Sheltering in Place with Kindred Spirits!

Saint Martha's Guild has assembled a delightful collection of projects to keep your family focused on growing in holiness while introducing a variety of Catholic traditions and resources. 

Looking for directions to make your own scapular?  A pocket shrine?
A set of 40 eggs to tell the Resurrection story from Ash Wednesday on?

The narration is amusing and the variety of projects is impressive!  You'll be buying craft supplies before you know it.

The Church Ladies approve

A new project makes it easy for Philadelphians to put down their phones and get creative with their hands — for free.

Nailed to a brick wall on a busy section of Carpenter Lane in West Mt. Airy is a small cabinet with a clear door. Inside is a luscious bounty of color: piles and piles of yarn, plus complements like needles and patterns. On the front is a carefully lettered nameplate reading “Little Free Fiber Library.”

Read the rest here. It’s a sweet idea, and who doesn’t have a little yarn to contribute?

Making vestments?

I just ran across this site and wanted to bring it to everyone's attention.  They sell basic fabrics and trim, but the most exciting part is that they sell patterns for a very reasonable price and they have lots of helpful instructions on their site.

With all these free instructions you may be tempted to skip buying a pattern until that moment of truth where you're about to cut into your overpriced brocade.  It's just then that you will be glad you spent the $16.95 to benefit from someone else's experience and avoid that inevitable, costly mistake.



NB, I have not seen their products and, therefore, cannot specifically endorse them.  I just found lots of great information on their site and I know working with a pattern is usually easier than trying to improvise.  (and I've done both on many occasions)  If anyone has direct experience with this company, we'd love to hear about it in the comments box.

Staying Warm

It's a balmy 18º here right now (at the height of the day's warmth), with a brutal wind chill to go along with it. I've been spending plenty of time right next to the fire place, but I have a couple of other tricks as well. Church Ladies can't quite live by tea alone (pots and pots of it), so I've been trying to mix it up a bit with recipes like this:

Chai Concentrate
(adapted from this source)

• 4 1/2 cups water 
• 1 stick cinnamon 
• 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 10 whole cardamom pods 
• 2 whole star anise pods 
• 10 whole cloves 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 
• zest of one orange 
• 10 bags of black tea 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla 

Bring the water to a boil, add the spices, tea, and orange zest and remove from heat. Allow to steep for half an hour (more if you like). Strain the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, honey and the vanilla, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a quart jar and store in the refrigerator. To serve, mix equal parts concentrate and milk and heat.

Yield: 1 quart jar full, plus enough to have a cup right away.

If you save the strained spices (discard the tea bags) and return them to the pot or a small slow cooker with a generous amount of water, you can set them to simmer for a lovely air freshener that also humidifies.

Also pictured above: Spatterdash Wristwarmers in KnitPicks Palette in Marble Heather. I added a pattern repeat so that they cover my arms even when I'm wearing ¾ sleeves.

Grand ADVENTure!

I'm a fan of pretty much everything produced by Illuminated Ink, so when I got an email about their Advent promotion this morning, I was right on board!

Simply go to their site and click on the Dec. 2 block for directions to get today's lovely freebie.  I don't think I'd be giving too much away to let you know you'll get a link to a beautiful Advent printable that would be perfect for not only coloring, but would be an amazing embroidery or applique pattern as well.  (Oh, for the time to work this piece in embroidery on linen!  Really, it's heirloom quality!)  In addition, part of today's instruction is sharing an Advent tradition on their facebook page so check out the great ideas!

I can't wait to see what they have in store for the other 11 days!

Frou-Frou Friday

Via the Knitty Blog comes this article from 1961 on the British Nylon Fair. The article itself is amusing, noting the growing number of "problem grandmothers" who no longer knit, but the real highlight for me was the included newsreel footage of the fair's fashion show. Midcentury fashions are some of my very favorites, and the video doesn't disappoint, with shots of lovely ballgowns and sportswear that would be considered just a bit dressy these days. The highlights for me: the floral gown with built-in wrap at 8:20, and the gold-colored lounge set with the oversized sash at 6:28.

The best of the narration: "For the morning after the night before ... jersey dresses, in colors to gladden the saddest hangover."

The Value of Handmade

This week, TechKnitter blogs about overcoming our throwaway mentality when it comes to clothing. Our era of mass production has made it seem almost ridiculous, but it wasn't that long ago that people would specifically mention items of clothing in their wills.

When asked why she kept old clothes which no longer fit, my grandmother (born in Austria in 1902) used to reply with a German proverb that "clothes outlive their people."

