Rain and Jane and Play

It's fall and it's raining. I love the occasional wet and chilly day. It makes me want to stay inside and quilt so maybe I'll get some sewing done today. Perhaps a little baking too.

 

 

Walked the dog in the rain yesterday down my favorite streets.

 

You'll be happy to know that I made my goal of getting back into stitching on my Dear Jane blocks and finished another one. Yay!

 

 

This is a huge deal for me since  - and this is hard for me to admit - I have not made any blocks at all this year. How could that be??  I've made plenty of small quilts and other projects, just have been too busy to work on my Jane I guess.  You know how that goes. Well, I want to say that I am back but we'll see.

 

A friend suggested I prep some blocks, keep them in zip-lock bags, then grab one when the urge strikes. A good idea if only I would take the time to do that. Usually, I am not that organized and when the urge strikes I don't want to prep, I want to MAKE. But I will try harder.

 

 

If you are just starting out and are not a purist and making all the blocks by hand I highly recommend the DJ software by Electric Quilt. You can print out the rotary cutting directions and paper piecing patterns and hand piecing templates instead of tracing them from the book. So much easier.

 

                                     

 

Every skill I need to make some blocks takes me so long to learn. I am not good at foundation paper piecing and I still have to work on that quite a bit. Everyone seems to feel it is so easy but I hate doing it.

 

There are many distractions around here. Like many of you, life takes up so much of my quilting time. But I hope I can find ways to continue making progress on this quilt.  My goal for November in my Yahoo Small Quilt group is to get back into it and make a few more of these blocks. It seems a lot of you have decided to do the same thing. I received so many wonderful comments and e-mails after my last post that I started a new Dear Jane Yahoo group, mostly for members of my other Yahoo group Small Quilt Talk (SQT) who are having difficulty getting their DJ quilt completed and need encouragement to keep going.    Join us here   if you would like to play along.

 

I started the group on a whim so that some of us could encourage each other and show photos of our progress. Surprisingly, we now have quite a few members and some who have become inspired to begin one too. This is great and I am happy so many of you are jumping in!

 

 

I started out by making a lot of the easy blocks to get into it.

 

 

                  
As I mentioned, I have only made 51 blocks so far. So I have a long way to go . . . .

Mutual Love

Every now and then I get nostalgic and pull out this box.

 

 

Look what's inside!

My precious Dear Jane blocks! (Only 50 out of the necessary 225 for the quilt.)  How did I ever even get this far, you ask? Mutual love and support from all over the world. Every now and then someone will remember I am making one and will tell me about theirs or send me a photo of their blocks or finished quilt to encourage me to keep going. Or, I Google "Dear Jane" to see what others are doing on their blogs.

 

I like trying to make some blocks as close to Jane's original blocks as possible.

I love looking at all of the beautiful fabrics I've been hoarding for so long and still feel a strong sense of accomplishment because I made 50 blocks. I have to remind myself that 50 is better than  none. And 51 is still a little bit better than 50 . . . . what keeps me going. One at a time.

I have a tendency to feel a teeny bit bad about myself sometimes because I know that there are some of you have made more than one of these quilts while I have only made a few blocks. But for those of us who are not superstars (or super fast), this is the best we can do and I have to remind myself that it's still quite an accomplishment.  Hey, we're still going, if only occasionally, and that has to be worth something. I get busy and will often put the blocks aside for months at a time. But then something reminds me and I get pulled back in.

 

Dear Jane Exhibit at Nantes, France earlier this year. Can you imagine seeing this exhibit? I would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

 

 

"In Time of Recollection" by Karan L. Flanscha, Cedar Falls, IA. "My Dear Jane quilt was the beginning of a wonderful journey. Every stitch in my quilt is by hand. I started the original Dear Jane support group, and helped Electric Quilt create the software. I have met friends from all over the world because of our mutual love of Jane Stickle's sampler quilt." Key words, Karan.

 

Seeing some version of The Quilt reminds me how good it feels to continue working on mine. I become so encouraged by the huge community of quilters who are committed to making this quilt. Our mutual love is what keeps me going. I see what others have accomplished and the love that goes into making this quilt and then become encouraged to work on my own.

