Today, some friends took me to the quilt auction in St. Mary’s, MD. I say took me because everyone knows I never leave the studio except to go to work somewhere else, or to go home and to bed. The auction was enlightening. It provides for some of the needs of the Amish community there. Other things are actually auctioned off also, but the lovely, hand-stitched quilts are the ‘draw’. We were dashing up front, to see some of the quilts they were raising for bidding, then re-evaluating what was ‘waiting in the wings’, and checking to see who sewed them, and generally admiring the quality that seems to come from patience, which frequently accompanies age. Anyway, as we are dashing back and forth, laughing and having a good time admiring the craftsmanship, I talked, as friends do, about which ones I liked. I’m not a quilt connoisseur, just a fiber artist who loves color, composition, and quality, so as I speak, I’m just flowing from the heart, and childish exuberance. At the end of our day at the auction, my friend presented me with the loveliest quilt she purchased – Grandma’s Fan . This is large enough for a king size bed, and has 1175 pieces in it! I counted them! Silly, huh?
The colors are lovely and many of the fabrics are the same ones that I have bought throuh the years to use in the rug weaving classes with my summer students! It feels like my very own quilt. I love it! And it’s my Christmas gift. Here is a picture of it on my bed
It’s such a kindness and truly a gift;0) And you know how much the lady who made it is thankful that God’s gift through her hands has contributed to the well-being of her community. I want to contribute to God’s community using His gifts to me. Still waiting on a call back about the Kenya Mission’s needs for clothes. In Jan. we are just going to start making the dresses, and find a home for them when the dresses are ready. Who wants to help make the clothes for kids who truly don’t have clothes to cover their bodies? Can you do it Jan 9? I can open the studio up for us to work from 10-4. You can work all day, or in shifts. I need people to cut out, people to sew the garments together, and people to sew buttons on.
Cherri
Ok, maybe it doesn’t bother your conscience to use leather, but in this day of re-use, re-purpose, I tend to recycle old leather, rather than use new. If you have similar views, here is a great idea. I buy lovely leather coats and jackets at the second hand shops, and cut it up for sewing. Here you can see I have a XXL coat that I’m using for purse leather.
Additional picture are of the handles for the purses being made. I use piping insert for the form, and just sew a tube, wrap the end of the cotton form, so it’s stiff enough, and skinny enough to feed through the tube, and feed it through! Voila. A purse strap/handle.
Join me in the studio to learn more about sewing and having fun with your sewing machine.
C
It looks like December is fairly booked up! If you are looking for private sewing lessons in Dec. that’s easy! Finding an ongoing class, however, I would have to say, “check craigslist for Richmond, and you’ll see what I’m offering”.
I have a private window dressing and Roman shade workshop in Dec. And a Fitted garment private workshop. So you can see that all you have to do is book something, or find a few friends, and I can print up some gift certificates for Christmas gifts, and you can basically give a sewing class for a Christmas gift. Here’s how it works. You choose 3 friends who want to learn to sew, find a day/time that is good for all of you (4 classes) and let’s “Book it”. Voila, you have just thrown a sewing party;0) It can be to make simple skirts, pillows, PJ’s, or curtains. Yes, even for absolute beginners!
Hope to see you in the studio;0)
Cherri
Here is a photo of the first purse completed:
Today has been dedicated to sewing and designing Christmas purses. I’m working on 2 with almost identical design.
Here are some pics:
In today’s class, we traced the pattern for Pajama pants. This is the second day of this class. Day one, we made a double drawstring bag. Next week, we sew the pajamas! Some students have asked,”why do you trace the pattern, instead of just cutting it out?” Well, for Pajamas, If I keep the pattern intact, I can use it for myself, or any member of my family, because one of us is XL, one is L, one is M and one is S. Tracing the Pattern means I can re-use for for any family member since I still have all sizes available. Another reason for my students to keep patterns intact is many of the students are either young mothers sewing for their kids, or young grandmothers sewing for their grands. The patterns are good for the child as s/he grows, or for subsequent grandkids. In this picture, you can see where this pattern has been traced with a Sharpie marker. I don’t recommend that, but have used the pattern to teach kids, and they use it to bleed through to the fabric, instead of tracing;0) It does deteriorate the pattern, though. This one pattern has been used to make at least 25 pairs of PJ’s! I bought a new copy of the pattern today, because I need to make a pellon copy, for my own personal use, obviously.
My own work in the sewing studio is a pair of fitted pants and a corduroy skirt. I’m also devising a pattern for leggings, and a turtleneck pullover pattern. There wasn’t a pattern for either item in the pattern books at the fabric store today???!!! Hope to see you in the studio some time!
C.
Some of you know I’ve been looking for a “ministry”, or way of using my gifts and talents to give back/glorify God, and a friend who is very generous is making clothes for children in need. It sounds like something I really want to do, so I’m going to open the studio to volunteers once a month to make clothes for kids in need. This is for kids who don’t have clothes. I’m not talking about kids who want more clothes, but kids who really need a new set of clothes because they haven’t got clothing that isn’t falling apart. My friend is doing it for a mission in Kenya. Maybe I can jump on that effort? If you want to get involved with this, contact me, and I’ll let you know the first work day. It’s my hope to have 3 people cutting out, 4-6 people sewing and 2 others to keep us going (maybe pinning, etc) we would be doing girl clothes one odd months: Jan,Mar,May,July,Sept,Nov. and Boys clothes on even Months: alternate. Cherri
Well, we are working on making custom-fit patterns in the intermediate class. It’s a challenge.
I chose a great, earthy, brownish green pinwale corduroy for my pants. I then bought a crazy pink and black cheap shiny kids pj fabric for lining the pockets because it had a little of that pond-slime green in it. I bought lots of extra fabric, so a jumper can emerge later, or a skirt, or a jacket…. who knows.
Today’s class was the beginning of a Valance and Window treatment class. The students each just bought a Brother machine from Costco. I like the machine, and want one of them, and one of those, and one of those over there, and oh, yes, one of these…… Are ya getting the picture? Honestly, if I could just be satisfied with the wonderfully awesome toys I already have.
We are going to finish the valance and window treatment class Monday, then going on to A-line skirts! You do realize that no matter who gets to be a CEO, and who gets to make a bazillion dollars, and who gets to date Brad Pitt, I’ve got the life, right? Every day, I get to meet wonderful new people of a vast span of ages and we get to play together with our sewing machines, or our looms, or whatever other fiber toys we might be working with that day, and when I lay my head down at night, I’m going to dream about doing it the next day, with other friends;0) It’s an amazing life, and I’m so thankful for it.
I posted new classes on the Class descriptions page today. I also list my classes with http://upcoming.org
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/venue/401730/
and here: http://eventful.com/richmond/venues/cherri-hankins-studio-/V0-001-001477272-3/events
Hope you come to play some time.
It’s been an incredible journey from Richmond, VA to the Grand Canyon, but vacation is almost over. As is often the case with vacation, I have enjoyed it, it was great fun, and I love my daily life also and am looking forward to being back in the studio. When we finish this trip, we will have traveled 4000+ miles in 8 days. We are 3 women, mothers of adult and near adult kids who have always wanted to RV across the US, and now we have done it. And, we did it together;0)
We have seen rain, snow, sunshine, unexpectedly gusty winds in the Great Plains… We nearly walked into an elk on the sidewalk in the dead of night, turned and started walking quickly along an alternate path, and nearly smashed face first into his companion along that path (we truly came within 2 feet of those enormous antlers, as he yanked grass out of the ground). I’ve loved every minute of it. Route 66 is still a great place to visit, and if you have never found yourself “Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”, I can’t say, “I’m with you” on it, ’cause there are pictures to prove that I have!
Classes will be back in full swing, as of 10/28/09. There are still spots available in the Tues. night, Wed. morning and Thurs. sewing classes. Hope you will join us for beginning or intermediate sewing. The beginning class covers learning to use your sewing machine, using patterns, layout, cut-out, and assembly of a project from a commercial pattern.
The intermediate class will focus on using a commercial patter designed to be altered for ‘fitted’ clothing.
Call me or e-mail me if you have questions!
Cherri
804.687.0543
maidensweaver@earthlink.net
Sorry, but I won’t be posting on the great sewing classes and fun in the studio for 9 days. I’m on vacation.
Track our wonderful journey of 3 women crossing the country from Va to the Grand Canyon at:
