Paula's Kenyan Wall Hanging

Today was a limited sewing day. After working on Christopher's quilt for an hour, I switiched over to Paula's project - it's small, it's fabulous, and it's finished. She made us a beautiful photo album of our trip to Kenya, and I think this hanging is a fair trade!  Now I can give my undivided attention to Christopher and have his quilt finished by Saturday.  23" x 31"

Purse #2

This one's complete, and I'm pretty thrilled with how it turned out. A huge thanks to Cecilia - I showed her this purse in progress and she pointed out the straps weren't right. Luckily, the straps were at a point where they were able to be corrected. There's a kind of personal dyslexia that sets in with things like straps and zippers. Although this purse went better than the first, there was still an issue with pocket facing, and I think I know what it is. Purse #3 will be the evidence.

But before I start another purse, I have to put the studio right - there are threads, scraps, and piles all over. Considering the space and storage I have, there's no excuse. While I'm doing this

cleaning/organizing, I'm preparing for my next quilt, using the big whole cloth piece from India. It will provide the backing for a front that is still in my head. What I do know is that the front will use scraps from 3 color families - red/orange/yellow, violets/purples/fuscia, and teals/green/blues. Most of the scraps will be batik, which is a great contrast to the muslin-type fabric of the whole cloth. Those terrific colors we saw in India - so beautiful, so vivid.

There are 2 zippered compartments in this purse. Towards the left is the smaller pocket. To the right there is a large pocket that goes to the bottom on the purse. I did find a magnetic closure for the strap that crosses the purse. Very clever. Very inexpensive. And I have FIVE more of these magnetic closures!

My turbinates for a quilt, Part II

My sister and her husband are the soul of generosity. Really, look up that word in the dictionary, and there the two of them are. In my previous entry (see May 1, 2007)) I mentioned that Dr. Den did some work in my throat (Pillar implants) and nose (turbinates) to help my snoring issue. They are both nurturers and encouragers of everyone else in their lives - their children, their siblings, their parents, their church, their office staff, their friends. They share their time, talents, and goods freely and willingly. So it's nice to be able to do something for them. This quilt is for their audiologist's office and made from the scraps of the quilt that hangs in the Main Office.

My Turbinates for a Quilt

My sister Paula is married to Dennis Thompson, an ear-nose-throat surgeon. When my snoring was bad enough to interfere with John's sleep, Dr. Den was a great resource. He first used Pilar implants in my soft palate, but my snoring persisted. So then he shrank my turbinates with radio frequency. For the first time in years I think I am breathing clearly and well. When Paula and Dennis purchased a building for their practice in St. Joe, MI, Paula of course handled the decorating (as well as everything else) of this new space. There's a wonderful tall wall in a central spot, and Paula asked for a wall hanging. What a great opportunity to begin to repay Dennis for his services!

Armed with some mini-quilts, sample wall hanging, and fabrics in Paula's palette of browns, neutrals, and blues, I drove to St. Joe. They both spotted a design they liked, and Dennis seems to like bold graphic lines. Paula and I then hammered out the specific fabrics. The result is lovely - contemporary, quiet, eye-catching. There will be a better photograph once this is hung in its space.