Where Have I Been Lately?

At the end of January 2013 the family and I moved back to Great Falls, MT (the big city). It was a sudden move based on an experience my husband had of getting spun around in a wheat stubble field during the middle of a snow storm. It was his final straw!! Also, the 45 miles each way to work and back 5 days a week was wearing on him. The original plan was to retire in Fort Benton, MT and that may not be over but for now we are where the family is happier. My 3 teenagers didn't like the small city/living on a farm life. I must say though that I am content with either setting. I do miss my sweet lady residents in personal care there and have been visiting once or twice a month still with them. Right after the move we also had a major virus invade the old computer and went for several months without one. So glad a cousin of Fred's gifted us a new one. We are ever so thankful. Fortunately, my old employer in Great Falls had a position open and they hired me back immediately. The position is for 24 hours a week and I am working on picking up an extra shift permanently to have 32 weekly. However, there have been tons of extra shifts due to medical leave and vacations so I have been working 60 hours weekly for the past 4 weeks -- a bit overwhelming for me and the kids. Another new thing I started is volunteering at the local senior center for 3 hours on Mondays and then 4 hours on Thursdays. One of the teenagers goes with me each time and it is good for them to interact with the seniors as well as get one on one time with mom. I will close with pictures of a lion Wynston just finished making by hand with clay and then painting. He did a wonderful job on it!! Wynston is soon to be 16 years old -- can't believe it! The other pictures are of projects I have been working on with the kids in the group home where I work. The beading is new for me and the 13 year old boy there, but we have made 2 medallion "bling" pieces for him thus far. The boys like working on needlework projects just as much as the girls do in the group home.

Pillow Talk

I have been working on a few small projects -- some with new twists for me. I made this owl pillow for my daughter. She is into this character some now as we seem to find different fabrics with owls on them lately. This is done with fusible web and then machine stitching around every edge of different fabric used, even the eyelashes and nose as pictured. The next pillow was made as a surprise for an old schoolmate that I am friends with on Facebook. He drew this center as a tattoo he would like to get in the future and then put it for friends to see his artwork concept. I printed the black and white picture on the printer and then used my light box to hand copy it onto fabric. I then embroidered it and used colored pencils in some places. Quilted the front and back pieces and stuffed it. My friend Rolo (Danny) was very pleased. He has health disabilities and feels down at times. He told me that no one (not related to him) has ever done something this nice for him. It made me happy as well!!

Tulip Quilt Progress

I am seeing the end in sight on this requested tulip quilt. Just need to make more flower centers and leaves -- then sew them on. A thin strip matching off white border on two sides and then sandwich together to finish. This has been quite a project to do.

Someone requested this for their mother and told me that she will want to use it on her casket in the future. I had never heard of that before. Seemed very strange to me and even hindered me in coming up with a visualization of what I wanted to do.

I talked with a very nice elderly resident in personal care where I work about my project and she said in a rather matter of fact way, "Native Americans have had this tradition for years. Their quilt is usually a star quilt." I guess that sparked me on to get this far and just seeing it laid out with the rest of the tulips pinned will mean completion by next week.

Then it will be onto a stack of unfinished blocks I have laying around the house and tons of embroidery pieces to create into something.

Feels almost like I am Spring cleaning or something!!!

A Promise Brings A Smile

My family recently got to take a vacation. An actual vacation where we went some where; got away from it all; got away from the same old 4 walls we see day in day out. We packed up suitcases and headed down the road to Yellowstone National Park and then ended our week by driving the "Going to the Sun" Road in Glacier National Park. Those pictures and blogs are to follow.



Before I left on this vacation, I had a young lady (17 years old) from the group home embroidery some pieces that I told her I would turn into a quilted throw for her. This project took her some time complete and she was sad to find that I would be gone for the week and she would not have her finished item back right away. (She has issues with patience and her mental capacity is lower than her age). I made her a promise that I would have it finished when I returned on my first shift back.

So after packing in a full week and being very tired, I practically tied myself to my sewing chair and put her top together on Saturday and then spent much of Sunday doing the sewing machine quilting and hemming to finish her throw. I arrived at work at 11:45 p.m. and she was up the stairs by 12:10 a.m. wondering if I had kept my promise. Since the other staff person was still filling me in on happenings around the home and with the residents, this young lady acted like she had a headache. We talked with her and then let her have her quilted throw. The smile on her face was well worth the effort to complete this project. In a time when these kids feel no one keeps promises, I feel it is very important to show them there are people who do care and will go the extra mile. It also makes them feel they are worth something.

Also, the 13 year old boy I taught to embroidery and made pillows and tote bags for him and his siblings left while I was on vacation. I noticed he took his zippy bag with a project he was working on as well as some of my threads, hoop and needle. I hope he will remember and keep his hobby up or find something else that brings him an accomplished feeling. My prayers and wishes are his home life will come together for him to continue to grow and thrive positively.

I am still smiling because I have this girl's face planted in my memory with her bright smile.

The Stitches Are Flying

A staff at the group home told me last night that she could not believe coming into work the Saturday before how she found the kids up doing their needlework and craft projects could make them so calm and quiet. Then she told me that she would pay money to see our newest resident (a hyper teenage male) sitting doing needlework. This may be my newest challenge, but I think it will have to wait until a certain girl departs the home in a couple of weeks as she is keeping drama alive and well.



The 13 year old boy created the above embroidery piece and I turned it into a tote bag for his 10 year old sister. She is very pleased with it. Now I have to finish her 12 year old sister's project, but I am undecided as to whether a tote bag or a pillow will be the finished product. Tote bags take a little bit longer and more planning to finish.



I made my very first apron for a staff member that was moving to California. The 17 year old girl resident did the giraffe because Shannon loves them and then asked her what she wanted it turned into. An apron was the reply and me being a "Mary Poppins" type person had to rise to the occasion and try to fulfill the request. All in all, I was pleased and will probably do some more exploring on aprons in the future. One thing I did not included on this piece was pockets as time just didn't allow it.



The 13 year old boy resident said his youngest sister liked fairies and princess things. I found this picture online and made it into a pattern for him to embroidery. Wanting to do something different, she was made a draw string purse with a rounded bottom. There are things I would like to do different if I ever attempt another similar design.



This last piece is from the 17 year old girl resident. She has a very up and down relationship with her mother. I did find it very interesting though that when she wanted to start stitching to make something, her mother was the first person on her mind. A big smile came on her face the morning she got up and found her mom's pillow sitting on the table for her to have.

They are wearing me out. Forcing projects to come faster and faster for them. I ended up doing 4 patterns on fabric for each of them with an under the sea theme. This is giving me a break, but I was shown last night that these are mostly completed and today is a new week. Now one wants jungle theme animals to stitch and the other I have talked into making something really pretty for his grandmother as a peace offering to get him back in her good graces and maybe back home sooner.

I also made a smaller floral door knob hanger out of felt for a girl in the home that has a much lower cognition level but wants to be doing projects like the others. I had her work on stitching some on the little item just for decorations. Wish I had remembered to take a picture -- maybe another time. I also was able to purchase her some $1 items that required double sided sticky dots with sequins and plastics gems to be put on preprinted colorful pictures. She was spell bound and determined to keep on working.

These kids are thriving on a sense of accomplishment and on the communication they are getting that is positive while working on their projects and then when finished. I hope it will last long enough for them to remember that feeling and use it to their advantage in the future.

PS: We do get them out of the house on a daily basis with weather permitting -- yesterday we went to a local park and flew my huge frisbee, played with my big bouncy ball and let them climb on the play equipment. Plus, they got to play on a slip and slide the home purchased for them. -- Got to keep them active and busy!!!

Projects for June 2011

I work at a local therapeutic group home for kids ranging in age from 13 to 18. We have up to six residents at a time. Due to the rainfall being continuously keeping them indoors, the kids have been putting together puzzles, playing card games, and watching DVD's I take in for them. Their attention spans are usually pretty short and reading is not one of their favorite things to do. Since I work overnights midnight to 8 a.m., the kids know that I bring along embroidery pieces to work on. I was asked a while back by one of the boys if I could create for him a logo on a pillow of the MSU Bobcats. This was interesting to do as it is hard to print one out online as they are owned. I was able to get a faint one and laid it directly on my fabric and then did a trace outline on my sewing machine. From there I did a hand loop stitch and completed his request. I was able to put a big grin on a 13 year old. From there he then asked if I could make him a pattern on fabric to learn to stitch. I chose a horse for him and he decided he would make it for his mother. His stitches were big but he was pleased and I turned his project into a wall hanging to give to her. Now he has followed my instruction and completed 3 more patterns which I will be making into tote bags for his 3 younger sisters.



From his interest, then 2 other girls in the home have requested patterns to stitch. One is a young pregnant 16 year old and wants a jungle theme quilt top for her baby. I put most of the center of the quilt together and drew the patterns for her to stitch. I have a feeling she will not be completing her project, but we will see.



Another girl is soon to be 17 and she has completed two patterns in a days time. Now she is requesting a ladybug fabric panel to do for her mother. So I must close for now and find a pattern to give to her to work on tomorrow.

These kids are keeping me busy. One staff member told me recently that we are not there to "entertain" them. I don't know if this is what I am doing or not, but I do know they are happy and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Also, it is making their time go by faster and the other staff are happy they have something to do.



This last picture is of a baby quilt (raw edge circle) I finished and mailed to Ashland, OR to a young lady I used to be a "nanny-type" person in her life over 18 years ago. She just had her first baby. I am happy for her, but it makes me feel a little old when I think of how much time has passed by from my years with her. She was sweet and wrote me that she remembers I taught her all the words to the song "When You Wish Upon a Star". It is funny the things people remember about each other.