For My Physical Therapist Chandra

For the past 6 weeks I've been seeing Chandra, a physical therapist at the Paulson Rehab Center, LaGrange Hospital. She's a charming woman and an excellent therapist. We're now fine-tuning my walk and working on increasing my range of motion. She's already given me a script of exercises to do on the ship so that I can continue to improve. I'm hoping that after the next knee in April I can continue to work with her.

If you're thinking this Amazing Technicolor Dream Tote is similar to the one I just gave Oralee a few days ago, you're right. But since Chandra is a small woman, I took out one of the vertical strips and also shortened the handles. This bag is boxed and has a plastic bottom.

Physical therapy hasn't been easy or fun. However, spending this time with someone who is so outgoing and generous has made the therapy almost fun. Almost.

Behind Every Great Man...

 Since John and I first began our quest for Indian food, we have been drawn to what was Indian Garden in Westmont and is now Saffron. Over the years I have developed a great respect for the cook and have thoroughly enjoyed becoming friends with Prasenjit Roy, the owner. I've never met Mrs. Roy, but she did give me the name of a fabric store in New Dehli. Prasenjit gave us a "just in case" phone numbers of one of his friends in New Delhi. This simple boxed Mors bag is simply for shopping and just because I have had so many wonderful dinners at Saffron.

And a Bag for the Courier

My most faithful client, my sister Paula, ordered another Amazing Technicolor Dream Tote. It's just as efficient to make two, and Paula is buying the second one, too. One bag has a purple band and purple lining. The other one has a green band and a light green lining. (see last photo) But now, how to get them to St. Joe, MI? Ever since the USPO lost one of the bags I mailed to Paula, I get the heebie jeebies putting anything in the mail. So that's where Oralee comes in.

Like my sister, Oralee is married to a Thompson. Since the senior Thompson are in St Joe, Or and Dave go up there. So Oralee has agreed to take Paula the two bags which she doesn't need until April.




Yesterday I started on a new Amazing Technicolor Dream Tote for my physical therapist Chandra. I wanted to do something special for her. Good thing my math is bad - I wound up cutting enough strips for two bags. As I put the first one together, it seemed a bit big. And Chandra is a small person. Since I was lunching with Oralee today and since Or has agreed to deliver the two Amazing Technicolor Dream Totes, she seemed like a terrific candidate for this first tote, and I'll finish the other one for Chandra tomorrow.








Oralee's bag has a terrific batik lining, no black vertical strips, and an array of colors that go through the spectrum. I may have to do a mini-bag for Oralee's 18-month-old granddaughter Natalya...

My Orthopaedic Surgeon

Dr. Groya in LaGrange Park really is a nice man and an excellent surgeon. I'm thrilled with how my new knee feels and will have the other one done in April. In addition to Dr. Groya's surgical skills, the referral women at my doctors' office sing the praises of his support staff. And they are right. His nurse, his receptionist, his bookkeeper/jack-of-all-trades, and x-ray technician are terrific women. Call it gratitude - or medical bribery - but I made each of them a quilted tote. Just because. Today at my appointment I gave them their bags, and each woman was appreciative. Fun to reward people for good work! and to ask them for attention for future work (wink, wink, nudge,nudge!).

Before my first knee replacement, I was closing up the studio for a couple of weeks and made a tote out of all my scraps for my surgeon's wife. I told Dr. Groya not to show this bag to his staff. What did he do? He showed them the bag. So now, everyone is happy. Especially me!

Mariner's Compass for Janet

There's a great satisfaction in the completion of a project. I'm especially pleased with this wall hanging for a couple of reasons.

First, the Mariner's Compass design is one I have admired for years and never thought I could tackle. I finally did attempt my first paper-pieced compass a few years ago, and it was very hard. It's part of the quilt that hangs in my studio and is on the opening page of my blog. Now that I understand paper-piecing better and have done paper-pieced projects a few more times, this compass - by no means easy - was definitely easier to do.

Second, I love this color combination of teal, lime, and navy. These Jinny Beyer RJR fabrics are beautiful. There's a luminescence as well as movement. One of the border fabrics has a subtle design incorporating these colors. The center medallion is made from eight fussy-cut pieces from this border fabric. The fabric I love the most is used the least. It's the purple fabric with a peacock design on it and appears in each of the four corners. Click on the picture to see the details of these fabrics.

Third, as I was working on this piece, I knew where it was going to live. Janet, my body work specialist whom I've been seeing for ten years, turned 60 shortly after I did. She celebrated my birthday with a three-month clinical study of my issues. I celebrated hers with a dinner at Saffron, my favorite Indian restaurant and with this wall hanging.

A compass gives direction and guidance, very symbolic of the work that Janet does with many people. I've made a quilt for Janet's therapy room and written about the importance of her work before. She is a necessity in my life.

Mariner's Compass - a work in process

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the beauty of a project I'm working on. And this paper-pieced Mariner's Compass is one such project. I'd love to take credit for the fabric combination, but the credit goes to Jinny Beyer and her terrific color sense. I'm still making some decisions about border fabrics and proportions. But the hard work is done. Click on the picture to see the beautiful details. 24" x 24"

Variations on a Theme

Sewn bags are hot. There are tons of patterns. Buddy Marjorie Hughes gave me this pattern for quilted bags using fat quarters. I'm not sure where this set of fabrics came from. I know they are a bit Christmassy and wintery. But it is still January, right? The red pockets, red handles, and stitching in red thread are good complements to these fabrics.

But remember that my fascination for bags began with Wayne's gift to me of a Mors bag as well as an introduction to the Mors Bags website. There is a free pattern there as well as tracking of people who have established "pods" at morsbags.com. Wayne is now over 100 bags, and I am catching up with him.

We just discovered our bed sheet has worn away in one area. After it's washed, I think I'll cut the remaining good parts into linings for Mors bags. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Turning Corners - and 8 more bags

I've turned so many corners with my knee rehab. Yesterday I forgot - FORGOT! I tell you - to take a pain medication. And last week I actually spent 3 straight hours in the studio instead of a little 45-minute stint. After my physical therapy session today, I spoke with the director of nursing at the hospital and gave her 9 bags to distribute to my nurses and PCT's. And of course I had to give the nursing director a bag for her efforts. So now that this task has been completed, I'm feeling like I'm ready to
resume work on some projects, like Kim and Tim's Tumbling Blocks Wedding Quilt and the Mariner's Compass in blues, purples, and teals for Janet Sylkatis's 60th birthday.

These bags all have boxed bottoms and a pocket on one side. Just Mors Bags - kicked up a notch.

Four down - lots more to go!

 While I'm not quite ready to sing "Back in the Saddle Again," I am inching towards it. These 4 - some boxed, some flat - are complete. There was a time when I was cranking out 6 bags a day. And perhaps I'll get back to that point. Meanwhile, I'm happy to be getting upstairs a couple of times a day, even if I don't stay very long. Sewing with my right foot is feeling less and less awkward, and I can feel my stamina increasing. Nice. Very nice!

Baby Steps

 This may not look like much, but this picture is actually quite significant. Today I began work again in the Studio. I'm making simple Mors bags for the nursing staff I came in contact with at LaGrange. So there is fabric selection, ironing, measuring/cutting, and making the handles before the bags can be assembled. And that is what I did today, including sewing the handles. None of this was pain-free and took 3 sessions to the studio to accomplish. But that's okay - it's a start. Tomorrow I can put these two together and think about the next pair I want to make. I'm thrilled to see the return to a normal schedule. In some ways the break from sewing/quilting has been nice, but now I'm ready to get back to work!