While I have sewn everything from clothing/mending to costumes to all sorts of bags and blankets during those years, it has been for family, friends, and charitable organizations. The first bag I made was a purse way back in the 70's and then a diaper bag when I started having children. Once my husband started the organic produce business in the 80's, I made shopping bags to sell at our stand at
the local Farmer's market to reduce the need for our customers to use plastic bags. Some were made of "funky" fabric and even old jeans from my husband and sons but always fun. I have become the proverbial bag lady making bags for each of my jobs as a registered nurse and even color coding the bags for each of the courses I taught at the College of Nursing. During the 2 years before I retired from teaching, I made these wonderful sturdy work bags for the graduates each semester knowing how much these new nurses would need them during their career. Sewing the blankets started with preparing for the birth of my own children in the 80"s. They were simple block quilts in all different colors and textures of fabric but also with the satin binding reminiscent of my childhood blanket. I have lost count of all the baby blankets I made for family, friends, and coworkers over the years. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina occurred, I added making "throws" for people devastated by this disaster. It fueled my love for colors and textures in fabric and I ended up making two of each blanket--one to give away and one to keep for potential grandchildren. My stash of blankets and throws outgrew my storage area so then I would very reluctantly have to let go of some of them. Thanks to the gift of a lot of fabric from friends who inherited it from relatives, I have continued to make bags and blankets to give away to many charitable organizations during the years. Gradually I started hand quilting baby blankets as a way to keep my hands busy and helping me focus during meetings, church, and even when chatting with friends. While I have do some basic piece quilting and machine quilting, I actually love so many of the patterns on the fabric, that I prefer to hand quilt around some of the figures rather than cutting up the pattern. It definitely takes a lot more time to do these especially with attempting to quilt around many of the figures in order to secure the blanket well. So when I retired from my fulltime teaching position in December of 2022, I was committed to using up my out- of-hand stash of fabric. I spent the winter of 2023 hibernating and sewing mostly bags and blankets. I started by going with my friend and neighbor, Crafty Granny Cheryl, to a local craft fair sponsored by a the Home and Community Education organization. This organization is loosely connected to the Farm Bureau and I had started sewing with our local groups making weighted blankets for children with autism. Having then taken some time to finish a few of my own quilt projects during the summer, I started sewing more bags and blankets as well as some of other craft items in preparation for the Christmas Craft sale in November. So, now I will be posting photos and prices for the items I have and continue to make. I will do custom made items as well, but will need to have a discussion regarding specifics and the time frame. I do not have a specific website, but can be contacted via this FB site, via email, via messenger, and even by phone as long as you text me first. I can take credit and debit cards online or in person if that is more convenient but haven't moved into the world of venmo. Delivery outside of my local communities would add the cost of delivery. If nothing else, look at the photos and enjoy the varieties of colors and styles.
