Happy New Year 2025! My Pity Party Has Concluded; Back to the Pretty Quilts...

 Alright you guys — wanna know how many personal quilts, or personal sewing projects of ANY kind, I finished in 2024?  ZERO.  But 2025 is a brand-new year full of fresh possibilities and lots of pent-up creative energy.  I quilted a quilt for myself yesterday!

42 x 45 Untitled, from Maria Shell Improv Workshop

It’s just a small baby quilt, a way to use up one of the improvisationally pieced striped units I made in my Zoom workshop with Maria Shell back in September, along with some smaller yardage pieces from my stash.  The irregularity of wonky improv piecing looks very child-friendly to me, and that inspired me to use an allover quilting design (Color B2B by Anne Bright) that I’ve owned for several years but was never able to talk a client into using on a quilt.  

Color B2B Quilting Design by Anne Bright with YLI 40 Tex Cotton Thread in Rio de Janeiro

I love how it turned out!  I chose YLI 40 Tex Cotton Thread in variegated Rio de Janeiro after carefully checking that every shade in this rainbow thread was a match to fabrics I used in my pieced stripe unit.  I wanted something with an equal amount of contrast against both the lime green and the cherry red fabrics and I’m very happy with how it turned out even though cotton thread is a linty beast to work with!  My lint brush got to see lots of action.  

Our Annus Horribilis: Of Bereavement, Unmooring, + The Quilts We Leave Behind

Many of you have reached out to me privately out of concern that my family might have been impacted by Hurricane Milton.  Thank you so much for thinking of me.  We did lose power for 18 hours after the storm but nothing was damaged and no one was harmed.  The reason I haven't been writing blog posts is that we lost Bernie's dad suddenly to cancer on October 1st, less than 13 months after his mother passed away last September.  We have been upended by an emotional storm of stress, anxiety and grief before Milton was even on the radar and will be dealing with its aftermath for a long time.  My husband asked me to write his dad's obituary for the Naples Daily News and you can read about his amazing life online here.

Fred's rare and aggressive "locally advanced" squamous colon cancer was only diagnosed this past March, within weeks of our moving to Florida.  He underwent major surgery in May to remove a football-sized tumor along with a large chunk of his colon, his entire gallbladder and a third of his liver.  The surgeon thought he had gotten all the cancer with clear margins.  After months of rehab and recovery, Fred was feeling better and was looking forward to taking a trip with my sister-in-law in mid-September when everything suddenly went downhill.  A new tumor had developed and grown to the size of a golf ball on what remained of his liver, obstructing his bile duct and causing acute liver failure.  Scans done at the hospital revealed more new cancer that had spread all throughout the soft tissue in his abdomen.  Fred spent another two miserable weeks in the hospital in September (during which Bernie had Covid and couldn't even visit his dad) and then after his discharge we endured agonizing follow up appointments with his surgeon and oncologist where the news was bleak: they were very sorry, surgery and chemo and everything else were out of the question now that he was in advanced liver failure, and things were "going to move quickly from here," as one doctor put it.  The oncologist recommended hospice and told us that any out of town relations who wanted to say their goodbyes should not wait until Thanksgiving; they should come now.  And then, just a week after leaving the hospital, he was gone.  

My Father-In-Law Fred with the Halo Quilt I Made for His Wife, February 2024

My husband and his sister are in shock.  They were used to talking to their dad nearly every day, and I think they are feeling unmoored by the loss of both parents (in addition to losing a cousin under tragic circumstances) within the space of a single year.  Only six months ago, Fred was a force to be reckoned with, larger than life, with a booming bass voice recanting family histories, forcefully expounding his political views, and interrogating his grandchildren about their education and career goals.  None of us anticipated that cancer would take him so swiftly despite his fighting with every ounce of willpower and all the resources of modern medicine.  

Fred spent the past five years caring for my mother-in-law Marlies throughout her heartbreaking dementia and other debilitating health issues.  Most of his hobbies and all of his traveling was suspended during that time that he was tethered to the house and always at her side, knowing that his presence was comforting.  He was devastated when she finally passed in September of '23.

My Mother-In-Law Marlies with My Halo Quilt in August, 2023

So that Halo quilt that I made for Marlies in August of 2023, my most recent personal quilt finish, has already been left behind and inherited by another family member twice: First Fred inherited it from Marlies, and now the quilt has come back home to me, inherited by my husband.  I loved that quilt when I finished it, but now that it's back in my house I have mixed feelings about it.  I washed it and it looks brand new even though it was used daily -- neither of them owned the quilt long enough for there to be any visible wear whatsoever.  This quilt was NOT SUPPOSED TO COME BACK TO ME YET.

Halo Progress, Welcome Home Kit NewFO, and A Creative Tangent with the PhotoSketcher App

Hey there, quilty peeps!  Hope you are enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day weekend if you're in the United States, and I hope the weather is nicer where you are than it is in Charlotte, North Carolina right now.  Rain, rain, and more rain!  Good thing I have a bright and cheerful project on my design wall since the view outside my window is so drab and dreary.  

Halo Blocks Still In Progress

This is a Jen Kingwell pattern that is suitable for either hand or machine piecing.  The pattern is found in Kingwell's Jenny From One Block pattern booklet and you can find that on Amazon here (this post contains affiliate links).  

I'm fascinated by the way Kingwell organizes her seemingly random scrappy compositions so studying the way she alternates between "organized chaos" vs careful control within the same quilt is my primary fascination with this project.  The curved piecing challenge is just the icing on the cake.  In Kingwell's version of this quilt, most blocks are totally scrappy except for three blocks that are created with all one fabric for the backgrounds, all one fabric for the rings, and all one fabric for the triangles surrounding the center square.  Whereas the circles at the block intersections predominate throughout most of her quilt, those three blocks that have planned matching fabrics pop out as squares that help your eye travel across the surface of the quilt.  Here's one of my blocks that I'm hoping will function that way in my version of Halo:

One of My Favorite Recently Finished Halo Blocks

The dark pink arcs were cut from one of the Tilda fabrics in the fat eighth precut pack that started me off on this tangent.  The rest of the fabrics in this block are treasures from my stash.

Eat My Cake: Public Art at the Historic Asbury Park Waterfront in New Jersey

Good morning, lovelies!  When I was visiting my sister's family in New Jersey last month, I stumbled upon a fabulous series of public art installations right on the waterfront of historic Asbury Park.  As much as I love the accessibility of fine art in museums open to the public (instead of all art being owned by private collectors before museums became a thing), the art in museums can only impact people who have free time, money for admission, and transportation. Sometimes the art in traditional museums can be confusing and alienating to viewers who haven't had access to the kind of education that enables us to appreciate things like historical context, symbolism, etc.  But contemporary street art?  That's the most democratic art of all, art that meets people in their own communities, speaking in a visual language that is current rather than arcane, encouraging residents and visitors to engage with the artwork on a personal level.

Detail of Eat My Cake by Holly Suzanne Rader

My favorite mural was Eat My Cake by "graffiti glam" artist Holly Suzanne Rader of Hollywould Studios.  Check out this short video by the artist where she talks about her inspiration for depicting Marie Antoinette wearing a candy ring pop on her finger and mirror gem-encrusted Dolce & Gabbana headphones, as well as her hope that her work might inspire more little girls to become artists.

Welcome to Asbury Park

But I know most of you have never been to Asbury Park, so I need to set the scene for you.  This is a town on the northern Atlantic coast of New Jersey that was first developed in the late 1800s as a summer resort destination, with a beautiful carousel and a Beaux Arts Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre complex (built in 1925 to replace a previous structure that was destroyed by fire) that spans the boardwalk and stretches right onto the sandy beach with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.  

One Less Bell to Answer, One Less Egg to Fry, One Less Dog to Pick Up After... Saying Goodbye to Otto

I've been putting this post off for awhile now, but I might as well get it over with.  This post has nothing to do with sewing or quilting and everything to do with why I haven't been sewing or quilting lately.  

The canine love of our lives was a joyful, ball-chasing, howling-and-singing companion full of energy.  He followed along behind Bernie every time he mowed the lawn, as if the two of them were patrolling the yard together.  He slept at the foot of my bed, and I swear his gentle snore was the best sleep machine noise ever.  Whenever I started singing anything, especially anything in a minor key or anything with "Alleluia" in it, he'd sit up, wag his tail, and howl along with me like a canine Andrea Bocelli belting out his favorite aria.   

Our Sweet Otto, Jan. 5 2011 - Dec. 20 2019

At nearly 9 years old, Otto was the absolute picture of health at the beginning of December, except for a troubling limp that was getting worse instead of getting better, despite restricting his activity and giving him anti-inflammatory meds.  We took him to the vet on the Tuesday before Christmas for X-rays and were totally blindsided by a diagnosis of advanced osteosarcoma, an aggressive and very painful bone cancer with close to 100% mortality because it tends to metastasize before it's even diagnosed.  Our choices were to either amputate his affected leg and put him through chemotherapy, which would eliminate the tumor pain but only give him another 4-5 months, or manage his pain with medication for as long as possible, likely 1-3 months.  

Otto and Lulu Snuggling With My Son, Lars (Otto in Foreground)

Even with that awful news, we expected to have a few months to pamper and love on him.  I was researching his bone cancer online, ordering him special orthopedic beds from Orvis so he'd be more comfortable and getting recommendations for veterinary oncologists.  But I didn't even get a chance to take him to a specialist -- his initial diagnosis was on Tuesday, and by Thursday afternoon he was absolutely leveled with pain that was beyond control, with vomiting and bloody diarrhea and so extremely ill that there was nothing we could do for him but let him go on Friday.  My sweet, loving dog who wanted nothing more than to be glued to our sides, constantly supervising us and snuggling with us, was at the point that he was hiding beneath the deck steps at 3 AM in 20 degree weather, unable to pick up his head.  He wouldn't come in the house, he wouldn't/couldn't come when called.  And when we brought him back to the vet on Friday he was so severely dehydrated, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, gums were pale and did not pink up when pressed, still having bright red bloody diarrhea, suffering so badly...  All of this happened only three days after receiving the bone cancer diagnosis, with a dog who had been full of playful puppy energy and joy up until that point.

Happy Boy Just a Few Months Ago, Visiting Lars at College

To say that it has been a sad couple of weeks for our family is such an understatement.  Even Otto's sister Lulu, our other Rottie, is grieving.  At first she seemed agitated after we took Otto away and didn't bring him home, and she would run to the door whenever someone came home like she was hoping they'd brought Otto with them.  Now she seems more depressed and anxious, even though we've been trying to give her lots of positive attention and distractions.  She won't play, she doesn't want to go outside except to go potty, and she's been licking at her forelegs a lot.  I got her some tasty chew bones for redirection and that's helping, but she's definitely affected as much as we are -- she and Otto were together since birth, she's never been an only dog before, and her personality is totally different now.

Lulu Snuggling with Lars's Feet on Christmas Morning

I just wanted to share some of my favorite Otto pictures and memories as a final goodbye to the best little choir dog and quilting supervisor ever:

My Sweet Baboo, Otto, Supervising Pineapple Log Cabin Quilt Construction

I loved it when Otto would hang out in my sewing room with me.  Such a cutie pie.

More Hanging Out With Mommy in the Studio

In the Studio With Me For the Last Time, The Day Before We Lost Him

Otto had three favorite humans on this planet: Me, my husband Bernie, and our oldest son Lars.  My younger son Anders and my mother were also in his "inner circle" of humans from whom love and kisses were tolerated.

Another Puppy Pic, Back When Bernie Could Still Scoop Him Up in His Arms

Snuggling With My Husband Bernie, In My Office.  Lulu on Left, Otto on Right

As ferociously as he could bark at would-be intruders and door-to-door salesmen, Otto was incredibly gentle and loving with family members.  He was such a snuggler!

Lars and Otto Had Such a Special Bond.

More Snuggling With Lars

On his last morning, once Bernie got Otto out from under the deck steps, he was able to get him into the garage where it was a little bit warmer, but he wouldn't come in the house and he was unwilling or unable to pick up his head, even when I started the car right next to him.    

When Otto Wouldn't Come In the House, Lars Came Out to the Garage

It's so strange not having Otto in my house anymore.  No howling when I sing.  No snoring in my bedroom.  No supervision in the quilting studio.  No furry friend appears in my kitchen, looking up at me with hopeful longing the instant I take out butter, chicken, or peanuts.  No one scratches the side of my desk chair impatiently to tell me "Enough computer -- time to throw my tennis ball!"  The worst is when I glance down at his favorite places where he used to lay and no one is there.

I Smell Butter.  Or Chicken.  Or Peanut Butter.

Raising this dog has been a wonderful experience that I would do again in a heartbeat, despite all of the challenges and inconveniences that come with owning a strong, powerful dog who is distrustful of strangers.  I wrote about my dogs the day we brought them home as 9-week-old puppies, I have shared their antics and adventures here over the years, and it seemed only fitting to give Otto a eulogy here on my blog.  

Selfie With Puppies On the Car Ride Home From the Breeder.  Otto on Left, Lulu on Right

Nine years was not nearly enough.  

No More Puppy Kisses For Me

Goodbye, my sweet Baboo!  We will never forget you.  

Son the Elder Deposited at College (and YES, His Mission Impossible Quilt Fits His Dorm Bed!)

So THIS happened yesterday:

Last Look at Lars-of-Ours in His Dorm Room Before Driving Away

As you can see, the Mission Impossible quilt I made for him fits his XL Twin dormitory bed perfectly.  Doesn't he look LITTLE in there?  I know; he's not little anymore.  He's 18 years old and he's six feet tall and he's going to be just fine.

My Goodbye Hug: Mommy and Lars

Sometimes I still think of him like this, though:

Mommy and Lars, Just a Few Years Ago

And then of course I had to get this picture of the two brothers together:

College Freshman Lars & High School Junior Anders

Which only reminds me of so many other great photos of these brothers together over the years:

Anders & Lars, Faces Decorated With Magic Marker Courtesy of Lars-of-Ours

Anders & Lars

Anders & Lars in Stripey Pajamas

Lars & Anders, Driving to School

Superman Lars & Batman Anders

Lars & Anders

Lars & Anders at One of Anders' Birthday Parties

Lars and Anders With Their LEGO Creations

Lars and Anders

As much as they can get on each other's nerves, these boys are definitely going to miss each other this year.

Lars and Bernie at Entrance to Tunnel Between East and West Campuses

I didn't get any really great shots of Lars with his dad.  Here they are together at the entrance to the foot tunnel beneath a busy road that bisects East and West campuses.  (The spray paint was done for or by some other Bernie, but it called for a photo opp!).  

And here we have the two gentlemen who still primarily reside in my home, acting up on way back to the car after saying goodbye to Lars:

Goofball the Elder and Goofball In Training

The mountain scenery is beautiful in Boone, by the way.  It makes a person want to twirl around and start singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music..."

My Kid Lives Behind That Window Now

Sometimes the kids are ready to leave for college before the MOMS are ready for them to leave for college, if you know what I mean.  He will be fine.  He will be GREAT!  He will have so much fun.  And we are driving right back to Boone to scoop him up again a week from now, to take him to his cousin's wedding in D.C., so I'll see him again before I hardly have time to start missing him, right?

Cutie-the-College Student, Ready to Take On the World!

Whew!!  Now that all of THAT has been taken care of, THIS momma is in need of some serious fabric therapy!  I think I'll piece the second block for Anders' modified Moda Modern Building Blocks quilt today.  He's only been waiting for that quilt for two and a half years now...

Beware the Ishmaelites Quilt for Anders, Queen Size

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and it you are blessed to have children or grandchildren in your life, hold them close for as long as you can!

I'm linking up today's post with:

SUNDAY

·      Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com

MONDAY

·      Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com 

·      Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts http://www.cookingupquilts.com/

·      Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/

·      Moving it Forward at Em’s Scrap Bag: http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com.au/

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·      BOMs Away at Katie Mae Quilts: https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/ 

Travel Interlude: FrankenWhiggish Rose, Resurrected and Resumed

Hello and happy Friday!  I've been out of town and away from my sewing machine, but air travel gave me a great opportunity to catch up on my neglected hand stitched applique project, the FrankenWhiggish Rose blocks that have been sitting untouched since last September.  The day before I left for New Jersey, I spent hours prepping my reverse applique tulips (freezer paper and starch pressed edges, glue basted to the block) as well as the little rosebuds that go around the center of the block (using Jeanne Sullivan's Patch Back product with fabric glue stick to turn the edges).

Prepared Edge Tulips Get Glue Basted In Place for Stitching on the Plane

While I was doing this, my husband was making incredulous comments like "When are you planning to pack your clothes?" and "Do you know how early we need to leave in the morning to get you to the airport?!"

I had previously needle-turned the reverse applique centers of these tulips off-block, but I made double-layer freezer paper templates to preturn the outer edges with starch before glue basting them to the block background so I wouldn't have to fuss with those deep V-curves on the plane.  I was able to pop the spotted reverse applique fabric through the diamond shaped hole in the center of each freezer paper template to hold the fabric in place while I pressed the seam allowances over the edges of the freezer paper.  

Using My iPad As a Light Box

Then for those tiny rosebuds, I downloaded a new Light Box app for my iPad and traced the rosebuds onto Patch Back (similar to Floriani Stitch 'N' Wash), cut a tiny turning allowance all the way around, and turned those edges with fabric glue stick before glue basting the buds to my block.  Now I had four tulips and four little rose buds to stitch down on my way to New Jersey.

Travel Interlude

Here are the highlights from my trip:

My Canine Nephew and My Sister, and My Dresden Plate Quilt

Meet Cooper, the most lovable pit bull mix on earth.  This is a dog who snuggles and cuddles, climbs up in your lap and licks your face, brings toys to tug and fetch, and has the softest, silkiest fur you can imagine.  If I thought I could have smuggled him onto the plane, I would have tried to bring him home with me (over my sister's dead body!).  

Princess Petunia In the Theatre, Following the Show

The main purpose of this trip was to drive into NYC with my sister and my soon-to-be-ten-year-old niece to see Sara Bareilles starring in the musical Waitress on Broadway.  We did a girls' day out in the city, starting out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where Petunia was scandalized by the naked statues with "man bits" right at her eye level!), ate hot pretzels from a street vendor, and then stood in line for an hour to get into the Stardust Diner for dinner, where the wait staff consists of aspiring Broadway stars who serenade you while you eat very expensive hamburgers.

Giant Sara Bareilles, Aunt Becca (Moi), and Princess Petunia

It was FREEZING COLD in the city, but we had a great time anyway.  I even managed to push my niece through the crowd gathered at the stage door after the performance, so Petunia got to meet Sara Bareilles and got her autograph.  I swear her smile was bigger than her whole face!

Back to my stitchery:

By the time I was ready to fly back to Charlotte, I had already stitched down all of the applique pieces that I had prepped before the trip.  Fortunately, though, I'd had the foresight to pack the green fabric, leaf template, and chalk pencils for my leaves.  I traced my templates onto my fabric with regular pencil this time, hoping it would smudge less during finger pressing than the chalk pencils do, but it ended up being really difficult to see so I won't be doing that again on this fabric.

My Pencil Lines Are Too Hard to See

There may be an impending Fabric Crisis with this project, by the way.  I bought this green fabric back in 2012(?!) when I first started this project, and I only bought a quarter of a yard of it.  I know, right?  Since there are sixteen leaves on each block and I have seven more blocks to make after this one, that means I need to get 112 more leaves out of that piece of fabric.  I highly doubt I can find any more of this fabric and I don't even remember where I bought it.

Sixteen Leaves Pinned for Needle Turned Stitching

Having stitched the prepared edge applique on my flight up to New Jersey and switching back to needle turned applique on my flight home, I must say that I really prefer the prepared edge stitching.  Yes, it's a pain in the butt to do all that prep work, but it's easier to place the pieces on the background accurately when the edges are already turned, and I like not having those little pins to keep track of when I'm stitching on the go.  I don't like my thread snagging on the pins, either!  

I'm out of practice and my first two needle turned leaves came out kind of lumpy.  I'm not even going to show them to you, so there!  Seriously -- I know that each one will get better.  I didn't finish stitching all of these leaves on the plane, so I'll be working on them while watching television with my husband in the evenings.  And I'm seriously considering switching to prepared edge applique for all of the remaining blocks.

But in the meantime -- I'm HOME AT LAST, and my sewing machines have MISSED me!  I have two different solos to prepare for this Sunday, so for the next few days I'll be alternating between working on music and piecing my Tabby Mountain quilt top.  Finishing that quilt was my goal for February, and here it is the 22nd already and it's only halfway pieced!  Perhaps I was overambitious in thinking I could piece AND quilt it in one month, but I'd like to at least finish the top and get it loaded onto my quilting frame before the end of the month.

So if you don't hear from me, I'm either busy SINGING or SEWING!

I'm linking up with:

• ·       Whoop Whoop Fridays at www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com
• ·       Finished Or Not Friday at http://busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/

Of Birds, Berries, and Grads: Jingle BOM Applique Block One is FINISHED and So Is College For Amanda!

Jingle BOM Applique Block One FINISHED!

I stitched the last berries to my Jingle BOM Applique Block #1 in the Hartford International Airport last night while waiting for our (much delayed) flight to bring us back from my niece's college graduation.  My little 3/8" diameter berries came out better than I'd hoped for, considering that this is my first-ever attempt at applique.  I think I cut my seam allowances a little too wide, which created a lot of bulk under the smaller pieces, but I'll try to do better on the next block. 

My niece and former flower girl graduated with an Engineering Science degree from Smith College in Northampton, MA yesterday.  I still can't believe she's all grown up now. 

Bernie and Me with Newly-Graduated Amanda!

It was a beautiful graduation ceremony, the culmination of a weekend full of hundred-year-old traditions and a chance to catch up with my husband's side of the family.  Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post delivered one of the best -- and funniest -- commencement speeches that I have ever heard:

Now that I'm finally home (and properly caffeinated, thank you), I've got some unpacking, laundry, and grocery shopping to attend to.  Lars and Anders have only three weeks left of school, and next weekend my mom and I are taking a machine applique class with Harriet Hargrave at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium.  Now that I've tried a little hand applique, it will be interesting to try Hargrave's invisible machine applique method to see which I prefer. 

Have a great week, everyone!