and blue fabric represents favorite popsicle flavors. I used the bullfrog fabric because we used to sing “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog”.
Block: Ride a Bike
Jeremiah had two bikes that I remember. The first was a push bike…the kind you push with you feet. He rode that up and down the sidewalk of our little fenced in yard for hours. It was orange and white with some black highlights.
When he graduated to a full size bike, it was red with white pin stripes.
Blocks (from left to right): Books, Sing a Song, and Movie Time
I was not surprised when he chose The Land Before Time and/or Jurassic Park as his favorite movies. He has always loved dinosaurs. The background fabric has dinosaur footprints and skulls.
Blocks: Nursery Rhymes on the left, Fun School Memory on the right
Jeremiah couldn’t think of a nursery rhyme that he absolutely loved. He did think about a song: “Cats in the Cradle”. Songs are poetry set to music. I love the cat fabric in this block!
The tulip colors represent parachute day in gym class as a favorite school memory.
Block: Childhood Home
The house that we lived in had red T111 siding. It looks a lot like a barn. (red fabric) It is a wooded setting. (green leaves) We also used a firepit and fireplace frequently. (red-orange leaves look like flames).
Blocks: Toy Box on the left, and Favorite Teacher on the right
The red blocks were the closest thing in the fabric stash to lego blocks.
Jeremiah’s favorite teacher was Lisa Wright as Musselman High School. The fabric was chosen to represent her cultural heritage.
Blocks: Favorite Bedtime Toy on the left, Holiday Memory on the right
Can you see the Gloworm colors in the block on the left?
The fabrics in the Holiday Memory block represent the legos that my son got as Christmas gifts for many consecutive years. Life was easy then!
Block: Something You Learned
Jeremiah shocked me when he said: “You were right” can prevent a lot of problems. He is sooooo right, but that is a difficult thing to admit sometimes.
I love the fabrics even though they do not really reflect his answer. The blue fabric has some cool tatoos: eagles, skulls, etc.
We have an ongoing family discussion about toilet paper. Some like it soft like a fuzzy bunny, others of us like it like sandpaper. I had just enough of this fabric to work it in as a background. I found it as I was getting ready to cut this last block.
I am happy to finally assemble one of these quilts after months of work. Hopefully, I will have another one to show you soon! I hope you enjoyed this quilt narrative.
As you know, I am working on the blocks for the Sew with Me 2023 by Erica Arndt. I am slowly getting caught up on this sew along. This is only block #2 and #3. I have decided to use purple and red as my main colors for these blocks.
There are now 5 patterns available. Remember…She also has YouTube versions of these blocks to help or to keep you motivated.
What ongoing projects are you working on today? I would love to hear from you!
I am also completing the blocks for the Sew with Me 2023 by Erica Arndt. I am a little behind on this one! This is only block #1. The pattern read as if only 2 colors were used. I guess I should have watched her tutorial video on YouTube. There are 4 patterns available.
Here are my blocks:
What sew alongs are you still participating in? I would love to hear from you!
As you know, I am not the only maker in our family. My husband completes many cross-stitch projects. He has been given many kits, floss, and fabric. At the price for a skein of floss today, he is sitting on a million dollar collection of the stuff.
He also has oodles of books and patterns, too. The book and pattern section of the library still needs to be organized.
Today’s post is about the finishing touches that I am adding to a kit that DH completed a short while ago.
The kit was a gift from our wonderful daugher-in-law. My son created a Southwest area in a hallway of their new house for her. Dan finished this kit to be a wall hanging in this area. Shhhhh! It is a surprise!
Here is the finished stitching.
I am adding 2 borders. The first one is very thin to give the viewer’s eye a rest. The second border is to contiue the Southwest theme.
The backing fabric is more Southwest fabric.
I used the pillowcase method instead of a traditional binding to finish the edge. The edge is topstitched to hold the layers steady.
I am adding 3 possible hanging mechanisms to the top…
Corner triangles
a hanging pocket and
hanging tabs.
Corners…
Voila! C’est fini!
Hanging sleeve and/or tabs…
What project are you finishing today? Hope to hear from you soon! I love to hear about your projects…
