Thursday is a Jane Day

Another thursday, another block on my Dear Jane journey. Did I ever mention that I find this quilt particularly charming because Jane really is my middle name?

Anyway, this afternoon I worked on block D-4, Crystal Star. It didn't take me a long time to decide how to make this one - I paper pieced the sides with the triangles, mitering the corners onto the middle square. Then I added the smaller melons to the corners by appliqueing them. It looks very nice! Well, at the rate of 1 block a week it should take me about 3 years to finish! Oh well, that's not very long for a forever project.

I enjoyed quilting this afternoon, there were three of us. A little show and tell, and a lot of chatting. Great fun, and very motivating. We are going to have a challenge this fall. Four of us are going to exchange 5 inch batik squares and make a project. So, we will each have 100 batik squares each to make something out of. I think it will be fun to try (of course, I'm the girl who thinks every challenge is a fun time).

One wedding dress out the door today, and a new one coming in tomorrow, plus 6 men's shirts to finish. Lots of sewing this weekend for me, and hopefully a little quilting, just to keep me happy!

Paisley Joy

That baby quilt I made yesterday? Finished and off to a new owner tomorrow morning! That sure does great things for the blues, I would say. It gives me a very satisfied feeling, knowing that my quilt sold not even 12 hours after listing. I always hope to sell something that quickly, but this is the first time that has happened. It is a lovely quilt, and I'm sure will be much loved by the recipient.

This is the collection of odds and ends of rail fence blocks. I set them together to look like a weaving, then it was off to the fabric store in hopes of finding a fabric to tie up the pink, orange, blue and green. I was in luck and found this wonderful paisley in all the right colors. And it's just such a happy fabric, I went back and bought 2 more yards!

It needed a narrow border to separate the blocks from the final border, and a short search through my stash located 6 inches of a beautiful stripe, with all those colors in it, but a more pastel look. Just enough for a 1 inch inner border!

I quilted it in swirls and curves, then decided to prewash it to take away the flat look. I was thrilled when I pulled it out of the dryer, so soft and inviting. I went right outside to take pictures in the nice sunshine, the wind was a little trying, but I got some good photos. Uploaded the listing to Etsy before I went to bed, and when I woke up it was sold! I'm happy, proud of my work, and glad to see it off to a good home. Life is good!

The Finished Quilt Blues

I'm feeling a little blue today, and I think it's because I finished a large quilt yesterday. It's very odd that finishing a project would make me feel sad, but it always happens. I guess it's because I enjoy my quilting so much and each quilt is like a part of me and when I finish I have to let them go (kind of like raising children) Luckily there is a cure, just start a new one!

This quilt was an alchemy project through Etsy. I had to finish quilting 5 1/2 blocks, quilt the borders and put a binding on. It was backed with a sheet so I thought the quilting would be a little more difficult, but it really wasn't so bad. The owner was a little embarassed by her beginning stitches, but I thought they were lovely, you know everyone begins somewhere, and I don't think any one should put down their first efforts at anything! Her piecing was very nice, and it's a great example of a sampler quilt.

I was happy to be a part of finishing up this project so it could be used instead of stored in a closet - I think quilts deserve to be finished and loved! Each one means something special and unique to its maker, and it really gives me great joy to be a part of such a project.

The owner chose to have me machine quilt the border, so I did it with diagonal lines, I always thing this looks nice, and gives th border a good weight so it hangs well on the bed. The binding was machine stitched, I found a nice blue to frame it well.

So, today I will work on a baby quilt to get me perked up a bit, then this afternoon I have a wedding dress to finish altering and a set of men't shirts to cut out and prep for a sewing marathon this week! Wish I could spend a week just quilting, but the shirts will buy the groceries, so I can't complain about that. At least I can spare a couple of hours a day to do what I love!