Halloween Vibes!

There has not been a lick of decorating for Halloween around here this year - not that I ever do that much for Halloween - so I thought I'd just share a few theme-related items I've made over the years.

Made back in 2019, this round pumpkin table cloth was created from a similar picture I saw on Pinterest, if I recall. It was relatively simple, as you would expect. I had all the fabrics in the stash, so basically it was a free project. I really ought to use it...

In 2021, I made Harvest Pumpkins along with the Frankfort Girls. Each of us made the same pattern, yet everyone's quilt looked so very different. Here's mine. I purposefully made mine as low-Halloween as possible, choosing instead to go with a strong autumn influence.

 

This pumpkin quilt is now quilted and draped across the back of a chair in our family room. You can click here to see the pumpkin quilts from some of the other Frankfort Girls.

My Fall Leaves quilt remains unquilted, doggone it. I had really hoped to have it quilted by this fall; alas I missed the mark. Maybe by next fall? Hope so.

And perhaps the oldest fall quilt in my collection is Harvest Mix, a favorite Thimbleberries pattern. This particular picture is from a few years ago. I do have it currently thrown across the back of the recliner, but I sure don't have any pumpkins on the mantel! *hah*

So, you all go on and celebrate Halloween without me. I will try to get some seasonal decor out for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll be over here loading the truck with another haul bound for the Goodwill drop off. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Grandma's Orphan Blocks

One family trait that I definitely did not inherit was my grandmother's skill at organization. She was meticulous about keeping things in their proper place, never putting anything where it didn't belong. After all I explained in yesterday's post about my difficulty with organizing and cleaning, you know that this clean-freak tendency skipped right on past me.

When Grandma gave me all her sewing stuff way back in 2012, each box was clearly labeled and neatly ordered. And even though I have shared much of her stuff here on the blog, I don't think I ever shared the contents of what I would call her orphan block box. Gosh, what a treasure trove! 

Let's dive into these blocks!

The makings of a fan; I found a stack of these wedges prepared for making more.

Cake Stand

I believe this 2-block combination is called Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.

A basket.

Another basket - or is it a cake stand?

Lemoyne Star - maybe?

A setting block.

Star.

A setting block to go with the two below.

A traditionally made Lemoyne Star.

Bear's Paw - this is a really big block.

Perhaps a block for an Irish Chain?

A 6-pointed star.

A basket block.

A tiny basket.

Another Lemoyne Star.

 So what will I do with these? I know the obvious thing is to make a sampler quilt which would include all these blocks. I don't know about that. The chaotic nature of all these colors would not be especially pleasing to me. 

Another option is to find related fabrics and make more of these blocks to create a quilt that incorporated both Grandma's blocks and mine. I actually have 2 boxes of Grandma's scraps; perhaps I could find enough of her fabrics to make more blocks and proceed with a table topper or wall hanging at the least. I dare not hope for enough to make a small throw quilt, but until I dig around, I'll never know! 

Doing anything with these blocks will have to wait. I don't see myself doing anything this year; maybe it can be a goal for next year.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

The Hard Work of Purging

It is so easy to close the closet door, turn one's back on the mess within, and focus on the pretty project waiting at the sewing machine. Instead of pulling boxes out of the closet and dealing with decades of accumulations - which I have done for the last 32+ years - I have had an uncanny ability to put it out of my mind - totally. 

Reality has come slamming into me recently - maybe this happens with age - and I'm slowly accepting the fact that I need to downsize this considerable collection of fabric, scraps, notions, keepsakes, memories and ephemera. 

Remodeled master; still needs decor, ceiling fan, but mostly done.

The master bedroom remodel we did earlier this summer eventually morphed into combining two previously separate rooms - the long arm room and the sewing room. In order for that to happen, a goodly amount of "excess" needed to go. Like vamoose. Out and away from here. The dreaded "P" word - PURGE.

Would you use a quilt as a throw over that chair??

