Finishes, Starts, and Nearby Flooding

FINISHES:

Finished two more spools of thread!!!!
(Do you remember emptying your first spool of thread? I was ecstatic. It's a newbie sewist milestone . . . I can't remember when it was, but I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment).

I'm making a set of scrap bins for sorting quilting fabrics by color, and I finished the first two: black & grey.

Because I don't have a lot of quilting cotton scraps, I bought some selvage strips to add some interest. They were organized in rainbow colors, so I have a good start for all the colors. This is a long term project that I am not rushing. It's a good use of extra batting & re-uses my cereal boxes, too.

My plan is make a quilt block on the bottom of each one. I didn't do that with the black, it was while I was making the grey that I decided it would work really well. I like the idea of a sampler quilt but am not a fan of the finished project in general, so it will give me a chance to try out some favorite blocks with somewhere to put them.

The first one is an improv log cabin with strings. Selvage scraps aren't very big . . . .
Log cabin is a favorite block of mine.

In clothing construction news, I took a class last month at Studio Bernina, from master tailor, Susan Igou. It was amazing. I don't have a finished project . . . the class was about making pattern alterations to commercial patterns. It was inspiring and made me want to work on clothing, even though I haven't  . . . .
She talked about "Fit/Feel" a term that describes how you want it to fit so that it feels good. An apt name for a great idea.
Susan is very knowledgeable and it is a pleasant atmosphere to work in. She's created a wonderful community of sewing friends, or her sewing family. I wish it were closer--but it's not too far. If you live in Denver, or close, it is worth your time. Especially for a class. Susan said her favorite class to teach is the Couture Tailoring class. Maybe someday I will take that, but I will go back for sure--I will need help fitting my shirt.
I began deconstructing one of my button up shirts to use it as a base for a pattern that fits. She encouraged me that I could make one I would love. So far I've taken out most of the seems and traced a sleeve. It is another start that will take awhile. It would be a dream to have a shirt that fit.

I haven't posted since the flooding hit CO and its impact was so dramatic I must write something.

Thankfully, our house was not damaged. The floodwaters threatened my husband's recently remodeled office, but it was spared due to 7 tons of sandbags. They lost only one day of productivity. It is a miracle.
In general, my community experienced less flooding than some nearby areas, although there was still significant flooding in my county, the statistic I remember is 83 buildings . . . substantiated by this news article:
Flood-destroyed-building-count-hits-80-Larimer-County

Our family has spent more than a few hours over the past month helping people who've been affected.  We could have spent many more. The destruction is unbelievable--it will take years to recover, and some things will not be recovered. It is motivating to see people reach out in kindness, however. To be able to participate in that, even if our contribution is small, is meaningful. I've especially enjoyed meeting helpers--both people from all over the country and locals who've pitched in to help.
Most of our service has been given at a distribution center for families who've lost everything in the floods.

Peek behind the scenes

We were asked to help sort donations. A temporary relief center was set up by the city of Loveland in an empty Agilent/Hewlett Packard building. On the other side of that black curtain is a "store," where affected families can get items they need to replace--clothing, hygiene, linens, etc. On this side of the curtains, people like me sort donations as they come in. Extras are boxed and labeled for when the "store" needs replenishing.
This distribution center really is a miracle--all the hours of donated time & items donated to those in need. I can't think about it without becoming emotional.
My husband spent half a day digging in the mud--helping a woman clean up her property. Our son, his scout troop, and leaders spent an evening moving 300 chairs that belonged to a different church to a safe, dry spot. I spent a couple of hours mopping a home with bleach to prevent the spread of bacteria. We haven't given a lot, but it's been a good experience for our family to reach out. We can still reach out more. My 3 year old told me he wants to go back to sort clothes, so I guess it's time.

(If you are local and want to help, here's a link with more info on the Loveland Donation Center
Loveland Donation Center)