2020. mixed media journals

like a madwoman, i made a lot of mixed media journals in the lockdown months of 2020. i gave some to my niece. these pictured below i made to have in my stash for documenting lists, gratitude, prayers, a sentence a day, travel stories, etc..

i use all kinds of paper to fill my journals...3x4 journal cards for pocket scrapbooking, 6 x 8 papers, index cards. i sometimes print lines on resume paper or cardstock then cut the paper down to fit the journal i am working on.

like my quilting, i tend to use similar patterns and design elements. no two are exactly alike, however.

i played with adding faces this year and used some paper dolls.

i tried a half circle and letter "D" shape design. it was fun, but hard to cut paper for. i'm going to stick to square or rectangular shapes from now on.

half circle and "D" shape...

5" x 8" landscape...

3" x 5" landscape...

4" x 6" landscape...

3" x 4" portrait...

4" x 6" portrait...

i made a few more, but this is a good record of the majority.

oh, and i use the cinch by we r memory keepers for binding.

after making so many at one time earlier this year, i took a long break from book binding. but i've got 6.5" x 9" book boards on my drafting table with gesso drying. i'm planning to use it for a "kindle 2021: a month of gratitude" journal.

it's time to say goodbye to a crazy 2020 and "burn the b*itch down" in 2021.

rock on!

2020 in quilts...and a rag doll

i choose to document this extraordinary year through my creative endeavors, from quilts to rag dolls and mixed media journals, not facemasks. i didn't sew any facemasks and i certainly didn't take any photos of people...not us or anyone else...in facemasks.

faces are important.

i made three quilts this year and pieced together a top for a fourth.

i previously posted about my pacific northwest t-shirt quilt. it was the first of the year.

this was my second...

my third was for my sister and it matches her bedroom perfectly...

and here's that quilt top i plan to finish in 2021...

i took a little break from the quilting to make a rag doll. here's emma...

i have six photos of my mixed media journals. i'll save those for a separate blog post i'll publish tomorrow to wrap up 2020.

patchwork valances

back in 2015 my big sis asked me to make valances for her kitchen/den and dining room. we picked the colors/fabrics together via e-mail and text messages. i created my own paper pattern, cut the fabric and stitched something of a quilted piece without the batting.

for kitchen/den...

and for the dining room...

she liked them. i liked them. they looked nice up on her windows.

2018 quilts

i made two quilts in 2018. the first is what i'm calling a couch quilt because i specifically sized and designed it to fit an old leather couch that i didn't want to replace quite yet, but had some unsightly rips in the seat cushions.

it was a great project because not only do i get a few more years out of my couch, but i used up a bunch of batiks i had in my fabric stash. the back is a solid dark blue so the quilt is actually reversible. when the front gets dingy or frayed, after a good wash, i can flip it over and have a "new" quilt.

the second quilt was a "three across" lap quilt using more scraps and pieces of fabric from previous projects.

i'm still sewing/quilting on an inexpensive Brother XR9500PRW machine that i've had a few years now. it's proven super dependable, suits my needs and fits my space. i am limited, however, to size. that's why i prefer to keep my projects small, like lap quilt size, and I design my quilts in blocks or rows (as opposed to hourglasses or flying geese, for example) so i can more easily quilt in straight lines, either stitching-in-the-ditch or using the ditch as my guide. it works for me. less stress is best.

t-shirt quilts

i had absolutely no intention of ever making a t-shirt quilt because i had no idea how. but, when i received a special request, i accepted the challenge.

that was late 2017. since then i've made three more.

i don't have permission from one of the owners to share her quilt of great sentimental value, but i think it'll be ok to use a photo that highlights my quilt lines and binding.

my third quilt was for the same, beautiful being that requested my very first, pictured at top. i loved being a girl scout so this one was super fun for me.

i basically used the same "pattern" for the commissioned quilts because the logos i had were different sizes and quite eclectic. i wanted to bring in as many different fabrics and coordinating colors as possible. every step of the way i consulted with my clients and enjoyed the process as well as working relationship.

feeling more confident, i decided to make a quilt with some of my own special t-shirts that have been stored in boxes for too many years. i had several from my first trip to the pacific northwest in 1995 with similar colors and themes that would be perfect for a quilt. i went more "traditional" with the layout, trimming my logos per row. i didn't have very many logos so i decided to mimic more by using larger blocks of fabric in coordinating designs. it's different, but i like it.

i'll be digging through more of my t-shirts for a nice collection i can turn into another lap quilt and continue to explore layouts and designs.