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Do you love making Yo-Yos? Would you make 360 of them? Michele Muska did! Listen to her story as she talks about why she did it, and why ladies in the 1930s and 1940s did it as well.
Click here for Michele's book.
"Go Tell It at the Quilt Show!" is a Quilt Alliance project designed to capture the stories of quilts where quiltmakers gather.
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Follow along with Jen at Shabby Fabrics to learn how to easily assemble this classic quilt block.
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This week's workout is to go through your collection of glues, tapes, glue sticks, spray adhesives and other small sticky items. These essential items come in a diverse and wide variety, so they tend to get stuffed in drawers, on shelves, in baskets and other random places. Their odd shapes and sizes can also make storage challenging. But, we have found a number of options that just might work for you and your space. We are not including fusibles and stabilizers as that is your homework for another week, so don't dive into those items just yet.
Ricky has a drawer dedicated to sticky stuff. "I find it it interesting that my most favorite drawer is called Sticky Stuff. If it sticks, it goes in that drawer—including sticky felt-feet that go on bottoms of nicknacks to keep them from scratching the furniture. The drawer is more organized than is shows in the photo, because I pulled things up to show what lives in there."
Clean and Clutter Free Options:
1. Upcycle a waxed paper box to hold your washi tape collection (Homework).
2. Coffee pod storage drawer can hold over 100 washi tape rolls.
3. Jen at Pretty Neat Living uses labeled Stockholm Photo boxes to hold items in her studio.
4. A pink rolling tool cart from the hardware store offers lots of drawers to hold all of your sticky items in one place.
5. Short on storage space. Four Generations One Roof uses baskets to compartmentalize a dresser drawer in the living room.
6. Keep everything sorted by type (Honey We're Home).
7. Make 2 Style keeps everything in an Alex cabinet from Ikea.
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Look inside the drawer
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Look inside the drawer
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Look inside the drawer
Visually Stimulating Options:
1. Katrina from 3 Birds Design keeps all of her glues and adhesives in a basket for easy access.
2. Happy Scrappy uses two rolling craft carts to store her essentials.
3. Turtles and Tails uses an old shoe cabinet to store her adhesives.
4. Polished Habitat uses a basket on a shelf to hold all of her adhesives.
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Creative Work Spaces:
If all of these ideas weren't enough, we want to share two creative spaces that offer a great variety of ideas for keeping an organized, clutter free, and inspirational place to spend your time. Remember, this is YOUR ultimate goal for this year; a place where you LOVE to create.
Jen's worktable and studio space for inspiration.
Nikki gives great tips for keeping your creative space under control by breaking areas into zones
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This appears to be another variation of the Drunkard's Path block. What do you think? Play the game and find out.
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The Use of Needle Crafts in Occupational Therapy
By Stephanie Bergmann, OTR
Occupational Therapy began around the "Time of Enlightenment" (18th century) with the treatment of mentally ill patients. Having someone engage patients in purposeful activities that are of value, enables them to once again become a useful part of society. From the Revolutionary War to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, occupational therapists have been there every step of the way rehabilitating wounded individuals to become independent in their everyday lives through motivational activities that are patient specific. These activities have ranged from wood working, machinists, to needlework.
Needle crafts have not only been used as a means to engage a patient into performing difficult tasks, but also to determine a patient's ability to function in everyday life. Claudie Allen, who has worked extensively with the mentally ill, developed a test using three sewing stitches on a square piece of leather; the running stitch, the whip stitch, and the cordovan stitch. This "sewing" test would help determine a patient's ability to adapt to changes, perform simple tasks independently, problem solve, as well as self correction. While not obvious to most, these tasks directly relate to a person's daily life. For example, if a patient is not able to maintain the flow of a running stitch and remember the sequence of the stitching steps, then he or she will probably not be successful in making a simple meal or dressing for inclement weather without assistance.
Occupational therapy's role in rehabilitation, in any setting and at any age, is to allow a person to be as independent as possible. This is done through evaluations by a skilled therapist, that focus on a patient's abilities and limitations given their diagnosis. In addition, leisure activities that are motivating to the patient need to be addressed. Therapy is not always painless in order to regain independence, but if therapy can coincide with what a person enjoys doing in their leisure such as sewing, tatting, or quilting, then they are much more likely to perform the required tasks. The key for the therapist is to find what motivates an individual and combine this with therapy for the patient's benefit.
Photo by Gregory Case
For example, I once had a right handed stroke patient who loved to needlepoint. But, due to his painful paralysis, he was no longer able to stitch. I constructed a table top with brackets that would hold his needlework loom as well as a dental floss box for cutting the yarn. While he was working on his needlepoint, I was able to help him perform range of motion exercises, as well as use his right arm to act as a support for his project. Over time, this gentleman was able to dress himself independently, cook a meal, drive, and continue his needlepoint with his right arm acting as an assistant. More importantly, he was able to go home to live by himself without the help of others, as well as continue his hobby; both of which were important to him.
It has been noted numerous times throughout my career as a therapist, that all I do is color, play and make things...I am known as the craft lady. Even when evaluating a new patient the typical response to the question of, "what goals do you have for therapy", the answer, more often than not, is "walking". This is a great goal, its gets a person from A to B. But when pressed for who is going to help them get dressed, go to the bathroom, perform personal hygiene, bath, cook, balance a check book, garden, plan a meal, or driving, etc...(the role of an occupational therapist is to ask!), then I usually have a patient's attention. To relearn and gain all the skills it takes to achieve independence can be accomplished in many ways; the use of needle crafts is just one means to an end.
Photo by Gregory Case
The use of needle arts to gain independence in the area of dressing, might not seem to have any correlation, so let me explain. The hand is able to perform over 200 different types of grip, pinch and in-hand manipulation techniques. In order to fasten a 1/2" button at least 5 pounds of force must be exerted onto the tips of the first three fingers, depth perception must be intact to align the correct hole with the button and coordination between the two hands to put the button into the hole. All this is required in order to be successful with one button. The simple one button task becomes more challenging when other problems exist such as macular degeneration, cataracts, arthritis, tremors due to medications or poor depth perception due to aging or lung disorders. A patient can gain independence with repetitive buttoning and unbuttoning of a blouse or shirt, but participation in this activity would be limited as well as mind numbingly boring.
Photo by Gregory Case
Quilting, sewing, knitting, and tatting all use the same mechanics as the buttoning tasks. Some things that come to mind are threading a needle, aligning stitches in a row, manipulating and holding thread in the palm of the hand, consistent tension on the thread itself for a more uniform stitch length and length in hand quilting. While not using these crafts for increasing strength and dexterity of a patient's hands and fingers, it is a cognitive task. Needle work evokes memories, for most of us, of our parents or grandparents doing such stitching on a nightly basis. Needle work can be calming for persons who are nervous and require a task that is repetitive and non-threatening, but that has a beginning and an end.
Visual scanning, depth perception, visual memories are all elements used for any needle craft. Remember looking for that perfect color, pattern or material to complete your last project? For persons who are depressed, a simple whip stitched wallet project to hold change for a vending machine soda can and enable that individual with a sense of accomplishment and motivation to seek out other acts of independence. Senior citizens who live alone and have no family, often lose their sense of purpose and usefulness to society. Knitting, sewing, or quilting baby layettes gives them a sense of value and purpose and assists those less fortunate with something beautiful for their newborns. Needle arts have also become a means to rise out of poverty and unemployment for many women in Africa, Asia and the United States. By purchasing these hand made items you give value to these women and their accomplishments.
In conclusion, you can call me the "Craft Lady," as well as an Occupational Therapist. I can smile because I know that by using crafts, they now have a common thread that winds its way into people's lives to enrich them, allow them to become independent and finally give them a sense of purpose.
