Summer Breeze

 Dear Readers,

Back in 2022, I did a sew a-long with Pat Sloan called Sweet Dreams.  I decided to do it entirely from my stash.  Of course that did not make a dent, but I also wanted to use an piece of fabric I had bought in Okinawa in the nineties to be the inspiration for the colors that were to go into the quilt.  Pat Sloan was releasing a block a week over the spring of the year and amazingly I kept up!  

I used a swirly pattern that went edge to edge for the quilting.

I used the same backgrought in all the blocks and used up all the green and pink fabric in this quilt.  It was fun.  The back also came from my stash.  

The back

Have fun.

Sew on,

Terry

The Gift - Updated!

 Dear Readers,

I finished a Christmas quilt this week.  I know, I know I am a couple of weeks late, but it is the first finish of 2024 and that is somewhat appropriate.  Will helped come up with the name and scripture, and while I suggested we look in Luke or Isaiah for a verse, he came up with this verse in James and I really like it.  Will found James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The pattern is by Sew Kind of Wonderful, called Starry Night, and requires that you buy their ruler.    I did a block of the month from Stitchin' Heaven.  While I enjoyed the process, I wish I had just bought the book and the ruler.  I like picking my own fabrics a lot!  The block of the month program does keep you on track to finish timely, and if I hadn't let indecision and life in general get ahead of me, I would have finished before Christmas.  

I custom quilted this and changed colors a lot, so I have included close ups of each of the elements of the quilt.  

Stitchin' Heaven sends a backing fabric to use, but it was a tone on tone red and I wanted something different.  So I put that away to use on another quilt.  Finally I found this neat print of Bethlehem and put it on the back, but I made a cutting error so I had to figure out how to make it work, so I put a star in the middle.  Thank you Stitchin' Heaven for a fun quilt.

And finally the label.

PS

I entered the quilt in the Pieces and Strings Quilt Show and it won 1st place in the modern quilt category and a judges choice ribbon.  I was so excited I decided to enter it into the Plano Quilt Show in August.  Here is a copy of the award and the judges comments.  I will sew the ribbons on the back after the Plano show.  Hopefully, I will have another update!!

                                             

Sew on readers,

Terry

Comfort and Joy

 Dear Readers,

When my adult children got home from visiting their father's people for Thanksgiving they said their Uncle Dwight, who was battling cancer, was always cold.  Well, even though we are not legally bound, those are my people, and none of my people should be cold since I can make them a quilt.  

So I went to my stash and started looking at what I have that I could quickly turn into a recliner sized  quilt.  I found a flannel layer cake in manly colors that I bought,  years ago, then did not really have a plan for it at the time... so I got online and found the company does not make layer cakes of flannel anymore, but I found someone on Etsy that had some of the same fabric brand.  I had decided that I would make a circle magic quilt like I did for Sue when she was battling cancer.  But I didn't have enough squares in the layer cake to make it big enough to be a man-sized recliner quilt. So I bought the only color that had enough yardage to give me enough circles to make the size I needed from that Etsy store.  BTW Missouri Star has bought the rights to the template, so if decide to make one, check their website. 

So once the fabric arrived I cut it and all of the neutral sides using the circle template.   Once the edges of the circles are folded over it makes a square, and since Dwight was cold a lot, I cut scrap batting into squares to go in the center of each circle.  

I then went to making circles, and turning them inside out.  

Once I got the circles made, I sketched out a pattern for the brown yardage circles and the layer cake circles.  Then I put them out on the bed to see if I liked the color arrangement.  I played with the color arrangement a bit and when I found one I was satisfied with, I moved to the next step.

Next it was time to sew the circles into rows.

Finally I got all the rows together.  The cool thing about this quilt is it looks totally different on both sides.  

For the "white" side I used quilting cottons that I cut no more than two out of each of the neutrals.  I wanted it to give it some movement.  

Got it all done and mailed, but before it could arrive, Dwight went home to meet his Heavenly Father.  I hope either Kathy or one of his kids enjoy it.  

I am posting a link to his obituary.  You can click here if you want to read it.  I will miss Dwight, I considered him a kindred spirit.  Kathy, his wife, is also an amazing woman.  Please keep her in your prayers.  It is not an easy transition to make after 45 years of marriage.   Hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight and every chance you get.  

Sew on, 

Terry

Explorers - Updated!

 Hey Readers,

I went to the MQA Fall Gathering in Biloxi, and MQA hosted a shop hop in conjunction with the Gathering.  At one of the shops I found a National Park panel that had the emblem in the center and 63 of the national park posters on it.  I have always loved those posters so I picked one up and some fabric for a border.  

So all I did was put a border on the panel.  The back took just about as long, figuring it out and piecing it.  I used a bit of national park fabric I had left from Sue and Bill's quilt for the center stripe.  

The binding was also left over from Sue and Bill's quilt.  I was sewing it on and did NOT have enough, and that fabric was about 3 years old.  I was only about 30 inches short.   So I knew it was too old to go to quilt shops to find it, so I went to ETSY and found it there.  What a relief.  It came in the mail yesterday so I was able to put it on this morning.  

Here is the label.  Big thanks to Will, my son, for always being willing to get on the phone with me and discuss different names and verses.  

Sew on,

UPDATE: Sue and Bill sent me cute videos. Made me tear up...

Terry

The Kitchen Sink

 Dear Readers,

I recently completed a quilt, just before the MQA Fall gathering in Biloxi, MS.  I did not have time to blog about it at that time, so I wanted to tell you about it now.  If I have made you a quilt there is probably some of your fabric in this quilt.  Also every SEC school is represented including Texas and Oklahoma.  

Around the first of this year, I saw a video series on you tube by Terry Rowland.  She was telling her steps to make a color wash quilt.  

Video 1:  https://youtu.be/2UQE5SlOLqg?si=_l8GE0COHLWgPnaF

Video 2:  https://youtu.be/ozxEs1B_Ih0?si=TYoRcEZs0plFCWDV

Video 3:  https://youtu.be/4R9hAE7zXss?si=-kwfyLD-w2_bq04g

So I mentioned this to a few of my Quilty friends to see if anyone was interested in doing it too, it helps to have a friend to hold you accountable!  Well I was on my own.  None seemed interested.  While I was the librarian I was working on Winston Ways so I decided to use my scraps to start making some of the blocks and see how it goes.  So I made about a few dozen or so blocks while there, but I really liked the improve process and the instant satisfaction of getting a block done so fast.  So about once a week I would dig in my scraps and kit up a stack of blocks.  Then I used two cookie sheets to put my blocks by color.  

I worked on it in between other projects and at both of the retreats I went to this year.  

My color wash blocks over on the right, next to Rita or Patti's blocks at Quiltville Inn

On the design board at February Hill Quilting Retreat House in Jonesborough, TN

While I was at one of the retreats, my friend Lauren saw this back and thought it would be perfect, so I had her pick it up for me.... I was sewing while a bunch had gone shopping. 

I used a lot more neutrals than Terry Rowland did, I may do another that is more saturated with color.  

While we were in Biloxi, Lauren helped me stage my quilts for a different view.

This is a super satisfying quilt to make...

Sew on,

Terry

Linked

 Dear Readers,

This year, now that I am retired, I joined the Jackson Quilters.  They request that each quilter create one charity quilt a year.  It can be simple, or complex, or a Quilt of Valor.  I know you know I have been trying to get my sewing area a bit more functional by reorganizing and straightening and purging what I will never use.  

Well I found a bag with a stack of 6 inch civil war reproduction prints.  I put it in my purge bin and moved on with my life.  Then one day I was thinking about the charity quilt, and decided to rescue it from the give away bin and use that to make a disappearing 9 patch out of it.  That is a quick super easy pattern and since civil war fabrics are somewhat masculine that would make a quilt for a guy....not the type most donated by quilters.  

I put the top together at a retreat at Quiltville Inn and it was a little smaller than the requested size, so I added a border.  Tried a new, to me,  quilting pattern of Baptist Fan.  It quilts up really fast.  Definitely a plus for a charity quilt.  I really like how it came out.  I wish I had used a slightly lighter color, but over all I am happy with the result.  

Sew on,

Terry

Sower For God = Updated!

Dear Readers, 

I know since February I had not had many finishes.  I had started too many things and was moving all the projects forward, but could not seem to get them across the finish line.  So all of a sudden they are all coming to a conclusion, which is very satisfying.  This is the latest finish! 

I have wanted to make Ellie her big girl quilt, for a bit, and talked to Sue about what she liked and what were her favorite colors.  Her favorite color is yellow with pink being a close second.  I saw this pattern and sent it to Sue and she and Sally (Ellie's mom) both loved it. The pattern is called Hello Spring, and it is by Pen and paper.  I picked Tula Pinks white with pink dots for the background and her yellow with pink stripes for the binding, I also bought a couple of bright yellows as most of what was in my stash was either very light or more golden. The rest is left over from other things or basic colors that I had bought for my stash.

So before I went to the retreat at Quiltville Inn, I kitted up each ladybug, stem and bloom.  

I got most of the stems done while I was there and a bit more than half of the blooms, although I didn't take a photo of them all, then when I came home I made rest of the blooms and the ladybugs.  

 

Finally I got it on the quilter and I used a lemon ice color of glide thread for the quilting.  I chose a fairly open pattern that is butterflies and swirls.  

I had found a wide back with yellow butterflies on it, so that was perfect.  Will helped me come up with some options on a name and verse and Sue, Bill and family helped me pick the winner.  

This was such a happy quilt to do.

UPDATED:  Bill and Sue, the grandparents, sent me these photos....

I am so pleased she loves it!

Sew on,

Terry