Deadline Met!

Earlier this afternoon, I slipped upstairs to the quilting room and put the last border on Eventide. Then I went ahead and stay-stitched the outer edges, something I really have to force myself to do. And then I pressed the dickens out of it!

 

 

And THAT is how you meet a deadline. This quilt has been a long, long time in the making. Fabric purchased about 6 or 8 years ago; pattern acquired just after it was released, about 2 years ago; decision made to pair fabric and pattern in June; cut out at 2014 Quilt Camp; slowly pieced through July and August. What a journey.

Now on my plate: finishing a t-shirt quilt for a friend of my mother's; putting borders on those pastel 9-patch quilts from the retreat and then quilt camp (I made 2 of them); finishing the UFOs in our challenge; getting two  quilt-alongs up-to-date.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

More Roman Holiday

I don't know about you, but I truly doubt that I will ever get tired of looking at quilts made with the gorgeous Roman Holiday fabric. Sharon P. and I bought ours so, so long ago, and have petted and pampered it, waiting all this time for just the right patterns worthy of cutting into it.

I recently showed you Sharon's Three Coins, made from a kit of Roman Holiday fabric. It turned out great. I have my Eventide very close to a finish - stay tuned - that will hopefully be showing up here tomorrow - and now Sharon has begun a second Roman Holiday quilt that is going to be a real stunner.

Way, way  back in 2008 - or was it 2009? - anyway, it's been awhile, we discovered this magazine on a rack and immediately recognized the bottom fabric as a piece from the Roman Holiday line. Of course, we bought the magazine, and now Sharon is actually following through and making it!

We sewed together on Tuesday and she got quite a bit done on it. What beautiful fabric. What gorgeous, beautiful fabric. Ahhh.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

An Impromptu Quilt Show

Last Friday when the Frankfort girls met at Terry's house, we were surprised by a big pile o' finishes from Sheryll! It was a surprise quilt show, I tell you. She has such a good eye for color, and her patterns are always so interesting and pleasing. I think you will enjoy the impromptu quilt show you are about to see. Go grab your coffee!

 I just about cut off all the borders on this, but I think you can see a pumpkin down in the corner. This will be a fantastic fall quilt in Sheryll's house.

 Here's a quilt that is going on my to-do list. I just love it, and think I am going to have to own one! Triangles appeal to me for some reason.

 This is a jelly-roll race quilt. It is atypical of Sheryl;s usual colors, but it turned out so nice!

 Very similar to the first quilt; I think they are both Thimbleberries patterns - maybe the same one(?).

 Hunter green and deep red-orange - this combo makes for a great fall quilt.

 Do you see all the playful movement in this quilt? Very appealing, as is the combination of gold and burgundy.

Another quilt featuring lots of triangles, and I'm loving it, too! Baskets with a sawtooth border. Very, very nice.

Now I have to tell a little story on Sheryll. She has been saying for several months that she's just not been very motivated to work on her sewing projects. Ha! I beg to differ! If this is what unmotivated looks like, then I want some of it! This looks like someone was motivated, wouldn't you say? I know what finally pushed her to get moving on these quilts - a lot of which were UFOs - the Circleville Quilt Show is this weekend, and several of these were going to be in it. So I suppose we were getting a preview of the real show. Since it doesn't look like I am going to get the chance to go to the show, this will have to suffice - and it does!

In addition to all of Sheryll's beauties, JoAnn and Sharon O. also had a couple of things to share.

One of JoAnn's granddaughters will certainly love snuggling with Gramma in this, I think!

The picture above is a bed scarf that Sharon made to liven up a plain bedspread. She broke out of her comfort zone and used batiks for this, and I think the results are quite appealing. It could also serve as a table runner for a long table or sideboard.

And this patriotic wall hanging is also by Sharon. What fun! I love those Ohio stars peeking out of the flying geese rows.

Terry and I didn't have anything to share. Maybe next time!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Eventide Top Comes Together

I am so close to having Eventide put together! Have a look!

 

I think I will spend this evening cutting out the rectangles that will form the outer border. I can then  sew them when I have time throughout the rest of the week. I still think I can make my Sept. 1st deadline for having this top completed.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Crazy Busy Times Around Here

Yeah, I know I have been conspicuously absent from my blog for about a week. Sorry about that! It seems that I am not the juggler that I thought I was. My DH's computer is in the shop, so he's using my laptop a lot more than I counted on when I offered it. That laptop, though, is the one I usually blog from, so I'm limited.

Want more excuses? I've got 'em! The OUC school year has begun! I am teaching 3 classes, which required me to get 3 syllabi ready. That required the laptop again, so when I did get access to it, the top priority was school, not blogging.

Excuses, excuses! Maybe, but it's also just life. So we roll with it.

I have been working in the quilting room. Still Eventide. But I have advanced to this step in the directions:

Assembling!! Yay! It makes me happy to see it coming together. It is so, so busy! But with Roman Holiday fabric, who cares?? It is totally scrumptious! The pattern is by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Even though these are just blocks laid out on the bed, I now have them sewn together, I have the red hourglass blocks attached to each vertical side, as well as the outer side borders. I will have an up-to-date picture tomorrow. All that is left is to attach the remaining border which will go all the way around. It is made of 58 rectangles -- measuring 3.5- by 6.5-inches. I have not cut these out yet, so this step could be awhile.

I have been sewing with Sharon P. more regularly lately. We are both doing quilts with our stash of Roman Holiday fabric. Hers is also a Miss Rosie pattern - Three Coins, if you are familiar with her work. After bemoaning how slowly we get our projects finished, we made a goal together of having our quilt tops done by September first. Sharon has reached her goal!! Because it is so pretty, I'm giving you 4 pictures at which to gaze longingly. (You can thank me later.)

Sigh. It was such a bugger to make - those star blocks were killers! But isn't the end result fantastic? It motivates me to get going on finishing my Eventide by the September 1 deadline.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Retail Therapy

I don't know if you've noticed how little fabric buying I've been doing lately. It's been a real effort on my part to try to use from my stash. I could sew from now until my dying day - which I hope is a long way off - and never use all the fabric stored in the quilting room.

Now I do love some of the new fabrics coming out, and it just about kills me to resist enhancing the stash. So, every now and then I allow myself a small purchase. I generally try to follow the rule that I select something that will enhance what I already own, and occasionally buy something totally new.

With those ground rules, I will show you what I did on Saturday. *wink*

My husband and I took a drive in Amish Country with his father. We were mostly just out to see some pretty countryside. I had an idea in the back of my mind that we'd stop at Pearl Valley for some cheese. It wasn't  until they asked me what I was interested in seeing, that I even entertained the idea of a quilt shop stop.

Mrs. Miller's in Berlin, OH, is one of the must-see destinations for any quilter visiting our Amish Country. Rather unassuming, isn't it?

A small bag of quilting goodness! It was so hard to decide what to get. I didn't have time to prepare a wishlist!

Here's what came home with me: 4 fat quarters from the brown, gold and neutral range of colors; 2 Charm Packs of French General Chateau Rouge. Oh my, I'm a sucker for French General.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Bit of Hand Piecing

I'm away with DH for the weekend, and I always take along a little box of stitching I can pick up and work on should the opportunity arise. 

I've made a few scrappy 16-patch blocks. 

And I'm still stitching. 😉

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

-posted from my iPhone using Blogger

Precious Ones

You'll allow me a non-quilting post? I'm visiting my f-i-l this weekend and have no quilting news. I do have a special post, however.

Mary Jean and Anna Rose, my sweet twin nieces, began first grade on Monday. They also had another first this week. Twins losing a tooth on the same day. What are the odds of that?

This is AR.

This is MJ.

Sweetest things in the whole wide world. Truly! AR wants to be a scientist; MJ loves reading. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

-posted from my iPhone using Blogger

Still Hangin' Around

I don't know if you pay attention to how long it takes me to finish things. I certainly hope not. I seriously doubt that anyone does, and let's just keep things that way, if you don't mind. I really do allow projects to hang around way, way too long.

I began Eventide in late June at Quilt Camp. I spent about a day cutting out what seemed like endless parts. I have not been following the directions as they were written, and maybe that has slowed my progress somewhat.The pattern, which is by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, instructs you to make all the sub-units first. But I want to have a star! Right now! So I made enough sub-units for one star, made the star, and just kept on doing it that way.

The trouble comes when I am away from it for awhile - I forget what I'm doing, what I've done, and how I did it!

Here we are in mid-August, and I should have this quilt top together by now. Yet I find myself still making parts and sub-units. I suppose I let too many other things take my attention away from regular stitching. Since the end of June, I have had the following things interrupting my attention to Eventide:
1. Cleaning and prepping for the fraternity bash
2. Making pillows
3. Cleaning out Grandma's closet
4. Finding a place for the stuff from that closet
5. Writing for the Historical Society
6. Trying to stay caught up with 2 quilt alongs
7. Trying to finish things for the UFO challenge

Not big stuff, to be sure, but stuff nonetheless. And then I also do a fair amount of running around whenever the offer is made. I've spent several afternoons at a friend's pool, a day at the Columbus Parade of Homes, an evening Reds/Indians game, Frienzie activities - well, you get the picture.

And, let's not forget - I am a world-class procrastinator, too. 

Why don't I quit blabbing, and just show you some pictures of Eventide? Good idea!

These blocks feature the half-square triangle in each corner. These are sprinkled through the quilt.

Here's a close up of one.

I've laid out blocks for the center portion of the quilt on the guest bed. I'll be rearranging these to distribute the colors a bit better. On each vertical side of this section are borders of red quarter-square triangles. I am currently making those.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Reilly's Getting a New Quilt

Dear friend Sharon was over last week to sew with me, and I have been remiss in posting this very important update on the quilt she is making for her grandson Reilly - Rye, for short. The young man is quite the athlete as he participates heavily in soccer and tennis. At some point a while ago, Sharon promised him a new quilt, and I believe Rye has been (not so subtly) reminding her that she "owes" him a quilt.

The soccer team's colors are black, white and red, so Sharon selected these solid flannels to whip up a fast and easy quilt. It will certainly be wonderful for snuggling! Rye and his parents have just moved, and he finds himself with a new bedroom. Sharon reports that these colors will work perfectly in his newly decorated room.

Rye is going on 12, if I'm not mistaken. Those years have gone fast; I remember how excited we all were when he was born. You've met Rye before here in the Quilting Room; he made his baby brother a quilt just a couple of years ago. Click this link to see how he's changed. This link is from a couple months later after the quilt was completed.

Well, I have been commissioned to do a t-shirt quilt, so I need to make some significant progress on that today.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Some Finishes from Sheryll

Only three of us Frankfort Girls were available to meet on Friday. Low numbers don't stop us, though! We three gabbed and sewed just the same as if all were present! What topics we cover! *wink*

This will be short and sweet; let's just look at what Sheryll had to show as finishes. Fantastic!

I

This wall-hanging has been living in my head ever since I saw it back in April at our Canter's Cave quilt retreat. At the time, I was unable to get a good clear picture, so I just had to take another while we were at Sheryll's. I truly think this will be something I make - very soon.

 This is that project that Sheryll was just getting started on back in June at Quilt Camp. It's hard to tell that it's purple and white; I never have been able to get a good true picture of the color. (It will be a gift, so please keep this one to yourself, okay?)

And this is what Sheryll was finishing up as we stitched on Friday. It is one of the UFOs she has finished for our little challenge. You may recognize it at a Thimbleberries design.

That's all for today, folks. I will try to be back with more tomorrow.

Happy Quilting, Friends!