Finals Week

A big milestone in the academic year, finals week meant sending students off for the summer, finalizing grades, and beginning a 3-month break for teachers and students alike. Now retired from all of that, I find that I have a new type of finals week. The bittersweet list of Florida's "final time for _____" before returning to Ohio.

We had our final bike ride Thursday afternoon. We had our final shuffleboard games and our final boat ride yesterday. We had our final home-cooked meal on Thursday. The fridge and cupboards are bare; even the coffee pot is stored away until next January. We are either eating leftovers warmed in the microwave or eating out until we leave.

The stitching has reached finals, too.  I ran completely out of neutral shirtings for GFG paths, and needed more fabric in order to have enough paths to finish my quilt. The few in the baggie are all that remain and I know I will need many more to get to completion.

In an effort to have stitching to do on the car ride home, I took that baggie of hexies with me to Quilted Twins in Dade City on Thursday. (Final trip to Quilted Twins. *wink*) I found the two main items I needed: fabric for paths and fabric for additional flowers. Shown below are the colorful FQs I selected for flowers. I will mix-n-match them to fill the remaining corners and outer edge of the quilt. (Click here to see current progress.)

I've got a head start on the first flower. I fully expect to get all the remaining hexies covered, all the flowers made that I can make with the remaining papers, and all parts attached until I can do more.

My packing for the road will have a tote bag with all these essentials plus the quilt, needles, thread and snips for easy access. You can see in the photo below that I have only about a dozen papers left for covering. I imagine I will make path hexies with some of the substitute neutrals I bought.

So, today is the final day in Florida and I will spend most of it packing. We will go out to dinner - Texas Roadhouse - with the two remaining couples here in our group. Then early in the morning we hit the road.

The second full year of snowbirding has concluded. Fun and relaxation and sunshine and warm temperatures, for sure, and it was all great, but I am more than ready to be home and nearer to family and friends.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

GFG - One Major Effort

When we arrived in Florida in early January, I had two quilting goals. One was making the blocks for Smoked Cheddar, which required the use of the sewing machine. The other was making Grandmother's Flower Garden, an entirely hand-stitching project.

The sewing room also serves as our guest room, so with more guests this winter than last, I have not had as much access to the sewing machine as I did last year. Therefore, Smoked Cheddar has mostly been on hold. 

Conversely, the amount of time spent working on GFG has been increased and so very rewarding. I am rather surprised, actually, at the progress I've made on it. The picture above shows the present state of completion, and only three flowers are yet to be unattached.

A while back, I took some process pictures of how I am handling the stitching as the quilt grows. The bulky nature of an ever-enlarging quilt forces one to work in subsets.

One of the reasons I had to be pushed to make this quilt was the idea of stitching these hexagons one by one by one by on for what would seem like infinity. However, making the flowers was an easy little finished bit and it was satisfying! So the idea of adding part of the path to the side of the flower made the endless one-by-one attaching of that path more amenable.

Now, let's talk about what is yet to be done on this quilt. First, I need about 13 more flowers. I did not bring bright, flowery fabric with me, so I've only made 2 while here. I used some of that same fabric that I used on the pillow covers. 

It is very likely that I will make one more trip to Quilted Twins down in Dade City. When that happens, I will specifically look for happy florals to use in making flowers. I know I have plenty at home, but it would be nice to include "Florida fabric" since so much of this quilt has been made here.

I still have ideas swirling around in my head for handling the borders. It seems like something not to stress about at this stage. It'll come in due time.

Happy Spring! 

And Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Guest Room Pillows

Bits of sewing truly are happening here, just much more infrequently than I would ever have predicted. That said, let me share today the pillows which now decorate the guest room bed. It's been a finishing touch for this room that I have wanted to make for awhile; at last it's been accomplished.

 Two basic goals with this project included selecting a simple block design and making pillows that reflect a sunny Florida vibe.

Using 2.5-inch squares in 'granny square' fashion is about as simple a design as I could come up with. Some of the fabrics used are ones purchased recently here from The Quilted Twins as well as some that I brought from Ohio, totally by a stroke of good luck (I didn't plan it, in other words.) 

The pillow inserts had a previous life as matching cushions for a swivel rocker in our family room. Those cushions were not being used, and I'd determined a good while ago that they would be turned into something suitable for the guest room.

I wasn't looking for an exact, matchy-match with the current quilts on this bed. Rather, I wanted pillows that would work with most quilts that might at any point be used in the guest room. My bright blue and green pillows, I think, will fill the bill.  

