September 16, 2023 by technicolorlilypond

These are the Stitches: Star Trek Day Crafts

Greetings, dear pond readers! Hopefully, your September is off to a terrific start. Here in my corner of the Great Lakes things have been busy with stress galore causing some noticeable MS vexation compounded by a grim cold. C’est la vie.

2023 Sunflower Arch courtesy of the Wee Bairn by E.A. Schneider

One very happy highlight of my month so far was celebrating Star Trek Day with my Wee Bairn a.k.a. my developing Trekkie. It was glorious good fun. As long time pond readers know, I’m a big fan of Star Trek. I have written about Star Trek crafts like sewing tribbles and quillows as well as introducing my dear younger sister, #AmberUnabridged, to the franchise in a curated tour of critical episodes, in previous blog posts.

Becoming a parent, I knew that I wanted to expose my offspring to the geek fandoms that my spouse and I hold dear. It’s not that I’m trying to raise a mini-me so much as I want my child to understand the majority of our family language references. The Wee Bairn might very well grow up to eschew all things Star Trek, sci-fi, fantasy, & geeky, but when I start talking about Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra, my child will understand my meaning. And I will always love my baby even if they’re way too cool to come to conventions with us old nerds.

First tomato harvest by E.A. Schneider Note the use of Mommy’s Commander Spock hoodie.

Star Trek acculturation is well begun here thanks to the winning combo of toys & books. My Wee Bairn has grown up playing with a plush NCC-1701-D as well as lights & sounds models of both the NCC-1701-E and NCC-1701-A. Those models were mine but have been given over to the toy box during this past year. A little Golden Book copy of Too Many Tribbles and a copy of the Star Trek Alphabet Book have long been storytime favorites. My observant Wee Bairn spied my beloved Spock figurine from my very first convention prominently displayed in my crafty corner and that has also become a shared custody plaything between us.

Taking a leap of faith, I showed the Wee Bairn the original series Star Trek episode, The Trouble with Tribbles, this year. I wasn’t sure how it would go, there are some stressful parts, but thankfully it went extremely well. The Wee Bairn loved the episode and now wants to dress up as Captain Kirk in the specific green command uniform worn in that episode.

Watching Star Trek The Original Series behind my Wee Bairn’s head is the best. By E.A. Schneider

Fast forward to Star Trek day & the Wee Bairn asked to help with my sewing time. Now this was supposed to be private, relaxing crafty time. But the days of my Wee Bairn wanting to spend time helping me sew are numbered so I said sure you can help. This turned out to be absolutely delightful. My presser foot operator helped me sew pieces of a memory block together for my giant, scrappy project in progress. When sitting & helping caused some wiggles, the Wee Bairn had a splendid idea: color some fabric! I have a stash of scraps & fabric markers by my sewing table for just such flashes of inspiration.

The first artwork is an adorable smiley face complete with nose and ears. Naturally, this precious little gremlin-ish creation had to be the memory block centerpiece. I definitely want to remember this crafty collaboration.

The subsequent artworks, solely done by the Wee Bairn with zero prompting by me, were all Starfleet insignias. Not only Star Trek the original series insignias, but all the different ones for the different branches of service. Remember how I said this kid is observant? Well, the giant pile of Star Trek licensed fabric was spotted and used as a model. After carefully drawing each one and then drawing a fabric Enterprise, the Wee Bairn proceeded to cut them all out with grown up scissors. Best part? No personal injury! The Enterprise is now taped forever and ever onto the Wee Bairn’s bedroom door and now I have a zippy bag full of insignias as well as a child convinced that Mommy can make a Captain Kirk costume for Halloween with the really big insignia. Gulp. This is a tall order. Making clothes is not my bag. But where there is a will, there is a way. And in my case, the will involves an incredibly winsome child that inspires me to transcend limits.

As was pointed out to me by said child, I did make a really cool ghost costume once before. I used an adult T-shirt & layers of contrasting cheesecloth topped off with a custom ghostly head piece. The head piece was white cotton, cheesecloth, and poly-fiberfill wrapped around the inser of a child’s toy hat. Much to my surprise, the ghost costume has remained a staple of the dress up box.

Action shot of my homemade ghost costume by E.A. Schneider

Maybe whatever Kirk cosplay I make will be just as popular. I have a plan to put together a green command tunic using some altered T-shirts, stabilizer, & fabric paint. Fingers crossed this works! Doubtless, I will update you lovely readers on my progress, no matter how it turns out. If nothing else, I have ambitions to make something for my little Trekkie with the giant pile of Star Trek fabric as well as a Tribble or three. The Star Trek blanket quillow I made (pictured below in the gallery) is the frequent victim of attempted switching by my fellow blanket dragon, the Wee Bairn. Even though Star Trek fleece is off the market, I bet a small, cuddly quilt would suit, too.

How did you celebrate Star Trek day, dear pond readers? Are you doing any nerdy crafty projects about geek related fandoms? Please, leave a comment or question below and thanks for stopping by the pond today. Live long and prosper.

January 11, 2023 by technicolorlilypond

Stitching Sanity in 2022

Greetings, dear pond readers! It has been a minute but I am here to share a whole bunch of crafty sewing projects that I did in 2022. I have written about some things like the cuddly 20-sided-dice that the Wee Bairn collaborated on with me and the scarf we made together. However, even though there are a couple projects I’ve been working on that I don’t have pictured below because I don’t want to spoil the surprise for the recipients, the rest of the stitchery I did in 2022 is shown.

In 2022, I finished a plethora of cuddly projects to keep family members warm. Few things are more vital to a sane, comfy life than being cozy in a warm blanket and I delight in making blankets, particularly for those I love. As pond readers know, quillows are one of my biggest, go-to projects. While I like making the blankets to go with the pillow pocket, it is loads faster to buy a blanket and affix a quilted pocket and that is what I do most of the time if I can. For two of the three quillows pictured in the slideshow below, I used fuzzy blankets that I bought and added the pockets to fit my space-loving family members. I did make the blanket for the pictured Star Trek quillow. The blanket is a match to one I made years ago for my sibling and I kept putting off making one for me because why I would make something for me? Yeah…I need to work on the whole “self-care” thing. In 2022, I actually did make some progress and made my own Trekkie quillow. It is mega comfy. Q’pla!

For the kiddos in my life, Wee Bairn and Steggie, I also made multiple cuddly things. Both kiddos got new fleece sleeping bags. I made the Wee Bairn a roll-up travel sleeping pad out of fleece and foam backed interfacing. For Christmas, both kiddos got new blankets. Steggie got a simple, double-sided fleece blanket while Wee Bairn got a super soft quilt with a medieval knights and dragons theme. A lot of the pictures are taken on top of my beloved Mostly Recycled Flannel Quilt which has survived admirably well all these years. I did take a shortcut on the Wee Bairn’s quilt. Instead of putting batting in a middle layer, it is a pieced front of flannels and cotton sewn directly to a backing of fleece and Minky. I cannot emphasize enough how supremely cuddly this quilt is. I got a seriously dirty look from the Wee Bairn when I was caught in the act of huddling under the quilt after snipping some straggling threads. The quilt has since been zealously guarded in the Wee Bairn’s sleeping bag in a manner that would impress all the dragons pictured on its fuzzy surfaces. Steggie is also a big fan of the fuzzy bird blanket and has been enthusiastically cuddling it since its arrival.

Scrappy Memory Quilt for Me In-Progress by E.A. Schneider

One thing I’ve been working on throughout the year but particularly during the 12 days of Christmas has been my Scrappy Memory Quilt. It is filled with bits and blocks from previous projects for friends and family as well as scraps of misfit blocks from my favorite local quilt shop’s end of year scrap-fest. It’s funky. It looks weird. No pattern has been followed and only the barest minimum of design principles about dark and light contrast. Working on it has been a joy. The pure dopamine rush of pulling scraps out of my basket and fitting them together as I bop to the rhythm of various Chillhop jazz mixes and sundry podcasts has been a balm to the soul. Something about straight sewing work clicks for me in an elemental way. I can hardly wait to sew it all together on the front and then to a pieced fleece back. At last, my hoard of fleece remnants will be used up to good effect.

Scarves were another thing that I made a bunch of in 2022. They are easy to sew, elegant to wear, and somewhat addictive. Because some are intended as gifts, I’m only showing one that I made for my birthday using fabric from one of Spoonflower’s fill-a-yard infinity scarf templates but I have made two others and have big plans for more. The other pictured scarf is a super fuzzy cuddly one that the Wee Bairn helped me sew in the spring. It is still mostly used as a lasso but that’s okay.

