Meritt's Grandma Dodie Quilt

Little Miss Ann Meritt Reed is almost 2 years old. Dodie had the joy of knowing her granddaughter and had hoped to live long enough to see Meritt's first steps. But that didn't happen. Mani will make sure that her daughter remembers her Grandma Dodie, and this quilt from Dodie's nightgown will help.

The pinks in this quilt are from various projects over the years, including one scrap from a quilt that my neighbor hs junior Cristina did (look at the bottom right corner, and there are 3 more like it). It's appropriate that Cristina be represented in this Dodie quilt for Meritt. In the months leading to Dodie's death, Cristina was accumulating her behind-the-wheel hours in my car. I used Cris as a sounding board and shared some very serious life thoughts with her. Ah, the circle of life...

Sewing Night Thursdays

For the past several years neighbor Susan and I have been sewing on Thursday nights. It started when we took a jacket class at Stitches N Stuffing in Naperville in the spring of 2005. When the current studio was being constructed, Susan and I moved all sewing stuff down to a temporary studio at the Muzzios. Since then we have gotten together Thursday nights for a Weight Watcher-friendly (usually) dinner and then some sewing. Susan is an advanced seamstress and brings a whole different set of sewing skills to the Studio. Even more convenient is that the Brookfield Jazz Society meets on Thursday nights!

Lately we have had some additional company on Thursday nights. Fellow Kennedy teacher and retiree Corinne has come a couple of times, and so has John's sister Terry. Bless John for bringing the camera upstairs tonight and snapping the 4 attendees of Sewing Night Thursday. We're holding the first of three quilts for Dodie's grandchildren.

Charlie's Grandma Dodie Quilt

One of the hardest tasks after someone dies is for the family to get rid of the clothes. Dodie knew her time was limited and really did a great job of tidying up her closet before she died. Her daughters Mani and Virginia did have to do some cleaning up, and one of the things they came across were two of her trademark flannel nightgowns. Mani and Gin asked if I could make quilts from these gowns for her children Will, Charlie, and Meritt.

A year ago I was quilting my way through my grief for Dodie, and here I am again. Grief is a process. I've begun Meritt's quilt, and I have the fabrics set out for Will's. I love using scraps of Dodie's nightgowns, and I love using scraps of my quilting cottons. In this quilt for Charlie Reed (60" x 70") are several blues that my sister Paula bought years ago for a quilt she wanted.

In the year prior to her death, Dodie and I shared many smiles and tears about grandchildren and memories. It's comforting to know that Mani's children will have yet another visible reminder of a grandmother who loved them deeply and delighted in their every breath.

A More-Than-Satisfactory Barter

Delivering a finished quilt is always a thrill. Last night Greg and Dorothy took possession of the Jazz T-Shirt Quilt they commissioned during the summer of 2007. Choosing which t-shirts to include and what fabrics to provide the background ought to be simple tasks. Obviously they aren't. However, the time that went into these decisions paid off handsomely. The final component on this quilt were the services of Debbie the Long-Arm Quilter. She again has proven her artistry, this time with a straight-line meander. The red border, which is 20 inches all around, and the neutral between the t-shirts are beautifully quilted, as are the t-shirts themselves. This large quilt - 98" x 114" - was hard to photograph, but this photo gives a good general idea. The back of this quilt is almost as pretty as the front.

Debbie mentioned that she has a couple of weddings coming up that she needs gifts for, and she admits that she doesn't like to do piecing. So I offered her the 3rd Jinny Beyer quilt top. The first one - 83" x 83" - hangs in my studio. I pieced and quilted it. I made a second one for my bed - "100 x 114" - and Debbie quilted it with a fabulous varigated thread and wonderful curves and loops. The third one was unspoken for. So Debbie bought the kit from me for $90, and then we bartered our services - the quilting of the jazz t-shirt quilt for the piecing of the Jinny Beyer quilt top. This was a $250 barter, and I don't know who was more pleased - Debbie or me.

Let Year 2 in the Studio Begin!

