And the last purses…

 

Sew Powerful September Purse-a-thon - and the month isn’t over!

 

Plus Signs Wall Hanging

 

This small pretty quilt is straight off the hand-quilting express. My goal was to use up a pretty set of fat quarters of spotted grunge gifted to me by Sarah E - .  These warm tones are ones I normally don’t work with, but I kind of got into them as I went along, especially thanks to Melissa who really fawned over this quilt.  The design was inspired by a Zen Chic sew-a-long featured plus signs of different scale.  The background is two pretty Moda gold-based neutrals - I didn’t have enough of either one so I used them both.  Because I’m trying to reduce the piles of pretty scraps I have,  I used bits of the spotted grunge and the neutral background for the binding.  

John finally confessed to me that he didn’t care for the quilt that’s been hanging in the dining room.  Look at this post https://moquilt.blogspot.com/2021/10/  for the large quilt with tons of negative space taken in an outdoor shot.  So this Plus Signs is happily in a good spot.

Look! I made a backpack!

 

I just finished a couple of quilt tops, and now I’m getting ready for a September Sew Powerful Purse-a-Thon.  But first I am rewarding myself by doing a back pack.  I started it yesterday and finished it today.  I made several of these a few years ago, including two minis.  This is the Denver backpack by Swoon.  It’s a difficult pattern with lots of parts - pockets and straps and closures. But I have really enjoyed working on this - like a jigsaw puzzle in 3-d.  This is the exact twin of the one I gifted to granddaughter Natalie. 

Plus Signs + Fat Quarter Gifts = Fun Small Quilt!

 

Years ago, in 2011, Rossie Hutchinson made Double Plus Good.  And it was this quilt that sucked me into the modern movement. Check out this link to her post about this quilt.  I’ve tried to do various iterations of her quilt over the years.  And like so many quilters , I am going to outlive my stash.  So I’ve been on a mission to dig into some wonderful fabrics and actually use them.  This quilt features some dotted grunge and some leftover background fabrics from Zen Chic.  I didn’t have enough of either one, which explains the two different backgrounds.  This top is 53” x 62”.  The plus signs are two different sizes and placed randomly.

To avoid leftover from this project, I took the remainers of the grunge dots and incorporated them into a big plus sign for the back.  Now?  All I need is winter to hand quilt this!

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So Many Projects: A Good Thing

Sometimes I’m happiest when plotting what projects I want to work on next.  And I’m also aware my stash is dangerously close to being out of hand.  Wait.  Let me restate the truth: my stash is out of hand.  See all these 2” strips?  Leftovers from a community project.  These aren’t my favorite colors to work with, but they are lovely.  I’m looking at a Fence Rail  design that will create a woven effect.  

Throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks…

One of the quilts that drew me into the modern movement over a decade ago was Double Plus Good by Rossie Hutchinson.  So I’ve been looking at background fabrics and plus fabrics.  I started making plus signs, after really editing the fabrics to use, but knew I didn’t want to create something so precise and symmetrical.  Look closely at the design wall, and you’ll spot a design featuring two different size plus signs and arranged sort of randomly.  This is a new pattern by Zen Chic.  And I like it so much more.  So I know where is quilt is headed.  Unlike what’s below…

Speak of Zen Chic, the middle fabric above is from her Lower The Volume collection.  And I love it,  I’ve been examining two-color quilts and looking for a design I want to do,  I’ll continue to look because no design is calling my name just yet.

And always always always I think about Sew Powerful purses.  I have several in process and five finished, preparing for a local demo.  I have a shelf of fabrics to use for purses.  But these fabrics came across my radar, and I had to buy a yard of each.  With the work in our condo finally complete, it's time for a "normal" schedule focusing on walking and sewing and cooking, making time for each with no excuses.  I miss the destination walking of LaGrange, but I do love the small hills and paved paths that are so accessible here.  And when the weather is icky I have the luxury of the workout room here.  Sewing?  I sew almost daily so it's not that difficult to schedule that in.  Cooking?  John is great, but I must do my share.  So I'm focusing on healthy recipes I want to make and that John will eat happily.  

This first summer here is wonderful.  My studio is well-lit, thanks to my LaGrange electrician, and airy.  We love this condo.

Summer Quilt - Finished!

Summer Quilting is so much different than quilting in the other seasons.  Evenings I quilt.  Cool and cold days are perfect for sitting with a quilt and stitching.  But in summers?  No way?  Not to mention that my body temp is always 10 degrees warmer than John's.  So for several summers I have "summer quilted", meaning that I will hand-quilt a block at a time and then join these blocks using Sharon Pederson's Reversible Quilting method.  

A few months ago I saw e Bond's fabric collection Glyph at the Crimson Tate (an indy quilt shop in Indy!)

website and fell in love with five of her fabrics.  When they arrived, I fondled them a lot and realize that these were not fabrics to be cut up into little bits.  So I cut 10" squares and used the Attic Windows setting.      I found enough leftover wool batting and Frankenbatted with abandon.   Since I was going to be quilting these 30 blocks by hand, of course I had to find some Art Gallery fabrics for the backing, all neutral scraps.  Most of these blocks just have a simple spiral.  After all, it's the fabric, not the quilting, being featured.  And full disclosure:  there is one fabric included not in the Glyph collection although it is Art Gallery.  

I love how the back looks.  There is no rhyme or reason to the arrangement.  All I know is that the back of this quilt is wonderfully soft.  Each block is 12" so this quilt is 60" x 72". 

It's only late July.  I may have to find another summer quilting project!  

Guess I’m down to One Blog Post a Month

 

Good news:  our house projects in the kitchen and bathroom are over!  The painters just left today.  Bad news:  there's been a lot of turmoil locally, nationally, and internationally.  But the good news?  I sew a lot when I'm agitated.  And my soul has needed a lot of soothing.  This table runner has been a wonderful diversion.  Its a combination of hand and machine quilting and based on an Instagram post by @tygeroting.  I captured the spirit of their work and must let them know.  

This table runner is batted with Insulbright, the product used for hot pads.  My favorite piece of fabric  is the backing.  I had to go on line to find more of it.  What for?  I don't know.  I just need to have it in my stash! Next are placement made in a similar vein using these fabrics.  If I was to name this table runner,  it would have to be "With a Little Help from my Friends."  Most of these fabrics are from Sarah S and Melissa and one fabric of bones from Lynn B in honor of my broken bones of 2020.

 

While I'm happy during the cold months to sit under a quilt as I quilt it, this doesn't work at all for summer months.  My solution for summer quilting is to quilt small blocks and then later assemble them.  The fabric line Glyph from Crimson Tate caught my eye.  And these fabrics are too pretty and unique to be cut up.  So I cut 10" blocks and used the Attic Windows setting with 2.5" strips for the sashing. I used all my wool batting scraps for the 12.5" blocks, and went through my light neutrals for the backing.  The reversible quilting method by Sharon Pederson has been my go-to for projects like this.  

The three blank spots in the picture below have since been filled in.  

Months ago I bought two charm packs featuring Janet Clare's "Geometry" line by Moda.  And two weeks ago I started to play around with them.  Just as I began, my sister-in-law in Orlando asked if I had any quilts featuring greens.  Why, yes!  Yes, I do.  Setting these simple blocks on point gives this 70" x 70" quilt some nice drama.  It's batted with wool and machine quilted.  Chris wants this for her husband's doctor.  As soon as she figures out what she wants on the label, I'll put this in the mail

Speaking of Janet Clare and her fabric lines, I have been in love with her Wordsmith fabrics, most of which are out of print.  I am squirreling away leftover bit but found enough for another Trip Around the World.  It is pin basted and ready for quilting.  Machine?  Hand?  Hmmm....  and of course through all my sewing purses are at the forefront.  There are five African purses featuring a fabric I bought in Kenya.  They along with purses in process are ready for a demo for a local quilt guild.  

Pursing with and for Sew Powerful

Most of the purses I put on this blog or on my Instagram are finished.  But several of these I have left unfinished.  To the left is a completed purse and then another one whose body must be turned inside out, whose straps need attaching, and whose body need to be assembled with the lining.  Have I mentioned this purse pattern has 11 pieces?  That seems daunting until you realize that many of the pieces are the same size.  Also, this pattern is the beginning pattern, which does not have the side gussets or the little elastic pocket on the flap.  Those were the only ones I did at first - until I discovered this "easier" pattern.

 

This red purse features the same flap fabric as the green ones above.  But the body and strap are obviously different.  Again, I've left one of these unassembled for demonstration purposes.  A neighboring quilt guild is considering making Sew Powerful their charity next year, and my goal is to give a pretty clear look at what goes into a Sew Powerful purse.

These two purses started with this Southwestern fabric on the flap  - I had just a little bit left.  But what I had a ton of was the teal floral.  The unfinished purse isn't even assembled.  I left the front body separate from the back which has the flap.  My brain needs to visualize the parts, which was difficult to do with the first purses I made back in 2016 - I didn't have a finished purse in front of me.

With still more of the teal floral fabric, I found another Southwestern sort of fabric with the Kokopelli figures on it.  I have no idea whether these figures will intrigue or scare young girls from Zambia.  There is also a purse here which doesn't belong.  It has a blue body and a flap with encouraging comments on it.  I had just a bit of this fabric (it's been a favorite but I've used it all up). The back of the flap is pieced from scraps.  I want to show that almost any fabrics can be combined for these purses!  I like to work with the same colors for a while and then have thread in my machines to match.

Meanwhile I found these fabrics which I've used before for purses.  These fabrics and colors are African, aren't they?  In fact, the fabric with the yellow dots is one that I bought in Kenya.  I have the right shade of red for the body, and straps will be made from the red/orange/green fabric.  

The Sew Powerful FaceBook group is growing by the day. Missouri Star, a quilt shop which often does terrific videos, featured Sew Powerful purses on their website. And have quilters ever responded!  Sew Powerful's efforts have spread beyond the capital of Zambia, Lusaka, to Livingston, the city at the base of Victorial Falls.  Sewing cooperative, soap cooperative, farming cooperative.  Results are visible.  I'm eager to get my next batch of purses in the mail!

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!