Quilting for Abby

Don't you just love a happily ever after story? I think I've got one in the works here at Jayne's Quilting Room. 

A month ot two ago, my niece Abby and I worked out a little bartering situation. She had two old benches that she wanted rid of. They look like park benches from back in the day. The wrought iron sides hold slats for the seats and backs.

I sorta' wanted them, but just couldn't pull the trigger. She had a yard sale, and they didn't sell, so she was at the point that she just needed them gone. Knowing I'd expressed interest, she asked if we could trade benches for quilts.

Bingo! My eyes lit right up with that possibility. If anyone really wants a quilt, then they should get a quilt, right? I have so many made and ready to finish, I surely could come up with something that'd suit her taste.

We took delivery of the benches about 3 weeks ago. They are wonderful to have around out by the fire pit, and we have used them for several bonfires throughout these recent cool evenings.

In determining what suits Abby's taste in quilts, I learned that she likes  simple, traditional designs made with muted reds, whites, and blues that become soft and cushy and snuggly over time. She sent several pictures of quilts she like as well as a picture of one her family is currently enjoying.

I searched my closets and found some strong candidates for her. I sent her pics of these two quilts.

She went for them straight away. Now all I needed to do was select backing fabrics for them and quilt them up.

Easier said than done, with the way my brain works. I dithered for many days on what to use as a backing. I ended up using a large piece of batik I had on hand for the blue one, even though in my mind I don't generally think of batik as becoming soft and cushy over time. Hopefully, it will. The blue one is quilted and ready for binding. 

I loaded it Friday and quilted it Saturday. Whew! It was fun, and I really got along great. I know that using a dark backing with dark bobbin thread and a light top with white top thread is not recommended, but I think that with a laundering, the 'pokies' that show through on each side will diminish. 

I have the binding prepared for this quilt, and I will be putting it on straight away. 

The red one will go on next. I have the backing already loaded on the machine. I will stay-stitch around the quilt then load it on. I plan to use the exact same curly-que and loop-d-loop free motion design that I used on the blue one. 

Maybe by week's end I will have them both ready for delivery! 

Stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

 

A Visit To See Kay

Last Wednesday five of the seven Frienzies still living in Ross County traveled to Dayton to see the eighth Frienzie, Kay. It had been many months since we'd been able to be with Kay, and the day was much anticipated all around.

And just like good friends, it took absolutely no time at all to pick up right where we left off - catching each other up on news and fun and families and all the latest tidbits. It was as much a treat for all of us to see Kay as it was for her to finally get to see us.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we took a quilt to Kay, and gosh, she was just so thrilled to get it! I am so glad we made the effort to finish it for her.

From way back when I first began quilting with Kay, I knew she had a weakness for blue and white quilts. Over the years, she made many, many of them. Kay's retirement quilt is blue and white, too. (I wonder if I have a picture of that??) I found one! Click here and then scroll down a bit to see several of our retirement quilts.

When Sharon and I found this unfinished quilt in Kay's things, we just sorta' knew it had to be finished and gifted back to her. As she opened the gift bag in which we carried it, she knew it was hers. She kept exclaiming "I made that quilt!" It's wonderful to know we made her so happy.
 

We met at Kay's daughter's house, and little Patches was firmly planted on Kay's lap. I think Patches is clear proof that dogs do provide therapy for folks going through memory loss issues. It is just the most miraculous thing to see how well Patches and Kay respond to each other.

Kay surrounded by her Frienzies - Sherrie, Susan, & Hettie in front; Jayne & Pam in back.

And here's one more look at the finished quilt laid out on the bed. It is now back in the care of the woman who made it. Full circle! Click that link above if you'd like to read about pattern and history.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Introducing Cobalt Stars

I just love it when a quilt I "figure out" comes together as good as I had hoped. That is exactly what has occurred with this sweet little number. 

Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on this quilt that I created based off a picture I saw on Facebook. I was enamored with it for two reasons: one, it is blue and white (with pops of pink, purple and green), and two, it is made using Kaffe Fassett fabrics. I had to make it.

It is 62" square, so will do very nicely as a throw quilt or lap quilt. It is made with 12 blocks of one design and 13 blocks of another design. When the corners of the two blocks meet, a very interesting secondary design is formed, making this an altogether interesting quilt to study.

For as long as it has taken me to finally get to work on this quilt, I am so excited to have it finished to this stage, and am now considering what fabric to use for backing, as it may soon go on the longarm.

I'm sure there is a pattern out there somewhere for this quilt, but I could not locate it. After studying a screenshot from Facebook, I could see that it required two star blocks, and with all the reference books around here, I was able to find two that were sufficient for replicating the look. I did look for the pattern in my Fassett books; you saw in yesterday's post that I have many, yet I'd never seen this pattern in any of them. 

The two stars are pictured below. Let's take a closer examination of them, shall we? All 25 stars have a variety of blues for the large center piece, with a few repeats. Also, all 25 stars have a consistent background of white-on-white. For the first star, consistency is achieved by giving all 12 the same polka dot star points and a solid blue square in each corner unit. For the second star, a variety of blues are used as star points, and the consistent element in all 13 blocks is the 4-patch in each corner.

 

I have this quilt on my 2021 Goals List, and I even made a couple of blocks way back in January. Then for whatever reason, I determined that other projects should be dealt with first, so this was set aside for about 10 months. I never put it away, though; it was always in my eyesight and within arm's reach.

Because I spent some time perusing Fassett's books this week, I took a cue from him in deciding to call this quilt Cobalt Stars. He uses that term 'cobalt' in several of his descriptions and quilt names, so if it works for him, it works for me, too. It's a whole lot better than 'blue Kaffe Fassett star quilt', right? 

I am a real happy gal, right now. Having crossed another item off my goals list makes me happy. Having a finish makes me happy. Using this scrumptious KF fabric makes me happy. Feasting my eyes on this beauty makes me happy. I'm feeling all the feels, as the cool kids on social media say.

Hope you are doing something that makes you happy!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Summer Nights Stars

Seems a bit strange to be making a quilt with the name Summer Nights here in mid-February. We currently have a bit of snow cover and seasonably cold temperatures, so thinking about summer is somewhat far-fetched. But thinking about a blue and white quilt, or a star quilt, or better yet both, is not far-fetched at all.

I have had this pattern ever since it was released by Bonnie Olaveson of CottonWay - maybe two years ago? Three? It's been awhile. Anyway, I made a couple of the star blocks right away, and then promptly moved on to other endeavors. But finishing this quilt was always lingering in the recesses of my mind.

I put it on this year's goals list, but I think I was already back at work on it last year. I showed a picture of my chaotic design wall here, and several blocks are pinned up there in the madness.

Well, today all 18 star blocks are at last finished. Whoo-hoo!!

My stash has provided me with wonderful navy blue options, and it has been a lot of fun revisiting some of these almost vintage fabrics. I have used perhaps 8-9 different blues in these stars. My plan for the setting blocks is to use just one consistent blue as a way of taming the chaos and letting the stars shine with their variety.

Now, I should qualify my claim of having all 18 stars finished. When I stacked all the blocks from the design wall, I discovered one block that was significantly smaller than the rest. I have no idea what happened, what I did, or how it came to be so small. I don't see any way of making it work, so I am going to save myself the aggravation of trying to force it and instead just make another one.

The small block is shown above. My guess is that it's a full inch smaller than necessary. I am pretty sure it was one of those early blocks made back when I got the pattern. Still, why I have such a huge discrepancy is mystifying.

Oh well...

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon's Latest Finish

Since the beginning of the year, Sharon has been in a blue-and-white mood, and the resulting blue and white quilts are wonderful. We began the year with our Snow Shoo quilts (she made one and I made one). Now she has finished an absolutely stunning Triple Irish Chain. This was the photo shoot from last Monday when she was here for our weekly sewing date. It is gorgeous!

 

You may recall that Sharon was inspired by the cover of a recent Minick and Simpson book.

The cover quilt has a zig-zag border which Sharon has opted to omit. There will be no borders on hers as she is nearly out of the blue she used. This borderless version looks spectacular, and really does not need anything else - its understated beauty speaks for itself.

Isn't it great to have finishes? Time together each week keeps us both on our game - we are now making plans to do another "together" project like we did with Snow Shoo. I think it will be using our Roman Holiday scraps in June. We need this much time to consider blocks and patterns that will accentuate our dwindling remnants. You'll be sure to hear all about it as we move toward the summer months.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon's Progress

On Monday, Sharon was here to sew. It'd been ages since we last got together. I went on a vacation, and then she had bronchitis - so maybe 3 weeks! Wow.

Inspired by the quilt on the cover of this Minick and Simpson book, Sharon is making her very own blue and white Triple Irish Chain. It is going to be a beauty.

All of the checkerboard blocks are made and Sharon was diligently working away on the setting blocks most of Monday afternoon. I felt we were accomplishing a lot. Great productivity out of the quilting room! Yay!

 Here is a gorgeous stack of blue and white checkerboards. I am drooling over this quilt, and while it has never been on my "to-do list," I may need one for myself.

I can't wait to show you how it all comes together!Oh the anticipation!!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Bonus Quilt On the Horizon

A few days ago, I wrote about saving the cut away triangles from the Snowball blocks I am making with the intent of using them in some future, as yet-to-be-determined quilt. Today, I can report that I have a plan.

Friendship Star blocks have always appealed to me - actually, I love most star blocks - and these little 4.5" cuties will look wonderful in a quilt! I will stitch them with wild abandon, not concerning myself with matching blues, and go for a totally scrappy blue bonus quilt.

Just imagine what 105 little blue stars with neutral alternate blocks will look like. Enchanting! Why 105? Because that is how many Snowball blocks I will need for Snow Shoo, my current project.

This bonus quilt is gonna be so worth the extra time spent sewing now for the rewards I will reap later. Good philosophy!

Linking today with Needle and Thread Thursday.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Snowball Block and a Bonus

In the process of making Snow Shoo, I discovered that with each of the Snowball blocks I would have four identical cut-away corners that could be saved and used in some future blue and white beauty. Maybe you'd like to see my process.

For one snowball block, I begin with a 6.5" neutral square and four 2.5" navy squares. I place the navy squares on the corners of the neutral square, right sides together. Normally, one would then stitch and flip. To save some time later, I am making the extra effort now to go ahead and stitch those cut-away parts into an HST. See the picture below.

Since the corners are lined up and already under the presser foot, I figure I can take the extra few seconds to sew that extra line. I work hard to be consistent in my stitching so that all cut-away HSTs will be the same size.

I cut between the two stitched lines, and put the small triangles aside for future use. I press the Snowball corners out. The small HSTs come out to just a tad under 2" - a very usable size.

The Snow Shoo quilt I am making will require over 100 Snowball blocks, so I should have 400 little HSTs when I am finished. And, yes, I do  have a plan taking shape for them. I will play around with them a bit and let you know all about it soon.

I am joining Linky Tuesday over at Free Motion by the River.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Snow Shoo

I knew Sharon and I would come up with a good name for this quilt. After deciding that the one block is a Shoo Fly block (and not a Monkey Wrench), we added it to the name of the other block - Snowball - and came up with Snow Shoo. We like the little play on words - it's fun and these blocks are definitely fun to make. It just works. And with all the snow that has fallen across parts of the US, perhaps the name is even more fitting.

I have mentioned the plan for making this quilt here before, inspired by the beautiful vintage quilt I photographed last March at a friend's house. Here is a link to some back story. If this quilt design already has a name, we are unfamiliar with it, and we like the name we invented.

I am using a wide variety of blues and creams - it will be scrappy, yet stay within the blue and white family. All the fabric will be coming from my stash, too, which makes me a very happy quilter.

I still have cutting to do, but I just had to stop and make a few blocks. So far, the scrappy factor is not too prevalent, but as I continue cutting into the stack I pulled, I will achieve that scrappy look I am going for.

The blocks measure 6.5 inches unfinished. I actually did some calculating and decided that my goal is to have a quilt that is 14 blocks wide by 15 blocks long. Further calculations gave me a projected size; I will let you know if my actual quilt finishes anywhere close to that projection. I am terribly math-challenged, so we shall see.

I am linking up today with Confessions of A Fabric Addict and her Whoop! Whoop! party. Click on over to join the fun!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

January - The Blue Month

My long-time friend and excellent quilting buddy Sharon P. and I know very well that when we are accountable to each other, we tend to accomplish more sewing. We began last year working together on Elizabeth - which we both finished to the flimsy stage - and 2018 finds us with the goal of making at least one blue and white quilt. Sharon may end up making two!

Sharon couldn't decide on her blues for the one we are both making together, so she came instead with a different blue and white plan. Her day was very successful, as she accomplished quite a bit.

I didn't take any pictures before she was already to this stage, but she cut all her strips and did the fast method of making a 7x7 block. 

And  her first completed block looks pretty darn spectacular, I'm sure you agree. Impressive!

And just in case anyone wondered where she got her inspiration for this Triple Irish Chain quilt?? The cover of this Minick and Simpson book called Blue and White. It is definitely going to be a showstopper.

I will bring you some pics of what I accomplished in tomorrow's post. Not much time now before I must return a kitty to his parents this afternoon. While in Columbus, I will be taking in a movie with DD Erin. We are going to see Loving Vincent.

Happy Quilting, Friends!