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!

Back to Lorraine

Early in the summer when I should have been working on any number of commissions I had waiting to be done, I took a day to dive into my sweet little stash of American Jane/Moda fabrics - Lorraine and Savonnerie, specifically. These bright, sunny French-inspired colors were just begging me to create something.

And ever since, the design wall has looked like the photo above. I sewed my blocks into rows, and pinned the rows onto the design wall, and then went back to work on the commissions. It has been nice to look at this wall of gorgeous color all summer long.

On Monday, after I sewed together three - yes, three - quilt backs, I rewarded myself by taking down these rows, rearranging a bit to distribute the colors more evenly, and sewing the top together.

Whee! What fun! I am so loving how the two lines of fabrics work together. It is really hard to know which piece is from the Lorraine line and which is from the Savonnerie line. Good planning by the fabric designer, right?

So now I have my center and am left with deciding how to handle borders. Here is what is left of my two fabric lines - one charm pack of Savonnerie and leftovers from my jelly roll of Lorraine.

However, I do have a wildcard option: several years ago I made a quilt with an earlier line of American Jane fabrics, and I still have leftovers of that fabric stored away in a tub. I think they will totally go with these newer lines, and I will use them if necessary.

Yes, I still have a couple of commissions to finish - 2 t-shirt quilts, specifically. But it sure has been fun to divert my attention to my own stitching for just a little break.

And, one last time, let me remind you to go visit the Quilter Blogger's Festival, to see all the entries in a virtual quilt show hosted by Amy's Creative Side. I have entered quilts in three categories, and would sure love for you to vote if you haven't already. Results will be announced on Saturday, so time is running out!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Too Busy to Blog!

Life has been crazy  hectic around here lately. That is probably all very relative, but for this retired gal, I sure have had a lot of irons in the fire. The iron labeled "blog" has been ignored more than I'd like as a result.

Oh well.

When I get a bit more caught up, I have a long, long list of posts waiting in the wings. So much productivity!! Wheeee! I think for today I just have to offer you a "tease" in the hopes that you won't give up on me!

Above is the beginning of a quilt that Sharon worked on Monday when she was here to sew. She has a kit called Shuttles from one of Kaffe Fassett's newer books. Doesn't this look fun?! It will certainly be colorful!

And while Sharon made Shuttles, I had a very different sort of productivity. Just get a look at this list of accomplishments:
1. sew the open end of a pillow closed;
2. make a backing for Erin's Diamonds;
3. make a backing for Antique Nine Patches;
4. make a backing for paper-pieced quilt;
 5. sew the rows together on Lorraine.

Yes, I accomplished ALL of the above! After several days of wandering aimlessly (always feel this way after finishing a big quilt), I buckled down on Monday and had a really satisfying day.

So stay tuned for more complete details on all of the above.

Today, I am off to sew all day at Terry's. It's been ages since we've all sewn together at her house! I am going to make a charity quilt for a military veterans' association. Again, more details to come.

Hey, don't forget to visit the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side. I have entered in 3 categories (4 if you count my boo-boo entry). I know you will love seeing all the inspiring quilts on display, and don't forget to vote for your favorites in each category.

Catching Up With Sharon

A full week ago, Sharon was here to sew, and was so close to having the center portion of her Lorraine/Old Gold quilt finished that she came back on Wednesday morning to do just that.

So pardon me if I overload on pictures today, as opposed to words. This is one stunning quilt, and is worth a few extra pictures, for sure.

It wouldn't do at all to take just one photo from one angle. I really felt you all needed to see several different perspectives on this, don't you know. It's all in the interest of serving the viewing public. *grin*

The next decision for Sharon is how she will do borders. The pattern gives directions, of course, but I think Sharon's fabric options are limited, so she was going to spend this past week considering the next step. She will be here later this morning and I know she will have something wonderful figured out.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

This Awaits

I go on and on quite a bit about gorgeous fabrics. Generally, the current quilt is the most beautiful ever. So I've gone from any of the French General fabrics to Roman Holiday to Kaffe Fassett and so on. My current love is Lorraine by American Jane/Moda and Lorraine's older complementary line, Savonnerie by the same designer.

I gaze at this lusciousness every day I'm in the sewing room, as it adorns my design wall. Some of the rows are sewn together, some are not. I think a bit of rearranging will occur before it all comes together, but what a feast for the eyes in the meantime!

Lorraine must wait in the wings until I finish 2 more urgent projects. First, I am machine quilting Elisa's quilt and having the most devilish time of it. I'd rather not admit to how much unsewing I've done lately. This coming week I will get it right!

PMA!!
Positive Mental Attitude!

The second is my hand quilting on the 6-point star quilt. I am so, so close to being finished. Mostly just the edges remain to be quilted; I am so anxious to remove it from the frame do the binding.

Have a great Sunday, folks, and stay cool, if you can!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Change Of Pace

I think my continual posting about the gray quilt I'm doing for Elisa is leaving readers/viewers wanting something different. And I didn't have to look far to find it.

Sharon was here for sewing last Tuesday and continued work on her Lorraine quilt. It is going to look spectacular. Click here to read some history on it, if you like. Here's an even earlier one.

These colors are just so fantastic; it would not matter what pattern a quilter used with fabric so gorgeous, but this hourglass block and the surrounding sashing is sure looking mighty fine.

I have done a bit of stitching on my own Lorraine quilt. I will try to get some good pics to share in the coming days.

Hope you're having a great Sunday! We are off to visit DD2 and her boyfriend today. They have a new apartment that we have not yet seen! Should be a great day for a little road trip.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Lorraine Progress for Sharon

We sewed here yesterday, as we do most Tuesdays, and Sharon is going great guns on her Lorraine project. Click back here to read about our day spent beginning our Lorraine adventure. I went ahead with some of my stitching on my own, but Sharon saved hers for this week's efforts.

All her hourglass blocks were finished, and she had strips cut for sashing them. The detail work involved ensuring that no colors were over-used and that all colors were sufficiently random in their placement.

The way these are coming together is thrilling. The colors just sing in their vibrancy. I can't wait to see how this continues to grow.

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!

A Sneak Preview

One of the projects I want to complete this month is the quilt using precuts from American Jane - Lorraine and Savonnerie.

Before I left for Myrtle Beach - did I tell you I am on vacation? - I waved to you yesterday as we headed south. I'm with 4 girlfriends for a week of surf, sun and fun. I've scheduled regular posts to appear in my absence.

Back to my sneak peak. I couldn't resist those fabrics any longer, so I cut into them, and stitched a few blocks together.

I'm  planning the most basic quilt with these precuts, and I will have zero waste. I like zero waste. The first step is to cut two 5" strips from each jelly roll fabric. These 5" strips will be randomly matched with a charm square like the photo above shows.

Also from each jelly roll fabric I will cut strips for the other side of the charm squares, as shown above.

These went together oh-so-fast, and I just couldn't stop. Here is a pic of all 4 blocks.

I will be so eager to get back to this when the vacation ends. Maybe it will make leaving paradise a little easier to swallow. Maybe?

Happy Quilting, Friends!