A Long, Long Journey - Lake Effect

A mild celebration occurred late Wednesday night as I took the very last stitch on the piecing of Lake Effect. This near 10-year journey has had its ups and downs - 'ups' with my eagerness to start the quilt and with learning from some very seasoned stitchers how to back-baste applique; 'downs' with learning that I'd mis-measured the size of my hexies and that rather than attempting to 'figure it out,' I should have bought the pattern before making hundreds of hexies in the wrong size.

I did eventually buy the pattern, which helped a lot with the applique parts; I fudged a lot of putting the hexies together with the center and the border. This quilt is a strong representative of the notion "finished is better than perfect." I have quite a primitive-looking quilt in places.

You can see that all four corners of the inner border need to be tidied up. I have plenty of the vine fabric put aside for this purpose, as well as fabric for an extra leaf or two, should it be warranted. I really am flying by the seat of my pants at this point.

I took it on Thursday to Nobleton to trim excess from the back - shown above - and to remove papers. It has been a daunting journey, but I am so glad and relieved to be this close to the finish line, at last. 

The final part to be done on this was attaching the bottom section of hexies to the lower edge of the applique border. I had a bit of a conundrum which I stewed over before deciding how to proceed.

The stitching line for the white border did not come down to the wide part of the hexies, so I had to decide if it was worth it to insert all those little points. I didn't want to, but I eventually did it. It was the best way, honestly.

I cut the last of the full hexies in half and used them in the points. It seemed more tedious than it was, actually. I made the right decision.

Until I get back to Ohio, I am through with Lake Effect. At some point - soon, I promise! - I will finish off that vine and the leaves, then I will have completed Lake Effect to the flimsy stage. I have some ideas on how I will quilt it; I must marinate with that for awhile.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Pillow Project

Over the weekend, I accomplished a little decorating task that I'd been procrastinating about for over a year. Last winter, I bought two new-looking and well-made pillows at a nearby garage sale. My intention was to use them for the pillow forms, as opposed to buying new pillow forms. I would make new pillow covers that would reflect my preference for quilt designs using colors that would reflect a sunny Florida porch.

And a whole year later, I have finally followed through on my plan. Take a look at my pretty new pillows.

In early February, I picked up a nice variety of brightly colored fat quarters while shopping at Quilted Twins. I sorta' had in mind that I would make 'granny squares' as a pattern on the pillows, so I would use the same 3-4 colors in different order to make a pair of pillows.

The pillows I started with are perfectly fine for a family room sofa, but for my porch sofa, brighter, cheerier colors were needed. 

I had the first one mostly made, and needed to add the orange outer border. Then I used some leftover fabric from previous projects for the back. I used the envelop style of back for easy removal for laundering.

After finishing the first pillow, I took a rainy Sunday afternoon to finish the second.

Not a lot of effort for quite a lot of pizzazz! I'm loving them! The colors really set the tone for the sun porch (Floridians call them lanais) through which you enter our house. This lanai needs more sprucing up, and that will be our primary effort of next winter.

Sometimes just a little change makes for large impact, and that's what these pillows do for our porch space. More inviting and more appropriate for our Florida porch. One gets a hint of  Florida vibe upon entering the lanai.

On a little side note, I made granny square pillow covers last winter for our guest bedroom. These pillows are larger, but I followed the same plan - forms from thrifted pillows and colors that suited both the Florida vibes and my preference for quilt block patterns.

Believe it or not, I have two more pillows to transform in similar fashion. The pillow shams on our bed have needed this same treatment for going on the second year. As shams, these are much bigger and I have made Ohio Star blocks for the fronts. My goal is to finish them off this month. Stay tuned... 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

 

Recent Reading Report

Recent reads have been quite satisfying, and I thought I might just let all you dear readers in on some of the titles I have enjoyed. All these books have been of the audio variety, as I've totally converted from physical books to audio books so that I can multitask in the sewing room.

An absolute delight of a book, Theo of Golden introduces us to the elderly Theo, quite the gentleman, who goes through his day-to-day life being kind to people! That is a very simplified take on him, but as one reads this book, his kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, and insight become an example for readers to want to emulate. I was thinking of him as almost Christ-like in his simple and genuine treatment of others. I loved all the various interactions he had with townspeople, even the ones who weren't very likeable. He never wavered in how he effortlessly gave of himself to make others feel valued. The ending, while sad, was also uplifting. Theo of Golden ranks among the top 5 in best books I've ever read.

 Years ago, I read an Ellen Marie Wiseman novel called What She Left Behind; I recall that I ravenously consumed it, handed it off to my mother who also ravenously consumed it. I should have been seeking more books by Wiseman, but alas, only just now read The Lies They Told. It began a bit stilted and slow, but after the initial few chapters, I was won over by a plot centered on a very disturbing and little-known history of eugenics in America. There was quite a system established to keep bloodlines pure and unsullied, and the mountain people of Appalachia and Blue Ridge were too often the victims. Imagine a do-gooder from the city coming up your mountain trail and taking your children and your land! This actually happened, according to Wiseman's research. Historical fiction at its finest. I was spellbound by the story and appreciated the thorough author's notes in which she shares her sources.

 In The Correspondent, Sybil writes letters, and this easy-to-read novel basically tells us all we need to know about our main character through letters that she both writes and receives. She has the benefit of looking back on a long, rich life, full of experiences both thrilling and mundane. She values letter-writing, and uses her skill to communicate not only with family and friends, but also with others she wishes to "connect" with - she just has a knack for knowing that they'd appreciate and respond to a hand-written letter. A plot does unfold in all these letters, and it forces Sybil to come to grips with some parts of her life she'd spent years avoiding. It was quite the satisfying little book.

Two others I recommend, but will dispense with a detailed synopsis, are Broken Country and We Begin At the End. I enjoyed them both, and would read other titles by both authors. 

These books were all pretty highly acclaimed and took weeks or months to come to me on my Libby app that I have through the library. In between these excellent reads, I read a lot of less-than-literary cop novels - bad language, gritty crime scenes, and formulaic plots. I don't mind them, and they sure make me appreciate getting to enjoy some superbly crafted works like the ones recommended above.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

More Snappy Card Wallets

These little wallets are just the most fun things to make. They finish so fast and look so darn cute - I want to make them by the dozens. 

I've gifted several of these this winter to friends and family here in Florida. I have plenty made for handing out when I get back to Ohio. I even had someone tell me that they'd like to BUY several to give to her ladies' group! Goodness! I might have a money-making venture on my hands!

That photo up above is a batch I made about a week ago. I made them in assembly line fashion rather than one completion at at time. Assembly line is definitely the way to do it. Gracious, those 10 wallets came together fast! Very gratifying.

 

Combined with the ones that were already made, I was beginning to have quite the 'inventory.' They look so pretty all lined up on the shelf.

Yesterday, I made 8 more. I'm using pieces of fabric that I just have sorta' hanging out in the sewing room. Since I honestly don't have any specific plan for these fabrics, they may as well be used for little wallets.

The snapping process seemed intimidating when I first began, but those daggone things are easy as can be. And selecting the colors to match to each wallet is rather fun, too.

Look at that - that - that thing! A tool which probably has a name. The business end of this tool clamps those snap parts together securing them to the fabric. That tweezer (black implement) helps pick up those tiny parts out of the little tub sections; the awl (green implement) creates the hole in the fabric for the snap.

 Looks like I can make several hundred more snappy wallets, eh? I ordered this kit through Amazon; I ought to go back to see how many snaps it included. I don't expect to run out any time soon, that's for sure.

My line-up of 30 card wallets! What do you think? Wanna make them yourself? I mentioned a tutorial I watched which taught me all the sizes and steps - click back to this post for that tutorial. In the meantime, I have found a couple more videos which offer some slight variations on this basic wallet. I might soon be branching out!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Welcome March!

Three days late to welcome the month, but I needed to do some important work first. I hadn't created my collage for last month and since I like to send out the old month when I am welcoming a new one, I delayed things a bit. Take heart! I eventually get around to things! 

I have already been sewing some good stuff in these first 3 days of March, and I am eager to share that here, but first I must close out February with my collage of highlights.

TOP ROW: In that first snapshot, I am standing with Barbara, a volunteer at Pioneer Florida Farm in Dade City. The historical group hosts a huge event - everything from draft horse pulls to quilt shows - and all the buildings on their 21-acre site are open for touring. Barbara was hostess in the tiny Methodist Church, and we talked quite a bit. Eventually we exchanged contact info because she was retiring and I offered to buy her pioneer dress. Yes, she is a bit shorter than I am, but we have already made the exchange, and I think I can make it all work out. The second snapshot is some of the luscious fabric I bought that same day at Quilted Twins - the most wonderful quilt shop in Dade City. And last, the snappy card wallets I made.

MIDDLE ROW: After much gnashing of teeth and wrangling of ideas, I took the final stitches on Grandmother's Flower Garden. At last she is ready to be quilted! The middle picture is yours truly with my baby sister Carol at Walt Disney World. We spent a wonderful 2½ days with them even though the weather was not ideal. Too cold and windy! The Magic Kingdom is in the distance in my last photo in this row.

BOTTOM ROW: Carol and Monte's guests at Disney: (l to r) Jayne, David, Dawn, Kevin, Sandy, John. We six are the family I refer to as the cousins on Moonrise Lane (our Florida residence). David and Sandy are my 1st cousins. The next photo is of a KF jelly roll quilt I have started. More on that to come! And the last picture is Lake Effect, the 10-year quilt that has found its way out of storage and onto my work table. Yes, I am back to take this to a finish!

February is a short month, but we packed a lot into it and just like that, our time in Florida is two-thirds over! We will return to Ohio at the end of this month. In the month remaining, I have a few more stitching projects on the agenda - pillow covers for beds and sofas here in the Florida home. I also need to stitch up some curtains for the lanai windows. And speaking of lanai, I have a futon out there that might get a new slip cover. We shall see just how ambitious I am.

So come on back and I will keep you abreast of progress being made!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Slow Sunday Stitching

Most of my slow stitching this winter has occurred on Thursdays rather than Sundays. That's because I go with my Florida quilting friend Charlaine to the Nobleton Group who meet a few miles south of here. I finished the Grandmother's Flower Garden with them, and now I am attempting to finish lake Effect.

Yes, I will have you take a quick look at a familiar old friend - Lake Effect. Gosh, it feels like an anvil around my neck trying to get this thing finished. It's getting heavier and heavier (figuratively speaking). But, I said from the very beginning that it would be a 10-year-project. This is year 9; the end is in sight.

Bottom border; adjusting for proper sizing.

You'll find dozens of prior posts that will show more complete pictures of this quilt coming together. I will direct you to this one, my last post (all the way back to June '25!) about this quilt, and this post which details the major mistake I made (discovering after 2 years into construction). Do a search if you desire more info. 

It is my fervent hope that I will finish this quilt top this year. Gotta' keep my focus on that completion!

I am linking up (after several weeks away) with Kathy and her Slow Sunday Stitching party. I always see such gorgeous projects taking shape over there. These needle artists are such an inspiration.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Bits of Sewing and Busy Days

Family and friends often ask us what we do while we are in Florida. My response is a description of totally different people from the ones they know in Ohio. We are such homebodies normally, but while we are in FL, we go-go-go.  Shuffleboard three times each week; bike riding; thrifting; estate sales; flea markets; games in the evenings (sometimes here, sometimes elsewhere - we take turns hosting); or walks around our little neighborhood.

I have to work to squeeze in time for sewing. Here's what I've been doing lately when I get a few spare minutes at the sewing machine - stitching up a jelly roll of cool-color Kaffe Fassett fabrics for a simple lap quilt.

The strips are cut at 8 inches; 5 strips make a block. And look at that fun pink fabric I plan to use as sashing strips. I am making slow progress. Perhaps about half of the blocks are stitched as I write this post.

These pictures have a decidedly yellowish cast to them; maybe afternoon sun hinders the true colors. Anyway, the quilt looks better than these pictures indicate, and will go together quickly once I take the time to concentrate on it.

 So, what have we been doing lately that has kept me out of the sewing room? Lots of visiting. We've had a couple of unusually busy weeks. We have visited with Ohio friends vacationing in other areas of Florida; we had family over for an afternoon visit; most recently, we have just returned from 3 days at 'the most magical place on earth' visiting my sister and brother-in-law. Walt Disney World!

 

We just happened to be there on some of the coldest and windiest days, still we had fun. We definitely got our steps in! We traipsed all over the place! Saw lots of cool and interesting attractions, ate at amazing restaurants; most of all - enjoyed the company of family. 

Sisters! Jayne and Carol.

 We were guests of my sister and her husband who vacation at Disney all the time; we got the royal treatment!

The gang - Carol, Monte, Kevin, John, Sandy, Jayne, Dawn, Dave.

We are grateful for all the Disney fun, but are glad to be back to our slower pace and less 'people-y' home on Moonrise Lane. Those folks in the photo above (John, Sandy, Dawn and Dave) are our cousins who also live on Moonrise. Sandy and Dave are siblings and are first cousins on our father's side to Carol and me.

I have let too many days get past me without a blog post. When there's no time for sewing, it goes without saying that there's also no time for blogging. 

Stay tuned! I do have some hand-stitching to share. That will be my next update.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne