An angel pattern, for everyone!

 Good morning!  I scanned my pattern I made the angel quilt from into the computer.  Enjoy, and if you make an angel quilt, I would love to see it!

ON we go!  Happy Wednesday!!




Julie

Dearest Boy update!!

 Good morning, everyone!  It is time for a Dearest Boy update. I am super excited because this is the last ten inch block for the quilt!  Next up is the cow block...super fun and twice as big!!  As you see, I made a modification or three on this block.  I tried to make the points pointy, per the pattern, and then said to myself...hey girl, make it your own!  So I made my points round, instead.  Lots more fun to stitch!!

Here is where I was on the process....



I am thrilled to be this far on this journey, and I must say it has been really fun to participate with good friends helping me and encouraging our collective progress; I can't wait to do it again!

Karen:  Log Cabin Quilter

Cathy:  Big Lake Quilter
Julie:  Juliekquilts (me)
Carole: Wheels on the Warrandyte bus
Doreen:  Aunt Reen's Place


Please see the above bloggers to see how they are coming along on their own Dearest Boy quilt!





Julie

Monday Mayhem!!

 This quilt is nearly a top!  Mayhem, because I got up and walked three miles, cleaned, did laundry, and sewed and sewed!  Whew!!!!  I am working on the border.  I loved pieced borders; I think they add a lot to a quilt.  Just two more sides to go.

 Dearest Boy....a block for you, dear quilt!  I made this traditional Bear's paw block, instead of the one below.

Here is a terrible picture of what is was supposed to look like.  Just doing my own thing, here!!!






Hope you are having a lovely Monday!




Julie

Dear Jane!

 One Dear Jane block (at least), every Sunday.  I am making a bit of progress!  Yippee!!!

 Here is my construction of this block.  I used an applique version to make it.  Teeny pieces!!!  And of course I will trim and press it, before adding it to the "mother ship";  the larger quilt piece.

Jane, how did you do this with no modern tools, poor light, and few tools!?  You were a genius!!!

 This shelf was thrown out in the trash by my neighbor.  I rescued it.  I think someone might have passed away in the home, because they are just throwing out everything in the house, out to the trash to haul away.  Lots of children's toys, still in boxes, lots of furniture.  Should I paint it, or finish it another way?  It is small, just the right size for my angel collection, and some nick-knack things...or fat quarters!

I am on my way with my Cheddar back quilt!  I am truly loving this quilt!!!

More of these little blocks...like popcorn, they are impossible to stop making!




Binsa:  https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/
Lcrrkhs:  http://lcrrkhs.blogspot.com/   Kathleen
Carole:  http://wheelsonthewarrandytebus.blogspot.com/


Please see the above bloggers...they are working on their Dear Jane quilts too!!  You can join us at any time...any stage of construction of this quilt.  We are having fun and supporting our collective efforts!



Hope you have an amazing day!


Julie

Tiny Tuesday!!

 Angela, at So Scrappy, is having a quilt along.  Rainbow style, as she has for a few years now!  The color for this month is pink, so I completed these pink blocks, and a few blue blocks are in the works from last month.  Caught up!!  Yahoo!!!  I will link to her on Saturday, coming up.

 This is kind of hard to see, but this is two circles, with facing in the center of the circles, gathered on the edge, and then bound.  Perfect for my little scissors and glasses!

 I bought these little things at the quilt guild store.  The tiny blocks are magnets, and the cat and piggy are pin cushions.  I love the magnets and plan to make some, if I can find the magnets.

This is the bottom of the cat pin cushion.  Fun!!


Speaking of fun, hope you are having some today!




Julie

Make it do or do without!

 Well.  I did not have enough of the horizontal plaid sashing fabric, and so....I made do!  I had another plaid, but not enough to make 3 inch vertical sashings, so I pieced them.  Different!  But then again, I am a bit rebellious too!  LOL!

 A close up.

 I tried to catch up on the Meeting House quilt along. I think I am going to change that bordered block...it seems to not belong in there.

