out with the old and in the new

my first very large quilt was a guilt that i made for my bed.  and it was my first appliqued quilt with the paper in the inside. i had to cut little holes to take out the paper.  applique has come along way for me,  no more paper, thank god.  that quilt has proteted me and kept me warm.  when i made this quilt i did not know what the heck i was doing.  i had no pattern, just a picture and i was making changes to that.  during the time that i was making this quilt i thought about my grandmother. how i would watch her make a quilt, with her friends.  but i realize that none of them were teaching any of their children, or grandchildren how to quilt.  i always felt a closness to my grandmother.  she was seen as the mother in her community, people would come to her for advise. so as i worked on this quilt, i remember feeling like she was quilding me in how to make this quilt.  her spirit was telling me what to do and to who to go to if i didn't know how to do something when i was working on this quilt.  i always thought that quilt shops sold only quilts and not fabric.  i never took a  class for quilting.  i read a few books, but i was the type of person that can look at something and go home and make.  i would always do that when i saw a sweater that i like.  i would look at that sweater and go home and make it.  and that is what i did with this quilt.
 now that i have been quilting for several years and my daugther does not have a interest in quilting, i have notice that my granddaughter seem to be interested in alot of things that i do.  a couple of years ago i taught her how to hand quilt. and that seem to be to slow for her and my patience with her was very shot.  but as soon as i showed her what to do on a sewing machine she was hooked.  now that she is 14, a couple of months ago she has joined our jr quilters at the guild that i go to.  she just turned 14 on the 15th a couple of days ago, and i was thinking about giving her one of my sewing machines.  her little brothers are still running in and out  of her room and i just don't feel it is safe right now for her to have a sewing machine at her home right now.  i will just keep it here for now.

the title for this post is call out with the old and in with the new. the quilt that i have been writing about is old and has been laid to rest.  not thrown away.   it is somewhere in a box, somewhere in this house.

now let me show you the new. the new quilt that will be laid on my bed.

working hard

well i have been working hard with personal matter and quilting at the same time.  working on several things,  but today i am going to talk about doll making.  oh before i get started, let me say this, no i do not dye my own fabric.  that is something that i am very afraid to do.  i do use dye fabric or batik fabric to make my portrait quilts. someone asked this in one of my comments. and i did save your site, for just the day when i decide to dye fabric.  now back to talking about doll making.  someone likes my dolls so well that they want me to teach a class.  i told them that i am just learning this myself and she still wants me to teach a class. the doll on the right is what i am going to teach how to make.  she gave me a time frame for the class and i really don't think that was enough time.  so what i always do is teach  a class for the first time is, i teach it at the quilting bee that i am in first.  i wouldn't be able teach the class at the bee until maybe in a couple of months and she needs to know now how long it would take to teach this class. so today linda  from EATSLEEPQUILT BLOG and my quilting friend jackie came over and they were my student for the day. by doing this it helps me to see what i need to do different and how to write my lesson plan and handout paper.  the first thing is that on my supply list, i need to put a picture of what a open toe applique presser foot looks like.  the attachment foot that i feel is best to use.  this is not a good picture of the foot.  you must be able to see the sewing line that you are sewing on.   

they both realize that doll making is very time consuming.  we started about 1:15 and was still at it at 5:00 and was not nearly finish.  i could not truly give a time frame, base on how i work when i sew. when i work on a something, i will sew for a while take a break, do something else and come back  and start where i left off.  and there are someday i just sew nostop.  by me sewing all day and night and taking breaks would not give a true timing for a workshop.  they only took a very short break and that really wasn't a break because they were drink and eating while they were sewing. 

jackie and linda working hardlinda sewing between water breaks.  .  the hardest part for them was the stuffing.  they have to pack the stuffing very tight into the body parts.  here is a picture of my hands showing them how to start stuffing the dolls.   the lady's did very well.   

day two they realize the hard part is really working with the hands.  turning those tiny fingers is very hard.  but they worked at it. jackie sitting comfortable working and turning those tiny finger inside out.

here is a closer look at linda also working hard at pushing those tiny fingers inside out.

