Surprise Finds in the Quilting Room

It probably won't come as a complete surprise to anyone that I accumulate way too much stuff. And because certain friends and family know of this tendency, I'm given important things to keep. I am ill-equipped to say no to this stuff. (Actually, I'm a push-over.)

For example, late summer '24, my cousin Sam gave me a couple of tubs of his mother's sewing and quilting items. I adored my Aunt Margaret (Aunt Maggie, as we later came to call her), and I was eager to see what treasures I would find in her little stash.

I've been through all her stuff, and I have dealt with one rather major quilt. I loved how Blue and White Ohio Stars came together - she had some of the blocks finished; I used her fabric to make the rest.

 Now to the present. On Tuesday when Sharon was here sewing with me, she caught sight of the corner of a project piled under my sewing table. Unfamiliar to her, she asked about it. I, too, was curious (I don't regularly sort these piles!) and so I pulled it out.

What a little treasure trove! This little tree has a decidedly 1980s vibe, wouldn't you agree?

 Margaret made several of these little wall hangings/table toppers. I have one; my mom has one. This was unfinished - only the bottom seam needed to be sewed up, and then I added some minimal top-stitching or quilting. While watching TV later that evening, I adorned it with red buttons. 

I am not sure where I will use this little treasure, but I will certainly find a place for it in my Christmas decor.  

This little tree is just one of several items in that pile of stuff. Here's a couple more of Aunt Margaret's goodies.

This holiday-themed Jacob's Ladder measures about 15" square. It was entirely finished, and again, I will attempt to incorporate it into my decor this year.

I just love this simple basket block. We must have had similar tastes, because I actually have some of the outer fabric in my stash. Aunt Margaret hand-pieced this block, and so I think I will hand-quilt it with big-stitch quilting. Here's a close-up of her stitches.

Never, ever will I finish every project that crosses my table or comes into my possession. Endless. That's the sewing list I have. Maybe all quilters have endless project lists. No complaints! I love keeping busy, but I fear I have far too many.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne
 

A Long Absence and Christmas Sewing

No excuses here for why I've neglected the blogging as long as I have. My dedication to regular posting has suffered terribly, and no worthy reason exists.

Just not much of a priority lately, I reckon. I do like that I've blogged for as long as I have, and I want to continue, so I must regain my verve for writing and more regular posting. I will try.

I owe myself a recap of November highlights, and I also have a little Christmas something to share. Let's do last month's wrap-up first. 

 

As I look at these 9 highlight pictures, I can plainly see why I do so little blogging - I do so little quilting! My highlights are more grandbabies and family than quilts and sewing.

TOP ROW: Little Cate came to stay for a weekend; we had such a fun time entertaining her - or more accurately, being entertained by her. The first two pictures are both from that weekend, followed by a picture of Reagan entertaining us while we watched the OSU-Purdue game at her other grandparents' house.

MIDDLE ROW: My one notable sewing accomplishment was the adorable Tilda hexie flowers I stitched during my knee recovery. I must do a post in which I share more of this darling little quilt. The middle picture is the best of my attempts to photograph the Northern Lights when they were visible in south-central Ohio. This is looking out one of the upstairs bedroom windows. And last in this row, another Reagan picture - she too got to stay an overnight with us, and we had the best time. She has the wildest hair!

BOTTOM ROW: We had Thanksgiving at my brother Mark's house and our matriarch Mom got some snuggle time with her great-granddaughter,Reagan, the youngest member of the family. Later in the day, we gathered all 5 siblings around Mom for a picture. I am directly behind Mom. In the red is Sandy, and in the green is Carol. Alan and Mark are behind us. Five kids in six years! I am the oldest; Carol is the baby. The final picture is Grampa Kevin and Cate enjoying a Disney movie with all the essential "stuffies" for comfort.

I truly have done so very little in the sewing room, but today, I accomplished quite a bit as Sharon was here for a full day of stitching and catching up. I worked on a secret Christmas gift, so I will share what Sharon finished.

 She put the finishing touches on this Christmas Tree wall hanging and it looks just magical! It will truly enhance her holiday decorating. I did not take pictures of some of the other items she made - finishing off several table toppers that she intends to give to family; and some Tilda 9-patches that she'd worked on earlier in the fall.

We exchanged Christmas gifts, and had a merry time this afternoon. I have a wonderful new project to dream of - I received a lovely collection of fabric by Sherrie and Chelsi of Moda Fabrics. A granddaughter quilt is certainly in order! Sharon is ready to entertain with a full compliment of charcuterie items for her holiday table. I found a scrumptious array of yummy goodies that just seemed too good to pass on. Sharon has a talent for entertaining in style, so I hope these fill out her feast table.

 As we closed down for the day, I snapped this photo that seemed emblematic of a successful day of sewing and merriment. We really did have a productive day with plenty of cheer of the season.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Accomplishing Things

For awhile this week, I had a supreme sense of accomplishment - at last! 