For as much as I beat myself up about not finishing everything I want to in the time I expect to finish, I’m struck that I managed to finish eight different blankets in one year as well as multiple scarves. The top of one secret snuggly fleece backed quilt is pinned and awaiting sewing on my sewing machine table. My Scrappy Memory Quilt is nearly ready to piece together. The Muppet Quilt I started for the Wee Bairn in 2021 only has a couple rows left to finish. I can’t believe how many projects that I finished for myself. Even though self-care is a struggle, I am impressed that I started to show up for myself in 2022. Even though 2022 had a lot of hard, mega-rough bits that kept me away from the pond as well as interfered in other ways in my life, I managed to keep things together and persevere stitch by stitch. None of this would have been possible without my awesome spouse who gifted me with time to sew uninterrupted many times through the year. I would be lost without him. Our Wee Bairn also proved to be an invaluable help as presser foot operator, pin picker-upper, and reminding me when it was high time to get it up and move about. I’m optimistic that I will continue to sew some more mega cozy projects and finished some unfinished objects (U.F.Os.) in 2023.

Close-up of Another Project I finished in 2022 by E. A. Schneider

What are you working on, dear pond readers? Any U.F.O.s you’re completing out there? Do you have crafty ambitions for 2023 Please, leave a comment or question below and thanks for stopping by the pond today.

July 27, 2021 by technicolorlilypond

Stitching Fun

Greetings, dear pond readers! I hope this finds you enjoying a delightful summer season in excellent company doing creative, satisfying things. Recently, I’ve been busy doing some sewing. I actually managed to finish two projects and have four more well-begun. Time for pictures starting with the finished projects.

Here is a gallery of the steampunk and D&D baby quilt that I made some very close friends of ours. My goal was to have it done in time for the kiddo’s first birthday and I made it by the grace of God and coffee. Lots of coffee. I also made a cotton bag for quilt storage/gift wrapping. Both the front and back are fill-a-yard cheater quilts from Spoonflower.com. I chose the layouts using designs from the marketplace and ordered them on cotton. The edging is soft minky fabric. I’ve always been intimidated by minky but working with it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

Next, I finished an out of this world sleeping bag for my own Wee Bairn complete with a matching stuff sack to transport the sleeping bag and the other adventure essentials of teddy bear, security blanket, and a book or two. Luckily, the Wee Bairn is quite a large youth. To make the sleeping bag, I used a no-sew fleece throw kit. Instead of tying the fleece, I rolled the raw edges over, stitched them down, and then stitched the front and back together most of the way around to leave a generous fold over pocket. I did not add any ties or zippers because given the nature of my Wee Bairn, I did not think that was advisable. The sleeping bag is very cozy and the kiddo seems to like it a lot so I am pleased.

Currently, I’m working on a Muppet quilt and a large d20 pillow for my Wee Bairn. I worked on cutting out both projects during D&D games to avoid excessive snacking. My curious small human insisted on helping me with both of these projects. I was pleasantly surprised that learning to pin fabric squares for the quilt did not end in personal injury. My kiddo is actually quite a competent hand with head pins and worked with great care. While my hair is definitely more grey from the anxiety, I’m excited about cultivating a craft helper. The Wee Bairn also helped glue the triangles of the d20 together in preparation for sewing. As of this writing, I’m 10 triangles through top-stitching the layers together.

Regarding the other two well-begun projects, I am almost done with the back of a quilt for my mom and finishing a Star Trek quillow for me that matches one I made years ago for someone else. The quilt back for my mom might look familiar because it is a collection of the same fabrics left over from my epic mostly recycled flannel quilt. It is going to be my way of giving my mom a long-distance flannel hug across time and space.

I will leave off today’s post with a picture from my Good News Garden.

Bumblebee on Sunflower by E.A. Schneider

Are you getting to create this summer, dear pond readers? What are you crafting?

