Front Burner Items

Long ago I learned that a quaint, more gentle way of describing my tendency to procrastinate is to say I've put things on the 'back burner.' It sound ever so much more agreeable and less accusatory. Today's post will address some projects I'm putting on the front burner because I am really chomping at the bit to work on them. (And, yes, this naturally means that some few things are likely being relegated to 'back burner' status, at least for awhile.)

First, from the 2026 Goals List, I have decided at long last on a pattern and am ready to cut into that Winnemucca fabric. I have wanted to use this fabric since buying it in Winnemucca, NV, in 2020. I've hemmed and hawed over what pattern to use ever since, so consequently it's still hanging around here, waiting to be used.

I'm  going to make a weather-vane quilt using the fabrics in all different places in each block. For example, some blocks will have a floral center, others a dark blue center, and others peach and blue. The same 4 fabrics will be placed in varying positions in the blocks, in what I hope will provide interest while maintaning a bit of order.

 

The pattern I will use is from an old book I've had for a long time, Mulberry Lane by Teri Christopherson.

 

The pattern is called Lavender Fields, but it's a straight-up weather-vane, and I know it will be easy. I made it in 2019 and whizzed right through it. 

So that's one plan for the immediate future. A second plan is to work on a Trip Around the World quilt. I bought the fabric while in Florida this past winter, and the shop owner's daughter sent me pictures of a pattern she'd had for years. I have my fabrics laid out here in a likely order I will be "traveling" in.

It's hard to get so many fabrics to show up in a decent picture, so you'll have to use your imagination a bit. I still may tweak the order of some of these fabrics, but I really don't want to overthink the quilt. I know it's going to look good in whatever order I go.

Here's a pic of the fabric I bought at Quilted Twins; I have added a few pieces from my stash to the mix as the quilt requires quite a few more than I bought.

And here's the pattern the shop worker sent me.

The third quilt I've given "front burner" status is a 9-patch quilt that will imitate the colors in the Kitty Corn quilt that was popular a few years ago for Halloween. I don't want the kitty or the Halloween vibes, but I do like the colors used in the 9-patch, so I've pulled some fabrics from my stash to use for my version.  

The Kitty Corn quilt pattern might still available, and I do refer to this picture occasionally. 

(Taken from Instagram.)

Yet another quilt I want to make involves using a substantial amount of batik fabric I have recently gathered together. I had a small-ish tub of batiks from various projects over the years. As some of my friends in The Frankfort Girls group have been "destashing" and purging, I've acquired a little bit more. (ahem...I oughtn't be continuing to collect fabric!)

I'd love to make a bright, cheery quilt with all of these batiks. Good friend Becky handed off one of her batik patterns called Jewel Box - more than likely I will make it.

Okay, I must stop. I have to also devote time to actual quilting on the long arm machine. Got to. That's all there is to it. S

Oh, isn't it lovely to dream about making quilts!?!? *smile*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Bits and Pieces

Since I've not focused my energies on any one project in the last 5-6 weeks, I seem to have bits of news on several fronts. It makes perfect sense, then, to catch up on some of those items, then perhaps I will turn my attention to more focused objectives.

First, to update the previous post, I have delivered all the dresses to their respective homes, and have one picture of a granddaughter actually wearing her new dress - Reagan, our 19-month-old middle grandchild, wanted to wear hers straight away. It fits her perfectly and her momma requests more - with one addition. Add two pockets, rather than one. Reagan was totally pumped to put things in her pocket and kept searching her other side for another one. No problem! I can put two pocket on all future dresses!

In other activities around here, I've been continuing efforts at straightening up my sewing/quilting room. I've always had the ability to work in the midst of a fair amount of clutter, however the situation had gotten too far gone for even me and my loose standards. *grin* Finding a surface to iron, to cut, to sew, and sometimes even to sit had gotten near impossible. 

Things are looking a lot better now. Below is the table top where Sharon normally has her machine when we sew. Sadly, it's been many months since I've seen the top of that table. 

Most of that has been dealt with - sorted or finished or trashed. Here's a picture of similar haphazard piles on the floor.

I'd already made progress when I took this picture; the reason I know is because carpet is showing. There was a time when you couldn't see the carpet for the debris spread around. Clockwise in this photo: Grinch Christmas fabric at the top; Ohio State novelty fabric; more Christmas fabric at the 3:00 position; miscellaneous EPP at 8:00; a pillow cover salvaged from a pillow given to us as a wedding present (1979!); a pile of batiks at 11:00. In the center is a tub of floral scraps; from these remnants, I'm making random blocks hoping for inspiration as I stitch. All in this photo now has been put away in designated, well-labeled tubs. 

