Author: jennifer

Wishing Well Quilt {It’s home!}

Quilting and Sewing


I posted here about the totally unexpected and wonderful surprise of having my quilt featured on the cover of Quilty Magazine in March.

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That wonderful quilt made its way back home several weeks ago, and I finally took a few pictures of my own.  The Prosper Quilt Pattern (my original name for this quilt) is available here in my Etsy shop.

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The circumstances surrounding it’s finish, rushing it off to the publisher within minutes of completion, and having it gone for several months all made me wonder if I’d still like it when I saw it again.  And then, one day, there was a big box on my doorstep and when I opened it up and spread the quilt out I loved it just as much – perhaps more than I remembered.

I love it when that happens.

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I love this big block (it measures 23″ square).  It just makes me happy.  I also really love the way the blocks interact when set together, and the secondary designs that are created with the background fabric.

Melissa did a great job of quilting it for me.  I’d always wanted a quilt with baptist fan quilting and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  The prints used are from Moonlit, Rashida Coleman-Hale’s first collection for Cotton + Steel plus several prints from their basics as well.

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The backing is simple but I love the fabrics I used.  This quilt also has my first ever hanging sleeve on it – a requirement for submitting it to Quilty.  This alphabet print by Maude Asbury complimented the Cotton + Steel prints really well and I was happy to use it on the back.  The yellow matchsticks are one of my favorite prints from the Moonlit collection.  And the binding… the binding makes me happy.  I wish I had yards and yards of that print.

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I treasure this quilt.  The inspiration for its design, the thoughts it inspired while making it, the story of its journey, will always be dear to me.  What a wonderful {likely} once in a lifetime experience!  I’m grateful for the experience on many levels.

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My quilt is back home.  Happy day!  I made a couple of other variations of this pattern while I was waiting for it to be published.  I’ll share them soon!

Jennifer

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Flight II {a quilt top}

Quilting and Sewing


The Flight Quilt I made last year for Bonnie Christine’s blog tour was among my favorite completed projects of 2014.  When I finished it, I didn’t feel done with the pattern OR Bonnie’s beautiful Winged fabric collection, so a second version was begun.

I’d been working on another single block quilt (photos coming soon) and kind of had that style on my brain, so I enlarged my original pattern again and made this quilt top, titled Flight II.

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Once again, it’s my foundation paper pieced version of the traditional circling swallows quilt block. Please don’t ask me why it’s taken more than six months to take, and share, a few photos.  I’ll just start rambling.

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At least I still love it, right?  For this version I decided not to have the star points go all the way to the edges, so I added a border in the background fabric.  I haven’t made many quilts with a dark background and this was a fun departure for me.  I’d say it’s also the most purple I’ve ever used in any project, ever.  And while I don’t love purple, I love these fabrics and the way they work together.

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My sweet kids did a great job of trying to hold this quilt top for me as the wind wrestled to literally have it “take flight.”  This might be my favorite photo:

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We were laughing so hard!  The rain started falling shortly after and we drove home in a downpour.  Such was our spring.  The quilt back and binding are ready and waiting for me to simply make time for basting and quilting.  Oh, how I hope to finish this soon!  The school year was such a crazy one; that girl I thought I was, the one who sews, is beginning to feel like a distant memory and I don’t like it. Balance has become a very real need in my life and I’m hopeful I can begin to correct things over the summer.

Summer!  Wow, that happened fast.  Can you believe it’s June?

Jennifer

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Evening light & a few thoughts

Musings on Life and Beauty


redtulips
The glories of spring are in full swing around here, one day a mere bud and the next a flower.   The timing couldn’t be better with Easter coming on Sunday.  It seems that everything is in a hurry to bear witness!

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Tonight I glanced outside and saw the setting sun illuminate the blossoms on our cherry tree.  It was so white, so radiant, that I stood in awe for a moment.

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The same light seemed to bathe our home in beauty as I walked from room to room.  Simple objects were changed by the glow as they reflected the day’s last, intense rays.

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I’ve been reading Sheri Dew’s new book, Amazed by Grace.  I’m almost done (it’s very short) and have enjoyed it immensely.  It’s been excellent preparation for General Conference and Easter.  I suppose it’s also why the evening light struck me so powerfully tonight, illuminating simple things like cherry blossoms and glass vases in a way that made me realize how often Christ’s grace does that for my simple, meager efforts.

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Other random things:

1.  My office/sewing room is also our guest room.  My to-do list has taken up residence there in the form of small piles I need to do various things with.

2.  Eric and I went on our Friday night date at 3 pm today.  It was the best time to get away with all our kids tend to have going on Friday nights, and also guaranteed that we’d be awake enough for intelligent conversation.

3.  I put my pajamas on tonight before 6 pm.  All I want to do is sleep (and hope I can knock this junk I’m fighting)!

4.  As beautiful as spring is (and it certainly has been!) things are awfully brown.  With so little moisture this winter, parts of our lawn are looking really bad.  It made me unreasonably happy to turn on the sprinklers tonight!

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5.  I have a number of gifts I need/want to sew before the school year ends.  I hope I can start over spring break.

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The week has been a good lesson for me in remembering the difference between essential and necessary things.  It’s Friday night and I find myself falling into the weekend like I fall into bed at the end of a long, hard, good day. Exhausted, relieved, wishing I’d accomplished more, hopeful for tomorrow, grateful it’s time to rest.

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