Long time no posts! Lots of pictures here.

 My life’s rhythm is changing, and not for any specific reason.  Sure, John was the hospital for five days right after Easter (he’s fine) and I had a big fall (I’m fine also, nothing broke, but I am sad  there isn’t a best bruise contest).  I’m busy sewing.  A lot.  Usually I remember to take pictures, but not always.  So it goes.  

This lone purse was sent into Sew Powerful.  It is on its way to Zambia, and the young lady who gets this will have her picture taken, and I will get a copy of this photo!  Of course I’m eager to see this! 

John’s hospital experience at Good Samaritan in Downers Grove was a positive one.  I made a couple of zip pouches for the nurses and aids.  These are the ones I remember to photograph. 

I panicked a bit when John was in the hospital because I had a project with a deadline - granddaughter Nikki’s baby quilt for her shower in early May.  This bag, not a diaper bag, was the wrapping for the quilt.  

And of course the dozen May purses for Sew Powerful.  Knowing my time would be limited in May and June, in April I made kits, complete with straps.  These are for May. 

During the cold months I made this Trip Around the World, simply because I like these fabrics - I don’t often work with greens.  And it is the last big hand finish until the fall.  It has a wonderful texture, and like most of my quilts, it doesn’t yet have an owner.  I had to put this aside while I was working on Nikki’s quilt.  But now it is complete. 

My sister Paula and my sister-in-law Chris feed into my need to make bags.  The blue floral is for Chris’s caretaker, who is very good with her husband Jerry.  The bag beneath is for Paula’s doctor who did her blepharoplasty.  And I am all about rewarding those who care for us! 

And now for something completely different: a quilt with kangaroos and wallabys. Friends Ed and Marge have a daughter who married an Australian.  This quilt is for Charlotte, the youngest of their three.  This is a fun project with a June deadline.  

And here is where the majority of my time and energy went during April.  Nikki has planned her nursery in very soft muted shakes of subdued pinks and greens.  Her furniture has some scallops, and this Glam Clam design is pretty perfect.  I tried to keep the top of the  quilt scalloped but didn’t quite succeed. The wool batting made this a dream to hand quilt.  And I was happy to give her this quilt last Sunday.  Her baby comes in July.  

As I was working out in the studio today, I kept having to stop and organize my tasks for the rest of this month and for June.  We are travelling the last two weeks of May to celebrate our 44th anniversary!  

Starting 2026 with a Sloan Travel Bag

Trying to keep to a schedule is hard but necessary.  Early January I completed my monthly commitment of a dozen purses for Sew Powerful.  And once those were done…

I resorted to an old safe sew, A Trip Around the World, in a color palette I don’t often work in.  It’s now hanging and ready for a backing, batting, and pin basting with no particular deadline.

And now?  It’s time for a luxury project - a Sloan Travel bag.  It’s one of my favorite Sew Sweetness patterns, and I make them only for very special people.  The next several several blog entries will be a daily journal of this bag’s process and progress.  The special person is my granddaughter Nat.  We met at Sew Modern Chicago in Arlington Heights and spent an hour touching and combining various fabrics.  And here’s what Nat has chosen.

Once I got home I couldn’t wait to get started.  The feature fabric is a woven cotton, and like with all cottons used for bag making, I interfaced it with SF 101.  This iron-on interfacing gives the cotton a bit of body and helps it to wear longer.  There’s a sample strip that is transparent.  Next to it is a strip of Soft and stable, a thin foam substrate that gives the bag shape.  There’s next task is now to actually machine quilt the feature fabric to the Soft and .stable foam.  After experimenting with a couple of different thread colors, I found one that works the best.  And there is a little sample of that to the right of these strips.   

When I was in the classroom and teaching research skills and papers, the kids often got overwhelmed by the task ahead.  And I assured them we would break it down and go step by step.  Bag making requires the same type of assurance.  Are there a lot of steps?  Yes.  But broken down and doing tasks one step at a time will result is a fabulous finished project.  

On the design wall there is an orange-ish grunge and “rum raisin” grunge.  These will be for the accents - the straps and the side and front pockets. Everything is atop the ombré lining which is just gorgeous.  I’ve found the necessary 1.5” rectangular rings.  And zippers?  I’ll decide on colors as I get more into the bag.  And something  wonderful happened as I was preparing what you see above: I’ve fallen in love with these fabrics.  I don’t have a handle on Nat’s taste and tried very hard to keep my personal taste out of it.  And I left the fabric store feeling ok about her selections.  But now?  I can’t wait to really get started.  

Today’s a busy day so no sewing.  But tomorrow and Tuesday are frigidly cold with nothing on the calendar.  Perfect for sewing! 

Enlarging A Favorite Quilt for a Favorite Grandson

 

Grandson Sam is renting a house in Lombard along with his brother Jack and a third roommate.  Just because they are living close to us doesn’t mean we will see them with greater frequency.  Sam went to Northern Michigan State, and one fall we took a road trip to see him - Sam was a sophomore,  and I gave him a quilt.  Since then almost any event we are attending, Sam is quick to tell me he uses his quilt nightly and has washed it a lot. Recently he told me he bought a queen bed and kind of gave what was on my dining room wall ( see below) a longing look - it is a smaller version of what I made him years ago.  I asked him if he’d be interested in a bed version of this quilt. All of the fabrics in this quilt are out of print, but grunge pairs nicely.  These fabrics were originally from a collection by Janet Clare called Wordsmith.  And most important to my eye, there’s a color in this quilt - it’s grey/green/touch of blue - that feeds my soul and is so hard to describe and match.  But this one grunge works! 

So I removed the binding of the dining room wall quilt and began to make borders.  It was 60 x 80”.  And with the borders it is now 90” x 110” .  Using the quilt as you go method, the two sides went on, and then the top and bottom.  The final step was binding.  It’s gorgeous. And the texture is wonderful.  The body of the quilt is hand quilted with a wool bat.  The borders are machine quilted with a cotton bat. And the back of this quilt is all Art Gallery fabrics, which have an almost silky feel.  

I have loved looking at this quilt on the wall for a couple of years, but I ann also happy to look at this fabulous new quilt! I think I’ll leave it up for a while!   And a final word about favorites: Sam is my favorite grandson.  But so are Ryan, Jack, Brandon and Ben. 

Changing up my dining room

 For several years this quilt has been on my dining room wall.  It’s the absolute last of. Janet Clare line of fabrics called Wordsmith, and none of it is available any more.  I had just enough left to make this Trip Around the World with no borders.  It’s very similar to a quilt I made for grandson Sam when he was at Northern Michigan State.  John and I took a road trip to visit him, maybe 7 years ago,  and .sam is color blind.  He has told me how much he loves his quilt - I think because the design and contrast is easy for him to see and appreciate.  Sam recently bought a queen size bed.  And I’ve been making different quilts. So I’m putting borders on this dining room quilt and hanging up a new one. 

.  Now?  Putting borders on the quilt for Sam.  It’s a process to add to a quilt, but I have the skilz! 

Quilted Presents

 My granddaughter Nikki is getting married in June, and her bridal shower is coming up.  Working with Nikki's colors and some wonderful fabrics by Seth Apter, here is her quilt.  Of course I hand quilted it in an off-center spiral and backed it with an Art Gallery cotton.  With the wool batting, this quilt is wonderfully soft and will provide a lifetime of cuddling. 

And while not a necessity, of course I made a matching tote bag which really allows two of the feature fabrics to shine.  

And while working on Nikki's quilt, I also started one for great niece Cassidy who is also getting married this summer.  Cassidy's color choices are totally different from Nikki's.  The outer borders are quilted and it is now bound.  But I can't decide whether to quilt it by machine or by hand.  Since this shower isn't until July, I have plenty of time to ponder!

The three quilts above are currently at the Benton house in LaGrange.  We lived in that house from 1986 until 2021.  And I can't even begin to count how many quilts I made in that house.  The current owner doesn't have a quilt.  So I dropped these three off for her two choose one.  Still waiting to hear which one of these three appeals!  All I know is that there must be a quilt in that house.  

Purses and Trips Around the World

Preface:  As the rhythm of my life changes, so do my blogging habits.  I am sewing more than ever but apparently only doing a blog post a month.  Sometimes I get so caught up in quilting projects that purses take a back seat.  I'm happy to announce that I have gotten past my purse block.  Several of these purses were made before Christmas, and they have just been waiting to be mailed.  I finally got busy and made several more.  

So many of these purses were inspired by the scraps I had at hand.  And since I've been on quite a quilting jag, I have so many scraps from which to choose 

 

And Trips Around the World are my design of choice these days.  I have three going.  Just above is a quarter of one I am doing for a great niece's bridal shower.  And the quilt below is for my granddaughter's bridal shower.  The one above will be tied.  And Nikki's below is being hand quilted.  I have two more weeks to finish it. 

 Also there is a Trip for Sammy.  His fabrics are below.  Why him?  He's the grandson who tells me every time I see him that he uses a quilt I made for him nightly.  And that quilt is several years old.  It's time for a new one.  These fabrics just appeal to me, and they have a decidedly masculine look.  There's no deadline for his quilt, and I'll decide later whether it will hand or machine quilted!  Bottom two pics are just sweet - the baby quilt + baby from the cheater panel and Neighbor Sam sent me this picture of her wife and twin girls on their quilt. 

ADHD sewing

 

So many unfinished projects, both in the house and in the studio.  There is an underlying sense of not quite being able to settle down and focus.  On anything.  But slowly the house projects are being finished - kitchen lighting - check. New dining room table - check.  Soaker tub removed - check.  Closet being built - almost there.  What has made everything tolerable is that our contractor works very very neat and is easy to absorb into our daily lives.  For a while I thought I’d have to move my studio out to the dining room, but that just hasn’t been necessary.  So I’ve been able to start projects, sew with abandon, and not give thought to finishing anything. 

The new dining room table?  It's 62" round.  But with one leaf it's 62" x 80" oval.  Perfect for a table runner I saw on Instagram by @tygeroting.  Everything they do catches my eye.  I like the design, the fabrics, and the quilting.  And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm trying hard to capture the feel of this runner.  Here's what I have so far:

Most of these fabrics are ones given to my by some of my special quilty friends, namely Melissa and Sarah S.  Ive been saving them until I figured out what I want to do with them.  Quilty Lynn send me some "bone" fabric when I was doing the broken bone thing in 2020.  And of course a little bit of Zen Chic's punctuation fabric has to be included.  If I named quilt runners, I would have to call this one "I get by with a little help from my friends." Since I am going to be doing some hand quilting on this runner, I need to wait until I have some wool batting.  Which leads me into my next unfinished project.

I loved how Natalie's graduation quilt turned out, and I still have more of that wonderful fabric line "Wordsmith" by Janet Clare.  So I whipped up another "Trip Around the World" with these fabrics. Grandson Sam had one of the first ones, Natalie has one, and I am not sure who this one will go to.  But the backing is there and ready.  So is my final roll of queen-size wool batting.  If I ever clear off my tables, I will then be able to pin-baste and get this ready for hand-quilting, but not until the fall.  

Speaking of Janet Clare, who designs for Moda Fabrics, a recent line of hers is Geometry.  I like what she does, so I bought a couple of charm packs (5" squares featuring the entire collection).  In a moment of insanity I started a project.  I don't know what it's going to be and literally just played around.  It became obvious that I need greens, so I put away what I was doing and ordered 4 greens.  And here they sit.  I'm pretty sure I'm making 8" blocks that I will put on point.  But I have a feeling this isn't going to happen for a while.  

 

And always I think about Sew Powerful purses.  Usually I act as well.  But after sending off that last box of 20, I've been slow to restart.  So far I know I have these fabrics for 2 flaps, and there are straps. I have fabrics set out - it's just a matter of focusing and assembling.  My goal is to make some purses and leave them a various stages of completion.  A fellow guild mate is interested in setting up a workshop of sorts, and these step-outs would be useful!  But onto the project that I am currently in love with...

This last project features five fabrics from a e.bond's Glyphs fabric collection, which I found at Crimson Tate.  The absence of colors as well as the designs appeal to me.  And I'm always in search of a summer quilting project, meaning something small that I can work on without getting hot!  I've cut five 10.5" squares from each of the fabrics, and I'm setting them using the Attic Windows design.  I had enough leftover wool batting for thirty 12.5" blocks and I found enough neutral Art Gallery fabrics for the backs of these 30 blocks.  Although each block will need some hand quilting, it must not take away from the wonderful fabrics but yet must unify the six fabrics.  I love the simplicity and sparseness of the spiral design.  These 30 blocks will make a quilt that is 60" x 72".  It is a Quilt As You Go sort of project, one that I've done several times.  Look at the entry from December 7, 2021, my Broken Wrist Quilt.  I sometimes call this method of quilting reversible quilting, and I learned it from Sharon Pederson's books on Reversible Quilting.  It's not easier or faster than regular quilting - it's just a different way of approaching quilting.  

I think as the house projects draw to a close, some of these projects will also find their way to the finish line!  

Crushing on Fabric

Sometimes when looking at fabrics, I fall pretty hard.  Designer Janet Clare did some wonderful stuff for Moda with a line called Wordsmith.  I've made several quilts simply because I love working with these fabrics.  Grandson Sam has one of these quilts, and I can't even remember who has others.  When I got low on one of these fabrics, I would look at Etsy and buy more.  This line is way out of print, and it's time to simply let them go.  I think I may have enough for one more quilt, not counting the one that is below.

Recognize this pattern?  Of course you do.  It's a Trip Around the World.  Granddaughter Natalie is graduating from Iowa State next month and starting a job in Moab, Utah soon after.  I'm hoping she will take this quilt with her.  It's light but warm and will be entirely hand quilting within another week.  

I love off-center spiral quilting, and this is being finished just as the weather turns warm.  

Another set of favorite fabrics is this line from Marcia Derse.  I discovered these at QuiltCon years ago, and as I recall one of my guild mates put these fabrics on my radar.  I now have two bed quilts made from these fabrics.  Now I'm working on a headboard.  How it will be mounted and hung is a question for another day.  But I do think it's going to complete our bedroom.  I'm always looking for new fabrics to crush on.  Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic comes the closest to a designer I crush on.  Her fabrics are for another post!