Reporting From Frankfort Girls

Our little quilting group needs a new, more current name. Nearly 20 years ago when I first joined the four original ladies, all were Frankfort-area folks. We have expanded over the years, and now we hail from several towns in close proximity to Frankfort - Williamsport, Kingston, Chillicothe. So perhaps a new name is wise. When we refer to ourselves, we don't actually call ourselves anything. Mostly, I have used the name here on the blog for ease of identification.

But I digress! Meetings still occur every other Friday morning for handwork around someone's kitchen table. Yesterday, I hosted the entire group! All 8 of us in attendance! With the schedules we all have, this does not happen often, let me tell you.

We had a nice show and tell, so let's take a look.

Patriotism is alive and well in our little group. Several quilt tops, table toppers an minis were shared wearing their red, white and blue.

Sharon P. made a quick 3-yard quilt and enlarged it a bit by adding more onto the border. What a great way to reduce a stash! And so fast and easy! That's a win-win.

 

Terry unfurled this fantastic flag-inspired quilt top which she made at a recent retreat. Once the stars are made, putting this together would be a snap. Below, she has more stars and more stripes, but vertically placed to imitate fireworks - which is the name of the pattern, or something like that.

 

Sheryll had wool table toppers to share in keeping with the patriotic theme.

 

Those two pics with the sheep are actually just one project, but it is long and narrow, making for a difficult picture to crop. If I were better at photo editing, I probably could have joined them, but you get the idea. Sheryll's wool skills are nothing short of perfection.

Here's another she had to share.

 Sheryll also finished quilting a patriotic quilt top. It will look fabulous in her home's decor.

Jan had two quilt tops to share, both finished at the same retreat Terry attended. This first one is for her grandson, and also features the red, white and blue! She reported that making those baseballs was rather fussy business, but once completed it all went together fast. 

Jan's granddaughter will get this next quilt, a calm butterfly quilt. The picture doesn't adequately show the fabric well, but from a layer cake she has made that standard pattern several of us have been using lately.

Becky had two projects to share, one a mini quilt made from remnants in her stash. 

Becky's big accomplishment was unveiling this gorgeous quilt which she was finishing with binding. 

I should have asked someone to move the chair, but it does provide perspective for how small those blocks are. She has spent several years making the pieced blocks, and then more time constructing it. What a payoff for all that hard work. Becky is a sweet, spunky friend, with an ornery streak. See for yourself - here's Becky when I took a close-up of the blocks.

We had a lovely morning catching up with one another. We often muse that 3 hours every-other-week is never enough to allow for all the chit-chat we want.

Hope you are having a lovely Saturday! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Frankfort Girls Show and Tell

It's been awhile since I last shared quilts made by the clever ladies in my quilting group, The Frankfort Girls. The quilts shown here today are from the past 2-3 visits we've had. Since I have forgotten some essential info for these quilts, I will share as much as I can with the hope of simply inspiring you. These gals certainly do inspire me with their beautiful creations. Keeps me on my game.

 

What's not to love about a Grandmother's Flower Garden?? Becky found this UFO in her sewing room, and decided it would be a good idea to finish it. Wow! Good idea! These 30s-inspired fabrics really make this shine. I said I was done with hexies after finishing this quilt, but seeing Becky's sure makes me consider doing more. So eye-catching!

Everywhere I look lately, I'm seeing patriotic quilts. This 250th anniversary of America has inpired lots of beauties. Sheryll made this wall-hanging and had questions for us regarding border options. Of course, we all had opinions. 

 

And to continue the theme of patriotic quilts, how great is this Log Cabin quilt?! What a labor of love this is! Lots of cutting and stitches; lots of seams and measuring. Log cabin quilts are gorgeous, but they require a whole lot of work. This one is a thing of beauty.

This quilt epitomizes spring-blooming flowers, and Helen will use this in her master bedroom. The quilt was a jelly roll kit with additional yardage for background. Such a lovely creation.

Do you want to get straight to work after seeing such inspiring quilts? I sure do. 

If you are not in a sewing group, you are denying yourself a wonderful opportunity for inspiration, not to mention some amazing friendships!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Show and Tell with the Frankfort Girls

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the lovely creations of my gal-pals in our quilting group. Fondly known as The Frankfort Girls (where all the original members lived), we  have morphed over the years to include the little towns of Williamsport and Kingston, as well. Still fun; still creative; still loving stitching sisters.

I may have shared this first one already, but why not have a second look? This lovely green Irish Chain was a gorgeous finish from Sheryll a month or more back. I've made Irish Chains in a lot of colors, and green might just be my next one - I mean, really, Irish Chain? Yes, a green one is fitting.

Terry brought this recent finish to Jan's a couple of weeks ago. She was stitching the binding. I think she said it was a pattern by Kathleen Tracy. (Don't hold me to that.) 

Sheryll had this wool and patchwork combination finished to the binding stage. Just in time for fall.

This beauty was a kit that Terry gave away about a year ago. Helen took it and had this lovely finish to share. I'm gonna' share this closeup view of the neat, tidy applique stitching that she did. What perfection!

On a side table at Jan's house, this sweet table topper sported a heartfelt message. Sweet and simple always wins me over.

And last week, we were at Becky's and she had this beauty to share. Talk about simple and sweet; gosh, I love it!

I probably have left out several other show and tell projects from recent meet-ups, but I am so hit-and-miss with getting pictures and following through with posts, I just try to get as many as I can.

Hope you are having a great day! I have a meeting upstairs with my long arm machine; catch ya'll later!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Slow Sunday Stitching

I've not been doing all that much handwork lately - finishing off corners and edges on my Grandmother's Flower Garden, mostly, and also putzing around with random bits and no plan. However, a couple of my friends in the Frankfort Girls quilting group have been creating some gorgeous pieces and I've got a little project parade from them to share here. 

Inspiration at your fingertips.

My group of quilting friends has so much talent in all areas of needle arts. Sharon O. has stitched so many fantastic embroidery and cross-stitch creations. Here is a sampling of her recent work.

Another prolific seamstress in the group is Sheryll who specializes in wool crafts. I am happy to have been the recipient of a few of her wool gifts over the years. Here are some of her recent finishes.

 

As for my own work, the finishing and fussing over the edges and corners of my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt might at last be set. I've dithered over this stuff for long enough. I'm gonna go with the idea that finished is better than perfect.

 

 

This last picture shows the curvy sides and a straight side. I will applique a straight yellow border onto all four sides. I may or may not do a small inner border along with a wider border. 

From the very first hexie in the very first flower, this quilt has been a "let's see how this looks" project, so why would I do anything different with the borders?

For additional inspiration, click on over to Kathy's Quilts and check out her weekly Slow Sunday Stitching party. It never fails to inspire and delight.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Show And Tell from the Frankfort Girls

We met yesterday a Jan's for a lovely brunch. Jan is well known for her over-the-top hostessing skills, and our theme was National Golf Cart Day (which was actually a couple of weeks ago, but Jan and her husband used to own and operate a golf course, so she went with it anyway). Our place mats were golf greens made of turf; all manner of golf memorabilia adorned the table and all the serving bowls and utensils were green. It was a ton of fun.

Here are 4 quilts that various girls had for sharing. 

First, Jan had just gotten this from the quilter and was excited to show it off to us. We'd all pooh-poohed the idea of making a wedding ring quilt, and she set out to do one! Gorgeous!

Helen had two for sharing. One was inspired by a quilt that Sharon P. made at retreat and then I imitated soon after. Made with a layer cake, this pattern has ZERO waste!

Helen's second quilt was this fast and super-easy 3-yard quilt from one of the books all of us share around.

Our final show and tell comes from Becky, who is all in on handwork lately. She is using 1-inch hexies to make this flower garden quilt from a jelly roll by Minick and Simpson. I believe she called the pattern Jelly Roll Garden.

She is making fantastic progress on it. It will be so patriotic. The paths look rather gray in this photo, but the fabric is actually a print of blue and off-white.

These girls always keep me inspired. I hope everyone has a source of inspiration as wonderful as these ladies are.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

A Quilting Field Trip

I had a really fun outing yesterday with a few of the Frankfort Girls. We took a little field trip to a new-to-me quilt shop in Oak Hill, OH, called Appalachian Mercantile. It's located out in the remote, farming regions of Jackson County. 

I'd heard some of the girls mention this shop before, but really didn't think I'd be as "wowed" as I was upon visiting. Gosh, what a hidden gem of a shop! She might be out in the middle of nowhere, but she definitely has a lot to offer, making it totally worth the trip from wherever you are.

Owner Cynthia was so very accommodating, fun to talk to, full of industry tidbits and clever banter. It truly felt as though she'd known us for ages. We were quite at home.

Cynthia offers long-arm services, internet sales, and a very well-organized and well-stocked brick-and-mortar store. Just take a look at these photos. I was particularly fascinated with all the samples, many of which are tacked to the ceiling, and all of which are her own makes.

Yes, I did rescue some fabric from this shop, and not just a little. More than likely, I'm just short of needing an intervention, so please be on standby. 

Helen, Sharon, Terry and I

Nearby to the quilt shop, we had lunch at Four Mile Bakery, where we had delicious pulled-pork sandwiches and freshly-baked desserts. 

I highly recommend an occasional outing with quilting friends to explore new shops. This one was a definite winner!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne