Strawberry Shortcake Ornaments

In my ongoing determination to sew up all my panels of Christmas ornaments, I came across eight of Strawberry Shortcake ornaments, two in each of these four designs, already cut out and ready to sew up. Each design, as well as having a duplicate, had a mirror image of itself. My daughter, was a fan of Strawberry Shortcake in her childhood years. The selvage of the panel reads ©1980 American Greetings Corporation © Spring Mills Inc. Pattern 5714 so this panel had been in my stash for about four decades. Yikes! The iconic Christmas symbols are quite fitting: a wreath, a snowman, a candy cane, and a stocking.

Who is Strawberry Shortcake? Per a vintage Strawberry Shortcake site:

Strawberry Shortcake is a bright and energetic little girl with red hair and freckles with a big, adorable smile. Strawberry is kind, resourceful, and always ready to help a friend in need. With her pet cat named Custard normally by her side. She usually wears a sweet, red dress with a white pinafore, and a pink bonnet decorated with strawberries. In her earliest adventures, Strawberry's home was a shortcake surrounded by well-tended strawberry vines, in 1983 she moved into her "Berry Happy Home", a large and ornate home.

It took me three weeks to get an order of pink grosgrain ribbon from Amazon. I have become so spoiled by the normally quick turn around, so I suspect this order must have been from a second party seller.  I waited, impatiently, because pink just had to be the color of choice for the loops due to Strawberry's bonnet and her cat Custard. I suppose I could have used red or green ribbon but, nah. My stubborn streak held firm, and the loop had to be pink. Here are the eight ornaments with pink loops. I chose to put the mirror image on each back. Although she faces the same way in the photo, the cat in the stocking also has a mirror image on the back. I did not flip the ornament to the other side because I wasn't paying enough attention when I set up the photo.

A New York Times business article in 2008 commented that

The 1980s Strawberry Shortcake has been updated to spend her time chatting on a cell phone instead of brushing her calico cat, Custard. 

I captured this poster of the continuing evolution of Strawberry Shortcake from the UK blog Five Little Diamonds.

Interestingly, Strawberry Shortcake started out as an image from a Hallmark greeting card. In a Strawberry Shortcake fandom site, there are more details of Strawberry's evolution through the years.  Notice, I said evolution, not aging. Strawberry Shortcake still remains young. Only the interpretation and portrayal of "hip" continually changes to be contemporary or trendy. My favorite portrayal of Strawberry Shortcake is from the 1980's. What would she look like today if she really was in her 40s? Would she be slender and fit in her leggings and sports bra from her pilates and exercising? Or would she be pleasantly plump as a mother in her mom jeans from sampling and enjoying all her baking?

Crocheting Strawberry the Axolotl

One of my 2024 goals was to knit or crochet at least one item since, to my surprise, I had done neither of those crafts in 2023. Coincidentally my grandson had developed a liking for small amigurumi figures he had seen, so I decided to crochet him one, thus checking off my goal and making him happy. Per Wikipedia

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted", and kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in nuigurumi "(sewn) stuffed doll".  Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions about size or look.

There is a popular line of kits called Woobles advertised as "learn to crochet kits for beginners". The Wooble figure Isaiah wanted was Strawberry the Axolotl. My preferred craft is knitting, but I do know how to crochet. Even so, I found the tutorial that came with this kit exceptional and I learned a few things and understand a lot of other things better. I thought the kit was overpriced but hey, it was for my grandson, and it really did come with absolutely everything I needed, and a learning experience to boot.  One thing I definitely did not know... what is an Axolotl?

An axolotl is an amphibian creature that never outgrows it tadpole stage of life. I tend to think of it as the Peter Pan of the animal kingdom since it never grows up. For more detail about the following facts, check out https://www.thefactsite.com/axolotl-facts/.

1. Axolotls are native to one place in the world.
2. They never show signs of aging!
3. Axolotls are carnivores.
4. This curious creature comes in a variety of colors.
5. Axolotls were first brought to Europe in 1864.
6. Finding a mate involves dancing.
7. Axolotls can regenerate new body parts.
8. The axolotl is the Aztec god of fire and lightning.
9. They are an endangered species.
10. Axolotls are banned as pets in some US States and Canadian Provinces.

The axolotl is of great value in medical research and the facts surrounding it are unique. Per the Wikipedia article Axolotl

Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs, gills and parts of their eyes and brains. Notably, their ability to regenerate declines with age, but it does not disappear. Axolotls keep modestly growing throughout their life and some consider this trait to be a direct contributor to their regenerative abilities. Further research has been conducted to examine their heart as a model of human single ventricle and excessive trabeculation (i.e. heart wall anomalies).

But I digress. Back to crocheting. Each Wooble comes with an instruction card and a log in site with password where directions are in written form, verbal form, as well as illustrated in great detail, step by step, in a series of short videos. Everything you need is in the kit: yarn (conveniently the non-splitting type), crochet hook, stitch markers, safety eyes, stuffing, and a yarn needle.

In the following three photos are my Axolotl body in stages 1) with eyes inserted and belly along side, 2) with belly and ears attached, and 3) finally with his happy smile embroidered.

In two sittings, I crocheted the pink body and stuffed it. In a third sitting I crocheted and attached the round white belly and the orange ears/gills. I took my time and enjoyed the process. I sure hope my grandson will like his axolotl.

Amigurami can be knitted or crocheted. I came across this interesting YouTube video, Differences in knitting and crocheting amigurami, that explained well the pros and cons of each technique. Now that I see the comparison, I wonder if I ever will get around to knitting the animals that are in these two books that I just had to buy! Those critters truly are cute but they are certainly much more work.

My DL2Q Blog Book - Vol. 20

When Blog2Print had a 50% off sale I seized the opportunity to publish my 20th DL2Q blog book. The site has sales often enough that I rarely, if ever, pay full price. 

Here are two pair of pages from inside the book. The first page pair is images from the Oklahoma Quilt Show where my daughter had entered three quilts. The second page pair is at the Long Beach International Quilt Festival where my two granddaughters Vivian and Lillian were fascinated by the embroidery machines.

Those glossy pages seem to enhance everything. Blog2Print really does a nice job. I am always pleased with the finished bound hardcover book.

DianeLoves2Quilt - Vol. 20: June 16, 2023 - Jan 4, 2024
Volume 20 contains 253 pages over a time period of nearly 7 months in 21 posts. I am finally settled down into a comfortable number of posts and pages that I can generate each volume with a minimum of trial and error and the creation goes rather quickly. Picking the cover front and back photos and writing the dedication takes the most time. For this volume, I picked a cover design, Blue Swirls, that blended with the background at the entrance to the Long Beach International Quilt Festival quilt on the front and complemented all the blues of my daughter's quilt entry Story of the Sky on the back.

The Dedication for DianeLoves2Quilt - Vol. 20 and the subsequent Table of Contents read as follows:

Vol. 20 has quilt viewing at three shows: in Long Beach, CA, in Brentwood, CA, and in Oklahoma City, OK. I took my two granddaughters to the Long Beach show (their first). My daughter displayed three quilts of her own at the OK show. In this half-year I made one quilt and showed two previously made quilts at the couty fair.
- Diane I. Chambers

I have added Volume 20 stats of number of pages and posts to my ongoing chart of Blog Books. I've learned the following rules of thumb:

• 200-250 pages is a comfortable thickness for holding and browsing
• the number of months covered depends on how long the posts are; I aim for 6-8 months
• 24 posts makes a one-page table of contents

These are links to previous volumes and reminders to what covers I selected. Volume 12 has the best, most complete, selection of hints. The post for Volume 19 has a cumulative overview of the previous 19 volumes.

• DL2Q Volume 20 posted 01/20/2024 cover choice Blue Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 19 posted 11/12/2023 cover choice Mini Print Beige
• DL2Q Volume 18 posted 01/25/2023 cover choice Polka Dots - yellow
• DL2Q Volume 17 posted 07/05/2022 cover choice Red Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 16 posted 01/29/2022 cover choice Strawberry Chocolate
• DL2Q Volume 15 posted 01/29/2022 cover choice Orange Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 14 posted 12/28/2020 cover choice Red Hearts
• DL2Q Volume 13 posted 04/24/2020 cover choice Solid Green
• DL2Q Volume 12 posted 02/23/2020 cover choice Waves-N-Whirls
• DL2Q Volume 11 posted 03/04/2019 cover choice Tree
• DL2Q Volume 10 posted 07/05/2018 cover choice Brown Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 9 posted 06/22/2018 cover choice Polka Dots - green
• DL2Q Volume 8 posted 06/27/2017 cover choice Polka Dots - blue
• DL2Q Volume 7 posted 06/27/2017 cover choice Polka Dots - pink
• DL2Q Volume 6 posted 06/27/2017 cover choice Red Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 5 posted 12/16/2015 cover choice Green Swirls
• DL2Q Volume 4 posted 03/18/2015 cover choice Plum Flowers
• DL2Q Volume 3 posted 03/18/2015 cover choice Flowers - yellow
• DL2Q Volume 2 posted 04/14/2014 cover choice Flowers - pink
• DL2Q Volume 1 posted 04/17/2013 cover choice Blue Swirls

Christmas House Ornaments

Over the years, I have collected many Christmas ornament panels. These panels are not made anymore, although eBay often has some vintage ones. I also have picked up many from bargain tables at quilt guild sales. Even though it is past Christmas, I am determined to make up my backlog of panels throughout 2024 so I am not caught by surprise with them still undone next Christmas. 

Each day I aim to complete a stage or two on one or more ornaments. The stages are 1) cut out, 2) pin, 3) sew, 4) turn, 5) stuff, or 6) stitch closed. It gets me in my sewing room for at least a few minutes each day, so days do not go by where I never quite make it in there. I intersperse these ornaments with other projects I may have in progress. I began this post in early January. This post is about the three house panels I had in my stash. Let's see how I progress throughout 2024 with other panels.

January 7th:
The panel runs the full width of fabric and looks like this before cutting out and yields 8 houses: three red, three yellow and two blue. The back side of each house is not shown but each is basically the mirror image of the front. 

First up, 1) I cut out and 2) pinned top with ribbon loop inserted. I use 4½" of ⅜" wide grosgrain ribbon for each loop, basically 8 to one yard of ribbon. I chose yellow for the loop since it not only goes with the yellow houses but also picks up yellow accents of the window glow or trim of the red and blue houses. All but two houses have yellow in them. 

At this stage the red houses are 3) sewn and 4) turned right side out.

Now the two blue houses have been 5) stuffed. As a reminder to myself, if I iron or finger crease the seam allowance at the opening where the stuffing goes in, it is easier to stitch the opening closed.

January 9th:
All eight yellow-ribbon-looped houses are 6) stitched closed on the bottom and are now complete.

January 14th:
I completed a second 8-house set from another panel but this time with red ribbon loops. I learned that straight pins are difficult to push through the grosgrain ribbon. Clips are easier for holding the ribbon in place until sewn. Here is the completed set with red loops.

January 17th:
I made a third 8-house set from another panel but this time with black ribbon loops. All houses have black in them and, although not necessarily a festive color choice, black goes well with the houses and distinguishes this set from the other two sets. I did not think that I would, but I like the black looped set best.

With the completion of this third set I have sewn up all the house ornament panels that I have. I can add 24 ornaments to the count of the others I have made over the years.

2024 Quilting Goals

I was loathe to set out tasks for myself and not in the mood to write goals for 2024. Note that my first post for 2024 was not about goals, but about having fun. In 2020 I had moved to overarching goals of having fun, growing, and gaining satisfaction with accomplishments. I plan to keep that same model.

I told myself to stop procrastinating and to just knuckle down and write the #$%^& goals. But if a quilting goal is to "have fun" and I was not having fun writing goals, wouldn't that be kind self-defeatist from the start? Then I further told myself "do not reinvent the wheel"; just use your goals from 2023 with minor edits if needed (in red). 

For the past three years, 2021 and 2022 and 2023, my "closet quilter"goals were to 1) work from my stash, 2) utilize tools I have bought, and 3) interface in some way with other quilters. For 2024, I am keeping these goals from 2023. The following indented guidelines give means to measure my 2024 goals.

• 1) Work from my stash
• assess kits to keep or make or repurpose
• make at least one kit, hopefully two, to reduce quantity
• consolidate/control scraps
• restrict purchases of more kits to no more than the number I make
• 2) Utilize tools I have and learn how to use new ones
• be willing and curious to new tools
• donate/discard under utilized tools (gimmicks)
• assess and watch online classes – free or previously paid for
• 3) Interface with other quilters
• continue to blog
• continue publishing my blog books
• attend guild meetings
• perhaps take a class (for growth)
• attend quilt shows
• 4) Intersperse small projects just for fun, growth, satisfaction
• uses up stash and scraps
• provides opportunity to try new tools or skills on reduced scale
• can yield small personal gifts

I do have two additions for 2024 based on 2023 shortfalls that slightly bugged me:

• It was disappointing to realize I had not knit or crocheted anything in 2023.
  I aim to knit or crochet at least one item in 2024.
  
• My inventory of kits in my stash did not decrease at all in 2023.
  I aim to reduce my stash by at least one kit in 2024.

2024 Begins with Fun

If I were more disciplined, I would constrain myself to writing the first traditional blog entry of 2024, i.e., the annual post of my goals for the new year.  Instead, I decided to share the happiness of my first quick completion. There will be plenty of time for generating goals later.

After big projects — and Christmas certainly counts as a big project — I need some short quick finishes to "cleanse my palette", so to speak. Here are six puffy ornaments of angels from different countries that I sewed up just for fun. Their happy faces make me smile. I use ⅜" wide grosgrain ribbon for the hanging loops. At 4½" each, eight loops per yard, they are not too big, not too small, but just right.

I certainly do not need any more of these stuffed trinkets. I have made well over 100 of them, in many, many styles, over the years, enlisting the help of my kids to stuff them. I hang them about the house at Christmas... on the curtain rods, up the stairwell, on the grandfather clock, on garlands, on the piano, on door pulls, on each hutch... sometimes (gasp!) even on the tree. For variety, and not because I did not have enough, I did not hang any on the tree this year.

Making many more of these ornaments is in my future; but for now,
what a FUN way to start out 2024! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2023 In Review

Here are my accomplishments for 2023, followed by pictures and headings only. Details are in my past posts as indicated by a clickable completion date after each name. My own assessment of how well I met my 2023 goals is after the pictures of completions. 

2023 COMPLETIONS:

• 4 quilts
• 6 quilt shows + 3 shop hops
• 3 toys / cloth books 
• 8 burp cloths
• 2 blog books
• 8 home decor
• 3 vests twice
• 2 tote bags
• 0 crocheted or knitted  items

3 QUILTS

1) Pieces of Blue (4/10/2023) ~ 38" x 49"

2) Popsicles (4/17/2023) ~ 19" x 18"

3) Tipus and Treetops (9/4/2023) 48" x 48"

4) Community Gift Quilt (12/23/23) 54" x 72" ... block contributions from Cut Ups quilt group

6 QUILT SHOWS + 3 SHOP HOPS

Shop Hop with my Daughter (1/3/2023)

 

Sacramento quilt show (3/26/2023)

Stir Crazy Museum Show in Danville, CA (6/14/2023)

Alameda County Fair (7/16/2023)

Long Beach International Quilt Festival (8/4/2023)

Celebration of Quilts, Footloose 2023 by Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild (8/6/2023)

Brentwood Quilt Show Pearls of Wisdom by Delta Quilters Guild (9/3/2023)

Savage Quilter Shop Hop with my Daughter (9/6/2023)

Back Porch Fabrics visit in Pacific Grove (9/30/2023)

3 TOYs

Blanket for Joy (1/23/23) ~ 16" x 16"

Cat and Mouse stuffies (2/7/23) started by Lillian and William, grandma completion only

2 BLOG BOOKS

DianeLoves2Quilt - Volume 18  (1/25/23)

 DianeLoves2Quilt - Volume 19  (11/12/23)

8 BURP CLOTHS

8 Burp cloths (3/5/23)

8 HOME DECOR

2 King Size Bathing Beauties Pillowcases (3/6/23)

1 pillow (10/12/2023)

2 house pillowcases (10/17/23)

 2 mini pillows (10/25/23)

1 Mickey Mouse pillow ~ 15" x 19" (11/24/23)

3 VESTS

Adventure Vests 7/17/23

Elongated, Patched Adventure Vests (7/23/23)

2 TOTE BAGS

Knitting tote bag for my sister (9/30/2023)

 Recuperation tote bag for a friend (12/18/23)

REVIEW OF GOALS

A condensed summary of my 2023 goals (1/16/23 post) is:

1) Work from my stash ✓

 ......any little I bought new, I used up immediately 

2 ) Utilize tools I have and learn how to use new ones ✓

 ......got practice with wavy rulers

3) Interface with other quilters ✓ 

.......joined small group, blogged, attended zoom meetings, went to shows

4) Intersperse small projects just for fun, growth, satisfaction ✓ 

.......yup, sure did

• I did pretty good on the intent of each goal, but I made no dent whatsoever in using up any of the kits from my stash. I really would like to start nibbling down those kits that are languishing in my stash. Hurray, though. I did not buy any more kits either.
  
  
• Other than the small wall hangings, anything I made I gave away, so in essence there is a fabric volume reduction in my home.
  
  
• Alas, I did not knit or crochet anything in 2023, which I was surprised to reveal to myself. I think a key aim for 2024 is to get better at writing goals that I will be pleased to have accomplished. Or else I might just sit back and let the "scraps" fall where they may. After all, this is my hobby, and not my livelihood.