The pillows are 22-inches, and I used a 3-inch neutral border to achieve the correct size. The same neutral fabric is used as the back of the pillows, and was remnant fabric from a project made last winter here in Florida. All in all, then, this guest room pillow project cost me very little more than my time. 

And that's all I have to say about that.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Flower Garden Update

Sometimes, I surprise myself. For a project that I didn't think I would ever be able to sustain and finish, I am making surprisingly good progress on the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. And wait until I tell you what I did these past few days which forced me to stay on task with this.

The paths are attached on over half - almost 3/4ths - of the flowers. Every bit of path shown in this photo is attached to a flower on most sides. In that upper right corner are the remaining unattached flowers.

The unattached flowers are shown more fully in this photo. I've sort of approximated their placement, but of course, it will all change and be rearranged before finishing. I still need to make about 13 more flowers, too, so randomly setting all the colors will factor into the placement.

I love looking at the finished portion. Seeing this come together so quickly has motivated me to continue working on it. I find myself looking forward to time spent with needle and thread.

Instead of calling this quilt Grandmother's Flower Garden, I may have to subtitle it Anna Karenina's Garden. Yes, my audio book has been the 34-hour long Tolstoy classic, Anna Karenina. The book consists of 239 chapters in 864 pages. Yikes!

Whatever possessed me?!!? I'll tell you. As a retired English teacher of over 40 years, I have never read any great Russian author. I decided that listening to one of these long, long tomes would be worthwhile for stitching. 

Ha! The joke's on me! I really didn't like it much. I appreciate Tolstoy's immense ability to observe and relay human nature in all facets of life and in all manner of situations, but in the end, I want a worthy protagonist. You don't get that in AK. Nope. Every character is shown both in good and bad light, and readers must form their own opinions of right and wrong. Critics call AK one of the most perfect novels ever written, but it will take quite a lot of convincing for me to agree on that. The ending was largely Tolstoy (through the character of Levin) outlining his ongoing deep, inner philosophical struggles with his inability to be a good and worthy human in all things, in his marriage, in fatherhood, in society, in faith.

I did finish it (audio form), I can check it off my list of things to accomplish, but I'm not delving any further into Russian literature any time soon.

If you stayed with me through that lengthy synopsis, then you deserve one more look at my flower garden. Future audio books associated with this quilt will be more entertaining, for sure. *grin*

 Hope you are having a wonderful Monday! We awoke to quite a thunder storm this morning, but the afternoon is looking brighter.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Summer Dresses

Now that we've been in Florida for two months, my hankering for those two granddaughters is growing more intense by the day. They were on my mind when I was shopping at the AQS Daytona quilt show, so much so that when I saw these fabrics, I thought of how cute they'd be made into summer dresses or tops for the girls.

Both fabrics are from Windham designers. The top one is called Celestial, and I plan to make a pinafore-type dress for Reagan with it. I've made it for Cate, so I know it well enough and should be able to whip it out pretty fast. I will have to do it back in Ohio, though, since I didn't bring the pattern with me. I made two from this pattern.

 

The surfing print will become a dress for Cate. The very first movie she ever became enthralled with is the Disney movie Moana. I will probably wait until I return home to make it also. I've got a box full of old patterns to choose from.

 

Now, I did bring two patterns with me; they contain multiple sizes. So I could move forward, depending mostly on my mood. 

With just a yard of each fabric to work with, I'm thinking I could definitely do the sleeveless dress. So we shall see. I need to find my sewing mojo, for sure.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Hello March!

Ah, I feel springtime approaching! As we welcome March, we can look forward about 3 weeks when we will have the first day of spring! All good things!

 

Spring is not the only thing on my mind today. A couple of sewing projects are also occupying brain space. We have one month remaining here in Florida before we head back to Ohio. I was supposed to have a lot more done on my sewing projects by now, so I'd best be picking up the pace a bit.

I've stalled somewhat on the GFG. I have made one additional flower; need 14 more. I have prepped more path hexies, and I ought to get back to work on stitching them into the quilt. 

I have made more progress on Smoked Cheddar, in that all the units are constructed. Now I am in the phase of building blocks from those units. It's dull stuff so far; once the blocks are coming together, perhaps I will be more motivated.

One additional bit of stitching has been pillow covers. These two blocks will become the fronts of shams for the guest bed.
 

