Catching up with Summer 2021

The majority of the month of July, from the 7th through until August 5th, was spent working diligently, if slowly, on the hand-applique for Jodie Ann's Sunflower quilt top.  I started out to do needle-turn, but when that was not going as well as I'd have liked, I switched to good ol' turning under and thread-basting all of the edges and points, and then thread-basting pieces in place on the background squares.

Most of the pieces had already been cut out, and the backgrounds marked for placement, but sadly the pieces and the marking didn't always align.  The marks were made in pencil, sometimes very darkly, and that was over 25 years ago.  They would NOT erase away.  Some of the marking was even on top of the pieces, as seen on the yellow petals.  I did the best job that I knew how, and I was satisfied with my part in it.  

When finished, I had kept track of atleast 84 hours work.  

That is on the low side of actuality. 

The center rectangle was not found among the fabrics that she had stored with this, so I had to use the closest I could find to it.  It looked closer while piecing, but the density is a bit heavier, I guess.  Her blocks were cut from a very low thread count white fabric.  Hopefully with a batting behind it, and quilting all over, it will not be as noticeable. 

 I danced for joy upon completion, and I got it mailed off as quickly as possible, on August 6th, I think.  Yesterday I received payment in the mail and a few words of thanks and appreciation.  I know that she left many projects unfinished, but I have explained that this will be the last for me to finish.  I hope to stick to those words.  She was as dear as a sister to me, and now has reminded me to get my act in gear with the ideas/projects/fabrics that I have stashed on my own.

So, July passed, with me getting my Jazz 2 on the 12th, and only getting to try out a few stitches on a scrap of fabric.  I wouldn't let myself get into anything serious until that commission was done. 

BUT.......the week of July 4th, I had pieced (on my Singer 15-91) this near-twin-sized top.......

and as soon as the Sunflowers were sent off, I started in figuring out a backing for the red,white, and blue (inspired by a design called "Standing Strong").

I thought I'd just kinda throw together a bunch of big leftover pieces, willy-nilly, and get it onto the basting frame.  But, you know.......I love a good reversible quilt.   

So......THIS HAPPENED.....

Which means that I immediately got to basting it in my big floor frame, and getting it under Jazzy 2's big, generous throat !  

I had no problems straight-line quilting this one, a presser-foot's width on each side of every vertical seam.  She finished at approximately 56 x 82 inches.  

Several items in the free bundle (that was promised with the purchase of the machine) were on back-order, so the commission work was a blessing in disguise (besides helping pay for Jazzy), as it kept me from being antsy waiting on the walking foot and the extension table.  Both of those arrived while I was piecing the backing !   Isn't God good ??????????

TINY update, just for you, JAN !

 My exuberance has been dimmed a bit by two TINY factors.

Firstly, the SewSteady extension table that was a bonus in this deal (the Jazz 2 purchase) is being custom made to fit, and should arrive sometime within the next 4 to 6 weeks.  That's no biggie, as I don't have anything fairly big to quilt right now....still haven't come up with backings to please me.

Secondly, the day AFTER I ordered my Jazzy, I received, unexpectedly, without fore-knowledge, a HUGE box, via FedEx, which contained TWO commissions. 

Now, I RARELY take on commissions anymore.  I've reached an age where I feel that I'll be doing good to finish HALF of the projects that I'd like to do.  BUT........this is a most special request;  I've spoken of Jodie Ann before (what I called her).  JoAnn was one of my two best friends in Oklahoma, and remained so even after I came back here to Tennessee.  Sadly, about a year after my husband passed away , Jodie also succumbed to a lingering illness.  I have since finished one quilt

  for her husband, after her daughter (Jen) sent me a box of her fabrics PLUS one quilt top that she requested that I quilt, saying that it would really please her dad.    So, okay, for Gary, who always cooked for our weekend quilt-athons at their house.  

Well, this time, one of the projects is one that I can remember her starting probably 25-30 years ago. (We pretty much raised our girls together from 10 years old, through college days). Her daughter loves sunflowers, and Jo got this pattern from Mountain Mist. 

 She started it, marked off and cut out most of the pieces, marked the backgrounds for applique placement, sometimes IN VERY DARK PENCIL, and finished around 3-4 blocks. 

 Okay, again, I know how badly she wanted to give this to Jen, so, I've taken it on.  OH MY GOODNESS......all these petals and pointy leaves !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  March on, Dolly girl !

But, the second project is a modern thing that I've never seen before, and feel no calling to further along.  So I returned that one today, sending it off with (friendly ?) instructions to NOT send me things without prior approval, and basically, that I'm NOT taking commissions. 

So.......being the person that I am........that is, a person that can't have a commission and then NOT WORK ON IT CONSTANTLY UNTIL IT IS FINISHED, I haven't really felt that I could take the time to even play with Jazzy a little bit.   Other than familiarizing myself with her basics, upon unpackaging, she's just languishing in my sewing room, lending a bit of updated class.  Ha !   

 Seriously,........our time will come, and it will be grand.  So, that's what's new around here.  

I Hope (yes, Jan, I HOPE) to have more to tell you soon.  But this project looks like WEEKS !  Are WEEKS considered soon?  As fast as my days now pass, I think so.  

