Jane Stickle’s Quilt

Last week Bob and I visited the Bennington Museum in Vermont specifically to see the Dear Jane quilt. It is the 150th anniversary of the quilt. If you want to see it hurry on up there because it is only on display until October 14th, 2013. We managed to get some very nice photos of the quilt … with the Flash off!! No flash photography for this quilt. It is in very good shape with just a bit of discoloration here and there. It was so nice to get close to the quilt and compare the blocks I have already made with the original. I could have spent all day just looking at each individual block! You can see my Dear Jane Progress HERE!

Kerryn Bag Class

Yesterday I taught the Kerryn Tote Bag class at Quilter’s Common in Wakefield, MA.

I had two students and Colette also joined us to work on a shop sample.

Joyce and Nancy finished their bags, and Colette almost finished hers. I have to thank Colette for a couple of great ideas …

1. Add fusible interfacing to one of the lining pocket pieces to add more stability to the inside pocket section.

2. To shape the bottom of the bag: After sewing the pocket sectioning seams from “pocket top” to “pocket top”, sew two seams from one side to the other of the 36″ x 21″ bag and lining pieces. The seams should be 3″ apart in the center of the bag and lining pieces.

It was great fun spending the day sewing with the ladies at the shop. I may be teaching the class again sometime in the future and will post when that is scheduled. In the mean time the pattern is for sale as a downloadable file in my Craftsy Shop.

September Jane Blocks

Here they are! This months selection of Jane Blocks. I found some time to get them together. All warm colors this month for my color scheme. Lots of paper piecing and one block with applique. I cut out templates for the circles and melons and then used a needle and thread to gather the edges of the fabric around the template. A blast of “starch” held the gathered fabric in place … and sorry I did not take pictures to show you how to do that!

August Jane Blocks

Good Grief. It’s nearly the end of August and I still haven’t shared my Jane Blocks.

I enjoyed putting these blocks together … not too much applique this month. Just the handle of the basket, which I did by machine. Not sure if that was a good idea or not, but it looks okay. I used steam a seam and ironed the handle in place and then machine sewed along the edges.

Dragon Fly Quilt

I love the colors in this summer quilt. Very cool and calming, but also whimsical! The large blocks in this quilt are a great way to use some of your favorite large scale fabrics. They won’t get lost in this quilt!

The quilt is off to Deerfield, MA for the 10th Annual Memorial Dinner and Fund Raiser to honor the memory of my cousin Gregory Belanger, who was Killed in Action in Iraq, August 27th, 2003.

The pattern for this quilt is available for sale in my Craftsy shop.

Christmas Kitties Quilt

Just finished my Christmas Kitties quilt … in July! The block is a log cabin variation and goes together quickly. The kitty fabric is a cute fabric used in a modern quilt. I love the brown fabrics, which were Peggy Anne’s idea. I never would have thought to use these colors together in a Christmas Quilt … but I love it.

Cute Waterproof Cosmetic Bag

Just wanted to share this cute little cosmetic bag that I made to go with my beach bag. I was heading over to our friend’s house for a day at the pool and all I had were quilted bags and of course I knew my wet bathing suit would soak through those! I had some left over pet screen from my beach bag so I put this together … the next day … to replace the plastic zip lock bag that I used that day.

Month three of Jane

Here are my latest Jane blocks. Three of the five blocks are purple this month as indicated in my plan for the quilt .. a rainbow scheme starting with green in the middle, followed by yellow, etc. I still love working with the Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs fabrics. You can use the large scale fabrics and pick sections to work with. The blocks seemed fussy to me this month, but maybe it was me! The reverse applique is the most trying. Hard to get the corners sewn without the raw edges poking out. I think I need most improvement in that area and will not doubt get the opportunity to do so in the next few years of my Jane Journey!

Velda Newman’s Quilts

Bob and I were in Vermont for a few days earlier this month and we spent one of those days at the Shelburne Museum. I was most interested in seeing the display of antique quilts. They have a collection of over 700 quilts, but of course, only a few are on display at a time. What really surprised and pleased me was the display of Velda Newman’s quilts, Larger than Life, which will be in the Hat and Fragrance Textile Gallery until October 31st.

Velda Newman was gracious to allow photography of her quilts, so I am sharing my photos, but you really should see them in person if you can to really appreciate the splendor of these works of art.

Pillowcase Contest for Charity

I am participating in a Pillowcase Contest for charity. It is being held at Quilters Common in Wakefield, MA. The pillowcases will go to the Boston Chapter of “Conkerr Cancer” and “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp” for seriously ill children. To vote you put a quarter, or more, in the box for the pillowcase you like. The money collected for the votes will go to “Friends Fighting Breast Cancer”. Also, when submitting a pillowcase for the contest you had to donate a non-perishable food item for the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry. So, lots of opportunities to help out!

Here is the pillowcase that I entered into the contest. I found an embroidery design from Radiant Blossoms II collection by OESD which I modified a bit, and changed the colors to go with the pillowcase fabric. If I win I will get a $50 gift certificate for Quilters Common.

Please Vote for my pillowcase. Vote Early and Vote Often!