Make it Again… and again… and…

One of my Make Nine prompts is “Make it Again.” It’s a prompt for a project where I can use an existing pattern or a technique with which I’m familiar, to expedite “getting to the good part.” Here are another pair of Valencia one-seam pants and another long-sleeve (I’ve also made a few short sleeve versions) Bristol knit top.

The Bristol top and Valencia pants patterns from The Sewing Workshop.

Garment details

The knit is from Art Gallery Fabrics and the pant fabric is a woven from Diamond Textiles.

Another “Make it Again” outfit.

I always add pockets to my Valencia pants. Where else do you put your kleenex and your car keys?

Patch pockets added to my Valencia pants.

On the Bristol, I added top stitching by hand with a variegated 8 wt. perle cotton thread at the yoke. The sleeve cuffs are also a different knit print.

Hand stitching at the yoke. Contrasting fabric for the cuffs.

Two makes in two days. It’s “Make it Again” in all its glory. Can’t beat that efficiency!

“Make it Again” Bristol knit top and Valencia pants with pockets.

Making Wreath Blocks with scraps and a specialty ruler

 My pile of make-do wreath blocks has grown!

Wreath blocks for scraps.

Using the Hatchet Block specialty ruler

The original “make do” blocks that inspired this project were made with scraps and strings, pieced on the diagonal of a square. 

I used a Creative Grids Hatchet Block specialty ruler to gauge the fabric length for the center section of each unit. Red fabric squares were cut in half diagonally for the corner triangles. The Hatchet Block ruler was designed to be used with 5” charm squares, but it can be used with scraps, too. Quiltmakers love tools that are multi-use and versatile as well as making the patchwork process efficient!

The Hatchet Block specialty ruler and a 6.5” square ruler were used to make units for the wreath blocks.

Four Hatchet units were needed to make each Wreath block. Trimming a few of the Hatchet units also added to my collection of HSTs (half-square triangles).

Scraps and trimmings contribute to half-square triangle [HST] units.

12-block layout

My individual Wreath blocks came to 9.5” square. They needed to be trimmed down to 9” to match the three “make do” blocks—the impetus of this project.

Squaring up Wreath blocks to 9” [unfinished size].

Twelve blocks make up the layout of this little quilt top. I opted to set the blocks solid (without a sashing). This allowed the diamond shapes—created by the intersection of four blocks coming together—become apparent. This echoes the diamond shapes in the center of each wreath block.

Wreath blocks on the design wall.

If you “spin the seams” at the block’s center (all in the same direction, mind you—either clockwise or counter-clockwise), the seam allowances will nest at the sides, making assembling easier and reducing bulk.

Spinning the seams reduces bulk and aids in nesting the seam allowances.

A simple red border finished the quilt top.

Finished quilt top. 31” x 39.5” 

Making these scrappy blocks were fun and stress-free. And I’m pleased that three orphaned “make do” blocks have found their home.

Getting ready for “A Winter of Care and Repair”

A Winter of Care and Repair. I love this Challenge! I participated last year and it was very gratifying. The online Challenge is hosted by Jeanna @thepeoplesmending and takes place from the Winter Solstice (December 21, 2024) to the Spring Equinox (March 20, 2025).

Winter of Care and Repair 2024-2025

Make a plan, set some goals

During this season-long project, participants are encouraged to design their own parameters/plan/outcome/pledge that suits their lifestyle while focusing on mending, repairing, and caring for their belongings or themselves. I generally focus on textiles—mending, up-cycling, recycling, prolonging their life, and keeping them out of landfills. In general, being more sustainable by caring for existing items rather than buying new.

One of the mending projects slated for this year’s Winter of Care and Repair Challenge.

How the WOCAR Challenge began… and what’s new

Jeanna started the Winter of Care and Repair Challenge in 2020 during the Covid 19 lockdown as a way to provide some semblance of structure and control during an uncertain time. This year, she’s added another element to the concept. She says, “The winter of 2024/25 feels like the beginning another period of frightening uncertainty… with the future of human rights and environmental action looking bleak, I’m expanding the very lose parameters of WOCAR to include ‘something within the participants’ circle of control’ rather than just belongings.”

In the past, the Challenge focused on the care and repair of garments and belongings. This year, she’s including other aspects to her personal plan that are “in her circle of control.” 

Need ideas?

Visit @thepeoplesmending for ideas for creating a plan or your personal plan or pledge. In the past, some participants have designed their Challenge project to focus on things such as:

• tending a garden and prepping the ground for the next season’s planting,
• repurposing or repairing household items (rather than disposing of them),
• de-cluttering a room/garage/house,
• creating habits to improve personal health and well-being.

Whatever works for your schedule, lifestyle, and goals… A Winter of Care and Repair is the perfect opportunity in which to apply them!

 

I’ve notified members of my household to begin setting aside things for the mending basket.

Wreath blocks inspired by “Make Do” string blocks

These string blocks resurfaced during a recent therapeutic patchwork session. They were from a “Make Do” quilt guild program from several years ago.

Scrappy string blocks from a “Make Do” quilt guild program.

Inspired by the easy patchwork and the use of fabric scraps, I pulled a few fabrics off the top of the scrap pile to make a few more. I’m calling them wreath blocks.

Wreath blocks made from fabric scraps. 9.5” (unfinished size)

With the addition of a few more, these blocks will eventually turn into a charity quilt of some sort. The fabrics reflect the changing of seasons from the last blooms of summer, to the golden harvest colors of fall and Thanksgiving.

Working in sketchbooks with traditional art techniques

Over the last several months, I’ve been inspired and motivated by online opportunities to learn and practice making art—drawing, painting, collage, mixed media, printmaking, etc. Even though I have a minor in Art as part of my bachelor’s degree, I only skimmed the surface of working with traditional art techniques back in the day. Time to circle back.

Sketching and painting in the Junk Journal.

Junk Journals: a non-precious place to start

An easy, “non-precious” place to practice art techniques is in a Junk Journal. Making a few of these junk journals for participation in Junk Journal January and Junk Journal July, I have unused pages in these journals that can still be filled. The junk journals are easy to grab for a slow drawing session or a quick sketch. 

My collection of Junk Journals from 2023 and 2024.

Since Junk Journals are made from… well… “junk” (discarded papers, discontinued sales boards, things from the recycle bin), they are unintimidating. You can give anything a go and not be concerned about messing up.

Water color painting inspired by nature.

Sometimes the work is new (above). Sometimes the drawing or painting gets added to an existing composition (below).

Slow drawings added to a Junk Journal page.

Here is the inspiration from nature…

Inspiration from nature.

and here is the drawing/painting in the Junk Journal.

Drawing and painting from nature.

Sketchbooks

Several of my 100 Day Projects required a sketchbook. I am curating a healthy stack of them! When I need a new sketchbook, I buy three! The extras are used for my general art practice.

Drawing in the sketchbook.

The sketchbooks I buy are: 

• 9” x 12”
• 110 lb. (160 gsm) mixed media paper, so they accommodate multiple techniques—watercolor, ink, paint pens, and other mediums.
• spiral bound (but they have a perf line if I choose to tear out a page for another purpose).

And, I have two sketchbooks of watercolor paper for when I specifically do watercolor.

Nature journaling in a sketchbook.

Taking online classes—especially if you follow along in “real time”—doesn’t provide any time for hesitation. Gather your art supplies, grab a sketchbook, login, and draw/paint/sketch along with the instructor.

Watercolor exercise on watercolor paper.

Watercolor exercise on watercolor paper.

Filling in the gaps

I have used design principles and concepts from my undergrad art studies throughout my graphic arts and printing and publishing career—and of course in my quiltmaking—but now I’m enjoying filling in the gaps of those traditional art techniques that weren’t developed.

Online resources I’ve tapped for developing my practice have been:

• Slow Drawing with Amy Maricle at Mindful Art Studio
• Sketchbook Revival with Karen Abend
• Willa Workshops with Wendy Solganik
• Classes with Carla Sonheim and others
• Drawing sessions with Ruby Elliot [rubyetc]
• Workshops with Jennifer Wilken Penick 

I’m enjoying the learning and the processes.

Therapeutic patchwork: when the world throws a curve ball

Sometimes the world throws curve balls. With that comes feelings of uncertainty, concern for what the future holds, sadness, anger, unanswered questions, a lack of control.

Patchwork therapy.

This weekend, I have found consolation and solace in the mindfulness of craft. I spent time doing “patchwork therapy”… sorting bits of fabrics, ironing, matching sizes/shapes/colors, trimming, sewing… trying to make cohesiveness from randomness. 

Patchwork therapy.

Minimal sewing guidelines

• If two pieces are about the same length, they are sewn together. 
• If one is too long, it gets trimmed. 
• If one is too short, another bit gets added. 

This is the only guideline.

Patchwork therapy.

I don’t have control over what’s going on in the world… what curve balls the universe sends out… but I have control over this kind of patchwork! Control over a miscellaneous pile of odd scraps, left-overs, a jumble of colors and prints. Finding a purpose, a function for the discarded bits… when life doesn’t make sense.

Patchwork therapy.

This patchwork grows serendipitously. These pieces will find a use… some time in the (near or distant) future. 

Stan Leigh offers good therapy, too.

For now, it does the job of providing a safe harbor… a sense of calm… a bit of hope… and something that resembles “normal.”

Why new holiday fabric collections arrive at quilt stores in the summer

It’s hard to think about sewing or quilting with Christmas holiday fabrics in the summer. But late Spring and Summer is the time of year when all the new holiday and seasonal fabric collections arrive at our favorite quilt shops.

Hand stitched holiday decorations from the Winter Dreams collection from FIGO Fabrics. 

Summer delivery for Christmas fabrics?

These hand stitched decorations were made with a holiday fabric panel from a collection called Winter Dreams from FIGO Fabrics. The fabric collection was delivered to quilt shops this past June. 

I found inspiration in the Winter Dreams project panel and was moved to embellish the motifs with hand embroidery—melding colors of floss, perle cotton with various stitches. Being that the embellishing was done by hand, this project would not be a quick, over-night completion. 

Fabric panel from the Winter Dreams fabric collection by FIGO Fabrics.

So, unless you have a gang of Santa’s elves to help you, making handmade gifts or decorations for the holidays is going to take time… likely time you won’t have this time of the year—the short, busy timeframe between Halloween and when the decorations go up and gifts are slid under the tree. 

Hand embroidered heart.

The hand stitching on these decorations took a number of hours over a course of several months. It was my portable travel project during this time. Now that it’s November, I pulled out these embroideries—I finished 8!—to match them with coordinating fabrics for the backs. 

Three embroidered stars ready to be sewn to a backing fabric.

Stitched and turned right side out, these stars are ready for the filler/stuffing.

Once stitched and turned right side out, the pieces were stuffed. I used batting scraps for the stuffing and then hand stitched the opening with Scanfil organic cotton thread and the ladder stitch (not a whip stitch) for an invisible closure.

Batting scraps used for the filler/stuffing.

The sewing, turning, and stuffing takes a bit of time. Here are two finished trees that I think are quite charming and festive.

Hand stitched stuffed holiday decorations.

So this is why holiday fabric lines are delivered from May to July. And why quilt shops and independent sewing centers promote "holiday making" with classes and events in the summer. If one waits until November, you might be giving an IOU as a gift... and your decorations will be held over for next year. 

Stitched and stuffed holiday heart decoration.

A few tips about these holiday stuffies

A few things to note about the motifs on the Winter Dreams project panel:

• there are no seam allowances for the motifs. If making stuffed decorations, you will need to take the seam allowance out of the printed areas.

