All Projects, Great and Small

The beauty of having such a great studio is that I can  work on several things at once - piles of future projects, fabrics I want to do something with, patterns with fabrics already chosen.  And I can put aside these piles to do something quick.  Last week I was dismissed from Physical Therapy after 8 months.  My two main therapists were terrific.  As a thank you, I made them each a Mors bag and put a loaf of pumpkin bread in each.  And my hairdresser Juanita requested two masks - periodic table and chemical elements - for her son who is in med school. Such great fabrics.

The big project for the past week has been this big broken blue heart for a family grieving the loss of their 8-year old.  I will start quilting this today.  It’s created great sadness on the studio accompanied by a deep appreciation for today.  Despite my heart racing over Tuesday’s election.  

Four years ago after the election and Trump victory, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.  That effort soon ended.  He is a selfish, shallow buffoon. I sure hope this heart isn’t symbolic of the next four years.  While I’m thankful to him for how productive I have been during the past four years, I would love to slow down a bit and take some deep breaths...

Design Decisions

My collection of black and white fabrics has been growing, and I have been looking for projects.  One for sure is going to be a log cabin, using 2" logs and creating 14" blocks.   I've also been eyeing a quilt of half-square triangles.  Here's that inspiration picture.

So, I began making half-square triangles using a separator strip between the two triangles, like in the inspiration picture.  And here's what I wound up with:

These blocks are in a symmetrical barn-raising design.  And - I don't love it.  What about adding a bit of color? 

I instagrammed this picture and asked "Color - or no."  The overwhelming majority said to for sure add color.  One friend suggested maybe just adding one color.  But the comment that hit home with me asked why add color to a quilt of black and white?  Let the black and white speak. 

So I tried putting the blocks on point, around a center rectangle of smaller half-square triangles.  And adding strips of a greyish-white fabrics. This quilt is going to be for our bedroom.  Using a center rectangle means this design will be bed-shape.  I'm happy with how this is going!

 While dithering about the above issue, I did some simple sewing.  John asked for one of his t-shirts to be turned into a Mors bag and used it for a door prize at the Brookfield Jazz Society. 

And look!  I made bowl cozies.  I did roll my eyes when I first heard of them, but then I saw one and how useful it is.  These have been around for a while, but they are new to me.  Here's the pattern I used.

Getting busy...er

This is the body of a Spectrum quilt and is 63" by 85".  Unlike the illustration and suggestions for this quilt which uses a dark background, a Kona snow is used for the horizontal sashing and will be the background, too.  I am counting on my longarmers Frank and Terri Karls to do something terrific with all the negative outer space.  I now need to do some heavy-duty calculations to turn this into a generous king-size quilt.  So I am stopping for the day.  This kind of sewing is exacting and exhausting.  And this quilt body represents 3 days of work.  I did take a few hours out of this sewing to make a couple of Mors bags, including one made from red, white, grey, and black scraps. ***as I write this, John is answering the door for Halloween and making the kids say "Trick or Treat."  As well they should!***

Two of these have boxed bottoms.

The reverse of the above bag

All Retreat Projects, Great and Small

It's always tricky planning retreat sewing.  This may sound strange, but it's such a luxury to devote entire days to quilting projects.  For this retreat at the Siena Center, I knew I had to start with something I've been wanting to do that requires a lot of simple sewing.  So I took my Marcia Derse fabrics to make a quilt I have made before that my senior-in-college grandson has (which coincidentally was made at the Spring 2014 retreat).  I finished all the strip sheet sets and will insert them into the lovely neutral that makes the light strip in all the blocks. 

I finished these easy but tedious strip sets by late Saturday morning and got out my red and black cork fabrics.  Since I haven't sewn with cork fabric before, I had to do a wee bit of test sewing.  And I discovered it's fabulous to work with.  I quilted the cork fabric onto Soft and Stable interfacing and created the front, back, gusset, and outer pocket for Sara Lawson's Hey Mercedes bag, a purse size which I really like.  I would have kept going on this project except I didn't have the right hardware with me.  Since I am thrilled with how this project is going, I have a feeling I'll finish it fairly soon.

