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What’s in a Name

💜There are times when we can feel a bit unwound, much like a messy pile of yarn, but sometimes we have to embrace the chaos before we can find the calm💜

As I approach the 4th anniversary of my YouTube vlog, I have been pondering how much has changed since posting the first of my videos. What started out as a simple way to share the spinning journey of Tour de Fleece during a socially isolated time has evolved. My early videos were short, spinning content with background music for greater enjoyment. The camera only caught my profile, and I never spoke. Gradually the content changed, and I gained the confidence to speak directly to my audience.

Much like this blog, my vlogs have been a way for me to share my thoughts, as well as the things that bring me joy. Short content has been replaced by longer videos, and the podcast format seems a better fit than making how-to content. My following, while small, has been loyal and has grown steadily, albeit very slowly.

Whether short or long, my videos seem to fall under the umbrella of Unwinding with Fiber and Fabric, the name of my podcast. I feel it is the right time to change the name of my channel to better reflect the content. The name is still a mouthful, but one that will hopefully be easier to find, or share.

This blog will not change, nor will my Facebook and Instagram accounts, although those accounts might change in the future. For now, I will remain Pioneerlady at Pithyponderings (pioneerlady_at_pithyponderings), because a name is more than just a title or description of what we do. A name is part of who we are.

@UnwindingwithFiberandFabric

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The Joy of Completion

No matter the reason you put off working on it, no matter how displeased it made you feel at times, a finished project will stir your heart when it is completed, if for no other reason than it is done.

A productive week! Three quilts finished, as well as finally finishing the silk I’ve been spinning on-and-off for months. I share these completed projects in this week’s vlog. I also have another English Paper Piecing block to share. It is called the Gemstone Star and can be downloaded below.

26-gemstone-starDownload

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Plus I created a couple short reels this week when I ventured out of the crafting room 💜.

You can check them out on Instagram or Facebook

@pioneerlady_at_pithyponderings

https://www.facebook.com/PioneerladyatPithyponderings

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Uncharted Paths

A charted path can help us get to where we want to go, and it can provide us a sense of control in a chaotic world. Yet, there is something to be said for occasionally leaving the charted path and bravely taking an unplanned journey into the unknown.

With the completion of my dedicated sewing-crafting room (notwithstanding the need of a fresh coat of wall and ceiling paint), I find myself recognizing a shift has occurred. While I don’t believe the sewing room is the catalyst of this change, I do think it symbolizes the change that has occurred within me.

It is as I begin to really use this dedicated space, a space that brings me joy and comfort, I realize more fully that I have changed.

Change doesn’t usually happen overnight, but sometimes the awakening to the change does feel abrupt. We go to bed one night only to wake up the next morning to realize the journey we’ve been on has led us to our destination. What then, we ask ourselves? Do we meticulously map our a new destination, or do we allow ourselves the freedom of following an uncharted path, even if only for a short while?

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This Week’s English Paper Piecing Block – The Triple Star
25-triple-starDownload

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Keeping Our Mojo while Pursuing Success

In a world were the pressure for perfection is ever present, the quest for success can overwhelm us, thus causing our creative mojo to get lost somewhere along the journey. This is often the case when we are creating to meet the demand of others, but it can also be the case when we are creating for ourselves. The scale we use to measure success, sadly, is seldom one we create ourselves, thereby placing us at the risk of becoming overwhelmed when our efforts fall short of an unrealistic norm.

As creators, or makers to use another term commonly used in social media, we rely on our creative mojo to keep our inspiration flowing and our ideas vibrant. Our ability to keep creating often relies heavily on our feelings of accomplishment, and therefore how we determine success is instrumental in our ability to create.

In my video today, I ponder the notion of success and the question of whether my latest project is a success. I determine success is achieved when three criteria are met – functionality, structural-soundness, and joy. We are makers not machines. Variables in our creative efforts are part of what makes our product unique and desirable. When we hold onto this knowledge, we can better keep hold of our mojo even as we pursue success.

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This week I have three English Paper Piecing blocks to share.
22-grandmas-broochDownload
23-grandmas-spring-broochDownload
24-flower-basketDownload

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Simple Joys

Simply joyful projects do more than just keep the hands busy, they cleanse and refuel the mind.

This week I have two simple flowers to share. They can either become decorative mini pillow ornaments, or they can be applied to a fabric square for use in a bigger project.

00-simple-flowersDownload

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Rolling Along

As I prepared for this post, I received a notification alerting me that today is the 12 year anniversary of my blog. It is fitting that the quilt block I am sharing today is called the Rolling Star because despite the chaos of life, my blog keeps rolling along.

Over the years, I have posted as the inspiration strikes rather than following any schedule or routine. Recently my posts tend to correspond with my vlog content, but every so often the pithy blog emerges from a meandering thought I feel is worth sharing.

Regardless the inspiration for my posts, I hope that they find their way to those who need to see them. For even if just one viewer finds value in the content, I feel the effort has been worthwhile. Of course, it goes without saying, the true value these last 12 years has been achieved in the record I have created.

Best wishes to all who read this blog post. Thank you for joining me as I roll along this meandering journey!

This week’s EPP block can be downloaded here.
21-rolling-starDownload

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21-rolling-star-1Download
Updated – the square pieces in this block are two different sizes. I’ve labeled them on the outline-only template page.

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Octagon Star – A Classic Block

A classic block can shine in both vintage and modern fabrics. The Octagon Star is a great example of a classic eight pointed star set into a square for ease of piecing.

Remove the corners, and like the hexagon, the octagon opens up a world of possibilities.

Or keep it simple by setting the blocks in either a standard layout or on-point.

Pattern for the Octagon Star can be downloaded here.
Block 20 Octagon StarDownload

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A “What Was I Thinking” Project

Every so often a crafter will undertake a project that makes them ask, “What was I thinking?” In this week’s video, I share three of these projects – one of which is my English Paper Piecing block.

This is a block worth making, but it is also one that required a determination to get it to work rather than an expectation of perfection. I’m pretty sure that I was doomed from the moment the pieces were cut. This block required clear labels from start to finish – a step I neglected to do. I’m pretty sure a piece or two was flipped or mislabeled. However, despite being doomed from the beginning, I made it work. True, there was some tweaking and fudging during the construction, but the end result will still work for my project. The final quilt’s sashing should help hide any visible imperfections.

With all that being said, I still love the look of this star block and am glad I pressed on with it despite the foreboding I felt when I realized how finicky its construction would be. For more details on where I went wrong and how I made it work, I recommend watching this week’s vlog. It contains three “What was I thinking” projects and a good deal of me laughing at how much these projects spice up my life.

PDF Pattern for the Mountain Star block can be downloaded here
Mountain StarDownload

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A New Year and an EPP Block to Celebrate

The new year has been full of fiber and fun. I have found my spinning, knitting, and crochet mojo again, but I am still embracing the joy of hand piecing quilt blocks. This block, while having been around for quite awhile, historically had no dominant name. So I named it in honor of the fireworks that fill the night sky on New Year’s Eve. It is a simple block, containing only four shapes (not counting the boarders). I hope it brings a sparkle to your patchwork project.

PDF pattern for can be downloaded here.
EPP 18 New Year’s EveDownload

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