Patriotic Table Runner

Two weeks ago, the Frankfort Girls met at Jan's house. That put us right at the big weekend of the 250th celebration in America. Jan, known for her themed gatherings, had a grand table set for us. 

 A bonus table favor at each place setting was tucked inside the navy and red striped kit. The pattern and necessary yardage for a table runner! All our stuff is covering it, but the table runner that Jan made is running down the center of her table. We all could make our own thanks to Jan's generosity and thoughtfulness!

When we left Jan's that morning, we all - sorta' jokingly - challenged each other to have them made and ready for show and tell at our next gathering at Becky's. Well, I took that challenge seriously! I got busy this week and had my table runner done just in time for our brunch. I stitched the binding at Becky's yesterday. 

I'm going to use mine on our island. It is where we keep the salt and pepper shakers, the napkins, the sugar bowl and toothpicks. Centrally located and easy to grab. Don't you love how it sparkles on the island!?

In another week, we will be hosting my husband's family reunion and I am using red, white, and blue as my color scheme - an obvious decision, right? - so my interest in making this table runner was doubly important to me. I have several other patriotic pieces sprinkled throughout the house.

 

I quilted the table runner on my little Bernina with a walking foot. I opted to just stitch in the ditch along each stripe and around each star block. Making the stars was a bit fussy, as the points are made with really small pieces, but I only had to make 9 stars, so I knew I could power through all the fussing with small bits. Not too overwhelming, actually.

I have one more really fast and small-ish project under my needle currently. My friend Sharon gifted me with a fun panel of Psalms verses, which are cut and sewn into a wall hanging. I am about half way finished with it. So stay tuned!

It's really satisfying to see some finishes taking place. It boosts both my motivation and enthusiasm to get going on some other projects - big and small, old and new.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Checking My Yearly Goals

Every January, I make a list of goals that I hope to accomplish each year. Some years I do better than others in accomplishing them. So far this year I feel rather hopeful in the way 2026 is shaping up. Click here to see the post containing my goals.

THE GOALS:

1.  Aurora - Not done - yet. I plan to cut it out soon; possibly work on it at our August retreat.

2.  Use Winnemucca fabric - Not done - yet. I have decided on a pattern; will be on it soon.

3. Lake Effect -  I am very nearly done with this! I continue to stitch on it; but with not a lot of urgency.

4. Grandmother's Flower Garden - I did finish this flimsy in the winter. I even added borders, which I didn't think I would do, but decided they were warranted. 

5. KF Around the World - I did this one at the April retreat. It's wall-hanging size, and was super easy.

6. Wensleydale - Done! Made this while we were in Florida.

7. Layer Cake Baby Quilt - for Annie - and it is done! I have yet to quilt it - awaiting a repair on my long arm. Made it in Florida in January with a layer cake gifted to me from Sharon.

8. 3-Yard Quilt - done! Made while in Florida!

9. Traditional Trip Around the World - Done! Finished the flimsy just in the last few weeks. So proud of this one!

Now before I go any further - I have to ask you not to laugh at the optimism brimming out of this goal! I really thought I'd be able to get my long arm machine up and going when we got back from Florida. Alas! It is currently in the repair shop. I've not quilted a single quilt on it since last fall! So, my goal was . . . 

10. Quilt 24 Quilts - phffftt! I definitely will make a valiant effort - and if I pick small quilts, I could come up with 24, perhaps! There's many options for me, so I will try my best.

THE QUILTS DONE SO FAR:

#7 - Layer Cake Baby Quilt 

 

# 4 - Grandmother's Flower Garden

#3 - Lake Effect - Still just small finishing touches.

#8 - 3-Yard Quilt

 

#5 - KF Around the World

#9 - Traditional Trip Around the World

#6 - Wenselydale

Lots of words to begin this post; finishing with pictures. Wish me luck as I try to knock out the rest of these goals!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Custom Dresses for Little Darlings

A while back I had a notion that I would absolutely never be able to sew all the Kaffe Fassett fabrics in my stash into quilts. Just humanly impossible! But, I do have granddaughters and I can make dresses and they are only little for such a short time - so it seemed to make a lot of sense to get busy making dresses for them.

 I delivered this little dress to Cate on Sunday. Hopefully I can get DD Erin to send a picture of her wearing it.

This little dress (below) was made for Reagan, and I do have a picture of her wearing it, although you don't see much of the dress! Reagan's dress has 2 pockets. Down at the bottom of this post I describe another dress in the same fabric with only one pocket - that one is for Annie.

I just finished this one below also for Reagan. I think this one might be my favorite. Those deep KF blue fabrics are the best! 

Little Annie got one just like Reagan's but with just one pocket. I had just enough of the two fabrics left to squeeze out a size 1 and only 1 pocket. She (hopefully) will be ready to wear it next summer.

 Emma's fiance Glen has a daughter (bonus granddaughter!), and she gets a dress, too! I had a sundress pattern that she liked, so I whipped this up for Harper. I hope to get it to her soon. And I will need her to try it on before I secure those straps.

I will resume quilting activities soon. Come on back and see what I've been stitching since finishing these dresses!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

TATW Flimsy Finished!

This is a post I am very happy to share! I finished a quilt top! I've not been the most productive quilter in recent months, so to be able to share a flimsy is quite a feat! My Trip Around the World finishes at 80 inches square. Every seam matched up perfectly and construction was a breeze.

 Back in February, I bought most of the calico florals used in this quilt. While I was having my yardage cut, the shop clerk and I chatted about my plan for these fabrics to be used in a Trip Around the World quilt. 

You know how we quilters are -- one comment led to another and before I knew it we were exchanging phone numbers! She promised to send me a pattern she had long planned to make, but alas, hadn't ever done it.

Jump to June - 4 months later - I finally cut out all the strips for this quilt and begin stitching. Then the knee surgery and a pause. Now, just after the 4th of July, I have completed it!

I repeated 4 fabrics in this quilt.With there being so much variety in the colors, I wasn't concerned about repeating, and I loved the prints, so why not?  The pattern Samantha provided was as easy as can be to follow. I hope she knows what a blessing she has been in this effort! That shop is the BEST!! I will shop at The Quilted Twins every winter we go to Florida! They are a wonderful shop and so friendly! I have already sent her pics of this flimsy.

But I digress...Let's have a few more views of the quilt. 

I have yet to consider how this will be quilted. I think it would be easy to hand quilt, and I could very well go that route. I could make hand-quilting even faster by doing the 'big-stitch' method. I can also just put it on the long arm, and get'er done. 

 

I sure do love this quilt, and I hope I don't dither too long in getting it quilted. Allowing it to languish in the closet for years would be a travesty. So  many quilt tops are already hanging there waiting to to quilted.  I have got to remedy this!

One remedy will begin today. I am taking my long arm machine to a repair shop for a long-overdue tune-up. I've not successfully quilted on that machine since last fall. Waaa! I want to get some quilts finished! I'm long overdue for baby quilts and other gifts needing to be given. I have to get my machine in tip-top shape.

So, what's next? I'm still making little dresses. I still have a yearly goals list which I need to consult. I still have scads of scraps to use. I won't run out of projects any time soon, for sure.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne
 

Hello July!! And A Pretty Summer Dress

How we can possibly find ourselves welcoming July already, is a total mystery to me! Good golly, time sure does fly by!

 

As we welcome a new month, I find that I am able to sit for longer sessions at the sewing machine. Knee replacement recovery has been going well - very grateful for that! And I've set aside some time from the TATW quilt project to make a dress for Granddaughter Reagan.

My sewing journey actually began with garment making at age 8 when I entered 4-H and became a member of The Sewing Wigwags. What a name. I wonder if that 4-H club still exists? Anyway, for the next 10 years, I made clothes for myself. I advanced through all the levels in 4-H and even took a home-ec class in high school in which I made my own winter coat.

After marriage and having children, I continued to make clothes for myself and the kids, but as my interest in quilt-making grew, my clothes-making waned. I probably did not make any clothing for 20 years or so, while I concentrated on quilts. 

Now that I'm a Grandma to three little girls, I find my interests shifting back to making clothes! I have plans to make lots of little dresses and outfits for them. One dress was realized this week.

I have the cutest and simplest pattern for this sweet summer dress. It contains toddler sizes 1, 2, and 3. I made two size 3s in May - one for Cate; one for Reagan. The pattern is rather vintage; I have no idea whether I bought it when my girls were little or if it was given to me.

I had the idea that little dresses in bright Kaffe Fassett (Rowan) fabrics would look darling, so I dug around to see what I could come up with. I found three pieces that appealed to me and then I went digging for suitable lining fabrics for each one. This first dress in done in a Phillip Jacobs print called Tea Rose.

This first dress is done except for the buttonholes and buttons. I have 4 more dresses in various sizes cut out. I might get one or two done yet today!

 One dress will be made with "Fans" using that mottled blue as lining. 

 Another dress will be made with "Lavinia" and the Benartex weave for the lining.

I did cut out a second dress from the first combination - had enough remaining for a size 1 - so it will go to baby Annie.

The more of this pattern I make, the faster I finish them. Repetition will do that, don't cha' know! I've had a super-engaging audio book going which also helps. I will try to do a post in a few days on some of the recent reading I've been doing.

I am still picking up the Trip Around the World quilt; three quadrants are done. One more then I will construct all the parts. I'm motivated!

Have a wonderful July! Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

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