Absence and an Inability to Spell

Wow it's been a loooonnnggg time and as I tried to get started, I couldn't figure out how to spell the very first word I typed, "absence." My spelling just gets worse and worse. Is that an age thing? 

Well now, I have been working on my Baby Jane even though I've not been blogging about it! So I'm going to get right to things and show you a few blocks that have been recently completed.

This first block is called Brandon's Star (K13) and has 22 pieces. I don't really remember making this one, but I'm pretty sure it was rotary cut an pieced.

This next one was harder than I had anticipated! If you look closely, you will find it to be quite wonky, but I'm just going to live with it! It is L3 called Reflections Abound, was mostly paper pieced and has 25 pieces.

 Next in the block parade is L1, Widow's Pane, was paper pieced and has 20 pieces.

There's something about this next block that just never looks right. Every one I've seen looks just a bit wonky, as does mine! This is L4, St George's Cross, has 21 pieces and was mostly paper pieced (and STILL looks wonky!).

 Lastly for tonight is L5, Chatanooga Charlie, L5, which was paper pieced and has 23 pieces.

I hope to be back soon as I already have several more blocks made that I would love to share with you!
Someone is encouraging me to do a giveaway soon, so check back to see what might be going on around here.
BTW, there's only 5+ blocks left undone in this quilt! The goal is to have her done by the end of this month! Yahoooooo!

Hope you are getting some stitching in too!
Melanie

DJ Block Countdown

Hoping your Easter was blessed. Boy mine was. To have the King of the Universe die for MY sins. Wow! Just blows me away!

I've just visited my design wall and made an official count. My DJ needs only 16 blocks before she has all her parts! OMG, I could just squeal! Oh my.....The plan is to get those blocks all done by the end of May and spend June putting everything together (note the sashings on one side already!) and marking the scallops. Three plus years of work in the final stretch! So here are the most recent finishes:

This is K10, called Quandry, was paper pieced and has 39 pieces. This is not exactly like the drawing, but I can live with it!

This is K9, Scout's Honor, was paper and regular pieced and has 21 pieces.

Not sure how this next one, L8, slipped in while I've been working on the K row, but it did. I must have made the paper foundation on the same page. It is called box kite, was paper pieced and has 15 pieces.

Now, this one is from row K! It is K11, Columbine and is paper pieced. Just for the record, the pattern chops off the points! This cutie has 25 pieces.

 The last one for tonight is L12, Doris' Dilemma, was paper pieced and has a mere 11 pieces! What a breeze!

I don't have a photo of L2 to show you yet, but it's done and it has 41 pieces. I still have Nan's Niad hanging over my head and I'm thinking about getting her done very soon here! And I see that M4 has 44 pieces. Perhaps this weekend I will tackle the hard ones! Would be very nice to have those done and sail into May with only easier blocks to complete! Wish me luck!
Melanie

The VERY Last Triangle

It's good to have them all done, but progress has been terribly slow since finishing this up.  My official count of blocks left to do is only 22. Can you believe it? But, not a stitch has been sewn on a new block for over 2 weeks. School is demanding and there have been other things steeling my attention.

Before I get off on too much of a tangent, here's the low-down on this triangle: It is BR5, called Gay's Glory, has 40 pieces and was paper pieced!

As I was saying, not much going on with my baby Jane lately. Just a bit of sashing and putting together a couple of blocks of blocks (?). I'm looking forward to some time spent with good friends sewing this weekend and to getting perhaps a few blocks done.

 

One of the distractions of late was a great class my BFF and I took with Jan Krentz this past weekend. Jan is known for her fabulous Lone Star quilts and we learned so much at her workshop! It is amazing to me how much there still is to learn after so many years of quilting! My BFF, Rana has already finished her quilt which is so very beautiful! You most stop over to her blog and take a gander! 

Hope to show you some completed DJ blocks soon!
Melanie

Two of the Last Three Triangles

I'm not trying to hold out on you, I just can't find the picture I took of the very last triangle! In any case, here they are!

This was  actually the very last one I made. It is BR13, called Argyle, has 19 pieces and was mostly paper pieced.

 This one is BR4, called Candy Dish, was paper pieced and has 24 pieces!

