September Sewathon and Fundraising

I love sewing.  I like making quilts, bags, and purses.  And the mission of  Sew Powerful - to combat extreme poverty by creating local jobs, providing vocational training for adults, and producing purposeful products like feminine hygiene kits, school uniforms, and soap - resonates with me.  After 9 years and over 300 purses, I’m realizing that making purses and my meager monthly financial support isn’t enough.  The bags that I and all the other pursemakers create and ship are worthless if there isn’t money for what must go inside the purses!  This year’s goal is 33,000 purses as Sew Powerful expands its work in Zambia outside of the capital city Lusaka and into Livingston.  

So I dug out this picture from 2016 and decided to put on my fundraising panties. I’ve avoided fundraising before because people I know are so generous - we all have causes we support! But as I began to think about how important the materials inside the purse are, I realize the necessity of additional funds. 

In preparation for the Sewathon (rules state we are not to get started before September 1), I’ve sorted through some fabrics and grouped them by accompanying  thread color.  My rotary cutter has a new blade, my machine has been cleaned and oiled, and there’s a nice new needle.   My goal is 24 purses during the month.  Perhaps a few more.

An essential part of the purse program, besides the obvious menstrual hygiene supplies, is a note of encouragement urging the young ladies to focus on their education and school all month long.  I’ve written so many notes and discovered that they slowed down my purse making.  At the same time some groups of scrapbookers started making cards.  For a while I was sending my purses without any notes and asking the organizers to add notes to my purses.  But no more!  My wonderful neighbor Lynne doesn’t sew, but she loves to embellish cards and write notes.  She has even enlisted her granddaughters to work on these notes with her.  

Using materials provided by the Sew Powerful organizers, I made these double-sided handouts.  The printer person at my local Office Depot quoted me a price of  $75.  When I recoiled and mentioned this wa for a fundraiser, he worked hard to get my cost down to $24!  

Amazed and gobsmacked - my two adjectives since I started this fundraising.  Want to keep track with me?  Here’s the link: https://sewathon.org/dashboard?donation=8d5ed320-855d-11f0-9672-e78c9b23ffd4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=raisely&utm_content=Donation%20Notification&utm_term=ed72faa4-b981-44dd-a27b-879b7d656df0

A huge thanks to John - always so supportive - and my sister.  And to the mysterious  Virginia! 

First Work, Then Play

 I know what you’re thinking: all of what I do in the studio is play.  Okay, true!  So even though I loved making these 12 purses for August, it was play,  not work.  September I am committing to 24 purses instead of 12.  And these 24 will all be for the September Sew Powerful Purse-a-Thon.  Since I technically can’t start on these 24 until September, that means some real play time in the studio

I thought I would start a new big bag but then came to my senses.  One of my favorite bag designers Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has a pretty sweet web site that includes some free patterns. The Persimmon Dumpling Pouch is one of these freebies and comes in three sizes.  So I began to experiment.  It’s a clever pattern that goes together nicely.  I’m eager for my walking partner to test drive these pouches made from Cecilia’s drapes!  And I also made myself a new Run-Around bag, perfect for phones and keys.

                      My grunge project is coming along.  Here’s a process photo.

The rest of my play will include a studio clean up and organization and getting ready for the purse-a-thon.  Sewists like me are brilliant at making purses.  And Sew Powerful is expanding its efforts to include Livingston as well as Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city.   The first year I made purses there were 2000.  Now?  This year's goal is over 30,000 purses.  But here’s the issue: it costs $10 to  equipment each purse with underwear, soap, and reusable pads. So, this Purse-a-thon is a fundraiser!  

I have a hard time with fundraisers.  My friends and family are very generous and support so many great causes that I don’t like to ask for support for what I do.  But it’s necessary because the need is so great. This is my first year participating, and already, thanks to my husband and my sister, I have achieved my goal of $500.  I’m a lucky girl surrounded by lovely people. 

The Journey, not the Destination

Once my down purses for July were finished, I allowed myself a fun project: a new bag.

I saw this bag made up at Thimbles in Lockport. Even though I don’t play pickleball or have anything even resembling a racket, I bought this pattern because I just liked the lines of this bag! 

So I decided on a grey grunge for the body and then chose the purples from my stash. But really this bag is all about  the 36” purse zipper that Holly brought back from QuiltCon2024. 

This front zippered pocket is  pretty darn sweet. And look at the strapping for the handle. Yep, Holly bought this. The back is also pretty spectacular with a big slip-in pocket.   The pattern intended for this to be a backpack, but I already have one backpack.  And I’m not sure backpacks are the best look for 75-year-olds!  So I omitted all the backpack straps. 

I spent 4 blissful days working on this project, preparing all the various parts for this 3-d exercise.  To have no deadline and be thoroughly engrossed in the process is one of life’s joy. That I can leave the studio without having to put things away is an additional joy.  As I put the finishing touches on the bag (which wasn’t easy - there’s lot of thicknesses and layers to sew through), I eagerly turned the bag right side out.  Now I’m not disappointed, but I made an error.  One side should have a water bottle pocket.  Somehow I misplaced it - it’s kind of at the bottom of one side.  Perfect for storing money and not much else.  And the lining:  all edges inside the bag are raw and should be covered with bias tape.  But what a pain!  Next time I’ll go back to the drop in lining method,  the bag is totally usable and gave me 4 days of joy.  A win.  

The Summer Quilting Project featuring GRUNGE

It is just too darn hot to sit evening with a quilt on my lap and stitch.  But stitch I must.  So…. I love grunge fabrics a lot. And I have a handful of colors, thanks to the terrific stock of grunge at Sew Modern in Arlington Heights.  I’m cutting width of fabrics ranging from 8” to 12” wide.  Using scraps of leftover wool batting and whatever low volume fabrics for backing, I’ve pin-basted and cane easily hold this small amount on my lap.  Once all the fringe pieces are quilted, I’ll connect them using a common quilt-as-you-go technique.  That design will take shape once all bits are quilties.  What will it be?  How big will it be?  Great questions.  And I don’t know! 

For Carol

 Carol and I met in grad school at Chicago State in 1974.  We were both graduates of religious colleges and landed jobs with the Chicago Board of Education as high school English teachers.  While I was at Farragut and Englewood, she was at Morgan Park.  By a stroke of luck and some racial integration, we both were at Hyde Park High during the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s.  When I left for Kennedy HS, she returned to Morgan Park, and these are the school we retired from in 2005.

My friend Carol is sick. She has acute myeloid leukemia. Chemotherapy hasn’t been successful.  So she now lives with a low white count and blood transfusions almost weekly.  She started treatment at the University of Chicago, but now uses Little Company of Mary for her blood testing and transfusions.  And Carol, above all, is a people person.  Predictably, she is a favorite of the nurses there. Little Company recognizes outstanding employees with monthly Daisy Awards. Carol asked if I would make a Daisy wall hanging.  This is about 21” x 31”. 

Of course there must be a label.  But it is hard to imagine anyone walking by this piece and looking at the label.  So I put the label, with Carol’s words, on the front. 

I was with Carol at Little Company when she gathered the nurses and presented it to them.  It was a joy to see how pleased they were with this gift and how happy Carol was to present it to them.  One nurse even got all teary.  And that’s every quilter’s goal, right?  Tears! 

Carol is a woman of strong faith.  Her friends are deep and many.  Her family is precious to her.  She is facing what’s ahead with grace and mental strength. She has spent a lifetime giving to others.  And now she’s on the receiving end.   No matter how she receives from her cadre of carers, it will never be as much as she’s given over the years. She’s a remarkable woman whom I love. 

For Ali

   

This quilt is good, isn’t it?  It’s now in my sister’s  guest room in Ann Arbor.  I loved making this quilt mostly because I love these fabrics from designer e bond.  Since I still had more of these fabulous prints, I continued to sew.  And I came up with this.

This top has been complete for over a year.   I thought I would have it longarmed, but longarming is too expensive, especially for a quilt with no destination.   So I hit my bolt of Warm and Natural for batting and searched through my stash for backing.  Once all was pin basted, I started hand quilting it.  My niece Ali was in town a few weeks ago and saw this.  She loves it!  It’s hers!  So happy that this quilt has found its owner.  Ali is moving from Indiana to California.  And this quilt loves taking road trips. Happy trails, Ali! 

Long Distance Quilt Delivery

We’ve been incredibly lucky to have our grandchildren grow up close to us.  But things do change.  Grandson Brandon now lives in Atlanta with his mom.  I’m glad he’s there, but we obviously miss him.  He painted his bedroom some lovely shades of green with burgundy accents.  I’ve made him quilts before, and of course had to make one celebrating this move.  

I went to the fabric store with his paint chips and put together a bundle of fabrics.  As I was checking out, the woman asked if I was working on Christmas projects.  And did that ever throw me off.  Christmas?  No!! Wise quilt buddy Sarah S suggested adding navy into the mix.  And was she ever right! As I worked on the quilt, I had to switch from the design wall to the design floor.  Although. It exactly an improv project, I had to see and keep track of what I was doing as I segued from one color to another.  Once the top was finished, I used the dining room floor to lay out the backing and batting.  And then I began to hand quilt like crazy, trying to finish it for an ore-Easter drive to Atlanta.  You’ve heard of day drinking?  For me I was day hand quilting, an activity normally for evenings. And since I now know how to make pillow cases, Brandon got two pillowcases as well! 

It was gratifying to see how nicely this quilt looks in Brandon’s room, and even more gratifying that he announced he well he slept and how nice it feels.  His mom is going to wash it and get it even more puckery and textured.  This quilt was an immensely fun and satisfying project! 

Generations and Talents

 I have always loved books that span generations.  And here I am, part of the oldest generation and able to see three generations after me.  I was so lucky to have a mother who sewed and encouraged me to use her machine, which I still have - a 1948 Singer Featherweight.  So I have always sewn.  I took that machine to college with me.  My sister knows how to sew, but it’s just not her thing.  When my brothers and sister had children, I then had 5 nieces who were all pretty close in age.  When the girls were in junior high and high school, I invited them for summer quilt camps.  With the help of the good quilting fairies (my mom and my two sisters-in-law), the girls made quilts with me for four summers.  Well, almost all the girls.  Niece Jennifer politely declined to be a part of these quilt camps.  

Ali was so little her foot almost didn’t reach the pedal. Ah, the look on their faces.

Candace, who is now a Lt. Col in the Marines took her sewing very seriously.  So did Laura, who now has five children, and Leslie (with her braids), a wedding and makeup artist. 

One summer Laura had an Irish exchange student at the house, and Lauren joined in!  

But let me get back to generations.  Niece Jen, the nonquilter, is a dancer and instructs all the things - dance, Pilates, choreography.  Her talent is movement and not fiber.  Which is okay, right?  But her daughter Eloise has discovered her talent at creating. Look what she just completed!

And best of all, she liked finger knitting.  I asked Elo and her grandmother, my sister, for a demo of how finger knitting is done…

I feel so connected to my grandmother Eloise Sheehan White, and I love that four generations later great niece Eloise is carrying on a tradition in fiber that may have skipped her mom! I am so impressed with Elo’s finger knitting that I’ve decided I want to try it, too.  My mom was a great knitter, and she led me through some projects at which I failed - perhaps it’s a left-handed thing. But if great niece Eloise can do this, perhaps I can too!  

A Tote Bag for a Giantess

QuiltCon 2025 has come and gone.  Many of my quilty buddies went to Phoenix. And before you feel sorry for me that I didn’t go, I made a conscious decision to not go.  My current life’s rhythm has changed.   The ones I attended were heaven on earth.  And this year I am watching several of the lectures on line.  Best of all, quilty Holly - with assistance from Sarah S and Eileen - shopped for me.  There’s a terrific piece of fabric from Sarah Bond.  And some very pretty zippers and strapping for handles.

These are the best purse zippers - look at the double zipper pulls.  And the colors!  AND they are 30”.  Think about the top of a bag you carry that has a zipper.  I bet it is 14” long, maybe 16”.  It’s really a challenge to use a 30” zipper!  

And you know I buy zipper tape by the yard, right?  Look below. So many colors.  So many zipper pulls.  The last bag I made was Sara Lawson’s Dot Dash Dot bag - it had SIX zippers.  But this current challenge was how to use a beautiful 30” zipper.

I took a pile of my favorite current scraps and made a panel that is 32” x 22.” And of course I had to make a back panel.

This bag is perfect for carrying a quilt.  Or a pillow.  Or maybe both.  The bottom of the bag has boxed corners.  And the top corners are slightly boxed.  Look at the zipper! And the finished product.  Such a fun way to play! 

Brandon’s Quilt

It’s a definite work in process. Grandson Brandon moved to Atlanta with his mom.  They painted his bedroom green and burgundy and sent me the paint chips,  so I found these great fabrics, a lot of grunge.  As I was checking out, the woman said, “Christmas?” Oy.  Wise friend Sarah Shulman suggested incorporating some navy.  Perfect! I’m hand quilting this, and it’s a big one.  When it’s finished, like maybe in 3 weeks, we’ll head to Atlanta.  There are a couple of exhibit at the quilt museum in Paducah. As Chaucer wisely observed, spring makes people want to go on pilgrimages!