How much can one keep for "just-in-case-I-might-need-it" purposes? No doubt I way surpassed my limit. As I've dealt with so much of this stuff lately, I've realized that it's my attachment to it all that I've had to reckon with. I attach too much significance to items, yet I have them boxed up and stored away. If I truly cherish these things, shouldn't I be displaying them or using them?

Lest you think I am a hoarder, I don't think so. It seems that over the last 10 years or so, as friends and relatives have cleared out their sewing rooms, I have been on the receiving end of so much. I couldn't say no! The reality of the situation became clear this summer. My need to consolidate two sewing rooms into one, forced me to face facts.

Former long arm room; now a guest room; still need bedside lamps, wall decor.

So I give you all this explanation to illustrate what seems to me an enormous undertaking. I just don't do well with purging my stuff. I seem to be doing things in "rounds." 

First round - the easy stuff. Old clothes; really outdated fabric; items that I simply know I will never need or use.  

Second round - sharing Grandma's stuff with cousins and nieces. That was fun, seeing them take an interest in these things I've stored for so long. I still have a lot of her things left, but a good amount was dispersed into the loving hands of relatives.

Third round - big stuff going to Goodwill and offered in a yard sale. It was a good feeling to get rid of my giant desk, and gobs of random pieces.

This went to Goodwill; it served me well, but was too big to stay.

Maybe I am now in my fourth round. It seems it's a round of endless sorting. I am not a good, systematic organizer. *waaah*

My efforts, however, are paying off. The sewing room is mostly in usable condition, with some further purging, organizing and sorting still needing to be done. The hallway linen closet has been completely emptied and the contents have been divided into Keep/Donate piles. The donate pile is bigger than the keep pile - a big WIN! The linen closet will be repurposed; I will share more on that later. 

One final room awaits my attention - the remaining guest room. It became the dumping ground through all this business, and the randomness of things jumbled up in this room is overwhelming. I will say, though, that a very large stack of EMPTY plastic storage tubs fills one corner. Empty bins are a definite indicator of progress.

Purging is hard for me, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment for tackling this task. A weight feels lifted as if the burden of all the excess was too much to bear. I get a good feeling as I drive away from Goodwill after leaving a donation. I liked seeing someone buy an item in my garage sale, knowing I no longer had to own it, and that someone had a genuine need for it. I must remind myself of this as I tackle the remaining room. 

Lotsa' words today, Peeps, and no quilt pictures. Maybe you can zoom in on those bedroom shots - plenty of quilts in both rooms!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Chelsea Garden

Anyone who sews or quilts or engages in any other creative endeavors, knows the calming peace that envelops you while you work. Lately, I have been able to carve out some time to rediscover this calming peace and at last have a finished quilt top to share!

The upheaval of this summer's upstairs refresh has taken so much longer than we expected. What started out as a quick update of our master bedroom - a simple matter of replacing the carpet with flooring, painting, and replacing our bed - became so much more involved with pretty much a total overhaul of both sewing rooms and the other bedroom.

And that's the short version of why I have been blogging so infrequently all summer. With this sort of chaos surrounding me, I didn't have the space to sew nor the inclination to write. 

Thankfully, the biggest parts of our refresh are behind us, and finally some normalcy has returned. With that return to the near-proper order of things, I have been sewing! 

In mid-September, when I took my machine in for repairs, I bought a bit of yardage and 2 mini-charm packs of Chelsea Garden. It was just too irresistible. I paired the mini-charms with some neutral Max and Louise fabric from my stash. Nine patches!! I never tire of them! I used the yardage with the tiny blue flowers as the setting blocks and thought that would be enough. 

 Hung up on the design wall, though, it just didn't have any impact or 'ZING!' Too blah. It needed to be bigger. So when I picked up my machine, I bought two more mini-charms and more yardage. They'd sold out of the tiny blue floral, so I got the tiny pink floral. I would just encircle the blue section with pink. And that is what I did. I am so much happier with this enlarged version because the chain of light squares shows so much more prominently.

And the 'ZING!' factor definitely comes from the border. I added a neutral inner border and a spectacular floral for the outer border and TA-DA!! I have a 70"x76" quilt top!

