Carrie is always trying something new and I love to see what she is working on. We went out to lunch the other week and she gave me a lovely pouch and some fabric.
One of the best parts is that we dissect whatever pouch or bag she has made. In this case, she told me about the video she used and I told her about the Sew Sweetness Live Show Bag Lab where Sara showed how to finish a zipper. This finish is used in her Dogwood Pouches pattern. We always have a great time talking about bags. I feel like it is ridiculous, but I enjoy the exercise so much. Perhaps it is part of the mental challenge of making bags?
The fabric came from the recent fabric sale that SCVQA held. It was so nice her to think of me.
I have mentioned several times that Carrie took a beginning quilt class and followed up with the design class from me during the Pandemic. She has become a fearless bag maker and it makes me very proud.
After finishing the first Multi-Pocket Organizer, I wanted to make another. Over the weekend, using some of my favorite fabrics, I cut one out for me. Finding out that it would fit and work well in my handbag helped me decide to take the plunge. Yes, I need to get working on Christmas gifts, but occasionally, I need a break.
I cut everything out and used some bits of fusible fleece to interface certain parts (as indicated in the pattern). I wanted to use up pieces I had laying around and making something for myself was a good use of them. If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t give a substandard bag to someone else.
Multi-Pocket Organizer #2 front pocket
After the cutting, it took me a few days to get back to it, but then I was able to make the front pocket. It took me two tries, but after following the directions (rather than remembering), it worked out fine.
As you can see, I cut out the corners despite my session with Lynette on anchoring the lining. I have an idea for anchoring the lining on this bag and will try it. Boxing or not boxing the corners makes no difference in my idea. Stay tuned for more on whether it worked.
I made Block 10 almost as soon as I received it last week. I am trying hard to keep up.
The Patchwork Palooza project calls this block Turn, Turn, Turn. It is, however, a classic Dutchman’s Puzzle. This is one of the blocks I use when I teach my Sampler class. It is a great block and using the 4-at-a-time method for making the Flying Geese makes it easy to put together. I pressed some seams open in order to lessen the bulk. I haven’t done that before, but might make it a habit.
To trim, I used the Wing Clipper ruler by Studio 180 Designs**. You can easily use any ruler as long as you are careful. As you know, I love that ruler and the lines on it make lining up the ruler to trim super easy.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
I haven’t made much progress on this piece, but I haven’t given on it either. After I posted about the most recent Color Improv finishes, I got some nice feedback and decided to get back to this piece.
I had a couple of the strip blocks and I decided to add them to the piece so as to make it larger sooner.
I quickly completed Cosmic Crazy over the weekend so it would be ready when I went to Sew Day. I didn’t know how much time I would have to sew after my mom’s surgery.
I didn’t have the kind of gold fabric I was imagining, so I used this yellow with red dots. I hope that it isn’t too ugly.
Cosmic Crazy Back
I used some greens as the back and am calling this one done. Not a great work, but someone will like it. At least that is what I am telling myself.
We all get excited about quiltmaking and want instant success. A lot of the current patterns are set up for that. I wholeheartedly agree that making a quilt or two out of the gate can set someone up as a life long quiltmaker.
Limiting yourself to patterns only limits your own creativity.
Sampler
At some point, however, we want to go beyond making patterns. This is when making a sampler quilt or taking a sampler quilt class can add to your skills in a positive way.
A sampler is a quilt made from different blocks. The blocks can be anything, but in a good class each block represents a different skill. As you work through each block you add new skills to your quiltmaking toolbox. Once you have learned the basics, you have the skills to make your own designs, make quilts you see or make changes to patterns with confidence.
Handbag Sampler – all the blocks
Even if you have been making quilts for awhile a sampler class can help you learn about block grids, resizing blocks and choosing better methods of construction. You also get a sense of when to press open and when to press to the side.
Making a sampler is also fun. You don’t get stuck making the same units over and over. Each block or section has something new. You can place fabrics in different places and get a break from chain piecing the same units.
Finished: Star Sampler
Samplers can have themes as well. Star Samplers, like the one I made, are very popular. Samplers with curved blocks or using a certain specialty ruler can also be great learning experiences.
Look into a sampler class as your next workshop. You can also contact me about teaching in person (locally) or via Zoom.
My Mom has been using it for a few days and she loves it. I am so relieved. I won’t tell her about the trials and tribulations.
It is a good thing I didn’t add that mesh pocket I discussed in the progress post! This was a challenging bag to put together. The final seam, as mentioned, was more than a bear.
Pearce back
I like the features that Sara added, such as the vertical pocket in the back.
I was able to use a leftover piece of zipper that I had laying around, thus the odd red zipper. Hopefully, it will add a visual cue to where my mom puts stuff. She uses that pocket for her glasses as it is too small for her phone.
Pearce large pocket
I am running out of the Paint Tube fabric, so I had to find some other fabric that would coordinate. The dots are leftovers from a dress I had made for Politcal Wifery. It worked pretty well, I think. No complaints anyway.
The bag has two pockets. I added vertical credit card slots to both. I am glad I did and I would do it again. She uses the large pocket for her phone as well as various cards.
Pearce small front pocket
The small pocket is accessible, too. I think she uses this for her insurance card, driver’s license, etc.
I am pleased that she likes it. I feel like I should make another one, but am reluctant to take on that bear of a curve again.
I finished the Multi-Pocket Organizer over the weekend. It is already off to its new home. I am kind of sad, because I would have liked to look at it a little longer, but birthdays are on a certain day and I wanted my friend to have it on or before the day.
I am super pleased with how this project came out, the directions and everything.
Multi-Pocket Organizer zipper pocket
I think it was a great a great project to work on when I needed a break from the Pearce. The pattern is very straightforward and easy to follow. The skills required are somewhere between beginner and intermediate. I had never added an elastic pocket, so that was fun for me. The hardest part was the interior zipper pocket and they aren’t hard, really, just fiddly. If you have done one they are relatively straightforward. If you haven’t done one, then the directions in the pattern are great!
Multi-Pocket Organizer front
I don’t use fusible fleece** much for bags, but it works really well in this pattern. I didn’t quilt the pieces, which should come as no surprise, but quilted fabric would work in this pattern.
I might try foam one time if I make one in the future.
I am not sure I chose well when I picked that floral as it doesn’t go well with the neon pink stripe. Still I like both fabrics. For the next one, I might choose a solid for the fabric under the pocket and use the pocket fabric for the back as well. The pocket covers up so much of the exterior, as is often the case with a front pocket, that I like to use a fabulous fabric for the front pocket.
Multi-Pocket Organizer in my handbag
Half of my handbag is a mess! You know: lipgloss and a mask and two granola bars, a pad of paper, etc, etc. It needs an organizer. Before I sent off this bag, I tried it out in my handbag. It’s a bit of a squeeze and might not work when full, but maybe worth a try. I can always use it in my Kit Supply Tote, if it doesn’t end up working in my handbag. Perhaps I should see if I still have some of that Butterfly fabric. It might make a good pouch regardless of where I use it.
I really like this pattern and will probably make one for myself. It might be a good addition to Mom’s Sewing Date Traveler, which worked REALLY well in the hospital. I am definitely not done with this pattern yet.
**N.B.: Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
Ooops! I skipped block #2. I’ll have to get back to that one!
Also, today block 10 comes out. EEKK! I need to get sewing.
Patchwork Palooza Block 3
Block 3 took a long time after I cut it out, because I sewed it using leaders and enders while I worked on something else. I am pleased with the way it came out.
Of course, I am not sure how it will look once I start making the setting blocks, but for now I am happy.
Another year and I don’t think things are better. I blame Geo. W in general for the way the world is now. If he had acted differently, things might be different now. Fewer post 9/11 dead, fewer wars, less nationalism and hatred. Of course, some of the post-9/11 Presidents haven’t helped the situation. Easy for me to say, I know.
The same old men are still in charge. There are still people dying in the Middle East. I am not excusing the radicals; I just don’t know if there is anything that can make everyone tolerate everyone else, stop killing each other for religion and stay in their lane. It is depressing to think about.
There are now adults who weren’t even born on that day, which I know I said last year. Now they are in the workplace and don’t even react when September 11 is mentioned. There are even more adults who were too young to remember. Do they even care?
Fireball, 2001
I made two quilts to commemorate the lives lost during the destruction of the Twin Towers. The first one was Fireball, which is the imagery I saw as I sat and watched TV the week after the event.
I was doing woven art pieces at the time and this is one of them. It is chaotic, reminds me of smoke and flames. This is a small quilt, maybe 12×12, and I was able to channel the pure emotion into this piece as I made it very quickly. The quilt was shown at the Houston Quilt Festival in 2001.
The quilt I really wanted to make took longer. I wanted to plead for something different than what ended up coming out of that terrible day. I wished for something different than a 20+ year war. People just want to fight when they are attacked; they don’t want to talk. What Comes Next is above and is one of my favorite quilts even though it had no effect.
This is a hard post for me to write. I had to force myself once again to write it this year, to get the message of What Comes Next out there, so, perhaps, people will think and do something different next time, though I hope there isn’t a next time.
Friend Julie is doing much better at the Patchwork Palooza than I am. However, I am undaunted! After my success with the Patchwork Palooza 8 Redux, I couldn’t rest on my laurels. I stopped myself from making too many of these blocks all at once. After all, I have other projects on which to work. I did make this block, n.1. I want to catch up and then start making the secondary blocks.
The dots will be the background and I have added in a new Art Gallery Natural Elements print for the Flying Geese. I have kind of decided to use that Grunge lavender every time I have to cut a 4.5 inch square. I may need to buy more. I’ll need to add in some other fabrics but will do that over time.
This is basically a Sawtooth Star with some shenanigans in the corners. In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns, this block is called Magic Cross Design from Woman’s Day 1931. I didn’t find this block in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns. I didn’t find a reference to Women’s Day in the bibliography. I guess you have to draw the line somewhere.
I had the Flower motif from the Country Revival pattern** on my design wall for a long time without sewing it together. It wasn’t quite right and looking at it was the only way to figure out how to improve it. I knew I couldn’t use white in the place I had put it originally-leaf area around the outside. I wanted to use white as a background and the white as shown would be lost and change the shape of the flower motif completely. I also didn’t know what to do.
I often find that if I just do something, then I can get started improving a piece.
Country Revival/Sad Quilt flower motif with leaves
The first thing I did was decide the white ‘petals’ needed to be replaced with green and become leaves. It was a good start.
I liked the addition of the green, but decided I needed more and different greens. In this photo there are two different Tilda fabrics. One reason is that I used some of the green on the tips of the flowers for a pillowcase for my friend. I didn’t have much left, but I wanted to include some so it would kind of match the pillowcase. I had just enough to make four leaves.
Country Revival/Sad Quilt flower motif with leaves v.3
I wasn’t 100% happy with the look and feel. I really wanted an emerald green solid. I didn’t have that so I tried some dots. They were close to an emerald green and looks like a great addition to the overall look.
I still felt like there was nowhere for the eye to rest, so I moved some of the tall, skinny pieces with the slightly curved tops around. Better, but not perfect.
I added in some of the Dovetail by Ghazal Razavi background I bought at Bay Quilts with Julie a few weeks ago. It is a bright white, which I like and the many colors go well. I know it is hard to see in the photo. You can enlarge the photo to see it better.
Country Revival/Sad Quilt flower motif with leaves v.4
I can’t get away from symmetry, so I cut more pieces and changed the fabrics around so there was more symmetry, e.g. the piece looked more symmetrical.
I know the changes are slight and hard to see. I changed the corner fabrics and moved some of the other greens around.
My eye was honing in on the pink dots. I wasn’t liking them, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to add more of the pink solid as I thought it would overwhelm the piece in general. For the moment, this is the final version of block 1. I may make some more changes, but I decided to work on a second block and give myself a rest from the pink.
I love that pink and blue Tilda fabric and it is now much less prominent. I’ll have to use it in another block.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
The block came out much better the second time. I followed the directions exactly except I did sew a little to the left of the drawn line so the flippy bit covered the whole corner. The flippy corners method is actually a good way to make the block.
I guess I should have trusted the directions the first time out.
I also changed the pink to a lighter one.
Later I was looking for the Wing Clipper ruler and found a Square-in-a-Square ruler** by Studio 180 designs. I have no idea where or when I bought this. Maybe it was a gift? Since Square-in-a-Square blocks are one of my least favorites it seems like a odd choice. Maybe I bought it to use for the Boy Scout Patch quilt that’s lingering on my Dream Projects list.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
Amy and I survived being MaryC yesterday! It took us longer to do the setup than it takes Mary; thank the quiltmaking goddesses that Friend Julie came early to help as well.
Beatty Cake September 2025
Sew Day for me actually started on Thursday. I wanted a piece of Beatty Cake and that meant making one. I did the baking of the layers on Thursday and frosted it on Friday. Friday was also the day I decided on projects.
I didn’t work on all the projects I brought along.
It occurred to me that I still hadn’t made v.2 of the hat I planned. The fabric and new pattern were already in the bag so that was one project. I also thought about working on one of the Patchwork Palooza blocks I need to make to catch up. In went the fabrics for that project (I need to clear out one of my project bags!). I also put my scrap bin, well overflowing scrap bin, in the bag. Finally, I put a few Half Hexie Star strips in so I could cut some Four Patch Fun patches.
Scrap cutting – Sept 2025
Of all of those projects, I cut out the Four Patch Fun units and worked on clearing out my scrap bin.
I made good progress on cutting the strips and random shapes I use for the Color Strip and Color Improv quilts. This time I toss out more pieces than I have in the past. I did this more at the end of the day as I was getting tired. I did it mostly with plain white fabrics. My white scrap bin is close to overflowing and the plain white fabrics aren’t interesting. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t know the scraps were going to fill Cubies for kids.
I also trimmed a few HSTs that I will use for something.
Scraps regular shapes – Sept 2025
I also had large enough pieces to cut some of the regular shapes I add to my stash.
I have a tidy stack of 5″ squares which replace the ones I used for a new EPP ball. I also cut some 2.5 inch squares for my use later (left) and for donation blocks (right). Between the two stacks of 2.5 inch squares are a small stack of 2″ squares for Blue Lemonade and a 1.5 inch stack for the next Scrap Dash quilt. I did cut a stack of 1.5 x 2.5 inch squares also for Scrap Dash, but I couldn’t find them when I was ready to take the photo. I need a tray or something for transport.
I forgot to bring the donation top and back that I finished. I’ll bring it to the next event, but that is a disappointment. I wanted to keep up my streak of handing in a quilt top at each Sew Day. Oh well, at least it is made.
Cyndi’s goat quilt
Cyndi stopped by with her goat quilt. She was on the way the shower, but wanted to show us all. This quilt had 50+ pieces in each block. Cyndi used some more colorful language to describe the number of pieces. LOL!
The goats are wearing pajamas and some of the pajama fabrics have motifs that are special to the couple and will have some meaning for the baby.
The Free table was also full. Peggy brought more of Rhonda’s things to give away. I picked up some more bag hardware and may have to start focusing my bag projects on what hardware I have.
It was a fun day and I talked to a lot of people. We even had a visitor, which was nice. I hope she joins.
