Christmas 2025: End-of-the-year Wrap Up

This news is the biggest!  What do you notice about the  picture? Yes - that is my right hand, and I am totally left handed.  But my left thumb has been very ouchy, arthritic and overused. This inflammation means no quilting.  But it’s what I do every night. So 8 weeks ago I started my journey to ambidexterity. The first few nights were awful - I couldn’t even hold the needle.  I kept referring to my left hand so that my right hand could see what it was supposed to be doing.  And , my right-hand quilting is now pretty good! The best bonus is that I can switch hands for a change of direction.  My thumb is still ouchy but can handle a wee bit of quilting, 

Both hands have matching protection!

And this has been my practice piece for right-handed quilting! 

This recent finish pleased me a lot.  It is my Summer 2025  project.  I cut 8.5” x WOF strips from various grunge fabrics and spent summer evenings holding just long thin batted and backed strips and quilting.  I thought I would  go for  a corner log cabin layout.  But it looked so plain.  So I cut the yellow quilted strip into 8.5” squares and began to fool around with this layout. I used what Sharon Peterson calls reversible quilting and what others call quit as you go QAYG.   You can see the grey connecting bits in the front.  The back I almost like even more - see picture below.  For backing I used any low-volume fabric, and I love the effect. 

This is nothing but a fabric I love.  Marcia Derse is the designer, and I have loved her work for over 10 years.  I don’t know what I am going to do with it.  But I love it and will figure something out.  

And look below.  Purses.  Always Sew Powerful purses. This was the December dozen, which means I sent off 144 purses this year.  And I already have the beginnings of January’s dozen on the design wall.

The good quilting fairy has been whipping up various pouches and zip clutches. And some have already been gifted.  It’s a luxury to just play in the studio with fabrics and zippers and create fun little things! 

Last year I did a big bed quilt for stepdaughter Jen.  These pillows are from her leftover fabrics 

This is my 100 Day project. Quilt Buddy Lauren suggested this project to our guild.  10 of us have responded, and each of us gets to determine what they want their project to be.  Some, in the true spirit of 100 Day Projects, are working on something daily.  But I have tailored these 100 days around a black and white scrap project with the outcome being a useable quilt.  Here it is in its pin-basted form.  And currently I am quilting it and figuring how to incorporate some hand quilting   See the picture below?  My eye needs help.  So I am experimenting with stitching around the nine big blocks in the center of the blocks. 

And here’s the end.  This picture above has three of my favorite things in it.  First, my grandson under the quilt.  Second, my grandson taking the picture - look in the mirror.  Third, this quilt.  I love it, I loved making it, and I love that Ryan wants it and how good it looks in his apartment.  I also love that Brandon is sleeping on the sofa bed we passed on to Ryan. The same sofa bed where the boys and I used to have sleepovers. 

This holiday season was good.  I prayed last year for one more winter.  And that will be my prayer again. The holidays are constantly changing and evolving.  While we may yearn for traditions  and faces of yore, we must constantly  adapt and look forward. Here’s to 2026. 

My 100 Day Project

 100 Day projects are common in QuiltWorld.  The last time I participated was led by the Canadian Quilters Association.  Daily a 6-inch quilt block would be posted, and daily I would make it.  Here’s what I did in those 100 days.  And I bartered this quilt away to a tradesman whose wife loves black and white, 

This 100 day project, spearheaded by the soon-to-be president of my Chicago Modern quilt Guild Lauren, allows participants to define the shape of individual projects.  Two of my quilt sisters are doingg amazing things.  Jenni every day is appliquéing a different symbol of resistance, so necessary because of the awful ICE raids in Chicago and suburbs.  Diane every day is appliquéing a different alphabetic symbol in a variety of languages.  Steff is approaching her project like mine - setting goals for various projects that will be completed by October 1, 2025 + 100 days.  You do the math - early January 2026.  

Despite doing so many scrap projects,  my scraps still have scraps.  I have so many black, white, grey fabrics.  So my project will be to use up these fabulous scraps. But I’m not working a day at a time - I’m working in chunks of time.  Here’s what I have so far - and this is like day 35.

There are 4 blocks above, each 24” x 24” made up of one big nine path surrounds by 12 6” nine patches.  I have 5 more 12 x 12 blocks and need to make 60  6” nine patches. And so far I have 20 complete.  The finished quilt will be 75” x 75”.  But I am putting this away for a bit and using my design wall to get back to the David Own Hastings workshop I took last month.  Let the play day begin!

Sewing all the things…

Once the Sewathon was over, I was itching to put this quilt together.  I saw the design and the fabrics and wanted to make it.  I think I’ll use this design again but with different fabrics,  and I now I need to find some good No 8 Perle Cotton.  I need my design wall so assembling these blocks was the first task.  The completed quilt top is now hanging in my closet.

And what’s been on the design wall is the start of my 100 day project, the goal of which is to make a useable quilt from my black and white scraps.  I started making simple 6.5”  9-patches and throwing them on the wall.  It was kind of overwhelming and cluttered.  So I made some 12.5” 9-patches.  While layout is to be determined, daily I am making additional blocks. October 1 was the start date.  So the end? Early January 2026!   

But what I really needed the design wall for was purses.  I have committed myself to a dozen ourses a month.  So it’s time to get busy.  This time I hit my green scraps to make flaps.  There are 8 in process.  Next step is make linings for these 12.  

I love fall Saturdays when John is engrossed in football.  Although I could do more with purses, I was pretty happy with my progress.  So much so that I decided to start another purse project with my favorite Seth Apter fabric.  Normally I’m would use the design wall to keep track of the various parts of this Sandhill Sling, but the floor will have to do.  Perhaps I should work on this first today!  And then go back to purses.  And of course do some 9 patches!

Last, I’m in love with the Great British Sewing Bee.  Yes, I watch sewing while I sew.