2024 - Quilting In Review

Yesterday I shared my December highlights in a collage; today I will share a second collage showcasing all the quilts and projects made in 2024. Believe me, there were far fewer than intended.

TOP ROW: The Blue Ohio Stars were made from the depths of my Aunt Margaret's sewing tubs. Her son Sam, my first cousin, in going through his mother's belongings, set aside her quilting stuff for me. I was happy to get it, and I was thrilled to see these stars. I made the setting blocks to go with them and sewed up the quilt top in short order. With the stars already pieced, it went fast! 

Next, are two pillow cases I made to accent the newly fashioned bedroom we set up. The quilt on this bed is one I call Dusty Trails, as the fabrics make me think of women piecing quilts as they crossed America on the Oregon Trail. Everything would've gotten dusty, and these fabrics all have a "look" that exudes faded old clothing cut up to use in quilts. The pillow cases exude that look as well, and all came from existing stash.

The last pic in this row is of my continued work on Lake Effect. I had a goal for the year to have the 4 long borders attached; alas, this goal was not met, but I am close!

MIDDLE ROW: As I purged from all the upstairs rooms, I unearthed some long-forgotten tubs of fabric. This blue and yellow quilt was constructed from fabrics that I thought had been used in a quilt my grandmother made for my niece. Grandma is long gone, and the niece doesn't remember it - nor does her mother (my sister)! Apparently, I must have my facts all wrong on this; regardless of the origins, I now have a quilt top ready for quilting and eventual gifting. 

I found Penelope Handmade on the internet; she offered up directions for making the Inverted Stars in the center photo. I was so enamored with her quilt that I succumbed to a spontaneous whim and began making them, too. I ended up with enough to make a quilt top, and it, too, awaits quilting. This was fun to do, and I wouldn't need much convincing to make more. *wink*

One quilt I made, quilted, and gifted was this baby quilt for Ruby Jean, my grand-niece. It is made from a layer cake, and I have now made 3 using this pattern I made up.

BOTTOM ROW: Two more baby quilts made, quilted, and gifted are carbon copies - one was given to another little grand-niece, McKenzie Mae, and the other was for our own little Reagan Jayne. 

Another impromptu quilt top came as a result of an impulse purchase at Old Town Fabric Shop in Chillicothe. I saw pre-cuts of Chelsea Gardens, and I just could not resist. I bought two mini-charm packs and some yardage, then proceeded to create this very spontaneous 9-patch quilt. And yes, it too awaits quilting. 

I had to go way back in the files to find a picture of this last quilt - Tag Sale made with a variety of Bonnie and Camille fabrics. I think it looks like an absolute mess, and I have no idea what I will ever do with it. Someone suggested that it'd be a great picnic quilt, and I agree. So when I get around to quilting it, it will either be gifted with that purpose in mind, or we will use it ourselves.

I don't know if you were counting, but all told five quilt tops are featured in that collage needing to be quilted. I fell way behind my in quilting goals in '24; I really have got to do better - much better - in '25.

My crowning glory quilting accomplishment in 2024 was the Tiny Nine-Patch Challenge, a sew-along hosted by on Instagram by Taryn of @ReproQuiltLover. For last year's Florida sewing, I brought most of my scrap tubs with the intent of just making a bunch of 9-patches or 4-patches and waiting to see what inspiration might pop into my head for how to use them. 

Taryn's sew along was so perfectly timed, that I had my inspiration almost immediately. I cranked out those 9-patches in January, February, March - I thought I'd never see the bottom of the tub! Once I was back in Ohio, I began constructing the quilt top, and guess what?? I still needed more 9-patches!

I made about 35 more 9-patches which was enough to finish this absolutely gorgeous quilt! All scraps! Yeah! And to shock you all to crazy-land, I actually quilted it! Yep! I sure did. A quilt not even on my radar as 2024 began, was finished and on the bed by September. Wowzers!

There you have my quilting year in review. It is not nearly the long list previous years have had. Maybe I can return to maximum output in '25.

I shall be back tomorrow - yes! I will! - to share some of the current sewing, and what is in store for Florida sewing this year.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

A Long-Awaited Reveal

The year has been filled with far more things than quilting, so 2024 is definitely seeing a markedly reduced number of quilt finishes. We are celebrating today the near-finish of Tiny Nine Patches! A whopper of a quilt, she needs only to have her binding attached and a label secured, then she will truly be finished. 

Many previous posts have chronicled the long journey this quilt has made from start to finish. Here's my Reader's Digest condensed version.

She was actually started before I knew what she was going to be. I was making 9-patch blocks out of a huge tub of 1.5-inch squares and strips - all scraps. The amount of scraps in this small size had gotten completely out of hand, so I decided that it would be easiest to just make 9-patches and then figure out what to do with them later.

During the process of completing the 'niners' I found a fun sew-along or a challenge hosted on Instagram by Taryn @reproquiltlover. It looked like a very doable effort, so I joined in. This post describes my initial sewing as well as discovering Taryn.

By February, I was well into the 300s for completed 9-patches. I'd also purchased my background fabric. I loved it in the store, I loved it laid out with my blocks, and I still love it in my quilted finish. It has the look of a faded old quilt and it so nicely sets off all the little 9-patch gems.

I didn't begin sewing the blocks together until we came home, and when I did, I couldn't believe how quickly the entire top went together. I even changed my mind midway into creating a straight-set quilt, opting instead an on-point quilt. Read about that in this post.

Making this has taken me on so many reminiscences! I come across a bit of fabric here and there and there and am reminded of the quilts I made with them. Most have a story, and don't get me started if you are here and we begin pointing out different blocks. I have fabrics from my old projects plus bits from my grandma, and also from a handful of friends. Some represent quilts I have gifted, while others are quilt tops hanging in my closet waiting to be quilted. 

The quilt measures 100x80 inches. In previous posts, I talked about making it a square quilt, but I cut one side down a bit so that I could get it on my long arm machine! 100 inches is just way too big! I calculate that there are over 5400 pieces of fabric used in this 22x20-block quilt. I also have 1.5-inch pieces in the 4-patch border. 

I've linked up with Cynthia and her weekly Oh, Scrap! link party. Go have a look at other scrappy endeavors!

Happily, my small scrap bin is nearly empty!

Yay for a finish!

Hope you have a great week! Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Tiny Nine-Patch Update

You better believe I am glad as can be that I spent those winter months turning my massive collection of 1.5-inch scraps into 9-patches! When I began, I had absolutely no idea how I would end up using them, but I trusted the process. I was confident that eventually some form of inspiration would come. Here is a link to one of my earliest posts - very near the beginning of it all - which alludes to the inspiration I found.

Just look at what that inspiration did for me! Yay! My completed quilt top looks amazing!

Within weeks after beginning the scrap management and the making of 9-patches, I discovered an Instagram account that was hosting a Tiny Nine Patch Challenge. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I immediately had a goal in mind for my scrappy 9-patch efforts, and the sewing became all the more focused.

The last time I posted about this quilt, I had not added borders. I've always been open to border possibilities, and willing to 'go with the flow' so to speak. Perhaps because I have basically run out of 1.5" squares, I am stopping here.  The inner border of 4-patches surrounded by an outer border of background fabric looks very much "complete" to me.

I love looking at the variety of fabrics contained within this quilt. Near and dear to my heart, the blouse fabric from my wedding rehearsal dinner and my job interview with CHS is in the block with the 4 purple floral corners and tan center, with light lavender background. It may be the last time I use that fabric in a quilt.

The quilt is chock-full of special and/or sentimental fabrics. The pink and diagonal plaid block sorta' centered in the photo above are fabrics from my mother's stash and my friend Kay's stash. The green block just under it and to the left is an example of how I did 'almost matches' as I neared the bottom of the tub. I was having to force combinations there at the end.

This blue block is another example of forcing fabrics to work together. It was easy to let go of rigid matching standards when I reminded myself that this was a scrap quilt and I was to make it work the way our great grannies would have.

Back in March, when I was down to the odds and ends of the 1.5-inch squares, I switched from 9-patches to 4-patches. Here's a pic of the little assembly line set-up I had in Florida.

Those 4-patches came in so handy for creating the inner border. I just can't believe how wonderfully this entire project has worked out! Trusting the process really does work out, at least for this quilt that has been the case. *smiles*

My next step is to load it onto the long arm and get it quilted. Up top there, I have it laid out across our new king-sized bed, and look at that glorious overhang. I wanted it to be big enough to use on this bed, a goal I have definitely achieved. 

Added later: I've linked this post to Oh Scrap! Since I make so many quilts using my scraps, I ought to get in the habit of doing this more often. Cynthia's blog is called Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework. Yes, I agree! *wink*

And those pics up top also give you a little preview of how our master bedroom is coming together. I need to adorn the walls, add some furniture, rearrange some things. This room is nearly complete; the rest of the upstairs, however, is still in quite a state of flux. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Hello July!

 

Three days into the month and weather-wise, we couldn’t be having any more perfect weather! These past couple of days have been the epitome of ‘chamber of commerce days.’ Comfortable temps, clear blue skies, pleasant breezes and low humidity. 

July, you’re looking good so far! 

I’ve compiled my June collage, so let’s recap last month’s highlights. A quick glance at this collection indicates that Cate time might just be more precious than quilting time. *wink*

TOP ROW: Our Cate just grows and grows! And she's adorable through and through. We kept daughter Erin's two cats while they were vacationing in Hawaii. Here, Betty is inspecting my quilt-binding skills. And the quilt I was binding, Paris Flea Market Find, is finished and ready for use.

MIDDLE ROW: Another quilt fresh off the long arm was Temecula Baskets. I am just now getting around to binding it; a good activity for when we are watching Tour de France. Next, remodeling. Can you imagine the BIG mess that currently exists in our upstairs as a result of this bedroom remodel? When one removes 31+ years of accumulations from a room, the fallout is gargantuan! I keep too much stuff! *waaaa* Third, a sleepy Cate models the wrap dress I made her; thank you, Erin, for sending many pictures from Hawaii!

BOTTOM ROW: Back in Ohio after vacationing, Cate was happy as can be to return to her friends and teachers at daycare. Next, I made great strides on Tiny 9-Patches, finishing the 4 corner triangles late on the last day of the month. Finally, one more picture of Cate from this past Sunday. We hosted both our daughters and their families for lunch. It was our 45th wedding anniversary! Low-key celebrating, but wonderful to relax with them all and enjoy their company.

Now, July is here and we have work to do! Getting our bedroom back in working order is the top goal, as well as removing all that has been stacked in the hallway, the guest bedroom and the long arm room. Believe me when I say we have stuff piled up everywhere! Even the shower in the main bathroom has luggage and boxes stacked inside. Navigating through some of these spaces is risky business, for sure.

Goodbye walls of  Tuscan-inspired 'Cider Toddy' and hello calm and restful 'Agreeable Gray.' We have used Agreeable Gray throughout our downstairs, and we still love it, so deciding to use it in the bedroom was a no-brainer. Yesterday, the new floor was laid, and soon I hope to be sharing a completed look at our re-do. The rug is scheduled for delivery on July 11, so it will be at least another week before I share. Stay tuned!

And here's a sneak-peek of Tiny 9-Patches. Since the bedroom was unavailable, I had to bring it outdoors for a photo. The corners are on there, but they haven't yet been pressed out. My decision now is whether or not to add borders, and if I do, how many? The inspiration quilt (bottom of link) is what I'd like to continue imitating, but I am not yet fully committed. While I work on completing our bedroom project, I will be considering border options.

Gotta' get going! Things to do! Hope you have a great day and a fantastic July!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

9-Patches On Point

It turns out that changing mid-quilt from making a straight-set quilt to an on-point quilt wasn't as troublesome as I thought it might be. It's been tons of fun seeing this transformation.

Here are some pictures of what I first made - a straight set section 10 blocks wide and 24 blocks long. It's hard taking a decent picture of something so long and narrow, but you can get the gist of it, right?

At this point, I decided I'd rather have an on-point set, so I wondered if it would be terribly complicated to switch things up this far into the construction process. The answer is no. It was just a matter of making the angled parts which I would attach to each narrow end. Below is one end. The other looks just the same, only angled the other direction.

Attaching these triangle units to the straight set was easy and before long, I had a big hunk of this quilt completed. Seeing this laid out on the bed is making me very eager to get back to the machine and finish it off.

Look at how big this is! After adding each small angled unit for the ends, I topped out that larger, upper part to form a corner of the quilt top.

The very rough drawing on the photo above outlines the original section I made before making my design choice. You can see, I hope, the 3 sections that have been added. One small triangle section to the top left (not shown in the photo), another small section to the bottom right, and a larger triangle section to the top right.

I turned the quilt the opposite direction to see how it fit. The same. So that means I have a square quilt in progress here. I will put the corner triangles on this last long row, then  begin closing down to the final corner of the quilt. (I'm sure this is not very well explained; my technical writing skills need to be honed no doubt.)

The bed shown here is a queen size, and the photo above shows plenty of overhang. Ultimately, this quilt will be intended for a king-size bed, so I think I am doing okay as far as size is concerned. If my calculations are correct, the quilt will be 22x22 blocks on the diagonal and measure 93" square. I'll get this part made and decide at that time on whether or not borders will be needed.

Changing this quilt so dramatically has been a lot of fun. Initially I took it as a challenge, but as I did that first angled unit, I knew that it was easily doable. I hope to have a finish on this very soon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Tiny Nine-Patch Challenge

Possibly you recall that nearly all the sewing I did in January, February and March was turning scraps into both 4-patch and 9-patch blocks. 

At about that same time, I discovered a sew-along on Instagram called Tiny Nine-Patch Challenge hosted by Taryn at Repro Quilt Lover. I was thrilled to find a purpose for the blocks I was making.

This link marks the end of my 1.5-inch scraps. This link shows a good bit of the background fabric purchased in FL specifically for the setting blocks in this quilt.

So here we are in June and I find myself making a quilt top with my 9-patch blocks. All the tedium of making those blocks is definitely paying off. I am whizzing through this quilt top! What a great idea to do the 'grunt-work' in spare bits of time in FL. They have been waiting in the wings for their time to shine.

And gosh, do they ever shine! Yeah! I feel almost maniacal about creating this quilt. To be able to cut that background fabric into 3.5-inch squares and whip out the rows for this quilt is exhilarating. I decided to make 3 sections about 10 rows wide and sew those sections together at the end so I would avoid having to wrestle the entire giant quilt at the machine if I were doing the quilt all in one section.

And this is absolutely gonna' look amazing. I love the background I am using, and while these next two pictures don't exactly look as pink as real life, there is enough detail in these photos to see the print, I think.

While I was making this first part, I explored the hashtag for this quilt-along - #tineyninepatchchallenge. I ususally find a lot of inspiration when I search hastags, and this time I found a genuine beauty. When I saw this quilt set on point, I was stopped in my tracks. Oh my. I want mine to be on point, too! 

Come back tomorrow or Wednesday to see if I was successful in turning my straight set into a diagonal set. 

Would you try such a change of direction in the middle of making a quilt?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Welcome Summer!

Officially summer arrived Thursday. Now it's Saturday, and I wouldn't want to do anything in a timely manner, now would I? Close is good enough for me.

Yesterday, the first full day of summer, was a scorcher and I found myself immersed in a range of activities, some of which occurred in the quilting room, but most did not. It wasn't until late afternoon that I made my way to the sewing machine to stitch on a hugely satisfying project. More on that in a bit.

First, let me mention one thing that made the first day of summer special this year - the incredible full moon. Did you see it last night? It’s called the Strawberry Moon in folk lore probably because of strawberry harvesting time. Here in southern Ohio we are well past strawberry harvest, but the moon was the exact color of a strawberry, especially just as it was rising above the horizon. We took a walk late in the day to avoid the heat  -  yeah, I dragged myself away from the sewing machine -  and in the twilight the moon was a breathtaking sight.

 

Now back to the stitching. Below is an old photo from March when I was working madly to turn scraps into blocks. This represents just a few of the gazillion 9-patches and 4-patches I made while snow birding.

I show you this because last evening was spent working on turning the 9-patches into a quilt top. I’m super-excited about this one! I bought several yards of discounted fabric from Quilted Twins specifically for the setting blocks in this quilt. I'm loving how it looks! In fact, I am so stoked to work on this quilt that I had to force myself to stop sewing and go to bed. (This is the equivalent of a reader saying 'just one more page' or 'one more chapter;' I was saying 'just one more seam' and 'one more row.')

And here’s a tease for the goodness to come - a couple of 9-patches sewn to setting blocks. Stay tuned! I promise, it's as gorgeous as can be.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne