Dear Jane, 108 Blocks Plus 5 Border Triangles

At our January meeting, our Dear Jane Bee host Jan made us all fabric organizers for sewing notions and also gave us a mug for the organizer to attach to.  The organizer attaches to the mug with a Velcro strap under the handle of the mug and is really cute.  Here are two pictures showing what the organizer looks like out flat and in use attached to the mug.

Thanks very much Jan, I have been using mine every since!

I didn't go to our Dear Jane Bee meeting in February because the weather was rain, ice pellets and freezing rain, but I sewed along at home and we sent pictures of our completed blocks back and forth which was fun.



The last time I blogged about Dear Jane was in early October when I had 95 blocks and 1 border triangle done.  I now have 108 blocks and 5 border triangles done which means I have 13 blocks and 4 triangles which I have not yet shown.  Here they are in reverse order of completion.


E12  I paper pieced the centre braided looking area and pieced the rest.

I12  I paper pieced this block.  There are 32 tiny triangles, eight small red triangles surrounded by three black triangles!

I2  I pieced this simple nine patch in a square-in-a-square setting.

H12  I turned under the edges of the applique hearts around a freezer paper template using starch and the iron.  Still not my favourite thing to do....

H2  I paper pieced this block.  Very different angles than are usually sewn.  Not 90° or 60°.

F2  I paper pieced this block.

F12   I paper pieced this block too.

G12  I pieced the background and than appliqued the star on top.

G2  I pieced 1 hourglass block and 12 half-square-triangle blocks.

L11  I paper pieced this block.

L3   I paper pieced this block too.

TR8  I paper pieced and appliqued this triangle.

L10  I paper pieced this one.  I think it looks like a satellite!

L4  I pieced this one.

TR7   I paper pieced this triangle.  I also changed the top shape to a triangle instead of a curve.

I just discovered I don't have a picture of two of my triangles TR6 and TR9.  I also don't have a picture of my quilt to date and it is now night.  I will do another post tomorrow with the two triangles and what the quilt looks like now!

Organizing Backings and Quilts To Be Quilted

I actually did this organization 21-23 January, but am just getting around to blogging about it.  I dug out all my ready to be quilted tops and made sure I had fabric to back and bind them all and put one on the frame to quilt.  All the rest are waiting their turn under my quilt frame in a nice pile on the right.  I have quite a few queen size quilt batts I purchased for half price under the frame on the left.  I save my batting scraps in the baskets and any that might be big enough to be used without piecing have labels with dimensions on them.  The colourful interlocking tiles on the floor make it comfortable underfoot when standing and quilting.

Any fabric I have purchased in large quantities for backings because it was a good sale is neatly folded in the bottom left hand shelf and is labeled with the yardage.

LARGE QUILTS TO BE QUILTED

1.  Double Hour Glass Quilt 70" x 70".  On the Frame.  The backing fabric was already pieced so it seemed meant to be.

Here you can see the border piano key quilting and the start of some geometric quilting in the background fabric that I have been doing.

I made scrappy binding and have the label already made.














2.  My sister's "pink" quilt.  I was able to buy more of the fabric I had only used for the flower centres to add to what I had to make the backing.  The binding is made and two corner triangles are made which will also serve as labels.

 

3.  On Ringo Lake 86" x 100".  Binding strips are cut.  Backing will be pieced together from the three peachy/pinky fabrics shown.

4.  Basket Quilt 81" x 90".

This will be a picnic quilt.  I have two colours of the same floral which I will piece for the backing.  In order to get enough of the floral fabric with the black background, I had to cut the binding single fold instead of my normal double fold.



5.  Fat Quarter Shop Quilt Along Red and Green Quilt 60" x 66".

The green floral binding is cut and the multi coloured dot fabric is for the backing.  I really like the backing fabric.











BABY QUILTS TO BE QUILTED

1.  Ballerina Baby Quilt 44" x 44"

The fabric for this quilt was given to me by my MIL one Christmas.  Ainsley was too old for it at the time but I made a quilt and have been waiting for a reason to finish it.  I have had the flannel backing fabric and binding made and waiting as well.  If someone I know has a baby girl, all I have to do is quilt it.  Here is a picture of the whole quilt I designed from the fat quarter bundle of fabric.

2.  Zigzag Baby Quilt 41" x 57"

This was made out of some left over fabric more or less just to see how to make a zigzag quilt.  I have some blue fleece which could be used to back and self-bind it and it would make a great comfort quilt.

3.  Double Wedding Ring Sampler Quilt 39" x 39".  Before I made my daughter's Double Wedding Ring Quilt, I made four blocks to "test" it.  I think the dotted fabric coordinates quite well.











Here is a picture of the whole quilt.

ODDS AND ENDS TO BE QUILTED

 1.  Christmas Wall Hanging 42" x 36"
I made this a few years ago and would like to finish it.

2.  Christmas Table Runner 54" x 14"
I made this out of really old fabric more as a test than something to keep.  Will have to decide if it is really even worth quilting.

I can use the light fabric with the deer heads as backing for both and the wreath stripe as binding for both.  Here's a picture of both the wall hanging and the table runner.

You can see some of my Dear Jane blocks peeking out from behind them.

3.  Sewing Notion Table Runner 16" x 40"
This was made a long time ago.  I do plan to quilt it.  The binding is the same sewing notion fabric as the border and I have a navy blue piece of broadcloth for the backing.  I think it would look nice on top of the treadle sewing machine when the cabinet is closed. 

4.  Shamrock and Watermelon double-sided Table Topper 21" square.  I haven't finished these because they are so hideous.  The Shamrock was made out of scrappy greens and is ok.  The Watermelon pinwheel is rather a fail.  I have thought it might be worth embroidering or appliqueing some watermelon seeds on it to see if that would make it look better.  This is another item that I will have to decide if it is even worth finishing.  If it's finished, would anyone want to even use it.....  I do have binding made from one of the green fabrics.

So this is the end of my list.  In summary, I have 5 large quilts to be quilted.  One of which is in progress and as soon as it's done I will get the next one on the frame immediately.  I have 3 baby quilts to be quilted and no babies for them so they are low priority although I could finish the zigzag one to donate as a comfort quilt.  I have 4 Odds and Ends and 2 of them are questionable if they should even be finished.  So I am very pleased that I really only have 4 large quilts, 1 baby quilt and 2 small items to be quilted.  I'm not as far behind as I thought!