New quilt top--Batik Ohio Stars

 I pieced this one last week, but haven't yet been inspired with a quilting design.

                         Marley Jo approves.

The stars were made using a charm pack that was gifted to me, a few years ago, by Wanda Robinson, dear friend in Oklahoma.  After making the stars, I was in a quandry over what fabric to use as a setting background.  I was drawn to this blue and yellow calico that I had bought on clearance a few years ago, but it seemed so out of wack to combine batiks and calico.  But once I had laid it out, I knew that there was no going back.  I LOVE the look of it.  

I hope to update this post when I have quilted it.  It's quite small, around 54 inches square, but I adore lap quilts that measure anywhere from 40-60 inches square.  I have NO ONE in mind to gift it to, but that could change.  I tend to gift them on a spur-of-the-moment, so we'll see.  For now, I just enjoy the beauty, thanking God for the gift of quilt-making.

A FINISH--Strings for Candace

 Apparently, it is my new norm to  miss blogging about my finishes.  This one has been done for close to a week.  Actually, it is a near-copy of a former finish.

 A friend was visiting a few weeks ago, and really loved the colors in a little quilt that Marley Jo, my younger cat, has shown a preference for.  Anytime it is spread out on a chair , Marley makes a bee-line to hop up onto it and get comfy.   This is it (the original quilt), below, in 2 photos.  I originally used it as a table-topper, but it turned out to be a wonderful leg-cover this past Winter while I rested in the recliner, watching YouTube videos.  That's when MarleyJo got acquainted with it's yumminess as well !

 

My friend loved the colors and wanted to buy one just like it, but bigger.  I volunteered to make one as a gift.  Well.......I tried, but my strings only went so far in matching the original, so the new one wound up being only an inch or so bigger over all.  I haven't seen her yet to give it to her, and if she doesn't want it because of the size, I'll just keep it .  But it's ready, either way !  (they're both around 38 inches square, and flannel backed.)  So these photos below, and the first 3 photos of this post,  are the newer quilt.

( This is a twin bed. )
The two separate quilts have the exact same amount of blocks.  But, due to the differing arrangement of coloring, the original quilt displays 6 full bright diamonds, and 6 half bright diamonds.  The newer quilt, on the other hand, displays 9 full bright diamonds.  The original has two print borders and two scrappy borders.  The borders on the newer quilt are all scrappy.

I presented the quilt to Candace yesterday, and she was absolutely thrilled !  Her final thought was that it was too beautiful to ONLY be a lap quilt, could she possibly hang it on a wall !  So I took it home and added a sleeve.....and went ahead and finally remembered to label it as well .

SNOW DAYS ! ---- A FINISH

 Shame on me !   A week ago, we here in Middle Tennessee got one of the biggest snowfalls that I have seen in years around here, and I forgot to blog about it .  And the hardest part of that was the below zero temperatures that came along afterwards.

                       Downtown Main Street (not my photo)

  But even with concerns that pipes might freeze , and a little scare with my heat pump, God's gracious mercy saw me through again.  My water bill and my electric bill will show a bit of an increase due to the faucets left dripping faucets I"m sure, but that's nothing compared to being stuck with out water and heat and having to wait in line for repairs !  

  So, you guys know what this gal does when she's stuck at home for days ( I sure ain't drivin' on snow and ice' !)    I sewed,,,,,,of course !

   So, this past week was spent with me working on this little quilt....with white representing all the snow I could see out of the window in front of my old Singer 15-91 sewing machine.

  I chose to use IT because of it's location, and the birds outside of it, feeding all of the birdseed I kept putting out for them.

After finishing it, I realized that it would go perfectly with one of the Pioneer Woman fabrics that I picked up on clearance at our local Walmart.

Eventually I got around to quilting it, stitching in-the-ditch for the interior piecing, and then nervously experimenting with free-motion-quilting for the white borders.  After success doing the wishbones,

I started doodling on paper, and I made up the silly little triangles/circles quilting in the second white border.  

The outer big border, although I took the time to miter the corners, just got meandering quilting in it, since the quilting design there wouldn't be identifiable anyway.  I think that I could actually enjoy doing MORE fmq if I had a big table/cabinet that my Jazz 2 was sunken down into.  I use a SewSteady extension table, 18 x 24 inches, that came with the machine, but the quilt gets hung up on the edges of it, and lifts it up when I try to reposition the quilt.  I just don't think that I have room for those, even if I was willing to put out the big expense.

I bound it totally by machine, on my JukiTL2010q, using that 1//16th-inch left compensating foot that I am so appreciating. What a wonderful top-stitch it makes SO NEAR the folded edge.

Speaking of bindings, I have been invited to assist the ladies in our church that are making quilts for a good cause.  They were sorely in need of another stitcher, and I am happy to help.  I've bound 3 fairly big quilts for them so far (they do prefer that I do the finishing by hand).    We may even have a road trip to Marshall Dry Goods in our very near future.......I think that could be fun, although it IS a 6 hour drive each way !  Stay tuned for news about that.

.

Snow Days ! String piecing

 

                                                    32 inches square

Pieced on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, Jan. 14th, 15th, and 16th , while snowed in under 4 1/2 to 6 inches of snow !!!!

To be continued !

 

FINISH ! First quilt of 2024 ! Four-Patch Squared

 This little guy only finishes around 38 x 39 inches.  

Here's the finished top before being quilted.

Nothing purchased for this one.  Made from 2 1/2 inch squares and 5 inch charm squares halved, for the colorful blocks, a grey print for the alternate setting blocks,  and 2 1/2 inch strips for the binding.  Blocks squared to 6 1/4 ".

I loved how this one looked after quilting on my Jazz 2, with a diagonal cross-hatching. 

 I used more of the 80% cotton/ 20% wool pre-soaked and dried batting.  I hoped that it really wouldn't get that crinkly post-laundry look , but IT DID.

And here is an 'after' photo.....

EDIT : *****************

Following a kind suggestion on FB, I ironed this little quilt, and I must say that I am much happier with the look.  I used the wool setting on my little iron.

          I couldn't resist including the birds in this block.

*************************************

EDIT:  I gifted this small quilt to Janice Bridges this past Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in appreciation of all of the volunteer work that she does.