Not sure what happened to my last photo, but I will be sure to put it up as soon as I can! Hope you have time to do some stitching today!
Melanie

Life in the Fast Lane

Okay, compared to some people I know, my life is boring. But for me, who is happiest curled up on the couch next to my husband with a fire burning, this is a fast pace! Currently, I work full time and am attending school attempting to fulfill my science prerequisites in hopes of getting into nursing school in Fall 2013. Yes, 2013. Good grief that sounds like a long ways away! Especially at the age of 51. But, I believe this is a desire the Lord has placed in my heart and will continue on this path until He changes my direction or blocks me completely. At any rate, my one class is Anatomy right now and it takes up what seems like an enormous amount of time. I think if I could somehow stop with all the procrastinating I do, it might be a lot less though;-)

All this to say that, I was determined to get my last few triangles for my Jane quilt done this weekend. Only 3 were left and yesterday I did  them all! I'm so happy. Now, it's just the last 25 blocks and the top assembly, which I'm working on a bit at a time. June is still the goal! Here are the triangles I did the last couple of weeks:

This first one is the one I had to remake because the first one I made went missing. As I've whined about before, this was my least favorite triangle. It is BR9, called, Sue's Garden, has 12 pieces and was pieced by me and appliqued by my bff, Rana. I think this is the only block in my quilt that has been worked on by someone other than me. That makes it special enough that I won't hate it anymore!

 This next one is BR2, called Leigh's Woods, has 31 pieces and was paper pieced.

Lastly, this is BR12, called Jessie's Stained Glass, was paper pieced and appliqued and has 15 pieces.

I have 3 triangles left to show and tell, but no photos of them yet.
If you have any desire to start your own Dear Jane quilt or learn more about it, see the website dearjane.com.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon!
Melanie

Just a Quickie

It's been a while, but there's not much time for a post right now. Just wanted to show the darling little original creation my friend (designed and)gave me a couple of weeks ago. Isn't it the most darling little pincushion?? Check out Rana's website over here for more fabulous stuff!

There are more completed DJ blocks to share, but that will have to wait until next time!

Have a great day!
Melanie

Crazy and Obsessed

Have you ever noticed the number of quilting blogs that have the word "crazy" in them? I think I've used that word several times for the titles of blog posts as well as in the title of my blog. My sister, who no longer blogs, used the word "obsessed" in her title. Today and for the past couple of months, I've felt both crazy and obsessed. About my baby jane. Have you noticed? I'm purposely shirking all other projects in a fairly focused (as much as that is possible for me) attempt to finish her up!

I began this journey in October of 2007 and of course, thought I could get it done much faster than I have. Of course, we never know what the Lord has in store for us. So that may have been my plan, but He had other plans for me. So, having cancer and going through those treatments sidelined me for a good 8 or 9 months from the project. It wasn't that I couldn't, it was more that the desire had been sucked right out of me. I really felt I needed to be on my knees before Him, rather than playing with fabric. Then, I've also taken breaks at Christmastime each year to make presents.

But now, I'm down to having only 25 blocks and 6 triangles left to make. How exciting is that? It makes me truly Crazy and Obsessed! Problem is, working full time and going to school part-time (Anatomy, which takes up easily 10 hours per week) really makes it tricky to get much done on this baby! I really wish I could finish her up in the next couple of weeks, but that is not possible, unfortunately! The goal is to have all blocks and triangles done by the end of May and take June to put it all together and get her sent off to the quilter's. OOOOH, I wish I could wave a wand and have this DONE!

So now that you know how I'm feeling....here are some photos of the latest progress. The blocks are all from row K. The first is K5, called Passing Through, is paper and regular pieced and has 14 pieces. I did the outer white sections with Y seams and have puckers, so these might need to be redone:/

This next one is one I've wanted to do for a long time! It's K7 and is called Rose of Sharing, has 8 pieces and was pieced and appliqued. You can see that I've started putting sashings on some of my blocks.

 This next picture is of a block that was actually made years ago, but since I brought it out to sash, thought I'd take a photo of it for you. It is K8, called Springbrook Park, has 23 pieces and was paper pieced.

 This next one is K1, called Crooked Creek, was rotary cut and pieced and has 24 pieces.

This one was made watching TV the other night (a rare occasion anymore). It is K6, Ann's Folly, was paper pieced and has 33 pieces. I love polka dots, don't you?

This is my last corner kite. It is the bottom right corner and has no name that I can find. It was paper pieced and appliqued and has 19 pieces the way I've done it. It's good to have the corners done. I'm thinking about just finishing all the triangles up next. What do you think???

Thanks for visiting my blog. I would love to read your comments, so please leave me one!

Happy stitching and good luck on your own crazy obsessions!
Melanie