Today, clothes don't have that resonance. Clothes are not really considered valuable. That, too, is something I think about when knitting: after all, it takes a certain thickness of skin to be a confirmed hand-knitter in the day of cheap ready-made sweaters and expensive yarn. However difficult life was for the old-time knitters, the usefulness of their craft was never at issue. So, while we think about knitting's value while we knit, that's one thing the old-time knitters did never concern themselves with: they and everyone around them knew it was valuable.

Read the rest, including the story of two old sweaters staging a jail break. It's a cozy reflection in these chilly days.

As further proof that a well-made item can long outlast its wearer, I submit this news story, about a 150-year-old Fair Isle cap that was just recovered.

Manly Lace, Indeed.

We Church Ladies have seen many examples of exquisite lace on vestments, but to my recollection, this is the first time I have encountered lace that was actually made by the priest who would be wearing it!

You can read more over on Needle 'n' Thread about the priest who decided two years before ordination that he wanted to make the lace for his alb, and then taught himself the necessary skills and finished the (rather massive) project on time.

Necktie First-Aid

I have no particular plans to make a tie, but I certainly found this necktie tutorial from the Purl Bee useful when I needed to repair one of my husband's. The back stitching had formed an odd pucker, and it was very useful to see just how that seam is made, in order to redo the trouble section.

More Last Minute Knitted gifts

It isn't often that one likes a sequel more than the original book. That is certainly the case with Joelle Hoverson's More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (see projects here- Ravelry login required). I checked out a copy from the library recently, and am smitten with it. There are so many beautifully simple, yet stunning projects. I currently have the Kid's Vest in progress for my son (it's perfect subway knitting), and have Leah's Lovely cardigan queued for myself. Alson on the horizon Baby Bonnet and Baby Cardigan on the horizon for a couple co-workers who are expecting. If one was an afghan knitter, Joelle has three amazing designs: Nesting Squares, Entrelac Baby Blanket, and Bright Stripes- cheerful for a new baby, but perfect for anyone in need of a little comfort. I'm also planning on knitting several Soft Baskets to in which to place small Christmas gifts. If you are looking for inspiration for knitting for your gift stash, look no further!

Reclaiming the Rag Bag

An impending move has me mercilessly weeding through my posessions, and I came across two bundles of potentiality that had been lingering in the ragbag for many years. T-shirts and other knits get claimed as rags rather quickly, but old garments unfit for donation might have a long stint, as I am not much of a sewer. The menfolk of my kin are hard on dress shirts, and that compromised a large portion of the ragbag's contents.

The shorts (right) are nothing to write home about- I traced a pair of my infant's shorts for the pattern, then sewed an elastic casing to the top. It's nice to see an old shirt of my brothers' passed on to a new generation.

But I am rather proud of the pants. Since I do most of my sewing by hand, I try to keep the original seams in a garment intact. I cut the arms off an old dress shirt, and again used an existing infant garment as a pattern, leaving an extra few inches in height at the waist to make the elastic casing. All it took was two seams- one between the legs and one around the waist. The inseams of the arms are the inseams of the pants, and the cuffs are a darling detail that allow the pants to grow with the child. If someone in your family has an outgrown plaid shirt, those could be turned into darling preppy pair of pants for your little one.

Bobbin Holder

This weekend, I mentioned getting creative. It's hard to do that (efficiently, anyway) if you're not organized, though, at least a bit. So, after spending over half an hour untangling my bobbins (I wish I had a before picture), I decided I'd better prevent this from happening again, and came up with what you see above. The box was the packaging for an old necklace (I think an Altoid tin might stand in here nicely). I cut strips from a a cardstock piece of junk mail for the partitions; it was a good movie-time activity.

The only thing I think I'd change is to make the partitions only half the height of the bobbins, so I could pick them up more easily. All in all, though, I'd call it a success, and free at that!

Part of giving handknits to kids is detaching from their fate. Do I want it to be used and loved, or do I want it to sit in a drawer? If the former, well then: I have to accept that it won't stay pristine.

I have a sort of mental rule, though, that I want them to wear the gift for at least as many hours as I spent making it before I can consign it to its uncertain future. I can't quite bring myself to think about the ratio of work time to wearing time for this gift. It's not a pretty ratio...

I didn't get to the Office of Readings until after they left for school, and it felt like a nudge from heaven to see that today was the feast of St. John Bosco. (He is best known for his work with orphaned and abandoned boys.) Here's a snippet from today's second reading: They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely. There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement.

My initial reaction was to feel sorry for myself: all that work, and poof! -- it's gone. Then I thought about how many gifts God has given me that I have failed to appreciate or even keep track of. I think I will swing by the school with a little note for my sad boy: "You are more important than the mittens."

[full post at Light and Momentary]

Image source

There's still time

to make this fashion statement before your annual family Thanksgiving gathering.

Or better yet, give it as a hostess gift. You'll be a popular guest!

Found here. And I'd like to note that the internet is an amusing place when you've had too much coffee and can't sleep at 3 a.m. Not that I'd know...

Today's Word

The recent post at NLM on the Watts Book of English Church Embroidery is interesting enough, but stay on their site a little longer and drool over the amazing fabrics and vestments. Even the banners are impressive!

And as long as we have such a perfect visual aide, let's move into today's word:

Cope
The vestment worn by clergy at Benediction, processions, and solemn celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours. A cope is a floor length garment and is fastened around the neck by a clasp. A hood shaped like a shield is usually on the back of the cope.

Swatching it up

On Friday, Therese and I are going to the biggest button store in New England. We are pretty excited.

Whenever possible, I like to purchase buttons after a project is finished. For one thing, you have a better idea of how many buttons you'll need. But being an urban, pedestrian Church Lady, I don't have the option of lugging several almost finished projects with me to the button store.

Instead, I've come upon a technique that gets extra mileage out of your gauge swatch. After you've worked the requisite number of rows, knit a few rows in garter stitch, then, while knitting in the button band stitch pattern, work a button hole every few rows. You'll get a sense of how much the buttonhole stretches and what size button you should purchase. You can also experiment with different kinds of buttonholes to see what works best with the fiber. And on a lighter note, all you'll have to carry is the gauge swatch.

Image source

Travel plans to Belgium?

I was just over at NLM reading about the Praying with Needle and Thread vestment exhibit at Tongerlo Abbey in Belgium. The title of this exhibit alone is enough to make me want to go! Spend a few minutes there today marveling at the incredible details of these beautiful works. You'll be glad you did!

The ways of her household

From Jamie:

I didn't know how much pleasure I would get out of that machine over the next fifteen years. My husband has never understood my itch to make clothing. Sewing rompers, knitting socks -- he thinks it's a little like digging a well in your backyard and carrying the water inside even though the municipal water is perfectly safe and there for the pouring. It strikes some Proverbs 31 chord in me, though. It reminds me of the women in other parts of the world who have made most of the clothes I wear, out of necessity and not out of spare-time privilege. It draws on my little store of hard-won knowledge, ferreted out through hours of deciphering pattern-speak -- hours in which an armhole facing became a series of sensible steps and not a mystery akin to transmission rebuilding.

These days making clothing is an underappreciated art. When I pin a dart or turn a sock heel I wonder about the women who first figured those things out, the tricks for accommodating their loved ones' angles and curves. The clothes we make for our children are born of our hands' skill and our hearts' tenderness. "Here," they say, "it's a tough world out there. Here is something to keep you comfortable, protected." No matter how soft the fabric, they look to me like armor.

[full post at Light and Momentary]

Image source

Lucy the Chair Lady

"[Rose] had also begged from an old aunt at Beverley Farms a couple droll little armchairs in white painted wood with covers of antique needlework. One had 'Chit' embroidered on the middle of its cushion, the other 'Chat.' These stood suggestively at the corners of the hearth.

"'Now Katy, said Rose, seating herself in 'Chit', pull up 'Chat' and let us begin.'"
[Susan Coolidge, What Katy Did Next]

You really can get just about everything here at Church Ladies- recently, there's been everything from spirituality to college football to needlework to great art to recipes. What can we say? We're women of many interests.

Here follows a double endorsement- both for the Katy books and for taking a stab at upholstery. Let's start with the former.

The Katy books chronicle the life of the Carr family in 1860s America. It is a lovely series about a family living out Christian values and a beautiful testimony to the friendship between siblings. Although the fictional Katy Carr is contemporary with Laura Ingalls Wilder, she has a very life. Katy grows up in a well established small Midwestern town, goes to boarding school out East, and travels to Europe; her siblings are a part of the great expansion of the West. I think the Katy books would make for delightful family reading- they are wholesome without being moralizing, like most literature branded Christian fiction.

