Hi Reader,

It was expected but happened way faster than we thought it would.

My mom passed away peacefully on September 24. My brother, sister and I were with her when she took her last breath.

Her death has left a huge hole in my life. She lived across the street from my sister and me (we live next door to each other) and I talked with Mom every day. With 70+ years of experience, my mom was my go-to person for everything sewing and quilting. It will take a while before reality sets in to comprehend how deep that hole is.

During the last few weeks of her illness, my focus was fully on her. After she passed my attention went to all the details needed to prepare for her funeral. It was only yesterday that I could take a breath and see what was happening in other parts of the country.

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is shocking. Even seeing photos and videos of the destruction, I can't even imagine how difficult it is for those affected.

Now with Hurricane Milton on the horizon, it boggles the mind. For all my Snappy Scissors readers, I'm sending prayers of comfort, hope, and strength your way.

If anyone knows of ways sewists and quilters can help those impacted by these hurricanes, please let me know. I can share the information in the next newsletter.

Leaves

One of the last big purchases my mom made was in 2022. It was a kit for the Third Weekend in October quilt (finished size 85" x 110"). The pattern is randomly colored leaves scattered across the quilt top reminiscent of a crisp autumn day.

From the time the kit arrived in the mail, Mom talked about doing this quilt but wasn't sure how she wanted to approach it. She was never one to follow step-by-step directions but liked to put her own spin on things.

With 57 fabrics in the kit, she put each fabric in a manilla envelope and labeled the outside. Once the fabrics were organized, I would occasionally ask her about starting the cutting and piecing, and she would tell me she was still thinking about how she wanted to do it.

In June 2024, when we were still hopeful she would get better, Mom moved into a one-bedroom apartment located in an assisted living community.

We set up her sewing machine under some windows in the living room and a cutting and pressing area next to it. She kept talking about starting the leaf quilt but wasn't feeling good enough to sew.

In August, it was difficult for her to get out of bed and she was sleeping more. I spent several hours a day with her and offered to start the quilt. She agreed. The quilt is done in 9-patch sections (combinations of 3" squares, HSTs and FPP). Mom helped me pull the fabrics for each section, but even doing this wore her out.

With a little bit of trial and error, I figured out a system to efficiently make the 3-inch squares for each 9-patch section.

As I finished each 9-patch, I would bring it into her bedroom. Mom would open her eyes and they would light up seeing the finished section. I pinned each section to the wall in her room, so she could see the quilt come to life.

I was able to complete almost 1/4 of the quilt before she passed, but it was enough for her to see the beauty of the fabrics playing together which drew her to the kit initially.

The blocks are now on my design wall so I can quickly sew this quadrant into rows.

It is bittersweet as I continue to work on this quilt. I'm thankful I was able to complete as much as I did so Mom could see all the beautiful colors.

Note: To locate the pattern or even a kit, use your favorite browser and search Third Weekend in October.

Pickles

My mom had a tradition she started with my son 30 years ago. For each of her 6 grandchildren, she made a baby quilt and a personalized quilt for 5th, 10th, and 15th year birthdays.

She almost made them all. The youngest grandchild is 11, and the second youngest is 15. Ben turned 15 in April. When he was 10, he loved rhinos and the color blue. Mom got creative and designed and made this 60"x 80" quilt.

His favorite thing now is pickles. He also likes ketchup, video games, and bike riding. She had several ideas on what she wanted to do, but nothing felt right. Eventually, she decided to let the fabric do the talking on Ben's 15-year quilt.

Shopping on Spoonflower, she was able to locate a variety of designs that she had printed on cotton fabric for the front, and one pickle design printed on minky for the back. She planned to design a simple quilt top that would be made up of squares of each fabric. She didn't get this far.

To honor Mom and complete her tradition, I'm going to make Ben's quilt and Emily's when she turns 15.

I reached out to Jeanine, one of the attendees of the Conquer Your Fabric Scraps Summit for a quilt pattern I thought would work well with Mom's plan.

Jeanine has created a series of free quilt patterns called Covered to promote making quilts for Project Linus and other similar organizations.

With her permission, I can use one of her patterns for Ben's quilt and share her free pattern, Covered in Joy, with you.

Click HERE to download the directions for Covered in Joy.

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Pillows

I've used Spoonflower before when I was looking for specialty fabrics for Christmas gifts. I came across a super cute design that I used to make a couple of pillow covers.

What better way to use your sewing skills than to sew a pillow cover out of themed fabric and fun trim?

You can see both pillows and full tutorials using the following links.

• ​Sew a Round Pillow Cover with Fringe Trim​
• ​Sew a Square Pillow Cover with Pom Pom Trim​

Sewing Expo

This morning, I found out about a free event called Together We Stitch Expo.

I heard about it from Tricia Camacho, a self-proclaimed pattern nerd who specializes in garment fitting. Tricia's website is Creative Costume Academy.

She is someone I have followed for a while. I've taken her free classes and was a member of her Pattern Place Community for a while. If you're interested in garment construction, Tricia has amazing knowledge and skills.

Tricia is teaching one of the classes at the Together We Stitch Expo, 4-day event that runs from October 11-14, 2024.

During the Expo, you'll see an amazing lineup of sewing experts from around the globe, offering presentations and practical tips on everything from garment fitting to fabric shopping, machine care, upcycling, and more.

If any of these topics interest you, make sure to check out all the details for the Together We Stitch Expo and get signed up for the free event.

I apologize for the late notice on this event, but I'm just now catching up on my emails.

That's all for now. Until next time...

P.S. Are you new to the Snappy Scissors newsletter? You can check out past editions HERE.

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