MY SISTER-IN-LAW DID CHICKEN SCRATCH

When my sister-in-law, Doris, passed away I asked if I could have a couple of her things so when we visited several months ago, her daughter-in-law gave me a bag full they had saved for me when they were getting things settled. 

There was the jacket Doris thought so much of with embroidery and buttons-she showed it to me during a visit and I had asked specifically for that jacket especially since I knew no one else would want it, I don't know what I will do with it since it is much too small for me but if I never use it for anything, I have it because it was hers. There was the 50th wedding anniversary quilt I had made for them with its pillow scarf that was signed by the guests at their 50th celebration.

Then there were 2 chicken scratch quilts that she had made. She worked many, many hours on them. It is very intricate work and something I sure don't have the patience for so having them is very special to me. 

Here are photos I took just a while ago. Doris had made matching curtains and pillow shams to match the blue quilt which is not completely finished. The squares are set together with cotton eyelet lace and are about 20" square. I noticed the sashing on the blue one is wider so it required fewer blocks-if it had been me there would have only been one block to begin with. 

Here's Doris at my husband's retirement celebration in 2000. She and I had many good times together. Just thought I wanted to include a photo and this is the easiest one I could get. I miss her a lot.

I started this post several weeks ago. At the time, I did this research and located some sites if you are interested in chicken scratch. 

NeedlenThread's definition of chicken scratch:

What is Chicken Scratch Embroidery?

“Chicken scratch” embroidery is a lacy-like embroidery technique worked on gingham. It’s called a number of other things besides “chicken scratch” – depression embroidery (as in “Depression era”), snowflake embroidery or lace, gingham lace, or Amish embroidery. It involves only about three or four types of stitches – the running stitch, the cross stitch, the double cross stitch, and (if you want to consider it a separate stitch), the threaded running stitch.

article in: http://www.needlenthread.com/2007/06/chicken-scratch-embroidery-on-gingham.html

references to Pink Paper Peppermints @ http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/pink_paper_peppermints/2010/04/chicken-scratch-embroidery-tutorial-free-pattern-and-stitch-guide.html and

Chicken Scratch / Gingham Embroidery Index – & some history ...

Apr 21, 2014

How To Embroider on Gingham – Chicken Scratch Tutorial ...

Apr 19, 2014

What's in a Name? A Chicken Scratch Argument – Needle ...

Apr 17, 2014

Hand Embroidery on Gingham – Christmas Trees! – Needle ...

Oct 30, 2009

More results from www.needlenthread.com

Thank you for stopping by and may the joy of crafting be upon you

Carolyn Wainscott

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Please check out my designs on 

CRAFTSY.COM 

 @

http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/43851

ETSY

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingCarolyn

THE CRAFT STAR

@

http://carolynscanvasquiltingcraftingsewingpatterns.thecraftstar.com/

Available only in my Etsy shop "Carolyn's Canvas"

13" by 24" boy or girl panel silk screened on 100% Kona PFD [prepared for dying] cotton ready for hand painting with your own fabric paints or markers or to be thread painted by hand or machine. Instructions included for adding borders to make baby quilt. 

[panels hand painted with Inktense pencils}

BRAVEHEART KILT-Haven't made one of those before

The thank you note said "Thank you for turning me into Mel Gibson". 

My daughter called me early in the week to ask if I could make a kilt ala "Braveheart" by Friday-well, what else do I have to do so after I looked up Ol' Mel baby to see what I was getting into I said sure, get me the materials-and they did. It seems an event at the school of a colleague's son was having a "Braveheart" football night and he needed a kilt. I have not seen the movie so had to google. It looked like it would be a piece of cake and kind of was just a little more time consuming than I had thought but what else is  new.

The next day Donna brought in a 3 yards of blue plaid [school color is blue], 2 pieces of a mottled brown that had the look of leather and a large plastic sword. You know, every self respecting Braveheart has to have a sword so a sheath was in order plus a shoulder wrap besides the kilt. I needed only two measurements for the kilt-length [18"-with 1" added for hem, 3" added for fold over at waist for elastic] and waist [29" with added 2" for seams]. Yes, I did take the easy way out with elastic. 

I decided the kilt would hang better if it was lined so I scrounged to come up with a black piece big enough for the lining plus part of the sheath. Pleats take a lot more fabric than you may think. It actually took two widths of the 45" fabric for the waist plus nice sized pleats [I decided on 3" deep pleats]. It worked perfectly.

The lining and kilt were machine sewn along the hem with right sides together, folded back to wrong sides together and hem pressed. Pleats were set in, pinned and pressed while laying flat. Side seam sewn, 2 1/2" folded towards back for waistline casing leaving opening to insert elastic. 

One of the brown fabrics was used for the sheath with a piece of fur sewn onto the top then sewn to the black band. The other piece was added to the shoulder wrap with 2 large buttons added that had been sent along with the fabric. 

I didn't mean for this to be an accurate tutorial for the kilt, just sharing one of the projects I have been working on in my spare time-LOL

Here is the result:

The shoulder wrap was brought out of the waist and hung down nicely over the hip eventually.

Donna said Jaret was thrilled with the outfit. He asked her what I liked-she told him-chocolate, peanut butter, coke, cream soda. This is what he sent along with the sweet thank you note-

I so appreciate being appreciated and how sweet is this young man-this old gal loved the candies and will be baking the cookies in the next day or so. Have read through the Woman's Day magazine-love to read.

Thanks for stopping by and may the joy of crafting be upon you

Carolyn Wainscott

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please check out my designs on 

CRAFTSY.COM 

 @

http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/43851

ETSY

@

https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingCarolyn

THE CRAFT STAR

@

http://carolynscanvasquiltingcraftingsewingpatterns.thecraftstar.com/

These paint your own 13" x 25" panels are 100% cotton ready to custom paint as you choose, then add borders to create a quilt. Available in my Etsy shop @ 

     https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingCarolyn

QUICK AND EASY CONTINUOUS PRAIRIE POINTS

It is hard to believe it has been almost 4 years ago that I did 3 videos for making continuous prairie points and they are some of my most viewed. My tutorials are on FaveCrafts.com, FaveQuilts.com, AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com as well as my own channel. The prairie point tutorials had been requested by the editor of FaveQuilts.

 As with most things I do, the continuous prairie point using one fabric led to continuous prairie points with 2 fabrics and since I liked that look so much, decided to try 3 or 4 fabrics-thus-3 prairie point videos. When searching in my list of blogs though, I don't know why as was my habit that I didn't write a post other than things were getting intense at that time with my husband's health. There were times I don't know how I got anything done except that my crafting helps me keep my sanity when things are crumbling all around. Looking at the dates, these tutorials were produced in Nov/Dec, 2011. He passed away 7 months later in June, 2012.   

I just checked the # of views and my ego just has to share-#1 has been viewed over 75,000 times, #2 over 9000 and #3 over 9000. I am thrilled and so appreciate all those who have taken the time to watch this little old lady quilter who loves what she does. 

  

A couple of viewers have shared what they have created such as Linda who made her daughter a Christmas tree skirt that was finished with prairie points. Thank you, Linda, if you see this for sending this photo.

and another Linda who contacted me after watching the videos with her idea for making a pillow with prairie points. I asked her to send a photo and she did. My Granny used to say "Carolyn, thar's more than one way to skin a cat" and she was right and there is more than one way to use prairie points. Linda came up with a use I had never thought about. Thank you for sharing, Linda.

Thank you for joining me today, may the joy of crafting be with you and God bless you

Carolyn 

on Facebook 

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carolyns-Canvas-Quilting-Crafting-Sewing/151145938331115

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CHECK OUT MY QUILT AND CRAFT PATTERNS IN MY ETSY SHOP:

ETSY

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MY SEWING ROOM-STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS BUT IT IS GETTING THERE!!!!

I had the aspiration for one of those beautiful, organized, colorful studios I've seen in magazines and online but as long as my studio is workable for me, organized so I mostly know where everything is and a pleasure to work in, I am satisfied because I would have it in a mess as soon as I started working on a project anyway. 

I belong to a Facebook group: Clean and Organized Sewing Room, that has a lot of tips for our work areas. It seems very few of us have one of those glamorous studios so I am right at home in the group. If for nothing else but to prod my get up and go to get up and get busy, the photos of others getting their work areas in shape has been a help. And then there are the photos of designer spaces to give us all some hope. 

This is the state of my sewing room 2 years ago just after I moved here to Ohio from my home in Indiana after my husband passed away and I sold my home:

http://carolynscanvas.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-next-chapter.html

And it got worse. More stuff appeared till there was barely a walkway through. 

Then since I couldn't make any headway on creating my work space in the original plan I called the troops in and moved my things to the basement---forgetting how claustrophobic I am and that I would have  stairs every time I wanted to work, and back upstairs every time I wanted a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom or grab a snack or answer the door. Trying to work in an environment that isn't to my taste didn't do anything to inspire much work getting done.  

Soooooooooooo---

in January, called the troops in again for another moving day-I told them that was my birthday gift from them so I fixed a huge pot of chili and sewing room was moved back into garage. My very handsome grandsons helped a lot-

Travis

see why I had no iniciative to work down there?

Talyn

My daughter-in-law, Pam, another handsome grandson, Joey and his wife, Andi, came over from Indiana to do this for me-so appreciated

my nice waist high cutting table [a closet door rescued after a fire, covered with canvas, large enough for the biggest cutting mat and one end for pressing-works for me]  and 8' Formica shelf on file cabinets holds my machines, these may seem make shift to some but I like them-have used them this way for years-lots of drawer space to keep things very handy

sorry for blurred photo-opposite wall of shelves behind quilter

break time-granddaughter, Angie, modeling

great, granddaughters, Maizin and Hannah

daughter-in-law-Pam, granddaughter-Angie, grandson-Joey, Maizin

I got to enjoy great, granddaughter, Kenzley, while her momma, Kaitlyn helped with the move-is she cute-or what??

Yesterday-over 6 months later-still in progress, still arranging and rearranging-still bringing things back up from basement to migrate into the rest of the hoard-

putting some mementos around to enjoy as I work-fabric paints, supplies are in the cabinets

but yesterday, glory be, I got to work most of the day at the cutting table, at my sewing machine without having to scoot sideways to get around or step over things or move things out of the way-there are empty spaces for the craft supplies and fabric left in the basement.  

The garage door is open in this shot, I am thinking about having French doors built into that space by next summer. 

The rotary cutters, scissors, rulers are all within easy reach on one of the shelves, you know every inch of space here will soon be filled and I love the stool I found at Sam's the other day with its adjustable height. 

When I get done with this post, I am headed back out into my space to finish a quilt top I was working on yesterday. It is my "Jesus Loves Me" panel I had silk screened onto PDF Kona cotton then hand painted. The panels will be available as soon as the sample is done and I get them uploaded online. 

May the joy of crafting and sewing be upon you

Carolyn Wainscott

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Check out my designs in My Crafty Store @

http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/43851