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I'm stepping out of my safe zone, big time. It's so easy to stay in my studio and make purses. But now it's time to step it up. I did that last fall when I spoke to the Women's Group in Palos about
Sew Powerful. Now? I'm going to the International Quilt Festival at Rosemont to help set up and man the Sew Powerful booth. The purpose? To find and encourage others to make purses.These six purses are the most special ones I've made, knowing that they will be handled and touched. I think it will be fun to meet Jason and Cinnamon Miles, the brains behind Sew Powerful. And I'm excited about meeting some other purse makers whom I have "met" on Facebook. Along with these six purses I have 24 more. These purses, along with purses from some makers in Indiana, will be used to decorate the Sew Powerful booth as we "troll for pursemakers" and tell the Sew Powerful story.
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I wouldn't let myself work on a new tote until I finished the purses above. The new tote is the Noodlehead Super Tote (upper left bag). Notice I have a full set of "luggage" made from a fabric crush - it's from the Hello Bear collection by Bonnie Christine, Art Gallery Fabrics.The bottom left bag is my travel bag. The bottom right is my daily purse. And the upper right? All I know is that I like it. But like the shot cottons I mentioned earler, I am almost at the end of this fabric and finally ready to let it go.
The wonder of the Internet is that I have some Canadian friends. One of them tipped me off to a block-a-week quiltalong hosted by the Canadian Quilters Association
https://canadianquilter.com/quilt-canada-2019/. Here's what I've made so far. These blocks are 6.5" each, and there will be 52 at the end. I have been using the closest scraps at hand. No surprise that these scraps have no color. It's a pleasant change from the purses.
I finished my polar vortex quilt - these peppered shot cottons and a wool batting were wonderful to sit under and quilt. The quilting represents 8 weeks of winter evenings. And now it's waiting for its owner - whoever it may be - to claim it.
I'm taking a break from sewing although I have a lot more to say about current and future projects. My studio has a closet that needs sorting and organizing. That's my task for the rest of this month. But April? Look out!
