As I was learning to quilt, I had this crazy idea to make a quilt for each of the members of my dissertation committee. It is traditional when you graduate from a graduate program to provide thoughtful gifts to the members of your committee. I was so broke when I graduated from my MA, that I couldn’t do it. I really wanted gifts for my PhD committee. I would graduate in May of 2024, and defend the dissertation in March of 2024, which basically gave me three years to learn how to quilt and make three quilts. When I graduated in May, I did indeed have one quilt for each committee member.
The first quilt I completed was for Ann Shivers McNair in June 2022. I don’t remember any of the fabrics. This process went so smoothly, no hiccups. I loved the metallic colours.
Next, I finished another double-sliced layer cake quilt for Jacob Bricca in July of 2022. The layer cake was given to me by my mom. It was the Robert Kauffman 2021 line. This one was a challenge because I’ve always had a very professional relationship with him, and I was not sure about his favorite colors or anything. I took a risk with the bold colors, but I think he really liked it!
Because it was simpler in pattern than the others, I wanted to take some time to make it special. I decided to hand quilt this one. I used pearl cotton and went for big stitches. I learned that I really like hand quilting!
I completed the second quit for Aimee Mapes in August of 2023. This quilt actually took me the longest because I started working on it when we still lived in Tucson. First, I participated in a swap with some of my friends to complete the little ladies around the border. My mom even joined the swap! The pattern was really cute; it’s called We Women. I wanted to make something SUPER feminist for Aimee. This was my first time paper piecing–I became addicted. It was so fun making all the different ladies! I used them as a border to the Badass Quilt.
Then, I sent this quilt off to be long-armed! It was my first time sending off a quilt, and I was very happy with the results. It was quilted by Quilting by David. They are so fast!
This project helped me realize how hard it is to baste in a tiny living room. I missed my Tucson house. I also learned that colors vary. All of the quilt was made with a brand called Kona Spa, but I did not buy enough for the whole quilt the first time around. When I re-purchased it, I got a slightly different hue. I also messed up the alignment on the banner, which made me note how important perfect seam allowances are with foundation paper piecing.
I finished the final dissertation quilt in March of 2024. I loved the fabrics I used in this quilt. I purchased the Celestial Batiks fat quarter bundle during Black Friday 2021, and I had always planned to make this quilt with it. The pattern is called New Horizons, by Suzy Quilts. It took me a while to realise who the quilt would go to, but my professor, Cristina Ramirez, has suns and moons in her living room. This is my first quilt on point.
This was also the first quilt I long-armed by myself! I cannot say enough great things about Quilting for Community in Chatsworth, Ca. The low-cost long-arm rental is a godsend. Everyone there is amazing. Around this time, I started volunteering at quilting for the community, teaching the low-cost quilting classes.
This is the year that we moved from Tucson to Los Angeles. You will see the first few pictures are in our old house.
February 2022
In February, I made some baby clothes for one of my nieces. This was very satisfying, because the small clothes make up so quickly! For the dress on the left, I used leftover fabric from my quilted jacket and the ugly bag I made for my mother-in-law the year before. I actually bought the purple Tula Pink space cats to make the dress. This is the Chloe Dress from Vintage Little Lady. Super cute, and the instructions are excellent! It was a free pattern too!
With these dresses, I learned how to gather a ruffle. I really struggled to tuck the lining over the waist for these. They look cute, but the inside is not a neat as the dresses I made from the same pattern in 2023.
I also wanted to surprise my husband with a nice Valentine’s Day meal. I made these placemats. I learned that satin does not shrink, so it makes an odd texture when washed and dried with batting. I still use these!
I also made this cute quilt for my nephew. It’s a basic Around The World pattern. The fabric was a layer cake from Stacy Iest Hsu. I used flannel on the back, which I really hated at the time. I thought it crinkled up too much. This was the year of experimenting with various materials. I also learned to square up half-square triangles.
March 2022
I made this bag for my friend and research liaison, Frances. She’s an Apache Medicine Woman and mentor for her tribe, and she is always out campaigning with bag ass signs. I wanted to make a present for her in her tribal colors with a somewhat traditional pattern. I also wanted to make it BIG so she could put all of the signs in it. She loved.
With this project, I just realized that bags need more support. It’s a great bag, but I wish the handles went further down the bag to support more weight. I was also very proud to make a lined bag with a zipper inside!
June 2022
I used the leftover Alexander Henry fabric to make a couple of bag. I made the purse for my little sister from a Sallie Tomato pattern called Mia. I really enjoyed working with the faux leather, and used the scraps to make myself a fannie pack. Then, my husband decided he wanted the fanny pack.
October 2022
I didn’t finish any other projects until Halloween inspired me!
I made a zig-zag table runner with a charm pack and a pinwheel decorative pillow with the leftovers. While it’s not exactly amazing sewing, I also made a Lilo costume, using invisible thread to applique leaves to my dress. I didn’t learn that much! I just enjoyed sewing for fun.
November 2022
In November, I made some more decorative pillows. I made the yellow and grey one with scraps from my husband’s New Year’s blanket. I also make the turkey one from scraps. I learn how to do trapunto with the turkey pillow.
December 2022
In December, I made a couple of gifts for a friend. While this friendship did not last, making the pillow was a HUGE turning point for me. I got really into paper piecing when I realized how small and precise you can make things.
I was REALLY, REALLY broke during this time, so I am proud to say that I spent ZERO dollars on this gift. The pattern for the pillow was a free pattern from QuietPlay. The fabrics were all scraps. From the pony birthday quilt and one of my dissertation quilts (post coming soon).
So let’s start in January of 2022! This is the year when my stuff actually started looking good, and I gained a lot of confidence in my skills. I think this was a SUPER productive year.
Remember when I said that the green quilt for my neighbor was my first quilt? Well…it was my first FINISHED quilt. But in January of 2022, I finished my actual first quilt…the first one I’d ever started. I intended to give it to my husband for Christmas, but I did not finish it until New Year’s.
The pattern is called Civil War Scrappy, and it’s from a book called Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintot. Again, my mom gave me the yellow and grey jelly roll when I told her that these are my husband’s favourite colours. I bought the gunge fabric from my local quilt shop in Tucson, Quilt Basket.
This quilt was a bit of a disaster. Mostly because I did not have a seam grunge on my Featherweight when I started quilting, and I just assumed that the edge of the foot was 1/4 inch. So all of the seams on these blocks as actually about 1/8 of an inch. I also decided that I wanted to mostly hand-quilt this full-sized quilt, and I did not have any experience with hand quilting. I used a combination of straight-line quilting and big stitch hand quilting. My mom noted that it was not enough quilting, so I used a tack stitch on my Husquavarna to emulate a tied centre.
So in this quilt, I learned about seam allowances and hand quilting. I also learned about strip piecing. Even though I have to repair this quilt often–the seams pop every once in a while–we will use this quilt all of the time. It’s still Darren’s favorite quilt.
In Tucson, I was also determined that I wanted to learn to play an instrument. I paid for banjo lessons for TWO YEARS and never really learn to play. But I did make this cool banjo strap.
When my niece turned 5, my sister bought her a “big girl bed.” I made this bedroom set for her 5th birthday. I had just bought the layer cake from Missouri Star on Black Friday. The pattern for the quilt is Double Sliced Cake. I also made the matching pillows so the set felt complete.
With this project, I learned the burrito method for making pillowcases. I also got better at straight-line quilting. Looking back, I cannot believe I quilted this all on my Featherweight.
I guess I did nothing but sew in January! I also made this travel bag for my niece. I noticed she likes to keep her books and toys in the car, and I imagined she would strap this bag to the seat in front of her to keep her car toys organized. I used leftover fabrics from her pinafores last April. I also really liked these Fancy Zips from Missouri Star. They are so cute and easy to install.
When I made this bag, I started making things without a pattern.
With my new skill of sewing without patterns, I decided to make my sister a bag too. I used my own mini backpack as inspiration, and I penny-pieced all of my scraps that I got from an older friend.
This bag was really cute, but it did not last long. First, it was wonky because the front and back were not the exact same shape. I should have traced the top to make the bottom. I also used an invisible zipper instead of a bag zipper, which was not durable enough.
I guess I did nothing in January except sew. Here is the last project that I finished in January. I made this quilt jacket from the Paola Workwear Jacket Sewing Pattern. It used to be a free pattern! The fabrics are from a layer cake by Art Gallery Fabrics. For this project, I accidentally doubled the batting inside, so is really really too warm to wear in Tucson. I also really struggled with putting the collar on; it never was perfect. But I always got compliments when I wore it.
While making this project, I learned how to line a jacket. I actually never learned how to put on a collar, but I made my first attempt.
I recently gave this jacket to my friend, Kristen. Since we started wieght-lifting, my shoulders are too big for this jacket. I am thinking to make a new one soon.
This is Kristen, who later inherited the quilt jacket!
Comments closed
After five years of quilting, I have started to lose track of all of my projects that I’ve made. As I have gained confidence in my quilting skills, I’ve slowed the process of documenting my work.
I wanted to create this space to reflect back on all that I have made. I will be adding images of as many works as I have pictures of to note what inspired each piece and where it went.
I started sewing again in 2020, during the pandemic. In my working memory, I have always known how to use a sewing machine. My mom taught me at a very early age. She used to make me shirts to match her nursing scrubs as early as 3 years old. I was always delighted by the fun fabrics she brought home. I learned to sew in order to make Halloween and Renaissance festival costumes, always a great joy to turn fabrics into clothes that let me live a fantasy. It was always a family adventure, but usually only once or twice a year as a family project with my mom. I guess I took my knowledge of sewing for granted.
During the pandemic, I pulled my sewing machine out of the closet because we couldn’t buy masks. I took old sheets and hair ties, and I turned them into masks.
My first masks made from old sheets and hair tiesEventually, I got fancy. I made these masks for my sister’s wedding to match our outfits.
Then in 2021, I decided I wanted to learn to quilt. I grew up in Hamilton, Missouri. It’s a small town that is now known as Quilt Town USA. As I was growing up, it was a desolate place. There was our school, subway, a gas station, and not much else. The entire downtown area was filled with abandoned storefronts with busted-out windows. Around the time I went to college, Missouri Star Quilt Company started buying up the buildings and turning them into quilt shops. They fixed up the old buildings, restoring them. Then, they built a distribution center. Now, the whole town is filled with quilt shops, and it’s a tourist spot for quilters. My mom picked up quilting, and I longed to share a hobby with her. I wanted to reconnect with her like we used to when we would make Halloween costumes.
April 2021:
I made these little pinafores for my niece around easter time. My mother had purchased the fabric several years before and had this pattern already picked out for them. I just made it happen. My niece used them as aprons for doing crafts.
June 2021
This is my first quilt ever. It’s a jelly roll quilt that I made using fabrics from my mom’s basement, and I found the pattern in a Missouri Star magazine. I bought cheap polyester batting from Walmart and tried to teach myself free-motion machine quilting. It was an ambitious project!
This is another baby quilt that I made for my new niece. I made it from a panel I bought on sale at Missouri Star while I was visiting my mom. For this project, I was also learning how to do free-motion machine quilting. I loved having my mom’s Husqvarna with a stitch regulator. I never could have done this on my own machine. I thought I was really clever hiding the Illuminati symbol in there as a joke. I was a little disappointed to find out that I put the backing fabric (Little Mermaid themed) on upside down.
September 2021
I decided to make my sister a matching diaper bag after I saw a sample bag in the local quilt shop while visiting my mom. Crossroads Quilt Shop, I believe, is now closed. I bought a paper pattern of the older version of Ultimate Travel Bag 2.0. Wow! This was a tough project! I think the new version of the pattern deals better with all of the layers, but this bag has layers and layers of foam and strapping that are a menace to any machine. I made it on my 1948 featherweight.
In this project, I learned the cool trick of covering your strapping with fabric. I also learned about bias binding.
October 2021
In October, I participated in my first swap on r/quiltingblockswap. This pattern is called urban chickens. I made this quilt for my best friend, who has affectionately earned the name Bromie Bear. In the swap, I was assigned to make all purple blocks and mail them to the 12 members of my group. Then, I received their colored blocks. I was so happy with the camaraderie of this Reddit group. My group even decided to send extra strips of fabric to use on the rest of the quilt. I used those to border the silly panel on the front side of the quilt.
In this swap, I met several friends with whom I still text or message on Discord.
In this quilt, I wanted to learn to make prairie points! I have an old quilt made by my brother’s grandma, Amy, in the 1950s, and she used prairie points all around the edge. This inspired me to want to do the same.
November 2021
Laden with Zoom meetings, I was sewing a lot in November. I made this Thanksgiving table runner in just two days. I used the Turkey Trot video from Missouri Star to make the Dresden plate turkeys. My mom sent me this charm pack in the mail. It was by Windam Fabrics. Around this time, I started meeting up with a group of older retired gals on Fridays for quilting and tea. I got the orange and brown fabrics from one of the ladies’ stashes.
In this project, I learned how to make a Dresden plate. I also enjoyed doing matchstick quilting for the first time. Sadly, I no longer have this table runner. In 2023, I used it to wrap up a casserole dish for one of my husband’s work parties, and I accidentally left it at the host’s house. I was too intimidated to reach out the the lady who hosted the party, so I left it. I hope she enjoys it.
I made this adorable lunch box for my father-in-law. Inspired by his love of Mexican food and his very large moustache, I enjoyed personalising the fabrics. I got the moustache fabric from my friend, Gale, who hosted a quilting and tea event every friday. I am so sad we no longer have Alexander Henry fabrics. The pattern (as you see in the photos) was Grab Some Grub 2.0.
This was my first time using stretchy mesh. I really appreciated how this pattern fixed some of the issues I had with the layers in the older By Annie pattern. I did put the clip on wonky. Looking back now, I wish I had taken the time to seam rip and centre it.
Finally, I made this batik quilt for my friend, Kristen, as a birthday gift. She is such a quirky delight of a person, and I wanted to make something as bright and happy as her personality. I got this charm pack from my mom in the mail.
December 2021
In December, I decided to make some stockings from my scraps. The lining from the stockings was an old chair cover that my neighbour, Cheryl (who got the first quilt), gave me. In this project, I learned to penny piece. We still use these stockings. In fact, they are hanging right now!
I consider this bag, which I made for my mother-in-law, a failure. I hated the color combinations. The edges of the bag sank in. Oh well! I still gave it to her for Christmas.
