Color Theory and Chinese Embroidery Day!

Fun Fact: I’m always going to a sewing and/or textiles instruction class. Over the years, I learned to stay away from the people who say, “What?!?! You’re going to another sewing class?!?! Why?!?!” My reply: “Because I love it! Now leave me alone!”

Anyway. .  .

I overscheduled myself this past Saturday and I am grateful I did. I love sewing days like these! I went to yet another color theory class in the morning and then a Chinese embroidery class in the afternoon. I am making a series of temperature quilts. I really felt I needed to talk to someone about the color gradations I chose. I personally feel you need to talk to different instructors and take different classes. I am in a teacher certification program. Repetition is key to learning and sometime one instructor will explain things in a way that you understand better than another instructor. The instructor said she would be at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show next week. I told her I would be there too, See? This is when you know that something good is happening: You find your tribe, then you follow each other around from textiles classes to textiles conferences and events.

During Saturday afternoon, I went to my first Chinese embroidery class at the Heritage Museum of Asian Art in Chicago. Talk about phenomenal! And, as always, one attendee saw me walking around with a quilting bag and said, “I’m going to follow you. I’m with my people.” Once inside, we all made recommendations about local garment making and weaving classes, the new Mood Fabric store and exchanging ideas on how to organize an advanced Chinese embroidery class.

This was my first time sewing with silk thread and on silk. I remember when I was growing up that my mother sewed prom dresses on silk and literally had choice words about the experience. It was slippery yes, so I went slower, which seemed to help with meditation, calm and mood elevation. It also helped that the instructor had a huge flat screen television of videos showing herself sewing the stitches we were trying to learn. We were sewing a flower. After having come off of the elation of my nature writing class, I felt this was the most supportive and appropriate textiles gesture. I decided that I was going to take my sewing sample and place it on my wall when I was done. I was so proud of myself!

I walked away knowing that there truly are worse things to do in this lifetime besides sew. It is okay to be passionate and do exactly what you love.

Ya’ll Midwest

I finally made it to Ya’ll Midwest! I heard all about Ya’ll West through my young adult fiction friends. I attended Ya’ll West online during Covid in May 2020 and loved every minute of it. I finally learned about Anderson’s Bookstore hosting Ya’ll Midwest at Metea Valley High School. Admittedly, it was like my regular workday, but with a writing conference thrown in between and I must say I absolutely loved it! As always, Anderson’s had a great book reading recommendations list that I shared with everyone I knew. There was the best of the best finger foods: hamburgers, cheeseburgers and pizza. Being immersed in an environment where you could freely talk about a love of books and writing is always a wonderful thing. It was only one day and not nearly long enough. Sigh. . .

September 2026 Staff Art Exhibition “Bee Positive” Quilt

One of the joys of my life is the art gallery at Whitney Young High School in Chicago. One of the events I look forward to during the year is the September staff art exhibition. It is not unusual for me to plan and prepare for this event a year in advance. This year, I spoke to the art department about my contribution. I wanted to make a “Bee Positive” quilt with a bee and pollinator’s theme as well as positive affirmations. It would be in conjunction with the Healthy Minds initiative that takes place in Whitney Young High School. The students post positive affirmations and suggestions for self-care around the school in an effort to promote positive mental health. Reminders of these topics are always a good thing.

I had been collecting fabric for months, including going to the Waste Shed, one of my favorite places in Chicagoland. I happened to find some bee themed fabric and got to work. I did the English paper piecing of an inch and one fourth hexagons. It is a hand sewing technique, coincidentally, I learned from a local quilt shop owner nearly twenty years ago when I was on a travel nursing assignment. Due to the stressors of my job, I needed to have the relief of hand quilting. I sewed the binding on that bee positive quilt by hand as well and have never felt so blissed out in all my natural born life. EF 1 tornados make life challenging let me tell you! By the time I turned it into the art department, I felt such a sense of accomplishment. I hope others get the same sense of encouragement seeing it as I got making it.

Nature Writing at the Morton Arboretum

It always felt to me like something was missing in my writing education and I found out when I took Cindy Crosby’s nature writing workshop at the Morton Arboretum this summer. No shade to anyone, but I felt this class was literally was the missing link in my writing education. It does not matter if you are a nature writer. The class gets you out of your comfort zone and allows you to pay attention. Considering there were some EF 1 tornados this summer, I found that I had a lot to write about. The class gave me the permission to just write, not necessarily to be recognized. It was okay to have practice shots at writing and to be happy. The class was once a week for four weeks, not nearly long enough, but enough to choose a new direction moving forward. I recommended the class to anyone who crossed my path.

Sand Ridge Nature Center Freedom Canoe Underground Railroad Bus Tour

            As a descendant of the Underground Railroad, the activities at the Sand Ridge Nature Center this summer were very healing. I took tons of pictures. I sent them to my family. I called Sand Ridge Nature Center to tell them I’ve never been on a canoe trip before. I was told how to prepare: “Use sunscreen all over your body, including your hair, have sunglasses, a sun hat, bug spray.” Considering these were items I could easily purchase at the dollar store, I said, “Great! Thanks!” There were poetry readings and songs sung for the ancestors before the canoe trip. The narrator pointed out locations along the Chicago River that were significant to the Underground Railroad. Words cannot describe how emotional this all was for me.

The Underground Railroad Bus Tour of the South Suburbs of Chicago was also very moving. If you are looking for more information, please see the book, “Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois” by Larry A. McClellan, a Governors State University professor who has officiated these tour for years and studied the Underground Railroad as it ran through the South Suburbs of Chicago. These is also a YouTube video of Professor Larry McClellan lecturing about this topic called “The Underground Railroad in Your Back Yard.”

            Before this time, I had to work, but I was grateful I was able to spend a couple Saturday mornings and afternoons attending these events.

The Obama Presidential Center Juneteeth Grand Opening Friday, June 19^th, 2026

I am a writer and words cannot describe how wonderful this day was! I was born on the South Side of Chicago and raised on both the West and South Sides of Chicago. People have spoken about needing an organization like the Obama Presidential Center for years. Now it is here!

I was supposed to be with my family on a bus tour, but when I learned that Story Studio Chicago was giving a writers workshop, I arrived in the area at 5:30 am, parked my car and walked around. It was a lot of positive energy. I dressed the part: Juneteenth t shirt, loc cap, black stretch pants, black shoes, carry along bag with African print and containing the following: notebook, pen, crochet hooks and red yarn.

I walked to Valois Restaurant and had an Obama special of steak and eggs. Then I walked back for the Story Studio and Art Institute of Chicago workshop. I took some amazing pictures. Again, words cannot even begin to describe how wonderful this has all been.

Congratulations to the Obamas! Thank you for all you do!

I Made It Back to Quilter’s Plus Finally

I made it back to Quilter’s Plus finally. That is the only thing about working and going to school at the same time: It delays your creative process.

Oh, the horror!

I wasn’t about to let my life be a horror story anymore. Freddy, Chucky and Jason were all going to die by strangulation with my yarn and stabbing with my crochet hooks and knitting needles. I got back to my Monday night sewing circle called Quilter’s Plus. I told them my intent: I wanted to master the crochet granny square this summer if it is the last thing I ever did. My maternal great grandmother was an expert at crochet, I loved the work of the yarn bombers for the Whitney Young High School 50^th anniversary yarn bomb, I was doing this, then I fell out of it and I have made the decision that I was going to do it, this was my story, but I was literally going to stick to crochet finally.

I’ve made sure my purse was a backpack where I am able to have yarn and crochet hooks. I am keeping yarn and crochet hooks in my car. I have yarn and crochet hooks in my home. In case of emergency, break glass. There would be no excuse and no escape: I would finally master the granny square.

There was a retired Chicago Public Schools bus driver who was also an expert at crochet who was only too happy to share her knowledge with me. She started the square first. I finished it and started another. Something in my muscle memory was starting to take hold. Life does get busy. We are all trying to complete a long-held dream and every effort must be applauded, but I had no idea of how much I needed this: pleasant company, cookies and crochet.

It was a good day!

Project Support (Fix Your Mistakes) Crochet Class at Knit1 in Chicago

If you are anything like me, then you make a lot of mistakes when it comes to textiles. A class specifically focused on your learning how to get it right was necessary for me to be able to move ahead at all. This is where Knit1 in Chicago came in. They have a project support class. I call it a “fix your mistakes” class because that is what keeps happening when I show up there.

It has been part crochet/part therapy. I shared with them that my maternal great grandmother was a master at crochet. Sniffle. I shared that I was deeply disappointed that I had not inherited the crochet gene and could never wrap my head around it, so to speak. I looked away, barely able to hide my discontent. I just knew I would walk away with the same problems I had when I walked through the door. There wasn’t anything anyone could do for me.

The staff at Knit1 insisted there would be none of that.

They taught me a simply beginner granny square pattern and that was it! I was off to the races! No more crying about what I didn’t get from the familial textiles gene pool! I focused and built only on what I could master and control, which was the beginning granny square! And this is the purpose of fiber arts therapy!

Thank you Knit1!

It got addictive! I was supposed to be doing this for stress relief and to continue a family tradition. I got some red yarn for Juneteenth and started to crochet some beginning granny squares. Even my mother commented, “That is beautiful!” My family is like that. They may have dementia, but when they see me making a project they like, they will say they like it and ask for it. I made up in my mind that once I’d made enough granny squares with red yarn, I would put them in an afghan and give them to my mother as a present.

Fiber and Fabric Craft Festival by h +h Americas at Donald E. Stevens Convention Center Crack the Color Code by MJ Kinman

This was one of the most useful and helpful classes I ever had in color theory! I have taken painting color theory classes. I’ve read color theory books. I took a color theory fiber arts/yarn class. I’ve taken color theory classes online. This class took color theory to another level. We spent more time hands on with fabric rather than speculating what might look good.

I’m working on a number of projects where my color theory lessons have to show up in order to make a statement. MJ Kinman’s color theory class greatly helped.

It also helped that I was sitting next to a former superintendent who also attended Northeastern Illinois University and was wearing the most wonderful quilted jacket! We exchanged information and have been talking about quilting, fabric and education ever since. There’s nothing like being around like minded people who love your enthusiasm about textiles.

I absolutely loved the Straphangers Lounge! A fiber arts subway station! Who knew?!!? I showed pictures to everyone I knew who loved fiber and fabric and they loved it as well!

My Patient’s Graduation Was on Wednesday, June 4^th, 2026

My patient’s graduation from Whitney Young High School took place on Wednesday, June 4^th, 2026 at the Arie Crown Theatre in McCormick Place. When we were at school earlier in the day, the Whitney Young High School staff remarked, “He knows what is going on! He’s so happy!” My patient was clapping and smiling all day. He had worked very hard. His family turned it up: Pizza and graduation cookies! Yum!

I was still technically working, so I wore my work black gym shoes and black pants, but a more dressy black blouse and makeup for the occasion. Whitney Young High School let all the graduates know during graduation rehearsal that they had a strict graduation dress code and my golly gee I was determined to adhere to it. I was asked by the school to also wear a graduation cap and gown. They even gave me a white and blue stole. Depending on the website you look at, this was supposed to be the colors for nursing and humanities.

I had to go on YouTube to figure out what I needed to do to keep my graduation cap on my head. I remember when I graduated as an undergraduate student that this was a problem. I saw a video that recommended using a lot of bobby pins and hair clips, which I rushed out to buy at my local beauty supply store. I wore orange disposable gloves. I wanted something to represent the school colors besides my graduation stole.

My patient looked too cute in his graduation outfit. We both were determined to show up and show out.

It was delightful to see all the students dressed up for graduation. Some of them had me sign their yearbooks! It was just to sweet! Whitney Young High School runs from the 7^th grade to the 12^th grade. In other words, some of the students had been waiting for this day for nearly six years.

This is why you have to be patient for something.

Needless to say, like most things in this life, my patient’s graduation was a group effort. My patient’s extended family was there. The nurse who has been with him since he was six months old was also there. My patient had partied so hard all day that he fell asleep during his own graduation party!

I took tons of pictures. I received virtual flowers and ballons from people on my iphone. The ceremony was recorded and placed on YouTube the very next day. This was another event I felt honored to be apart of. I literally remember when it was yesterday that I received that call I almost did not pick up.

I am grateful I took the call.