stash placemats and a baby boy quilt "ships & sails"

Stuff for Etsy. Placemats from my stash, which is big enough (thanks to Nancy) to create a thousand combinations.

The pink and yellow polka dot is left over from Casey's "sugar sand" baby quilt. Some of these fabrics I've had since the 1980s, some I've bought more recently, and some have been given me by my stash sister Nancy. There is even fabric from my mom's old doilies, the ones I made coasters with.

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This blue and white stripe was a dust ruffle. I am trying to remember if we used it in one of our houses or if Nancy gave me this too. Besides that fabric, many of these triangles (flying geese) were fabrics she gave me which are shirting. I have always loved quilts made from shirts. Anyway, this will be a baby boy quilt to [hopefully] sell in my Etsy shoppe. I've quilted one small section. I think I'll straight-line quilt the triangles and free-motion quilt the other panels in swirls to resemble wind and waves. The quilt is called "ships & sails," which rhymes with "snips and snails and puppy dog tails." I'll post when finished.

tidying up and coasters for our house

My daughter Lesley loves her new quilt. Yes, the totem quilt was for her birthday April 30. She posted this photo of it at Instagram, with a new shawl she is designing and knitting. You can see she loves dusty turquoise, which is featured in the quilt and the backing. It's still cool enough at night that she can cozy under it a little longer this season.

Lesley's Instagram photo with her new totem lap quilt;
she is knitgraffiti

Now that the two most recent gift quilts are finished, this was a good weekend to dive into a project inspired by the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

The book came out last year and it really seems to be going nuts. Here's my review of it at Goodreads yesterday:

I first heard about this book a few weeks ago when my daughter-in-law told me she was reading it and starting to discard items she and my son no longer wanted. It was all of a sudden last week that I realized — quite apart from any consciousness of wanting to read the book — that I needed and wanted to gain a flow of energy that was being constricted by STUFF in my home. I got back into The Way of Zen, which I hadn't read in months, and then I remembered this book, bought it and began to read. Instantly, I knew it was just what I needed.

I actually began discarding the first category of possessions today — clothes — before finishing the book this evening. In fact I would take little breaks throughout the day of working to read passages. I found it inspiring to do that, and I'm glad I didn't do any more discarding before finishing the book. It's important to get the full sense of her perspective.

I found reading the book and sorting through my clothes to be a spiritual experience. Even before beginning the process of purging, all week I have been looking forward to it the way I would look forward to spending time with my grandchildren, or a special trip or date. That's how badly I needed to do this cleansing process.

When I first read her advice to fold things and store them in boxes or drawers so you could see everything, and not lay things on top of each other, I wasn't convinced that it would be necessary. But as I took the now empty shoe boxes from discarded shoes, and folded socks, tights, underwear, yoga pants, and placed them vertically in the boxes, I felt so happy! The process of folding and fitting everything in the box just the right way was a satisfying puzzle to put together.

I think what's amazing about this book is that it results in action, even before completing the book! I was eager to begin discarding all week, and I am even more eager now to continue on to the next category. Ultimately, this book is about respect — for things, for oneself, for your home, for space, even for the things you get rid of. Her concept of thanking inanimate objects for what they do for you is new for me, and I find it quite sweet. This Eastern perspective (which also feels akin to Native American) is powerful in its simplicity and deep respect.

I spent about six hours Saturday purging my clothes. I ended up with three 30-gallon bags to donate, and one bag for trash. The trash bag had garments that were were stained, worn or torn. They were not appropriate for quilts, and I do not need more rags. Then I put what I'd chosen to keep (what sparked joy) back and organized things a little differently, using Marie Kondo's methods.

There is great pleasure for me adopting Zen simplicity, putting things away where they belong, having a place for everything, folding and caring for all possessions with love.

Today I spent several hours sorting books to keep and be donated. I got through the downstairs bookcases and have still two more to go upstairs. Carrying books around is heavier work than clothes, and I just didn't quite have the energy to finish today. I really like the concept of sorting by category, rather than by room or closet. We have a great recycling center at my university, and I'll take the books to the drop box there.


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After all that work, I needed to create something. Sorting and organizing made me look at the coasters we use here in the family room, and they looked tired and drab. So I spent a little time sewing some reversible quilted coasters from some of my favorite scraps.

I began with old doilies that I grew up with in my parents' home. I don't know if they were first my grandmother's, but I've always loved them and have wanted to sew with them for a while. I needed to keep them with me here too, not add them to a quilt for a gift or sale. The doily fabric is on one side of each coaster.

totem quilt finished

This quilt has been on the down low because it's a surprise for someone's birthday. Since I don't think that "someone" will come here, I think it's safe to post this. I simply need the satisfaction of posting photos now that it's done.

I did not know about "totem" quilts until seeing one recently. Simple, right? The pieced parts are down the middle, like a totem pole.

It's a lap quilt, and the back is flannel. Cozy for Michigan winters!

As always, I used lots of fabrics. I just can't help myself, though "sugar sand" was an attempt at a more minimal design.

I did choose a simple tan linen for the sides. Not sure I would use such a lightweight linen again, because it snags. I like how it puckers, though.

This section of the quilt was pieced first. I was designing a pillow for this same recipient, but I felt it was too much for her space. I couldn't abandon it and eventually built this totem from it.

I used the same oriental toile linen in some of the pieces for the binding. The tan is the perfect shade to match the side panels.

For the quilting on the side panels, I imitated the swirling pattern of the black fabric with white dots.

I was with my stash sister, Nancy, on the weekend, because of the baby shower for the mother-to-be who received "sugar sand" — Nancy's granddaughter. Nancy gave me more fabric!

She also gave me these hankies. I had just been thinking I wanted to stop using boxed tissues, because I use so many for my nose that never stops. So here goes using hankies again! Haven't done that since I was a little girl. It takes some getting used to.

"sugar sand" finished

I am pleased with how "sugar sand" turned out. It was an exercise in minimalism, something that does not come naturally to me, as much as I appreciate and love it.

If it had not been for the colors the mom-to-be favors for her baby girl due in June, I'm not sure I would have ever made a quilt with hot pink and yellow. But I really like it.

I machine quilted in the ditch.

And now that it's done, we're off for a walk on this glorious day!

Sugar Sand top finished

For my great-niece whose baby girl is due in June.

She lives on a dune near Lake Michigan. So I used one of my favorites, a light brown linen that looks like sand[paper] with her favorite baby colors hot pink and yellow. The sand along Lake Michigan is so beautiful they call it "sugar sand."

Hanging next to it is the backing fabric. Many of the fabrics are from my stash sister Nancy, including the framing fabric with pink leaves (which I love!). Nancy loves pink, so she gave me tubfuls. I purchased the ones with pink and yellow combined. I must say I like this combination.

So much fuzz and fabric dust

I really love this book. I was inspired for this quilt by Jacquie Gering's alternate grid Scandia Crush (second photo below), using variable framing. The idea is to "float" the blocks in various positions within blocks. It was a very pleasant, creative, improvisational process.

Portofino placemats & napkins

My great-niece is getting married in Florida soon, so we Michigan aunts are giving her a shower, for which she is flying in.


I "shopped" for fabrics to make placemats and napkins in the stash Nancy has given me from her travels in South Carolina and Michigan. The bride and groom have chosen red accents for their kitchen. Their taste is elegant and traditional.

My love affair with printed linens like this deepens. It's like a toile, but is it?

I thought it would make magnificent napkins.

And I think I was right.

We'll see if I make it with these and the chicken salad to the shower tomorrow since I came down with a hum dinger of a cold last night. Don's chicken soup (from the chicken for the salad, yes) is soothing my raw throat. In fact, he is helping with all the prep and will even drive the stuff across the state in the morning if I am not up to going.

I hope Emma has chosen as much of a winner as I did nearly 36 years ago.

reds of winter

With all the cold and snow, color and heat are necessary.

Two projects for gifts. The blocks above are for a baby quilt I'm calling "sugar sand." It's for a mama-to-be who lives on a dune. The beautiful sand of Lake Michigan is called sugar sand. The mama loves hot pink and yellow. This is a subtle interpretation of those colors. The tan linen reminds me of sandpaper, and I adore it.

Below are fabrics for placemats and napkins for a bride-to-be. My stashy sister Nancy gave me all but the ochre with Swissy dots. The linen on the left is more of the stuff that I have loveloveloved from her. She visits shops in Myrtle Beach and gathers remnants for a song. I will make reversible placemats with the reds, binding in the ochre, and napkins from the linen toile-ish print.

Here is the arrangement my siblings sent for my mother-in-law's funeral. They have dried so beautifully, even the orchids. Sadly, I bumped them as I walked by and some orchid blossoms fell atop the roses.