What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Most of the purses I put on this blog or on my Instagram are finished.  But several of these I have left unfinished.  To the left is a completed purse and then another one whose body must be turned inside out, whose straps need attaching, and whose body need to be assembled with the lining.  Have I mentioned this purse pattern has 11 pieces?  That seems daunting until you realize that many of the pieces are the same size.  Also, this pattern is the beginning pattern, which does not have the side gussets or the little elastic pocket on the ...

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Perhaps I was thinking of Ukraine when I made these.  Perhaps I was just wanting to use these celestial fabrics.  Either way, I like the results.  Except for the one when I attached the flap the wrong way.  But it still works!  These will join the 15 that have been waiting to be shipped.  And instead of paying a small fortune through Wrap, Pack, and Send, I am packing these myself and using the Give Back Box, a terrific non-profit which allows donated items to be shipped cheaply.  For $15 I am sending 20 purses to Renton, Washington.  This is ...

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 Here's a batch of 8 purses.  I've been more productive in other months.  What's special about these purses is that they are primarily from scraps and odd bits that have been begging to be used.  Working with scraps is satisfying, but it is also a slower way of working.  And for now?  That's ok.

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 My design wall is working just perfectly!  None of my taped batting-covered insulation boards have come loose.  Pins go in easily, and single-layered bits just stick so nicely. 

The design wall also holds the finished purses nicely, too.  Most of these four use recycled blue jeans for the body.  And the flaps are from other deconstructed quilted projects.  I am having a serious love affair with double- sided tape! 

Now that the weather is cooler, I am getting back to this quilt.  Most of it is quilted except for the areas surrounded by the fabrics.  Here’s what I tried ...

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 My tuning fork quilt is coming along nicely with some horizontal quilting and quilting in the bigger forks.  Once it's finished, I plan to face this rather than bind it.  It will be my first time for facing.

In the studio I've been working on bringing things to completion.  This "Get Happy!" quilt for my doctor which has been finished since late March now has a label and is wrapped.  I just need now to get it over to her office.

But mostly the studio has been all about purses - Sew Powerful.  I'm working on a ...

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Here are my first seven purses for Sew Powerful's 2021 goal.  A guild mate gave me a terrific but odd piece of Marimekko fabric, perfect for straps (each one is 4" x 55" - that's a lot of fabric) and the purse back and fronts.  I have had a couple of odd fabrics that haven't played with anything else in my stash - maybe because I bought them in Kenya - but they love this Marimekko print.  I think these are gorgeous.

My purse rhythm is changing.  Last year I devoted 2 months to doing a purse a day, the ...

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I thought February might be a purse a day month, but it’s not - the end of the month will be QuiltCon 2021 - virtually.  But still - QUILTCON!  I have signed up for two classes and a ton of lectures.  Meanwhile I do have 7 purses in process.  Guild mate Ellen gave me a 60” square of an odd ombré-ish fabric which pairs so nicely with two other odd bits I’ve  had in my stash.  There are 7 straps (4” x 60” x 7 straps), 7 purse front, back, and pocket linings. Below you’ll see the flaps for each ...

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What works for me is to devote the studio to purses for a month at a time.  Each purse has 11 pieces, most of which are interfaced.  So to do the same step several times makes the best use of my time.  With this batch I used some leftover pieces that I was experimenting with and some leftover bits from other projects.  But best of all, for me, are fabrics with text.  I’m not sure whether the girls in Lusaka, Zambia, like this.  But I am confident that we are making something to suit everyone’s taste.  Sew Powerful ...

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In 2015 I made a couple of Sew Powerful purses.  The mission of resonated with me then and has continued to impress and inspire me.  The Sew Powerful initiative focuses on menstrual hygiene to promote the education of junior high girls in Lusaka, Zambia.  This initiative is community-driven and also features a sewing cooperative, a farming effort, and a soap initiative.  

These purses are very specific, and the pattern confused me - and I'm an experienced bag maker!  I made a couple in 2015.  I made some more in 2016.  And then by 2017 I  was cranking these purses out ...

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