Yoshiko Jinzenji* and Carolyn Friedlander* Walk Into a Bar and Meet Marcia Derse* and Maura Ambrose**

 Several Chicago Modern Quilt Guild buddies and I went to Camp Stitchalot in November 2016.  Carolyn Friedlander, quilter/fabric designer/architect taught a workshop in needle-turn applique.  I brought along some of my favorite fabrics and found some plain open-weave fabric to work on.  Actually I cut the fabric from a panel of Yoshiko Jinzenji fabric.  I am proud of trying needle-turn applique, I'm glad I know what it is, and I also know I will not do it again.  However, I do love these circles.

 After finishing the applique I sewed these panels back into the fabric from which it was cut.  Yoshiko Jinzenji is a Japanese quilter/fabric designer whose aesthetic resonates with me.  The minimalism and whimsey?  Yes, please.  And then some more!  Google her - she does fascinating work.  I was lucky enough to take a workshop with here at QuiltCon 2015.  Read about it here. 

At this same QuiltCon I took a class from Maura Ambrose in sashiko techniques.  And now it's the only kind of quilting I do.  This wall-hanging needed something more, and the circular stitching is perfect, IMHO.
What to back this with? Another favorite fabric - one by Marcia Derse. This fabric has remained one of my all-time favorites.

With this new piece hanging above my sewing machine, I had to find a new home for "CandyLand." It's at the base of the studio stairs. What a cheery piece to see every time I come down the stairs. (and yes, the bottom of the stairs is storage for all kind of stuff...)

My Third Hand-Quilted Finish

This napping quilt is 60" x 70", and I've been puttering away at it for a few months.  Let me define what hand-quilting is for me:  it's using a 8 weight Perle cotton and using a Sashiko technique of "little stabs."  This primitive look suits me, my hands, my eyes, and my projects.  The first one was the quilt I hand-pieced and hand-quilted while sitting with my parents.  The second one was what I worked on after my mom died - it's the lovely colorful elongated Drunkard's Path.  This third quilt?  No grief associated with it.  Just some quality time with my

quilt and my threads.  These are mostly Marcia Derse fabrics, and the batting is wool.  The backing is an Art Gallery fabric from the REcollection line.  I haven't washed it yet, so there may be one more picture coming later.  There is another hand project in the queue - one that combined Carolyn Friedlander and Yoshiko Jinzenji and some sashiko! 

Eye Aye Eye

John's second caratact procedure did not go well. His retina detached, and he now has a silicone bubble in the back of the eye to promote the healing - he is miserable and we are both pretty terrified about the prospect of him regaining vision in that eye.  I've been too distracted to blog about Colette's quilt - she  is a terrific young lady who went to St. Xavier in LaGrange and then Lyons Township for high school. She's thoughtful, talented, and busy - that's what comes through these t-shirts. Her mom assures me she will be thrilled with this quilt.  For now all of my attention is on the first floor with John - amusing, feeding, keeping up with house chores. I amquietly doing handwork on this quilt top.

An Important Finish

 I started quilting this the week before Christmas, just as my mom developed pneumonia.  I took this quilt with me when I went to Lombard and sat.  After she died on December 22, the process of holding this quilt and stitching was soothing.  That it was in the negative temperatures made this activity even more appealing.  For a few weeks the studio held no appeal - all I wanted to do was this quilting with No 8 Perle grey cotton.  Much grieving for two little babies who died the same day as my mom are in this quilt, too.  And now?  It is finished. 

I love this quilt for its texture.  It has a wool bat, the backing is an Art Gallery fabric, and these fabrics are all soft peppered shot cottons.  Here is the first mention of these fabrics.  And then I just tucked these fabrics away until last October when I saw this quilt.  Then I got busy.  Scroll through October and November entries to see how this took shape.  What excites me now is that my nephew Chris is interested in this.  And I would love for him to have it!  It's 72" x 72".

Hand Project Completion

 This project, which measures 72" x 94" and was done by hand, is complete.  I started it (and blogged about this) in April of this year.  Each time I headed to my parents', I had these blocks with me.  Through my dad's hospitalizations, I continued to work on these blocks.  Just as he died, I finished piecing the this top.  And then I decided to quilt this by hand while sitting with my mom.  Each time I got to my mom's I would take out this quilt, show it to her, and tell her that I now sew because she taught me how to.  And each time she smiles and says, "I did?"  My stitches are big and primitive.  I used a No 8 perle cotton.  Some of the stitches are with No 5 perle cotton, which is just too difficult for me to work with. 

The batting is wool.  And the texture of this quilt is wonderfully lofty and airy and warm.  This project has provided me with solace and purpose as I have sat with my parents.  And I love it.

I'm heading to Camp Stitchalot (***squeel***)in Ann Arbor with Sarah S and Melissa today.  And I am packing this quilt.