jackie is holding the dolls so you can see them before the legs are attached.  next they are going to add the legs to the body.  now if any body can tell me if there are any strong doll needles that will sew straight through the hips and body with out the needle moving to the side, please let me know.  it hate it when it curves to the side and point somewhere other than where you want it to come out.

here is a picture with the legs attached.

here is a picture of linda's and jackie's dolls.  my doll is the one in the middle.  the lady's are going to take home  their dolls and put the arms on and add clothes to the dolls. let's see who is going to be finish first.  also check out their cute little head wraps. that is real hair.  the person who maintain my locs give me locs that people don't want when she cut their locs. 


well for the last two days we have been work hard making dolls and i still have to write down how i am going to teach this class.  they both agree that i should not teach how to put the pipe cleaner into the hands.  it takes long and is very hard to do.   the hands and face should be a separte class.


stitches for now.

yetunde

ok i am back at it.

first i want to thank everyone for their lovely comment about the dolls. the dolls that have the arms and leg made out of coat hanger, that is not my original design. someone that i know made one and i just tried making it myself. now the other dolls are from a book call, cloth doll artistry. the clothes are my own design. i am still working on perfecting this. i need to work on the hands, legs. and mostly try making faces for these dolls.

now someone also asked about the scarves that i helped my niece make. the scarf is my nieces design. their is no pattern. and the direction that you asked about are right. enough said about that and i am not helping her anymore.

ok, i am back, at it and it is because i was surround by my quilting sistah's at guild meeting this weekend.  i gusess by just getting a break from home and work and not think about my personal life for a few hours just got my creative mojo working.   i even took my granddaughter with me and she had a great time and by the end of the guild meeting she was asking if she could join.  we have young girls under14 as members.
so when i got home i started working on the PRINCE piece.  for the past two months i have mess up fabric trying to do other people.  i dropped out of a challenge because i could not do the person that i was trying to do.  my mind was somewhere else.  but now i am back so let me show you what i have been doing,

here is the picture of prince that i was using to get my idea from.

1. shaping the face.

2.working around the eyes and around the frame of the face.

3.  added the eyes, lips and hair.

4,  add his symbol and back ground fabric.  i have not decided as to how i am going to quilt this and whether or not i am going to add a border.  i am going to think on this for a while.

i hope you like it.

stitches,

yetunde



dolls

i haven't been quilting for about two months.  it is not like i haven't tried, for some reason i just keep messing up fabric.  so i decided my hands into making dolls and i like it.  quilting is still my first love, but for some reason my creative flow in not into my quilts.  life is kind of crazy right now for me.  my personal life still have somethings that need solving and that should be cleared up by the end of the month.  so check out my dolls and i hope you like it.

the first three dolls, arms and legs were made from coat hanger's. the other dolls were made by following a book and i added my little changes to it. i am not good at making their cloths. this will be something that i will have to work on. oh i forgot, the hair is real dreadlocks. and no they are not my locs.  the hair was give to me by my locitian.

stitches for now.

yetunde

happy new year to you and your family!

WARNING

WARNING if you are on my email list or on my facebook list, please do not open email that say (sandra ealy sent you a facebook message. it is a virus. 

busy life

for those of you that are waiting for me to finish projects for them, i am sorry but i have a family emergency and some of my projects are behind.   i have been sick, but i also have a family member that is ill and need my attention right now.  going back and forth to doctors and going to work kinds of drains me and make me tire.  so i find myself messing up quilt pieces.  here is a piece that i have been working on for a month.  i had to do this piece over about three times.  most of the time i and make this in a couple of hours. my creative energy was just not there. but i finally got it as close as i could.  the person is picking this up this weekend.  i am also trying to make xmas gifts and i am also messing those up also.  here is a picture of the couple that i did.  i hope they like it.

i want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. i properly won't post until next month.  be safe and happy stitches.

yetunde

check out

check out my friend linda's new blog. show the sister some love as you have shown me. http://eatsleepquilt.blogspot.com/   i will try to post what is going on with me sometime today or this weekend.

stitches for now

yetunde