An Unmetered Ode to PreCuts

I love PreCuts.  I LOVE them.  Buying fabric is expensive.  Finding a fabric line by a designer might mean hundreds of dollars.  But what if you really love the designer and the fabric line?  Then PreCuts are the answer.  There are Layer Cakes - a stack of forty 10" x 10" fabrics from the same collection - see above left, Chalk & Charcoal by Jennifer Sampou for Robert Kaufman.  There are Charm Packs, a stack of forty 5" squares - see above bottom right, Modern Backgrounds More Paper by Zen Chic.  There are even MiniCharm Packs, forty 2.5" squares.  Hiding in the upper right corner is. Jelly Roll, 42 fabrics that are 2.5" x 42".  I love Janet Clare's aesthetic and her fabric collections. This one is Weather Permitting.  

For last winter's retreat I grabbed my charm packs of red, greys, and blacks, thinking that to make half-square triangle blocks would be some nice simple sewing, a necessaty for retreats.   And typical of returning home from a retreat, I tucked this bundle away.  Late February and early March, as I was beginning to heal from my broken wrist, when standing at a design wall was all I could handle, I got out these blocks and began to play on the design wall. Some of my Quilty friends have made wonderful projects out of HST's!

But this layout wasn't anything I remotely liked.  And sometime in the past few months I began to realize this quilt would be for grandson Jack Mo, now a senior at U of I.  So I had to find something I would like working on and be proud to give.

I then started to play with making blocks from the various half-square triangles.  Very traditional but my eye was liking this much better.  And then the brainstorm struck:  put these blocks on point and think about adding sashing:

I found the perfect background for these blocks, this terrific deep red from the first fabric collection mentioned in this post. Jack's quilt will be 89" x 112" - he's a tall guy so this size will be perfect for him. It is currently in my long-armer's queue.  

All because of these wonderful simple PreCuts.  

Note:  my favorite PreCut enabler is Green Fairy Quilts.  

Sewing Disconnect

I define myself, especially since my retirement from teaching in 2005, as a quilter, a sewist, a sewer.  Sewing is what I do.  Sewing is why we used the entire upstairs space as my studio.  This is where I work daily.  Daily.  DAILY.

For 2 weeks after the February 18 surgery, I had to wear leg pumps full time for two weeks (it's for the blood-clotting disorder I have).  That meant house-lockdown.  In early March I started Occupational Therapy 3 times a week.  I learned I could drive one-handed and would hit the local grocery in the same strip mall as my therapy.  I still couldn't cook, but we did have our grandsons over for dinner on March 17.  And then Illinois went on lockdown March 21.

This sheltering-in-place has not been about the virus for me.  It's been about my wrist and my inability to use two hands.  Having to shelter in my home is a quilter's dream come true - if she can sew.  But I did learn that I could do minor sewing, thanks to a machine with a knee-life and automatic scissors.  One of the first things I did were these kiss blocks a guild sister was collecting for a charity project.  How satisfying to make something!  I also learned I couldn't hand-quilt.  I kept picking up the project only to discover that it just hurt too much.


Being in the studio allows John to do what he wants and explore his music.  When I'm on the first floor, that doesn't happen.   My being in the studio restores balance to the house.  And it's only recently that I've been here for more than an hour or two and that I can hand-quilt for an hour or so.

Someone suggested to me in early March that this might be a good time to explore things I might do instead of sewing.  Uh, no.  Just no.  There may be a point when I can't sew.  I talked with a dear cousin of John's who has lost her ability to do handwork because of Parkinson's.  I'm sad for her - she too is sad but has come to grips with its. Putting eggs into one basket is danger, but...that's what I do.

Daily I am able to do more - in the kitchen, in the studio, in the bathroom.  Even blogging and using two hands? ah.......   slouching towards normalcy.

Happy and Cheery!

I know I'm getting better.  I am in love with my current project.  Since it requires minimal cutting and simple sewing, I can do it.  Throughout the years I've seen various posts/projects using the selvages of fabrics.  They are interesting, tightly bound, and provide info for reordering.  One of my Sew Powerful buddies, Shirley Utz,  posted a picture of making fabric from selvages just I was cutting selvages to make a quilt backing.  So I've been going through my stash - under the guise of reorganizagting - and cutting off the selvages.  This picture shows the 12" blocks jammed up next to one another.  But I think I'll space them out.  To be determined...    I will finish the remaining blocks and then go back to the simpler projects I need to be working on.

I'm sure I'll go back to some whining with tomorrow's post.

Missing Quilt Con

The only ones who felt worse that I did about missing QuiltCon were my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild buddies.  a some of them came to visit after QuiltCon and bought me some goodies.  That rolled-up set is one of the things that I've been petting.  While I was so sad and drugged as QuiltCon began, I kept it together until...

My guild mates posed in Austin with our charity quit.  This picture undid me.

This one had me shedding tears - my quilties at Midway on their way to Austin, February 20.

But here is when I absolutely lost it.  I had been hoping to do a repeat trip to the Salt Lick BBQ outside of Austin.  Melissa, when she arrived in Austin, ordered this at the airport and shipped it here.  When I opened it, I cried.  I cried for the deliciousness that was to be.  I cried for the lovely memory of being their during the first QuiltCon.  I cried for the one-handed and drugged state I was in.
So I've been mourning.  And I'm just about over it!

What Happened?

Seriously.  How can it be almost the end of May?  I was shoveling snow February 13 and broke my distal radius.  A three-hour plus operation on February 18 fixed it with a place, screws, and internal pins.  For almost 90 days John has done everything from shoe-tying to meal prep and cleanup.

Staying in place?  Absolutely.  But it's been all about the wrist, not about Covid-19.  I've done some minor sewing, thanks to a machine with a knee-lift and automatic scissors.  Mostly I've been sad because I haven't been able to sew.  I missed QuiltCon in  Austin and was very sulky about that.  Because I couldn't sew, I avoided FB and Instagram and quilt magazines.

Now?  I will resume PT as soon as I heal from last week's surgery to remove the pins.  For the first time in three months I can type with 2 hands.  I am seeing a light at the end of this odd tunnel.  And - best progress of all - I have a list of things I want to say.  Maybe I'll try for an entry a day...  Wow, this is the most chipper I've been in 3 months!

February 20, 2020

A Finished UFO: A Deconstruction

In trying to make room in my cabinets for piles on the floor, I found this sort of completed quilt. It's from my Jinny Beyer/batik period, probably 2012-ish. Jinny Beyer is a genius with texture, color, and light; I have learned much from her. But then I get cheap about buying kits for patterns. So this quilt is her pattern but from my stash. And I love it. But as I was quilting it, frustration set in. Let me sing this quilt's praises but also point out its issues and what I intend to do.    

I practiced my stippling technique, working with thread color that blended right in.

But since I quit stippling, this quilt still needed quilting.  So I got out my No 5 Milliner's needles and my No 8 Perle cotton

The stippling and machine quilting look great from the front.

But look at the back.  I don't mind the stippling but the tension for my straight-line quilting was obviously off.

So the stippling and hand stitched will live side by side.

Should I take out these icky stitches or just call it finished?  All I know is that its out of the cabinet and looking for an owner.

Baby Quilts: Get Happy! and Two Little Koalas and Bright and Sunny

Baby quilts are one of my favorite things to do.  They are small, fairly easy to quilt, and - most importantly - keep me focused on possibilities of the future. My nephew Chris and his wife are having a little girl pretty soon.  Pink was the color of choice.  Guildmate and current Chicago Modern Quilt Guilt president Laura McDowell Hopper posted this quilt, "Get Happy!" on the We All Sew website.  There's a second Get Happy! quilt in the works for my niece who is having her baby a month later!

Two Koalas, an Elizabeth Hartman pattern, is complete.  I struggled with how to quilt this and finally took a tip from Lady Macbeth:  be bloody, bold, and resolute.  I dropped the feed dogs and free motioned the background.  And I must say it is spectacular.  The wool batting makes the quilting pop.  A word about Elizabeth Hartman patterns:  they are terrific.  I was a bit taken aback when friends with a pregnant daughter in Perth, Australia, asked for a quilt with an animal on it.  I wanted to say, "Wait, I don't do cute."  But then I found this pattern and have fallen in love with the cuteness.  So I guess I do do cute!

Evenings I am working on this beautiful log cabin.

And another baby quilt!  I'm quilting it right now - it will be for Helios's new little sibling.

Three in Process and One Actual Finish!

These peppered shot cottons are so gorgeous.  They will be a special quilt for my little Cristina.  I am finally deciding - I think - to do 12" clams.  This project won't be a quick one...

Cristina's little nephew Helios is getting a new sibling soon.  Helios's baby quilt is pictured here .  His parents seemed to like these fabrics, and I just happen to have more!

This baby quilt for my nephew and his wife just needs binding - I'll do an official post soon.  

Last, every year quilty Beth find a linen calendar for her friends.  Every year I come home and hem this tea towel.  They then are mounted on the kitchen door.  I was a bit slow on the draw this year, and John had to ask me twice to get this done.  I think he really likes this year's calendar.  I do, too.  

Sew Powerful

My work for Sew Powerful for 2020 has begun with this pretty six pink purses.  The goal of Sew Powerful this year is to have 2,020 purses ready for the November 1, 2020 deadline.  I'm thinking 6 purses a month is a good goal.  These 6 purses represent 3 days worth of cutting, interfacing, and sewing.  How perfect to be able to sew, aid a community, reach out to young girls, and be a part of this Sew Powerful team!

ADD Quilting: A Usual for January

January I get nuts. I want to do everything. I want to make everything. So my wise sister said "Focus." This is my attempt to focus.  

A year ago the Canadian Quilters Association began a block a week. See #52blocks52weeks. Every Tuesday a new block would be released. And pretty soon I couldn't get on with the week until I had that Tuesday block made. Because I have so many scraps, I worked strictly out of my scrap pile. I do love the blocks individually. But I put them up on the design wall against a lovely background. And...I don't love it. I don't hate it either. Would these blocks be better featured in an Attic Windows setting? Maybe... They are coming down. I think they need to rest.

What's going up on the wall is this little happy quilt of exclamation points designed by the current Chicago Modern Quilt Guild president Laura McDowell Hopper.  Laura designed this block to be paper pieced but I just pieced and now have 28 blocks.

While starting new projects and putting fabrics away, I came across this quilt.  Years ago I was trying to learn to free-motion quilt.  And this was my practice piece.  It's maybe half quilted, and I realized two things.  One:  I don't like doing free-motion quilting.  Buddy Wayne is a genius at it and tried to coach me through.  But I am not happy doing it.  Two:  I realized how much I didn't like the tension of the machine I was using.  So I just put it away.  I do think it is pretty, and it's a good size, maybe 70" square.  So I am adding some stitches with No 8 Perle cotton and will then bind it.  I think it might belong in my sister's house.

And speaking of adding stitches, Nikki's quilt was finished for a couple of weeks. And the delivery was postponed several times over the holidays. A few days before gifting it, I decided it need some hand stitching, and I was very happy with the results. It was a peaceful way to welcome in the new year!