Sometimes, I find myself with several projects on my work table that require minimal time and attention. Most of the time, just the finishing needs to be tackled. Why I delay finishing things and turn instead to starting something else defies logic, but that's the way I roll more times than I care to admit. At some point, I reach option paralysis, unable to move toward any of the projects - too many options! Deciding which to tackle is just too daunting.

I forged ahead, though, and a breakthrough occurred! Yeaaahh! 

First, I reached for the Tilda hexie flowers and finally finished the next stage that project by sewing the applique blocks to the 9-patch blocks. Small quilt; easy, quick finish. I did finish that little flimsy and I will share it in an upcoming post.

 Next, I tackled a reconstruction project - Snowbird Stars. I haven't yet mentioned it here on the blog, but once you see it, I think you will understand. Tearing into this quilt was a total unplanned event, but the placement of the two lightest setting blocks, didn't please me at all. I knew a correction was coming. 

 

Snowbird Stars, a flimsy I stitched in 2015 is one I am considering for quilting with the new backings mentioned in the last post. I knew I would redo the center to balance the setting blocks more symmetrically. I had already ripped out the blocks, then stopped - left it in a heap of blocks and threads - a deconstruction mess that would be super simple to stitch back together. 

 

Back to work and finish this thing! Yes. I am so much happier with the quilt top now that I've placed the two light setting blocks in the center of the quilt. And I probably will select this top to quilt with one of those new backings I bought.

Was I done? NO! I went back to the quilting room after supper and finally put that oft-mentioned binding on 9-Patch Strippy. I'd been planning on this to be one of my major to-be-accomplished-while-recovering projects, and yet I'd not followed through. It's a big quilt, so I expected I would be in for a bit of a wrestle, but I did just fine - no difficulty at all.  

Another 10-year-old quilt finally finished and ready for use, as needed. This has always been one of my favorite quilt tops, and it's a design totally of my own making. 

These projects had been nagging me to the point of paralysis for days, and yet when I finally put my mind to it, I made significant progress on them. Gosh, that felt good. 

Having these lifted from my mental to-do list allows me to more willingly think about going to the long arm machine to work out the tension kinks I know I need to address.  

In due time, I eventually do the things that need to be done.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

A Big Quilting Plan

If I announce it here, it is more likely that I will be compelled to follow through, so let's just get this out there:

I am pledging to quilt at least 5 big quilts before the end of the calendar year.

I did well just before the knee surgery to quilt 2 quilts rather hurriedly and with little advanced planning - impulsive, actually. It was weird how I just marched myself upstairs, found backings, battings and quilt tops and went to it. I wanted to have something to show for myself while recovery kept me a bit out of action. Here are the 2 quilts I quilted. The larger one is still awaiting its binding.

Lydia's Lace layer cake quilt

9-Patch Strippy

 

In the time I was recovering out of the quilting room, I reflected on the progress made in the first 10 months of 2025 - goals accomplished; quilt tops made; UFOs tackled; longarming done; unplanned, impromptu projects. 

One sorely lacking area of real progress: longarming. I am not quilting as many quilts as I ought to be!

Now, how did I come up with this magic number of 5 quilt, you ask? That's how many backings I ordered from a Florida quilt shop, after seeing an email announcing a 50% off sale.

Quilted Twins, the shop in Dade City which I frequent while we are in Florida, sends regular emails announcing sales, specials and deals. I usually don't look at these emails (remember, my stash is substantial), but one that announced a sale on 108" backing fabrics, interested me enough to click on the link.

The five backings came last week, and are neutral enough for me to use on any number of quilt tops I have hanging in closets upstairs. I will probably work on matching tops to backs as soon as this afternoon. All the backs are 3-yard cuts and I got them for 50% or more off. I couldn't resist.

One problem needs to be solved before I can begin. I am in the process of rectifying a tension issue right now. Before ordering these 5 backings, I'd put a little wall hanging on the long arm with the intent of quilting it up real quick - uh, no. Fix that tension first. I still haven't successfully worked it out. The wall hanging is a freebie project made with leftovers from Paris Flea Market Find, which I made in 2024. Here's a link to the freebie wall hanging.

 

Stay tuned and keep me honest! I simply have to achieve this goal!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Slow Stitching Hexie Flowers

Slow stitching, indeed. I have not been stitching very faithfully, but when I do take the time to sit with needle and thread, I am appliqueing hexie flowers to 6.5-inch neutral fabric. Eventually these will be used as setting blocks alongside 9-patches. The resulting quilt will be wall-hanging sized or perhaps, table topper. I am definitely not going for a full quilt. Small and sweet, just like these darling hexie flowers. 

Recall this mock up from awhile back. I've mostly left this on the design wall, and as I've pondered things while stitching, I do think something just a bit bigger will be nice. I have plenty of 9-patches already prepped. I've likely made more flowers than I'll use. It's the appliqueing part that will force me to keep it small. (Never have been a fan of applique; even though I've learned and can do it, I avoid when possible.)

And it's likely that very avoidance which explains my reluctance with finishing these hexie flowers. No matter how badly I want this little project finished, I seem to find a gazillion other things to do besides stitch. Inexplicable....

Here are some completed appliques. Several more are waiting in the basket. This little project is of the wildly impromptu variety, and it meets all the objectives of making darling, sweet little flowery quilts. The simplicity of it appeals in every way. All these hexies were made with Tilda scraps that remained after finishing my Wensleydale blocks. 

I'm linking up with Kathy and her weekly slow stitching meet-up. Take a peek at some of the awesome projects these stitchers are working on. These gals seem to have a lot more "stick-to-it" powers than I have. I'm gonna' glean some motivational inspiration from them.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Sewing With Sharon

Normalcy is slowly returning around here as my physical therapy and healing continues. If you ask me, I am ahead of schedule in the recovery department, and am impatient to get to full, unrestricted activities ASAP!

One bit of "normal" this week was my Tuesday sewing day with Sharon! Oh, boy, did we get a lot done! Sharon began her first few surrounds of her Kaffe Fassett Around the World quilt. It is going to be spectacular, if this initial portion is any indication.

 

Does this halt you in your tracks? Look at the movement in those flowers! Such a striking center panel and it could not be more perfect. A small border of pink dots on blue and then another wonderful floral with roses on a lavender background - this combination of fabrics is a wonderful start to her quilt.

Her next layer is this light blue "fans" piece; it contains just the right pops of pinks, purples, and greens to enhance those same pastels in the previous fabrics. If only mine will be half as gorgeous. Sharon has great fabrics from which to choose, and with her "eye" for just the right color and design, her quilt is gonna' be amazing.

She took this quilt to about the 4th or 5th surround, then felt it wise to stop. She wants to sift through her Kaffe Fassett stash a bit more thoroughly before moving ahead. Like me, Sharon has fabric all over the place. There might just be one random piece of KF in a stack in the back of the closet, or under the desk, or in a storage tub. We'd best pull all these random KF fabrics together so we don't miss anything!

She moved on to working with her Tilda remnants, making 9-patch blocks with a gentle off-white neutral. 

We remarked that two fabric styles could not be more starkly different - Kaffe Fassett and Tilda. One is bold and color-saturated while the other is soft and muted. One screams while the other whispers. And both are just as luscious to work with as anything.

So my task for the day was to continue making pinwheels for my Winnie the Pooh panel. Finishing the pinwheels led to making top and bottom borders, followed by side borders. All very straightforward. Attach said borders to the panel and VOILA! It's now ready to go on the long arm machine.

I acquired the Pooh panel when Jan was purging her stash awhile back. I acquired the green for the pinwheels just last month when Becky was similarly purging. I would even venture that the dotted fabric in the pinwheels came from someone's purge - we've all been feeling the weight of the excesses of our stashes. Anyway, this quilt totally has happened through the generosity of my dear quilting friends!

Let's hope all this productivity continues. I would really like to finish out 2025 with a flourish of quilting activity!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Binding One Quilt

Just before the knee replacement, I quickly quilted two quilts with the intention of hand stitching the binding while I elevated and iced my knee. Since I did not get the bindings sewn on, this task has been a priority now that I am able to navigate the stairs to the quilting room and move about there, as well.

I stitched the binding onto the smaller of the quilts a couple days ago, and then stitched it down a day or two later. Instead of finishing it by hand, I opted for the machine just to have it done faster. I have gotten pretty good at doing bindings this way, so I felt pretty confident that it would go fine and look good. And it does!

The quilt is a layer cake quilt using Lydia's Lace by Betsy Chutchian/Moda. The binding came from my box of extra bindings. It is a red floral from an old 3 Sisters/Moda line (I forget the name of the line, it's been so long) and it works great with this quilt.

You know how I love to use from the stash, and all of this quilt is exactly that. I had the layer cake and no particular plan for it; I had the backing (Kim Diehl)  left from an earlier project; I had the binding from way-way back. Excellent use of existing stash on hand!

Next up in the binding department is 9-Patch Strippy; it will get a reddish binding, too. I had a yard of this Primitive Gatherings fabric, so I decided it would be a fine binding. This is a big quilt, so I used just about all of the piece to make the binding. I have yet to attach it; I will post those details when I've accomplished the task.

Here's the quilt again, just to jog your memory.

I'm stoked to find myself more willingly going to the long arm machine to get these quilt tops quilted. I recently found a good deal on backing fabric and bought 5 for a pretty good price. Wouldn't it be great if I could use all 5 backings before Christmas? I think I can do it! I really want to do it!

Since I have significantly slowed down with the making of new quilt tops, it only stands to reason that I must be picking up on the quilting of existing tops. Motivated - that's what I am.

Hope you are motivated to be getting some things done, too!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne