A Little Change of Plans

Last month I had big plans…I was going to stitch a bear. I had a great family story to go with it.

I had Mom help me cut out the fabric. It’s velvet and it’s so pretty. It reminds me of Victorian crazy quilts.

I stitched carefully. I haven’t done a lot of hand sewing like this so I tried to get the stitches even…

And then Mom and I realized I really don’t have enough sewing skills for it to be my project and not Mom’s project. It was frustrating. I wanted to share my Great-Grandmother’s quilt and the bear my Grandmother made from it.

Mom knew I was struggling so she told me a couple of good stories and we decided that with the legacy of making things there is also a legacy of being frustrated when things don’t go as planned. Mom says she can remember Grandmother hurling her sewing across the room a time or two. And Great-Granny evidently tried to wallpaper the ceiling one time and when the paper kept falling down she beat it senseless with a broom. I’ve even seen Mom rip out knitting when she was angry…she probably could have saved it but got mad at her work and started over.

The other thing Mom did was send a text to Franklin…and he said “it happens all the time”and that made me feel so much better. I’ve goofed up stuff before, but not when we had a deadline, and people expecting my work. And I’m going to finish the bear… But I’m going to learn more and take my time and get it right.

I still wanted to keep my quilt theme, so Mom helped me brainstorm a new plan. Kyle sent me a bag of fabric scraps from Makers’ and challenged me to do something with them. So I got out the bag and first thing I did was pick out all the scraps with cats. Cats are my favorite.

And then I got a big letter C.

I did the inside and outside edges in polka dot scraps because I didn’t have enough cat scraps. I think it makes the cats show up better too.

And I laid out the whole top so I could see where to place the cats. I wish I had a bunch more of the fabric with the little cats all over it. I love that one.

The other challenge I had was figuring out what to do with the two bigger cute cats.

I used tacky glue and a foam brush. The brush helped the glue go on really smooth and made it easy to wrap fabric around the sides and edges. I think I’m going to hang it in my room but it looks pretty cool in my Great-Grandfather’s chair. And isn’t it sweet where the two little cats have their tails making a heart?

My Great-Grandmother loved quilting so I think she’d be happy I found a way to use scraps to make something. She raised 6 kids and lived through the Depression so she had to mend and use what she had.I’m glad her creativity has been passed down to me.

Here’s a picture of my quilt bear. My Great-Grandmother made this quilt a long time ago. Mom thinks its close to 100 years old. In the 1980’s Grandmother made bears for Mom and her cousin.

I have made ten more hats on the addi® Express for our local shelter. I love being that I can make really nice hats quickly. If I had to knit them by hand it would go slower and I might not have time to do very many. Next month I am sharing an Easter craft… We’re going to marble Easter eggs! Did you know Makers’ Mercantile® has paint? I can’t wait to try it.

And today I’m going to leave you with a quote from  Benjamin Levisay. “The only thing better than being creative is being kind to each other. The good news is we can do both.” I hope that we all find opportunities to do both until I share again next month.

-Cee Cee

Select fabrics featured in this project:

Seven Islands Inc. CoCoLand Cats 100

Seven Islands Inc Kiyohara Canvas 85 Cotton 15 Linen Grey with Cats

RJR Fabrics Crazy for Dots & Stripes – Black Dots on White 45″ Wide

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ABOUT 

Cee Cee Creech is growing up in a home full of creativity. Mom BeLinda loves making things, and Cee Cee loves it too. In 2011, Cee Cee changed their lives when she wanted to knit elephants to comfort the residents of Joplin, MO after a tornado destroyed their town.

This mom/daughter team has raised thousands of dollars, and made/distributed toys for charities all over the world. Today, Cee Cee is a high school student, curious maker, and the teen craft ambassador for Makers’ Mercantile. Follow their adventures on the Craft Corner.