Tuesday, May 12, 2009

My Daughter's Dream

This is what I made my DD Natalie for Mother's Day!
She LOVES orange, too!

Some of you may remember that my daughter is an aspiring author. She is very close to her dream. So close she can almost catch it in her hands. The thing that has kept her going is this thought by Thoreau,

"Go Confidently in the Direction of your Dreams."

It inspires her to keep going with all of the ups and downs during the querying process. Writing is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of time, courage, thick skin, patience, confidence in yourself, and a lot of diligence. She's been writing and drawing since she was in kindergarten and she has many magical worlds that exist in her head. It's been a privilege as her mother to read some of the stories that she's put down on paper. She wrote several books last year and is currently doing revisions on one of the hot ones.

I'm proud of Natalie and want her to know I'm in awe of her dedication to her craft. She will make it no matter how long it takes. She loves it that much. It reminds me of the time when she was five years old. I was doing a lot of tole painting at that time and she came up to me and asked,

"Mom, how come you can draw better than me?"

Her question took me off guard and I had to think about it.

I remember asking her, "How long do you think Mom has been drawing?"

She responded, "A long time?"

Yes, I've been drawing for a very long time, probably something like 20 years or more."

Then I asked her, "How long have you been drawing?"

She replied, "Just a few years."

So, I continued to explain that I'd been drawing for a really long time and so I should be better, because I'd been practicing for a VERY long time and that I loved to draw and create. I then encouraged her by saying "Natalie, if you want to be a great artist then you need to dedicate yourself to learning how to draw and then practice, practice, practice."

For many many years Natalie carried around a sketch book everywhere she went. She was rarely without one. Infact, she filled 12 books with over a 100 pages each. She was also the Studentbody Artist along with another Artist. They did all the artwork and posters for School Events throughout the year. She also did the sets for many of the plays they had over the years she was there.

Natalie, majored in English Language at BYU and worked part-time at Eagle's Eye Magazine for the entire time she was in college. She loved the creative process of putting together their magazine. She did writing, photography, layout, and served as Editor. She is greatly missed on their staff and is often asked back as a consultant.


I put this picture on the back of the frame as a memory.



Here you can see the detail on the decorative quilting.



Notice the decorative stitching sewn on the white paper.



Instructions to Make your Own Keepsake Frame:
  • You will need an 8" X 10" Keepsake Frame that I bought at my local craft store (Roberts).
  • Then I made a miniature quilt to showcase the pewter heart that I found at my local Hallmark Store (I was lucky to get the last one).
  • The white center piece is cut at 4" x 5" (white sandcastle).
  • I made the quilt using a variation of orange fabric. You will need 40 squares cut at 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" the squares will finish at 3/4" when sewn on all sides.
  • Sew 6 squares together for each side.
  • Sew the sewn squares to one side of the white center.
  • Repeat for opposite side.
  • Sew 14 squares together to make two rows of 7 squares for the top of the white center.
  • Sew the two rows to the top of the white center.
  • Repeat for the bottom section.
  • Make the quilt sandwich with batting and fabric for the back of the quilt.
  • Use decorative stitches to quilt your miniature quilt.
  • Attach a narrow binding to the quilt. I cut the binding at 1 1/4" in width and did a single fold to keep it from being so thick.
  • Center your finished quilt on a piece of paper that you trim down to 8" x 10"
  • Trace a light pencil line around the quilt then put quilt aside.
  • Sew a decorative stitch on a piece of white BAZZILL paper to frame the quilt (see pics).
  • Using double stick tape I taped the sewn paper to the cardboard insert found in the frame.
  • Using a long stitch sew in the ditch along the binding to attach the quilt to the paper and the cardboard insert.
  • Position and sew the ribbon to the quilt and cardboard.
  • Tie the pewter heart to the quilt and put it in the frame.
  • You are now done with your quilted keepsake!

20 comments:

Pat said...

This is such a wonderful gift...a heart for a truly heartfelt gift. I'm sure Natalie will treasure it forever.

Jodi Nelson said...

I love it! It's fantastic. What a great idea.

Anina said...

What a wonderful thoughtful gift.

Sherri said...

What a wonderful gift idea...and thanks for the "how to." I've never heard of Bazzill paper, though...is it available at Roberts or other craft stores?

Ruby said...

Thank you so much for sharing this project, it's beautiful!

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

Kim, It is beuatiful, thank you for sharing you story with us, I know she loves it!

Jocelyn said...

What a beautiful gift and such a sweet story. Thanks for sharing.

Joanna said...

I love it! And I love orange too:) I hope all your daughter's writing dreams come true!!

suz said...

Your daughter sound like a remarkable young woman - you are very lucky. Your gift for her was lovely.

Nedra said...

You have such talented children! I have a niece who has just become a publishe author the last few years through Deseret Book. Very hard to do!

Amy R said...

Kim - your gift is beautiful! And, thanks so much for sharing how you made it. PLEASE keep us informed when your daughter becomes published! I want to read all about it!

Material Mary said...

I just love the message and also the picture. Thanks for sharing.
Mary

Julie said...

This is great! I think you are both very talented. I would love to read something your daughter wrote. I am sure you will let us know when that will be possible!!!

Deb said...

Such a wonderful gift! Thanks for the instructions. Hope that your daughter gets published soon.

Dawn said...

Thanks for the inspiring post!! And thanks for the how to!

Brenda said...

This was a lovely post to read. I am going to copy that quote and read it myself, it, read at the right time, can make someone sit back and think. I love having this type of thing hanging around my walls, words of insperation.
Your daughter sounds wounderful. And I am glad she will one day have a best seller that I can go and pick up and enter her 'world' for awhile.
You spoke very well when asked how long you think it would take her to draw like you. Great words. And they obviously helped her in her drawing. She was taught, at a very young age, to just keep working on her dreams and they would come true, they did with her drawing and they will with the book.
Thank-You for sharing this story with us.

Unknown said...

I just found your blog. Super cute, everything you make is lovely. I love the frame for Natalie.

Busy Little Quilter said...

This is so sweet, Kim. I love what you have written about Natalie. It's so great that she found her passion early and is seeing it through.

I love the quilted picture. I know she will treasure this forever.

Julianne said...

Truly a keepsake for your daughter. Thank you so much for sharing.

Best wishes to your daughter.

Nanette Merrill said...

Another amazing post Kim. You know when I first starting going to the alpine group you intimidated me so much because of the quality and quantity of your work. Now that I know you of course I'm not intimidated but you continue to amaze and surprise me.