February 21, 2021 by technicolorlilypond

Crafting Through 2020

Greetings, dear pond readers! At last, I’m going to write about some of the crafting I’ve done through 2020 and now into the first weeks of 2021. Back when 2020 was all new and sparkly and only a couple super bad things had happened, I laid out a vision for the year that included a lot of crafting. I didn’t post much here at the pond about said crafts because I made several gifts that were not in their owner’s hands and then other things kept coming up. Now that it is a new year, I’m starting to take stock and sort through photos. Reviewing my pictures, I’m noticing some patterns. In 2020 I did a lot with paint & stickers in addition to my needle & thread work. I made a lot of scarves, a lot of blankets, more masks, and some miscellaneous small projects involving thread-work. I’m going to break up my posts between thread-work and painting based work with today’s post being all about the needle work. On to the pictures! Let’s start with scarves:

First time working with jersey and a custom knit fabric from Spoonflower.com

I also made a baby blanket for a co-worker (my first experience with minky fabric!), a quillow for a family member, progress on another quillow for me, and progress on a baby quilt for a different family member.

Finally, I made a couple small things including more masks, a new yo-yo Christmas ornament, and a small embroidery project courtesy of my local public library and my sweet husband.

I spent a lot of time trying to make the best of my way through this challenging time in 2020 and now spilling into 2021. I still need to finish the steampunk baby quilt, my Star Trek quillow, and several other projects but I’ve been having fun making all of these creations. How have you been crafting and creating, dear pond readers? Do you have any thoughts on your creativity during this time of pandemic upheaval?

Beautiful sky over lovely bog by E.A. Schneider
Spring days are coming, dear pond readers. Hang in there!

April 1, 2019 by technicolorlilypond

Quilts for Babies

Greetings, dear pond readers! At last I have returned to post about the baby quilts I made in 2018 and 2019 for my two favorite babies. For purposes of this post, I will refer to them as Stegosaurus and Bairn. I bought the fabric years ago on sale so unfortunately I have no idea who designed it and it is doubtless out of print. I liked that the fabric was a large panel with a calming, gender neutral color scheme. The tops for both quilts are the same with identical binding but the backs are different flannels with a different design for the dedication tag. On to the pictures!

In-progress shots are above depicting the dynamic process of pinning, quilting on my sewing machine, and pinning the binding on. I am pleased to say that there were relatively few needle pokes through this process.

This is the quilt for Stegosaurus. The blue privacy heart obscures the baby name and statistic information.

This is the quilt for Bairn. The blue privacy heart obscures the stat information just like on the other quilt. You can get a better sense for the overall finished design from this picture.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The backs of the quilts are pictured above. Both backings are cotton flannel. The dedication and notes from different people are bordered with ribbon.

The quilting is done with my sewing machine. I used an ordinary walking foot and stubbornness to get the stitches I wanted. Hearts were the motif I used.

I also made a gift bag for Stegosaurus that matched the backing fabric used but I haven’t gotten that far yet with Bairn’s quilt. My goal was to not over-quilt and keep these as washing friendly as possible. The fabrics were all pre-washed as well. To make the dedication notes, I used permanent fabric ink pens. They have already survived much washing and baby food dribbles. The quilts are also a little larger than a traditional crib quilt so that they can grow with the babies. Here’s hoping they survive for years to come.

How did I manage to make two baby quilts while working full time, being married, struggling with health issues (MS and depression to name a couple), and parenting an infant whilst having many other responsibilities? With lots of help. I started the projects when the babies in question were in early gestation. My sister-in-law/friend help me cut out the fabric. My amazing husband held down the home front during piecing and again during quilting on many occasions. Two of my friends/family watched the infant so I could do the pinning. I kept the entire design very simple. I also have been writing less/in shorter bursts and devoting less time to other extra hobbies like non-quilt sewing or painting or volunteering. It took me over a year but both babies were able to dribble and chew on their respective quilts by the time they turned 1-year which was my goal. I was incredibly proud of myself and incredibly grateful for all the loving people in my life who helped me.

It is extremely hard for me to ask for help but I’ve been getting better and I think my mental health has benefited as a result. Quilts for other people may not look like the elusive self-care we’re all told to practice, but, when you’re a crafty quilter, it definitely is. When you’re a crafty quilter writer, writing a blog post is also self-care and I appreciate the luxury of being able to do this right now.

What about you, dear pond readers? What are you creating at present? How are you practicing self-care and who is helping you to do it? Leave a comment below and thank you so much for stopping by the pond today.

Spring is coming! This is a photo I took years ago. Enjoy the sunshine. Photo by E.A. Schneider