I finally got the binding on this quilt that I finished over the weekend!  This is the Reflections quilt I made using the Williams Garden strips I had left from my August Ambassador Challenge.  I made a mini quilt for that challenge, so I had lots of fabric left!  It sure made a pretty quilt.

I am glad to say that I am taking my iPhone in tomorrow to finally get the camera lens fixed.  It will be nice to be able to take good pictures in my window again!  I just paid it off and was tempted to get a newer phone, but I really like this one and it will only cost $45.00 to get the repair done.  I'm also planning some Christmas baking...got to keep spirits up around here you know!

One Monthly Goal for December 2020

 Well, this month is already speeding along so I better get my One Monthly Goal set up for December before I forget!  

My goal for this month is to get Crazy Jane quilted and bound!  That means that I'll be making a quick trip to the quilt shop tomorrow to pick up the backing and I'll be basting it this weekend.

I'm excited about machne quilting it - I plan to start by stitching in the ditch all the blocks, then I'll quilt each block with it's own design.  I am planning on mostly just stitching the background, but there are a couple of blocks that might need a bit more stitching.  We'll see.  I'm glad I have the whole month to spread out the work, I think it will be fun to sneak away and do some stitching every day!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal December Link-up

What are your plans for December?  I hope you make time for some stitching, too!

December 2020 is off to a crazy start!

 Now that we've got the Stepping Stones Sampler finished, it's time to get the rest of December off to a good start.  I have to tell you, it is starting out a bit crazy - with an extra person in the house, Baby J has been in the hospital (she is doing just fine and will be home tomorrow after she finishes her antibiotic session!) and we are trying to get the last of the yard work and the Christmas decorating done.  Whew.  I think I need a nap!

And I am joining in with the annual 31 day blog writing challenging hosted by Muppin.com. 

Yesterday's prompt was to introduce myself, so I'll say a quick hello in case you don't know much about me!

I have been sewing since I was a little girl, got it straight from my mom, who got it from her mom.  I fell into quilting in 1986 after my fourth daughter was born, and I've never stopped!  As my girls started leaving home I started working part time at the local quilt shop, Threads That Bind and got started with writing up my original quilt designs and selling the patterns.  I started writing this blog in 2006 and I also started my Etsy shop and selling my shop samples and patterns there.  

I consider myself a more traditional quilter who loves a modern touch to her quilts.  I also love to use techniques that make my piecing faster and more accurate!  After all, she who finishes the most quilts gets to use more of her fabric, right?

I have done a little teaching, but consider mself more of a coach and cheer-leader.  I really think just about anybody is capable of making a quilt if they have the confidence to attempt it!  I love helping beginners to build skills, and to challenge people to expand their repetoire of techniques.

I love batik fabric and have been an Island Batik Ambassador for five years so far!  Love, love, love doing this.  They send me fabric and give monthly challenges - soooo much fun!

I love blue and white quilts, miniature quilts, and scrappy quilts.  Bonnie Hunter does amazing scrappy quilts, and I hope to make more of those this year.  I'm also planning some scrappy quilts using Cynthia Brunz patterns this year!  (I took a Geese Migration workshop from her, and really want to work on some more blocks in 2021)  I got to know Cynthia orginally from the Quiltsy Team on Etsy (I am currently serving as team captain) and she is a fellow Oregonian, too!

I have a semi-retired husband, five daughters, five grand children, and a funny cat named Scamper. I keep myself busy with lots of projects and fun times with family.  We are active in our church, and I enjoy encouraging people to grow in their faith and live happy lives.  LIfe isn't always perfect, but I try to keep a positive view and make the most of each day.

That's about it for now...I'm working on getting things ready for another Mini Madness project, but I'm not up to speed yet.  Rather than rush it out, I need a couple days to get it perfected, so I'll share that in a few days.  Sorry to keep you waiting, but I think it will be worth it!

Finishing up the Stepping Stones Sampler Quilt! Adding borders and cornerstones

 Congratulations for making it through the Steppig Stones Quilt Along!  This month we'll add the borders and cornerstones and your quilt will be complete!

You will need to piece the strips for the borders.  I prefer to use a straight seam for this, but some people prefer to use a diagonal seam.  This is definitely personal choice, but my instructions use straight seam piecing.  

You can also choose whether you want to add cornerstones to both inner and outer borders, or just to the outer border (or neither!).  After doing your math (there's a chart in the directions) cut your inner border top and bottom to size.  I highly recommend matching the center of the border strip to the center of the quilt and pinning, then add pins about every 12 inches to keep your border nice and flat.  Press the seams out toward the borders.  Then add your side borders in the same manner.  If using cornerstones, match seams.

Continue to add the outer borders in the same manner, and your quilt top will be finished!

Nowyou get to decide how you want to finish your quilt with quilting!  The enchanted forest quilt was done in an overall pattern on a long arm machine:

My first version of this quilt is quilted in an overall pattern on my domestc machine:

The retro bright version I made was custom quilted on my domestic machine:

And I am currently hand quilting my version with cat and sewing prints with wool batting!  Can't wait to put this on my bed when it's done!

Download Border Instructions

However you choose to finish your quilt, I hope you love it!  Thanks again for stitching along with me!  

For 2021 I am going to revisit my Quilter's Recipe Box Quilt along, changing it up a bit, of course.  Each month we will explore one block unit and I'll show you four different blocks that can be made with that unit.  Stay tuned for more info!  And tomorrow I'll be starting another mini project - can't wait to share that with you.  I'm ready for some more Mini Madness! 

Finally Finished!!! OMG and UFO in 2020 report for November

 After sixteen long years of working on this project on and off, I can proudly say that the top is completed!

It is about 81 1/2 inches square at this point - hard to get a picture of the whole thing!  The grass is damp, so I didn't want to take it outside, and just pushed the dining room table aside to get some pictures of it laid out!

Sew exciting!  Of course, in true "Crazy Jane" fashion there was a bump - or maybe even a crash.  As I was taking pictures, I noticed a slight problem.  Turns out that I managed to get my borders on wrong.  They were 1/4 turn counter clockwise off.  OH NO!!! Insert your choice of bad words here....

I considered leaving them as is for a short time, but there are just a few directional blocks in my center, and in order for those to be right side up it would put my signature block on the top right of my quilt, and my signature would be upside down!  This is a quilt I am thinking of entering in a show or two, even if it's just my local quilt show because I don't know if I want to let it too far out of my sight.

So, I spent an hour taking the borders off again, and another hour sewing them on in the correct orientation.  What's another 1 1/2 hours compared to all the hours of piecing in this project?  There are 4 1/2 inch blocks in this quilt that took longer than that to piece!

Here is more information about "Dear Jane" for you if you are interested in how the craze began!  Many copies of the original quilt have been made, and it is for sure quite the journey.  I would love to go see the original quilt above in person someday!

The next step is to add strips to the outside so that I can mark out the scallops for the outside edge for quilting!  I'm going to machine quilt this because I plan on finishing it this year and if I hand quilt it, I would probably spend 10 more years on it!  I'm going to use white muslin for the back and wool batting to add definition to the quilting.  Can't wait to get started on it!

So that wraps up my One Monthly Goal for this month!  I finished my Lone Starburst UFO which was part one of my goal and got the Dear Jane top finished, which was part two!  Onwards with December - so far I've hit all my goals for the year, which is fabulous - I'm getting out my planner next month to set some goals in finishing up those UFO's for next year, which will put me pretty close to getting them all finished up!  Yay!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal November Finish Link-Up

I also want to finish this post with my Quilting PHD in 2020 report.  

I have 4 quilts to finish this month to achieve success in completing my PHD in 2020!  So I guess it is final exam time, and I'll be working on wrapping up Dear Jane, which I think is as close to a Thesis as you can get in the quilting world!  Even though the holiday season is pretty much up in the air, I know that I can look forward to plenty of time doing what I love, so I'm just trying to focus on that and know that this is just one season in our lives.  Yes, things will change, but they always do. I chose to live my life in a positive light and hope I can share that with you.  Let's make December joyful as we celebrate, whether it is alone, or with family!

Looking for a challenge next month to help pass some time?  Join me for my Winter Mini Madness Medallion project!  (Details being posted soon!)

Linking up with Cynthi for Oh Scrap - Dear Jane is entirely a scrap quilt - and a good example of an inventory quilt as well!

Pamela

Dear Jane Signature Block

 The last border got sewn together yesterday!

So it was time to finish the final corner, which is a signature block.  I had to count up all the pieces in the quilt and add it up for the record - 5,482!  Of course, Jane labeled hers In War Time, so mine says in Covid time.  And I added my middle name, which is Jane. Part of the reason I felt called to make this quilt!

Today, this will be the finishing touch in my finished top!

Quilting Friday!

 Though many people refer to this day as Black Friday, I like to call it Quilting Friday because I like to stay at home and spend my day quilting and enjoying leftover food!  Here is a peek at what I am working on today!  Yes, I've finished my final triangle and am putting the borders together.

What are you up to today?