Just a week pincushion from the scraps....




And how are you today?  What do you have going on?


***********************Housekeeping********************************


OK, so I changed sheets, vacuumed, straightened up, scrubbed the kitchen floor, did laundry, dishes...  If someone want to come over and dust for me, I will do anything for you!  Bathrooms, windows, whatever.  Come on over!!!!  LOL!!  I try really hard and make extensive, exhaustive lists about what I should do next...and darn it, it is never picture perfect.  How do you keep your house clean??


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



Julie

Slow Sunday Stitching and Dear Jane

 Sunday...a day off for me.  How about you?  I finished all but two hearts in the above applique piece. I found some new needles that are fantastic!  Nanette, at Do It Right quilter, mentioned that I might want to try some new needles...I told her that I used needles I had bought at Walmart on sale, LOL, and that is gospel truth!!  What I didn't tell her is that I have used the same needles over and over again for years, carefully saving them in my pin keep.   My new ones are just amazing!  Thin, titanium ones...they thread easily and glide through the fabric like magic.

They are Tulip needles; made in Japan.  I was amazed at what a difference they made.



https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/07/slow-sunday-stitching_21.html

I am linking to Kathy, see above.

I am making one Dear Jane block per week, every Sunday.  Here is the one for today, almost done.  These finish at 4.5 inch finished. Tiny buddies!!!



Please see the following blogs below...all in different stages of construction.  NO rules...join in if you like and let us know, and we will link to you each Sunday.

Binsa:  https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/
Lcrrkhs:  http://lcrrkhs.blogspot.com/   Kathleen
Carole:  http://wheelsonthewarrandytebus.blogspot.com/

And see this blog...



https://thatquilt.blogspot.com/



This blog is very helpful in giving hints for each Dear Jane block construction.

ON WE GO!!!!



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


I had only one patient yesterday.  He was a cardiac bypass and a valve patient, and his surgery was over 12 hours long.  This was day two for him.  I got him out of bed, (read lifted him...it took three of us), and fed him, medicated him, managed 14 drips (no kidding!), managed pain, took care of chest tubes and urinary catheters and pacer wires and external heart pacer and swan ganz catheter and central line and drains and lots more!   joked with him and generally took care of him.  His wife?  A darling lady, and guess what?  SHE WAS A QUILTER, AND A NURSE TOO!!  So we generally had a lovely and wonderful day.  What a darling couple...married 52 years.  WOW!!!  I am so blessed to love my job and get to care for these amazing people.


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


Sunday tends to be a catch up day for me, services, then laundry, grocery shopping, etc.  I love my slow stitching time too!

Have a great week, everyone!!!




Julie

Rows are together

The rows are sewn together for this quilt.  I have run out of the plaid sashing fabric, so I will have to find it or a close substitute to continue putting this one together.  Or come up with something original!!

What are you working on?

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

A dichotomy of patients were at the hospital today.

 I had one fellow, a lung infection patient, that had to have a portion of his lung taken out, (empyema).   He was flat out the nicest man, ever.  Just a doll, and you know he had to be hurting, bless him!  He did everything we asked of him, walking and doing his breathing exercises and was just kind to everyone he met.

Another lady was flat mean.  She had the same surgery, was the same age as the other patient.    Refused all therapy we tried, no walking...cussed us out at any whim.   She said to her husband, "Well, you are just a librarian.  I guess everyone can't be a king of industry, certainly not you!"  He looked so downtrodden. I just winced... I told him I loved librarians and that the library was a super fun place and one of my favorites!  Poor guy....he was just so sad.


I made it my mission to see what I could do to turn her around, at least for today....if not for her, for her husband.


IT WAS THE FOOD THAT WAS MAKING HER SO MAD!  AT LEAST FOR TODAY! SO:

I went and got her bacon and eggs for breakfast, a good sandwich and salad for lunch, and a hot plate for dinner.  She was happy as a clam!  So...for today, I made a difference, at least for her, and for him. I got him food too...bless his heart!!

