The Deacon Stole

So I shared a week or so ago that I was going to make a stole for our church's new deacon, David. In our denomination's tradition, both pastors and deacons are rostered, ordained clergy leaders, though their training focus, and specific roles in the church differ. That said, they both wear stoles while serving, yet the stoles are quite different as well. Rather than around the back of the neck, with both ends hanging straight down the front like a pastor's stole, a deacon wears a stole draped diagonally across the body, starting over the left shoulder and fastened or tied at the right hip.

Fortunately, David had ordered a pattern for a deacon stole from Ecclesiastical Sewing, and gave it to me to use. He also loaned me the stole he wore at his ordination, and between the two, I came up with a pattern I felt comfortable with. I began by piecing four improv pieced slabs, each about 7.5" x 32", all in the improv style of the liturgical calendar triptych I finished in 2024. I made striped strips, flying loons, crosses, quarter circles, HRTs, four-patch, and improv curves, then pieced them all together.

One big difference between this stole and the ones I've made before, besides the style, is that 100% cotton canvas is suggested as an inner layer, rather than interfacing. I confess I was a little worried about the stiffness, but in reality, the thickness and suppleness of the three layers - pieced front, canvas, Kona Clover lining - felt really nice.

Piecing of the front aside, I was really surprised how much hand-stitching was involved! In the photo above, you might be able to see the hand basting which held the main fabric to the canvas while the rest of the stole was constructed. End to end, the stole measured about 96". The pattern had me machine stitch outside from shoulder seam to bottom on the front; then shoulder seam to bottom on the back. That left the inside long edges and ends to be tucked in and slip-stitched by hand. All in all, the method made for a very nice finish.

It was really difficult to get photos of the entire length of the stole, so hopefully you get the idea from these photos of it folded. As for the color, the second and third photos (more Kelly green) are a better reflection of the true color. 

Anyway, it was nice to try this new design, and especially meaningful to make it reminiscent of the liturgical calendar triptych that hangs in our worship space. Most of all, it was gratifying to be able to take it to David last Sunday, and see that it was a perfect fit!

October Fabric Usage

Most of the fabrics I brought in this month were for very specific purposes, one realized, and one postponed. 

I'd been talking with my son about making him a red pastor's stole, and ordered up some Essex for that project. But then we got talking about making it two-sided design-wise, and that felt like it needed to simmer for a bit. But at least I have the basics for when I tackle that, probably in the new year.

All the greens shown beneath the reds in the photo were gathered for a deacon stole for our friend who got ordained mid-October. I'll be sharing it soon. 

And finally, while I was ordering all that red and green, I threw in just a few prints, as I'm running low in multiple colors. This time I focused on blue and green, though a lot of my stash needs attention, but it's a start. So with all I brought in during October, my overall net usage broke about even, and I'm glad enough for that.

October Fabric Usage

Used up:10.82 yards [6.6 projects + 4.22 recycled]
Brought in: 11.0 yards
Net: .18 yards

Zigzag Grid

Back when I shared about quilting No Rest for the Weary, I mentioned being inspired by a design I got from the AQS blog a couple of years ago: 25 Nine Patch Quilting Designs. The link to the post wasn't available any more, but I did have a diagram of it.

Well luckily, one of my followers, Dot, used the Internet WayBack Machine to find the link! So enjoy! Meanwhile, for you and me both, I thought I'd document how I stitched my variation of this pattern. 

Excuse my imperfect diagram above, but hopefully you'll get the idea. I quilted a basic (3") grid first - the red and blue lines. I follow Erica's @kitchentablequilting Grid Quilting method: top to bottom from center to right hand edge; rotate 90-degrees to the left and repeat three times. It comes out great every time! Then I quilted the 45-degree angled lines (yellow). Lastly, I quilted the 60-degree lines (green). All lines were marked with my hera marker prior to stitching. And by looking at the diagram above, you see I could have continued on and stitched more 45-degree lines (black), but I didn't feel No Rest for the Weary needed quilting that dense. Maybe another quilt, another time.

It was a bit of a time commitment to quilt this design - basically four complete passes across the quilt. But I think it suited the quilt well, and it wasn't hard to do.

Block Studies Collective | GLOW

After enjoying the most recent two seasons of Block Studies Collective with Tara Faughnan @tarafaughnan, I couldn't resist signing up for the current one, which is actually Season Four in the series. Unfortunately I missed the first, but who knows, I may circle back one of these days.

Anyway, I treated myself to one of Tara's bundles, which included all the fabrics included in this month's color palette:

• Cotton Couture Ink, Purple, Air, Opal
• Handloom Byzantine, Lapis Lazuli 
• Bella Bricklayer, Longhorn, Mustard, Dusk, Blue
• Kona Robin Egg, Desert Green

One of the reasons I went with the bundle was that Handloom. I was curious to use it with the varied solids, and just as Tara predicted, the colors were so good. The assigned block could go a couple of different ways. I began with the star....

I really enjoyed the angles. Can't say it was always easy to choose what color to use where! But I suppose that's part of the challenge - and fun. I decided to hand-quilt this block, which was 24" square. For thread, I picked Wonderfil Fruitti 12wt FT16 [Grapes]. I marked all lines with my hera marker before starting, and that worked well. For binding, I actually picked my least favorite fabric in the palette, Bella Bricklayer, for binding. It's not that I didn't like it, but I really had a hard time using it with the other colors. But for some reason, it felt perfect for binding the star block.

Then it was time to try the flower - very very similar in construction to the star, but with curves.

This one I machine-quilted, and it finished at just 14" square. Funny, I enjoyed piecing the star the most, and quilting the flower. But I'm happy with them both and glad I was able to try the technique two ways. 

Kitchen Report | The Reveal

Well friends, we're so so close. So close, in fact, that last Friday, the end of week nine, our contractors told us to go ahead and move back in! There is still one final coat that needs to go on the hardwood floors, and a short punch list that needs to be dealt with. But those aside, we're moving forward.

Looking back, week nine was super full with finishing details.... the faucet and appliances were all installed, and all the lighting was hooked up. Just 14 words in that phrase, but it added up to a lot! It basically took our kitchen from a construction zone to a working space. Oh, as they were heading out last Friday, the team tore up the cardboard that had been covering the floor for weeks, and basically swept themselves out the door.

During week 10, we've been moving in, organizing, and getting familiar with our new layout and appliances. And we love it. 

If you forget what our old kitchen looked like, take a look back. It was very closed in, where the new one feels very open. Along with changing the layout to a galley-style, we also extended one side to create a baking center, which is slowly taking shape. Can't wait to really put it to good use.

Meanwhile, the punch list will get finished Monday; TBD on the floor. But we're feeling grateful, and it feels so good to be using and enjoying our fresh new kitchen after all these weeks. 

Just for the record, below are links to all my posts about this project:

October 9, 2026 ~ Kitchen Report | 8 Weeks

September 25, 2026 ~ Kitchen Report | 6 Weeks

September 12, 2026 ~ Kitchen Report | 4 Weeks

September 2, 2026 ~ Kitchen Report | 2 Weeks

August 17, 2026 ~ Kitchen Refresh

A Different Kind of Stole

So.... remember the liturgical calendar triptych I made a couple of years ago? And the stoles I've made for our son who's a pastor (here's the latest)? Well I have a new project that is related - but different - than both of those. Our church's Minister of Music & Worship, David, is getting ordained next weekend as a deacon, and thereafter, he will wear a stole when serving in his role. The thing is, a deacon wears a stole draped diagonally across the body, starting over the left shoulder and fastened or tied at the right hip (resembling a sash); where a pastor wears theirs around the back of the neck, with both ends hanging straight down the front in parallel lines over the chest.

Long story short, I'm going to make a deacon stole for David, and considering the seasons of the church year, he'll need a green one come November 8, which isn't that far away! He supplied the pattern from Ecclesiastical Sewing, and talking about a possible design, he suggested something very similar in design to the triptych that hangs in our church. Similar referring to the improv piecing of each section, not the overall design. That sounded doable!

So I ordered the exact green fabrics I used in the triptych: 

• Kona Clover
• Essex Kelly
• Marcia Derse's Palette in This Green
• Jennifer Sampou's Chalk & Charcoal in Grass
• Cotton Couture Turf

Yesterday, I read through the directions and cut out the pattern pieces. This project will be my main focus until it's done. It's definitely different than the stoles I've already made. I'm following a different pattern, of course; and it uses 100% cotton canvas rather than interfacing like I've used before. So it'll be interesting to see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.

Bee Rothko

For October, it was Felicity's @felicityquilts turn to choose our Bee Sewcial @beesewcial prompt, and she asked us to make one large block inspired by the work of American painter Mark Rothko.

If, like me, you aren't really familiar with Rothko's work, check out this post from breathing.art. For Felicity's purpose, we were asked to create a piece with at least two colours, with the colour(s) being the maker’s choice. "When you compose your block, please use at least two close values of the same colour for each stripe to give a bit of texture." I thought that was very clever, and really added to the fun of creating my block for her. Once complete, my block measures roughly 14" x 23", and yes, it's a little funky with that wider edge on the upper right. But I figured Felicity could trim as she saw fit, rather than me trimming everything 'square.' Some Bee Sewcial prompts are super challenging, some super easy; this one was just right.

No Rest for the Weary

Huuuuge sigh of relief, my friends. It always feels monumental when a Bee Sewcial quilt gets finished, and maybe even more so with this result from my Courthouse Steps prompt. At 64" square, I know it's busy, busy, with little space for the eye to rest, but I love it. Meet No Rest for the Weary.

I struggled a while deciding on a layout, knowing that, if possible, I'd like to add a bit more black and white to play off the centers of my bee mates' blocks. And once I came up with an idea, I felt pretty good about it, finicky as it was to create and work in amongst the blocks.

The center of the quilt back was made entirely from scrap, but I'd pretty much run out by that time, so I added stash to bring it to size, while trying to create a big ole courthouse steps design.

For quilting, I was inspired by a design I got from the AQS blog a couple of years ago: 25 Nine Patch Quilting Designs. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be there any more. But here's a diagram of it:

I've been calling it a zig zag grid, but honestly, before I'd even stitched all the lines, if felt like enough. I began with a 3" grid, then stitched at a 45-degree angle, followed by a 60-degree angle. It felt like a LOT of stitching! With so many colors in the quilt, I wasn't sold on any particular thread color, but finally settled on 

Aurifil 50wt 5006 [Light Turquoise], which worked well enough.

To finish, I decided on a faced edge. using the tutorial by Audrey Esaray @cottonandbourbon, and I'm glad I did. This is my 12th(!) quilt with Bee Sewcial, and I'm more than happy to add No Rest for the Weary to the collection.

Many thanks to my Bee Sewcial bee mates for their wonderful responses to my prompt. Leanne Chahley @shecanquilt, Stephanie Ruyle @spontaneousthreads, Felicity Ronaghan @felicityquilts, Karen Foster 

@capitolaquilter, M-R Charbonneau @quiltmatters, Tia Curtis @tiacurtisquilts, Emilie Trahan @mili.tra, and Kitty Wilkin @nightquilter all contributed blocks.

Linking up with Quilting JETgirl's Favorite Quilt Finish {October 2026} linky.

Kitchen Report | 8 Weeks

So when I left off two weeks ago, our new floors had just been covered up to project them, which is great, but we miss seeing them! Week 7 felt a little ho-hum, not that nothing got done, but it just didn't feel as impressive as other steps. The whole area was painted, and cabinet toe-kicks and molding were installed, so at least the space was looking more finished.

Week 8 though, saw some major improvements! Our quartz countertops were installed!

As was our sink.

Then over the next three days, the full-height ceramic tile backsplash went in. Note that an accent tile went behind where the cook top and hood will eventually be.

All the tile was 12" x 24", and I really like how it was installed vertically. 

I had fun helping pick out the grout, and once that was done, it looked so good.

Between the counters and the backsplash, it really feels like were close to a finish. Sure, we still need lighting, appliances, and a final coat on the floors, but considering how far we've come, it seems like the end is fairly near.

Weave Got This! :: Quadrants A & B

Once again, guild members were clamoring for an early release of the October BOM instructions - in time for a guild retreat - and our leaders happily complied. Though I incorrectly expected top finishing instructions, what we got was instructions to assemble four quadrants. And honestly, that was plenty!

So we were shown how to create two quadrants like the one shown above, and two like the one below.

The quadrants are good-sized! Each measures 27.5" x 39.5" unfinished. Just for fun, I put all four quadrants up on the design wall. I'm not sure at all that this will be the final layout, but it was fun to see them all together! And just a note, the colors of the quadrants in the photos above are more true, taken outside, than those below, taken in the late afternoon studio. But either way, it's looking good, and I look forward to finishing a quilt top come November.

Stripes Stripes Stripes

Émilie's @mili.tra Bee Sewcial prompt for September was stripes stripes stripes. Her goal for us was to create a pseudo-repeating pattern using a minimum of four colors in total: one light, one dark, one bright, and one muted. We could add more colors to each category if we wished, but the idea was then to avoid mixing two colors from the same category within a single stripe—for example, no pairing two light colors together. But I just used the initial four I chose, so that wasn't an issue.

Above is my first block, roughly 15" x 19". The second block, below, would be approximately 10" x 18" if trimmed, and could be kind of angular, or not.

Stripes are almost always fun to create, and these were definitely as expected. They'll be heading off to Émilie soon to join those of my bee mates.

2026 Quilting Check In Q3

Unbelieveably, the year is three-quarters over, and it's time for the third quarterly check in with Melanie Meyer @mellmeyer. I'll keep things simple and report on my quilting finishes for the quarter.

July - September 2026 Quilts

Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with what I've been able to accomplish this last quarter. Five of the six quilts I made were made primarily from scraps, and that feels very good.

• Stackables - a scrap quilt inspired by Ophelia Pang's @opheliapangg Stacking Stools. I'd been wanting to try that block for ages.

• Tangled Strings - scrappy strings inspired by Free Form Quilts & Patchwork by Jessie Cutts @cuttsandsons.

• Overmuch - made of so many scrappy grab&piece blocks.

• plethora - all the purple scraps were used in this one.

• Elate - made during the Elate QAL with Carolyn Friedlander and her latest fabric line, Memento.

• Slim Pickings - A bit of an interlude, which used the last of the warm solid scraps in the scrap basket.

Even with all that, I still have solid scraps gracing the bottom of the scrap basket. I'm kind of hoping to see the bottom before Q4 is over!

Linking up with Melanie and her 2026QuiltingCheckIn Q3 Link-Up!