Getting busy...er

This is the body of a Spectrum quilt and is 63" by 85".  Unlike the illustration and suggestions for this quilt which uses a dark background, a Kona snow is used for the horizontal sashing and will be the background, too.  I am counting on my longarmers Frank and Terri Karls to do something terrific with all the negative outer space.  I now need to do some heavy-duty calculations to turn this into a generous king-size quilt.  So I am stopping for the day.  This kind of sewing is exacting and exhausting.  And this quilt body represents 3 days of work.  I did take a few hours out of this sewing to make a couple of Mors bags, including one made from red, white, grey, and black scraps. ***as I write this, John is answering the door for Halloween and making the kids say "Trick or Treat."  As well they should!***

Two of these have boxed bottoms.

The reverse of the above bag

Before...and After!

This little napping quilt has been quilted and bound - it is for Sarah's Inn in Oak Park.  Each one of these quilts has a simple  label with our guild's logo and the year.  I'll be eager to hear the final tally for quilts, pillows, and zippered pouches.  Amy S has done a terrific job of leading this effort.  This quilt is going into the wash along with the quilt that I have patched.

Love the label for this quilt.

This quilt is now functional. The patching? An example of intentional mending. While I tried a bit to get the patch to match the fabric, it's not a complete match. And the back patch doesn't line up with the front patch - and that's ok. It's ready for washing.  And using.

All Retreat Projects, Great and Small

It's always tricky planning retreat sewing.  This may sound strange, but it's such a luxury to devote entire days to quilting projects.  For this retreat at the Siena Center, I knew I had to start with something I've been wanting to do that requires a lot of simple sewing.  So I took my Marcia Derse fabrics to make a quilt I have made before that my senior-in-college grandson has (which coincidentally was made at the Spring 2014 retreat).  I finished all the strip sheet sets and will insert them into the lovely neutral that makes the light strip in all the blocks. 

I finished these easy but tedious strip sets by late Saturday morning and got out my red and black cork fabrics.  Since I haven't sewn with cork fabric before, I had to do a wee bit of test sewing.  And I discovered it's fabulous to work with.  I quilted the cork fabric onto Soft and Stable interfacing and created the front, back, gusset, and outer pocket for Sara Lawson's Hey Mercedes bag, a purse size which I really like.  I would have kept going on this project except I didn't have the right hardware with me.  Since I am thrilled with how this project is going, I have a feeling I'll finish it fairly soon.

Now it's late Saturday afternoon, and I have nothing completed to show (and my guild is so fond of ding-ding-dinging the bell announcing a finish).  And what do I do when I need to have a completed project?  Right!  A Mors bag.  I brought with me a fat quarter, some Kona brown, and strapping for handles.  The scrap table gave me the fabrics for the inside of the bag.  This bag is going back into my car for trips to Mariano's and Walgreen's.   And now - what to do the rest of my precious retreat sewing time?  Some of my guildsters and I joke about taking our fabrics for rides in the car to various retreats.  And my pile of Alison Glass scraps have gone of several sewing weekends with me.  But this time?  I actually got them out!

My scraps were all 3" wide and 14" - 18" long.  In between each row is a 4" strip.  So far this top is about 60" x 80".  I will need to do a little bit of piecing in the upper right and then may use the rest of the scraps to make outer borders, but I am loving how this is turning out, especially since it's been so long in the planning.  And this kept me busy until Sunday night!  I am very happy with what I got done.  Last night I slept for 9 hours, a rarity for me.  I think I was pleasantly tired from the weekend.

Guild vice-president Amy has been heading up a charity effort for Sarah's Inn in Oak Park.  We are making pillows, zippered pouches with little luxuries, and napping quilts.  Amy finished piecing this quilt, and I volunteered to take it home with me for quilting and binding.  Funny to come home with more than I took up.  But it's a good thing.

This isn't a retreat project - I just have it out and want to get to it.  I made this quilt for my father-in-law years ago.  It has a nice, neat, big hole in the border.  Mending this is in my future, and I may wait until after the November Chicago MQG meeting where Heidi Parkes will be our speaker and her topic is intentional mending.    Or I may just reinvent this wheel and forge on ahead.  And I must take a breath and put away the piles of fabrics so I can at least close the cabinet doors. 

It was a good retreat.

I wish you could touch this quilt

This quilt is my  favorite quilt pattern - Trip Around The World, the pattern that Eleanor Burns published in a Woman's Day magazine in 1986.  Last year I found homes for old quilts, but in doing do, I depleted my quilt stock.  So it's time to rebuild.   This quilt started with two fabrics from Janet Clare's Wordsmith line.  The inner border is just a leftover bit of a old fabric, and one of the borders uses the rest of one of the fabrics - the topographical one.  I did my own quilting and love how it reinforces the design.

And what a great pattern!  Despite this pattern being traditional, I do label this quilt "modern" because it represents an economy of time and an economy of fabric and yet still yields a great design punch.  And best of all?  This quilt is usable and so soft.  The second fabric in the binding is Maker by AGF.  I'm totally impressed with how I managed to get the words like "Create" and I Make Stuff" and "Handmade" to line up so nicely - just a happy coincidence.  I started this quilt last Saturday, and I finished it yesterday.  Very satisfying.  Very very satisfying.

The backing is from Zen Chic with an added strip of a favorite AGF leftover. 

The Opposite of Quilter's Block

We just had a week on the road visiting the Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower Presidential Libraries/Museum.  Two bonuses of this trip?  A stop in Kansas City at the World War I Museum, and a visit with former Chicago guildster Mary who moved to Hayes, Kansas - she drove 2 hours to Abeline KS to meet us for lunch!

When I'm away from the studio, I am constantly making lists of fabrics, quilts, and things I want to do.  By the time we got home, this list was pretty long.   So my first day in the studio, completely devoted to what I want to do, I'm paralyzed and can't decide which of these projects to start on.  Instead of dithering on what to do, I immediately went to my favorite fabric (AGF Bonnie Christine's Hello Bear) and my favorite purse pattern - Sara Lawson's "Hey Mercedes"  from her Windy City Bags book.  I love the size of this purse and made it before using Yoshiko Jinzenji fabrics.  And of course this fabric matches the Sloan Travel Bag (also a Sara Larson pattern) I use.  

The other side has a wonderfully deep pocket.

The side gusset becomes an interesting design detail when done in a contrasting fabric.

But now?  Back to quilts.  Two key fabrics in the above pile are from  Janet Clare's Wordsmith line.  I'm thinking a Trip Around the World, the first quilt pattern I learned and still a favorite.

 These fabrics are by Heather Givens from her Paper Obsessed line.  I'm thinking blocks that are 8.5"x  11" to continue her riff on paper goods. 

 This growing pile of blacks and white and greys are going to perfect for a log cabin, another one of my favorite designs for quilts.

The Marcia Derse fabrics will become the above quilt.  I already have my cheat sheet for the cutting measurements.  I've made this quilt before - grandson Ryan has it at Ball State.  But I need to make another.

And what about these Marcia Derse fabrics?  They are the only ones that don't play nicely with all the others.  A nice napping quilt perhaps?  I have already made a winter quilt for our bed, a table runner,  and an Aragon bag.  But I'm just not quite finished with these fabrics...

And here's the one project with a December deadline.  All the strips are sewn and need to have the background added.  I have the fabrics and even know what measurements I need to use.  

It's just a matter of getting started!  No more purses...for a while...   Just quilts. 

Baby Quilts: A Hanger and a Dragger

 I posted this quilt a few weeks ago and have finally finished quilting it.  Parents-to-be Patty and Luis chose and bought this quilt kit, and working on this quilt is my gift to them.  Pat's father and I were transferred from Farragut HS to Englewood HS in 1981 and forged a nice friendship. 

Quilt buddy Wayne does a lot of baby quilts, and he puts them into two categories - hangers and draggers.  This quilt is for sure a hanger - I have even put a hanging sleeve on the back. 

Like most quilt kits, the fabrics enclosed are generous.  So I took the leftovers from this kit and made a dragger.  Something that the baby can spit up on  before eventually dragging it behind him. 

John and I are doing a presidential  tour of the Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower libraries, something we intended to do last summer when our various illnesses struck.  So I will miss Patricia's baby shower.  But both quilts are rolled and wrapped and at the home of the shower hostess.  I'm excited for Patty's and Luis's foray into parenthood and especially excited for friends Ed and Marge and the joys of grandparenthood awaiting them!

Rivets: Adding to my Bag O'Tricks

Purse straps have always presented a special problem, especially with adjustable straps.  My computerized machine can't handle the bulk of six layers of fabric, along with interfacings.  At this point of the process I will go to my one mechanical machine, say a special prayer, break a needle or two, and ultimately get the strap done.  But I've been eyeing rivets.  And then I read this post about rivets and then ordered rivets, a hole punch, and the rivet setter from Emmaline Bags.  The result?  I love rivets.  I doubt if I'll make another purse or bag without them.  Dani M, our Chicago Modern Quilt Guild leather expert, gave me a couple of tips; and I'm excited to have these tools and tricks in my repertoire!  It's a clean look, isn't it?  Such a minor detail...

Oh, and look what pile of fabrics have caught my attention...

Upstairs, Downstairs

I have everything I  want upstairs in my studio -  machines, fabrics, cutting tables, supplies, bathroom, lighting, Bose radio, computer, quilting library.  Monday was a long sew day, and guilt buddy JLo and I made Trail Totes, the nifty pattern by Noodlehead.  This link leads to the free pattern download.  My Trail Tote has a bright pink outer zippered pocket and a wonderful turquoise lining.  The inner pocket is the same fabric as the outer fabric.  My phone is on the picture just for scale.  I am waiting for rivets to come and want to use them for the purse strap.  Thank you, guildster Dani M, for this inspiration!  But my studio is missing two key elements:  my husband and the television. 

I love having a hand project going.  The summer my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild hosted a Glam Clam workshop, and I didn't attend.  But since then I have decided this project would be perfect for the downstairs.  So evenings I am handpiecing these 12" clams and will Sashiko-quilt it once the top is complete.  Projected size will be 65"ish by 80"ish.  We'll see.  It's going to be a nice cozy project for fall and winter.

Spontaneous Overflow of Emotion

 Wordsworth defined poetry in 1798 as "the spontaneous overflow of emotion."  In many ways, this is my definition of quilting.  This morning I bound this quilt.  The blocks are from members of my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild, one member joined these blocks together, and Jennifer B quilted it.  In total the Chicago Guild is sending 6 quilts to the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild, who came up with this heart and rainbow theme for quilts.  Survivors of the nightclub Pulse shooting will receive these quilts as will members of victims' families.  

My guild is also currently working on zippered bags, pillow and quilts for Sarah's Inn, a domestic violence shelter in Oak Park.  Several members have been working on maple leaf blocks for the victims of the Fort MacMurray fire.  I just finished a big purse push for a menstrual hygiene education project for girls in Zambia.  Guild member Emily H yesterday presented a fabulous quilt idea based on the work of Charles Eames that she and fellow architect/guild member Melissa developed for our next charity quilts in conjunction with QuiltCon 2017.  Currently my guild has an exhibit at the Mitchell Hospital at the University of Chicago medical complex.  As a guild we have worked with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Project Night Night, and Teen Living, donating everything from reusable cloth grocery bags to full size quilts.  Individually some of us responded to the victims of the 2011 tsunami in Japan by sending quilts.

I am full of love for the women in my guild and especially for those officers who are guiding our guild.   And we are as disparate as any guild can be.   We are all at such different life stages.  One of us is starting our sophomore year in high school, and one of us has been retired for 12 years from high school.  Some of us are joyful and some of us are in deep mourning. Some of us have health issues.  Some of us are dilettantes, and some of us are professionals.  Some of us work full time. Some of us are just becoming parents, and others of us are burying our parents.  We all have our individual struggles and our individual joys.  And yet, it's the art/craft that brings us together.   We are connected by our spirit of generosity, and I am proud to be a part of this group.  What an influence this group has had on my creative soul in the past 7 years. 

Now?  I need to quilt.

Old Dogs, New Tricks: Flying Geese, No-Waste Method

I have been making Flying Geese a long time.  They are not my favorite blocks, but I know how to execute a neat one.  My complaint has always been about the amount of waste.  And now?  NEW TRICK!  My Chicago Modern Quilt Guild is doing a Medallion Quilt-Along, using - with permission of the course - the guidelines of the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild.  And this guild has posted a link to a no-waste method of making flying geese.  So clever!  So efficient!  And - wait, wait - it gets even beter, this last link also does the math so that you can vary the size of the geese you need.

This 5.25 red square and four grey 2.875" squares created four flying geese that are 2.5" by 4.5".  So clever.

You're welcome.