Such is the life of a nurse!!


*************************************************************
Have a great day, y'all!

Julie

Going my own way...or maybe a little bit of rebel!!!

Good morning...happy Monday, or happy Tuesday, if you are from down under!! Above is my angel quilt.  I bordered it in orphan blocks, and a few new ones, too.  All three inches, finished, so hey, it worked!!!    I still have a bit of applique to go, and of course quilting it and binding it. And adding some crazy fun hair to these angels!

I have been thinking...(oh no!  LOL!)  I guess I have a really hard time adhering to a pattern, doing it EXACTLY how the pattern designer made it, using her same fabric choices, etc.  That is why the above quilt is just my cup of tea!  There was no plan, just a dream...and fun designing, or not designing...just adding whatever came to mind.  I love this!!  I planned to have a formal row of somber angels, wings all the same, keeping watch....but maybe these angels are a joyous bunch, dancing and singing, wings wild!   The added hearts are just part of me.  I guess they are my talisman, if there is such a thing.  I seem to be drawn to them.  

So!  I love to see patterns, and buy patterns and books and enjoy them, and most always change them up to my fancy, whenever I have the urge.  REBEL!!!!  Hahahaha!!

ON the other hand, I greatly respect and love our quilt designers...tons of love and time go into making patterns for all of us!  Putting it all out there, you know?  Thank you so much for doing this!

It is hard for me to keep up with quilt alongs, I am finding,  because it is not my vision, you know?  I am looking for a little discipline in that, LOL, because I always love the outcome and am sorry I didn't keep up.

There is no right or wrong...we are all quilters of the cloth and all have our own vision.  Following a pattern is an art and talent in itself, I think.  Maybe I am just impatient and want to create things my way?!  

Hugs to all from Julie

Dearest Boy update

This is my Dearest Boy block for this week.  I appliqued all the pieces, as Karen suggested.  I love it!!!  I wish my points were a tiny bit "pointier", but on the whole, I spent a ton of time on it and did ok.

Please see these bloggers below...in various stages of working on this quilt.

Karen:  Log Cabin Quilter

Cathy:  Big Lake Quilter
Julie:  Juliekquilts (me)
Carole: Wheels on the Warrandyte bus
Doreen:  Aunt Reen's Place




Have a super day!!!


Julie

Dear Jane update!!

 "Dear Jane:  You certainly were an imaginative lady!!  I am so delighted to be emulating you; sewing your quilt.  However, what do you think of this block?  I made a itty bitty change in it!!  In almost every Dear Jane quilt I have seen, these petals are crowded to the point of almost being cut off.  So I hope it agreeable with you if I added circles instead of petals!!"  Those little red areas in the corners will be hidden in the seam allowance.  So it is all good!

 So much for my letter to Jane.  Here is her original block.  I love them both!!


Chantal had a great question about why I was sewing my blocks together as I go.  Well, I have been making this quilt for a number of years.  It was suggested to me that I sew them together as I go, way back then.  Since the colors are those of the original, and basically a subtle trip around the world, I thought this was a good idea, because I wouldn't have to worry about spreading out colors.    So...at least I have not lost any blocks on the way, LOL!!





Some brave and intrepid quilters are joining in on our Dear Jane journey.  My goal is just make one block a week.  Anytime is fine, there are no rules, just fun, fun, fun, and the goal of eventually get this quilt to the finished pile!!


Here are the participants so far:

Binsa:  https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/
Lcrrkhs:  http://lcrrkhs.blogspot.com/    What is your first name darling lady?
Carole:  http://wheelsonthewarrandytebus.blogspot.com/

and me!!  I hope if you have ever started this, or even are thinking about it...maybe you have the book...just join in!!  I will link to these blogs every week, so you can enjoy their progress.

 Here are some of these....

And here are some of these!!  Just adding a few here and there....samplers are super fun!!



I am linking to Kathy, for some slow stitching...my dear Jane block is all stitched by hand.

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/


Hugs to all from Julie

Just thinking!

 I was dreaming the other night, and I dreamt of this.  Plaid angels!  So I have been playing with this pattern.  I just drew out the angels and have been prepping some pieces.  This is great fun!

I have been making more stars.  I only have two more cut out, so I guess that will be how big the quilt will be.




Hope each of you is having a great day!



Julie

Dear Jane update

 My goal,  for every Sunday, is to add a Dear Jane block to my quilt.  Before I know it...the center will be done!!!  I made the brown block, last on the right bottom row, and then sewed it to the row.

 Here it is in all wonderful imperfection!!  It is darn cute in person.  In studying the Dear Jane (Stickle) quilt, her blocks were not at all perfect.  Yet, in the whole, it is such a fun and perfect quilt!!!

 I sewed a star block every morning before work this week.  The blue one with brown points on the  bottom center is actually a pocket from a shirt, from the thrift store.  I love it, and will leave a secret message in the pocket for whomever gets this quilt!!

Not everything has to be complex for me to love it.  These blocks are just lickety split fast to make...I love them, and am using up lots of scraps.




About the Dear Jane...if you can let me know everyone who is interested in working on theirs, I will link to you each week, and you can link to me too...so we can encourage each other!!!








Julie

Happy Independence Day!!!!

Happy Independence Day to all here in America...let freedom ring!!

Taking stock

 I have been thinking  (oh no, watch out!!)  What do I REALLY want to get done!?  I really would like to finish my Dear Jane quilt.  I know many of you have started this, and stalled out.  If we had a sew along, like one block a week, could we do that?  Or should it be all out effort on it?  Anyone interested in finishing their Dear Jane with me?

 My friend Lori sent me some blocks.  I just absolutely love finishing things that may have lost their initial luster, for some reason, from other people sewing rooms!  As I was loving my tiny flower quilt syesterday, it struck me to make another little flower quilt from Lori's block!  Eureka!!

 I have been steadily working on these star blocks.  Mostly made from plaids, and some additional scraps as well.

 Super fun and no stress whatsoever!

I am not sure if you can see the final blue lines, for quilting, in the border  I have been working on it, hand quilting it as the news is on, every night.  Most nights, I mean...

I really dislike the news.  I mostly tune it out, honestly. Do you??  Or are you a news junkie?  Or probably somewhere in between??  I am tired of the politics of it all, for sure!!


********************************Friends!********************************



Please see this blog!



https://doitrightquilter.com/

This lady is Nanette, and she is a wonder!  I was e-mailing with her about applique, and she said, "Just call me!"  So I did, and what a fun and lively conversation we had.  I learned A LOT.  Mostly that I really didn't know much about applique, really doing it correctly, I mean.  So I am enthused and so excited about starting another applique project, after I finish the Dearest Boy quilt.  I really appreciate her sharing her expertise!!!


Another dear friend is Karen; here:


https://Karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/

Karen started a quilt; an applique wonder!!  Please go and see what she is up to...WOW!!!  It is gorgeous!  She does the kind of applique I aspire to do.  Karen is making the Dearest Boy quilt, too.  Karen has helped me also with trying to get better with my applique.  Between these ladies, and all of you experts, I am getting better!!






Have a super day!

Julie

Quilts!

 I was just playing with pinning a few quilts up in the dining room.

 I love flowers...flowers just speak to me, real and otherwise, even applique ones!!  Here are a few of my flower quilts.  See my antique wall paper?

 And hearts!!!  A few of my heart quilts.  Two of these were given to me by my friend Lyn.  Thank you, Lyn!  I have given away dozens of heart quilts over the years.

 A favorite!

 And another favorite!!!

I am working on the binding for this quilt.  Rosie is modeling for you; she does this for free, mostly, just a little recognition and food!  (And national media coverage....NOT!)

And a lot of house cleaning got done in a whirlwind today.  YAHOO!!!




Julie