But even with this progress, for whatever reason I just don't seem to have the same focus on sewing this year that I had last year. Maybe I need to get a really good book going on my audio player; maybe I just need to stay home more! Ha! 

Anyway, let's just welcome this brand new month and see how productive we can be!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Goodbye February

 

Seems impossible that we have reached the end of February so quickly. But here we are preparing to welcome a new month. I've put together a collage of this month's highlights.

 

TOP ROW: My sister Carol and her husband Monte spent a week at Disney, so we joined them for lunch and an afternoon of the sights and sounds of Disney Springs. The middle picture is the whole family enjoying lunch at Raglan Road, an Irish Pub. The next picture is just a panoramic view of the beauty of the park and of the day.

MIDDLE ROW: Some minimal sewing has been accomplished. Most has been focused on the Grandmother's Flower Garden. I am happy to be making this quilt come to reality. The middle picture of Cate is a screenshot from a FaceTime call with her and our daughter Erin. She has grown so much since we've been in Florida. The final picture in the middle row is of my brother and sister-in-law who came to stay with us for about a week. Hard to believe that 3 of 5 siblings were able to connect here in the Sunshine State.

BOTTOM ROW: Our bike trail continues to be a source of beauty and entertainment. We are making as much use of it as possible. Dear little Reagan, then 4+ months old, wished family and friends a happy Valentine's Day with her pretty jammies and bright eyes. She, too, is growing too much! The final picture is from the quilt show I attended last week in Daytona. The quilt show has been the topic of the last few posts, if you are interested in some amazing works of art.

Coming up for March, we will just have to wait and see. Not too much is scheduled at this point. One overnight when some friends stop by on their way back to Ohio from southern Florida is about the only definite plan we have at this point. We are always open to adventures and look forward to whatever opportunities might come out way.

As far as sewing goes, I am still working on GFG and on Smoked Cheddar. I almost have one new flower made. I've also stitched up a couple of blocks to use as fronts on pillow shams. I will share progress on all fronts, so come on back for a look-see!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Final Thoughts on AQS

It's been fun looking back over the pictures I took last Saturday at the Daytona AQS Quilt Show. It was as much an art show as it was a quilt show. These quilts will never be used on beds. Rather, they will be displayed on walls in formal settings or in businesses or libraries or art galleries.  I showed you quite a few of these beauties yesterday and have just a few more to share today.

Because I am currently working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, I was interested in quilts using hexies. This one is quite a work of art.  

Eobuba by Jinyoung Lee

Combining mediums in such an artful way just amazes me. The applique of the woman and child has so much movement. The uneven edges enhance that movement and the overall effect creates a breathtaking experience.

Hextesela-El Camino Azul by Carmen Maria Cambronero

The design in this quilt simply takes my breath away. The massive medallion is gorgeous, and I love the color combination. So impressive; and no, a quilt similar to this is NOT in my future. I will be satisfied to get my GFG done; plus, I must get back to business on Lake Effect, so no. No. No.

Super Moon and Tokyo Tower by Noriko Misawa

This incredible quilt was hard for me to photograph satisfactorily because I couldn't get close enough to really zoom in on the hexies. The bottom picture zooms in on a 3-D part of the reddish 'swish' across the quilt. Those are hexies and they are INSIDE OUT! Yeah. They are stitched onto that quilt upside down. Strange, but such a cool way to add dimension to a quilt. The color variations are so artistically handled, especially in the dark border, which I zoom in on in the middle picture. Really lovely.

The AQS and their sponsors host various sub-categories of contests or specialty efforts. For this show (and possibly more; I don't know the typical methods they offer), one sub-catgory that captured my interest was the Cherrywood Challenge: Poppy - The Petal. Cherrywood is apparently a maker and/or seller of hand-died fabrics. This was a popular challenge with dozens of entries. 

And some close-ups:

 

Other special challenges or categories included "Name That Tune," Medallion Inspirations," (I actually shared a couple of those yesterday) and the AQS Creative Challenge: "My Dream ____ Cabana." Quilters made a very small wall hanging and filled in the blank - like my beach cabana or my farm cabana or my mountain cabana. Here's the link to all the challenges.

One last specialty exhibit in the show featured quilters Pat Holly and Sue Nickels who happen to be sisters! Their quilts were beautiful! I took a few pictures of their quilts. All of their quilts had QR codes on the labels which sent viewers to a YouTube program in which the sisters are interviewed about the quilts. I have found and added the links to three of the videos which are enlarged under three of the pictures below.

Blue Tips on Pink Skies by Sue Nickels

 

Tea at Tenby by Pat Holly & Sue Nickels

Paisley Peacock by Pat Holly

 

Le Panier de Fleurs by Sue Nickels

Saffron Splendor by Pat Holly

The YouTube videos are all done by AQS on their channel. I will watch for the remaining videos and share them if/when I find them.

I need to make a couple of additional notes to yesterday's post. Several of the quilts I shared yesterday were actually winners in various categories of judging. Click this link to see all the winners, including the handful that I included. 

And best of all, the Best of Show for this whole event was Heartwarming Days. AQS has posted a YouTube interview with the quiltmaker, Aki Sakai which I think you will enjoy. She reveals how long it took her to make her award-winning quilt - she was certainly dedicated in her efforts. Watch to find out. *grin*

And now, my friends, I believe I have shared the AQS quilt show at Daytona in about as much detail as I can. It had been many years since I last attended a national quilt show, and I hope I can plan on going again next year.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Quilt Week at Daytona Beach

Don't think for a minute that I spent a whole week at the AQS quilt show. No, that was the name of the show - Quilt Week. 

Here is the website for AQS where you can learn which other cities across the US are having Quilt Week shows. I learned from a reader that one will be in Grand Rapids, MI, in August. Of course, there are others.

I went to the Facebook page for Daytona AQS and found that many of the quilts I took pictures of are also shared on their page. So I won't put as many on this post as I could. Believe me - I took over 80 pictures! So many gorgeous quilts and absolutely stunning, meticulous craftsmanship! I am totally impressed by the exquisite level of perfection, and at the same time, absolutely not inspired to do anything similar in my own quilting. I remain content to crank out 9-patch quilts, churn dash quilts, Ohio star quilts, and so on with the same level of completion as I've always had.

Let's being the parade! On to the pictures!

Birdsville by Judy Ballance

This struck me for two reasons: one, it reminds me of Sue Spargo-like quilts; two, my cousin Marilyn would totally be up for making a quilt like this. 

Filigree Calligraphy by Janet Stone

I have to add a close-up of this one. The detail is amazing. Click on the picture; that will probably enlarge it for you.

 

Supraspinatus's Swan Song by Margaret E. Solomon Gunn

Again, a close-up is necessary. Dense quilting; beautiful design; spot-on color choices; embellished to perfection.

Watermelon Sugar by Amy Pabst

The close-up for this one will show you how thin the sections of the log cabins are; in addition, it's worth noting that the fabrics are silks. 

 

Millefleur by Jan Hutchison

This is thread work, not applique. Amazing.

 

And There Is More by Inger C. Blood

Of particular note on this close-up: the blues in the log cabin blocks are all Kaffe Fassett fabrics (I believe), the quilting is exquisite; the border has both prairie points and 3-D loops of some sort. A-maz-ing.

Heartwarming Days by Aki Sakai

 

Noteworthy in this close-up: the tiny applique; the tiny yo-yos; the 3-D elements (there's a fridge at the upper right edge with a door that opens and food inside); the decorative outer border. I cannot fathom the time it took for this woman to make this quilt.

Six Hours in Arles by Ruth Ohol

 

This appeals to me for the incredible quilting, that impressive swirly border, and the skillful blending of neutral colors.

Coming up next are other quilts I liked, but did not get ribbons.

Cabin on the Beach by Mindy Skinner

 This quilt simply speaks to me of all things Florida. I'd make something like this for a bed here at our winter house.

Coral Reef by Penny Powell

Zoom in on this one, if you can, to see the amazing quilting done in all these rings. I thought of my pals in the Frankfort Girls group; we have had an ongoing discussion about Double Wedding Ring quilts; Jan has even made one; the rest of us are leery or downright opposed to making one.

Twilight Garden by Patty Nelson

Amazing applique and it's done on a black background, which I found interesting. Not something I would have thought to do, that's for sure.
 

Flower Carnival by Naomi Otomo

This was such a unique, happy design; I love the way it is bordered; I love the sprightly nature of the swags and the bursts from each point. It suggests lots of movement - sort of like a May Day celebration.

Enchanted by Dawn Siden & Joyce Grafe

Another quilt using a black background. I particularly like the vivid, almost electric blue ribbon effect encircling the design and how that same color is used in the corners and the borders.

Enough for today. I have one more post about the AQS Daytona show to share. I'll have it ready in the next day or two.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne