A Trip of a Lifetime

Three years ago John and I were in China. At the Temple of Heaven in Beijing we met some Korean students and had this picture taken.

We are going on another trip of a lifetime, this time back-to-back cruises through Japan, Russia, Korea, China, Thailand, and Viet Nam. We get on the ship in Tokyo and disembark in Singapore 30 days later.

We're thrilled to be returning to Beijing - this time we will see and experience a different portion of the Great Wall, a part that is south of the city. We're thrilled with everything we'll be doing. We are just thrilled.

Look What I Found!

On President's Day John and I had lunch with daughter Jennifer and granddaughters Nikki and Natalie. Nikki, a 7th grader, is about to start a basic sewing module at school. And I wondered if she has told her teacher that she's a veteran quilter.

But while looking for quilts which Nikki has made, I came across this quilt I made for Natalie in 2005. Natalie is a Y2K baby and a very free spirit. This quilt I think reflects her. Stay tuned for Nikki's quilts!

And Chandra's Elves

 
Chandra is able to maximize her client time by using physical therapy assistants who do the icing, heating, printing out of exercises, monitoring of equipment, and application of electric stimulation. These bags are for Elizabeth and LaShondra.

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!