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!  

Incoming: a new baby and a dancer with too many shoes

My former neighbor and valued dear friend Cristina is having her second baby boy.  At her request I used the same palette for this quilt as I did for her son Enzo.  See it here.   But I made too many bits for the quilt.  These bits became the best diaper bag.  What a joy to give these to here.  Even Enzo noticed that this new quilt bears a resemblance to his!  A remarkable boy…

And the other big finish this month is for my great niece Eloise.  Like her mom, Elo dances. And she has several shoes she carries.  So this bag was made to carry multiple sets of shoes and a water bottle.  This is the Aragon bag by Sew Sweetness.  One side ahas a curvy pocket.  The other side has a zip compartment.  The whole bag ones wide with a purse zipper.  And the inside feature two elastic pockets and another zip compartment. I could market this as a senior citizen special because it has so many different little places to put things.  Elo chose this fabric, and this bag will be for her first double digit birthday in January.

And last but certainly not least is my evening hand quilting project. I love this quilt.  I love my stitching.  

I’m almost at the end and sad to have this completed.  This might be my new dining room wall hanging! 

And of course little zip purses using leftover bits.  Most of them have been gifted.  After all, it is the season! 
 

                         

                         Finally, a new special project has begun.  More about this later! 

I Can't Word

A little drawstring bag for Henry and a doll quilt for Eloise, my sister's grandchildren

A Tudor Tote for my travel agent client from a t-shirt

The reverse of the above tote, plus a pillow for her granddaughter.

Another Benton Avenue grandchild is coming

My doctor (whom I love) is having her first baby this spring and likes green.

 

And of course a couple of zippered totes.  Just because...

Scrappy Stuff

Batik scraps.  Just when I think I've used them all, I find more.  I pieced and pieced.  And then added zippers.  See the bag in the bottom right corner?  It's my favorite - I love these scraps.  Because I use one of my zippered pouches daily and like having this little "mini purse" which I can put into my real purse, I decided to make myself another - these red and purple batiks are among my favorite.  Look below at the reverse of this little bag.  I think it's pretty charming!

But then what to do with the scraps of the scraps?  Just before I joined the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild two years ago, the girls made their own nametags.  Clever Holly gave me a little pin device, which I've sewn onto the back on the name tag.  I'm normally not a fan of mini-piecing.  But that's just what I wound up doing with this scraps of scraps!

Productivity Squared!

Spurred on by a visit from John's sister Terry, I put the rest of these bags together.  All the parts were prepared - it was just a matter of doing it.

This beautiful grey/green fabric turned into a pretty handsome bag.

This brown fabric is so rich, and the interior of this bag is from a matching but lighter fabric.  This bag, like the others in this post, has a zipper, an interior pocket, and a little matching zippered pouch.  It's  about the size of a grocery bag. 

This odd grey/blue/peach batik has turned into a very pretty tote.  Here it is accented with peach and grey.

This bag is all greys and just as pretty.


I think I'm just about finished with zippered totes - except for the three in the last picture.  THEN I'll be done.

A Pretty Pouch, a Scrappy Tote, and Two Feet

Yesterday I met a junior high/high school classmate whom I haven't seen since we graduated in 1967.  We connected on Facebook a couple of months ago.  It was a wonderful reconnection.  She's as passionate about gardening and knitting as I am about my quilting.  An hour before I left the house I decided to whip up a little zippered pouch for her.

And as I was starting to make some more zippered  scrap batik pouches, it occured to me that I had enough scraps to do one scrappy tote bag - this scrap panel is 14" x 37".  Perhaps the fuchsia batik - or maybe the mulberry - would be good for an accent band.  The two outer parts of a matching zippered pouch are already quilted.

My missing foot is the one of the left - the open-toed free-motion food.  I'm not sure why I like it so much better than the close-toed foot, but I do.  Maybe I'll have to make a pouch for all my little feet.  First thing tomorrow...

Weekend Bounty - and an uh-oh...

I'm really getting into these little zippered pouches. There's a nice aura of thrift in the studio since I'm using scraps for both the outside of the bags and the linings. The new tote is from fabrics I bought at a sale at Modern Quilt's Oak Park studio.

I'm out of black 18" separating zippers and am just getting these bags all ready for when they arrive. Meanwhile, I've misplaced my open-toed free motion foot. I know what you're thinking: Why can't she just use her close-toed free motion foot. Why indeed... I think this is a sign to do some picking up and putting away.

Zippers + Batik Scraps

The Easter weekend was a busy one for us - baking lamb cakes, baking Easter bread, and entertaining both days.  The biggest problem - or perhaps it's an advantage - is the location of my closet and bathroom in the Quilting Studio.  So I take a shower, insert a zipper, dry my hair, piece some batiks together, moisturize my face, free-motion quilt a bit,  put mascara on one eye, make a zipper pull, remember to do the other eye, look at scraps on the scrap table, and so on and so on. 

John's sister Chris looked at my little pouches and posed her problem - needing a way to carry her iPhone while she's using her ear buds as she walks.  So we fashioned this little pouch and measured the strap.  Now, let's see if it works.

Meanwhile, back to totes...

Zipperliciousness

 These little pouches have something in common - besides being made from beautiful batiks.  Both have  recycled zippers, ones that were removed from old skirts. 

As frugal as I am with buying fabrics through sales and using coupons,  zippers are just never one sale.  And I've really been using a lot of zippers.  A fellow guild member - in fact, the youngest member, Emily B, our new secretary - turned me on to a zipper resource:  Zipit at etsy

These 25 zippers came in the mail today.   The price was fabulous.  Now of course I need to order more.  I've been using 18" separating zippers in the totes, and Jennifer at zipit is ordering me some.  With this order she included a zipper pull.  Something tells me I'm going to be ordering some of these, too.

Speaking of totes with zippers, this one is complete and goes into the finished pile.

This little zippered pouch and this little zippered box are two reasons why I'm running through zippers.  Just little somethings for a birthday present.

When life gives you scraps...

add zippers and make little pouches!

Zipping Along

Yesterday was the first meeting of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild for 2012, and we did little zippered pouches.  I love these women,  the general atmosphere of the meetings,  and how we work together.  This meeting was so well attended that we didn't have enough chairs for everyone!  It's going to be a growth year for our guild, and I think it's going to be good!