Dear Jane update 11-17-19

 I have been pondering my scrap quilts...I love them!  This one was inspired by Chantal's quilt, and one by Primitive Gatherings as well.  I plan 22 more blocks for it, in a rainbow of scraps.  I made eight new blocks scattered throughout this layout.

This is Dear Jane block G-8, named Justin's Comet.  I think it was initially made by Jane of eight hand pieced diamonds.  I chose to applique one solid piece, and then add detail with my quilting.  So there, Dear Jane!!!  One more block in the works!




Hope you are having a lovely day, each of you!!




****************************Nurse's Notes*************************


OK.  IN a place far away from you, there was  a patient who got mad, shoved one of the nurses and slammed her into the door. Why?  Because he was having a heart attack and the hospital rules say that if you are on a heart monitor, you cannot go and smoke outside.  She told him no, and he went crazy.   Well duh....

Fast forward...he stormed out of the hospital against medical advice.  Due to divine intervention, he had permitted lab work to be done just before he left.  Due to more divine intervention,  a concerned nurse who had just been slammed into the door, looked at his lab work after he left, and saw the greatly elevated cardiac enzymes...(they are not sure why she looked, because he had been taken off her computer list)..Due to more intervention...he answered his phone and yielded to her plea that he must COME BACK TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!  He did...he had an emergency heart cath, and then emergency heart bypass surgery.  He survived….and if he would not have allowed the lab work, if the nurse had not gotten past her hurt and called him, and if we could not have found a emergent heart surgeon....he would have been nothing more than an obituary.


Fast forward a week...they cannot get him off the vent.  He is such a bad lunger due to the smoking, he are still on 70% oxygen....and his heart is quite damaged, requiring a lot of support.



They look forward to see what will happen...when they fast forward.




*********************************************************************



Julie

Scraps, scraps, scraps!

Lots of triangles here!  I am revving up for a new project, or to finish some old ones...and this is one of the oldies!!!  Just playing here...

What are you working on?

Have a great day!

Julie

Dear Jane update

Attachments area

Hi Everyone!  I myself did not get a Dear Jane block done this week...but I am working on it!  Annie did, though!!  Her blocks are above...and her message below.  I love to hear her thoughts!

From Annie:  

"Hi Julie,

Something different this time.  A friend in New Hampshire who knows that I’m tackling a Dear Jane quilt asked if she could send me a little bit of fabric to include in my quilt.  So nice to be able to incorporate some of her kindness in my quilt!    She and I have similar taste in fabrics, and the gold is from her. I’ve learned that despite the big manufacturers, fabric tends to be regional.  What my friend finds in New Hampshire shops is different from what is displayed in the few remaining quilt shops in Washington state, which in turn is not what predominates in New Mexico.

These blocks were pleasant to make.  The red one was the most difficult, only because those corner triangles are really small.  The next block to make is definitely going to be a challenge - what I refer to as a “daylight” block, meaning that it will require excellent lighting for my old eyes to avoid mistakes.  Take care!  Annie"

This one below is from Lyn!!!  Please see her blog here...a very pretty block!

https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/2019/11/this-weeks-block-for-dear-jane.html

And a Log Cabin Loonie finish!!!  LOOKIE!  and hand quilted too...this is by Els!!!

 Tiny blocks...

All hand quilted!  AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing this, Els!








I hope to have some fun things of my own to blog about in the next day or so!!!




Julie

Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt update!

 I am working along on this quilt; Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt, by Lori Smith.  It is super fun!!!  Here is my applique block for this month.  I enlarged my blocks to 10 inches, as Lori's blocks are 5 inches, and I wanted a quilt big enough for someone to cuddle up in.

 This one  is my pieced block for this month.  I had some tiny scraps of ticking fabric that was gifted to me, and I am slicing it into sashing strips for my quilt.

I am also putting the blocks together as I go, so that way, I will be caught up on that step each month.




Please see the following quilters to see their quilts!  All of these quilters are working "Celebrating Mary Brown,", a marvelous applique quilt. I am working on my Mrs. Lincoln quilt, as part of the group!