Now it's late Saturday afternoon, and I have nothing completed to show (and my guild is so fond of ding-ding-dinging the bell announcing a finish).  And what do I do when I need to have a completed project?  Right!  A Mors bag.  I brought with me a fat quarter, some Kona brown, and strapping for handles.  The scrap table gave me the fabrics for the inside of the bag.  This bag is going back into my car for trips to Mariano's and Walgreen's.   And now - what to do the rest of my precious retreat sewing time?  Some of my guildsters and I joke about taking our fabrics for rides in the car to various retreats.  And my pile of Alison Glass scraps have gone of several sewing weekends with me.  But this time?  I actually got them out!

My scraps were all 3" wide and 14" - 18" long.  In between each row is a 4" strip.  So far this top is about 60" x 80".  I will need to do a little bit of piecing in the upper right and then may use the rest of the scraps to make outer borders, but I am loving how this is turning out, especially since it's been so long in the planning.  And this kept me busy until Sunday night!  I am very happy with what I got done.  Last night I slept for 9 hours, a rarity for me.  I think I was pleasantly tired from the weekend.

Guild vice-president Amy has been heading up a charity effort for Sarah's Inn in Oak Park.  We are making pillows, zippered pouches with little luxuries, and napping quilts.  Amy finished piecing this quilt, and I volunteered to take it home with me for quilting and binding.  Funny to come home with more than I took up.  But it's a good thing.

This isn't a retreat project - I just have it out and want to get to it.  I made this quilt for my father-in-law years ago.  It has a nice, neat, big hole in the border.  Mending this is in my future, and I may wait until after the November Chicago MQG meeting where Heidi Parkes will be our speaker and her topic is intentional mending.    Or I may just reinvent this wheel and forge on ahead.  And I must take a breath and put away the piles of fabrics so I can at least close the cabinet doors. 

It was a good retreat.

Finishing Bags

These Mors bags are the last in this batch.  Three of them are going with me tomorrow to my appointment with my hematologist.  As much as I love the Interventional Radiology Team, this doctor - Faisal Saghir - represented my comfort level throughout August.  He even checked in with me on his day off, which was the day after my big procedure.  I am expecting nothing but good news from him! 

I also finished a zippered tote bag.  All the parts were cut out in early August, but then things happened.  One of the generous people during this long summer has been my physical therapist.  Chandra knows my passion for Indian food and several times has dropped off yummy dishes. She needs no more bags, so I proposed making something for her daughter, a play director who lives in the city and uses public transportation.

Lavina is always carrying lots of things, and I know she puts her bags down on the floor.  So I tried using an iron-on vinyl for the bottom of this bag - I have no idea how it will wear.  There's an outer zippered pocket, and there is a zippered top.  However, if she decides to carry marbles, they will fall out.  So I made her a little zippered pouch and attached it to the bag.

A little 5" x 7"zippered clutch

I missed a couple of deadline for two wedding quilts and a bridal shower present.  Fabrics for these three are already in a pile.  And I want to do some fabric key chains.  Oddly enough, these are the same width as the handles I make for the Mors bags.  But before I do any sewing of any kind, I must...

put things right

clean up the various piles

and make everything tidy.

I have a birthday coming up soon.  My present to myself will be a clean and organized studio!

For the Interventional Radiology Surgical Team

 While my doctors are of course important to what I had done, so is their support team in the Operating Room.  Before my five-hour Angiovac, Nurse Eileen was particularly comforting and reassuring, telling me how fabulous this surgical team is and how they work together like family.  I remember smiling as the anesthesiologist gave me his magic drugs.  From the leftovers of the Alison Glass fabrics I used in my swap quilt (see next post which hasn't yet been written), I made this quilted Mors Bag for Eileen. 