Here's a situation where in person this quilt looks so much better than the pictures indicate. The colors are so much more vivid, trust me. Maybe this close up below (when I decided that an inner border was imperative) shows the best or truest colors.

Isn't that border floral fantastic? I knew the minute I saw it that it was destined for this quilt. I love a totally impromptu project! Clueless in September and done in October! Chelsea Garden sure satisfied all my creative hankerings.

I continue with our upstairs refresh, but the jobs now include some fun stuff like creating a brand new guest bedroom and decorating spaces. Yes, I still have some boxes and closets and drawers to purge, but it's not as all-consuming as it was a month ago. Thankfully!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Cate's Overalls

A second grandchild post is called for today, and believe it or not, it connects to sewing. 

Back at Christmas time, I made Cate a pair of overalls out of some fabric that her mother had purchased. The overalls turned out just as cute as can be, complete with a row of snaps sewn into the legs for easy diaper changes. Click here for a post about it.

Finally, I have a picture of Cate wearing her overalls! I was unaware that they have been too long all these months. While we were at the cabin in Hocking Hills, Erin dressed Cate in these overalls and they looked just as darling as expected.

They are still a bit long for her, but it was great that Erin made the effort to show off Cate in her fancy, Grandma-made duds. The weather was perfect for a cozy pair of overalls, and she should be able to wear them through these next few months. Cate is always in constant motion, so getting a clear picture of her was challenging. These two are the best of the bunch.

In that post from last December, I referenced the little pastel stripe fabric that was still to be made. I did, in fact, make a sundress for Cate, and I have a picture from their June vacation to Hawaii where she wore it.

Cate looks jet-lag weary, but adorable nonetheless. Seeing these little outfits makes me want to get back into the swing of sewing and making more of these. I have all the necessary materials - mainly patterns and fabric - I just have to do it.

So coming up while I continue sorting through boxes and making donation piles, I have come across some interesting finds in the depths of these long untouched boxes. I honestly didn't know what I had, in a few cases. I think they are worth sharing, so stay tuned for all that in upcoming posts.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Why So Quiet?

While I doubt that I qualify as a hoarder, the seemingly endless amounts of "stuff" I have sifted through these past several weeks might make one consider the aptness of the term. And that accounts for why I have been so absent from the blog. In stead of sewing and quilting, I am sorting, purging, recycling, and downsizing.

UGH. What a lot of work.

But I don't want to talk about that today. I want to show off our new granddaughter, Reagan Jayne. Besides sorting and purging, we have been taking every opportunity we can to spend time with her.

In the hospital.

First day home!

Welcome home, Little One!

A visit to the park.

First Hocking Hills weekend!

I like Grandma's lap!

Our hearts are just so full with this newest addition to our family. Reagan is a good little baby whose disposition is so very easy-going. After all the extended time we had with her this past weekend in Hocking Hills, we enjoyed many bottles, naps, diaper changes, bouncing and burping. She rarely got fussy and didn't seem to object to being handed back and forth between Grandma and Grandpa. It was wonderful. 

Of course, the weekend also included near-two-year-old Cate and her family, so enjoying both granddaughters at the same time absolutely thrilled us. 

Cate and Reagan with Grandma.

Checking each other out.

Perhaps I will get my blogging mojo back on track, but for now I still have purging to complete and bedrooms to set right. The end does seem to be in sight, and an eventual resumption of sewing/quilting will certainly enhance my blog content options. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Playing Around With Foundation Piecing

In keeping with my habit of starting new things before current and old things are completed, I had a fun evening of trying to remember how to foundation piece. Years ago I did lots of paper piecing, but over time had forgotten quite a lot of the tricks and tips I once knew.

 Last week when Sharon and I met Dee in Columbus, we made time afterwards (after making a wrong turn on the interstate - honest, it wasn't intentional!) to stop at a quilt shop just to snoop around. I mean, come on, we were right there near a popular shop, so why not? We certainly had no intention of buying anything. But, when I saw a shop sample of the beautiful Wensleydale Quilt, I just had to get my hands on those foundation papers.

Wensleydale is a creation by Jen Kingwell and I had seen many versions of it on Instagram, so I knew it well. It'd always appealed to me, but I really didn't ever consider making one. If you'd like to see a whole bunch of gorgeousness, search the hashtag in Instagram - #wensleydalequilt - it's a feast for the eyes!

Just for a refresher in the foundation technique, I pulled out a very special little bundle of scrap fabrics and made one block. Lots of mistakes. Lots of reaching for the seam ripper. Lots of wasted fabric. Waaahh!

I recall that one major reason for not further pursuing foundation piecing was the waste. Fabric costs too doggone much to cut away big hunks of it in this technique. I suppose one would get better at "eyeing" the amounts needed, but this first attempt in many years was hugely fraught with waste.

That said, I am pleased with my block, yet have absolutely no idea what I will do with it. Surely, it will be an orphan block as I do not have much remaining of this fabric collection to make a whole quilt. Perhaps It could be the center medallion of a table topper or wall hanging. I will think on it.

Back to reality. The clutter remains. The long arm thread still breaks. The Tiny Nine Patch quilt still needs its binding. Baby quilts need to be finished. Chelsea Garden and Winnemucca and more await. (See previous 2 posts for explanations.)

All will get done. I foresee major progress in the next few days.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

September Wrap-Up

It seems these monthly wrap-up posts come way too frequently. How months can just fly by like they do mystifies me! 

Let's dive into a recap of my September highlights.

TOP ROW: If an overall look at this collage indicates not a lot of sewing, that would be accurate. The consolidation of 2 sewing rooms into one has taken f-o-r-e-v-e-r! I'm still not done. For an admitted pack-rat, letting go and getting rid of things has proven daunting. I am determined, though, to keep at it until it's done. The first pic is from the beginning of the purge, when I was ready to move out the big cutting table. The next picture shows my crowning glory quilting achievement for the month - quilting my Tiny Nine Patch Challenge quilt was such a milestone finish. I have the binding prepared, but I have yet to sew it on. The final pic in the top row is of Emma in all her 8.5-months' pregnant state. We attended a shower for her with lots of family and friends in attendance.

MIDDLE ROW: One fine Friday afternoon, Kevin and I got to attend our first 'Grandparents' Day' at Cate's daycare/school. Afterwards, we had a good time walking her home with lots of 'flying' and 'swinging' along the way. Mid-month sometime, we hosted the daughters and their families for Sunday dinner. You see that I've engaged Cate's help with washing the potatoes. (She liked playing in the water.) Another family pic, this one of my mom holding little Ruby Jean, at the time, her youngest great-grandchild. Mom's name is Jean, so this little one is a namesake.

BOTTOM ROW: Towards the end of the month, I was finally set up well enough to quilt in the big sewing room where all sewing and quilting will now be housed. That earlier quilt was the last to be quilted in the previous room; the two Kaffe quilts shown in the middle picture are the first to be quilted in this room. And the month ended with the best news of all - the birth of Reagan Jayne, Emma's little one, and our second grandchild. She was a week overdue, so we were all on pins and needles with anticipation. 

October will see me continuing with purging and sorting through several more tubs and boxes of miscellaneous sewing items. Much of what my grandmother gave me is going to be offered to some cousins who are also into various facet of stitching, so I will gladly unload her things to them if they are interested. 

I should have included my impromptu project with Chelsea Garden fabric in yesterday's post. It is definitely one that I want to get back to in the coming few days. It's nothing more than a 9-patch quilt, but these fabrics along with that neutral (it's not from the Chelsea Garden line) looks spectacular.

This picture does not do justice to the actual quilt, but the neutral squares in the pieced blocks really create a nice chain across the quilt, which is the look I want. More to follow on this, for sure.

Okay, I am determined to be more diligent with my blog-posting in October. I've really gotten away from my computer and the blog, and I really do not want to let that trend continue. I must make an effort!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne