My friend Kris

Now it is time for me to say a little bit about my friend Kris, to whom the March bag is dedicated. Kris and her husband Dave moved next door to us in 1987. However, Kris and I did not develop a deep friendship until several years later, when we formed a writing group together. We used to meet weekly, sharing our different creative efforts. I knew Kris was an artist, but I grew to appreciate her incredible talent, vision, and creativity through the writers' group. She has painted beatufiul pictures, created strong and stunning scultpures, written provocative and lilting poetry and essays, and put together amazing collages and collage books. I am always fascianted by how Kris sees the world through her artist's eyes and what leads her to create the masterpieces she has shared with me. My favorite of her creations is a set of dolls, cut out of African fabric, dangling in a dancing posed, from the ceiling. Each carries something unique in her hand.

In addition to being an artist, Kris is a dedicated teacher or writing, art, healing and the merger of these areas. She gives generously of her time to students in classes, workshops, and in many indepent study projects. Kris also gives her time and energy to the Sexual Violence Center, where she helps survivors heal and face their lives after devastating trauma. What is amazing about Kris is that she does so much for others, gives so much of herself, and yet deals with many severe physical challenges in her own life. It is hard to believe that she often feels so much pain she can harldy move, becuase when she does come out into the world she is so cheerful and warm to everyone she meets. But I know behind the smile is the memory of fatigue, sore muscles, and a body that continually limits and challenges her.

I have learned a termendous amount from my friend Kris, and apprciate what she has given me through her friendship over the past years. Every few weeks we try make a point of having a soy latte together so that we can chat and catch up on our activities, families, and lives. I always feel uplifted and refreshed after one of these coffee dates.

I think you can see why I wanted to donate a quilted bag to the Sexual Violence Cneter in honor of my dear friend Kris. I hope someone bids for and buys this lavender floral bag at the silent auction fundraiser this spring.

This was the most difficult bag I ever made!

My March bag is finished! I can't believe how long it took to make or how difficult it was. Lesson to be learned: do not believe the statement in a pattern that a bag is extermely easy to make. The instructions for this bag were often quite cryptic and I had to read them over and oever, pin the pieces, and try to figure it out. I will NOT make this bag again, that is for sure.

However, it is a pretty bag as you can see. And it's finished! Rather than use a cloth covered button to close it, I had a nice blue flower button already and I used that. It has two pockets inside, both on the diagonal. The seams have all been covered with the lavender fabric (also on the diagonal giving a twisted effect). So it really is a "Twist and Shout" bag, but I won't tell you what I shouted as I sewed and resewed or broke needle after needle.

This photo shows the lining and the lavendar covered seams. The bag is big and sturdy but has a soft cozy feeling to it, due to the soft fabrics used and the nice lofty batting.

Now it is time to fill the bag. Since it is going to a fund raiser at the Sexual Violence Center, I want it to be a bag of healing. So here are some of the products I will fill it with.

These products include:

A lavender products gift set (donated by my husband Michael).

A lavender candle

A tin of lavendar and chamomile tea

A CD of healing music

I will also add some blank cards I made with soothing photographs I took of the ociean and the woods, and maybe some lavender flavored cookies or honey.

I feel very proud and relieved that the bag is finished and I can start working on the wedding chuapph for my son's wedding in late May. That is what I will be doing for the rest of this spring break week!

The beginning of a healing bag

Here are the two fabrics that are being used on the outsdie of the bag I am mkaing this month. This bag will be a healing bag, to be donated to the Sexual Vionence Center's fundraiser. I cut the two main fabrics into little squares and am sewing them to the batting and lining using a "quilt as you go" method.

In the photo below you can see the white flowered fabric that is the lining and the lavender fabric (big square on the left) that is the bottom of the bag fabric. I enjoyed cutting out all the pieces in advance and following the directions one step at a time. The last several bags I made have been more of a "design" as you go, more improvisational. As usual I have noticed some glitches. It seems that the bobbin thread is blue and not off white as I had thought, so the resulting quitling on the lining shows up noticeably. This blue thread will also show up as some extra quilting on the outsdie of the bag.

The bag is made by assembling long quilted rectangles that have

lining on side (the white flowered fabirc) and the squares on the other side (the checkerboard pattern). The directions say that the pattern is very user friendly and so far, so good. I am on spring break this week and hope to finish it tomorrow!

Plans for the March bag of the month

It is well into March and time to begin my next bag. I have three bags in the planning. I decided to make a bag to donate to the Sexual Vionence Center's spring fund raiser, in honor of my neighbor and dear friend Kris who so generously volunteers her time, energy and talent to this organization. I am going to make this a healing bag. I will fill it with lavender products, a candle, soothing music, and herbal tea. I am going to try a new pattern for this bag, one I bought recently from a speaker who came to my quilt guild last month. The pattern is called Twist and Shtou because it is on diagonals, giving a twisty look. I am going to make the largest size, so this tote bag can carry all the goodies I am going to put in it. If I like the pattern, then I may use if for one of the other bags I have planned. I am going to make a "Bag of her Own" Virginia Woolf bag for a fundraiser for In Other Words Bookstore, (see Inotherwords.org). It is the non-profit feminist bookstore where my daughter, Rebecca works. Rebecca and I enjoyed brainstorming what this bag will look like and what we will fill it with, when she was home last weekend.

Back to the March bag. I have picked out two fabrics to use. One is a birght lavendar print, and one is a floral with lavendar and green flowers. I think these will look nice together. I still have to choose a liner fabirc. My plan is to do all the cutting today. I have just gotten my again Bernina back from being serviced, so I am eager to start sewing again.

My friend Kathryn

I have not written much about Kathryn yet, just about our friendship. Kathryn is a beautiful, blond, Norwegian, native Minnesotan. She has bright blue eyes and a warm smile. She is one of the warmest, friendliest people I have ever known. Kathryn lights up any gathering. In addition to the sparks of light she seems to give off, she is an incredibly bright, interesting, and accomplished woman. Kathryn has degrees and training in speech pathogology, special education, early childhood education, and administration. She has also studied business. Kathryn loves to read and we were once in a book club together. We have fond memories of the year our book club decided to read Russian masterpieces. We were both well into Anna Karenina when we gave birth to our twins. Kathryn and her husband Tom are patrons of the arts: they attend concerts of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and performances at the Guthrie Theater. They also enjoy our local sports and regularly attend Gopher basketball games. Kathryn loves the outdoors and has hiked in the Grand Canyon and many parts of the world (such as New Zealand).
She and Tom love to travel and when they visit a new place, they manage to see and do more there than I knew was possible. Kathryn also gives of herself in many ways to the people around her, at work, at her church, to her friends, and of course, her family. Sometimes I wonder if she even sleeps at night, she is so busy. She recnelty returned form her second "good will" trip to Cuba where I am sure she warmed many hearts and spread good will. Can you see why I feel so fortunate to count Kathryn as one of my dearest friends and favorite people? I dedicate this bright, woven Mexican bag to her and to our lasting friendship.