2023 Make Nine recap

It's a wrap! Make Nine 2023 finished up in early November with the last UFO prompt fulfilled.

Make Nine 2023 completed tracker.

Make Nine 2023 Finishes

In order of completion, these are my Make Nine finishes for 2023:

• New to Me in ’23 came the first month of the year with the January Junk Journal Challenge. (January)
• Stash Buster was a yarn stash buster this year. The Inclinations Shawl was completed inFebruary and now that the weather is cold again, it gets much use. (February)
• Make it Again was a long sleeve Bristol top with Art Gallery knits. (March)
• Wild Card 1 was another Bristol Top with long sleeves in green knit fabrics for St. Patrick’s Day. (March)
• Mend/Repurpose a new binding was put on a well-used, well-loved, vintage quilt. Now it’s a time-span quilt and a collaboration with Anonymous. (May)
• Online Challenge was a new prompt for 2023. I participated in the World Watercolor Challenge. (July)
• Wild Card 2 was for the kitties at the Cat Clinic. They received 12 new scrappy kitty quilts this summer. (July)
• Fast and Fun were three cuddle quilts for my guild’s community service project. (August)
• UFO was a productive prompt. I had fabrics set aside for a pair of pants and a jacket. The pattern pieces for the Valencia pants had been cut out for a while. I completed both in time for a business conference and have worn both pieces a lot since. It was a beneficial investment of time to get these pieces finished. (November)

This past year, the Make Nine challenge has been beneficial to my skill development, my art practice, my wardrobe, and to the charities I am happy to support.

I’m planning to participate in Make Nine again in the new year. Who’s with me?

Jackets need pockets! Use the selvedge for a clever detail

Need pockets? You bet! Pants, jackets, skirts, shorts... they all need pockets. If these wardrobe pieces don't have them, they get added.

Make Nine cotton/linen jacket with a patch pocket

This cotton/linen jacket is one of my Make Nine 2023 projects. It was finished just in the nick-o'-time to wear at a business conference at the end of October, but I didn't have time to add a pocket.

Incorporate an interesting selvedge on your pocket

Fabric selvedges these days are decorative as well as functional and informative. Many printed fabrics—especially in the quilting industry—have information such as the fabric collection and designer's names printed on the selvedge in addition to the classic "color dot" registration marks. The typefaces used often reflect the theme or aesthetic of the printed design, as well.

Closeup of information on the selvedge.

For this patch pocket, I used an offcut piece of the fabric from the jacket. It was serendipitous that this scrap had a selvedge and the printing—the fabric line and designer name—on it. 

Trimming the scrap into a long rectangle, I folded it nearly in half, sewed the sides, turned it to the right side, and flipped the selvedge edge over at the top of the pocket. The hand embroidery secured the flap to the body of the pocket and the perle cotton thread color echoed the colors of the jacket lining. 

A few weeks ago, the pocket came on the road to West Virginia with me as my "hand work" project. It's now [hand] sewn on the jacket's inside.

Patch pocket attached by hand to the inside of the jacket.

Even though the pocket can't be seen on the outside, it has fun details!

Final Make Nine 2023 project: jacket and pants

I’m counting this ensemble—a jacket and pants—as my final Make Nine project for 2023! I’ve had the pants pattern pieces cut out for quite a while, and the other fabrics were in the stash. Both were waiting for inspiration and motivation to strike… not to mention finding time to sew. 

Cotton/linen jacket, Make Nine 2023

Event deadline = Motivation

With my plans to attend the International Quilt Market, I had the motivation needed to get on with the sewing. It always feels a bit special to wear something “new” to a business event, so this was the perfect impetus for a sewing episode.

Patterns and materials

The pants pattern is a frequently used one for me—the Valencia pants [from The Sewing Workshop]. The Raggy Jacket is my go-to pattern for a jacket. I’ve made several jackets over the years with this pattern. The pattern pieces are sized and I’m familiar with the construction.

The Valencia Pants and Raggy Jacket patterns: both frequently used for my garment makes.

Pants and Jacket materials:

• the pants fabric is a yarn-dyed woven [Diamond Textiles]. The pants were already cut out, complete with tailor tacks! 
• the outer fabric for the jacket is a cotton/linen blend [FIGO Fabrics]
• the lining is a cotton voile [Art Gallery Fabrics]
• middle layer of the jacket was a light colored cotton quilting fabric
• the decorative quilting thread is a variegated 40 wt cotton thread [YLI]

Garment construction

The Valencia pants are a one-seam pants with a partial elastic wasteband. My hack for this pattern is the addition of two patch pockets. Since the pieces were already cut out and marked, this was a relatively quick finish.

The Valencia one-seam pants.

The jacket required more time. After laying out and cutting all the jacket pieces, quilting guidelines were marked with a Chaco Liner. I “quilt” the individual jacket pieces—fronts, back, sleeves—with the fashion fabric, a cotton or muslin middle layer, and the lining.

Marking stitching guidelines with a white Chaco liner.

The quilting stitch pattern is a combination of a straight stitch and a built-in decorative stitch on my machine. It looks a bit like barbed wire, but it complemented the graphic, wood cut design on the fabric.

Decorative stitch pattern for quilting the jacket pieces.

One of the finishing tasks for the jacket is deciding on the buttons. This is always an extensive auditioning process. (I admit I have a “healthy” button collection.)

Choosing buttons. Always, so many options!

Matching the fabric motifs

The print of this fabric made for a challenging layout process—making sure the motifs lined up. It was not the best choice of fabrics for the time constraints and deadline, but I was curious about sewing with a linen fabric and in the end, it turned out fine. I learned a lot about pattern layout and lining up motifs from making my kalamkari jacket, using the same jacket pattern.

My new cotton/linen jacket. A Make Nine 2023 finish.

Make Nine 2023 is complete!

This concludes my Make Nine Challenge for this year. My new jacket and pants are fulfilling the “UFO” prompt. It’s been a productive year.

Fulfilling the “UFO” prompt for Make Nine 2023.

Completed Make Nine 2023 tracker.

Make Nine finish #8: fast and fun cuddle quilts

In a recent post, I published tips and ideas for making quilts using time-saving techniques, fabrics, and tools. These ideas were used for three charity quilts that were completed for my guild's community service project. I'm using this "finish" to fulfil my Make Nine "Fast and Fun" prompt this year. 

"Fast and Fun" prompt for Make Nine 2023 is fulfilled.

Initially, I thought my "Fast and Fun" prompt might be fulfilled with a set of pillowcases—also a fun project—which I usually make for gifts throughout the year. It just goes to show that one never knows what projects will be put in one's path... these quilts crossed my path first.

Here are the three completed cuddle quilts (charity quilts) for my guild's community service project. With some planning and time-saving construction ideas, they were fast and fun!

Three finished charity quilts.

Now I'm feeling ahead of the game with Make Nine this year—with only one prompt remaining. The last prompt is a UFO finish. 

Oh, I have plenty of options for this one!

Make Nine 2023 tracker, August 2023.

Creative Tracker update: a daily practice = productivity

It’s early August and two-thirds of the year is in the record book. My Create Daily Tracker is progressing nicely and I’ve also happily fulfilled 7 of 9 Make Nine 2023 prompts. 

Create Daily Tracker, August 2023

The blue boxes in the Create Daily Tracker document my two 100 Day Projects this year. Both projects—100 Days of Hand Lettering and 100 Days of Textile and Stitch Collage—provided growth in my art and stitching skills. The other colorful boxes on the tracker represent creative activities such as slow stitching, patchwork, knitting, garment sewing, and free-motion quilting.

Make Nine 2023 tracker, August 2023.

Watercolor and Slow Drawing

I participated in an online Challenge last month called "World Watercolor Month" and occasionally marry watercolor painting with slow drawing. The lime green colored squares on the Create Daily Tracker reflect these art practices. This online Challenge was also a Make Nine project for me.

Slow drawing on watercolor.

Knitting dishcloths with a slip stitch pattern

Recently, I’ve picked up my knitting needles and cotton yarn to make hand knit dish cloths (the lavender colored boxes). These are easy, mindful, and portable projects. I have the slip stitch pattern memorized and this is a convenient project on which to put in a few rows at the end of a day.

Knitting dishcloths with slip stitch pattern.

Improvisational patchwork: triangles

After finishing 12 kitty quilts—which are always improvisationally pieced with scraps and discontinued fabric samples—I pulled out a 2012 UFO [unfinished object] and am doing experimentation with improvisational patchwork. I'm starting with improv triangles. Patchwork is represented by the orange colored boxes in the Tracker.

Improv triangles.

Mindless patchwork and charity quilts

The design wall is always full of work in-progress... quilt layouts, test blocks, PFDs (projects half done). I did purge some scraps for a charity cuddle quilt for my guild. Sewing rectangle blocks is relaxing and good mindless patchwork.

Design wall with various in-progress work.

It's also a good feeling to achieve a "finish" now and then, even if it's from a less time-consuming project.

Finished cuddle quilt top.

Organizing the scrap pile

I gathered together the piles of half-square triangles [HSTs] created from leaders and enders and now have them in a box. These HSTs are made from the diagonal joins on scrappy bindings and "daughter blocks" from making flying geese and other flippy-corner units. 

Scrappy half-square triangles.

It's fun to do these in batches: press a bunch, then clip the dog ears and square up a bunch.

Storage box for triangle scraps and finished HSTs.

Don't know yet what these HSTs will ultimately become. For now, they're all in a box. Any ideas on what to make with multi-size, scrappy half-square triangles?

July and the World Watercolor Month Challenge, and Make Nine finish #7

At the beginning of this month, I came across the World Watercolor Month challenge on Instagram. The challenge was to paint 31 watercolors, one for each of the 31 days of July. I’ve painted and posted a daily watercolor all month (the final post is tomorrow) and it’s been good for my art practice and a fun experience.

Prompt: Fragment, World Watercolor Month, July 2023
Watercolor, Posca paint marker and Micron pen.

There were 31 daily prompts for Challenge participants to respond to in their watercolor. The prompts were optional, but a good opportunity to stretch one’s imagination. These are my personal favorites of the watercolor compositions I painted and the prompts that inspired them.

Prompt: Recycle

Above: I “recycled” motifs from two previous compositions–the larger circles and the smaller pebbles.

Below: Overlapping rings in warm and cool tones of "aubergine."

Prompt: Aubergine

Prompt: Detour

Above: Watercolor combined with slow drawing. This one, called "Detour," seemed to be a favorite of my IG and Facebook viewers.

Below: A daily practice is "valuable" in developing skills and strengthening creativity and the thought process. These watercolor botanicals will be used as fodder for art journaling projects.

Prompt: Valuable

Prompt: Mechanism

Above: The watercolor shapes in the background is a "mechanism"{ for slow drawing and mark making in the foreground. This composition illustrates the concept of layers.

Below: At the urging of an artist friend to explore these darker, moodier colors, I did a few compositions using a palette of dark blues, indigo and near-black watercolors. Details were added with a white Posca paint pen and a Micron pen. The second of the series in this color palette is shown above, in Fragment.

Prompt: Risky

Make Nine finish #7

This is the first Challenge I’ve done with the watercolor medium. The timeframe of 31 days was achievable, the daily practice was good for me, and the prompts were interesting and provided a path for the compositions. 

Make Nine 2023: Online Challenge prompt

I'm counting this Watercolor Challenge as fulfilment of my Make Nine 2023 "Online Challenge" prompt. 

12 kitty quilts donated. 6th Make Nine finish for 2023

Yesterday, we dropped off 12 kitty quilts to the Cat Clinic of Chattanooga. These charity quilts are pieced and quilted throughout the year as time permits… or when I need an improv patchwork project to occupy my hands with something mindful. 

Twelve kitty quilts with scrappy bindings for the cats at the Cat Clinic of Chattanooga.

I use up scraps and discontinued fabric samples to piece these quilt tops and I attach the scrappy bindings by machine.

A Scooter Cat reception at the Cat Clinic

Jessie and Walker, two of the Cat Clinic's scooter kitties, were out in the front reception area when we arrived. 

Here is Walker, one of the scooters.

Jennifer, one of the techs, says that Dolly, another of the scooter kitties, has a particular affinity for the quilts. She expects a different one to be put on the floor every day... just for her. 

Dolly on a new quilt. Photo credit: Cat Clinic of Chattanooga.

Scrappy patchwork for kitty quilts

Here are photos of this batch of scrappy kitty quilts. The patchwork for the quilt tops include a variety of fun prints and geometric patterns—cactus, sugar skulls, farm animals, snowmen, aliens, circles, dots and stripes—in a rainbow of colors that are puzzled together to a size approximately 25” x 27”.

Four of twelve donated kitty quilts.

I practice free-motion quilting on these quilts and sometimes try to come up with new design combinations.

Four of twelve donated kitty quilts.

Four of twelve donated kitty quilts.

The quilts all have either a flannel backing or flannel on the front with a cotton backing. 

Showing the flannel and cotton backings on the kitty quilts.

I try to donate a batch of these quilts each year. Although I've not counted, I imagine there have been close to 50 quilts donated to the Cat Clinic over the years. The kitties and the staff at the Cat Clinic love them. What’s better than that?

Make Nine 2023 finish #6

I’m also counting these 12 charity quilts for one of the Wild Card prompts for my Make Nine 2023.

"Wild Card" prompt for Make Nine 2023.

Make Nine 2023 tracker, July 2023.

12 scrappy kitty quilts donated July 15, 2023.

A new binding on a vintage quilt, Make Nine finish #5

This vintage quilt has been in need of some "mending love" for quite a while. My Make Nine 2023 "Mend/Repurpose" prompt was just the thing to get this project into the queue. 

Vintage quilt with worn and frayed binding.

Analysis of the vintage quilt

As was often done in the past on utility quilts, the backing fabric (feed sacks, in this case) was used as the binding instead of a separate strip of fabric attached to the edge. The backing fabric was brought around to the front of the quilt—wrapping around and enclosing the edges of the quilt—and then hand stitched to the front to secure. 

It appears there may have been multiple backings on this quilt.

The backing of this vintage quilt was pieced. The fabrics appeared to be feed sacks or flour sacks. The quilt was hand quilted.

Pieced quilt backing made from feed sacks or flour sacks.

There were a few worn places in the patchwork that needed mending. Here is a reproduction fabric that I used to simulate the print and colors of the vintage fabrics.

A worn out area in the patchwork and the replacement fabric.

A new binding 

I had several options for a binding fabric. It was difficult to match the white color of the original binding fabric, so I had to choose something that was "intentionally" different. I opted not to use a very contrasting color—like choosing a color from the patchwork—in order to keep with the feel of the original maker's color scheme. 

Binding fabric options.

I chose Decostitch 715, cafe latte (second from top) from Art Gallery Fabrics. Decostitch has a subtle print that looks like hand stitching and the color did not call attention to itself. 

Double fold fabric for the new binding.

In keeping with the original binding technique, the new binding was machine sewn to the back of the quilt and brought around to the front side for hand stitching. I didn't try to unpick or remove the old binding, but rather covered the frayed edges with a new fabric binding.

New binding machine stitched to the back of the quilt.

Here is a comparison of the newly bound corner and the worn binding at another corner.

Worn and frayed binding (right) and the new binding (left).

Another block with holes was covered with new fabric and then re-quilted by hand. I used a long staple 100% organic cotton thread (2 ply 50 wt.) from Scanfil for both machine and hand stitching the binding, and for hand appliquéing the patches and hand quilting where needed.

An appliquéd patch to cover a frayed area.

Here are the newly-bound edges and corners of this vintage quilt. 

Edges of the vintage quilt with a new binding.

This is officially a time-span quilt that spans the 20th and 21st centuries.

New binding on a vintage quilt.

Make Nine 2023 5th finish

This project fulfils my "Mend/Repurpose" prompt for Make Nine 2023. It's my fifth finish this year.

Make Nine 2023, Mend/Repurpose prompt.

Make Nine 2023 tracking, May 21, 2023.