So, no, I have not given up yet. Life always gets in the way. And, even though I haven't worked on these in a very long time, my goal for November in my Yahoo Small Quilt group is to make a couple of blocks. Even just a few. Shouldn't be that hard, right? Hah! We'll see about that. Let me know if you are also struggling to get your blocks finished and can't seem to commit to doing it on someone else's schedule even if it is more organized than your own. I just have to plug away and go it alone.

 

Last week after I pulled out my box of blocks I spent several hours preparing another one -  choosing fabric, tracing, cutting the assorted pieces, gathering my hand sewing supplies. (Oh, how I love this process!)  Then the pieces started to look familiar. Turns out I had already made this same block a couple of years ago! Oh no. I was NOT about to spend time making it all over again. Arrrghhhh! Making one block takes me so long - almost as long as it takes to make an entire small quilt. Now I have to start all over with a new one.

New Goal: I will get one more block finished by this weekend. I promise. Maybe.  We'll see . . . . This is how it goes.

Visit me on Facebook to check my progress in the coming weeks - https://www.facebook.com/KathleenTracyQuilts

Autumn Leaves

My Yahoo group Small Quilt Talk is making Maple Leaf quilts this month. I thought you would like to see what some of the members did with their beautiful blocks.

 

Made by Bonnie G.

 

 

 

Bronwyn made two!

 

Charlene's quilt

 

Karen's leaf blocks are mixed with signature blocks from members of the group.

 

 

 

Joanne's quilt

 

Quilt by Katy

 

Marian made hers for her little cloth doll . . .

 

Made by Kris

 

Robin's runner

 

Quilt made by Susan

 

All so creative and unique. It's not too late to make your own little leaf quilt. When Thanksgiving rolls around  you might be glad you did. Find the pattern for the little Maple Leaf block here.

 

 

Here's the one I made. I'm trying to get another one finished but not having too much luck so far. Just a little here and there. I thought I'd make it  with some appliqued leaves. Here's a peek -

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Is Good for the Soul

It's been very cool here in my area of northern Illinois. I love this time of year and become motivated to exercise more when it's cool outside. This morning I put on a warm fleece jacket instead of a sweatshirt to walk the dog. As the cold wind whipped against my face, it felt good to be alive. As soon as I started, I couldn't wait to finish and get home to my hot cup of coffee. But I pushed on.

 

 

I'm struggling with time management issues right now and have a long, long list of things I need to do this week. I immediately felt stressed thinking about them. Some of them, like cleaning the house, paying the bills, doctor appointments and a mammogram, are necessary and will not be fun. It seems like there will hardly be enough time for myself, or for quilting.

 

Last week while I was at the car dealer getting my oil changed I read something motivating in a magazine about changing your focus from negative to positive. As I walked, I forced myself to change my focus and started to count my blessings and think instead about things that really matter. Grateful that I could walk at all since I still have a painful foot thing going on if I walk too much or too fast, feeling sorry for myself, but remembering instead that old line about the man who had no feet . . . . finally reminding myself that it's feeling much better than it was earlier this year. Last week I told my athletic son I felt discouraged, it hurt to walk more than a mile or so, said maybe I should just give up, stop walking at all. His response? Maybe I should  try walking more, not less, LOL . . .

 

 

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."  - Emily Bronte

 

 

I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.

- Nathaniel Hawthorne

My mood seemed to lift and perhaps it was due to the fact that I was walking briskly and the blood flow to my brain improved. Or maybe something else. I'll have to remember to get out walking early in the days to come, before the weather gets too cold and I have to exercise indoors.

 

"Exercise, such as walking, increases the blood flow to the brain. A study of people over age 50 found that walking 45 minutes a day at a 16-minute mile pace improved thinking skills. The participants started at 15 minutes of walking and built up their time and speed. The result was that the same people were mentally sharper after taking up this walking program."  I could use some mental sharpness some days.

 

Walking and other exercise releases endorphins, the body's happy drugs. Walking at a rate to get your heart pumping will give you more of this benefit more than walking at a slower heart rate pace. But even at a slower pace you will notice an improvement in mood.