 Inside Eileen's bag are 10 more bags, not quilted but absolutely functional.  This morning at my one-month checkup, I asked nurse Ben (this place - Vascular/Interventional Radiology of Hinsdale - hires the nicest people) to make sure Eileen and the surgical team got this package.  I also have another 10 bags in process and asked for a call if these bags are a hit and more of the team or spouses want more.  I dont want to be overly dramatic, but this team saved my life and I would do anything for them.

more bags in process, including some manly ones

 Finally, one of John's beautiful jazz t-shirts got kind of creepy looking in the armpits and neck.  But it's a beautiful shirt.  So we salvaged the good part and turned it into a Mors bag.  I think John will use it as a door prize at the Brookfield Jazz Society.

                                        I am happy to be sewing and to be alive! 

I Get Crabby When I Don't Sew

There.  I've said it.  I am not saying it's right or wrong:  it just is.  John's had a complication with his second cataract - we are hoping that tomorrow's procedure will correct the issue.  So, John does everything in the house.  And when he's unable to, I have to do all these things.  And I'm exhausted.  I can sew or I can take care of the food and house.  Clearly I cannot do both.   John really does do it all.  Meanwhile, I sew in little bits and snatches, which just isn't enough.  And do you believe we ran out of the little cloth Mors bags.  So I have found my too ugly to live batik pile and am making several of those.  They are simple - just haven't been able to get to them.  Meanwhile, I dream of the projects that I want to do and projects that I must do.

See?  Too ugly to live

But perfect  to keep in the car or back pocket for those little trips to Walgreen's and Trader Joe's

Shades of Grey for an October Wedding

These Marcia Derse fabrics are out - perhaps for another October wedding present

Sisterhood of the Travelling Prints

Workout pal Linda recently had a weekend with two of her sisters.  She brought over fabrics she had, did the ironing and measuring, and we put these Mors bags together.  I made zippered pouches out of the matching fabrics, and then she stuffed the bags with all kinds of goodies.  Clever idea!

Working and Planning

When I am dithering and trying to decide what to do, sometimes quick short projects are useful.  Here are two Mors bags using fabric given to me by one of John's cousins.  And two little zippered pouches made from leftovers of tote bag fabrics.

Here are two more tote bags, almost completed.  I love constructing these bags on a foundation of Soft and Stable byannie.com. I've got piles of fabric all over the studio for tote bags I want to work on in April

And I know I'm going to do more of these over-the-shoulder totes and already have the fabric picked out. The outgoing president of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Beth is getting one of the black-and-white ones, and I'm curious to see how this blue-white striped fabric works with this pattern.

Having finally decided on what to work one at the retreat, I'm getting ready. Here is my inspiration piece, Peace and Comfort, by Jacquie of Tallgrass Prairie Studio. More of this project later as it gets under way!

For February

It seems only appropriate to end February with something that looks ethnic (and thus my little mini-tribute to Black History Month).  One of John's friends from our bank wants to give her mother and her sister these bags.  Note:  This Leap Year Day is incredible - it's sunny and in the 50's. 

Soup and Christmas Presents

 Our beautiful sunny fall days are over - today is grey, rainy, and cold. Split pea soup is perfect for a day like this, and I made a ton - enough for my parents, a friend with a broken foot, my favorite body-work massage therapist, and us.










And I used today in the studio to finish the 8 bags for Dorothy - she wants to give them to her office mates at the Department of Labor for Christmas. One of her co-workers has a thing for eagles, thus the picture printed out on fabric.










 These 10 bags were in all in various stages. After purchasing more handle material yesterday, I was able to finish them and hope to sell them at a neighbor's church holiday art fair. Details to follow!

The heart of Mors bags is "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle." These last three bags are all from recycled fabrics. Someday I'll get around to making bags out of all the blue jeans I have in bags in the studio!