What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 The Sew Powerful goal was $250,000 - and it was met and even $20,000 higher. More purses were sent in than ever before.  Here are 48 I sent in, but only 30 of them were from my official Sewathon efforts.  guokdmate Ellen made purses, and they were mailed with this batch.  And in total o raised $7,800.  Obviously I know the nicest people. 

And now that the Sewathon is over, I have been thrilled to get back to a quilt I’ve been working on all summer.  It’s individually quilted squares of fabrics I love.  And now ...

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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 ...

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In January I made a commitment to make 12 Sew Powerful purses a month.  And here are mine for February.   Notice the top row, 2nd one. I’m used the curtain material for the flap and strap,  I think I’ll do more next month.  And just as I was finishing these, a flap of friendship arrived from Shannon Greene in Oklahoma.  A perfect baker’s dozen! 

Meanwhile, my guild has started three new bees.  I loved participating in the last one when I made The Piano Tuner’s Daughter quilt.  I am using this new bee to repeat this ...

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Preface:  As the rhythm of my life changes, so do my blogging habits.  I am sewing more than ever but apparently only doing a blog post a month.  Sometimes I get so caught up in quilting projects that purses take a back seat.  I'm happy to announce that I have gotten past my purse block.  Several of these purses were made before Christmas, and they have just been waiting to be mailed.  I finally got busy and made several more.  

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I can't believe it.  After being pretty careful for so long - including removing ourselves from  family Christmas 2020 and excluding two grandsons Christmas 2021 - I got Covid.  No, I don't know where or how.  And it wasn't horrible - really a bad cold sort of thing and maybe a bit low on energy.  But I did not feel like sewing at all.  So these six purses were really a push to get back into the swing of things.  And we just got back from Atlanta - we had to check our daughter Julie's new house.  We listened to ...

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I often joke about how making purses for Sew Powerful help me get my head out of my ass.  But it is so true.  With my brother's last few weeks on earth, the calendar and days of the week just melded into one sad period of time.  But his wonderful funeral and knowing he is at peace have helped time resume its normal pace.  And yes, the making of purses are an integral part of how I grieve. 

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To state the obvious, our guild hasn't met much in person for the past two years.  There was a retreat last spring, but participation was determined by a lottery.  And I didn't get in.  But the recent retreat was held at a hotel near O'Hare and participation was not limited.  I've been feeling a bit disconnected from the guild and my mates.  And this retreat took care of that feeling.  So good to reconnect with the oldies and meet some of the newbies. 

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Good news:  our house projects in the kitchen and bathroom are over!  The painters just left today.  Bad news:  there's been a lot of turmoil locally, nationally, and internationally.  But the good news?  I sew a lot when I'm agitated.  And my soul has needed a lot of soothing.  This table runner has been a wonderful diversion.  Its a combination of hand and machine quilting and based on an Instagram post by @tygeroting.  I captured the spirit of their work and must let them know.  

This table runner is batted with Insulbright, the product used for hot pads ...

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This wall hanging is 3' x 4' and intended to be the first of a four seasons series for the dining room fireplace.  I do think this is a lovely tribute to autumn but will also admit it's odd. The hand quilting has created a wonderful texture.  But as I thought about above the fireplace, this just wouldn't work there yet.  But look how great it looks in the kitchen.  That wall has been pretty bare, so I've taped this up just to see whether it belongs here.  And I think it does!

Meanwhile during the day ...

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In all the flurry of November and my trip to Santa Fe and out of towners for Thanksgiving, I continued to sew, just without blogging.  I’m utterly thrilled with a quilt I just finished, but I’ll do an entry tomorrow about this quilt.  It is just too special for a little mention.  The Santa Fe trip was wonderful.  The landscape of this area is intriguing.  It’s so unfamiliar to me.  The clarity of air is noticeable.  So is the aridity and the elevation.  

Our first Thanksgiving in Oak Brook was a good one - we had 8 around ...

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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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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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Look how nicely this quilt turned out!  Quilty Eileen made a quilt from this pattern years ago - it's a clever way to make hexies without using Y seams.  I had a Layer Cake of the Moda Thrive fabrics and think it creates a pretty palette.  I didn't have quite enough but was able to fill with with fabrics from my stash.  As I made this quilt top, I loved it.  But then I fell out of love.  You know, one of those "Somebody's gonna love this quilt - it just won't be me."  

Because I no longer ...

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                                             Big graphic prints work well for the flaps of these cross-body bags.  And under each flap there's a surprise fabric,  And in each purse there's a surprise pocket.

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                          Purse Mojo is back.  But Blogger is weird.  hmmmm

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 After months of limited sewing, it feels so good to be productive.  July for the past couple of years has been a purse a day.  But this year I needed to wait until August.  So far, so good.  The latest set of five features this whimsical yet motivational fabric “I can and I will.” 

                              And here's m progress so far.  I love my design wall as it fills up.  
                                                    Next up?  Purples and Rainbow colors.

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I've finally gotten started with purses for Sew Powerful again. It's been 6 months since I have made any, and it feels good to look outward and get back into the swing of charitable sewing. It's going well except for calling the lovely giraffes on three of these purses. Covid brain? Whatever...

As I sew I think of the young ladies who will choose one of these purses - educated women are the hope of Zambia and Africa.  I also think of those in my life who are facing severe medical hardships.  After six months of focusing on ...

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