Welcome Home Quilt

My favorite quilts are scrap quilts. They tell so many stories and I'm a lover of great stories.

I made this quilt for my husband from the scraps I had in my collection. This quilt tells tales from the quilt shop my mother and I owned in the 1980s, it tells me about dresses I made for my daughter who is now 21 years-old, and it comforts me in the middle of the night.

The colors make it sparkle and I just love that.

Thanks for letting me share more of my collection and the Show Off Your Stuff Party.

My Stacked Coins and Vine Quilt

Stacked Coins and Vine Quilt
Originally uploaded by jannza

My quilts are full of countless stitches and heaps of love since it takes that for me to make a quilt. I'm not fast like many quilters these days. I can easily get pulled away with cooking, baking, and schooling projects. I'm one to take my time on most of the sewing I do. I try to savor every moment......

I have several quilts that haven't been photographed. Since Mr. Drummer Boy is aka Mr. Master Photographer, I decided to have him take some pictures of it (and several of the antique quilts that I own) over time.

I made this quilt several years ago and am rather careful with it. We tend to use everything I make and most things start to look a bit worn and "tuckered-out." I felt like this one looked more like a wall piece to me but it hasn't made its way to the wall just yet.

It is machine-pieced and quilted and the applique was completed by hand. The coins are all woven plaids which I dearly love. I have since made several scrap quilts (my ultimate favorite quilts) and have managed to squeeze several of the plaids into them. Not one little piece goes to waste!

I can't say enough about quality fabrics. I don't purchase fabric too often because the good-stuff comes dearly but when I do get my supplies, I try to get the best I can afford. It has been my personal experience that the better the fabric, the better it wears over time.....and I've already mentioned how we use everything. Sometimes until it's threadbare.

Quilting is such a therapy for me, whether by hand or machine...and I do love both! I remember back in 1980, when my mother and I owned a quilt shop just outside of New Orleans. We had a few customers who would come in and make their purchases and enter the name of a grocery store in the check register! While I'm NOT condoning the art of lying, but I do understand their obsession. And their were a few other customers who received gift certificates for classes (sometimes from sweet and understanding husbands) so that they could have their own dose of quilting therapy.

The 1980s offered us a few hard times...sort of like these days all over again. I'm all for sewing the stresses away.

One last note, I had an aunt come for a visit this summer and while she was here, she spent some time admiring my finished quilts. After a little while, she looked at me and told me I'd been real smart to put my time into something that could be handed down to loved ones one day. I couldn't help by agree.

All the stitches....all the love.

**Proud to be part of the Show Off Your Stuff party at Fireflies and Jellybeans.

Turn the Page Tuesday (July 2009)

During the month of July, I began a wonderful sewing project. (IF you enjoy sewing, I strongly recommend that you NOT go to that link. You'll get sucked in and I can't be held responsible. The sew-along is complete, however, you could follow along on your own and still create a masterpiece. That wasn't me encouraging you...or anything.)

Sewing is like therapy for me (and many others, I'm told) and though I'm not in any particular need at the moment for some good "therapy", I always relish the time of creativity. I am an avid quilter and have quilted for many years.....enough so that I should probably have more in my personal quilt collection to account for so many years......

At any rate, I decided to read a quilt mystery as I was working on my first-ever quilt-a-long with a wonderful group of people lead by an amazing woman fully-equipped with great sewing skills. So, throughout the month, I read and sewed. Read this fun book: The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini and sewed on this lovely quilt top.

I was able to meet Jennifer Chiaverini many years ago at the Sinnissippi Quilt Guild in Rockford, Illinois where I attended meetings once a month. It was great to see a woman who appreciated quilts begin to make it in the world of writing. At that point, I believe she had written only one book. She now has quite a few.

This book was interesting as the chapters broke down by character. Each chapter focused on the life on one of the individuals and revealed their background and current dilemma. Since the women were such varying ages and in some cases related to one another, their stories were quite interesting. And as naturally occurs in life, they were at many different stages of living.

I believe I rather found it to be a comfortable book to read. It was good to see the human nature of people and how they struggle through the processes of life. It was enjoyable to imagine a quilt retreat somewhere run by women who love their roles in the art and want to encourage others to try their hand at being so very creative. The description of the mansion and grounds left me wishing for a chance to visit or work there.

Speaking of working there.....I have worked in quilt shops. (Now I'm off on a tangent but seeing how this is MY blog : ) My mother and I first opened a quilt shop in Gretna, Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. That shop was opened in 1980, when people were just thinking about quilting as a hobby and avenue for art. Everything was still quite traditional and machine work was strictly piecing. I later moved to Colorado where I had a chance to work with Harriet Hargrave for several years. She was taking quilt-making to a new level with machine-quilting. Those were all fun years. Now I'm on my own, sewing on the same sewing table I bought in the late 70s and sewing on the same (amazing!) machine (Bernina 830) that I bought back then too. I can't count the number of hours of sheer bliss I have had on this machine and now I am teaching my youngest daughter to sew. We'll have our snowball quilt finished as soon as the binding is on.

It was easy for me to get carried away in my quilting happiness since the summer offers me more opportunity for sewing than the school year.

Look through Jennifer's current collection of books if you're interested in mysteries and quilting. The book and the sewing were great therapy and much cheaper than the pill/office-visit version with a great pay-off at the end.....something wonderful to stay warm and cuddle under especially if you have a good read in hand!

Cut and Ready to Go

Cut and Ready to Go
Originally uploaded by jannza

I have more than enough strips here to work on the Old Red Barn Co. sew along. I'm intending to make this larger than suggested.

I have made more quilts lately that are on the medium side and I'm looking for MORE COVERAGE! These desperately difficult Illinois winters get the best of me and I need help!

It's exciting to cut the strips and know that the actual sewing is just around the corner. Am I the only one amazed at seeing little pieces of fabric come together to create something beautiful and comforting?

Meet Mrs. Responsible

Meet Mrs. Responsible
Originally uploaded by jannz

I joined a wonderful quilt-along group and am using fabrics I already have as opposed to purchasing new ones. (Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along)

It isn't that I wouldn't want to go to a quilt shop and find something delicious. I'm just trying to be "Mrs. Responsible" and do my part to use what I already have. It is so fun to buy more but it will feel good to see it all used up too.

My mother gave me some of her favorite fabric pieces a long time ago. She'd been collecting yellows and grays for a project that never came to fruition. I thought these would be nice to use and they'd find themselves in a quilt where they belong. That makes fabrics so darn happy. : )

Cutting is next!

Turn the Page.....Tuesday

It's the first Tuesday of the month again. I get so excited thinking I have a little homework to be working on through the month and I picture the others diligently working away on their homework assignment too. Pages flipping, plots thickening....ooo, the juiciness of it all. More books waiting patiently for us to discover, and sadly, some worth leaving alone.

In my normal routine excitement (can excitement be routine?), I rushed home with my monthly book from our very sweet but very accommodating library. Like a wise student I began reading early in the month. After only a few chapters I quickly realized this book WASN'T going to do it for me. And you're probably wondering which book I'm talking about. (We could have a Don't Turn That Page.....Tuesday sometime but not today! And I'm not the "boss" of this class anyway.....though she is a lovely person. : )

Pressing on......I quickly drove myself back. This time I walked the isles trying to find something that would be newish and interesting to those of you out there who love to spend your time reading and would be willing to try a new book based on someone's (my!) recommendation.

I picked up several and decided on: I'm still working on history, just a very different time period. Go back with me to the Gold Rush days of 1880. It's difficult to imagine just what life would have been like though we have many books and movies to help us.

Mattie O'Keefe decides to run when her present life is too threatening and a male relationship is too dangerous. Her best option is to meet up with her brother in Deadwood, South Dakota. Bravely travelling alone, Mattie finds that even her anticipated life with Dillon, her brother, is not turning out as expected. Quickly left on her own due to an unexpected death, Mattie must now find a way to survive in this rough society or leave again into another unknown.

Pulled in by the lure of gold, Mattie decides that working her brother's claim might be a way to survive and thrive! Dillon's claim is prosperous and she begins to believe that enough gold might see her through to better days.

Swede, a female teamster who is hauling frieght to the Deadwood region, is moved to compassion as she understands the need to exist on will alone. She begins to help Mattie and comes to count on Mattie's help with her own family as she must continue her trips to bring in more supplies in the hopes of becoming one of Deadwood's new stores.

One by one Mattie is taken in by a few of the town's members and made to feel a part of a community. Tom English is a kind-hearted man who respects Mattie and wants to see her succeed. Aunt Lou, a godly woman, can always be found in the one town restaurant cooking up delicious dinners as well as thought-provoking advice. And Aron Gallagher is determined to preach God's word in spite of the ridicule he receives from the town's people. As much as Mattie wants to trust people, she finds it quite difficult in light of her troubled past. In all of this, the deadly relationship of the past hovers over Mattie and threatens her again. Deadwood isn't safe from "him" and it isn't safe from disease. Both plague the town and bring havoc from which to flee.

Stephanie Grace Whitson is a delightful author. My interest in her peaked when I found that she started to become interested in writing as she taught her home-schooled children how to write. This lady has a life filled with kids, grandkids, quilts (I LOVE quilting), books, a devoted husband (sorry to put him so near the end of the list as I'm sure he really doesn't rank there) and a love for the Lord. I can't leave out the fact that she is a public speaker....love that too! We could be sisters! Well, not exactly, she doesn't even know I exist......

Hope you'll consider reading some of her collection. She has several series to choose from and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I was tempted to write a non-fiction book myself this month about a very cold and wet spring that doesn't seem to want to warm up. But it would sound like I was complaining too much and truth is, I've been inspired to be a part of my first-ever quilt-a-long with the Old Red Barn Co. I'll be blogging about that delightful fun-filled adventure soon, so soon. And I can brag a bit as I'm using fabrics from my "already-here" collection instead of supporting the economy and buying something completely delicious. (sense my responsible side speaking?) Pictures of the fabrics (and sewing progress to come) are already showing up on my flickr account.

For more reviews, check out Some of a Kind and have a wonderful time this month turning your own page. Remember to keep your brain (and body) active. The best is yet to come!

January Snowballs

About the only kind of snowballs I can stand for very long are one of two pleasing varieties. There's the delicious offered-in-many-amazing-flavors: New Orleans snowballs...a sweet ice-cold treat in a cup.

The other variety is easier for me to get at the moment and I'm pleased as punch to be teaching the technique to my younger daughter: the snowball quilt pattern. We have started working on a quilt-pattern-a-month plan so she can learn more about this new disease she is suffering from: sewing!
This morning our girl time was spent setting up for the January pattern. Cutting, playing with colors, ironing, pinning and finally sewing...with a short break in there for a hot bowl of homemade potato soup with cheese and one quick Andy Griffith show.
The outcome was a lot of oos and aahs at her beautiful first attempt at making snowballs that won't leave you freezing...in fact, they may even warm you up. Not as tasty as a New Orleans snowball but much better than the seemingly endless white variety we have sitting out in the front yard.