Dr. Who and the Tardis Quilt

Dr. Who collectables scatter my godson's bedroom and Tardis comments pepper his conversation on a regular basis.  I've never seen an entire episode (Shh, don't tell!) but-- I can assure you, Godson has seen them ALL and he and his friends LOVE the show.

Over the years I've searched far and wide for Dr. Who collectibles and treats, picking them up in my travels and hoping it's something he doesn't already have.

This year, I'm pretty sure his upcoming birthday will make me a bit of a hero, if I do say so myself.

This is what I made for him...

(It took a while to put together using the Relatively Dimensional quilt pattern by Hunter's Design Studio.  I made the border slightly larger using Quilter's Linen Metallic-- the solids are Kona Cotton. All are from my favorite fabric store-- Sew Modern in Los Angeles.)

While working on the quilt, I tried to subtly drill Godson about specifics on the Tardis so I could quilt it as "real" as possible.  That process was a bit like pulling teeth but in the end, I figured out enough to give it a go...

Late in the game I learned there is some sort of round seal so I winged it to give the very basic "idea" of where it belongs.

Spoonflower was my source for the printed panels.  Info for that was included in the pattern.

I'll give the quilt wrapped with popcorn and all the goodies to go with an evening of Dr. Who binge watching with his friends.

The quilt has been washed so it's super soft and crinkly, which I love.  And it'll get even better with each washing.

Happy Birthday to my favorite Dr. Who fan!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

So this happened...

I said a little prayer when the holidays were finally over.  They were rough.  I spent much of them in denial but, just twelve days into the new year, I realized I hadn't stuck my head in the sand nearly as much as I'd thought.

Case in point-- My last month in pictures...

Our family welcomed a new baby cousin.  

I made this quilt and hope it keeps him cozy and warm. 

 Glam Clam Quilt Pattern by Latifah Saafar

All fabrics from the fabulous Sew Modern in Los Angeles.

My BFF made homemade marshmallows and shared some with me.  

They were seriously delicious and light as a feather.

My friends also shared their Christmas with me-- 

Their tree was magical and filled with vintage ornaments.

We had relatives from out-of-town visiting for two weeks so we took in the LA sights including the Space Shuttle Endeavor--  I never get tired of seeing this magnificent ship.

We saw "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" at the movie theater and LOVED it.  (Thanks to great cinematography, I also want to travel to Iceland and Greenland now too!)

Husband hung the blue stained glass in my kitchen window.  It belonged to my mother and looks perfect with the blue glass I've been collecting for the past 30 years.

And we also visited The Skirball Cultural Center. 

This quote says it all for me.  I'll try to keep that in mind as I plow through 2014.

Happy New Year one and all.
xo Joanna

 Stop by and see Unknown Mami for more Sundays In My City.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com

The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times...

It's County Fair time back home in Ohio and the pics coming my way have been a real treat.  It makes being homesick a little easier...

And the photos help (or is it distract from?) the deep sadness we feel at the passing of our very dear friend, Bill, after a short illness.  Our hearts are heavy and we miss him terribly.

And now for your viewing enjoyment...

Great Nieces E (age 3) and O (age 2) loved spending time together at the Fair.

E took off her tiara and put on a helmet to win a ribbon in her first horse show-- Which basically included being lead around the ring by her big cousin, but still, that's one huge horse for a little peanut!

One of their horses is known as "The One-Eyed Wonder" because, well, he only has one eye.  So when they did a fun 4-H horse show, my nieces dressed up as-- what else-- One-eyed Pirates!

Niece A won 4-H Outstanding Youth (along with lots of ribbons in horse shows)!  Two days later she was on her way to Ohio State University for her first year of college!  I still can't believe it.  

(And neither can her mother.  A is the baby of the family.)

We were lucky enough to have Niece K (Pirate on the right above) spend a week with us in sunny California.  It was her first visit here and we had a blast seeing all the sights, including the beach.  She's a senior at Ohio State this year.

And I made this quilt top called Glam Clams by pattern designer Latifah Saafir on Saturday.  Latifah taught a fab class at Sew Modern loaded with the tips and tricks to stitch this together.  

It still needs quilted but I'm thrilled with it.

All fabric from Sew Modern in Los Angeles.

Thanks for letting me brag and please, say a prayer for Bill and his wife and family.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna Jenkins

Lesson Learned

I'd like to think I'm a fast learner-- that I pick up on things quickly, and learn from my mistakes.  It started at a young age and in my 55 years, I've regularly thought about these lessons as I trot through life.

Take my earliest memory of a hair cut for example.  I learned never to cut your own bangs like my big sister did, especially the day before you were getting your picture taken.

When my baby brother was born, eight years after me, I learned that I did not like folding cloth diapers which we used back in the day.  And I learned that if mom accidentally washed the white diapers with a pair of new red shorts, baby brother would be wearing pink diapers much to my mother's chagrin.

I learned that dressing for a luau party was fun at the time but "flashback" photos tend to crack up the entire family.

This is my baby brother and dad about 30 years ago.  My brother just sent this and it's my new fave picture of my dad who passed away nearly 20 years ago.  I'm pretty sure neither of them are wearing anything pink under those white pants.

For the first half of my life I tried to get out of my hometown and in the second half of my life I learned home will always be O H I O...

 My nieces, all for our which will be attending The Ohio State University in the Fall.

After years of trying to out-do Martha Stewart, I finally learned it's exhausting and the food tastes exactly the same on paper plates as it does on all those dishes that needed to be washed after a dinner party.  I've also learned that ordering food in, or better yet, dining out is awesome and totally stress-free.

I learned that after my retirement, it was really hard to "find my groove" and daily routine without working 60+ hours a week at my former job.  That was much harder than I ever expected it could possibly be.  For a good long time I think the lady at the post office thought I was stalking her with my near daily visits for stamps just so I'd have an excuse to get out of the house and talk to someone.

In retirement, I finally learned to quilt, which is a hobby I always wanted to tackle but never had the time for.  I've shared several of my quilts in this space, each with a great sense of accomplishment.  But with the quilt below, that "Woo-hoo!  I did it!" high that comes with the last stitch faded quickly...

Back of quilt is super soft and not nearly a shiny as it appears in this photo.

The lesson learned here is that one should always prewash their fabrics before sewing, including the backing fabric-- ALWAYS-- because the one time you don't-- things can get very muddy.

 My quilt before washing...

 And after.  Oy.

The quilt is still cool (sort of, I think) but instead of the bright "popping" white that gave it a bit of a three dimensional look, after washing, the gold backing fabric "bled" and the white became a pastel yellow.  Some of the coolness is definitely lacking.  (All this gorgeous cotton quilt fabric is from the best fabric store ever--SewModernOnline.com in Los Angeles.)

But, I've also learned not to sweat the small stuff so my bright "white" quilt is a little less modern and a little softer, shall we say.  And the memory of my brother's pink diapers is fresh in my mind-- That makes me smile.

What have you learned?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins