A Quick Quilting Accomplishment

Gosh, I really got a big boost yesterday by quickly quilting up a quilt I made last April at retreat. I had it mostly loaded onto the longarm, so the tedious business of prepping everything was already done. I was able to pretty much just power up the machine and take off!

Decisions about how to quilt it were primary concerns. I knew I wanted to finish fast, and I knew that this will likely end up as a wall hanging. So I decided to go with vertical squiggly lines that would appear to be parallel, but of course left me with freedom for "almost" vertical lines. I am really liking the results.

My Kaffe Fassett Around the World quilt was inspired by several examples he's featured in some of his books. Mine was created with my own measurements and widths. I knew I wanted to use that striking center panel with complementing colors around it. I chose varying widths for each border, and the end result is - to my eye, at least - very pleasing.

So, the fabric design was a decision made last April. Yesterday's decision was how to quilt it. I do think I made the right choice.

It has been removed from the longarm; now I need to trim it and prepare the binding. I may go ahead and machine-attach the binding. I injured my finger on the very first pass across the quilt and I do believe hand stitching could be tricky for a few days. I sewed right through this finger! In through the fingernail, and out on the other side. Yowzers! 

Even with the finger incident, I am exceedingly happy to have been able to quilt this so effortlessly. I hope I can come back and report more equally quick finishes this month!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Hello November

For the first time in a long time I am here to welcome a new month in a timely manner. Maybe I've turned over a new leaf? 

I've always been a big Peanuts fan, so this cartoon perfectly fits my mindset today. I'm ready to just dive into the month and have some fun! 

Before we get into that, however, we must wrap-up October, as it was a pretty awesome month in a whole lot of ways. We had birthdays to celebrate, fully functioning sewing machines, too, and some pretty amazing fall weather. 

TOP ROW: Our first birthday celebration was my mom's 90th. We hosted an open house-style party at my sister's with over 100 people in attendance. The amazing thing was that she was not the oldest person to attend! We had at least 3 other guests who were well past the 90-year mark! Next, I finished the 12 blocks I wanted for a mini-trip-around-the-world quilt. I've done nothing more with these, but I will be getting back to it soon. And finally, our sweet baby Annie smiles at everything, has just the best demeanor nearly all the time. What a delight to enjoy her at out family weekend at Hocking Hills.

MIDDLE ROW: Another celebration was granddaughter Cate's 4th birthday. Look at that fancy cake!! She had about 8 little friends attend her party at Graeter's Ice Cream on Bethel Road in Columbus. It was a fun time for kids and grandparents alike. The middle picture features my college roommate and me. We were able to meet up at an impromptu reunion of college friends. It had been 50 years since we last saw each other! What a sweet, wonderful reunion. We have been texting and I just know we will be seeing each other a bit more frequently in the years ahead. The final pic in this row is of grand-niece Hannah and her husband Evan, who are expecting a baby boy in January. I was unable to attend the baby shower, but I made sure their baby quilt was finished in time for the party. Hannah has always been a fan of Winnie the Pooh, so I was able to use some of my stash to whip up an easy baby quilt for them.

BOTTOM ROW: A true finish for the month is this Copycat Quilt -so named because I've made 2 similar quilts - and will be gifted to granddaughter Annie. This finish marks to first completion with the now-fully-functioning longarm machine. Next, granddaughter Reagan trick-or-treated in a bumblebee costume made 30 years ago by me for her mama! I loved that I was able to see her in it! The final picture in this collage is representative of the absolutely spectacular weather we have had for the last couple of weeks. Such clear blue skies and warm temperatures! We were truly spoiled by such a stretch of great days.

Now what kind of mischief can I find for November? The quilt top above is  next to be finished on the longarm machine. I am way behind on my longarming goals, and while I might not meet said goals, I intend to make extreme headway.

As for piecing, I also have some WIPs that I'd really like to finish off.  Above are some stars I made at our August retreat, and I've not touched them since! I also have a patriotic quilt in progress as well as a Martha Washington Star project that needs my attention.

Plus, a t-shirt quilt I've been commissioned to make! It's needed by March, but since I will be in Florida, my personal deadline is to have it done and delivered by the end of December. 

Yep. I'm gonna stay busy. How about you?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

At Last! Quilting!

It's been nearly an entire year since I last quilted successfully on the longarm. I've limped along to finish two small quilts, but now I have all the kinks worked out and I'm just sailing along!

I loaded on Copycat Quilt (I've made 2 like this previously) and almost literally zipped across this quilt like a pro. It was exhilarating! This is a baby quilt for 6-month old granddaughter Annie. I made it at the quilt retreat back in April. Click here to read about it and other Kaffe Fassett quilts I made during that retreat.

I always do free-motion quilting, and I decided to do a curly-que design, which I have done before, but this time I made the swoops and loops a bit tighter. That took a bit longer to do, but still I was done in just a few hours.

Yesterday, I rolled it off and added on the binding. Talk about gratification! I used 3 different machines! Sewing the binding strip on Old Bernina, finishing the last pass of quilting on the longarm, and then stitching the binding onto the quilt on New Berninam because it has a walking foot - all three machines in the course of an afternoon! Whoop!

The backing is pieced. The supply of KF options in my stash is more than adequate, but yardage lengths are not, so I put these two girly-looking prints together.

I also pieced the binding.

Since I already know that my daughter loves KF fabrics, I am fairly confident that she will approve of all these diverse fabrics. *smile*

Have a look from different angles. It was such an easy quilt to construct; the hard part was determining which fabrics to use! Evenings this weekend will be for hand-stitching. Or while listening to an audiobook.

 

I know this quilt will see frequent laundering - after all, it's a baby quilt! Can you just imagine all the crinkly goodness that will appear over time? It will get so soft and cuddly. I hope Annie just loves and snuggles all over it. 

Speaking of Annie - have I shared a recent photo? She's getting to that fun giggly and smiley stage at 6/7 months old. I have always said that her sister Cate was the happiest child I've ever seen, and Annie is just as happy. Always has a ready smile for Gramma Jayne and just loves to snuggle with me. I am smitten, to be sure!

A burp cloth on her head, playing with a cereal bowl, an abundance of teething drool - and she's smiling just as big as you please. What a truly delightful little baby. Grandchildren are absolutely the treasures of our golden years, aren't they?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Mini-Trip Around the World

Last spring when I made my big Trip Around the World quilt, it became clear that I would have a substantial leftover stash to reckon with. I do love the challenge of using scraps, remnants and leftovers, so I came up with the idea of making mini TATW blocks. I've never heard of companion quilts, but this one could be considered a companion to my original TATW, shown below.

I made my first block back in August. I was tidying up the mess made from completing the TATW, and decided to play for a bit before storing it all away. This might be a good example of why it's good to allow oneself to play around from time to time. This is when I came up with the idea of making mini-blocks.

I decided that I'd make 12 blocks, set together 3x4, resulting in a reasonably sized couch quilt. Yesterday, I finished the last of the dozen blocks I needed.

For setting the blocks into a top, I plan to trim off the outer points and square up each block. What I will use for sashing and cornerstones remains to be determined. I purposely used a dark fabric - this is dark navy - for laying out the blocks so that I could get a visual. I like it, but I don't love it. I will stash dive to see what other options I come up with.

Here are a few more looks at the blocks. I am eager to complete this top!

This quilt is listed on the to-do list of sticky notes posted on my sewing machine. It's the one on the upper right.

I hope some productivity is happening in your sewing room! I must move on; there's always another project waiting on the horizon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Old Business

More regular posting would mean that I do things in a more timely fashion. However, we all know that I am anything but a regular at posting, so I'm going to share my September wrap-up, at beyond the halfway point of October. 

A quick glance at this collage indicates that our time was spent with granddaughters more that with sewing. We also had a few days of travel inserted into the month, also keeping me out of the quilting room. 

TOP ROW: The long-arm troubles were briefly corrected which allowed me to finish this sweet little Pink Pinwheel quilt which finally found its way to its final home. It was supposed to be done before Annie, now 6 months, was born. The second picture shows darling Cate doting on little sister Annie, who is growing and thriving in perfect form. The third picture is Reagan, showing off for us on a FaceTime call.

MIDDLE ROW: The vacation I mentioned found us in New Hampshire where we met up with Charlaine and Ken, friends we've made in Florida. Charlaine is one of the quilting friends I've made, and we attend the Thursday sewing day in Nobleton together. The middle picture are two patriotic blocks I've made for a sampler quilt I started. Then, I pulled out a long-ignored hand-quilting project that I've gotten busy on again. 

BOTTOM ROW:  Dear Baby Annie is all smiles and sweetness. It's incredible how easy-going she is. Cate is all giggles and smiles when Gramma Jayne and Pappaw Kevin are around. (And probably all other times, too; she is a happy, smiley girl!) And Reagan celebrated her 2nd birthday at the end of September with a little party at the other grandparents' house. We are loving all the time we've been able to spend with these sweet granddaughters this past month.

Now, for the sewing portion of this post. This is the current view of the front of my sewing machine. It serves as a message board. 

I've shared before that I like keeping these little notes to remind me of future quilts I want to make. Having these notes right in front of me every time I sit down at the machine prevents me from losing focus. Gotta stay on track! A quick glance give me direction when I feel directionless. I do, often, and it really helps to keep these front and center.

The top right note refers to the sew-along on Instagram hosted by @reproquiltlover. FFP stands for Fancy Four Patch. I've made a few blocks, shown below.

The note under FFP says Generals' Wives Quilt. It was a hugely popular BOM from several years ago. I never got on the bandwagon, but I sure did admire all the ones I saw made, both in person and online. I have borrowed the patterns from quilting friend Terry, and have decided that I ought to go ahead and work on it. When I start, though, remains to be determined.

The remainder notes contain brand-new ideas that I've never mentioned here before. Others are project that I am currently working on - WIPs, in other words. (Works in Progress) I added a really, really old UFO - Tulip Applique. It is the oldest UFO in my quilting room. I have referenced it before, but haven't dwelt on it by any stretch for the last 20+ years. Lately, though, I have been thinking more about it; I feel as though I've progressed enough with applique that I can more confidently finish it.

We've just had our annual family weekend at Hocking Hills, and it was so special with three sweet grandbabes to love on. Above, I am holding Annie and Reagan just as they were nearing bedtime on Saturday evening. The grandparents (DH and I) absolutely love this annual event; we are grateful to the daughters and their fellas for indulging us with this special time together.

 Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Sewing Room Discoveries

I spent a bit of time yesterday tidying up in the quilting room.

Another way to phrase that would be that I avoided the long-arm machine by tidying up the quilting room.

But in my avoidance, I did find some surprises. And I thought it worth sharing here.

I have a boatload of 9-patch blocks. I've made these to fill time. I wanna sew something, but I just don't know what. My tendency is to make these when I've got pretty scraps littering my workspace and when I find that I just don't know what to do next. Filling the gap, you know?

Aren't they pretty??! Standard 2.5-inch squares can be turned into the cutest little 9-patches. And so easy! I've amassed quite a nice collection here. It may soon be time to take these to the next step - a quilt is in the brainstorming stage. I love this part of the process.

I've got such a diverse collection represented here. Where else will you find Kaffe Fassett fabrics mixed in with Tilda? Then throw in some patriotic fabrics, some vintage fabrics and some reproduction fabrics. That will be some wild and crazy mixture, for sure. I don't know whether all these will end up staying together or if I will pull some out. From previous scrappy endeavors, I do tend to remove all KF fabrics and use them together. Everything else will likely stay. 

Besides all these wonderful 9-patches made with 2.5-inch squares, I found some made with other sizes. And I also found various sizes of 4-patch blocks. Yeah, I do "play" a lot. It's a matter of having a "need" to use scraps! I don't throw out anything!

Above are two stacks of 9-patches and two stacks of 4-patches. All these are made with 2.5-inch squares.

This photo contains all those same stacks, and I've added a smaller stack of 4-patches and a smaller stack of 9-patches. So many wonderful blocks with which new quilts will be made. It's kind of exciting to think about what the future holds for all these blocks. Ideas are churning madly through my head!

When ideas are flowing like this, there's nothing to do but get back to work. I need this sort of thing to motivate me.

What motivates you?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

A Near-Month Off

When a blog goes silent for a prolonged period of time, there's usually a reason. My reason is that I am smack dab in the middle of a dry spell caused by my long-arm woes. I am unwilling to blog when all I do is whine and complain. No one wants to read that! And I don't want to write it!

I felt as though I took positive action in July when I took the machine to be serviced and cleaned. It needed it. I've had the long arm for 10 years, and this was it's first servicing. All my optimism with a newly serviced machine was crushed when I found that I was still having top thread breakage. Darn. How could this be?

I've been fiddling around with it - in a rather sporadic and half-hearted way - and I feel as though I am getting close. I've had a long phone chat with Jake, the repairman at Chestnut Ridge. He offered good, sound advice, and even said that I could bring it back and he'd sit with me to show me basic trouble-shooting strategies. 

Pink Pinwheels, below, was on the long arm when my troubles began. I have successfully completed it. A promising development. 

Pink Pinwheels; made with leftover HSTs.

Pooh Quilt - intended to be gifted last Christmas. 

 

After Pink Pinwheels, I immediately loaded the Pooh Quilt. I did great for a time, but then the thread breakage started up again. So daggone aggravating!

Stay tuned. I will have positive news. I am optimistic that I can avoid another trip to Chestnut Ridge, and solve this with my own bull-headed determination.

I tell you all this just to explain why I am not blogging. I have tried to focus my attention on WIPs that need finishing, and I've made progress on those. I know that ultimately, with success on the long arm, productivity will see a massive rebound and I will share happy news rather than complaints. 

Now, let me share some of those WIPs (works in progress) which I mentioned. Bit by bit, some finishes are on the horizon. I've pulled out this hand-quilting project to find that I was further along on it than I'd realized. This motivates me to maintain my focus and finish it off.

A hand-quilting project is nearing completion.

With remnant of my TATW quilt finished in the spring, I began making mini TATW blocks. I've now made 7 blocks with a plan to do 5 more. I will still have remnants, but 12 blocks will made a nice couch quilt.

Mini-Trip Around the World block.

Hoping that not just my long arm mojo returns, but also my blogging mojo does, too! How do you weather the dry spells in your sewing and quilting life? Maybe I need a pep talk.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne