Frienzies Making Magic

We made some magic and had a magical day doing it. We'd been scheduled to meet this month at my house, and when we learned that a wedding would be in our futures, we turned our get-together into a quilt-making session for bride-to-be Kenly.

Mother-of-the-bride Susan with Sherrie who kept us organized.

 

Lots of pics were taken, and certainly there's no need for me to include a bunch of words. You all know the drill - we eat, we sew, we visit, we laugh, we press and rip, we lay blocks out on the floor. All good! Here's a few glimpses of the fun.

Four of us sewed blocks - Sherrie, Sharon, Pam and myself. Hettie, Lyn and Susan did the pressing and any necessary seam-ripping (and yes, there was a bit). Lyn says she came for "comic relief," and we all need that, too! We had an honorary Frienzie joining us as Hettie brought her out-of-town friend Abby. It just so happens that Abby is a quilter, and honestly, she fit right in. 

Here are a few shots of the nearly-finished quilt - it is monochromatic - very light in the middle with gradually darker fabrics moving top or bottom.

All the diagonal rows are sewn together and those are here with me to sew into the final quilt top. Then it will need to be trimmed. The final quilt will be king-size, so yes, this took up most of the middle of the front room rug. Look at how everyone is studying intently to make sure we have all the blocks correctly placed. It was tricky, for sure. 

What a great group - eight women who taught together at CHS for years and as we retired, we felt we needed a way to stay connected. We have met monthly as "The Frienzies" for over 20 years or more. We sure miss Kay who now resides elsewhere, but the seven who are still local make the effort to remain in touch. And we do make frequent trips to connect with Kay over in the Dayton area.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday! We had the most incredibly dense fog this morning! Finally now the sun is shining and blue skies are peeking through.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilting Dusty Trails

Just like my desire (mentioned here) to have an Autumn Leaves quilt in time for autumn, I've also always thought my Dusty Trails quilt top evoked a feeling of fall. I tell a lot of details about the quilt in this post from 2017 when I was diligently working my way through a year-long UFO challenge.

As I reread those earlier posts about this quilt, I thought I'd probably make a small throw quilt, yet in actuality I have a very amply-sized full quilt. How nice. I love that it covers our bed, and  looks really good as a fall quilt!

I used a full-size batting and did not have much waste when I cut away the sides. That's satisfying, knowing I haven't wasted materials. (I do save batting pieces, and I've got an awful lot stashed away.)

Nowhere on any list I've made this week have I even considered quilting something. Yet here I have one done. Loaded it Monday night and removed it Tuesday afternoon. This is proof that I have indeed grown more comfortable with my Tin Lizzie. It ought not be such an ordeal to quilt a top! I am mastering the use of the machine; now I need to master my own inner doubts.

The binding strips are cut and ready for sewing. I may have to wait a week to actually get those done. Busy days ahead!! I've got some obligations today, girls coming to sew tomorrow, and on Friday we are taking off for a little fall foliage tour into Pennsylvania and New York.

Here are a few close up shots of Dusty Trails. I just love all those old-timey-looking fabrics. I am sure our ancestors used fabrics like these - they look like scraps taken from old dresses and shirt, don't you think?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Hand Quilting A Keepsake

A keepsake? I am hoping this growth chart will be a keepsake, at least. DDErin asked me about a month ago to quilt the inch-lines on Cate's growth chart, and you know I agreed to do it. 

Makes for quite a special project. I've tried to be very careful to stitch as straight across the fabric as possible, and to keep my rows exactly at 1-inch intervals. The quilting does, however, pull a bit out of shape, so "in the ballpark" measurements will have to do.

I started at the top end - 6 feet - and I'm working my way down. Those little number are  the ones that will count most. Surely Cate won't grow that tall (although height is in the genes!). If she does, she will be too old by then to have her parents mark her height on a growth chart.

I really like the way the stitching makes the little shadows. It is really difficult to see that there are actually two colors being used here in the quilting. A darker color is used for the foot marks, and a lighter one for all the inch marks. The two colors don't have that much contrast to begin with, and in the shadows of the piece, the distinction is lost.

I am nearing the end of a good audio book, so I plan to sit on the porch and finish the quilting today with my earbuds in place. 

Next will be trimming and binding. This ought to be ready to return Cate and her parents by week's end. Below is the backing - soft, subtle pink.

It's gonna be sweet seeing this growth chart being used as Cate grows up. She is so, so very close to standing alone. I mustn't dally! Gotta' getter' done!

I am linking up today with the hand quilters and stitchers attending the party at Kathy's Quilts and her weekly Slow Sunday Stitching event. It's been a weekly event for nine (9) years! That's definitely a milestone achievement! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Autumn Is Here!

It's been feeling like fall around these parts for several days, and now we can officially welcome AUTUMN this morning.

I have finished the interior portion of my Autumn Leaves quilt. I do plan to add a narrow inner border and a wide outer border.

I made a big ol' pot of vegetable soup which seems like the most fall-like meal we could have this weekend. Look at how much! I will freeze some of this.

Short and sweet today, friends, as I have places to go and people to see!

Welcome Fall!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Jelly Roll Finish

 It goes without saying that I tend to drag out projects way longer than necessary, and that is why I am particularly thrilled to show off the Jelly Roll finish I accomplished this week.

I attempted one of those quilt twists I see some quilters do on Instagram, and all I could think was that I made a jelly roll out of a Jelly Roll.

This time last week, I didn't even have the idea of making this quilt. From kernel of an idea to finish was less than a week. Gracious! I guess these precuts DO have their advantages!

This quilt is called Jelly Filled and the pattern details are contained in this post.  I've been spelling the fabric line wrong, so let me just correct that - it's Susanna's Scraps by Betsy Chutchian. 

I didn't think I would have enough fabric to do the outer border, but I did, so I guess it is ready for the longarm. It measures 66"x72" so will be a cozy couch quilt.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Variety Pack

Gimme all the projects! I don't mind! I will dabble on all of them! 

Yes, that's me, over here flitting from one fun thing to the next. I'm an equal opportunity quilter, I suppose. Either that, or I have a serious "squirrel" affliction.

Progress is being made on several fronts: Autumn Leaves, Jelly Roll quilt, and Growth Chart. 

First, my Autumn Leaves. I love how this is coming together. The rich colors of fall really meld together in this quilt and truly evoke a fall-like feel. I've found a suitable border fabric from my stash which will enhance the entire look. It's a good bit of yardage of an old Kansas Troubles line. I will check the selvage to see what it's called and get back to you.

I don't generally invite just anyone to step into my quilting room, but here you are standing on the threshold. Yikes!

I share this view primarily because it shows off that Autumn Leaves quilt so nicely. About three rows are sewn together with the sashing. The others are just pinned in place. I will sew these all together and then I need to cut more sashing strips and cornerstone blocks.

The jelly roll strip sets have been pressed and cut into 10.5-inch blocks. The next step is to cut the sashing strips. The fabric for sashing is from the stash, pictured below.

I ended the day yesterday with some hand quilting on the growth chart Erin asked me to finish for Cate.

The numerals were embroidered by Erin, and I am quilting at 1-inch intervals for the entire 6-foot length of it. I will then trim it off, and then bind it. I intend to finish this off pretty quickly - and I need to! Cate will soon be able stand alone without falling down.

Today, in addition to quilting, I must spend some time in the kitchen - making more zucchini bread and some quiches for us and my mom. I  also have some leftovers that ought to be made into soup. 

It's a gorgeous Tuesday here in Ohio! Make the most of it!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jelly Roll Day

Even though I was recently sorta' complaining about not getting anything done (re: this post), I need to confess that I am 100% at fault. I just love starting projects. And, yes, on top of all those "irons in the fire" mentioned in that post, I have started something else.

Yestderday was Moda's commemoration of the Jelly Roll, and each September they have "Sew a Jelly Roll" day. I always have some Jelly Rolls around here, so I thought why not dig one out, and stitch up a fast, simple and fun quilt. Yes, why not?

The JR I selected was Susannah's Scraps by Betsy Chutchian. I hadn't been saving it for anything in particular, so I grabbed it out of the drawer and commenced to looking for a background. It sat on Thatched for a bit - that's the background for my Autumn Leaves quilt. It looks good, but I wanted something a bit more rustic looking.

This tan from my stash tub seems to suit me. I prefer not to overthink decisions like this, so after looking at the fabrics from all directions, I deemed it as my background. 

Unrolling a Jelly Roll is rather a thrill - seeing and admiring all the fabrics is a real treat. When I buy these precuts I generally have no idea what I will end up doing with them; I think it boils down to a super- easy and convenient way to have a bit of each fabric from the designer's line.

The pattern I am making is called Jelly Filled, and I found it through a search on Pinterest.  It's free pattern by Material Girls Quilts, and if you search around on that link you should find a video tutorial for all the construction details.

I didn't get a lot of time to sew yesterday, but I did get a start. These blocks are made with five of the JR strips sewn together, and then cut into 10.5-inch squares. Because it will come together so fast, I hope to have an update on a finish to share here soon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!