A kantha-stitched book cover: completing a 2017 project for Make Nine 2025

It only took eight years, but I can finally call this small hand-crafted artist’s book “finished”! I’m counting it as fulfilling the second UFO prompt for Make Nine 2025. 

Artist’s book with a kantha stitched fabric cover.
Interior pages consist of various mark-making techniques and collage.

A book of mark-making 

This piece began as a mark-making exercise in a workshop with Dorothy Caldwell in the summer of 2017. The interior pages of this book are made of long, narrow strips of paper that were painted, inked, and collaged—experiments using different mark-making techniques and tools.

A page spread of the book.

Each page spread is a little world—layered with marks, pattern, shadow, and intuition. Some feel like meditative sketches with spontaneous marks. 

Another page spread with inked marks and collage.

The pages are folded into three signatures, sewn together with a woven binding. The book, when opened, can lie flat. 

Woven binding hold the three signatures together.

The kantha stitched cover

The cover was also a long narrow piece of black cotton fabric. The texture and hint of color is created by rows and rows of simple running stitches—the kantha embroidery technique we were learning in the workshop. I used embroidery floss, both single strand and multi-strand, and let the needle meander across the fabric. 

Kantha stitched cover.

The single strands of colored floss provide a subtle contrast to the black fabric base, and a soft, delicate complement to the more dominant, white stitching lines. This cover was stitched intentionally—not fast, not perfect, just by being present. 

Running stitches with colored and white embroidery floss.

Combining cover and signatures… just do it 

The stitched cover and the book pages lay together for years, knowing they were meant to go together. My dilemma, however, was how to attach the cover to the text pages. Make a wrap-around cover with a tie? A cover with a snap? or button closure? This was the step that stalled the completion of the book for so long. 

Returning home with energy and excitement from a recent quilting class at the Folk School, I had a burst of inspiration and immediacy to complete this UFO. The time had come to just “figure it out!” I decided to create a “book jacket” (of sorts) for the book. The two short ends of the cover were turned to the inside and stitched, creating pockets for the first and last pages of the book to slide into.

The ends of the cover folded over to create pockets for the book.

Front page inserted into the book jacket.

The kantha stitching was completed in 2017. The edges of this fabric piece, however, were stitched this month (August 2025) with a blanket stitch to enclose edges and minimize fraying.

The last page inserted into the book jacket.

The final result is a tactile skin for my little book of marks: a soft cover, richly textured with slow stitching, that wraps around pages already brimming with expression. The perfect complement! The imperfections of the stitching as well as the painted and drawn marks show the hand of the maker… from cover to cover. 

Finished artist’s book with a hand stitched cover.

Inserting the signatures into the pockets of the “book jacket” felt like the last step in the ceremony. After all this time, the project finally had its resolution. It was not just a collection of pages and fabric, but a completed book. A united entity unto itself.  

Creativity is not linear

There’s something deeply satisfying about finishing a long-dormant project. It reminds me that creativity isn’t linear—that even unfinished work holds value, and that returning to something old can still feel fresh and alive. It reminded me of the past experience when it was first created, but it also resonates with the present.

Make Nine 2025 UFO prompt fulfilled.

So here it is: another UFO prompt for Make Nine 2025 completed. Not late, just… right on time.

Make Nine 2025 tracker. August 2025.

A Wild Card finish for Make Nine 2025 with Junk Journal July

As with most Challenges, finishing Junk Journal July was a rewarding accomplishment—responding to the prompts, learning how to use cool art supplies, creating pages and spreads, and letting intuition lead the way. A recap of my Junk Journal July is in his blog post. With that, I’m checking off the box for the second Wild Card prompt in Make Nine 2025. 

Junk Journal July fulfills the second “Wild Card” prompt in Make Nine 2025.

Continuing my art practice

July may be over, but I continue to fill the extra pages in my July Junk Journal with collage, hand lettering, and slow drawing. The creative practice from doing Junk Journal July continues, but now it’s a calming contrast to the fast pace of daily prompts, and a chance to slow down and create more deliberately—when the muse strikes and without any pressure of a deadline. 

Collaged spread in the junk journal.

The journal is becoming more complete and meaningful as I continue to work in its pages.

In-progress spread in the junk journal.

Journals with longevity

I’m glad I had the forethought to add extra pages in my junk journals—more than what is needed for the month of the Challenge. It gives my journals longevity. It provides continuity to the creative process. 

A page spread with slow drawing.

There is space for making more art… or to go back into earlier pages to add detail. Sometimes, meaningful creative moments come when we allow ourselves to wander and play without a plan. 

Collage and hand lettering page.

Here’s to another Make Nine finish and filling more journal pages in the months to come. Letting creativity evolve… even after a challenge has concluded.

Free-motion Quilting Magic at the Folk School

The first weekend in August, the quilting studio at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC was buzzing with creativity and the hum of sewing machines as ten enthusiastic students gathered for a weekend workshop in the art of free-motion quilting. This was my third time teaching this subject at the Folk School and each time was a fantastic experience.

The first evening we discussed basting the quilt sandwich,

On the first evening, we started with the fundamentals: discussing terminology, machine setup, needle and thread choices. Basting the quilt sandwich and a demonstration of the Kwik Klip tool is a reminder that a well-basted quilt is one of the keys to successful free-motion quilting.

Drawing motifs for muscle memory

The next day, the hands-on exercises commenced with drawing continuous line motifs in a sketchbook. If you can draw it—or doodle it—you can quilt it, right?

Gayle draws continuous line designs.

Cindy practicing FMQ shapes in her sketchbook.

I love that eveyone’s interpretation of a motif is slightly different and shows the personality of the quilter. Just like we all use the same 26 letters of the alphabet but each person’s handwriting is unique.

Ruth drawing in her sketchbook.

Leslie (below) was quite adept at the continuous line patterns that involved the lower case “e” and “l” shapes as those letters are prominent in her name. We all like to draw the shapes we are most familiar, and those are a great place to start for free-motion quilting!

Leslie drawing in her sketchbook.

After practicing the basic shapes, the sketchbook pages slowly began to be filled with unique combinations of motifs, reflecting each student’s personality. 

Combining different patterns to create something new.

From drawing to quilting

From the sketchbooks, we turned to quilting on fabric quilt sandwiches.

Melanie practices free-motion quilting.

Exploring free-motion possibilities with feed dogs disengaged, students strived to balance the speed of the sewing machine with the speed in which they guided the quilt sandwich under the needle.

Leslie (left) and Karen concentrate on moving the quilt sandwiches. 

Jan practicing her free-motion quilting.

There were a few wobbly lines and hesitant curves at first, which is entirely expected and part of the learning process. But with each quilted line, curve, and swirl, confidence began to emerge.

Marsha practices continuous line motifs.

Becky stops to load a new bobbin.

Students began to embrace curved and geometric continuous line designs, how to travel across the surface connecting one motif to the next, and the meditative rhythm that makes free-motion quilting another opportunity to incorporate design and pattern into a quilt top. 

Drawing, watching, doing 

The quilting studio is equipped with a camera and large screen TV that facilitates live demonstrations of me doing free-motion at the sewing machine. Several students said they liked just watching me quilt various motifs—feathers, spirals, pebbles, etc—and traveling from one motif to the next in order to fill the space across the quilt top.

Large screen TV facilitates quilting demonstrations.

The studios at the Folk School are open in the evening should students like to work. Several students continued to practice in the quilting studio, and one student brought a small lap quilt top that we got basted.

My studio assistant, Geri (left) and Brittney. Brittney’s lap quilt is on the table.

I brought two scrappy charity quilt tops to work on after hours. I got both of these “kitty quilt tops” quilted and they are ready for binding.

The quilting studio with the sewing machines humming.

Recap

On the last day of my free-motion workshops, I ask students for their take-aways and “light bulb” moments. This helps me fine tune the class or the supply list for future workshops. Here are their comments: 

• I would have thrown the quilt at the wall after the first hour if I was trying to learn this on my own from a book. Having [an instructor] watching me, answering questions, and advising in real time was beneficial to my learning. 
• I learned that free-motion quilting is not a technique. It’s an art form. 
• Now I understand the process. And I have “names” for the different parts of this process. 
• Seeing your work was inspiring and provided more ideas [for quilting designs] than the basic meander pattern I thought I would be learning. 
• I realized I [the machine speed] had to go faster for the stitches to be consistent and the lines smooth.
• Working on “bigger” motifs helped.
• Many stated they realized the relationship between drawing in the sketchbook and working at the sewing machine. 
• Several students said they liked just watching me quilt various motifs—feathers, spirals, pebbles, etc—and maneuvering the quilt to fill the space with the designs. 
• Realizing that the quilting contributed to the design of the quilt, students wanted more discussion on choosing quilting patterns to complement the patchwork. They were interested in how to approach the machine quilting as a design element and not just a functional aspect.

Overall, students thought the pace of the class was good and there was a mix of different exercises, demonstrations, and the show and tell. I also got suggestions for future classes, and the possibility of a full week free-motion class.

Thanks for a great weekend!

Thank you to all the students who traveled the distance to the Folk School to spend the weekend with me in my Intro to Free-motion Quilting class! You were a fabulous group, asked great questions, and you all made excellent progress in just a weekend. Thanks again to my wonderful studio assistant, Geri, for all you do to document our experience—with camera and computer—and keep me on track.

Thank you to Geri, my wonderful assistant.

And thank you to the staff at the John C. Campbell Folk School for providing such a nurturing creative space. Can’t wait to do it again soon!

Our friend outside the weaving and quilting studios patiently awaits our return.

The googly-eyed rock outside the fiber arts studios.

My 5th Junk Journal: the recurring joy of collage, layering, and hand lettering

This July marked my fifth time participating in a Junk Journal Challenge. My first Junk Journal was January of 2023, followed by Junk Journal January 2024, Junk Journal July 2024, Junk Journal January 2025 and now July 2025. Each journal feels just as exciting and fresh as the first. 

Opening page of my Junk Journal for July 2025.

What started as a fun, creative, month-long experiment in 2023 seems to have become an annual ritual—one that inspires me, challenges me, and reminds me to slow down and enjoy the process of art making. The challenge sets the stage to create freely in a handmade or altered journal, using what I have—scraps, ephemera, paint, found objects from daily life—to tell a story on each page or page spread. The daily prompts are only a guide, and can be foregone if a new path or detour presents itself. 

A few favorite pages

Each journal becomes a visual diary of daily thoughts or prompts. Pages are layered with color, paper, images, stamped motifs, paint, and quite often text. To practice my hand lettering, I search for a quote, poem, or prose that somehow relates to the daily prompt. A different, unexpected composition often emerges when I focus on the quote or poem rather than a literal translation of the prompt.

Two page spread. Prompt: Opening, with quote from Walt Disney (left page).
Prompt: Thankful, features the poem, “Thanks to Flowers.”

Prompt: Vintage.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 was the inspiration.

Two-page spread. Prompt: Favorite Place.

Prompt: Favorite Place.
“Where I Belong” poem appears when two hinged flaps are opened.

Prompt: Sunrise/Sunset and a quote from John Lennon.

Prompts: Torn and Keepsake, paired with “More than just a Teapot.”

Why I keep coming back to junk journaling

This year, a few of my art friends joined me for Junk Journal July. It was so wonderful to see their creations and responses to the prompts. I hope they had fun and will consider doing it with me again in the future. Looking at my own journals over the years, I can remember where I was or what was going on in the world when various pages were created. 

Repetition creates reflection. Coming back to this challenge year after year shows me how my techniques have changed, how I’ve improved, and which tools and mediums are favorites that I return to often.

Prompt: Ribbon. Paired with a watercolor painting and
the first stanza of “The Highwayman,” a ballad by Alfred Noyes.

What 5 Junk Journals have taught me 

When I participate in the Junk Journal Challenges, the aim is not for perfection—the aim is to make art a practice. I let my pages be messy, layered, and real. Some pages are simple, others (when more time is available) are more complex, nuanced, and layered. Junk Journal July is a creative pause, a way to mark time, make art, and capture memories in layers of paper, paint and heart.

The junk journaling process has taught me:

• There are no rules! Some days I draw, paint, or write a lot; other days, it’s a visual collage. 
• Scraps are treasures. That hotel key envelope, a postage stamp, a marketing brochure, or scribbled grocery list? They create memories. They tell a story. 
• Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The Junk Journal is a safe place to try new things—a new tool, a new art supply, a new technique. I don’t have to show the page to anyone if I choose not to. 

What’s Next?

An empty page spread awaits more color and layers.

A pocket filled with collage fodder.

Although Junk Journal July 2025 has wrapped up, I have more pages in my July 2025 junk journal that can be worked and filled. There are two pocket pages filled with collage fodder and other bits of ephemera. The open pages can be filled with slow drawing, collaging, and hand lettering various quotes and other text… adding to my ever-growing collection of messy, layered, artful pages.

My Junk Journal for July 2025.