Additional Jelly Roll News

The jelly roll efforts around here seem to go on and on. Yesterday Sharon came to sew; she had set aside her Scrappy Irish Chain to work on a jelly roll quilt! Yay! It is wonderful, too!

Sharon used the same pattern I had intended to use, Civil War Scrappy from the Lintott book called Jelly Roll Quilts. She did not veer from the directions as I did. Her snowball blocks look great and the quilt is a true beauty! The jelly roll is Luna Notte by - who else - 3 Sisters/Moda. They truly DO make the most gorgeous fabrics. Sharon has made a lot of quilts using this line, and she reminded me that I'd gifted her the jelly roll she used for this. Sweet!

So she came yesterday with the blocks already made. She'd been busy! Her task for the day was to lay out the quilt and stitch the top, which she did, as you can see above.

 

While she worked on her jelly roll quilt, I continued to work on mine. Yes, I thought I was finished, but I had extra 9-patch units left over, and I thought maybe I could rework them to make more blocks - enough for another row or two. So I spent the day making enough new 9-patches for two additional rows. I have them attached, and now I am considering border options. More on that some other time.

We finished within minutes of each other, and we got DH to take a pic of our quilts together. Same inspiration pattern, but I switched out the snowball blocks in favor of a floral setting block; Sharon followed the directions and made the snowballs. She had the background fabric readily available, whereas I would have had to spend too much time finding suitable background. My floral was right there in my Roman Holiday tub. No brainer.

So, we each have a jelly roll quilt made this month, both using 3 Sisters fabrics from older lines - Sharon used Luna Notte, and I used Roman Holiday. I admit that we were both pretty darn proud to have completed these so fast. Using such gorgeous fabrics makes one excited to see a finish. We decided we are absolute wizards at the sewing machine. Ha! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 
 

Roman Holiday Jelly Roll Quilt

I began my sew-a-jelly-roll efforts early in anticipation of our planned vacation to New England. And yesterday I finished off the quilt top.

Actually, when Sharon was last here on Tuesday of jelly roll week, I dug out my Roman Holiday jelly roll. I wrote a bit about that here. Basically, I matched the jelly roll up with a pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. I chose the pattern Civil War Scrappy, but for the sake of expediency, I decided to use a single fabric for my setting blocks instead of snowball blocks. After all, jelly roll quilts are supposed to be fast, almost effortless, in their construction. With an 8-day vacation interrupting the project, simplifying was a priority. I didn't have time to fuss with snowball blocks; I wanted this quilt done and done fast!

A quilt with a bunch of 9-patches and plain setting blocks doesn't really require a pattern, but I am so glad I studied the directions for Civil War Scrappy. It explains how to maximize jelly rolls when making 9-patch blocks - match up pairs of strips, cut strips into 17" units, then construct 3 9-patch blocks. Two will be 5 dark/4 light, while one will be 5 light/4 dark. There will be one unit left over. That's good knowledge to tuck away for future use.

Now, back to the background fabric. The pattern called for a neutral, and I didn't have one that suited me. I did have, however, a good 2- or 3-yard length of Roman Holiday floral. It is my supreme goal the older I get to follow the path with the least amount of thinking. Quilters are sometimes notorious for overthinking things like matching. I knew that this Roman Holiday fabric was pretty enough to work in any combination.

Floral setting blocks it would be; no looking back.

I think I made the right choice. Here are some additional pictures; see if you agree. The large floral makes for a very busy quilt, but I am not overly bothered by this. I have loved Roman Holiday fabric for so long, I am happy to use it in all its beautiful glory! Let the profusion of blocks and flowers jump to life in this easy quilt!

 

I always say I will skip jelly roll day next year, but I seem to have a weakness when it comes to ignoring new and fun projects. I will take a day this week to review all the jelly roll quilts I've made in previous years.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

 

 

Vacation Stitching

After admitting in the last post about not stitching on our trip, I made myself at least pull out the project tub to interest me. Of course, I took multiple little hand projects, just in case, and to suit whatever mood I happened to be in. 

Do you operate in moods? I might be in the mood for applique, or I might be in the mood to stitch EPP, or I might be in the mood to glue EPP, and so on. Those were the main three tasks I had in my travel-friendly project tub. Here's a look inside.

As it turns out, I was in the mood for applique. This may have been due to a gentle suggestion offered by Gretchen of Gretchen's Little Corner. Awhile back she encouraged me to take along Lake Effect and stitch on it in whatever moments, be they brief or extended, available. 

And so I did. Thank you, Gretchen, for that suggestion. It was just the gentle push I needed to get me going.

I took one panel with me. It needed only the berries to be completed. Getting closer to being done!!!

Here are some berries stitched down, and a couple on the right just basted down.

The back-basting is done with darker thread so that it is easy to see. I can easily begin the applique at this point.

Some more back-basted berries.

And one more. You may notice that none of my berries are perfectly round. This does not bother me at all. Some applique patterns sort of require that kind of precision and care. This pattern is quite forgiving in its 'freeform' nature. 

Plus, you know, done is better than perfect. A great concept to keep in mind as I continue this trek with Lake Effect.

I am linking up with the weekly Slow Sunday Stitching gals at Kathy's Quilts. It's how I "met" Gretchen, and you might meet some lovely new friends, too! (*Waving to you, Gretchen!!*) Click on Gretchen's link and you will see a quilt of hers that was raffled ---- for $3000!! Way to go! That is so awesome!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Hello Fall! From New England!

DH and I are on a little vacation this week. We left Saturday for a tour through the New England states, and will be home this weekend. For 40+ years I have wanted to see New England in the fall, so now that we are both fully retired - no part time jobs - here we are! Of course, our hope was to see the fall color, but fall is coming late to New England, it appears; we are seeing much the same thing we have in Ohio - plenty of green with rare pops of yellow or red.

Next to seeing fall colors, the primary goal was to see Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. This came about from our daughter and son-in-law, who go there for occasional functions with his paternal side of the family. All their raving about the beauty and splendor of the place coupled with our long-held desire to see fall color in that area culminated in this trip.

I will simply share a few key photos and include a brief caption for each. We still have three days of touring ahead of us!

Saturday: Niagara Falls in New York.

Sunday: scenic drive through Adirondack Mtns.

Sunday: cross into Vermont on ferry across Lake Champlain.

Sunday night: close encounter with a moose in New Hampshire.

Monday &Tuesday: touring Lake region.

Lake Winnipesaukee from an scenic vantage point.

Lake Winnipesaukee from boat cruise on lake.

Seaside resort on lake.

Today we left New Hampshire and drove into Maine, setting our sights on the coastline between Portland and Bar Harbor. We always try to take scenic routes as opposed to interstate highways; this sometimes results in our not making it to our goal destination - such was the case today, for example. We made it as far as Camden, ME, and called it a day. We will continue to Bar Harbor tomorrow, head up to Bangor, and then turn our car westward in the general direction of Ohio. It won't be a straight stretch, though. We plan to sight see a bit more in New Hampshire and Vermont before making that concerted effort homeward.

Am I sewing, you ask?? Well, I have a nicely packed bag with a couple hand stitching projects, but I haven't opened them yet. *grin* Good intentions, but the sight seeing has won out.

Happy Fall, Friends!

 

 

Helen's Treasures

On Friday, the Frankfort Girls met for some stitching and visiting. Helen had the premier show and tell of the day - quilts from an estate sale! Vintage beauties! Have a look at some fine, hand-stitched quilting from generations gone by.

The first one she shared is this crazy quilt. I sure wish I'd taken more pictures of this one. The colors are so vibrant and the condition is near perfect.We could only see one place where the fabric looked worn and even that we weren't sure of. The detailed stitching is fantastic, and this is what I should have photographed. Quilters would appreciate the stitching that made a squirrel's tail look fluffy, just to mention one intricate feature. There were many more. If you click or tap the picture, you will be able to get a closer look at details.

The next quilt was a pieced quilt - some version of a Star of Bethlehem, we think. It is hand pieced and hand quilted.

I did regain my wits and took close-up pictures for this one, although they are rough, at best. Even so, that you can adequately see the detailed quilting stitches on this beauty. What a labor of love. The maker surely had a task on her hands with all those bias edges, and then all that hand quilting. Hours and hours of painstaking work, right?

When we happen upon lovely quilts at tag sales or auctions, we puzzle over so many questions. Who made these quilts? Did the same seamstress make both quilts? Were many hands involved? Many generations? How would this quilter feel at having her beautiful creations picked over at an estate sale and sold for $20 each. Fortunately, a quilter found them, and Helen does appreciate their beauty. She will care for these quilts as the fragile gems that they are. 

Sweet, fun-loving Helen is all giggles over a funny comment made as we were folding her quilts. Just being silly. She says she plans to investigate correct cleaning and caring instructions for these lovelies. They definitely will not suffer under her care.

I imagine that many of us who make quilts, occasionally consider how long into the future our quilts will last, and what journeys they will take. We work so hard and so carefully, and often with considerable expense, to create a thing of beauty; we entrust them to loved ones. At some point will they be lost to a random auction? 

We can never know. What we can know is the love we have for making them - what it does for our souls. I am satisfied with that.

Since both these quilts involve a significant amount of hand stitching, I am going to join in on the Slow Sunday Stitching fun over at Kathy's Quilts. I hope the stitchers visiting there will enjoy these antique beauties.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

See Sharon's Progress

A couple months or more back, Sharon and I decided to make Scrappy Irish Chain quilts. We then proceeded to get super busy with other activities and goings-on. If it wasn't one, it was the other who had to cancel for about 4 weeks in a row. Yesterday, we finally had a sewing day together, and Sharon is nearing the completion of her Scrappy Irish Chain. Boy-oh-boy, it is a beauty!! 

Take a look at her gorgeous quilt. Is this not a feast for the eyes!? The pastel-laden scrappy blocks blend so beautifully with the coral pink solid fabric. It will be so scrumptious when finished! More pictures!!

So far, the horizontal rows are coming together, but gosh, the blocks are so doggone big, we needed to lay it out to see 'the big picture.' Drooling, right?

The layout is only 5 blocks by 5 blocks, but with 18.5-inch blocks, this is one huge quilt! The bed is queen sized, and the overhang is significant.

Most of Sharon's scraps are from 3 Sisters and all their various lines in recent years. Some minimal additions have been made. They all work so well together, and that salmon/peach/coral solid plays up the pastels wonderfully well. 

This final picture shows my quilt alongside Sharon's. My yellow solid plays up the brightness of the scraps, a direct contrast to the effect of Sharon's fabric choices. Either way, this quilt uses LOTS of scraps. 

I want to make another. 

As Sharon finishes hers, I will be sure to share here. Such a lovely quilt - luscious and restful for any bedroom.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

It's Jelly Roll Time Again!

Every September the fine folks at Moda Fabrics celebrate their ingenious creation - the Jelly Roll. I remember when these first came on the scene. In my totally-missing-the-mark way, I determined that this idea would never catch on. 

Yeah. I admit to such narrow-mindedness. 

A more successful marketing brainchild may not be found in the quilting world. Precuts surely are some of the best of the best sellers in the industry.

A few years back, I bought these lovely JRs from an Etsy shop. Roman Holiday by 3 Sisters is my all-time favorite fabric, and finding it these days is quite difficult. 

Two of the JRs have been used, but one remained in my stash, and so, in preparation for the big Sew a Jelly Roll day coming up on Saturday, I have begun a new project.

Few things are more thrilling that beginning a new project, yet beginning a new project with THE very prettiest fabric ever created sure makes me a very happy quilter! Look at that RED!

Yes, I have started early on the Jelly Roll celebration. DH and I will be traveling on Saturday, so I will not be in the sewing room. If I am to participate, I need an early start.

The easy part of this jelly roll pattern is making 9-patch blocks. I am very close to having them all done. Next will be to locate some background fabric for making Snowball blocks. I have plenty of scraps in the Roman Holiday tub to use for the corner squares. More on that as I get to them. I will also share the pattern I am using.

Hope you are finding fun things to work on!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Meet Archie

My newest grand-nephew made his appearance the 31st of August. Mom and baby are doing great, and my nephew Will is as proud a papa as I have ever seen.

I have not yet met the little guy, but my sister, first-time grandma Sandy, sent me a picture of Archie on his quilt from Auntie Jayne.

To see additional pics of the quilt, click here. It looks as though I never did take a full-on picture of it, but the design is identical to ones I've made previously for babies. This one was fun because I bought all the fabrics on vacation in the Shenandoah Valley. The Fisher Price motif is fun, as it is a throwback to some of the toys our kids had, and even when we ourselves were kids. Parents and grandparents recall playing with Fisher Price.

Have you got a go-to baby quilt pattern? At present, I am unaware of a need for a baby quilt, but I am sure I will use this design again.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Bag Update

 You didn't actually get to see my new beach bag on the beach. I am here today to rectify that situation.

On the final beach day, I got out there early to get a jump on prime beach placement. Honestly, though, we had prime locations every day - going after Labor Day affords that perk. No crowds. Nice.

Cooler, book, sunscreen, towel. All essentials accounted for with my handy bag. The bottom is mesh, so sand just sifted right out. If I were to make another one, I'd have longer handles for carrying over my shoulder, or cross-body. 

All of the girlfriends were impressed with this little bag, so perhaps more are in my future.

Happy Quilting, Friends!