Lessons, week two...

Man, these girls are just blowing through my lesson plan -- or as close as I could come to a lesson plan!

Archie supervises from on high -- he isn't sure what to make of little people

I figured we'd get a couple rows done of their doll quilts during their 90-minute sessions this week, but they both motored through and got their tops completely finished. Little sister even started quilting hers!

It's a little wonky -- not many seams match up perfectly, and the rows are a bit crooked, but it's a great first effort and really good for a seven year-old! We squared it up before quilting and will probably have to do some more trimming once she's done. You can tell she's really proud of herself, and wonders out loud how much her American Girl Doll will like sleeping under it, and how jealous her best friend will be when she finds out she made it all by herself.

I'm taking a little bit more time with Big Sister, getting her to press and nest her seams and make sure her squares are the same size before sewing them together. She's soaking it all in, and it's really fun to watch. She'll be ready to start quilting her top next week. She'd gotten a kiddie sewing machine two years ago for Christmas and hadn't used it until I showed her how it worked last week; she went right home and made a water bottle pouch for Girl Scout Friendship Present Week, couldn't wait to tell me about it.  I think we have a convert!

The girls's acting classes run through spring, so I have to think of things to keep them busy and engaged long-term. We'll do some matching girl/doll pj pants, and maybe a second quilt. It's Lent, so I think I'm going to solicit their help to make a charity quilt for Quilts for Kids, too. Better than just giving up potato chips!

Quilting lessons...

My girlfriend stopped by a couple weeks ago with her daughters on their way to a Saturday morning acting class in my neighborhood. During their short visit, both girls spent some time checking out the quilts I had out on the sofa, running their hands over them and picking out their favorites.

After they'd left, I sent their mother an email and asked if they might be interested in learning how to sew. Both girls had gotten American Girl dolls for Christmas, and doll quilts seemed like a good way to get started. Mom asked, and girls were enthusiastic, so sewing classes started last week. I have big sister (9) while the other is at class; Mom then takes her to class and brings little sister (7) back, so I only have one at a time.

We're starting out on easy four-patches, with a method I saw somewhere many, many years ago that works really well for beginners:  start with two squares right sides together, sew down the opposite sides, slice down the middle, finger press, nest the seams and sew down each side again. Cut in half and, as we've been calling them, the Magic Squares appear. They're using four-inch scrap blocks, most of which are from my first quilting days, a pre-cut eBay purchase.

I thought they'd spend the first 90 minutes picking out ten pair of fabrics, then we'd move on to sewing next weekend, but both girls blew through their fabric choices in a matter of minutes, so we got right down to it.

I set up a thick Post-It jig to keep them at a quarter-inch seam. Big sis caught on right away and finished all 20 four-patches. Little sis sewed a little, looked for Archie (who was wisely camped out in one of his undetectable hiding places), sewed some more, then Facetimed with her grandmother and great-grandmother in Texas to show them our progress. She made six four patches and got the rest halfway done, and it was time to go.

They both seemed eager to keep going, so I'll try to keep up  momentum to the finish. I'm not the best teacher -- so many things are just in my head -- but they don't seem to mind!

Finally: Hello to a new year...

Well, bloglovers, I am back from my little vacation from the blog, and sewing. Miss me?  Probably not.

True to form, I jammed Christmas sewing projects up to the last minute, making table runners I gifted without photographing, sewing bindings on in the upstairs bathroom between checking on the turkey and circulating among the family. I'm pretty sure my sister in-law thought I had some digestive virus and shouldn't be the one cooking, but I cleared that rumor up once we started opening presents.

Anyway, I came home from two weeks spent with my aging, declining parents, stressed out with worry about their health, safety, and intransigence regarding any sort of move into assisted living, and needed a break. Archie developed his own stress-related issues from being constantly bullied by my mother's cat (who he outweighs by almost four pounds), the five-hour drive, and two weeks of stealing non-prescription food from Sugar's dish when we weren't looking and ended up at the vet two weeks in a row. I didn't sit down at my sewing machine until January 30. I just wasn't feelin' it.

When I finally decided to dust the machine off (figuratively speaking -- don't worry, I have it covered when I'm not using it), I pulled down a very old UFO and got sort of enthusiastic about it but not quite, and then I was browsing through Fresh Modern Quilts and saw this. Now, I have a thing for isosceles triangles, and more recently, spiky isosceles. I'd also seen some Comma quilts recently done up with lights, and I had some leftover precuts from this quilt just begging to be used up. While I love the contrast with the black, I think they go just as well (if not better) with some Kona Snow. The light bulb went off, the UFO got cast aside; I drafted my own template in Illustrator for 2"x6" and 2"x3" triangles and got started.

Capturing the first rays of sunlight we've seen here in Chicago for the first time in over a week

Paper piecing is, for me, pretty slow going, but I love the precision of those points. I like where I'm going with it.

It feels good to be back and creating again. I know part of the reason I was so stressed was because I wasn't making things.  I should know better!

A Midwestern Fall...

It's been a gorgeous fall here in the Midwest. I spent a great deal of October in Michigan, where the colors were outstanding. I don't remember the maples in my parents' neighborhood ever being this vibrant.

Most of the visit home involved getting Dad's garden ready for winter, weeding and spreading mulch. The japanese beetles decimated the roses this summer, and the blooms were just starting to bounce back (most of the foliage never recovered). A little late, I'm afraid.

Mom's hydrangea is hanging on. It was beautiful this summer, with blooms ranging from red to blue to dark purple all on the same bush.

What's a chilly fall weekend without a football game? My nephew (#82 -- 13 years old and already six feet tall) and his team performed valiantly, but lost their final game of the season.

I took dozens of pictures of him at his game...or so I thought. When I got home and looked at them on my computer, I discovered that most of the pictures were of #62, who is roughly the same size and whose jersey number was barely indistinguishable from my nephew's. At least in my aging eyes.

My youngest nephew loves these days because he gets to play tag and keepaway behind the stands with his friends. I don't think he watches his brother's games at all.

This pumpkin made an early appearance down the street.

This is Madison. He lives two blocks away, but hung out with me a lot this summer while I was in the yard. My mother hadn't seen him since I left in August, but the morning after I arrived home, he came trotting up the driveway. He's the sweetest boy, I think he has a crush on me. Or the treats. Can you see the love in those eyes?

This baby quilt got de-haired and washed while I was home. Lots of parallel stitching, mostly navy threads with some aqua thrown in for good measure. It was getting a little boring as I got out toward the edges. Not sure if those few brighter threads livens it up enough, but at this point, I'm just happy to have it finished and don't care to revisit.

I'm torn between which side I like the most. This picture of the back looks a little washed out -- perhaps because it'd started raining while I was shooting. It's an old Amy Butler print (maybe?) paired with teal Kanvas Palazzo Circles. They coordinate perfectly -- with each other, and with the intended's nursery decor.

On my way back to Chicago, I stopped at the beach in South Haven for a quick overnight, arriving just in time for another spectacular sunset. As the weather gets cooler, the colors get more breathtaking.

It's sad to see the harbor empty, but it'll be bustling again in just a few short (but extremely cold) months.

Lots of little treasures get revealed when the gardens around the beach start to wane.

One last look at the lake to say goodbye...

The B side...

Before you get all "oh, there she goes with yet another project,"  it might not look like a Christmas runner, but it is...or will be. As usual, I've decided to complicate things – because what's better than a table runner that's only good for a few weeks out of the year?  One that's good for at least a few months!

One side Christmas, the other side Fall – this is going to be the back of the first runner. Or "topper," since once trimmed, it's only going to be about 36" x 16". I cut 2" strips for this, and they're a really nice scale for a smaller piece.

Archie even respects it enough NOT to lay on it.

I've held on to these hand dyes for years (seven, to be exact) waiting for the right project, and this was it. I don't think the picture really does it justice – it's a crummy, cloudy day here today with precious little light to deal with, but trust me when I proclaim its gorgeousness. The colors really radiate. I've taped it to the kitchen wall and stop by to admire it whenever I pass through.

This, of course, changes the layout I envisioned for the Christmas side of things, so I'm still debating, but hoping to get this one done in time for Thanksgiving.

And then this showed up...

Man, I get derailed easily!

These Christmasy batiks were on sale at Hancock's of Paducah, and I have at least three table runner gifts to make this year. I hate to be thinking about Christmas halfway through September, but the reality is I'll be down to the wire, even planning months ahead.

I ordered the snowflake panel thinking it was smaller scale, so I was a little surprised when it arrived -- pleasantly, though -- and those snowflakes were 7" square.  It's a bit more olive than the website pic, but man, is it ever gorgeous! It'll make both a great backing and individual squares.

Seems I've created another project for myself. What else is new?

True to form...

My next project pull is done and ready before I've finished quilting the last.

Doing my best to exercise some self-control and finish the green flannel quilt before cutting into that stack, but it's not easy with all that luscious linen and those pink and purple prints taunting me. And with sticky temps in the high 80's today, maneuvering that heavy flannel sandwich isn't exactly pleasant.

I'm using the new project as incentive to forge ahead with the old -- sometimes that works, sometimes not.

Hope everyone's having a productive Labor Day!