It's been a long time...

It's been many moons since I have written a blog post.  Somehow the time has just gotten away from me.  I haven't been completely idle and hope to get back on track and post my finishes.  Here's one of my favorites...

I made this lovely quilt using the Bjorn Bear pattern from Elizabeth Hartman.  It was a gift for a new great-nephew named George.   There were a lot of fidgety little pieces in this quilt but it was not really very difficult.  Her pattern instructions are very detailed and if you follow them and keep your pieces organized and labeled, then it goes together very nicely.

I used Kona solids for almost all of the quilt and using a different print for each of the bear's ears. I quilted it with a pale grey thread in a diagonal diamond pattern.  The lines are about 2" apart.  I bound it in a yellow solid.  This quilt measures approx. 40" square.

Of course, I had to add her signature glasses on one of the bears.

The back contains some of the solids used on the bears and some random prints.  This is a quilt I would probably make again.

Joyful stitching,
jane

My Marmalade Challenge

I haven't been quilting very much lately so I thought I'd post something a little different...

My first attempt at making Marmalade. 
I follow a great blog called Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan.  There are a lot of great recipes for canning and preserving just about anything. The best part is that many of the recipes make small batches so you're not investing a lot of time and money (although marmalade does take a long time).
Marisa is doing a Mastery Challenge in 2017.  Each month is a different challenge.  January was Marmalade.

I made a Blood Orange marmalade -  It didn't set up as well as it should have and was a bit lighter in color than I was hoping.  Only one of my oranges was really dark color.
I should have read Marisa's helpful tips before I made it.  Next time I'll do it a little different.

It still tasty yummy.  It was really nice on my yogurt.  I will definitely try it again.  I have a bit of an obsession with Stonewall Kitchen's pink grapefruit marmalade so I think that may be next.  All in all, a good experience.

Joyful canning,
jane

Jelly rolling along...

I am the first to admit that I have a bit of an addiction to buying pre-cut fabrics.  The problem is that I spend much more time just looking at them than I do using them.  Time to make a change.

This hexie baby quilt was made with a jelly roll of Mormor.  It was simple to do.  I just sewed to strips together and then cut wedges with a 60 deg. ruler.   I wanted the edges of the quilt to be straight (instead of hexie shaped) so I cut some half triangles from a pale aqua to add at the top and bottom.

 I quilted straight lines 1/4" from the seams using my walking foot.

The back was made with some matching yardage and some leftover wedges.  The straight line quilting shows up nicely on the back.

The binding is the same pretty pale aqua that I used in the quilt.
This little lovely measures 34" by 44".

Joyful stitching,
jane

My Lovely Loominous Log Cabin

Wow, I can't believe the lack of production in the last six months!  But finally, something to show off.

I made this quilt using a fat quarter pack of Loominous by Anna Maria Horner.  As soon as I received this fabric, I knew it was destined for a log cabin quilt.  The weave and colors are beautiful.  They are a bit lighter in weight than regular quilting cottons so it makes for a softer and lighter quilt.  Yummy.

I wanted to keep the quilting simple and since there were so many straight lines in the piecing, I decided to go with an offset spiral using orange thread.  I love the way it came out.

I kept it simple by using some yardage of one of the larger prints on the back. 

Couldn't resist adding this photo with the sun shining through from the back. 

More finishes coming soon!

Joyful stitching,
jane

WIP Wednesday - Makin' progress

Finally getting my motivation back.

I'm almost done piecing this baby quilt.  It's a bit bigger than I want so I may just use the bottom row on the back.  This is such a quick and enjoyable block. The blocks will finish at 6 1/2" square.

I'm using Urban Zoology by Ann Kelle.  I love the colors in this collection.  I'm hoping to have it quilted by the weekend so I can sew the binding on while watching the Patriots beat the Broncos. (Sorry Denver fans.)

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

Joyful stitching,
jane

2016 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 1 Hopefuls

It's been ages since I posted or even finished anything.  It's obvious I need some motivation.  Time for the 2016 Finish-A-Long!
I decided to put in some easy finishes and some not-so-easy finishes.  Without further ado...

This top has been pieced for many months.  The pattern is from A Quilters Mixology. The back has been purchased.  I'm a bit stuck as to how to quilt it.

Next is Carolyn Friedlander's Local quilt.  I think I have only 2 blocks left to piece.  The difficult part of finishing this quilt is remembering where I put the blocks.

My hourglass quilt started in 2013.  Top is completely pieced and backing has been purchased.  I fell out of love with it which is why it's been sitting around.

A fun little baby quilt for a granddaughter due in March.  It's all cut and ready to stitch. This is one of my easy finishes.

Another easy finish.  I have an idea for some table mats or hot pads.  I can piece them while watching TV.

This one is a stretch.  It's Patchwork City by Elizabeth Hartman.  I'm using Cotton & Steel Mochi.  Love the colors in this one.  I only need about 60 more blocks.

I'm hoping 2016 is a much more productive year.
Joyful stitching,
jane

Linking up with

Oh Baby

I finished a number of items in July (just in time for one of the baby showers) for two new babies due in our family.  

I made Elizabeth Hartman's Preppy the Whale for a baby girl.  The mom-to-be wanted bright colors instead of baby pastels.  The grandparents-to-be live in Gloucester where we've departed for a family whale watch, so I thought this was appropriate.  It's hard to see, but the background fabric is a pale blue.  I used an all-over stipple to quilt it.

The back is a small floral with a single girly whale.  I used the same blue for the binding that was used for the background.

Made a couple of quick bibs.

I also finished a really cute diaper clutch.  It's a combination of tutorials I found on Pinterest.

It unrolls and opens up to a changing mat.  I used a waterproof fabric for the inside because we all know that things can get messy.  The pocket can hold some diapers and a package of wipes.

We also had a baby boy join the family.

I made this triangle quilt with some leftover pieces from a quilt I had made for my grandson.  It was really simple.  The fabric is called Life in the Jungle and it's from Riley Blake.  I really like the orange an gray in this collection. I mixed in a few solids as well.

The back is a cute blue plaid with some leftover strips.

I did straight line stitching for the quilting and used a solid blue for the binding.

Until this weekend when I started sewing a Christmas table runner (getting an early start), I hadn't sewn a single thing since early July.  It's just been too hot, plus I've been spending my time reading the Outlander series.  Each book is about 1000 pages.  I'm on book three.

Anyway, it's good to get back to my machine.

Joyful stitching,
jane