Daisy Janie

Art of the Quilt in Lancaster PA | who wants to go?

image property of Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum

I was link-hopping this morning:
...from my friend Harmony's facebook post about the 2012 Symposia by the Textile Society of America...
    ...to textile exhibitions listed by state on the TSA website...
        ...to the Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum in Pennsylvania...
            ...to info about the Art of the Quilt exhibit taking place March 13-18.

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From the museum's website:

Art of the Quilt  
Lancaster County Amish Quilts —The Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum’s permanent collection showcases quilts produced by Amish women in Lancaster County between the 1870s and the 1940s. The Quilt & Textile Museum’s permanent exhibition is what many scholars consider to be the finest collection of authentic late 19th-20th century Amish Quilts indigenous to this region. Formerly known as the “Esprit Collection”, it was the brainchild of Doug Tompkins, a founder of the Esprit Corporation, who began collecting the quilts during the 1970s. In 2008, six of the quilts from the museum’s collection were listed as National Treasures by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For the very first time since this collection made its public debut in 1990 at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, visitors will experience ALL 82 historic masterworks of American quilt making selected from the world renowned Esprit Collection of Amish quilts.  These superb works, acknowledged masterpieces of design and needlework, were made between 1870 and 1950 by the Amish women in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The exhibition will be presented in the Beaux-Arts inspired Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum, 37 North Market Street Lancaster PA, for one week only—March 13-18, 2012.

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I am on a mission to expand my horizons and absorb lotsa inspiration beyond my bubble this year (aka: I need to get out of my house). The exhibit looks like it will fit the bill! I'm really excited to have stumbled across it before it was over!

Would anyone like to go / meet me there on Wed, 3/14? You can email me at info [at] daisyjanie.com.

I am flexible on Thurs & Fri, too; just have a preference for Wednesday. This exhibit runs in conjunction with the American Quilter's Society Show & Contest in Lancaster. So, if you're making a longish trek, you could hit both shows to make the most of your trip!

seeing | what there is to see in Charlottesville.

How do! Hope you had a chance to do something just for *you* this past weekend!

We took a 5-hour drive down to Charlottesville, VA for a quick & much needed family getaway. If you like old, Main St. communities with lots to see & do, very walkable downtown areas, good eats, nice parks, rich history to explore and hiking nearby, then this might be a city for you to visit. We stayed in a cozy rental right in town, which we found via Stay Charlottesville; it was awesome! We were really lucky with the weather! Sunny and 60 both days (next day they were getting snow - we skedaddled!).

University of Virginia is a big part of Charlottesville, and we took some time to walk around the campus while there. Reminded me a lot Penn State. We spent most of Friday at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. That's where the pics below were taken... 

Above: Sewing-related items, explained below. Always interesting to learn more historical information about one's chosen craft. Makes me feel both semi-insignificant as well as pretty good to carry the torch.

Above: Tulip poplar once located just to the left of Jefferson's home below. It lasted from late 1700s until 2008. The opening is so large that my son could stand inside it!

Below: Jefferson's home. He designed it - not nearly as big as I thought from looking at the back of a nickel all these years. We took the tour & learned some incredible details on why / how Jefferson designed it the way he did. He had a special calculation for determining how much natural light each space should have based upon cubic measurements. Lots of portal windows and skylights! Love all these angles coming together.

Above: Garden. Every row was marked with a wooden label. I hadn't heard of half of the plantings! I purchased 2 seed packets from the gift shop, which they procure at the end of each growing season.

If I lived here, I would start every day with a few hill runs on those switchbacks in the background. Husband and son agreed!   

Above: Cemetery is on-site at Monticello, and still in use by descendants. Jefferson wrote his obituary and epitaph himself; he did NOT want to be remembered for being President. He called it a "splendid misery."

Jefferson quotes:
"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

Above: Spring is on its way! Glad to see this harbinger of warmth as we left Monticello, even if we are still a month or so behind this growing zone.

Below: Hike in Shenandoah National Park - about 20 miles from Charlottesville. We hiked Turk Mountain Trail and the Riprap Trail to Chimney Rocks! Good ones!

Thanks for taking this little tour with me! Have a great week!

If you know of cities / towns like this, please let me know! We are always on the lookout for a great new spot to explore!!

 

quick project | a rumply, undulating fabric & fleece scarf.

Above:
Brown fabric is Essence, from Daisy Janie's organic fabric collection Tilly.
Organic fleece from worthygoods textiles
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Scarf #1 is finished! Yeeha! And none too soon b/c the mercury is a-droppin' this weekend back to regular, nippy winter temps. Thank you for making me accountable, Nicole (@Followbunny)!

The creation of the scarf was semi-conceptualized in design & process, but mostly I wung it (past tense of the action verb "to wing"). My goals included a soft, natural edge like the one Betz made (that I mentioned yesterday); an undulating, feminine look when worn; and a high, snug fit under the chin, like an Elizabethan collar. Lastly, it had to be utilitarian with fleece - mama needs to keep warm!

Here's how to make one for yourself:

• The edge-to-edge width of the organic fleece is about 62", so that's what determined the length of my scarf. Cut 1 strip of fleece 5" wide. If you want yours longer, piece strips together.
• Cut & piece 2 strips of 45-inch wide fabric, 5" wide. Trim to length of fleece.
• Cut a 2" tapered edge on all fabric ends.
• Create a lettuce-edge hem. This is a cool technique I learned when I created Betz's upcycled cashmere shrug, which can be found on Craftsy. There are a lot of tutes on this stitch. 
  • With wrong sides of the fabric and fleece together, and with the fleece on the bottom, use a narrow zig-zag stitch to sew the 2 pieces together.
  • Start about 2" down on one of the long sides. Make sure your needle is down in the fabric. Pull the fleece layer toward you to make it stretch as far as you can without torquing the needle or degrading the weave of the fleece.
  • Keep the edges matched, keep a strong tug on the fleece, and stitch along the very edge. This part was tricky with 2 fabrics, where one needs to be stretched and the other does not. Also, the fleece will roll if you're not slow and vigilant. I re-adjusted my tug about every 5-6", making sure the needle was down every time. Pinning won't work b/c it won't allow you to pull as needed to get the undulating edge. oliver + s also has a nice description of the technique, too.
  • Do both long sides, trim as needed on short ends b/c fabrics will not match up 100%. Complete zig-zag on short ends.
• The scarf will have some puff at this point. Stitch a straight stitch down the center, letting the printed fabric on top gather and tuck as you stitch over it. Repeat with 2 more straight stitches, each halfway between the edge and the center straight stitch.
• All done! 

Consider a more narrow scarf if you don't like the high-collar look. You could use a lighter weight fabric (even a voile) for a more fluid flop-n-flow. Use an organic knit jersey fabric instead of fleece, and you'll get some serious ruffly edges going on! Remember that the more your edges ruffle, the shorter your scarf will be - so add length to your fabrics as needed. Have fun!

To find a retailer stocking Daisy Janie's Essence organic fabric, visit our 'where to buy' page.

sewing with...

...organic cotton fleece! Purchased & available at worthygoods textiles.

This fabric feels like I'm petting a cloud. So soft and lofty. Mmmmmm....

I am making a couple new scarves for myself. I wear them all 17ish of the hours I'm awake each day in the winter. My favorite of any scarf I have ever owned is a cashmere curly scarf made from repurposed sweaters by my friend Betz White. It can certainly withstand my addiction heavy usage, but I need to add some variety. I have another organic jersey scarf I like - but it's a bit too lightweight for winter. And sadly, I determined last week that wool and I are not friends - so that took another 2 scarves out of rotation.

It was the oddest thing with this wool scarf. I was wearing it while watching TV. (I have ongoing lung issues that leave me with a perpetual, low-level tightness in my chest, which is quite frustrating.) While wearing this scarf, it got worse and worse and worse. Initially, I wasn't alarmed b/c I am so used to this sensation. It eventually got so bad that I was up doing yoga poses just to get air in my lungs. After about an hour, it dawned on me that the scarf may be the trigger. The wool scarf! Of course! I took it off, and 20 mins later, I could breathe! I never had that happen before! Have you?

And what was really odd is that - just 2 days before this - I was happily blaming the dogs for my chest tightness (cuz I've blamed everything else I could think of), and my husband, quick to defend the beasts, said I should take the wool carpet out of my office and see what happens. I looked at him cross-eyed. Go figure.

hearts n arts.

Happy, Happy Love Day to you! Hope you're spreading love and feeling loved, as always!

I found these painted pages from my old 2010 calendars. I cut out random leaf shapes after painting the textured pages various colors, with no real purpose other than to play around with the shapes. Finding them reminded today me how much I need to use my hands to create art with real objects in real life, for art's sake, instead of being tethered to this computatin' machine all day. Need to do it. Must do it. It's definitely one love of mine that I don't nurture enough.

words & music | Love for Long by Jenny Owen Youngs.

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Who's happy it's Friday? Who's so happy about it they want to dance? Well, let's get jiggy with it then! I'm up, and I'm getting down! Regina Spektor mentioned this song on FB today - I'm hooked! (If you can't see the music player in your reader, click through to the post.)

It's been a pretty swell week overall, and I'm looking foward to notta lotta on my plate this weekend. Ooooooh, maybe I can finish some curtains, read a book and build a radiator cover. All at once! As long as the music is loud, anything's possible!

How about you? Whachu got this weekend?

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LOVE FOR LONG

My daddy’s car, you know she’s built to last
And I take the corners hard and fast
If a way out is all you’re looking for
Well shut your mouth and the passenger door

Go side by side, a thousand miles
It feels like nothing with you in shotgun

Just like a bolt, we’re up the coast love
And where we go, we’ll make the most of
The love we got, cause it won’t be love for long
For right or wrong

Eyes on the road, windows rolled away
We keep our heads ducked down most days
But when you come running, say we gotta go
I don’t ask cause I already know

This time next year we’ll be so far from here
The wind behind us, oh how’ll they find us

When like a bolt, we’re up the coast love
And where we go, we’ll make the most of
The love we got, cause it won’t be love for long

Your mama’s heart is surely bound to break
The day they finally drag up that lake
Science tells us bones won’t turn to mud
No matter how you wish that they would

Let ‘em come, I don’t care what you done
We’ll fight like demons and leave them screaming

And like a bolt, we’re up the coast love
And where we go, we’ll make the most of
The love we got, cause it won’t be love for long

from AN UNWAVERING BAND OF LIGHT, track released 07 February 2012
by Jenny Owen Youngs 

red flowers ahead of the curve.

I feel like Zuzu from "It's a Wonderful Life" this week. Remember how enamored she was with the rose she won at school? And how she got sick b/c she didn't button her coat so as to not crush her pretty flower? And how she just wanted to stare at it when she was supposed to be in bed resting?

See here if you don't remember (or if you don't know what I'm talking about...)

Most days, I stay in my 2nd floor studio hunched at my computer (like right now). But since Tuesday, when M brought home this happy red bouquet, I have been making frequent trips downstairs so I can steal a glance at them each time I pass by. Why don't I bring them upstairs with me, you ask? Honestly, I like the feeling I get when I see them in small doses. It's an instant reminder of the sentiment behind them, and I smile from ear to ear. If they were in my periphery all day, that sentiment would be watered down and lost b/c I'd acclimate to them being there like my boring old stapler or calculator - items which definitely don't give me a warm fuzzy.  

Do you do this, too? How do you keep special things feeling special?

The flower artwork on the wall is by Renee Garner of Wolfie and the Sneak. Love these prints!

free downloadable pattern | lap quilt with Tilly fat quarters.

I'm super excited to share this free downloadable pattern with you today!

With 8 fat quarters (plus backing & binding fabrics), you can make this simple and pretty Garden Ladder Lap Quilt. In my mock-up, I used 1 fat quarter from each of the 8 fabric designs in Daisy Janie's Tilly organic fabric collection. Tilly is inspired by my Mom, her 1970s garden and flowery decor, and I was eager to design a FQ lap quilt pattern that drew from that same garden vibe. I really like the natural flow throughout, and from one side to the other.

Download Garden Ladder Lap Quilt pdf
For personal use only. May not be reproduced, offered for re-sale or distributed in any other way without Daisy Janie's express permission.

Find a retailer carrying the Tilly organic fabric collection.

Below:
I completed my quilt top for this pattern last week, and it came together quickly. Now I'm at the pin-basted-ready-to-quilt-don't-know-what-I'm-doing stage. And right after that is the quilt-it-anyway-and-rip-out-seams stage. That's the one just before taking deep breaths & forcing patience upon myself. I will post when complete! 

recipe | apricot almond coconut snack bars.

I don't think I'm alone in my desire to find or make a snack bar for our family that is exactly what we want, at a price that's reasonable. Well, you may not desire it for our family, but certainly you might desire it for your own, right? (That 1st sentence would be a field day for an English teacher.)

So what would that perfect bar be for our family?
1) All-natural ingredients.
2) Organic ingredients.
3) No grains. No gluten.
4) No added sweeteners.
5) No added fillers. No preservatives.
6) Easy to prep or find in a store.
7) Less than $1 per bar, purchased ready-made or homemade.

You know how it is, tho: You have your ideal in mind, and then you have what you're willing to settle for. The old trade-off. "It may not be cheap, but it's organic." or "It's not organic, but it's not filled with crap ingredients." That's how we got sucked into buying the very delicious Larabars and Kind Bars for far too long now. They are super tasty, but I've never found them for less than $1.49-1.99/bar (ouch) and they're not organic (boo radley!). Because we buy about 90% organic foods for our home, it seemed very silly & hypocritical that we were compromising on this particular attribute! No more.

Enter this recipe to swoop in and save the day! Very much by accident, too. I had purchased a bag of unsweetened flaked coconut from Sun Organics and was searching online for a recipe to make with it. I found this one, doubled it and made it without any confectioner's sugar. (After making this, I googled homemade recipes for Lara bars and Kind bars - there are a ton!)

INGREDIENTS
2 C dried apricots
2 C unsweetened flaked coconut
1-1/2 C almonds (I used roasted & lightly salted)
2 t fresh grated lemon rind
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T fresh orange juice
a little extra juice just in case.

DIRECTIONS
Heat apricots for 10 mins in large saucepan over a double-boiler, stirring every couple minutes. This warms the natural sugars and makes them softer & goo-ier for next step. Add apricots, almonds and coconut to food processor. Pulse about 10 times to get an initial breakdown of the ingredients, then scrape sides with spatula. Turn processor to ON setting, add lemon rind and slowly add both juices while processing. Continue to blend until ingredients become grainy and mix becomes more solid. If mixture balls up and stalls, move it around with spatula and then blend some more. Add a little extra juice if the mixture just doesn't come together.

How much you blend the mix is a personal preference. As long as its pretty firm and sticky, you'll be able to form it into individual servings. The original recipe called for shaping into balls. You could also roll it into a log shape, and cut into slices. I opted to make a brick shape and slice thin bars.

Scoop, shape and let air dry for about 3-4 hrs. Turning halfway through if you create bars. Store refrigerated in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers. The citric acid from the lemon and orange acts as a natural preservative.

*that's actually a Clementine, which is why the lemon looks like a monster.

I wanted to compare, as directly as possible, this recipe to the Lara Bars and Kind Bars I like the most, which is why I cut mine into bars about the same size as my comparison. I entered the ingredients into Livestrong's My Plate, and the nutritional analysis is below.

If you cut 18 bars from this recipe, here's how it shakes out:

	Apricot Almond Coconut Bars	Kind Bar - Almond & Apricot	Lara Bar - Key Lime
ingredients	apricots, almonds, coconut, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon rind	Almonds, dried coconut, apricots [apricot paste, glycerol (vegetable based), pectin, citrus fiber, citric acid], honey, non GMO glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin.	dates, cashews, almonds, coconut, lime juice concentrate
calories per serving	201	190	220
fat	14g	11g	10g
carbohydrates	15g	22g	31
fiber	4g	5g	4g
sugar	10g	12g	24g
protein	5g	3g	4g
price	$.85*	$1.49	$1.99

*If you're buying ingredients in bulk, this price would come down quite a bit from $.85.

GOTS, organic cotton & other links

Above | Daisy Janie is proud member of the Organic Trade Assocation
"OTA is a leader in advocating and protecting organic standards so that consumers can have confidence in certified organic production.  With input from its diverse membership, OTA continues to develop and refine organic standards for emerging product areas. OTA monitors the work of government agencies, takes positions on legislation that affects organic agriculture and products, and represents the industry to regulators, elected officials, and international bodies."

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I hope the info contained in these links will give you pause and help guide you in your fabric-buying habits and possibly other areas, too. Do what you can b/c it ALL makes a difference! We're in this together!

• Cotton and the Environment - OTA
• Cotton Facts - OTA
• Cotton: Facts Behind the Fiber
• Is there a way to clean regular fabrics to remove all toxic residues?
• About Organic Cotton
• Statistics of Cotton - slightly outdated in numbers, but still factual in content. This frightens me: "In California, it has become illegal to feed the leaves, stems, and short fibers of cotton known as ‘gin trash’ to livestock, because of the concentrated levels of pesticide residue. Instead, this gin trash is used to make furniture, mattresses, tampons, swabs, and cotton balls. The average American woman will use 11,000 tampons or sanitary pads during her lifetime."
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) - 34-page Standard, Ver. 3 - From planted seed to packaged bolt, Daisy Janie's fabrics are produced in accordance with GOTS. This the most comprehensive, 3rd-party certification standard in existence as it addresses seeds, growing, harvesting, ginning, spinning, weaving, printing, finishing & packaging. There are other standards, but they are considered a stepping stone to GOTS. Anytime a company claims organic certification, it is perfectly okay for you as a consumer to ask to see their certificate! My latest cert for Tilly is below.
• O Eco Textiles - Specifically GOTS (in plain language), cotton fibers, organic fabrics, textile industry hazards. Prepare to be shocked when you read some of what Patty & Leigh Anne share on their blog. They research and write with a mission: education & awareness. They are also pioneers!
• Harmony Art: Organic vs. Conventional - Harmony is another pioneer in the organic fabric category! She is generous with information and eager to educate. She definitely walks the walk in her own life, too!
• Reasons to Love Daisy Janie Organic Fabrics

WIP | lap quilt.

Working on this lap quilt with Tilly organic fabrics, which will be available as a free downloadable project in the near future. I know "hope is not a strategy," but I sure hope to have it done this week! Check back, whydontcha!

Also, if you're around, tonight from 9-11 EST, Daisy Janie is sponsoring Talkin' Tuesdays tweetchat. More info here.

Daisy Janie is sponsoring Talkin' Tuesdays tomorrow #talknt

Tomorrow evening, Daisy Janie will be sponsoring the Talkin' Tuesdays twitter chat! I have fabric to giveaway (see below) and a few patterns, too. Fun, fun!

Tuesday, January 31st, 9-11pm EST. Twitter hashtag #talknt.

To find out how to participate in the chat, check out the Talkin' Tuesdays blog.

Talkin' Tuesdays is a weekly gathering of folks who like to talk about all-things fabric, quilting and sewing, moderated by Cara Wilson of Cara Quilts. I follow the chat most Tuesdays b/c I ALWAYS learn something - I am such a newbie when it comes to quilting. It's great for getting real-time, useful feedback from sewers at all levels - beginners and aficionados alike! Kinda like being on a "live help desk"! And it's another way to meet others who share your passion! 

We'll be chatting about organics, scale, value, directionality & anything else that comes up. The conversation kinda takes on a life of its own - so you can ask questions, too!

Hope to see you there! #talknt

quote | van gogh said it best.

image (c) Jan DiCintio. Texture is an original handpainted striae.

True for me.
True for you.
True for all we do.

snoozer.

Hello Friends! This blog turned into a snoozer this week b/c I was too busy watching this little dormouse snore it up. Of the 1.2 million views on youtube*, maybe 1 million are mine. <-- that's a hyperbole. I did watch a few times, however, with a big grin! Partly b/c it is just flat-out cute and partly b/c I'm hoping some of its peaceful, oblivious-to-the-world slumber will rub off on me. Couldn't we all use some seriously sound sleep like this? Honk, shoe, honk, shoe, honk shoe...

Do you think dormouse's friends are back at the brambly hedge, making chestnut stew and keeping his blackberry tea warm for him?

*To read more about why and how this video was captured, read the info on youtube.

really? a brand new sewing machine broken?

You've heard all my kvetching about the old Kenmore dying - blah, blah, blah. I bought this basic Janome back in early December to replace it, and I've used it once for about a 6" stitch just to try it out.

• At 2:40 today, I had all my pieces cut to make a quilt for a free downloadable project that I was aiming to post on Monday.
• At 2:41, I was sitting down to the machine positively brimming with anticipation to sew my first item! A quilt! With Tilly fabrics to boot!
• At 2:42, I was looking at p. 12 in the manual on how to change the presser foot.
• At 2:43, that little piece broke off in my hand. (I pulled when I shoulda pushed. Yeah, I didn't read - I looked at the pictures. And I didn't look at the direction of the arrow.)
• At 2:44, I was googling the sewing shop.
• At 2:45, I was reading their hours on their website: 
  Saturdays, 10am-3pm; Sundays, closed.
• Guess how long it takes to get there? Guess who will be leaving her house at 9:45am on Monday to be there when they open at 10am?

I dug my old, old Kenmore out of the basement. Not the one from the 70s that just broke. The one before that. That was from the 90s. That my mom gave to me for my 25th birthday. That I broke many times b/c I insisted on sewing things that were too thick.

I truly think I'm the one that's too thick sometimes.