quilting links

Two more examples of small block sampler quilts – only difference between these and Dear Jane is the size of the blocks are a little larger and also they use more traditional blocks that most all have heard of.  The Dear Jane blocks seem very unusual almost like Jane wanted to make the blocks as difficult at moments to make as possible – maybe to distract her from the war news going on around her?

I had heard of the Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler patterns – by Jennifer Chiaverini for some time and have meant to pick up the book for ages and never got around to it.  The Farmers Wife by Laurie Aaron Hird is newer and has only been out for about six months I think.  Astrid from Grandma’s Red Needle had mentioned the other day that she has both books and is intending on starting to make them soon.  We send e mails back and forth from time to time and discussed me making one of these sometime in the future after my second Dear Jane is finished and I thought no time better to track down copies of the books and start looking them over.  More sampler books that I have are “Nearly Insane” and “Just Plain Nuts” by Liz Lois (I just love the names of these books!).  Maybe instead of doing each quilt from each book I should pick out patterns from all four books and combine into one large quilt?  All of the blocks from these books are six inch blocks I believe so that would make it easy to mix and match.  If or when I get around to starting this new venture it would be a scrap quilt with a white/cream background like the first Dear Jane quilt but the difference would be that I would make this one much larger so it would fit on a queen or king size bed.

Whatever I decide it certainly will not be until I am finished with the second Dear Jane quilt “Insanity Revisited.”

The new books:

I buy most of my books from Amazon.com. I have no local quilt shop to support so it doesn't really matter where I buy from. I have noticed in recent months that Amazon quite often has prices for new quilt books priced lower than the used copies!! You might want to check them out. I saved on both and got the two combined for the price of one. I also buy books from the American Quilters Society but I admit to saving money when I can and buy where I can save some dollars.

I visited my mother yesterday for the day and have Lifeline in place for her and all the paperwork done.  While I was visiting one of my brothers – David – stopped by for a quick visit with mom as he was in her town for business from work.  I missed seeing him last time I was there so that was a nice surprise as I hadn’t seen him since Christmas, he was surprised I was there as well as I had intended to contact all siblings once again after I had things set up to let them know their share on the price, the appointment was set up much faster than I had anticipated.  David  lives a bit further from my mom then quite a few of the siblings do that live in Arkansas.  It was a nice surprise for mom too.  I had talked to one of my sisters a couple days before so Mary had stopped by for a short visit also.  After all left and it was just mom and I we went out and got a little shopping done, got something icy to drink it being such a hot day and then went back to her apartment for a short while before I took off for the 2 hour drive back home.  I think she will be pleased with Lifeline and feel more secure knowing that if she falls or is very sick and can’t reach a phone that they are within a button’s reach away.  I recommend all of you with elderly parents look in to this product  – I have no affiliation with the company – just pleased with all I had heard about it and the person who came out to install and talk was very nice.

I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day Weekend here in the states.  Sunday we are going to Little Rock to visit with our daughter and son-in-law for part of the day and to deliver “Insanity” (Dear Jane) to them.  Melanie has been waiting for its arrival for some time now.  When I finished it in November I told her I needed to enjoy it for awhile before it left my house for her house – I thought six months of agony on her part was plenty

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

There are numerous ways we draw designs on to our quilt tops.  I bought a Sew Ezi Table about 3 years ago and I got the clear insert top also that could be used as a light box.  I actually had not used it for that purpose until now.  I drew a feather design on a piece of Mylar plastic (I didn’t have anything else on hand and didn’t want to run to Hobby Lobby) and thought to give it a try.

The shelve space under the insert is very narrow which is why I had not used it – you have to have a light under a light box in order for it to be a light box.  Yesterday I got to thinking about it and decided to try out my little book light.  After all it is a light and it is small – you sure can’t use anything larger – does anyone else have a lighting solution to this?

the narrow space to use a light in

the book light laying flat and the design taped to the clear insert

the book light laying flat under the clear insert on the narrow "shelf" (this is the area your sewing machine normally sits on)

the design showed through making it easy to trace. I taped my fabric in place so it wouldn't shift and used my mark be gone blue pen. The designed showed through better than this photo shows.

I have a large stencil of a feathered wreath that I am using on two of the plain blocks in the center of the quilt and then this design from the photo in the plain triangles and corners.  I will be drawing a grid on it also for the empty spots.

Row 12 Block #1 - 25 more blocks to go - and 52 pieced triangles and 4 pieced corners - a bit of work still to go.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Recently I was contacted by Marina & Darly of  Quilt Inspiration, a blog that inspires one to quilt!  This blog is full of inspiration to be creative!!  This weeks blog article is about Dear Jane quilts and about half way through the article are my two Dear Jane quilts!!  Thank you Marina and Darly for putting my quilts in your article.  What a compliment.

(Edited: that is Marina & Daryl I spelled that wrong – 5/8/2010)

Some of the Dear Jane quilts featured in their article I had not seen before and there were some that I was familiar with.  Like Anina’s from Twiddle Tails!  That Rainbow Jane is great!!  My quilt “Insanity” is shown and “Insanity Revisited” in the works is shown when it was only 5 rows completed – I have double that now and better get it done one day!

If you have not seen this blog – created this year – you might want to stop by and visit them – go back through their achieves and see all the beautiful quilts that that have talked about – anything from Tumbling Blocks to the Dear Jane quilts to very artistic quilts.  I have not looked through the whole blog but I am working my way through it!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

While reading some news story’s on the internet this evening I ran across the following story in the “Arkansas Online” newspaper.  I found it interesting and think some of you will too.

An 80 year old friendship quilt comes full circle:

A garage sale find has spurred precious memories for an 80 year-old Saltillo, Arkansas resident. (ArkansasOnline article)

Last summer, Kim Shock and her mother Debbie Kelley were poking around at a garage sale in Vilonia when Shock noticed an old red and white quilt laying in a carport with the name Lessie Martin written on one of its squares. She recognized it as the name of her great-great aunt.

“I knew I had heard that name,” Shock said. “I also knew she had died when I was 10 or 11.”

She summoned her mother who confirmed what Shock had suspected. They had stumbled on a friendship quilt that possibly had been quilted by more than one relative. The two walked away tickled to purchase the quilt for a bargain price of $7.50.

“We could hardly wait to get out of there with it,” Shock said. “I can’t tell you how excited we were.”

Read the full ArkansasOnline story: Arkansas family rediscovers old friendship quilt.

_______________________________________________________

Isn’t that neat to find a quilt at a garage sale that more than one relative had a hand in making!

I will be having a give away soon so keep an eye out. One of the winners of the last give away I had – Teri in Alabama does not have a blog but she wants to have a give away as a thank you for some neat give away’s that she has won over the last year.    I will host the give away for Teri on my blog and she is donating the gifts.  Keep an eye out I think I will announce it on Monday.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }