Retreat Projects By My Friends

Retreats are wonderful in so many ways. Not only do we get several days of uninterrupted sewing time, we are gathered in a large room with other quilters who encourage and inspire us. After several retreats with the same core group of women, we learn each other's quilting preferences and habits. Today I will share some of the projects from these women. 

And, sadly, I didn't get pictures of everyone. Bummer! I just don't think of it in time - self-absorbed, I guess. So my apologies to Helen, Becky and Jan! Help me do better! *waahhh*

My bestie Sharon was super-productive as she finished two flimsies and began a third. First finish was a 9-patch baby quilt for a grand-niece.

 And her second finish was this black and white quilt that she's planned to make for 25 years!! 

I did not get a picture of her third project, but it is another black and white quilt. I am sure I will soon have an opportunity to get some pics as she continues working on it.

Terry was in patriotic mode. We had so much on our plates with this 250th-year celebration in America, it was impossible to make all of them! These will be available for future patriotic holidays at Terry's house.

 

These two were finished flimsies. She began a third quilt that is designed to look like a woven coverlet in faded blues, reds and neutrals.

Lisette, I have learned, likes small quilts (wall-hanging size) with small pieces. So her finishes are really precise and meticulously pieced. First she made this braid-like quilt.

Next she went to work on this darling small quilt, determined to have it finished by the last day. And she did it, too. It looks amazing.

 

Last, we have Susan, who was beginning a block-of-the-month quilt that she hoped to catch up on. The pattern is called Liberty Island Sampler, and this is the center medallion of the quilt.
 

She made additional progress on other blocks, but I did not get any pictures of them.

And that brings us up to speed on the recent retreat. It was a wonderful 4 days. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Sharon Quilts!

In between the quilts I've been doing, Sharon brought one over to finish. The two of us have a history with making one particular Thimbleberries pattern called Harvest Mix. I've made one, she's now made three! 

Since her daughter has recently moved into a country cabin in the woods, Sharon wanted to make a quilt that would enhance her rustic setting as we head into the fall season. And does any quilt look like it will work any better than this one? It has such a rich, fall-toned vibe! It will look great in Amanda's new home.

Sharon opted for a wavy, vertical line across her quilt, which was a really fast way to finish it. I might give this option a try on a quilt; I've never done it, but it does look good and finishes fast.

Here's a clearer view of the wavy quilting lines. They run the length of the quilt.

The colors in this quilt are simply the most wonderful combination of browns, yellows, golds and deep reds - very evocative of autumn here in Ohio.

 

To see my version of Harvest Mix, click here. 

 

Short and sweet today, Peeps!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

 
 

 

Quilting With Friends

It has been ages since I last shared the quilts my quilting friends have made. Let's take care of that right now!

First, the most egregious oversight of all is the quilt that Sharon made for Reagan. Oh my goodness, this is such a darling quilt!

Back in August, when a group of us sewed at retreat, Sharon was very sneaky when she purchased a kit. I had no idea what she intended as I was obliviously wrapped up in my own little quilting world. Very soon, though, I found out that she had bought and stitched an entire quilt for Reagan!

It is the perfect size for a baby quilt, and the colors are so cheerful. Sharon and I both have become overly fond of the beauty and simplicity of 9-patch quilts, and this is one is perfectly executed.

Baby Reagan will grow into this quilt, to be sure! I hope I see it being used - and loved! - a lot as she grows up.

The Frankfort Girls were here at my house last week, and two of the ladies had quilts for show and tell.

Becky, our resident applique queen, just got this beauty back from the quilter. Isn't it spectacular? She said it was her very first experience with applique. I am just in awe of such intricate work. Certainly another masterpiece from her talented hands.

Helen had two quilts to share. This first one was a kit given to her by Terry just a few weeks ago. Once again, here's proof that the simple 9-patch block can result in a gorgeous quilt! The border fabric is by Betsy Chutchian, and the chevron border adds impact, but those 9-patches on point sure do capture my fancy!

The other quilt that Helen shared was a UFO that (I think!) her sister had handed off to her. She was unsure about how to finish it herself, as directions were either unavailable or unclear. Anyway, she took what she could use and "created" a finish that she felt she would be able to use.

These quilting friends continue to inspire me to keep up my own efforts in the sewing room. I have been way off my game this year, and when I see these beautiful creations, I find myself 'itching' to get back to it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Birthday Party

While we were in Michigan, someone special had a birthday. Since neither of us are too rigid about much of anything, we celebrated yesterday while she was here to sew.

If you guessed that we were celebrating Sharon, you would be correct. Oh, there was wine and cheese and fruit and nuts! Wait, we do that most sewing days…well, add gifts and it becomes a party. 

We have been known to feed one another's habits, so I just had to gift her with some absolutely scrumptious yardage of this neutral by 3Sisters. We are both fans of the many lines of 3Sisters fabrics, she much more so than I. Now you can see what I bought while shopping in Michigan. The perfect neutral to feed Sharon's love of all things 3Sisters.

Here are some more random pics; While it is most definitely a neutral, it’s quite a busy print! There are so many elements to look at, to read, to study. We petted and pointed all over Collages from the new line called Favorites.

Initially, I envisioned her using this in a 2-color quilt - say red/neutral or navy/neutral. But the more I thought about it, those soft pinks or blues that 3Sisters is known for would also look lovely. Then as we studied this piece more closely, it became evident that cutting this into small pieces might be hard to do. Why not piece a quilt with large blocks of this? Well, Sharon certainly has some decision making ahead of her.

In the mean time, she might just stare at this gorgeousness for awhile.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Reveal! Sharon’s Paris Flea Market Find

All manner of events have taken precedence over my blogging lately, but I figured it was high time to prioritize an update. 

In mid-June, Sharon loaded her PFMF quilt onto the long arm machine and the plan was for her to quilt it that day. As good-intentioned as that plan was, the machine had other ideas. As she got just one row across the quilt, threads were breaking or, in this case, running out, tension became touchy and timing went wonky. 

All the long arm problems! That day we experienced every single one of them, daggum it!

Below is her quilt spread out on the bed. Believe it or not, as much time as it spent on the long arm, I never stopped to take a picture of it all loaded up.

I believe I've share these three photos before, but who doesn't love having a second look at a beautiful quilt?

Back to the troubles...Early on, try as I might to fix things myself, I just couldn't do it. The timing was tripping me up. I obtained a phone number for a repair man who makes house calls - some of the Frankfort Girls have used him. I was so fit to be tied that would willingly absorb the cost of a house call if I could get things straightened out. 

Shane, the ever-so-blessed-repairman, walked me through a fix over the phone! Turns out, I had done everything properly, and just one small correction was all that I needed. I am so grateful for his willingness to assist me - free of charge! After all was said and done, I had a big  "well, duuuuhh" moment because I should have known what was wrong. Each little glitch ends up teaching me something.

So with the Tin Lizzie all set for action, troubles began on Sharon's side of things. First, she had a particularly bad migraine episode that put her out of commission for several days.

Next her mother fell and fractured a bone in her leg. Gracious! Hospitalization, additional complications - Sharon and her mom have had a plateful of worries. Needless to say, returning to finish her quilt wasn't a top priority. (Much like my blogging!) 

She was apologetic about tying up  my machine for so long, but truly, with all our bedroom remodel, I was not inconvenienced in the least. Not having the long arm available through those days forced me to attend to some of the less glamorous parts of the remodeling process like purging and cleaning. I got a lot done without the temptation to quilt!

Finally, this past Tuesday, our schedules meshed and Sharon came to finish her quilt. And oh, it was so worth the wait!

I snapped this picture without her knowledge. Once you get into a rhythm with free-motion quilting, you don't need to be interrupted. Sharon's large, sweeping circular designs really accentuate her quilt.

Ta-Da!! This quilt is SOOOOO Sharon! To those who know her, that gorgeous floral border and the bright red star points are clearly ‘trademark Sharon.’ She wrapped it up to take home for trimming and binding. No doubt very soon, it will be on her bed!

In an effort to be more timely with posting as we head into the final week of July, I have couple more posts almost ready to share; hopefully I will follow through.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

A Parade of Friends' Quilts

Over the last month or more, I have accumulated several pictures of quilts made by quilting friends. It seems a good time to share some of those with readers. Prepare for a little quilt parade!

Basket Quilt made by Terry.

Monkey Wrench quilt by Becky.

 

Red and White Sampler made by Becky.

I cannot stress enough how valuable these friends are to me. Besides being wonderful human beings, they provide endless encouragement and inspiration. Our shared love of quilting may have brought us together, but true friendships have grown through getting to know them more closely. 

Now, one quilting friend goes back much, much further than the others. Sharon and I taught English at CHS for 30 years, and formed quite a strong friendship even before becoming quilting enthusiasts. The love of quilting has served to strengthen that friendship and to keep us close in retirement. Here are two recent makes from her - not totally finished just yet, but you'll still get a "feel" for them.

Scrappy 9-Patch made by Sharon.

 Not wanting to waste a single bit of 3 Sisters fabrics and other similar prints, Sharon began piecing these 9-patch blocks and setting them with Kona Snow. It is a fabulous way to use up scraps and they look so perfect when scattered about in happy little 9-patches. Sharon has a show-stopping border to go on this quilt, and you can be sure it will be shared here in due time.

Christmas Trees and Stars made by Sharon.

Remember earlier this fall (or late summer) when Sharon and I were both making Alpine? Well, Sharon wasn't done making trees as you can see above. She combined dark green trees with Christmas-y red and green stars and then used some holiday yardage to create this strippy quilt. Her plan is to add shiny buttons at the top of each tree and then use this as a wall hanging. Totally eye-catching in her holiday decor!

There you have it, friends. A tiny quilt parade for your viewing pleasure. Can you see why I never run out of inspiration? These sweet friends boost me in so many ways.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Another Mondo Bag

You already know that I made a Mondo Bag for quilter friend Becky in our Frankfort Girls quilting group. Read all about it here. In that post, I explained that I'd made a total of 4 Mondo Bags, but that wasn't exactly the truth. However, telling the truth would have revealed other secret sewing, so I told a Christmas fib.

Now the truth: I have made 5 Mondo Bags!

I could not divulge at the time that I was secretly making a Mondo Bag for Sharon.  Because of our schedules, my traveling, illness in her family, and miscellaneous holiday obligations, we never did coordinate gift-giving. 

So I dropped by her place one random day well after Christmas when she wasn't even home, and left this at her door. Merry Belated Christmas, Sharon!

This was a bag that very nearly DIDN'T get made. I knew when I made Becky's that I was using my last pattern, so I ordered a couple online. I would use a partial jelly roll of that luscious fabric line Roman Holiday (we both love it so much!) - I knew I had it somewhere in my stash. It would be perfect for Sharon's Mondo. When the new patterns arrived - well after Christmas - and I was ready to start Sharon's bag, I could not find that jelly roll anywhere! Waaaa! I searched and searched. 

And get this audacity - after I'd exhausted my extensive searching efforts, I asked Sharon if she knew where it might be in my sewing room! 

I finally gave up searching and decided that I'd use another beloved fabric, French General. It's still gorgeous and it's definitely a worthy second option.

The construction was as straightforward as ever; and in about an afternoon I had the bag finished. The panels are created with random 2.5-inch squares, and then magically when sewn together a fantastic bag results! Ingenious!

Sharon sent this pic yesterday, indicating that she is using and loving her Mondo Bag! Yay!!

Now, in the meantime, I think I have figured out when I must have used that partial Roman Holiday jelly roll. "Roman Holiday Jelly Roll quilt" is a picture file I found on my laptop while searching for evidence of my missing jelly roll - ha! The jokes on me! Am I becoming forgetful?!

Made in 2021, I vaguely recall intending to use lots of Roman Holiday remnants. I am sure that all the 9-patches in this quilt are made from that jelly roll.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon's Turn

Getting our schedules to coincide has been challenging through all the hustle-bustle of the season, but Sharon and I did manage to carve out some time for a sewing day last week - and Sharon quilted on the long arm machine!

And not just one quilt -  she did two!

First, she quilted up this very cheery sunflower quilt which will be gifted to a family member for Christmas. Here are some additional pics of it.

When the sunflower quilt came off the machine, she was ready to load quilt number two. This is a flannel quilt featuring a familiar cartoon character. These are simply 6.5-inch squares sewn together in alternating order. I've never quilted a flannel quilt on my machine before, but this worked out fine...mostly. We did have some issues with tension, and it required a quick second visit the next day to finish it off. 

Sharon plans to give this quilt to her young grandson, who is a big Baby Yoda fan.

These pictures don't appear to be quilted, so apparently I took them prior to loading it on the machine. I suppose we were so preoccupied with figuring out our tension woes, and then getting it done that we didn't think to take a picture of the finished quilting. Sharon did an interesting vertical wavy line design on this, and with the geometric checkerboard look, the quilting is very effective.

So, I will be adding these two quilts to the long arm list - for record keeping purposes.

I've been reminding Sharon to get those bindings on! Sharon, are they done, yet? *smile*

Have you finished your Christmas sewing? The big day is almost here!

Happy Quilting, Friends!