I had sevearal items that simply needed very minimal attention to have them completed and out of my way. I focused heavily on those as I worked through the clutter. It has been quite successful, thankfully, and the weight of it all feels lighter. I like knowing that I've seen the last of these and now can more eagerly look forward to new projects.

This table in my front room had gone without decor all winter. I found a stack of HSTs in the sewing scraps, and rather than hide them away in a drawer or bag, I went straight to the machine and stitched them together to make this wonderful little table topper. 

The HSTs were leftovers from Cotton Ridge Farm, which I made last summer. I knew I'd made extra for the double sawtooth borders; this table topper is a perfect way to use up the excess.  

One really easy item to check off my list was to find a piece of yardage from my bin of red fabrics that would be suitable for a slip cover on my front porch wicker bench. Since our shutters and front door are deep red/burgandy, I've always used rugs and pillows in the same colorway; I needed a slip cover to add to the look and I think this works nicely. 

Lord only knows how long I've had this fabric or what I planned for using it. The selvage says its Hyde Park by Jo Gregg/Northcott. I'd say it's very well aged.

I altered a pair of shorts for DH (no picture for that!), and I replaced a hatband on this thrift store find from Florida.  

I had a stack of some long-forgotten project bits that I seemed unable to toss. I made myself sit down and figure out what I was doing, and came up with this little fabric tray.

I will finish the other 7 and have a nice little gift for participants at our next retreat. I'm glad I had the mindset to keep them and not throw them away.

I know this will be hard to believe, but I also uncovered some long forgotten (and deeply buried) projects like the embroidery above. I have no idea why I stopped working on it; I located the book straight away and have taken some stitches on it. I hope I can regain my steam and finish it.

If I can make myself stay at it, I will have a nice addition to my autumn decor. Stay tuned for updates as I progress on that journey.

Finally, I will show you one box of scrap management. I've not done this in quite awhile, so I have a couple more boxes waiting to be done. Because space was so limited in the quilting room, I brought this downstairs to the kitchen island to be cut into my standard working bits - squares and strips in 3 sizes: 1.5 inches, 2 inches, and 2.5 inches. If there were any larger pieces available, I cut 15" X 5" - the size for the little card wallets I've been making. I enjoy making them and using scraps is perfect.

That completes the summing up of my sewing-related endeavors in the past few weeks. It's not all been drudgery of sorting and straightening. We've interspersed some fun visits with friends and little trips here and there. We've got a flooring project underway here at the homestead, so we're jumping on carpet removal today. (ugh)  

I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day! I spent time with my sweet momma yesterday afternoon, and either spoke with or had texts with all three of my children. We saw both daughters on Saturday, so my cup runneth over, indeed.

Have a wonderful week, and 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Little Girl Dresses

Getting back into the sewing groove around here has me ready to share three little dresses made for three special granddaughters. Garment sewing was how I began my sewing life over 60 years ago, but I have done so little of it in the last 30 years that I don't naturally gravitate to this type of sewing. Darling granddaughters make the task more appealing.

 The two A-line dresses are for Cate and Reagan. The little pinafore-style dress is for Annie. It also has bloomers to match; I didn't have those finished when I took this picture. Also, this picture was taken prior to making buttonholes and attaching buttons. Now all those finishing tasks are completed.

The dresses are all made from the same soft peach/pink and gray calico. I bought the end of a bolt at Mae Lynne Makers in Nelsonville while we were at the quilting retreat. I have become quite fond of calico prints lately, so you'll likely be seeing more from the sewing room with tiny florals and calicos.

The A-line dresses required lining fabric, and both came from the existing stash. The buttons all came from my button jar. The elastic for the bloomers also came from what I had on hand. I didn't need to shop for any of it after buying the end of the bolt. 

It is likely that I will make several more items for the girls. I have a nice little array of patterns that I can choose from and all manner of kids' clothing is available. 

While I am sharing kids' clothing, I will share a couple of dress-up skirts I made for toddlers who like to pretend. We saw a variety of Disney-themed clothing when we were there at Disney this winter. I know the girls will love playing with Minnie Mouse ears and skirts, so I stitched these up for playing when at Gramma's house.

 Kids' clothes are fast and easy; I don't want to miss the opportunity to make them some fun stuff!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Hello May!

Isn't it amazing that we are already in May of 2026??! It's just incredible how quickly time flies by.

Have you made specific plans for quilting in this brand new month? In the month we've been home from Florida, I've mostly focused my time in the sewing room on straightening up and tidying things. Too many months of not cleaning up after myself had left me with a workspace that was no longer workable. 

Things in the sewing room are looking better and now that we're into a new month,  I'm feeling the urge to get busy at some projects!

But first, let's do a wrap-up of April. It wasn't a total zero in terms of accomplishments.

 

TOP ROW: I attended a 4-day quilt retreat early in the month which will be known as my Kaffe Fassett retreat as I made 3 quilts from my KF stash. It was exceedingly satisfying. Sweet Miss Reagan is growing like a weed and is a delight to watch as she is learning her words and loves to have books read to her. Another of the KF retreat quilts is shown in the third photo.

MIDDLE ROW: Miss Cate is learning to how to be a big sister, as new baby Annie has joined the family. This third granddaughter sure seems tiny compared to those two bigger girls. In the last pic, I have replenished by supply of card wallets with a marathon sewing session at a Frienzie's project day. 

BOTTOM ROW: Also, at the Frienzie's project day, I worked on stitching up some little granddaughter dresses. Two A-line dresses for Cate and Reagan, and a little pinafore dress for Annie satisfied this Granny's desire to sew for little ones. I also made Minnie Mouse skirts for Cate and Reagan; I'd seen costumes like this when we were at Disney this past winter and knew I could whip these up with ease. The final picture is from the scraps of all those Kaffe Fassett quilts I made earlier in the month. I just wanted to see what would happen with some random strips sewn into a 'granny square' style block. I can see more of these piling up and actually becoming a quilt.

Now, what will be the focus for May, I wonder? Well, I've gotta' get that long arm machine working again. I last used it in September or October of last year! I must make this a priority.

I also want to cut out a quilt or two that I have on my '26 Goals List - maybe the Winnemucca quilt and the Aurora quilt. Those would be good ones to start with. Son-in-law Jeff has requested a pillow project using fabrics from his grandfather's shirts and jackets. It will be easy to accomplish, but cutting into a perfectly good wool jacket is daunting to me.( I will do it, though.) 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Fun Sewing for New Baby Annie

While I've not been reliable in updating things here on my blog, I have been getting a few things done. After the birth of sweet Annie James, I knew I could share some of the things I had made for her. Plus, I've also been sewing for the older granddaughters. Doing stuff, but not sharing. Let's see some of it now, shall we?

While wintering in Florida, I made several burp cloths. Some were the type that used cloth diapers and had pretty fabrics stitched down the centers. Others were shaped to fit nicely over mama's shoulder.

I found three nice flannel fabrics at Hobby Lobby and bought a yard of each to play with. I ordered a pack of cloth diapers on Amazon; I had 4 of that style stitched up pretty quickly. You can see those in the background of some of these pictures.

For the other style, I used heavy brown paper to cut a pattern. Then I bought a pack of kitchen towels from the dollar store in colors that matched my flannels. These towels would be the reverse side of each burp cloth. Flannel on the front; terry cloth on the back. Very absorbent. Then it was just a matter of cutting them out and stitching them up. I was very pleased with my results. And all of this was just as easy as can be.

I do want to say a quick word about the flannel featuring Bluey. Big sister Cate is an avid fan of Bluey, so I thought that by making some burp cloths in this fabric, she might get to "help" with baby sister and use "her" burp cloths. Annie isn't even a month old yet, so I doubt any "helping" has been necessary, but I'm sorta thinking down the road a bit, there will be a time when she can assist Mommy or Daddy. *smile* 

On a recent visit to see our new little love (as well as her big sister!), I was able to snap a pic with one of these very burp cloths in use! Makes me happy to see.

Now, Gramma Jayne, home from Florida for nearly a month, has stayed busy in the sewing room. I am attempting to do a rather extensive effort at cleanup and organizing. Sometimes I lose track of what all I've got and where I've put it! This deep dive into all the tubs and piles and nooks and crannies has been helpful in my pulling out projects that have been buried for far too long. Some I've worked on; others have been added to the "to-do" list.

Another effort has been to make some clothes for my little ones, and I've got some of the cutest little dresses to share. One more needing finished and then I will be back here with details on them.

And just this week, I had an opportunity to replenish my supply if card wallets. I'd made about 40 while in Florida, but had given nearly all of them away. I needed a fresh supply. I am happy to say I have accomplished that. Details on that will also be coming soon. 

Hasn't April been wonderful?! It just seems impossible that it's over already! Tomorrow is May! Gracious.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Retreat - Everybody Else!

This last week has been so jam-packed with stuff that it's simply been impossible to direct my focus on finishing the task of sharing the last of the retreat sewing. I did promise, however, so here ya' go! Special note to Sheryll: I didn't take a single picture of any of your needlework! I'm so sorry!!

In this post you saw what Sharon worked on; in this post I shared what I accomplished. Now let's see what Terry, Becky, Jan, Lisette and Susan created. The variety is inspiring!

Terry is preparing for a patriotic year with this R-W-B stars and stripes quilt. Won't it be spectacular?

Missing at Becky's table was her sewing machine! That's because she didn't even bring it. Her intentions were to do handwork for the duration of the retreat. She has two in progress - stars and Grandmother's Flower Garden. What fun to watch these two quilts grow throughout the week. Becky is very skilled at color placement and fast, yet fine stitching.

Jan's impressive accomplishment was finishing this WIP (work in progress). She came to the retreat with most (maybe all) of the stars made. She constructed the checkerboard blocks and then put the quilt top together. Ever since I've known Jan, her preference for bold colors and strong, graphic designs has been evident in her quilts.

A WIP from Lisette was one of these trees; while at retreat she made and attached two more. She likes working with tiny pieces. For further proof of that, get a look at this next WIP.

 

This quilt is made with the narrowest of strips - scraps, potentially - using paper foundation. It is going to be so stunning when completed.

 This little beauty appeared on the design wall in the vicinity of where both Lisette and Susan were sewing; I'm sorta' thinking it was completed by Lisette. What a lovely little table topper/wall hanging.

Lisette likes to be organized as illustrated by the little clips of all her block units. I'm sure this increases her completion rate; I ought to take heed and try it myself, right?

These lovely flying geese strips are a WIP from the talented hands of Susan. I have forgotten the precise project she is working on, but it seems as though it's a sampler quilt. 

Another of Susan's projects was this pretty poison green/navy star creation. I don't know her eventual plan for this. I do know it was made following instructions using a disappearing 4-patch as the beginning point. The girls who are in a guild together had this demonstrated for them at their last meeting; it all seemed rather too complicated for me!

I mentioned that I did not take pictures of anything from Sheryll. Let me post one I have in my camera roll; I have lots of pics that never make it to the blog. This is representative of the handwork Sheryll specializes in; and it is always lovely.

While I show you this Christmas picture, I can tell you that Sheryll was working on a beautiful red bird design. Additionally, she was piecing some hexies for flowers; I apologize for not doing a better job of fact-gathering.

So our Spring retreat was a wonderful success. We go back in mid-August for another 3-night/4-day retreat. I so look forward to these getaways so much!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

The KF Retreat

As I pulled together the projects I planned to work on at the recent retreat, I mentioned that this might become known as the Kaffe Fassett retreat - that prediction was spot on. I made three quilts with this glorious fabric, and I love all three.

First, I finished a WIP (work in progress) that was begun while in Florida. I made blocks of an entire mostly-blue KF jelly roll. That was all done prior to the retreat. I set off those gorgeous blue/green/purple blocks with a narrow pink sashing, and used some blue from my stash for the cornerstones. 

That pic above looks washed out; here's a different angle; hopefully the colors look more vivid.

 The final measurements on this jelly roll quilt are 45"x50".

The second project was the project I planned to do with my dear friend Sharon. We'd spoken for a year or more about using our KF fabrics to make an Around the World quilt. I shared hers in yesterday's post. She'd begun it back in the fall while I delayed because - get this - I didn't have enough pastel colors in my stash. I had to buy more! (I know, you're all ROFLing, right?)

The wonderful floral pattern above was my center panel. From there, I just added border after border after border - all different widths and all selected with the idea of cohesiveness of color and design.

I really didn't know what it would look like when I began, but this is what I ended up with. I sort of expected that it would be more pink, but the fabrics led me to this and I'm pleased with it. It measures 48"x62". I could conceivably add more borders. Now that I am home and have access to my entire stash, I might just see what I find. However, I do like this and may just leave well enough alone.

Having this completed, I turned my sights on making a baby quilt for our new granddaughter. Both Cate and Reagan have quilts made like this, and I thought the newest little girl would need to have one as well. The last thing I grabbed when packing for retreat was a stack of solid fabrics piled on the end of a table. It was meant to be.

The  blocks for this quilt use the same general principle as Around the World - that is, begin with a panel of colorful florals or prints, border it with a matching solid, repeat a border of the floral/print, then finish off with the solid. Make 9 of these blocks and stitch them together. Voila! Baby quilt in no time. This one measures 60"x76". I am sure the ones I made for Cate and Reagan were lots smaller. Since there's not a set pattern, you end up with a surprise. I used narrower strips or started with smaller central panels on my previous versions. 

 I just found this picture in my camera roll; I'm completely clueless! One of these went to Reagan; I must have gifted the other one...but to whom? I forget...Below is the first one from 2022 when Cate was born.

 So, yes, it WAS a Kaffe Fassett retreat. Wonderful! It was really satisfying to complete 3 flimsies, all made (mostly) from my stash of KF fabrics. I'll be back soon with a final retreat report in which all the other quilters get grouped all together in one giant post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne