Author: JayeL

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

FOTY 2017 on the Design Wall

FOTY 2017 Begins
FOTY 2017 Begins

I am still a little bit a loose ends with quilts. Not sure why, but there it is. That doesn’t mean I am not working. I am. I am working on bags, but I thought it would be a good idea to have something other than an empty design wall in my studio while I worked. FOTY 2017 came to mind. I’d like to get it out of the Hunting & Gathering stage and to Colleen sometime before I am 80.

I was thinking subway tiles. I have been worried for awhile that the patches were too big and wouldn’t fit on the design wall. When I saw the stack of patches, I thought that I might actually get them all on the wall for once. No such luck. The white and grey stacks as well as a few light pinks and violets are still on my cutting table.

I did an ok job getting the colors up that I could fit. Not perfect, but ok. There is a lot of moving around that has to happen before I can start sewing.

I like the size of the patches and don’t really want to cut them down, but that means that I have to figure out a different way to arrange them. The design is simply not large enough. Right now I am toying with the idea of getting a section arranged, sewing it together, then working on the next section. I just don’t think I have it in me to cut up all those patches.

The Friday creativity posts will return soon.

Finished: Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt

Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt Finished!
Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt Finished!

Yay! I finished a quilt on the first of the year! In fairness, most of the work was done last year and I just had the binding to sew on. I couldn’t quite finish it in 2017, so it counts as my first finish for 2018. 😉

I started cutting this last year after buying the layer cake at QuiltCon in 2016.

I made the top, as you might recall, at the Quilt Retreat relatively quickly.

Now it is done and I will take it to Portland with me next week. It is a gift for one of the people that helps out the YM.

Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt back
Mostly Manor Lozenge Quilt back

On to Hats

Dubai Hat
Dubai Hat

The YM came home complaining of cold wearing a thoroughly disreputable hat. I have knit hats before, so while we were lunching with Mom before Christmas we stopped at a knitting shop and he picked out some yarn.

The yarn is not my ideal. It shreds and is very slidey. Still, now that I can easily discern when to knit and when to purl, I am on my way.

SIL gave me the first step in her hat pattern. I am getting to the point where I am going to need the next step. I will also need to be reminded how to decrease.

2017 Year in Review

Number of 2017 Blog Posts: 346

Number of yards of fabric used this year: 178.5, 40 of which was for charity (24%)

Quilt Projects

Small and Medium Projects

Donation Tops and Quilts

Non-Quilt Projects

All 2017 Donation Quilts

After yesterday’s post, I wanted to see all the donation quilt tops I have made in 2017 all in one place. I cannot take all the credit as Gerre, Tim, Erin, Cyndi and others have quilted my creations in a collaboration in which I revel. Quiltmaking is a collaborative exercise and making these donation tops in collaboration with someone who quilts them is a wonderful experience.

The above are not in any special order. Also, not all of them are finished.

Again, I thought I had made more. I do have to give myself credit for making my part of this many quilts. They aren’t large or complicated, but they do provide something and I can honestly say that I am contributing something to the world in exchange for all that I have been given.

All 2017 Donation Blocks

I thought about making one post for all donation blocks and quilts for next year. When I mentioned it, at least one of my dear readers commented that they liked seeing the donation blocks throughout the year. I decided that *I* wanted to see how many donation blocks I had sewn in 2017, thus here is a visual list of all of the donation blocks I have made for my guild.

The count above looks like about 54. Some were made into tops, like the black ones. Frankly, I thought I had made more. I think I will have to catalog the quilt tops I have made as well, just to make myself feel better. There is certainly nothing wrong with these and every little bit helps, but the words of the NICU nurse who runs the program at Stanford ring in my ears. Now with the people who lost their homes in the Wine Country fires, there are not enough hours in the day to fulfill all the need.

Of course, I have to remember that I didn’t start this post early in the year, so I can’t possibly expect to capture all my work. I may do it again next year and will be more organized.

Gifts with Recipients

I received some photos from people who received gifts from me. I am always pleased when the recipients can, at least, be bothered to look happy when they open a gift I have made.

Murdock and Remi
Murdock and Remi

Remi and Murdock got the Nighthawk and Cosmic Wonder Dust, respectively. I sent them, along with the others, up to Portland and the YM distributed them. I didn’t get photos of the other recipients, but will perhaps soon.

Bamboo Scarf Snowgirl
Bamboo Scarf Snowgirl

My sister also got a scarf as well. I sent her Christmas gifts in a box wrapped up with a note that hell would freeze over and she would be sucked into a pit of lava if she opened her Christmas gifts before Christmas. She used to have such a hard time waiting and, of course, I have no way to monitor her actions. To mollify dear Sis, I sent along the bamboo scarf that started me off on this crazy 2017 knitting journey. She has been freezing this winter and it looks like it is long enough. I am not sure it goes with the jersey, but to each his own fashion choices.

Finished: Sparkle Pink
Finished: Sparkle Pink

I also sent off the Sparkle Pink quilt. A friend’s son died and I decided to send Sparkle Pink to her daughter. I had it available and thought it would be a comfort.

I love this quilt. I really love the fabrics, but it was made from a pattern (not my own design) and doesn’t really go with my decor. The recipient loves it and that makes me happy. This is a quilt that needed to go off into the world and bring happiness. The room in which it now lives will be redecorated to match.

Sparkle Pink in the wild
Sparkle Pink in the wild

Gift Post n.3

Mom and her Jane Market Tote
Mom and her Jane Market Tote

That paintbox fabric has been hanging around and I have not used it to make the set of sewing items for my mom as intended. I dug some out and made her a bag to replace one I made her several years ago that is becoming threadbare and dirty.

I used the Jane Market Tote pattern, but added some extra pintucking and interfacing. I like the way it turned out. It has some body, but can still be rolled up.

Jane Market Tote in Paintbox fabric
Jane Market Tote in Paintbox fabric

Fortunately, it was just what mom wanted. She had been reading the blog and was feeling sorry that I wasn’t making her a bag after reading about Mary’s bag and the bags I made on the quilt retreat.

The design of the bag makes a smallish shopping tote. I had forgotten the size. It seemed to work for her and the bag really goes together well after getting all the pieces cut.

Mom recognized right away that it was the same fabric as her Sew Together Bag, which I made last year.

Mom's Jane Market Tote-interior
Mom’s Jane Market Tote-interior

I realized that I had forgotten to sew up the turning hole when I started to photograph the bag. I had to do that on Christmas Day before we went off to our further celebrations. There are worse ways to spend a holiday than by sewing.

Gift Post #2 – 2017

Le Cafe Eiffel Tower pillowcase
Le Cafe Eiffel Tower pillowcase

Sometime in September, I found some Le Cafe fabric by Danhui Nai for Wilmington. I was in the mood to make pillowcases at the time and bought a whole bunch of the fabric to make pillowcases for my sister for Christmas.

My idea was to use the toss prints for the main body of the cases and the border print for the cuff. I quickly screwed up the cuff idea by not buying the right amount for cuffs and screwing up the cutting. I found an old Verna Mosquera dot print and used that for the cuffs. It was like the fabric was made for the pillowcases, because I had plenty for four pillowcases. I think the dot provided a good contrast for the pillowcases.

I cut the pieces out during some evenings when I had 10-15 minutes while dinner finished cooking. I did most of the sewing over the Thanksgiving Weekend. I used the pillowcases as additional leaders and enders as I pieced En Provence. They are not ideal leaders and enders as the seams  are long. I beat myself into submission as using the leaders and enders technique gets projects done.

Found a New Fabric Store

I went with the YM and my mom to lunch on Wednesday. My lunch was a banana split! Yes, occasionally I indulge. It was A LOT of ice cream and I refused dessert at MIL’s in the evening.

Piedmont Fabric
Piedmont Fabric

After lunch we took a walk up and down the street. In the course of that wandering, we talked and caught up and FOUND A FABRIC STORE! I couldn’t believe I had never heard of or seen this store. I have been down that street a number of times and I am pretty sure it has been there awhile.

It wasn’t a quilt store, but they had fabric suitable for quiltmaking. I bought some fish fabric to make the YM more pillowcases.

The store is small and crowded. They have a lot of fine fabrics for garment making. I saw some Liberty of London quiltmaking cottons. They had ribbon including some Renaissance Ribbons. I almost bought the new zippers I need for my next Sew Together bag, but they didn’t have the sizes I wanted in the colors. I was able to determine that I want Raspberry zippers.

It was a lovely find, especially since there is a yarn store on the same street. What a bonanza!

 

ColorPlay: Tea Canisters

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -original
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -original

I went shopping with a friend the other day. Mostly I did not buy, but I did take a load of pictures.

This photo was taken in a small grocery store and I loved the different colors of the team canisters. Aren’t they cheerful?

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -default
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -default

As we would all predict, the default palette came out quite neutral based. The program placed the dots almost as far away from the colored canisters as was computerly possible.

I was pleased to see that Kona Mocha again, which is a lovely color…for brown. The Kona Sand looks more like oyster to me.

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.1
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.1

For my first image – the one I controlled – I went straight for the colors. this is definitely a circus type palette, which, I think, is kept from being too kid-like with that green. The green looks a little like the green in Jadeite housewares and dishes. It is definitely not sweet. The Grellow helps as well. Looking at the colors, I would say that they are all a little off. The Peridot and the Grellow stand out the most.

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.2
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.2

On my second palette, I still wanted color, but not the same colors. The Grellow turned into Butterscotch, which is not an appealing color. The green, now called Leprechaun, still looks good, but the blue, now Kona Coal, does not look cheerful at all. Still, somewhat better than neutrals.

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.3
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.3

Unintentionally, I made a warm palette. Almost all of the colors were Fallish or Thankgiving-ish. The names of the colors are comforting names.

I especially like the name Roasted Pecan, though the color looks more like Baby Poop Brown. I don’t suppose the name Baby Poop Brown would be a good marketing choice. How about those red-oranges? Aren’t they great?

ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.4
ColorPlay: Tea Canister -n.4

In an effort to embrace neutrals, I sought out neutrals for palette n.4. This is actually a nice palette, if you like neutrals. Kona Cinnamon is a great color, but I know that Chestnuts are definitely NOT that color.

I couldn’t resist adding some color, thus the purple, though it is called Crimson. I always thought of Crimson as more of a red, but who am I to argue with Robert Kaufman?

ColorPlay: Tea Canister n.5
ColorPlay: Tea Canister n.5

Finally, I wanted to get back to the bright colors. These look very similar to the colors in Palette n.1, but are not the same. I particularly like Noble Purple. Very nice color. I really Kona would be dyed on better greige goods.

Have fun with these palettes!