Dear Jane Motivation & My Sampler Quilt

I have been reading about Dear Jane Quilts in my Real Women Quilt yahoo group this week. I had been mildly interested in them before but after reading about them and seeing all kinds of finished baby Janes, I am hooked on making one for myself. I think it will be a long work in progress but what an accomplishment it will be to finish one. Check out the raffle quilt at the Empire Quilters website. It is one fantastic quilt that is two quilts in one. Unbelievable!

If you have read my other blog posts here, you know that I am working on the Patchwork Times Block of the Month by Judy Laquidara. This has really motivated me to sew, sew, sew. I was kind of in a slump but it has jump started me again and now my project list is growing. I am trying to finish some WIP/UFO's as well. One of my nearly finished quilts is this sampler quilt

that I made with purple Batiks, Kaffe Fasset's paperweights, and Laurel Burch cats.

It is a whirlwind of purple and red and lots of other colors in between. I wanted to do something different with this sampler by taking a regular block and using it four times in one block to make a bigger block. At one time, I was going to teach a sampler class and I thought this would be a way to show how you can turn a simple block into something different. I never taught the class but I have almost finished the quilting. I quilted in the ditch first and then kept adding more quilting here and there. One of these days I will get it done.

Happy sewing everyone, I am off to the sewing machine. Debbie

Back on track with Block 3 and 4

I finally got back on track with Patchwork Times Block of theMonth today.

I finished blocks 3 and 4 this afternoon. Unlike the second block, these two blocks went together very well. I like the colors and the designs and continue to be excited about the next block. I really like the center of Block 4 with its four patch and triangle design. It reminds me of a harlequin pattern. Block 3 has another favorite pattern - the pinwheel.

I took a close up picture of the fabrics to better show the contrast. I still don't think that the camera shows how pretty these colors are together.

I put all the blocks together for a picture and noticed that only one of the blocks has a different green on the star points. I am wondering if I used the wrong fabric for number one? I will have to go and check now. I really hope it is right because I may have to do that one over. That would not be good!

Since I finished number four so early, I will have to wait awhile before the next one comes online. That will give me a chance to sew on some other projects. For some reason, I have been buying more fabric than usual in the past month. I have all these new projects and ideas swirling around in my head. I hope I can get them all finished!

My cats like to hang out with me when I sew. My cat Beau sat in my lap while I sewed today and my youngest kitty, Tag, helped me take pictures. Of course, if you leave a quilt or even just blocks lying about, some kitty will come and test out their softness. Tonight was no exception.

He definitely approved of the softness. In fact, it was just right for a nap!

That's it for me today too. Tomorrow I'll write about the other quilt in these pictures! Happy quilting! Debbie

Block 2 is Done!

Today was the day for me to cut and sew block #2 of Judy's Star BOM project. I was happily cutting the fabric and thinking that I don't usually enjoy the cutting part as much as the sewing part, but that this time it was kind of fun because of the challenge of the 16th's. I obviously felt good about the cutting and moved onto the "fun part." Okay, so today it wasn't as fun because I not only cut the wrong fabric for some of the triangles, but I also cut the inner border, that we had the option to mitre, too wide. Of course, I realized that the mitre was too wide AFTER I finished sewing it on. I had already cut out the second set of triangles to replace the wrong ones so I was borderline annoyed/grumpy with myself (I guess I could have used what I cut but I am a rule follower and thought that wouldn't do). Anyway, I tried to trim the mitre but figured that this would only work if I had done everything else perfectly and even then it would be iffy. Somewhere in my quilting education, someone has said never cut a block to adjust it, so I try not to. Needless to say, it really didn't work and would have looked really bad if I had left it as is. I have too much quilting pride for that so I cut another border and at the last minute decided one mitre was enough for today, so I just sewed the border on as regular strips.



I am happy with it. I only wanted to do the mitre to prove that I could, to myself ,and if I am being honest, to the rest of the quilty gals making these blocks. I took a picture of the removed mitre and of the two different strips that I cut.

It was still fun and I have learned from this block. The picture doesn't show any contrast between the light green and the light pink, but it looks better in person. Thanks again Judy for providing the patterns and opportunity. I am looking forward to block number 3!
While I was in the sewing room taking pictures, I snapped a few of my favorite things in the room. One is this one of a cat quilt I made a long time ago:


I love the funky and fun look of these gals. I also took a picture of my pincushion collection:

These pincushions are right above my mini Raggedy Anns and teddies, two other things I love. And finally I took this picture:This makes my room look tidy, but it really isn't. It is a super small room. I am sure some of you have closets that are bigger! I am happy just to have the space to sew and admire my favorite things. It makes the mistakes much easier to handle when I can look around at the things that make me smile. I hope you all are smiling today. Debbie

Block One of Judy's 2BOM

I have finished my first block from Judy's @BOM pattern. I am very pleased with my colors but I don't think the camera did it justice. The light is a little bright and you can't see the contrast as well. I will join the group of quilty girls that were wondering about the 1/16" cuts. I was a little worried but it all seemed to turn out okay. I will definitely be paying attention to my details so the blocks will all fit together. I am very pleased with the first step and can't wait for #2! Thanks to Judy for this fun, learning project.

Fabrics For Judy's 2 Blocks of the Month Quilt

Here are my choices for Judy's 2BOM. I too wanted to use fabrics from my stash so I started looking for the biggest pieces that I had that would coordinate with each other. I came up with a cottage look in pink and green. Fabrics 2 thru 8 are sitting on top of #1, the background. I had to purchase a 3 pieces but I felt good about that. The background came from an applique project I started many years ago! I am looking forward to getting started and have enjoyed seeing what other colors have been picked by the participating quilty girls. Thanks to Judy and everyone for sharing their choices. Happy Quilting! Debbie

Fabric and Paper Dolls

My life is all about the fabric. Fabric motivates me and inspires me. It's my work, my fun, my comfort. I sell vintage textiles online at Ebay and also in local shops and shows in the town where I live. I love to quilt and sew. When I need to get away and just rejuvenate, my first choice is my sewing room. It is my creative space. My art is my quilts but I like to work with textiles in all forms. I also cross stitch, needlepoint, rug hook, embroider. I want to learn to knit.

If you want to find me on ebay, my store name is materialgirlvintagetextiles. This week I am listing some great needlepoint kits and some fabulous vintage paperdolls from the 1940's.

This picture is just a sample of what is offered in the auction. Check me out on e-bay and come visit my blog again soon.