Now for the heavier topic. Yours truly has a big heart.... especially for lonely chairs. It started innocently enough. I needed an extra chair for living room. Enter a nice chair from the consignment store. Then came the Holy Rosary parish rummage sale. It took 3 trips with my compact car, but I hauled 5 hand-carved cherry chairs home... for the grand total of $25. Another one of my collection, found on a street corner in a college town, is the most historic. When re-covering it, I discovered a manufacturing sticker dating the chair's construction to Matoon, IL, 1912 and freighted to Boise. I can only image the stories it could tell. And over Memorial Day weekend this year, I found a solid cherry captain's chair on my way to the market.

Changing the seat cover on a chair is one of the easiest skills. My mother taught me how when I was 5. All you need is a screwdriver and a staple gun (with staples at least 1/2" long).

If you are starting with a reclaimed chair, wash the wooden portion with oil soap. Dry it, then unscrew the pad. This is also a good time to rub the wooden frame with Old English scratch cover, in light or dark wood as appropriate.

Examine the condition of the chair cushion. If it's intact and clean, you can cover right over it. However, if the cover is in poor condition or has holes with padding exposed, you'll need to re-cover it with vinyl (more later).

Now comes the fun part, the trip to the fabric store. Don't panic- upholstery fabric can be expensive, but 1/2 a yard will cover 2 chairs, if lining up a motif isn't necessary, and some of the chains often have 50% off sales on decorator fabric. Also, check out the clearance/remnant section. Apparel or quilting fabric alone really isn't strong enough for upholstery, but if you find a print that's absolutely perfect, you can fuse it to a heavy-weight fabric, although it will be more prone to stains, since it isn't scotch-guarded like upholstery fabrics. If the original chair pad is a bright color or in poor condition, you will also need some lightweight vinyl in the same quantities as the decorative material.

If you are a handy needle-woman, you might be interested in embroidering or knitting a cover. Napa Needlepoint has some helpful guidelines for material & design selection for embroidery; here is a delightful knitted seat.

Re-covering the seat is as easy as can be. You use the same technique whether you are starting with vinyl or decorative fabric. Cut your fabric into a rectangle about 6-8" bigger than the pad, with the motife located as desired. Put the chair pad on the ground face up, then use a few straight pins to put the fabric in place. Flip it over, and pull a side taught, then staple in place about 1" from the edge, and again 3" from the edge. Repeat all the way around, taking care at the corners, then trim the excess. Screw the pad back in place, remove the pins, and you're done!

Talking Sewing Machines

Margaret Mary, Therese, and I had recently discussed the topic of what to look for in a basic sewing machine; a Ravelry group (log in required) is also exploring the topic.

Margaret Mary is the most experienced seamstress of all of us Church Ladies. Below follows her advice, which I am sharing in her (extremely busy) stead.

I've owned 2 machines; a Singer I bought in college (fairly basic, steel body, a few decorative stitches, all mechanical - no computerized features, automatic buttonhole attachment), and a Viking/Husqvarna I got about 15 years ago (more decorative stitches and auto buttonholes, computerized features, I can get tons of add-ons and bought a foot that does quilting through multiple layers).

I've sewn miles of fabric, literally, and would feel perfectly comfortable with a machine that had only the following features:

• Stitches - straight stitch (obviously), zig-zag, and running zig-zag for knits. Everything else is extra. I use my decorative stitches on little girl dresses, etc. But none of them are on the essentials list.

• Buttonholes - The most basic machines have buttonhole features that will make the stitches but not stop automatically at a certain length. This is workable, but not nearly as convenient as a machine that will automatically make ten identical 16 centimeter buttonholes on the front of your blouse. If there's a choice, go with something that does buttonholes automatically.

• Construction - It is almost impossible to find a metal sewing machine anymore. This was a big surprise to me when I was shopping, but C' est la Vie. I used to like using my magnetic seam gauge and pincushion stuck on the machine, but I'm not so old that I can't adapt.

• Computerized - again, not essential, but easy to use. When my old, mechanical one was not working quite right, my husband or I could take it apart to various degrees and make it better. That's not as possible with the new one.

• Case - get a case for storage unless you have a dedicated table for the thing or never plan to use it away from home. It's likely the case will not be included in the price of your machine.

• Find out where you can have it serviced. You'll want it to be someplace local and fairly convenient. Repairs on any model are outrageously priced, so look into a warranty of some kind, but don't overpay for one. Really, unless you get a lemon, machines need few repairs. I had to replace a presser foot on my Singer and the arm that lifts my Viking broke once. Those are the only repairs I've ever had in a lot of years, but the prices are ridiculous.

What about you? What do you like about your machine? Do you have a great story about how you acquired it?
Image source