• I used a 2.0 stitch length on the machine to sew the fronts to the backs. Leave an opening for stuffing.

• Clip the inside acute angles (on the trees, between the star points, and the top of the heart) for easier turning. Clip the seam allowances up to (but not into) the stitching line.

• I used the ladder stitch to close the opening after stuffing. It makes a neater, more invisible join.

• Thread a needle with a strand of embroidery floss or perle cotton and sew a loop into the stuffie so it can be hung.

• This was the perfect travel project for me because it was small, portable, and required minimal supplies—an embroidery hoop, a small baggie of left-over strands of embroidery floss, a needle, and a pair of scissors. 

Coordinating fabrics for the backs.

The clock is ticking... are you in a hurry?

Check with your local quilt shop for the Winter Dreams collection. There is a project panel and several coordinates in this fabric line. For a quick holiday project:

• Forego the hand stitching and embellishing and just sew and stuff the motifs. 

• Use a fusible appliqué technique to appliqué the motifs onto a base fabric. Think: mug rugs, pillows, a banner, or table runner.

• The panel has a bunting project that could be no-sew by using a fusible.

• Fuse the motifs onto card stock for gift tags or greeting cards.

• Embellish the motifs with fabric paints or crayons.

• Find a pattern for quick patchwork and make something all by machine.

Enjoy your holiday making!

Stitch samplers with Scanfil organic threads, American Made Brand solids, and 2.5” Edition binding

Have you stitched with the 100% organic long staple Pima cotton thread from Scanfil? I’m making improv patchwork stitch samplers—using American Made Brand cotton solids [from Clothworks]—to show the versatility of stitch techniques that can be achieved with Scanfil threads, and how lovely and effortless these organic cotton threads are to work with.

Scanfil organic cotton threads and improv patchwork with American Made Brand (AMB) cottons.

Improv Patchwork with AMB solids

I chose solid fabrics—from the American Made Brand (AMB)—to show the thread and stitch qualities of the organic cotton thread. Solid fabrics provide a non-distracting background for the samplers. 

I also like to use solids when doing improvisational patchwork, as the essence of the patchwork and seam lines are more defined. The freehand cut, organic shapes—inherent with improv patchwork—also complement the ‘organic’ characteristic of the thread. AMB cotton is also grown, spun, woven, and dyed in the USA. Here's a video on the back story.

Improvisational patchwork with American Made Brand solids.

Thread versatility

The stitch samplers include a variety of stitch techniques: 

• free-motion quilting, 
• decorative machine stitching, 
• hand quilting, and 
• hand stitching/embroidery. 

I like the 50 wt. for piecing and free-motion quilting. For hand quilting, hand stitching, and hand embroidery, I use the 30 wt.

Using 50 wt thread for free-motion quilting and 30 wt for hand stitching.

2.5” Edition binding

And no mini-quilt would be complete without a binding, right? So, I’m using the 2.5 Edition collection (binding on a bolt) from Art Gallery Fabrics. This binding print is called Magic Bound. (Gotta love the words!)

Quilted stitch sample.

A few more quilt sandwiches await stitching…

Improv patchwork quilt sandwiches await quilting.

If you want to try any of these three products for your next project, ask your local quilt shop or sewing machine center about Scanfil 100% organic cotton thread, made-in-the-USA AMB solids, and 2.5” Edition binding fabrics. 

You’ll score a “hat trick!” (If we were talking hockey, anyway.)

Make cute pillowcases with the Cat’s Pajamas

One of our neighbors had a really rough week. We hope these kitty pillowcases will help to cheer her up.

One-size-fits-all pillowcases.

The pillowcase cuffs with the shooting stars is glow-in-the-dark. It will probably be a surprise for our neighbor when the lights are off. I found both of these fun fabrics last week at Around the Corner Fabrics, a great little quilt shop in Covington (Latonia), KY.