 

Walking outdoors gives me time to think and if I create a distance between me and my stress I feel better.  Breathing fresh air, trying not to tense your muscles and feeling the body move as you walk are natural stress-relievers. Of course, walking past this house a few blocks away always gets my blood boiling . . . . I am not fond of this part of Halloween . . .

 

I kept walking and tried to pay attention to other things - watched the dog romp around excitedly, enjoyed the leaves and trees, birds and sky. Push on, hot coffee waiting at home! Thanksgiving isn't the only time to feel grateful.

 

Coffee Cups Quilt Mystery Solved!

I had a great time in Michigan where I visited the Capitol City Quilters Guild for a presentation and workshop. The mystery of the coffee cups quilts? Turns out it was not that much of a "mystery" after all.

 

 

(Michigan is sure pretty in autumn! They had a lot more color than we have here in Illinois.)

 

I brought a photo of the quilt along with me and showed it after my presentation. Several members of the guild remembered working on it in 1988.  The quilt was a group effort and commissioned by the General Foods company, which was located in Battle Creek, Michigan. According to member Jan Gagliano, there was a record of it in the guild's history notes - 

 

"Coffee Cup Quilts:  Members agreed to make two Coffee Cup quilts for General Foods' quilt collection, each approximately 60"  x  60", one blue & white and one red & white, to be tied. $625 to be paid to Capitol City Quilt Guild for each quilt. General Foods is to provide fabric and pattern."

 

Jan said that members worked on the blocks at guild meetings. "It was fun and made us a nice profit." Jackie Beard, another member, told me that she joined the guild a year before and that it was her first attempt at applique.

 

General Foods eventually merged with another large food company in the Chicago area shortly after that. When the two companies were combined, "General Foods" was eventually dropped from the corporate name and existed only as part of a brand name for a flavored instant coffee, General Foods International.  So a coffee cups quilt was appropriate and perhaps may have used for advertising purposes?

 

 

 

Remember buying those instant International Coffees? They're still available but sold under a different brand. My husband sees them at the company store and occasionally brings home a few tins for me (they're sold in plastic "tins" now).

 

His client company acquired the quilt along with the brand and displays it  at their corporate headquarters. I'm glad that they did not just toss the quilt into storage somewhere. Apparently, someone in the company appreciates quilts enough to display them. 

 

According to the guild, there was a second quilt commissioned  - coffee cups made in blue and white. When I sent my husband on the hunt for that one he couldn't find it since some of the areas of the building were being renovated. He suspected some quilts had been taken down or moved. The two sister quilts were separated and the mystery of that blue and white quilt may never be solved. But at least now I know the story. And, I just may make my own appliqued coffee cups quilt someday . . . .

 

 

 

 

 

The Mystery of the Coffee Cups Quilt

The client company my husband works with has quilts displayed as art around the building. He sent me a photo recently of one he saw hanging near an elevator lobby. He knew I'd like it because I love coffee and have had coffee cups on my brain for more than a few weeks.

 

Sorry the photo is not very clear. The red and white theme is interesting, though, isn't it? Apparently, the quilt was made in 1988 by the Capitol City Quilt Guild. I don't know much about quilts made during this period. (I do know I was not a quilter yet and was pretty much off coffee that year because I was pregnant with my son.)

 

There is a slightly intriguing side note to this little story. My husband did not know this when he sent me the photo of the quilt but, as it happens, I am visiting the Capitol City Quilt Guild later this week. How coincidental, don't you think? Of course, he knows that I am travelling to Michigan for a presentation and workshop, but I know for sure I did not mention the name of the guild.

Who actually made this quilt? Were the cups made by members of the guild or one person? Is it even the same guild?  And, if it is, tell me just how a quilt made and designed by the Capitol City Guild  in Michigan found its way to the wall of a company in Chicago where my husband was able to spot it? And why, when he saw it in the lobby where it was displayed, did he feel compelled to pull out his phone and take a photo of it for me, not knowing I was actually going to visit the place where the quilt was born?

 

 

Did the quilt wish to be discovered and recognized? Was it lonely for its original home and hoping to return to Michigan with me? Is the designer/maker alive and kicking? (I hope so.) When I visit the guild this week will they be able to finish the story for me? These and other questions may be answered after I do some sleuthing and get back from my trip . . . .
 
                                                                

 Here's what the description next to the quilt says:

"Coffee cups quilt. Designed by the Capitol City Quilt Guild, 1988.

"Quilting has long been associated with American handicraft and with the comfort and warmth of home. This pair of quilts applies this tradition in a witty fashion that makes reference to historical craft through the use of needlework. However, the repeated serial image has greater affinities with Andy Warhol's practice of repeating motifs than it does with traditional quilt design. Although it is reductive, the strong silhouette of a generously scaled coffee cup, resting solidly in its saucer, conveys the notion of heart and strength that a cup of coffee represents."

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You'll notice that the description refers to a PAIR of quilts but my husband only sent me a photo of one. He said he didn't see another one. So, I made him promise that, one day this week while I am at home drinking my morning coffee, he will go on a hunt to find the other coffee cups quilt. It may be displayed on another floor or even in a different building, who knows? Surely he has nothing else to do at work that's more important than finding the second quilt . . . .

 

Now I wish I had a red cup . . . .

 

 

 

 

Facebook, Finally

Hey, I'm on Facebook now. I resisted for years and this past weekend I caved and joined.  I've been sooo out of the loop and decided it was time to change that.  Now I'm getting in the loop and trying to catch up with all the other quilters out there. Better late than never.  Know what? It's actually kind of fun. Facebook. Who would have guessed?

 

If you like my blog, LIKE me on Facebook too. Click on my Facebook link in the column on the right side of this page (not the photo below). It's a business account, not a personal account, so I'm not "friending" anyone. But I'd love to see your comments.
 

 

It's been fun posting pictures and writing there about quilting. It's not blogging, just another way to connect with those of you who want to stay connected and see what I'm doing on a more frequent basis. Hanging out together you could say. And one more way for me to spread my love of quilting all over the place. Wish me luck and perhaps I won't fizzle out on you like I did with Twitter . . . .

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It's been so long but today I'm getting back to working on some applique and then hope to have time to play around with my Maple Leaf blocks to see if I can make it all work together.

Yesterday, I went through my scraps, looking for just the right combination  to go with the blocks . . . .  Funny, these blocks look so bright yet they're all made with reproduction fabrics and not colors I'm used to working with so much. I love the way they almost have a "modern" look.

 

 Are you in a Maple Leaf mood yet?

 

 

 

October Leaves

Every year about this time I bring out my "fall" fabrics and begin playing in earnest. In my Yahoo group we're making small maple leaf quilts for October.

 

It's an easy block and you can find the pattern here.

 

 

   

 

I prefer to make mine scrappy, but that's just me. You may wish to make yours with just 2 colors.

 

For the past few years I've spent early fall making small leaf quilts for friends and family. I made this runner for myself a couple of years ago. Yes, I know, it's a little wild and quirky but I do love that print I used for the setting triangles. Not everyone agrees, LOL. Even though I'm not sure it's exactly "me" I don't regret it for a minute. October can get kind of wild at times here in the Midwest, you know.

 

This year I am determined to make something new. Check back before October is finished to see what I came up with. I'm still thinking about how to set the blocks. I think the new one will be a teeny bit calmer because I made some new blocks and added blue prints to tone it down if it needs it. Or maybe it won't be calmer, we'll see. Who am I kidding? My quilts usually take on a life of their own . . . . I just go with the flow and do what the quilt tells me to do. Sometimes an original design or plan gets thrown out the window and another takes over. Isn't that the way it works for some of you too?

 

Here are a couple of quick suggestions for setting your blocks -

 

 

So, if you have the time, get out your fall-colored prints, play around a bit and then hurry up and make something "fallish" before winter gets here! And then show me what you came up with. I'd love a peek.

 

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Thanks for all of your recent orders and the nice response to the Sentimental Quilter mugs.  FYI - The first round of mugs and mug quilt kits were mailed out on Friday. I ordered more mugs and they will be here next week.  Please be patient. If you ordered one and it does not arrive next week,  you should get it in about 2 weeks, give or take. If you ordered a kit AND a mug, I will wait for the mugs to arrive and then mail them together. And then we can all sit down and have coffee or tea together and dream about maple leaves . . . .