Fabric Collage Towels

I finished a set of what I call "collage" towels. They are part of the last kitchen set I'm am finishing up for the hope chest.

I really like doing collage when I craft with paper and thought I would try it with fabric and scraps. I love how these towels turned out!

These towels will go into the set that, so far, includes these dishtowels.

Thinking about Hope

I am thinking about hope today. Preparation and hope go hand in hand. Whatever the outcome of this COVID-19 virus situation, there is always hope for the future. Early this morning, as I was organizing myself to truly finish up the physical hope chest for Abigail, I was reminded again of why I did this. Honestly, you may be assured that I have been questioned many times about the usefulness of such a thing.

This is a quote from a post waaaaay back in May of 2014.


"I know people wonder why I am doing this. People ask me if I don't trust that Abigail will receive any wedding gifts and I laugh and say that I am hopeful that she will. But, who knows when she might get married and what those gifts might be and sometimes they can be pretty random. This is my gift - and along the way I hope I am teaching her to look ahead, to value creating a home, to develop skills, to be creative and to "prepare every needful thing."  Taking responsibility to prepare for a future need is simple wisdom. None of us knows what the future holds and if Abigail's need is not as great as the preparation, she will have an excess to share."

Today I am thinking that preparation is always a good thing...

Engagement Photo

I can only hope you all are well in the midst of this common struggle to stay well! Please be safe and wise.

I wanted to share a sweet picture of Abigail and Jacob. Plans are moving forward for her marriage, but gently, as she continually realizes, reorganizes and reevaluates what will be possible. She and Jacob are determined to be married in May, but a public celebration may have to be postponed. Thankfully, a loving God is always available to listen to their vows. AND we can always celebrate here on the blog.

I can't express how proud I am of Abigail and the woman she has become. Beautiful, strong, determined, loving, sensitive, helpful, smart and yes, still a bit vulnerable.

Photo Credit:  Marquette Mower

https://instagram.com/marquettelaree

Hello everyone! I just wanted to post a picture of Miss Abigail and me. She is all grown up now as you might imagine. Abigail turned 21 on her last birthday! That's hard for me to believe, but there you are. Today is my own birthday and it is a big one - 60 years! Time flies and because it does, I have set a New Year's resolution to finish the hope chest this year.

I have worked on it occasionally in the past couple of years, even though I haven't posted here. There are still a number of things I want to include though and I will try to post more often in case anyone is still interested in how it has turned out.

I still get regular emails from those of you who are interested in the tutorials and patterns that I've shared. Thanks so much for your continued enjoyment of these things that bring me pleasure also.

Stay tuned. The next project in my "in basket" is an easy table runner with a musical theme. Hopefully something easy will get me back in the groove and on to the harder projects that I have left - like the quilts! Abigail is now an accomplished pianist and sings in both the college and the church choirs. She also directs a church choir. All of that just makes me so happy.

Valentines Towels

I'm adding these two hand towels to the Valentines kitchen set in Miss Abigail's hope chest. The colors were super hard to photograph, but the towels are quite beautiful.

I ran into the toile print cotton fabric some time ago and it called to me, so this towel is hand sewn and decorated with the embroidered rick rack trim. The dark red plaid is a Dunroven House towel and I just used a simple running stitch to embellish it a bit. Here are a couple of close pictures.

 You might remember that this towel also has the dotted rick rack technique applied.

I used a thicker perle cotton thread for the lighter stitches and it has a more raised impression than the darker, six strand embroidery cotton, which lays more flat. I like how that turned out.

If you're interested this post describes what is currently packed away in the hope chest for celebrating Valentines Day.

Handwoven Gifts for the Hope Chest

Santa brought Miss Abigail these three gifts for her hope chest this year, along with the ornaments shown in the last post. All three are handwoven locally and just a pretty as can be. This top photo is a beautiful grayish-blue table runner and I thought it would look perfect under Abigail's dishes at the holidays and on other special occasions. It measures 18 inches wide and is 36 inches long. The picture couldn't pick up the silver highlights very well, but the white weft threads have a silver thread incorporated that is understated but very fancy. It sparkles in a very subtle way.

This delightful houndstooth hand towel is also handwoven and very professional looking. It matches the last kitchen set that I'm working on for the hope chest and I couldn't resist it. This is one of those towels that you put out on holidays or when the ladies club is meeting at your house and someone might step into the kitchen to rinse their teacup, haha. Yeah, I can be shallow like that sometimes. I bought it mainly to honor the weaver, as I know what it takes to complete a pattern like this and to do it so well.

I didn't meet the weaver of this charming hot mat because it was on the consignment table at the Holiday Fiber Market that I attended in Santa Fe. I just thought it was darling and something useful for everyday meals at an everyday table.

An update on Miss Abigail. We very much enjoyed having her home for the holidays! She is seriously considering a career in nursing, which I think might be a really good fit for her. Nursing is so flexible and would allow her to work a little here and there or as much as she might need. So I am praying that this semester goes well and that she can make a good decision about her future. We had the most enjoyable time together in the car on the drive back. What a blessing she is! I thoroughly enjoyed her chatter as we drove along. She is hopeful about the future and upbeat and looking forward, even to the hard classes. I feel very happy to have spent that time with her.

I have set some serious goals for the hope chest this year. I need to finish up all the unfinished projects and complete several items that are still on my "want to do" list. I can feel the time drawing close now and I need to get these things completed. Wish me luck and I will try hard to document and post more this year.

Christmas Ornaments 2017

 One of Miss Abigail's favorite books is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. She has whole passages memorized and pleases herself re-reading her favorite parts again and again. I found this darling Anne character ornament on Etsy from a maker who is a friend of mine and I snapped it up immediately! Her shop is called House of Worry Dolls and she is a sweet young mom trying to make a little extra money.

Abby also loves nature and wildlife and this ombre ceramic deer fits her classic style very well.

Finally, I ran into another young Pueblo crafter who was selling these handmade ceramic ornaments at a small craft fair I recently attended. They were painted with traditional tribal symbols. This will be just another little reminder of her home state, no matter where she lives in the future.

Miss Abigail has a great collection of ornaments in her hope chest. I'm sure she will add to it in the coming years. Check the Christmas label to see the others we've collected and made together.