Lorraine aka February UFO

The finishing gods must be rooting for me, for this is the second month in a row that I've not only finished the month's UFO, but have done it - gasp! - early. That's the surprising part - I am not particularly known for finishing things way before a deadline.

So let's have a look at Lorraine. This name stems from the name of one of the lines of American Jane fabrics used in the quilt; the other two are Savonnerie and Breath of Avignon. Of those three, doesn't Lorraine make the most sense for naming a quilt?

Lorraine's adventure began last June when I put together some blocks for a change of pace from commission sewing. I used precuts of Savonnerie (Charm Packs) and Lorraine (Jelly Rolls). I worked on the center of the quilt off and on through the summer and fall. It adorned my design wall for much of that time, thus providing a pleasant reminder of a finish I was eager to work on. But not too eager, apparently, because everything else kept taking precedence over it - somehow!

It made its way onto my UFO list for 2017. It needed just borders, and the task wouldn't be too difficult because I planned to use from my American Jane stash which diminishes my options. I'm running out! The inner border is from an older line called Breath of Avignon. I just didn't have the yardage of either Lorraine or Savonnerie.  Then I used the leftovers of the jelly roll and charm pack to make a piano key outer border.

And now it's a finished flimsy - yay! The size is 73"x 64" - not overly large. It will hang in my closet awhile before I decide how and when to quilt it. I will have to be inventive with backing, so that will require a bit of thought.

What are you finishing in your sewing room? I have one per month this year to do, and I'm right on target just 2 months in. I will do my best to maintain this rate - finishing things really feels good.

I'll be linking this finish to some other blogs that showcase finishes. Check out Fabric Frenzy Friday , Can I Get a Whoop-Whoop, and Finish It Up Friday for some awesome inspiration.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon's Pre-Cut Beauty

Both Sharon and I are in cahoots with using our American Jane fabric - Lorraine, specifically. We were both crazy about Lorraine when it came out, so we have made a plan to create some magic with this gorgeous stuff. Yesterday's post was about my creation. Today's post is all Sharon - she even provided all the pics. *thank you*

Sharon had her jelly roll of Lorraine, and she also had a layer cake. This gives her entirely different options and she has come up with a beauty.

She had just the book to go to, also, shown above with her beautiful lilies in the background. (Sharon told me that the very next day, all the lilies were gone thanks to the deer in her neighborhood having a feast.) Anyway, the pattern Sharon is using is called Old Gold, shown below.

When we sewed together here on Tuesday, she made her hourglass blocks. Take a look at this yummy gorgeousness.

I think I can safely speak for Sharon when I say that these quilts have been major F-U-N to work on. Every combination of fabrics brings a smile, and there simply can't be more happiness in a quilt than the two we are making with our Lorraine fabric.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Pre-Cut Project

Right before leaving for the beach, I put together a few blocks of some precuts I'd been dying to use. You can go back to this post to see my initial blocks. I had two charm packs and one jelly roll of fabric all by American Jane of Moda. The charm packs are Savonnerie; the jelly roll is Lorraine. They play oh-so-well together. Just take a look.

The centers are all Savonnerie charm pack squares; the strips surrounding them are Lorraine. Can you tell any difference? Anyone would think these were all from the same line. I am extremely pleased with this project so far. I will set it aside for awhile, though, because I need to get back to work on those commissions I have agreed to do.

When I do come back to this, I have one more charm pack and some ends of the jelly roll left over. I'd like to be able to make this larger, and I will just need to see what I can come up with. Additionally, I have a tub of remnants of an earlier American Jane line called Breath of Avignon. I've checked. Those remnants will play nicely with these fabrics, also. I will figure out a way to incorporate them.

Sharon was here Tuesday and she worked on her Lorraine fabric, too, while I finished the 42 blocks you see above. Tomorrow I will show you what Sharon's plans are.

Happy Quilting, Friends!