Quarter of a Trip Complete

Who says you can't travel immediately after a knee replacement? While the going is slow, I seem to be progressing right along!

In micro-increments of sewing time now and again, I find that I have reached the quarter-done point. The quilt is made in quadrants, so I've completed one and have a bit of a start on the second.

I got a larger chunk of time on Tuesday when Sharon came to sew! Made lots of progress that day!

I've been attaching my ever-growing quadrant onto the design wall, and as I step back to look at it, I also get to gaze at the  little quilt 9-patch quilt that I made with the hexi flowers. Isn't it a lovely glimpse of happy florals?! The extreme left of the photo shows that I have indeed turned the corner and have begun constructing the next quadrant.

Close-up views of the prints are fun to peruse. Some of the prints read as solid colors from a distance; while others serves as subtle steps from one color to another.

It was easy to know which of my calicoes would be the strong colors around the quilt; some of the others, I was less certain about. I just had to get busy sewing so I could see what I would get. It's been so cool seeing it come alive as I've stitched.

I took a 15-seond video  of this quarter-section. I don't add videos to my blog very often, but let's see if this works at showing the rows grow.
 

My ability to sit at the sewing machine is limited while my knee recovers, but I do enjoy each little session I get, and we all know that staying focused will eventually lead to a finish. Slow and steady...

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne
 

 

Progress Report: Trip Around the World

 Nearly a whole two weeks ago, I shared that I'd begun cutting for my next quilt - Trip Around The World. (TATW) What I did not share was that before I would get very far, I would be interrupted with another date with my ortho surgeon. 

Yes, knee #2 has now been replaced.

I'm 10 days home from the hospital. Therapy has begun, and I believe I am progressing faster with this knee than with the first. It is my hope to be sitting at the sewing machine very soon. 

I sure have missed it!

So let's assess my TATW progress so far...

Above are all the subcuts I've done so far. On the left is the stack for Strata A. In the middle is a bigger stack for Strata B. On the right are just the few cut for Strata C. I still have many more Strata C subcuts to make. Below, are 4 more C's needing subcut.

Then all of the Strata D's need to be cut. There are 7 strata here, so there will be lots of them. As the outer-most trips around the world, naturally more are needed.

When I look at the subcut units piled side by side, I can begin to visualize the trips the colors/fabrics will make around the quilt. 

This picture is zoomed in a bit on Strata A and B - as they fan out, the 'trip' of the fabric can be discerned. The blue at the bottom of Strata A will attach to the pink at the top of Strata B.

Here are Strata B and C in a close-up. The multi-color print at the bottom of Strata B will attach to the  top of Strata C. (Which you can't actually see in this photo; maybe check one of the other pictures that show Strata C.)

To keep everything from getting too complicated or mixed up, I created these 'cheat sheets" and they have been very helpful. The number at the top of each fabric is the row. When creating these strata, instructions say to press toward the even numbers. That has been critical to remind myself of - I am expecting that the eventual construction will be super-easy because I've pressed correctly.

Each strata needs to have a certain amount of subcuts - those numbers are penciled in on the bottom right of each Strata card.

While work on this has slowed down considerably in the last 10 days, I fully expect to get back to making progress in the coming week. Bits at a time, if cutting becomes tiring. (standing) Maybe I can sew a few of the first strata together??

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Trip Around The World

Finally, I have begun a project that is not based on scraps. It is one I have long wanted to make, yet beginning it has been intimidating. Trip Around the World. TATW - that is how I am gonna' be abbreviating it.

Back in February, I bought a big stack of calico fabrics when shopping at The Quilted Twins in Dade City, FL. I was inspired by the whopping variety of pretty little prints, so I got all these in 1-yard cuts.

For the last month or so, I've had a potential arrangement of fabrics spread out in the quilting room. This is sort of like auditioning fabrics for placement in the rows around the quilt.

 It's as if I've been paralyzed about taking the plunge on this quilt. I finally cut into the fabrics last week, and have happily been sewing away every chance I get.

The pattern I am using is one shared with me by the very lady in the quilt shop who cut my fabrics. What a sweetheart she was! I know the feeling of longing to make a quilt, and talking to someone else who is actually going to do it. That's what she was experiencing. I promised to share pictures with her when I had mine finished. How nice of her to share and care!

 

To keep all the rows in order, the instructions say to create a strata - there will be four altogether. This is my first one. This is what a strata looks like when sewn together. There are very specific pressing instructions, too, and I am following them to the letter.

Then the strata is cut into strips. I made two Strata A sections, and cut them down into strips shown below.

Since taking these pictures of the work on Strata A, I have completed Strata B and C; I'm currently working on Strata D. I needed 2 Strata A; I will need 7 Strata D units. More needed in each strata because it's further out on the quilt, if you follow me.

Hopefully, some construction pics will soon be appearing here! Cross your fingers that I'm actually gonna get this done!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Slow Stitching Sunday

In all that tidying I was doing these last couple of months, I came across a table runner that needed quilting. I created this out of some orphan blocks and though it would look nice to incorporate into fall decor. The stars were made when I was just playing around with fabrics on a random day when I was probably procrastinating about something. Check out this post.

You can see from the date on that post that these stars have taken up space in my quilting room since 2018 - good grief! It needs finishing! At some point since then, I made and added the setting block, and I put the quilt sandwich together. Finally, it is nearly done.The hand quilting is nothing fancy or precise. I was not too concerned about marking lines; I eyeballed it. Just getting the job done. It's the most basic quilting ever. It will soon be time to trim it down and apply the binding. Perfect project for when I'm watching baseball on television.

 

For awhile this spring - in the past two months since we've been back from Florida - I have had an overwhelming feeling of too many unfinished little projects that, if finished, would be stored somewhere else besides stacked in my quilting room. I needed to deal with these little projects. And several have been dealt with, I can happily report. I share a few of them in this post. Since then, I've done another one, which I will share in an upcoming post. Now this table topper. What a satisfying feeling to be finishing off more little projects.

 Don't inspect the stitching too closely! Remember, done is better than perfect, right? I am going to have this one out of my view and another finish to check off my list. Hooray.

I will add my table topper to the slow stitching project party over at Kathy's Quilts.  She has a fun, yet incredibly telling graphic to begin today's post. The flow chart of project completions (!) is spot on. I love starting projects; finishing is another matter.

Oh well. Today, I am one step closer to finishing this table topper.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

 

 

 

Reporting From Frankfort Girls

Our little quilting group needs a new, more current name. Nearly 20 years ago when I first joined the four original ladies, all were Frankfort-area folks. We have expanded over the years, and now we hail from several towns in close proximity to Frankfort - Williamsport, Kingston, Chillicothe. So perhaps a new name is wise. When we refer to ourselves, we don't actually call ourselves anything. Mostly, I have used the name here on the blog for ease of identification.

But I digress! Meetings still occur every other Friday morning for handwork around someone's kitchen table. Yesterday, I hosted the entire group! All 8 of us in attendance! With the schedules we all have, this does not happen often, let me tell you.

We had a nice show and tell, so let's take a look.

Patriotism is alive and well in our little group. Several quilt tops, table toppers an minis were shared wearing their red, white and blue.

Sharon P. made a quick 3-yard quilt and enlarged it a bit by adding more onto the border. What a great way to reduce a stash! And so fast and easy! That's a win-win.

 

Terry unfurled this fantastic flag-inspired quilt top which she made at a recent retreat. Once the stars are made, putting this together would be a snap. Below, she has more stars and more stripes, but vertically placed to imitate fireworks - which is the name of the pattern, or something like that.

 

Sheryll had wool table toppers to share in keeping with the patriotic theme.

 

Those two pics with the sheep are actually just one project, but it is long and narrow, making for a difficult picture to crop. If I were better at photo editing, I probably could have joined them, but you get the idea. Sheryll's wool skills are nothing short of perfection.

Here's another she had to share.

 Sheryll also finished quilting a patriotic quilt top. It will look fabulous in her home's decor.

Jan had two quilt tops to share, both finished at the same retreat Terry attended. This first one is for her grandson, and also features the red, white and blue! She reported that making those baseballs was rather fussy business, but once completed it all went together fast. 

Jan's granddaughter will get this next quilt, a calm butterfly quilt. The picture doesn't adequately show the fabric well, but from a layer cake she has made that standard pattern several of us have been using lately.

Becky had two projects to share, one a mini quilt made from remnants in her stash. 

Becky's big accomplishment was unveiling this gorgeous quilt which she was finishing with binding. 

I should have asked someone to move the chair, but it does provide perspective for how small those blocks are. She has spent several years making the pieced blocks, and then more time constructing it. What a payoff for all that hard work. Becky is a sweet, spunky friend, with an ornery streak. See for yourself - here's Becky when I took a close-up of the blocks.

We had a lovely morning catching up with one another. We often muse that 3 hours every-other-week is never enough to allow for all the chit-chat we want.

Hope you are having a lovely Saturday! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Hello June!

The new month snuck up on me! We had two special little people staying over at Grandpa and Grandma's over the weekend, so I definitely wasn't looking at the calendar!

The collage for May's highlights will show some of the fun we had with Cate and Reagan. All three granddaughters are such delights in our lives, we welcome every opportunity to both spend time with them and have them here for overnight visits.

TOP ROW: We babysat for Reagan and we plumb wore her out! Having a sweet girl fall asleep on your lap is one of life's special treats. Our twin nieces graduated from high school, and are shown alongside their Grandma Jeannie. Mom had a fun weekend of celebrating with them. The pillows here and in the next row are for sone-in-law Jeff. This one is made from clothing of his beloved Grandfather Glen.

MIDDLE ROW: The second pillow is made from monogrammed shirts that Jeff no longer wears. Together, the pillows will adorn his 'man cave' for a classy addition to the sofa. The central picture of May's collage is our our new family room floor. We took out the carpet, replaced it with laminate flooring and put down a large area rug for a pleasing new look. After 33+ years, we have no more carpet in our downstairs. The last picture in the middle row is our newest family member - Annie. She is filling out nicely at 6-7 weeks old. Her sweet demeanor melts my heart, and I cannot get enough of cuddling her.

BOTTOM ROW: When Cate came for her overnight, she helped Grandpa fill the baby pool in preparation for a cool swim. Cate also was very taken with her Mini Mouse costume. We took Cate home, and went straight to Reagan's to bring her for an overnight. She has such a different demeanor than Cate, and makes her preferences known in no uncertain terms. She also played in the baby pool, and had big fun with Grandma's basket of toys.

Since I didn't highlight much quilting or sewing in that May collage, I need to establish some priorities for this month. I did continue playing and piddling with some scraps, but I should start a "real quilt." Let me interpret that for you: tackle a quilt on my goals list. We shall see what transpires...

Let's go have an awesome June, whaddya' say!? Sounds good to me!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne  

Scraps Galore

Enough is enough! Managing all the scraps from the last few years' worth of projects is daunting, for sure. The scraps are not all my own, either, as I've happened upon boxes of fabric from both my grandmother and aunt. These are precious to me, so I will make myself use these somehow.

The sheer volume of scraps, though, becomes overwhelming. It's gotten to the point that I MUST sit down at the sewing machine and actually MAKE something! Simply making blocks feels like I'm accomplishing something. All creations shown below will eventually be to be turned into a finish; consider these  building blocks.

From a lovely pile of Kaffe Fassett scraps all measuring 2.5 inches, I made two blocks that might eventually make their way into a quilt. It would be wonderful to see an entire quilt of these diagonal bits across the top of a bed. 

Other fabrics besides KF an accomplish a similar effect. The scrap tubs are full of more traditional fabrics, and this block appeals to me, as well.

I've also tried sewing little tiny bits together to make a length of fabric. Pictured below are fabrics from a 9-patch quilt I made in 2019; later that year, I made this quilt with the same fabric. After two full quilts, I didn't have much of the Lecien fabric left, but I just couldn't bring myself to toss out all those precious ends. Sewing them together yields this panel measuring roughly 10.5"x15" - the next step remains to be determined. I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. 

The panel above is just fabric sewn together, but one can also sew the fabric bits onto batting. This results in a padded panel that can be used for making a zipper bag or change purse. Here are some samples from my stash. These will surely go into something useful.

Two of these are using scraps of Tilda fabric while the blue one up top is made with Kaffe Fassett scraps. Again, inspiration for the next step awaits. 

When all else fails, my scraps are turned into 4-patches and 9-patches, as these blocks are absolutely about as versatile as it gets. Some of my recent scraps have gone into these pretties. Stored away are hordes of similar blocks made from previous scrap management efforts.

 These began as 2.5" strips sewn together in suitable pairs. I cut them down into 2.5" units, then into 4-patches. Making these 9-patches, below,  also came from the 2.5" strips. The uses for these blocks are endless, and oh, the variety!

I need to stop the scrap management work for a bit, as I should direct my attention to finishing a project for my son-in-law. I have a couple of days coming up which should see a completion on that. I'll be sewing with the Frienzies, and the s-i-l project is going along. Then, who knows...

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne