Groundhog Day

The last two years feels like we have been living in the movie Groundhog Day, doesn’t it? A few months ago I said to someone, “You are probably younger than me.” She asked, “How old are you?” Without hesitation, I said 62.

She thought we were the same age. “What year were you born?”

“Nineteen fifty-seven.”

“You’re not 62,” she said, “you are 64!”

I quick did the math, and she was right… I’m 64. It’s like time and life stopped in 2020.

And I seem to have lost a lot of my creative energy as a result of this Covid Groundhog Day that we are living in. But this past summer and fall, after being vaccinated and boosted, I was once again feeling sort of “normal.” I re-opened my studio for First Fridays and Second Saturdays. I was doing things again outdoors, but also indoors, when masked. I even added a special extra Get-Away weekend in October, where we made holiday gifts. I required vaccination to attend and it felt very safe, “normal,” and we all had a wonderful time.

Things were feeling pretty positive until the holidays, when Omicron hit. To be safe, I closed my studio for the January FIrst Friday and Second Saturday. But I believe this variant will be short lived, if things go as they have elsewhere around the world. If we all are careful and wear masks when indoors, we will get past this. Hopefully within a month things will be looking up again.

Meanwhile, I have been trying to get my creative energy back. One thing I did to try to accomplish this was to enter Nancy Valle’s Annual Self-Portrait Show for the fourth consecutive year. This year, instead of creating a more literal quilted self-portrait, as I have done in the past, I made a quilted wall-hanging without my image. The show runs January 7 through February 12 at Studio 402 in the Anderson Arts Building.

Several years ago, in the winter of 2018, I attended a workshop led by Maria Shell to learn more about piecing freeform circles. It was so creatively inspiring that I was very energized to quilt more freeform circles and explore her technique. At home that evening, right in front of me, my mom had a massive stroke. It was very scary and dramatically changed my life for the next six months. At 92, she made a miraculous recovery after surgery, but only lived for another six months.

It’s amazing how life events can zap your creativity. I never picked up those blocks from the Maria Shell workshop again until this fall. After looking at them for some time, I decided to cut them apart and try sewing them back again in another design all together. The result is my entry for the 2022 Self-Portrait show, “Circle of Life.”

Due to the Omicron surge, the Opening Night for the show has been postponed until First Friday in February. If the surge flattens and starts to decline later this month, you will be able to schedule a visit to see the exhibit at Studio 402. The exhibit includes over 60 artists from all mediums who did self-portraits with the theme this year of “Lost & Found.” Meanwhile, Nancy has put together a series of photographs of the show which you can see on her Facebook page.

Also in 2021, I got a mention on a national blog at Redfin.com. The blog was about unique ways to uplift your interior with one-of-a-kind decor, like my quilted pinup oven mitts and potholders. You can see the blog here. Even though my studio is currently closed, you can shop for these items and others on the shop page of my website.

So I guess I haven’t been totally stagnant throughout 2021. Here’s to a more productive and creative 2022!

It’s Back…Potholderpalooza!

On Cyber Monday, November 29, Potholderpalooza is back! It’s time to replace those nasty, turkey-gravy stained and scorched potholders. Everyone has them, so it makes the perfect gift. And you can present them hanging from the neck of a local NYS bottle of wine. During potholderpalooza, all potholders are just $9 (regularly $10). Shop from a huge selection of themes: retro, food, happy hour, music, holiday, sports, travel, speak out, caffeine, pop culture and Hollywood. Keep checking back for new additions.

And don’t forget about the always popular pinup oven mitts. Guys: Firemen, Cowboys, Athletes, Outdoorsmen and Construction Workers. Women: Vintage Lodge Gals, Gals on Motorcycles and Gals on Cars. Coming Soon: Farmers and Cowgirls. These oven mitts are sure to make cooking more fun.

New this year for the kitchen are embellished tea towels. Extra large 100% cotton woven tea towels with a corner-hanging loop are embellished with themed fabric like cocktails, wine bottles, grapes, Irish, coffee, tea, sailboats and other fun themes.

Dress up your kitchen with some fun accessories. They make the perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer. Hang a potholder or oven mitt on the neck of a gift of wine. Wrap a gift of cookies or homemade nut bread in an embellished tea towel. Or make a gift basket filled with edible goodies and one of these fun kitchen accessories which will last long after the edible goodies are gone.

Shop from the comfort of your couch and have your order shipped for a nominal shipping and handling charge. Or select pickup at checkout to get free curbside pickup. You will be notified by email when your order is ready for pickup and you can arrange a time to pick up your purchase. Or stop by the studio at the Hungerford during my special holiday hours to shop in person.

Special Holiday Hours:
First Friday, December 3, 5 - 9 p.m.
Holiday Saturdays, December 4, 11 and 18, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
December 16, Holidays at the Market, 6 - 9 p.m. (in conjunction with the Rochester Public Market)

Stop by the Studio

We all had a relaxing and productive weekend at my “Special” Fall Get-Away in October. There were lots of demos for holiday gifts and projects getting finished. Kits were available to purchase for making holiday gifts such as purses, placemats, tote bags, a table runner, jewelry, wine bags, and embellished tea towels. We learned tricks for working with cork fabric and oil cloth.

Gifts & Kits at the Studio

If you missed the retreat and are looking for some holiday gift ideas to make, I have more kits available for purchase at the studio. Or perhaps you would rather just purchase those items already made. And I have a huge assortment other handmade gift items for sale. Plus you will find oil cloth, cork fabrics, blank tea towels ready for embellishments and lots of new 100% cotton fabrics which have arrived over the last few months. I now carry some Robert Blake fabrics and Paintbrush Studio fabrics in addition to Free Spirit and Art Gallery fabrics.

Special Holiday Hours at the Studio

Stop by the studio to shop for a unique handmade gift for a friend or yourself. Get some great gift-making ideas, purchase a kit or pattern, check out the new fabrics and say hi. I will be open for the following holiday hours and by appointment many afternoons between now and Christmas. No need to worry about stranded shipping containers at sea when you shop local and buy gifts handmade by local artists right here in Rochester. Not only will you be helping small businesses and the local economy, you will be buying a one-of-a-kind handmade gift. The Hungerford is full of local artisans who spent the pandemic creating. Stop by for a unique shopping experience. Masks are required at Quilting with Margaret, so we will all have a safe and happy holiday.

Special 2021 Holiday Hours at Quilting with Margaret, Studio #309:

Second Saturdays, November 13, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Small Business Saturday, November 27, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
First Friday, December 3, 5 - 9 p.m.
Holiday Saturdays, December 4, 11 & 18, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Holidays at the Hungerford, Thursday, December 16, 5 - 9 p.m. (with the Public Market)

Got Oilcloth?

I love oilcloth! So easy to use, even if you don’t sew. I love to cover my picnic table with a fresh new oilcloth each summer. Just cut a little larger than your tabletop, pull to the bottom of the tabletop and staple in place. It revives an old dingy wood picnic table with a cheerful cover that is easy to wipe clean. If you have ever been in a Mexican restaurant in Texas, this is what you find covering many of the tables.

But oilcloth can be more than just a cover for your picnic table. For a retro kitchen look, use a piece of oilcloth as a tablecloth on a kitchen table. Maybe your mom or grandma did this in the 1950’s. The fun and bright florals, fruit prints, checks and stripes all make nice choices.

Or how about some colorful oilcloth as shelf paper on some open shelving in your kitchen? No sewing involved, just cut to size and place on shelf. Oilcloth is easy to care for, simply wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.

But you can also sew fun kitschy items with oilcloth. Like colorful tote bags, a wipe-clean kitchen apron, an outdoor chair cushion or pillow. Just be sure to remember to use a longer stitch length and avoid stitch over the same place multiple times, as stitching oilcloth perforates the fabric. For this same reason, use tape or binding clips instead of pins to hold pieces together while sewing. No need to hem oilcloth, it doesn’t ravel.

Want to learn more tips of sewing with oilcloth? Check out one of Kelly McCants’s books “Sewing with Oilcloth” or “At Home with Modern June.” Or better yet, sign up for my Special 2021 Fall Get-Away Weekend where we will be making holiday gifts, some made from oilcloth. Get a signup brochure here.