When life gives you scraps...

add zippers and make little pouches!

Tote Bag - Quilted, of course

 My QFF Wayne's son Andrew is getting married tomorrow in San Diego.  And his daughter Emily who does mission work in South Africa is in for the wedding.  Wayne wants to send Emily back with a new quilted tote, and here it is. 

He asked for something sturdy, so I used a Home Dec fabric, and I like the results a lot.  This tote stands up on its own because I used Soft and Stable by byannie.com .
He also asked for a zipper.  The picture below show this effort.  Each end of the zipper has a tab which can be tucked down into the bag.  Each interior side has pockets.  Best of all:  I have enough fabric to make two more of these!

Valentines

Former treasurer and current program committee member Sue R. of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild sent this quilted Valentine's Day postcard. She taught our guild how to do these last August.  Don't tell my husband, but it is my favorite Valentine!

Scrappy Batik - Finished!

This is my first completed quilt of 2012. Admitting that I work large and dark is the first step, isn't it? This is 91" by 73" and was quilted by T and F Studios using the Baptist Fan design. It's hard to see this design on these batiks, but see if you can spot it some of the pictures below. Washing the quilt helped the quilting pattern pop.  This quilt is for my living room, more specifically my reading corner, where I spend many early mornings.

The back of this quilt is darker than the front.  And my fabric cabinets are a bit more controlled, thanks to this project.

Joyful Noise

Before Joyful Noise can be submitted to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, it must be properly registered.  Part of this registration process includes getting written permission from the designer, if the design isn't original.

The idea for this quilt came from the logo of  The Jazz Cruise , an entertainment company based in St. Louis.   They directed me to graphic designer Carlos Zamora, who has done some wonderful work.   And Carlos has given permission to use his design.

The back of Joyful Noise uses a hanging method recommended by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - the fast finish triangles.  Here's the explanation of this method.

A big thank to you who suggested names for this quilt!   You rock!

Fabric Candy Land, In Situ

Fabric Candy Land

 

This 48" x 30" wall hanging is complete. Tomorrow John will hang it in the studio on the wall above my sewing machine. I'm pleased with it, but this piece was a learning experience. I have learned that when using a white background, any stray threads between the batting and the quilt top will definitely show through the quilting. Next time I'll be more careful. I quilted this with invisible thread - QFF Wayne does it all the time, and I recently heard on Mark Lipinski's Creative Mojo podcast that invisible thread has come a long way. And I was pleased with it! I didn't do any quilting on top of the colored fabrics, only on the background. That may eventually change. But for now I think this piece is complete. These little bars of colored fabric are from Jinny Beyer.

(A word of thanks to readers for their suggestions for my Alzheimer's Quiltlet.  Still waiting to hear from the logo designer and mulling around possibilities before a final blog post.  "Joyful Noise" is my favorite so far.  And I may have to do another quiltlet, one focusing on the piano, and tie that directly to my mother.  Support from readers has been generous, and I'm thankful.)

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Have I mentioned lately much I love my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild? Our Program Chair Terri and committee member Sue are leading this month's meeting, which will be devoted to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

This meeting and the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative are especially timely for me: my mom is in late stages of Alzheimer's. Despite her disconnect from her memory and friends and family, she's very pleasant. Most amazing is her musical ability: she still plays the piano accurately and soulfully.

John and I just returned from his "hard core" jazz cruise. I loved it. We heard such spectacular music. I fell in love with Jay Leonhart, Shelly Berg, Wycliffe Gordon, and Tommy Igoe. (Seriously, Wycliffe Gordon is a trombone player - who knew I loved the trombone?) There was music from 10 am until midnight - and beyond.

I'll be missing the February guild meeting and want to participate in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. And this 9" x 12" is what I did today. It needs a name before I can submit it. There's a connection between my mom, her music, the jazz cruise, and the power of sound. Tonight I just can't see it.

In Queue for February

   1.  Machine-quilting and binding the "Candyland Quilt"
   2.  Zippered Tote Bag - perhaps from these Home Dec fabrics. And if that goes well, make another one from the fabrics below
   3.  Quilted Casserole Carrier for Mike Kaiser's fiance.  Palette to be determined.

I'm leaving with John for a week-long jazz cruise.  iPad is all loaded, and workout clothes are packed.  It's going to be good week!

Blank Wall

Normally I'd crop a blank wall out of a photo. Except this wall is where this little quilt will eventually hang. I love this stage of a quilt, stitching along and removing pins. I'm using invisible thread. So far, so good!