Scraps, Purses, New/Old Projects

So much sewing.  But space has been limited.  The studio has been housing some overnight guests, one for two weeks, but all is back to normal again.  Because space was limited I worked with what I could get to:  scraps.  

These four purses for Sew Powerful are from great niece Cassidy's shower quilt.  And the one in the left corner is from Sam's quilt.

The two below?  again, favorite scraps.  That's the last of the Periodic Table fabric.  I used a lot of that for masks.

 These four dotty sisters have some of my favorite fabric for the flaps.  And this fabric allows me to use almost anything for the body, lining, and straps.

In the previous blog post I mentioned my new favorite fabric designer Seth Apter.  The picture above is leftover from a quilt I'm working on. That quilt is at the bottom of this post, and I am halfway through hand-quilting it.  These leftovers are going to be something.  I just don't know what.  And I keep adding additional scraps to the design wall.  For me?  This is great fun!

My SIL in Florida was wanting a baby quilt.  The above is what I came up with using blue scraps and low volume scraps (are you sensing a theme about scraps?). She decided on a different quilt, so this one - its 48' x 60" has been languishing.  Well, no more.  I frankenbatted a batting and found a bed sheet that is the perfect shade of blue for the back.  Now it is all pin-basted and will be my next hand project.  I think I'll use a dark thread and try for something wavy.  We'll see...

But the urge to make purses and bags is so strong.  Using my favorite fabrics I am making this Fika Tote.  Its a great pattern.  I've made maybe five of them so far.  And I may actually keep this one!

As I was working on my stepdaughter's bed quilt I commented to her that I loved her quilt.  And she said I say that about all of my quilts.  Well, not quite.  This one above?  I thought I was going to love it, but as it came together, my eye told me something was wrong. Is it that green-ish limey yellow?  are those grays throwing it off?  I thought of my grandson Sam as I was making this.  While I do love Sam, I don't love this quilt.  However, perhaps this is my saving grace:  Sam is colorblind.  

Fabric Crushes

 I have had four distinct fabric crushes, and I’m always surprised when I find something I love so much.  The first was from a Bonnie .Christine AGF line, “Hello, Bear.”  

The second was fabrics from Marcia Derse.

And then I discovered Janet Clare and her Wordsmith line.  Like the other two so far, these fabrics are now out of print.  

And now I’ve discovered Seth Apter and his line Storyteller.  His fabrics have a collage-ish look with muted colors.  (Note:  I almost included e bond  in this post.  Her first line was Glyphs with the most interesting mostly black and white prints.  But now she’s gone waaay too colorful). Let’s see how long this crush lasts! 

Houston, we have a problem…

 These are all recently-finished quilt tops.  And I want to hand quilt each of them.  But it’s getting warm - not the time of the year to be sitting under quilts as I stitch.  

This old yellow and black top is odd.  I like it, but I’m not sure who else will.  I’m thinking grandson Sam is ready for a new quilt.  Maybe he’ll like it.

This quilt features a lot of Seth Apter fabrics.  And i love this pattern.  There’s enough of the background fabric to back it with.  But I’m not sure.  Tbd…

I’m actually thinking of machine-quilting this one - it lends itself to straight-line quilting,  With the imminent arrival of the double brood of cicadas combined with where we live - in the middle of an established tree haven - I think it’s going to be an indoor summer.    Maybe I can quilt these after all! 

Hexagons, Grief, and Jazz

We went on a jazz cruise in January, obviously John’s.  I would like points for not taking my sewing machine.  However, I did take along a stack of big hexagons, some left from previous projects and some cut expressly for this project.  I’m not a great hand piecer, but these hexagons, since they require y-seams, are really ideal for hand piecing.  So every day I pieced away, watching the jazz shows on the closed circuit television.  Of course I came out for meals!  We were both happy for the week.  

 

This jazz cruise quilt is a duplicate, of sorts, of the quilt I was working in as my brother Doug was dying.  The last two weeks of his life were difficult.  I didn’t sit with him that much, but when I was there, this quilt below is what I was working on.  And after his death every quilted stitch was one of grief and loss.  We all grieve in different ways.  For me it is stitching - that started with my mom’s death in 2014.  

On the year anniversary of Doug’s death, I wondered if perhaps his daughter, my niece Laura, might want this quilt.  It represented my grief but would it mean anything to her?  So I offered it to her.  And she accepted it.  I’m happy this quilt has found its owner and that she cherishes it.  

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. 

Retreat Sewing and Quilts

 Quilting retreats are so much fun for so many different reasons, but it is always a challenge deciding what to work on.  You want something fun.  And interesting!  But it can’t be difficult or tricky because so often it’s hard to pay close attention to a pattern with everything happening at the retreat.  So my go-to projects always involve jelly rolls and simple sewing.  

Starting with a charm pack and a wonderful neutral, I made half-square triangles and laid them out in this above pattern.  For the backing I used various big scraps.  Below is the wonderful fabric with every color in the world as the print.  So the backing is scrappy but it works.  So does the big off-center spiral stitching.  It measures 76” x 80.”

Two retreat quilts with the jazz cruise quilt

This quilt was part of my work at another retreat.  Adding one neutral, which makes the stars, to this colorful jelly roll creates a very pretty but very dense design.  And it seems the pink tones overwhelm.  So I went with it when coming up with a backing.  I had the perfect Art Gallery fabric but not enough of it, thus the vertical and horizontal inserts below.  This quilt I might machine quilt.  To be determined…

This last quilt is huge and still on the design wall.  I have the batting and backing but will finish it much later.  What is interesting though is that the same jelly roll of fabrics was used for this quilt as well as the one right above it.  I gotta get back to purses….

Jazz Cruise Quilt

I panicked as we were about to leave on the Jazz Cruise in late January.  Not only were we going to hot places (never my favorite), there would be over 100 jazz musicians on the ship.  To make myself happy, I grabbed the pile of hexies left over from the quilt I was working on when Doug was dying.  Despite the sadness of the hexie quilt, it would be the perfect thing for a week cruise.  There are no running straight lines, so hand piecing was really quite perfect.  Every night I would pull up the big venue on the ship and watch it on closed circuit tv as I pieced.  And every morning I would spread my progress  on the bed.   I used every hexie I packed and couldn’t wait to iron it once we got home..

Once we were home and the top was pressed, I needed to fill in the sides and top to square it off.  It measures 58” x 76. 

As you can see, it’s backed in a solid Art Gallery fabric.  And I have just started hand quilting this one.  I thought about trying to stitch a big trumpet and forever associate this quilt with jazz.  While I’m not ruling it out, I’m not sure that will happen.  

Stopping and Restarting

We’re leaving town this week - John wants to go on another jazz cruise,  I should be happy about this but that means a break in my rhythm.  What is so hard about stopping is then the resuming of that rhythm.  I’m hoping that the hand project I’m taking with me will be somewhat of a continuation of a regular rhythm. 

I love winter so much.  I love being snowed in or “colded” in.  Currently our temps are negative, and the fitness center here in the condo building is allowing me to maintain a physical routine, which means I can then spend the rest of the day sewing.  This quilt is 88” x 88” and I’m thrilled that this is the first project of 2024 and that the top is completed. Already I’m thinking of how I want to hand quilt this.

This quilt top, made from the same jelly roll as the quilt above it is ready for pin basting.  And I think I want to hand quilt this one, too.  I love the backing fabric.

These fabrics above I mentioned in my last blog post.  And I love these fabrics together.  It will be my next project, and I think i know what I want to do.

 And this lovely top is almost completed.  I need to finish hand quilting the last fifth of it and then bind it.  

I’m not mentioning Sew Powerful purses, am I?  I will get back to them, but only after the voices in my head tell me to stop making quilt tops.