Karen – Log Cabin Quilter (Lead)

Cathy – Biglakequilter

Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning

Julie K –  Juliekquilts (me)

Robin –   solsticestudio

Nanette – Doitrightquilter

Jan –  (Nanette will post her pictures)

Julie

Dear Jane update

 I am missing stitching on the decade long applique quilt that I just finished,  so I have been deciding what to hand quilt next.  I love this quilt above, a quilt along with Lori of Humble quilts from last year.  She is leading it on Face book again this year.    This one won out, and I took out batting, and backing; layered and pin basted it today. So let the fun begin!!  Guess what?  I found out that the hand quilting gets done faster if you ACTUALLY DO IT!  Hahahaha!  So I have a goal of working on it 30 minutes each night.  I will look forward to that time each evening.

 I added a small outside border to protect the strings, which were already fraying a little bit, to this quilt.

 I like the bright colors!  It will be the next one I start quilting.

OK Dear Jane....here is my block for you today!!!  A little different than yours ( the one below it), but I am liking it and adding it to the quilt.




How are you doing today?






Julie

The last stitches

 I started this quilt in 2007.  It is 2019.  A long, long time coming...but it is completely finished.  The last of those tiny hand stitches were taken last night.

Hurrah!!!!  Hurrah!!!!




Julie

More tiny blocks

 Here are the blocks I made today, for the tiny rainbow quilt. I had pinks, oranges, and blues blocks  cut out, so that is what I made.  Now I need to cut more blocks out, so I can have a fun day like today, just sewing away.

 Here are all the blocks sorted by color, with some favorites on the top of each pile.  I think these are super fun little blocks, and would like to thank Angela at So Scrappy for all her hard work with her quilt-alongs.

 I was sorting through little quilts today, and found this one...hand quilted and made from scraps.  What could possibly be better?

 Maybe this one!  Tiny 1/2 inch logs, hand quilted.  I love little quilts!  I have given most of them away over the years.

 This is a very favorite quilt of mine.  This was a quilt along with Jeni Gaston, from Primitive quilts.  I think it is still up on her blog.  Scraps rule!  and scrappy plaid borders are my favorite.



********************Nurse's Notes*************************

I am in charge of the floor for the next three days...so that means I get to work, regardless of patient census dropping.   This is a very good thing!!  Wish me luck!  And I hope we have enough patients so that everyone gets to work...not wishing for sick people, just for enough that we can help them and they can all go home on the mend.









Julie

Tiny Tuesday

 I have been chugging right along, sewing Tiny blocks with Angela, at So Scrappy. These blocks are 4.5 inch finished.   Here is my progress so far.  I arranged them in a sort of rainbow arrangement.  I still need the whole month of purple!!!

 And then randomly...

I had bordered the red blocks, but I took all the borders off...just too much white.  Hmmm.  It is too small without the borders.  Maybe an alternate block???





Happy Tiny Tuesday!  On Wednesday!




Hugs from Julie

Dear Jane

 Failure is a great teacher, isn't it?  I attempted to paper piece this block...epic fail.  I share everything, so please take the good with the bad!!  UCK!!!  I will try again for this block....my goodness I need someone just to make it for me and send it to me stat.  JUST KIDDING!  but not really.  HA!!

OK, I am going to go clean house and do stuff for a while, then I will try again....

ON the super fun side, here are some of these leader and ender blocks...they are fun and fast and super easy.  Just the perfect foil
 for you, DEAR JANE!!!




Happy Monday to everyone!  We have had tornadoes go through the area...scary, but we are OK.  Neighbors, not so much.  I think we are going to head over and see if we can help in any way.






Julie

Dear Jane update 10/20/19

These blocks are Annie's...mine is a pretty  hard one and I am procrastinating on making it.  How is that for the gospel truth, LOL!!!!  IN all fairness to myself, I have been running around like a crazy woman today.  Annie has finished an entire row!  wow!!!! Here are Annie's words about her progress.  I love that she uses mixed techniques, as I do the same thing.    

Hi Julie – My DJ has hit a new high – and it has nothing to do with stock market averages.  I finished my first row (I’m making them in reverse order – Row M)!  Here are my final three blocks for that row.  As I mentioned previously, the M-3 Block (the circular blue and white one) was a real challenge.  I confess that I had to combine machine piecing with a whole lot of hand applique to finish it.  It’s certainly far from perfect, but it’s as close as I will get.  Makes you understand all the quilters who have/are making their blocks completely by hand; it really does let you be more accurate and at this size block, is probably equally fast.  I’m sure more of mine will be done by hand in the future.  Annie

I will get mine done sometime this week!!

Hope each of you has a great day!

Julie

In my mind's eye...

 I had it in my mind to make a blue (with yellow centers) log cabin quilt.  Well in poking around in the quilting stash, I found these blocks.

I just need one more to finish the quilt.

Have you ever done that?  I had completely forgotten about these blocks!!!  They are made with variable widths of fabric strips.



Julie

Tuesday morning

 I have a number of quilt tops that just need some finishing and then they can be quilted.  The above quilt top is one.  I just need to applique leaves on the vines, and then it will be done.  Will today be the day?  Well at least it is out of the closet, LOL!!

 I am accumulating a fair few of these leader and ender blocks from Quiltville's latest leader and ender idea.  I still have no idea what will be done with them!!

A friend of mine was deconstructing her old uniform tops, from the hospital.  She is retired, and she threw away the pockets...so hmmmm. What could I make?  So...I fused a thick interfacing on the back, and sewed one of them up...to make a glasses case.  I love it!  Saved from the trash, and just the right size for my glasses, as I have come to need readers in the last few years.


What are you up to today?



******************Nurse's notes***********************

So I am trying to beat the game!  I am trying to front load my weeks with work, so I won't get cancelled at the end of the week...so I went in yesterday and recovered one open heart surgery patient.  I am going to beat them at their own game!!!
 This was I get my hours, and don't have to use PTO to get paid...

***************************************************


Julie

An old scrappy creation

  I have a bunch of the melon part of these blocks ready to stitch down to the white background.  I was intent on hand blanket stitching them down someday, but today, I used the sewing machine and just sewed around the melons.  I kind of do like the folksy look of the hand stitching, so I think I will do the rest of the blocks by hand.



Just another way to use crumbs of fabric...hope you are having a few moments to create something just for you.




Julie

Dear Jane update 10-13-2019

	Oct 12, 2019, 6:44 PM (18 hours ago)
These are Annie's latest blocks for Dear Jane.  Her piecing is so great!!  On we go! I love to share what Annie writes too. Here is what Annie wrote about these blocks.

"Here are the latest of my DJ blocks.  Have been swamped with work on keeping healthcare on the Island, so haven’t been able to spend as much time working on them as I wish.  When the time presents itself, these little blocks offer a lovely diversion and respite from the stress of life.  Suspect that Jane also found she could lose herself in crafting them.  I wonder if she alternated working on the more difficult ones with time spent making the simpler ones as I do. 

The next block in the series, the one called M-3, is living up to its reputation as a challenge.  I’d thought that I could make it entirely by machine, but find that it works better with some hand sewing involved.  The remaining ones in the row appear more straightforward, so I’m hoping to reach a first row finish this week...  we’ll see.   Annie"

 So here is my block for the week.  Here is where I started...

And here is the finished block.  Strange how the background affects the appearance of the colors.









Hope each of you is having a wonderful day!!!




Julie

Mixing up my days...and it is a great thing!

 OK!  I did manage to get the final border on this quilt.  It is kind of this pinkie red solid, which I had no plan of using, but DH said that is the one...and so it was!  I am so glad to get this all in one piece...Yahoo for a finished top!!

I am, by the master plan, supposed to be working on this quilt on Fridays.  But here it is Tuesday, and I am making great strides, because I am off...not at work.  Whose idea was it to do all these quilt alongs anyway, and schedule work to be done on them on days I work, LOL!!!!!??  Could have been me!   It is the Pat Sloan quilt, "Out of this World."  It is available freely on her website...she has lots of fun free patterns by the way.

Anyway, Rosie wanted to model this quilt.  I have the two long blocks in the center all cut out, and then just two more larger blocks to make, and it will be done!  This will be donated to a guy patient on our floor, who might be receptive to a quilt and might need it for comfort and warmth! I think it would be good for a  guy, right?



Hope you all have a great day!