This year is my 3rd of retirement, but the 34 years of teaching along with the 17 years of going to school means one thing: vacation mentality. I took a break from sewing and a break from Weight Watching - it was a great 4-pound holiday. We celebrated with the Crystal Lake/Lakewood families on the 23rd, the Sheehans on the 24th, and the White/Thompsons on the 25th. Here's Grandpa John with Nicki, Sammy, Jack,Ben, and Natalie. And what looks to be a pile of quilts is actually Ryan and Brandon, zzzzzzz-ing away despite the cold, sunny day. The boys eventually woke up for cinnamon rolls and a morning movie.

So all the kids are back in school, and I'm still having difficulty ending vacation. I have projects to work on and must stop this lolligagging. Perhaps today will be the day!

Holiday Table

Last spring I blogged about how I couldn't do what I do if it weren't for John. Look at this holiday table that he just set - it's beautiful! Tonight John's sister Chris and her husband are coming for dinner - it's Chris's last day of school and the beginning of her Winter Vacation. Joining us are Laurel and Richard from Western Springs. They gave us some 25th Anniversary tchochkes, I think as a lark. But here's the real lark. John likes using them, and I am beginning to think they are pretty. Uh oh, what's happening here?

Quilts, Death, and Math

My college buddy Dodie - Dora Mae Hansen Wallace - died December, 17, 2006 after a 2-year battle with lung cancer. She was 57. I turned 58 in October and thought, "Dodie never got to see this age - how blessed am I." This blog opened with thoughts of Dodie, and here it is a year later.

In September 2005 I was with Dodie for a long week's worth of treatment and took a hand project with me. I made tumbling blocks which then turned into a quilt for Dodie. She had the quilt hung in the Anderson entryway, and it looked fabulous there. Furman recently told me that he took it down and has been using it, which pleases me immensely. I used a lot of neutral tumbling blocks to calm the effect of the quilt down. And I have a lot of beautiful tumbling blocks leftovers. Teaching the Reversible Quilt process (Quilt-As-You-Go) is something I love doing, and I'm always creating new sample pieces.

So, using the Tumbling Blocks and the Reversible Technique, I began to play. And there are no directions for this project. I do quite nicely right angles; most quilters do. But these tumbling blocks are 60 degree angles. I figured a way to join these blocks so I could use straight diagonal seams to connect the rows, and the resulting shape is an arrow. But really, an arrow-shaped quilt? I don't think so.


With my limited math skills, I have cut a top, batting, and backing the width of the quilt (37") by the height of the arrow tip (11"). As soon as I quilt this section, then I will cut it into 3 pieces that I'm hoping will fill in the top of the arrow as well as that bottom portion. It ought to work!

To honor Dodie's life and commemorate the end of this first year, her daughter Virginia and I are going to the Red Light on West Randolph and having the tasting menu - Dodie would have approved. I think Gin and I are both looking forward to this celebration in an odd sort of way.

Pillow Gift

There are some wonderful leftovers from Cecilia's new bed quilt. including the fabric used for the border. And her bedroom is the perfect backdrop for decorator pillows. I think there will be some pillows yet-to-come. Here is the first, just in time for Christmas!

Christmas Fun in the Land o'Quilts

I found some pretty cute presents for my quilting friends - Susan, Midge, and Terry. And it's a project. They make mini-quilts which are wrapped around a big cup and sealed in plastic. Terry couldn't come over and play today, but Susan and Midge did. And of course I bought myself one, too. It took us about 2 hours, and it was fun to see how each of us work. Susan has suggested making seasonal mini-quilts and then swapping them out. Hmmm...

Perfecting the Pillsbury Dough Boy Look

I have always known how to make clothes, but that has held no interest for me - probably because of my not-so-great body shape. Quilting has been so perfect because there's no need to fit flat fabric to curves and bumps. Still, I cannot resist doing what so many other quilters have done: making quilted clothing.

Neighbor Susan and I took a class two years ago and made fabulous jackets. While she has worn hers alot, I have just recently started wearing mine (thanks to the latest 10-pound drop at WW). Still, I always feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Picture Ralphie's little brother from "The Christmas Story" when he has on his snow suit, falls, and really can't get up.

Despite this feeling, I have forged ahead and made another quilted jacket, pictured here. I think the colors and pattern are so striking. It was foundation-pieced onto a cut-apart sweatshirt. My dream is to have a wardrobe of black slacks and black t-shirts and a variety of fabulous jackets to wear over them.



















The image here is the sheet of fabric I made from various fabric strips.