Love to you ALL !  Keep HOPE alive ! 

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Coming soon, maybe, my opinion of the new Quilters' Select rulers I've been purchasing, latest of which I haven't had a chance to use EITHER !

BREAKING NEWS : I got my BabyLock JAZZ II today !

 SewingMachinesPlus offered a sweeeeeet package to go along with the already good price on the Jazz 2 by BabyLock.   They're one of the few online dealers that I have found who have been able to consistently get more stock of this sweet thang !

 So, like I said before, I bit, and today she arrived.  I've only played with her for about an hour, but things are looking very good !  I can hardly wait to get a sizable quilt basted, and really give this girl a try !  

 Hope to keep you all updated ! 

1 Finish, 1 Start

 Our church secretary retired, such a giving heart that gal has, and I gifted this quilt to her.

Disappearing 4-patch, machine-pieced, hand-quilted, around 50 inches square maybe.  I call them Church-Lap quilts.

 

Pieced the week of July 4th, a quick strip-like quilt .  Hope to machine-quilt it on the new Jazz 2.....gotta come up with a back first !   Measures about 56 x 81.

 

***Note of reminder: today, July 8th, 2021, I received a box from Gary G. with 2 unfinished quilt tops to be completed, including the Sunflower quilt.

I DID IT ! Jazz II ordered !

 SewingMachinesPlus.com made a special offer this week, including a package with the Jazz 2 that includes an 18 x 24 inch SewSteady extension table.  

 

I think that that was the closer for me.  I've been looking at that machine for around 2 years now, including seeing it in person closer to home.  But the near-local dealer continues to be out of stock on it, and I was hesitant to get it via the internet.  But.........hey, I prayed about it, and pulled the trigger !

I'm hoping that the throat space being twice the size of my old Singer 15-91 will make my machine-quilting a much more pleasant experience......less of an arm workout !  I've saved quite a bit of money by dropping cable and going to Roku TV, so I think that this is a suitable cable replacement for me !  

Ooh,......I can hardly wait !  I hope to update you soon ~!~

March Update........

I had one finish this month, the little string quilt that I previewed in a previous post (Dark Strings ).  I am CRAZY about it.  It's only about 39 inches square, just right for a table-topper, which as you can see, I'm already taking advantage of.  But the quilting is what's so scrumptious, (well, that and the colors and the feel, flannel-backed, and..........SWOON !)  

I used a never-before purchased batting from Walmart that was priced like 3.99 or something ridiculous.....it is all cotton, with a scrim, I believe.  While quilting, there were little white tufts all over the top, and I was concerned about bearding.  But it washed up beautifully, and what few white balls there are, I can easily remove by hand.  Future laundering may be problematic, so SADLY I must hold onto this one for myself......oh the sacrifices we make !!!!! 👩😄

 

 Other than this one, I have pieced a few things. 

This triangle top was pieced from numerous charm pack squares paired with a dark grey wiggly stripe that I had purchased yardage of from Connecting Threads.  I now wish that I had used a light fabric instead, but it is what it is.  I'm thinking of bordering it for use as a twin-size quilt, but I don't have anything on hand that I like for it right now.

This thing, (I've jokingly dubbed it, "Second-Hand Rows"), is the product of playing around with a bunch of factory remnants that I got at the second-hand store.  I don't know how much farther it will go......this may be it.

 

And lastly, I bought 3 packs of two different Charm Pack designs.....Benartex Contempo Dreamy and Crescendo.  They were meant , in my head, to be one large couch quilt.  But I got antsy wanting to play with them, and I pieced this design, again, just out of my head.  It's REALLY SMALL, like 27 inches, so, once again, I'm stuck on what to do with it. (The pieces around it are just border auditions.) I do like having these little pieces around the home for my eyes to surprisingly fall upon here and there.  The colors and designs just bring me joy.   Are you like that?  

I see the Darkstrings lying on the table as I pass, and I just say, "thank you , LORD, for the joy in being able to make that !"

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I'll close with these pictures of me and the little lady that I take to lunch several days a week.  Our senior center has now reopened, and they let us make 'Easter bonnets' last week.  Today we got to parade around the center in our finished 'bonnets' while they played the old song, Easter Parade.

 

That's the child in me.......sometimes she escapes when I get to having too much fun ~

 

Happy Easter, everyone........HE IS RISEN ! ! ! 

 

EDIT :  I was the only one of our seniors group that showed up at (our) church wearing their decorated hat.  That's fine........I still felt like a daughter of the KING !  He lives , and I am HIS !

FINISHED--Dream Weaver for Ted

 I finally am able to share this quilt that I finished before Christmas.  It is the fourth in a series of quilts that I am hoping to get made for my 5 brothers.  Before now,I had gifted one to John, Jim, and Jeff (sensing a theme here....I was the next child born, and I think that my name should have been JOY !)  Anyway, next on the list was my little brother, Ted, who turns 61 on February 24th of this year.  

He came by my house on Sunday, after me calling him to tell him that I had a quilt ready for him, but that I didn't trust putting it in the care of USPS at this time.  

His quilt is called Dream Weaver, and I drafted it up after seeing  a three-fabric quilt of this design on Fabric Cafe's YouTube channel.  I hoarded these batiks for months, thinking that I was going to make myself a quilt from them.  But eventually, I did give it up to him.

Each of these quilts so far have been about the size to fit on top of a twin-sized bed, and actually meant for napping in the recliner or on the couch.  

 I teased him that, with this backing fabric, he could throw the quilt into the bed of his work truck, let it get stained with grease, and no one would ever know the difference !   I surely hope he DOESN'T try that, though ! 

My friend finds this fabric atrocious, but I actually think that it's quite beautiful.  I guess it appeals to my quirky side.

And Marley just says that all of these quilts are just second-hand anyway, because SHE OWNED THEM FIRST !

Starts, but no finish......

  Since Christmas, I have pieced three new things, ALL SMALL.

 First, I decided to make a small quilt to put on top of my made-up bed, so that when the cats sleep on it, and shed, I won't have to wash the bigger bed quilt so often.

 

 Actually, I finished piecing the back on New Years Eve !  It's reversible.

Do ya think that Marley knows it's for HER  ?

 

I'm Big-Stitch hand-quilting it with embroidery floss in the pieced scrappy blocks, but I haven't decided what I will do on the cow-print alternate blocks.  And, of course, having made it reversible, the quilting decisions are even more difficult, especially since if I want to machine-quilt, and use white thread, the machine-quilting is going to REALLY SHOW on the solid-colored areas of the back-side.

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 Secondly, this little quilt is coming into being.  Before Christmas, I bought this white print that I have used here in the background.  I wanted to make a very light Christmas quilt wall-hanging/lap-quilt .  Most of my quilty Christmas things are strong red and green colors, so I felt the need for some relief.   Well, I never got around to choosing a pattern.  This white print was found at Walmart around Thanksgiving time.

Come end of December, Walmart took their coordinating 20-strip jelly rolls and one-yard cuts, and marked them down to $1.00 EACH ! ! ! ! !   Not knowing what I'd use them for, but unable to walk away, I bought 10 rolls, and 3 green plaid yards.  Then, browsing through some quilt photos that I keep for inspiration, I happened across a Rail Fence quilt where the maker had used a strong plaid in one of the rails.  That was my start !   Somehow, the tree idea came into being;  Finding the dark green print in the jelly mini-rolls, I guess that it would let the deer in the background  have some cover to run to if they needed it ! ! !  LOL

So, anyway, it is all pieced and basted, ready for quilting.  Don't know yet if it will be done on the machine or by hand.  I backed it with $2.97 per yard white muslin, also from Walmart, and it feels scrumptious.

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My third project came about when I decided to cut up some old newpapers into squares for string-piecing. I started playing around with some dark/light combos in blocks, and this top came to be.  (Before you worry, no, there was not any newsprint ink transfer to my hands or to the strings.  These papers have been aging, and didn't  BLEED.  Plus, I removed the papers after stay-stitching around 6 or so blocks at a batch.)  Right now, it's just a top that I finished only yesterday.

It may look like I accidentally laid it out wrong, cutting the light blocks in half instead of making them appear whole.  But I didn't.  I purposely avoided a traditional layout, wanting as much focus as I could get on the dark strips, even though I was aware that the light areas would come forward visually.

If you keep the quilt mounted this way, you get two full vertical rows of the dark 'diamonds'.Turned one time to the right, you get two full vertical rows of the light 'diamonds'.  So it's pretty equal.........until I made a border of mostly darks.  

Gifts and other projects from this Christmas season

 I made myself this lap afghan this December, using bits of yarn skeins that I found at our local second-hand store.

  It's a wonderful size for my lap and legs inside, but I'm currently finding it helpful for when I get into the cold car on these Winter mornings.  I very much enjoyed picking up some crocheting for the first time in a great while.

This quilt was made earlier in the year, and gifted to my friend's mother-in-law, Jo Easley, also a friend of mine. 

The yellow quilt, measuring approximately 50 inches square is actually two-sided, having begun with me piecing 8-inch hexagons together. I then took the leftover triangles, from cutting out the hexies, and turned them into stars.  As it developed, what was intended for a backing for the hexagon quilt turned out to be what I now consider the front, instead.  I gifted this one to my sister-in-law, Deb Powers, for her 65th birthday, on December 27th, 2020.  She said that I need not give her another gift for the remainder of her birthdays !  She treasures this quilt !

All machine-quilted

This little log-cabin quilt, just big enough to cover the knees while sitting, was made as a gift for Carole B. after seeing a bed-sized quilt that she had made many years ago.  Carole's husband, (both of them in their 70's)
, mysteriously disappeared this past Summer, and has not been found.  He was suffering early stages of dementia, and his car was found abandoned in the center of a country road, with the drivers' side door open, and no sign of him or any struggle.

And this one was gifted to my fellow quilter-friend, Darleene.  The fabric line was called Air Mail, and thusly, I thought that it was fairly appropriate, as Darleene is a formal Post Office Mistress/mail deliverer.

There are a couple more finishes but they will have to wait until received by the intended family members.