Author: Deanna

Visit us at www.stitchesquilting.com As the owner of Stitches Quilting, I opened my first store front in 2002 in Yuma Arizona. It was a thrill and dream come true. There was so much excitment in just touching all the glorious fabrics, threads and samples. I loved being able to inspire young and more mature quilters to work with such beautiful materials. The shoppe was always open to anyone that just simply wanted to come and sew. I loved having it busy with lots of people to inspire each other. We even had a children's area with a custom built cottage for them to play in with lots of toys to occupy their sweet minds as their mothers were distracted. www.stitchesquilting.com I had just recently been divorced prior to opening the store and had three beautiful boys. One of my sons had special needs from Tuberous Sclerosis (Luke's web site about TS)and it was challenging running the store but very fulfilling. (I also have a blog on Luke's website that talks about the challenges of being a special needs mom) I used money from my divorce settlement to open the store. It felt so wonderful to be destracted from the stress of the divorce. Unfortunately, my youngest son at 11 months of age had a traumatic brain injury less than 45 days after I opened the store. It was devastating. Despite odds with the help of many ladies and at high cost, I kept the store open. I worked along but realized it was unreasonable to keep the store open without jepardizing things for my children. I closed the store, remarried a phenomenal man, moved to Utah, became a caregiver for my mother with ALS Lou Gehrigs and along with my children. I also got three new step-daughters. My mother passed away, then I started working with my husband at his law firm www.walllegalsolutions.com and applied to be accepted to get my Master's Degree. I was accepted and completed a program in Healthcare Administration. I love Utah and it is so wonderful to have the time to quilt and sew again. For motivation to complete my Master's thesis, my reward was to quilt again. I actually slept with the fabric and each day would touch it as I completed my thesis. I am not able to work full time outside of the home with the unique needs of my children but feel once again inclined to inspire others to quilt and provide them with beautiful supplies to enjoy. My hope is that you enjoy the online store and contact us if you have any questions. I will also sell patterns that I have designed from quilts I made for those I love. Happy Stitching and please don't hesitate to email if you have any questions. deanna@stitchesquilting.com Deanna Favorite Links Stitches Quilting Luke's Tuberous Sclerosis Site Wall & Wall, Attorneys at Law
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The World is Just so Distracting

Owner of Stitches Quilting
Deanna Wall

There are just so many things to do in life with working, raising families, being a member of a family and our community that we need to focus on the right things in life. We live in a world where we are so distracted by the constant stimuli that we no longer focus on the truly important things in life. I have been blessed with many many obstacles in my life that I have learned to really concentrate on the right things in life and why. These obstacles have been challenges that I have embraced to my fullest to allow myself to be chiseled to be the soul that God intends me to be. Through this blog I will share with you things that have been set in my path that have made me to pause in life and truly focus on what is important. It is a time in the world to simplify and focus on what is truly important. I have found that through my challenges that I have developed gifts, skills and desires that I never imagined that I would learn in life. I never imagined that some of my most intense growth in life would come with the age that I am. But the refining has come and I have chosen to stay the good soul that I am and not allow difficulties to change my spirit but just allow my spirit to lift and grow in ways to help others. As I have faced the challenges that I have had through the years, there are many interests that I have acquired and would like to share with all of you. In the quiet moments, I have turned to quilting, sewing, crafting, re-purposing, cooking, photography, jewelry making and more to fill my soul with the emptiness that it might have felt with the beautiful people that I have enjoyed things with. I have always strived to have my home be a warm loving place of refuge and peace for my family to come home to. I have found by simplifying my life that I can live a more authentic life and have more cognitive space/awareness for improving myself as a person. Nothing makes me more pleased than to make or share something for my family members, loved ones, people in need or just simply for myself. I hope that I can share that love for the things I do with all of you in your homes to improve where you are in life. This blog is dedicated to sharing those ideas and lessons learned by stitching along through life. I say stitching because I am not always sewing but I am piecing the layers of life together to learn what I am intended to become and continue to evolve to be. We have so much to learn in life and hopefully here we can share some of the things learned to share with others. I have many posts ready to share that will be coming to you soon. There are Stitches Through Life Blog Categories in the upper left column and right side bottom footer of posts to wander through and be inspired and resourceful in life! The resourcefulness that we learn in life gives us confidence, builds self-sufficiency to have courage to do just about anything that we may have to face. May the work of your hands inspire the soul!

Threads of Topics that are Coming SOON!!!!!

Distracting-World-web

  • Making Life’s Hard Things Feel EASIER!
  • How the Way We Think Changes the Things we DO!
  • Being Grateful, Thinking Positively and using to the Fullest the Things we Already Have
  • Finding a Center of Happiness and Core Just Right Exactly Where We Are Right NOW
  • Developing a Devotion to our Spouses to keep our Families Intact
  • Developing a Foundation of Faith that will Never Collapse Under the Weight that We Carry Throughout Life
  • Having Adult Issues be Adult Issues and allowing our children to grow up without having to Navigate Adult Issues
  • Raising Children Practically
  • Raising Children with Structure and an Abundance of Love
  • Raising Special Needs Children taking in the Complexities Involved
  • Raising Children in Blended/Single Homes while Living with Dignity after a Divorce
  • Being Practical! Creatively Making the Best of Our Homes
  • Being Practical! Re-purposing the World Around Us into Needed Items
  • Stitches “DeWall” homemade beauty and household products to make in your own home
  • Stitches Jewelry Creating to give me strength and share as a gift to others
  • Stitches Photography tips and my own images that document life and its adventures

AND I will always continue to post things about fabric, quilting, sewing, home products and more. That has always been a consistent thread of life and always around us to improve upon and enjoy.

I know I we can’t be completely self-sufficient in this life as we are interconnected and weaved into the society of our families, communities, and the world. Where ever we might be we can certainly carve out a piece of serenity no matter where we are.

Deanna Wall Stitches Quilting Stitching Through Life

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French Accent Tote Bag using Laminate Fabrics!

French Accent Tote made with Laminate FabricsI made this tote bag and absolutely LOVE it. The first one I made I gave as a gift to one of my son’s teachers for the holidays. Finally I got one made for me and I carry it absolutely everywhere. I use it to carry all my daydreaming items. Books and magazines I want to read, projects I want to work on, my iPad that goes with me anywhere and anything else that simply is too bulky to throw into my purse. This way I always have something to do when I’m out and about whether at doctor appointments or carpooling the kids around. The Laminate Fabric is not difficult to sew with at all and give the best look EVER!

I was able to quickly construct the bag within about an hour and a half. It was a fun project that didn’t take long and that made me feel GREAT! And the best of all, I get to carry it around with me all day long and enjoy it day after day. I love the velvet rick rack accents and the pockets inside to organize small items. The laminate fabrics that I used are from the Lost & Found collection designed by My Mind’s Eye for Riley Blake Designs. These laminate fabrics are for sale by the yard in the Stitches Quilting Shoppe along with four different French Accent Tote kits with different combinations of four unique laminate fabrics from the Lost and Found Collection. If there is a kit fabric combination that you would like for me to put together for you just email or call and let me know. The kit includes everything you need from the coordinating laminate fabrics, cotton fabrics for lining and handles, pattern, velvet black rick rack, fusible interfacing and stabilizer perfectly cut just for you! No need to run to the fabric store to pick up necessary items. All you will need is thread and a bit of time. Perfect gift to give to others!

Happy Stitching,

Deanna
deanna@stitchesquilting.com

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Quilting Motivates Me

Quilting is therapy

I organize my life and balance my responsibilities so I can enjoy it!  Quilting is always waiting for me in the background if life does get crazy and I need to put it on the back burner.

Quilting motivates me first of all so I can live a long healthy life to execute and complete all the amazing things I dream to create.  I love my family and want to be healthy like eating well and exercising so I can hopefully avoid unnecessary disease and pain to be fully functional and capable of doing the many things I day dream about long into life.

There are so many ideas buzzing around in my head that I want to execute that I hope that long healthy life is waiting for me.

That’s the beauty of quilting; there are so many different things you can do from piecing a quilt top together, strip piecing for easier quilt, to complicated piecing, machine appliqué, hand appliqué, domestic machine quilting, long arm machine quilting, hand quilting, hand piecing…. too much to name.

Secondly, quilting motivates me to live an organized life.  By living an organized life, I will have more rewarding time stitching away.

 

Thirdly, quilting is my reward!  I get every room put back together after an evening of children being home, clean the kitchen, throw a load of wash in, prepare dinner, get necessary mundane tasks completed like paying bills and then quilt, quilt, quilt away!  It feels great; even if it is only for a short bit of time.

 

When I worked on my master’s degree while at the same time worked at my husband’s office and managing kiddos at home, there was not much time for quilting.  There was just no room for creativity to flow BUT I longed for it.  I couldn’t wait to finish and for life to settle down to enjoy the colors and fabrics and creation of beautiful things for loved ones.  There is a time and season to all things.  Well as I was working on my master’s thesis and to break the barrier for motivation, I bought some special fabrics for a quilt pattern that I had longed to complete from many years prior.   The pattern came from an old quilting book that I had admired and tucked away.

 

Then I LITERALLY slept with the fabrics under my pillow and in my bed with me every night.  I would fall asleep touching the fabrics and admiring the color collection carefully fanned out, after a long day of forcing myself to be disciplined on my project.  In the morning I would wake up and again touch them then turn with the determination to get my mountain work done each day.

 

Finally, the day arrived and I finished my master’s thesis.  I had done all the work for whatever reason comfortably sitting in my bed on my laptop.  When I pressed send on the email to my professor with the master’s thesis attached, I turned to my fabric and smiled!

 

I then went down stairs to my sewing room, dusted off the sewing machine, rotary cutter and mat and started playing with the fabrics.  It was just a sweet quilt for my son that played soccer that would become a wall hanging in his room.  But that quilt represented so much to me, the freedom that I know had to be creative again and the discipline I used to do hard things.

The quilt that was made from the fabrics I slept with
I finally did it! Finished my Master's degree!

The quilt now years later still hangs in his room as he is now on a competitive soccer team.  I have made several more quilts for him in his room for him to feel the warmth of his mother’s love.  That mother’s love spills over as I attend all those soccer games taking amazing photographs of him with quilts to sit on or keep me warm.  That mother’s love also spilled over as I went to all the amazing wrestling matches for his older brother and sat there hand appliquéing wrestlers with a tiger head and took pictures there.

Wrestling Quilt I made for Nick.

Quilting enriches and motivates me to be a better person and keep my life prioritized.
 
Quilting motivates me to live a balanced life so I have time to put a healthy hobby like quilting in my routine. Quilting is so spectacular and there are just so many pleasing things to do with it!
 

My soccer player now! I love that little guy! Such a pleasure being a mother.
My happy wrestler that threw me a smile while wrestling to his mama for the photograph. I love that guy!

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Sewing with your teenager a Whimsical Brown & Pink Trendy Quilt – Ouch she sewed through her finger!

Sewing with teenagers or pre-teens to quilt isn’t difficult especially when the task is broken down into bite size pieces with a simple, trendy, attractive and whimsical project.

Emily’s Finished Quilt
Long Arm Quilting on Whimsical Brown & Pink Quilt
More Long Arm Machine Quilting on Quilt
Emily holding her finished quilt top!
Sample of some of the fabrics used and for sale at www.stitchesquilting.com
Quilt Kit available for this quilt at www.stitchesquilting.com
Emily’s Finished Quilt

Nothing is better than to share my love of quilting with others and introduce to them the joy of the craft. I especially enjoy sewing with teens or pre-teens! I have taught many classes through the years to young teens. It is amazing what they can create, how good they feel about themselves while gaining confidence that they can reach outside their comfort zone to learning a new skill. The sheer amazement and pride seen in their eyes as they examine a finished project that they never imagined they could accomplish. Lessons can be learned in the process of quilting which may seem to one like a big project but when broken into small pieces with encouragement, proper instruction and a reasonable pattern that they can do it. There has never been a better time to introduce how to quilt with trends going in the direction of big, simple and bold!

Attached is a video of me sewing with my step-daughter Emily. When we first started this quilt, she actually sewed through her finger straight to the bone. Not fun at all! But Emily overcame this mishap to sew again to finish the quilt! Watch the video to see her overcome her fear!

Video to watch construction of Whimsical Brown and Pink Quilt with Emily!

Later I long armed it for her and it has been a quilt that she has been found curled up in. She has later in life sat at the sewing machine to quilts and even knows how to long armed now!

Enjoy quilting with your kids; not only do they learn confidence in doing different things but it is a bonding experience that you will grow together in. Enjoy long talks while stitching away and learn about your loved one. I try very hard to allow all beginners to do almost everything, so they truly have pride in the end result with the learning of new skills. My number one goal is that they can tell others that they made the quilt without a tinge of guilt that their step-mom or teacher really made most of it.

Happy Stitching!

Deanna

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I just got my NEW Long Arm Quilting Machine by Innova!!!!

My first Long Arm Quilting Machine in my actual home!

I just got my NEW long arm quilting machine by Innova!!!!  I am simply SEW excited!  This is utterly amazing!  I have always wanted my very own long arm but it was difficult to justify.  I finally sold enough fabric to save up and buy the machine!  I am in seventh heaven.  Waking up each day starting a creative project and then finish it on the long arm will be incredible!  I don’t feel like able to quilt my quilts with my domestic machine anymore…. not with all the things that I day-dream to do!  Wow this will be a learning curve but Innova has a week-long course on how to use the machine and make it WORK!  When they installed the machine they gave me a mini lesson.  I have my good friend Renae Haddadin, that is an expert award-winning machine quilter.  She ordered the exact same machine as me and she said that she will help me too!

The long arm machine I purchased was the Innova Quilting System 22″ with the lightning stitch regulator.  Renae Haddadin is now a dealer for Innova Longarm Sewing Machines and an award-winning expert in long arm quilting.
Exciting days, months and years ahead!  It feels good to be creative and create.

Here is a video of me purchasing the machine at the Home Machine Quilting Show(HMQS) in Salt Lake City Utah in May of 2010!

Purchasing my first Long Arm Quilting Machine

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Quilting is Therapy!

Quilting is Therapy Stitches Quilting

Quilting is Therapy Stitches QuiltingQuilting is Therapy!  When I had my storefront quilt store in Yuma, Arizona, I featured a local customer as Quilter of the Month and showcased her quilts in the shoppe.  It was an absolute delight to see the gorgeous quilts come out of the closets and drawers to hang them beautifully around the store.  I couldn’t wait each month to see the unique style of each quilter unveiled each to learn more about her.

One gal that I approached for Stitches Quilting “Quilter of the Month” having her quilts showcased in a future month was hesitant.  She said that she loved piecing quilt tops together but that she rarely quilted and finished them.  I told her it did not matter, that we wanted to see and display all her work.  She said she didn’t care about finishing them because each quilt top of quilting was her therapy!

I agree 300% with that.  Quilting is therapy!  There is nothing like being discouraged in life and thoughtfully pause with beautiful fabrics, and threads to execute something your mind has envisioned.  There have been many times that I have felt so downtrodden not knowing what to do, but in this confusion I would quilt and create while thoughtfully considering how to react to an event in my life.  I remember those quilts so vividly and I am so deeply attached to those stitches.  It was through those stitches that I decided how to rise above a situation that was challenging.  Often I made quilts for other people at those times and I think that by serving another through my stitching, I was able to put my troubles into perspective.

I remember quilting while I was expecting my second child knowing that he had severe special needs (tuberous sclerosis) and wanting to wrap this child with my love when he arrived.  I remember making a quilt when my little brother died to comfort my mother the first Christmas that he would not be with us.  I remember making my mother an intricate quilt and so lovingly picking out fabrics and designs when we learned of her diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease.  I made that quilt to manifest my love for my mother; that quilt laid over her as she progressed through the disease and I cared for her until her death.  I cherish that quilt now in my home representing the bond of our mother daughter relationship.

I remember being bewildered at the thought that I was quickly going facing a divorce with three small children to care for.  The youngest was three months old and the second oldest with very severe special needs.  The thought of the challenges ahead overwhelmed me, but what did I do?  I quilted.  I quilted a simple quilt for my special needs son and as I stitched I knew that I would have the strength, dignity and resolve to face the challenges ahead.Simple Quilt for Luke

I recall quilting in times of joy and anticipation to celebrate moments.  I remember vividly creating quilts with carefully selected fabrics for people who I loved.  I remember thoughtfully selecting fabrics to make a quilt for my fiancé and current husband.  I wanted him to know how much I cared for him and appreciated his love.  He was so delighted to see me come off an airplane with a quilt tied in a bow hoping that it was something for him.  It was for him and how I enjoyed giving him something I created with my hands to represent my devotion to him.Quilt for my Fiance

Quilting is Therapy…  there are so many challenges that we may face quietly stitching away while deciding our resolve or approach.  Quilting is Therapy… in the friendships that we create as we stitch, share and dream together.  I am so grateful for such a beautiful healthy hobby to embrace that helps me become a better person while doing something positive.  Whether we stitch alone or with others, pull out a sewing machine, let it hum and sooth your troubles to become peace within your soul.  Allow yourself to lay fabrics on the floor next to each other for hours deciding upon a beautiful combination that will express what you need to share.  Give yourself the permission that no matter what you will face in life that you can still create and feel joy.

Stitch, find peace and be happy,

With Love,

Deanna