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Heather shares her experience with the healing power of quilting in this touching interview at QuiltCon West 2016.
"Go Tell It at the Quilt Show!" is a Quilt Alliance project designed to capture the stories of quilts where quiltmakers gather.
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Here are the top winners of the 2016 HMQS (Home Machine Quilting and Sewing) Quilt Competition recently held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The theme this year was “It’s Magic! - Memorable Moments," featuring quilts that represented a magical combination of patterns, fabric and quilting.
HMQS is the premier consumer exhibition and educational conference for all machine quilters, embroiderers and those who love to sew! More than 120 classes were taught by world-renowned educators. There was a judged quilt competition with cash awards, 900+ machine-quilted quilts on display and dozens of fantastic special exhibits including several fabric challenges. Additionally, a live charity quilt auction was held and you could stroll through the vendor mall of 200 booths with the latest to see, try and buy.
Click here for more information about the show including how to order a CD of all the quilts. The theme for 2017 has not yet been announced.
Congratulations to all the winners. You just might recognize a few of the winners as guests here at TQS!
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Update - Great News! 5/15/2016
Gregory Case’s wife, Elena, wrote Saturday night, “Gregory has made remarkable progress!” The previous three days were filled with two steps forward and one step back. The biggest challenge seemed to be his mental state, delirium, and general inability to comprehend and participate in his recovery. As Friday ended, the hospital was discussing that he be re-intubated and placed into an induced comma. Gregory’s sister, a nurse practitioner, who has been with Gregory and Elena through the entire ordeal, called her friend, a cardiologist/surgeon. He advised getting a neurologist on the recovery team.
The neurologist consulted with the ICU doctor and along with his nurse they developed a plan to review and remove as many of his medications as possible (figuring that the delirium could be caused by the interaction of these medications). They removed 15 different meds and exchanged some others they thought would be better for him. By mid-day Saturday, Gregory started to come out of the fog.
Drum roll please….. Elena said, “Gregory spent Saturday afternoon sitting up in a chair talking to us. He wanted to learn all about what has happened since his surgery. And he wanted to know how the stock market did this past week! All doctors have said this was a miracle surgery.”
Elena has asked that you continue to send your prayers and healing thoughts their way.
Original Message from Ricky 5/13/2016
Many of you know Gregory Case who shoots the still photography for The Quilt Show. On Monday night (May 9), Gregory began experiencing chest pains, neck pain, and other typical symptoms of a severe heart malfunction. He was rushed to the ER in Pueblo. After 21 hours in the ER, they ascertained he had an aortic aneurysm. It did not burst or he would have died instantly. He was life-flighted from Pueblo, CO to Colorado Springs for immediate surgery. Due to lack of blood to vital parts of his body, his kidneys were failing and his legs were not getting blood. There was the possibility of amputation and perhaps, if he survived, life-long dialysis. He underwent an 8-hour surgery to repair the aorta from his heart to his brain stem.
He is in ICU and the good news so far is that there are small signs of improvement. His kidneys seem to be recovering and his legs are going to be okay. However it is too soon to determine if he is getting proper blood flow to other vital systems. He is not out of the woods. There could be other complications due to this traumatic experience. He is uncomfortable and mentally aggravated (which is not unusual for the situation he is in) and that is not helping with the immediate recovery as he needs to be up and moving.
Personally, I have faith that he will pull through and that there won’t be any lasting damage. He will have a slow road to recovery. The scenario was bleak for the first three days. I spoke with Elena, his wife, and she indicated that the last two days have brought the slightest improvement and any improvement is a step forward so we are taking that as hopeful signs that he will recover. There is no way to determine what his “new normal” may be from here forward.
Your thoughts and prayers for Gregory and Elena are much appreciated.
(Photo: Gregory & Elena)
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Everyone remembers the "Farrah" and the "Rachel," but there have been "famous" hairstyles for years.Take a look at these and see if you graced your head with any of these looks.
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