The Cat’s Pajamas pillowcases with glow-in-the-dark cuffs.

The main print is Feline Faces from the “Cat’s Pajamas” fabric collection by Patrick Lose. The cuff is from “Space Glow” from Lewis & Irene Fabrics. The bolts were sitting on adjacent shelves at the shop—just meant to go together.

Glow-in-the-dark cuff fabric: Space Glow from Lewis & Irene.
Pillowcase main print: Cat’s Pajamas by Patrick Lose.

You can’t have too many personalized pillowcases, right?!

What we learn from messages and views of others

When people choose to highlight a piece of your work as one of their “favorites,” what is your take-away from that? In last month’s September Textile Love challenge, sponsored by Seam Collective, the prompt for the last day is “Favourite post from another participant.” Two of my posts were selected (both a surprise and delight to me!) by two different participants and one post was included in the highlight reels from Seam Collective.

Embroidery and hand stitching over watercolor painting.
From my 100 Day Project—Paint, Paper, Stitch—in 2024.

Anna Armitage choose this piece (above), from my 2024 100 Day Project called “Paint, Paper, Stitch,” as one of 9 favorites from the September Textile Love Challenge. It’s one of the watercolor compositions I created on paper and then hand stitched and hand embroidered. In response to one of the comments on this Day 5 “Stitch” post, I shared a few tips about stitching through watercolor paper… something I learned through working the 100 Day Project.

“A Tribute to Steve” (below) was my response to the Day 28 prompt, “Frame.” It was featured in Seam Collective’s reel for that day. Their observation was, “The word < frame > holds so much more than just a boundary. It’s a space where creativity is nurtured, the structure that shapes our stories, and the lines that guide our thread. And of course the magic happens when we think beyond it. When we challenge the frame, break its limits to get closer to a sort of truth—let the fibers tell their own story. The framing is not just about the containing, delineating, porting… it’s about the act of laying the table, setting up for infinite possibilities.”

“Here [from veronica.fiberantics], each color provides framing and contrast that changes our perception of the adjacent block. Speaks of depth and intimacy.”

“A Tribute to Steve”
Improvisationally pieced, machine quilted, with hand embroidery.

Julie Aldrich, who narrowed her favorites to three new-to-her artists whose work stood out to her and also choose this same piece, and said, “Your creative quilts have given me just the nudge I needed to use my stash and just go for it!”

I posted this photo on Day 27 in response to “Superpower.” “Yep—that is really a superpower!” was a comment from Claire Manners Wood.

Free-motion quilting (back view).

My take-aways

Knowing the background story of each of these pieces, I have a certain perspective on them. Unless told in a description or artist’s statement, the viewer does not have this knowledge and only responds directly to the work visually. Here are my thoughts about the viewers’ insights that were shared with me:

• I think the most powerful pieces (the ones people respond to) are the ones that we, as the artist/maker, are passionate about. If one lets the passion direct the work, it comes through to the viewer. This passion cannot be forced.
• Don’t give up. The piece from my 100 Day Project took different twists and turns before it was completed. Working on this composition extended multiple days—moving between painting, stitching, painting, and stitching more. In the final composition, there is a lot of depth, nuance, layers, and color shifts. The initial composition was not very good or interesting, but in the end—through additional work and determination—it became more complex and interesting.
• Setting up—and showing up for—your art practice is critical to progress.
• Seeing a piece through another’s eyes brought me insight I had not thought of, or seen. The idea of a  “frame” is an example of this. I’ll be thinking about this as I face future work.
• It’s so gratifying to get insightful feedback from other textile artists. It’s a wonderful, encouraging validation of the time and work that one devotes to one’s craft or discipline. Sometimes we get too close to our work and miss the forest for the trees.

Thanks for Seam Collective for hosting September Textile Love. This was my 7th year participating. It’s always a wonderment of inspiration! You make us all think “beyond the frame.”

The Seam Collective manifesto:

Seam Collective manifesto.