Rayen

Once I put together and machine quilted both panels of my calendar project's September tote, it was time to make handles and assemble it. I sewed together more of the vintage fabric strips for the handles, and then sewed them and the panels into a tote. This is the first quilted project I've ever made entirely by machine. This also represents basically all the quilting I can do going forward, because hand quilting has become impossible for me. I need a lot more practice with quilting by machine (I might look into an online course, too, if they have one with captions), but I'm happy with what I was able to do, particularly under so much pressure at the moment as a family caregiver.

Once I had all the strips for my calendar project's September tote sewn into blocks, it was time to sew them into panels, batt and back them, and machine quilt the patchwork. Here's one panel, completely finished. The machine quilting was a bit hairy for me, probably because just before I started working on it I had to deal with yet another drama situation. Lesson learned: never try to machine quilt when you're distracted and upset. The backing (this pink fabric came from the thrifted bundle.) It's absolutely not perfect, but I learned a lot from doing it.

I began sewing together the strips I made from 10" squares from the vintage fabric basket, and I didn't follow a pattern. To keep my stress level manageable I want to stick to a simple improv of the rail fence patchwork scheme (here's a free tutorial for a rainbow version.) I thought four strips would make a square, but I actually needed five per block. This is roughly what one panel of my calendar project's September tote will look like. I am hoping to make this tote entirely by machine. I finished sewing together all eight blocks and switched them around until I liked the placement. Next up is sewing them together to make two panels, and then batting and backing them for the machine quilting.

Since my favorite person left a little of her cold brew coffee (which we don't drink) behind when she left, I decided it was the perfect time to try coffee staining. I soaked my muslin bag in the cold brew for about three hours. It came out looking dirty (I neglected to take a pic) so I tossed it in the washer with some things I laundered on cold/delicate with regular detergent. Here is the stained bag (right) next to an untreated bag. It shrank, and all the coffee staining came out in the wash, so that was a complete fail. I didn't care for how this sort of staining looked, so in a way it was a win for me.

I took all the 10" vintage fabric squares out of my basket and sorted them into print types. Basically I have 29 geometric, butterfly, floral and other type prints. That's plenty for a tote, and perhaps enough for a small quilt as well. I decided not to get too ambitious, and cut all the squares into 2-1/2 strips. I then had to sort them according to their value, light to dark (didn't take a picture of that.) I randomly put together four strips out of all the piles, which I plan to sew together into blocks, and then turn the blocks into my September tote for my calendar project, and (possibly) a quilt top. Stay tuned to the blog to see how that goes. :)

My friend B sent me a get-well package (my arthritic back + caregiving for a 200 lb. man = much pain) that included some mystery dice. I don't need more dice, but it's the thought that counts. This brand happens to be my favorite, too. :) The dice turned out to be black and red, and rather ominous looking. I blurred a bit of the red pin that came with the dice because of some salty language on it, with which I could absolutely sympathize. I actually do like the dice, as they're darkly beautiful. They've also given me a story idea, always a good thing. :)