Hopeful Homemaker

Few things say “summer” like classic blue and white, and this Irish Chain quilt is a dreamy summer quilt.  Made entirely from voile and lawn, the fabric is buttery soft and cool.  I am so pleased with this quilt!

A couple of years ago I scored some voile on a clearance sale for under $5 a yard, and I bought all of it (you can read that story here) .  This classic Irish chain quilt was the perfect project for it.  Simple sewing in my favorite colors.

I actually finished this quilt more than a year ago, and wisely took photos of it at the beach house.  I knew I would treasure having photos of my quilts here; what I didn’t anticipate was how hard it would be to write about it later.  I know it’s just a place, just a house, but it was SO much more to us.  We have grieved not having it in the family anymore, and are still hurting.  I could write a book about everything that house meant to me.  It feels like we lost my grandpa twice.  But it’s time to get these photos in a place where I’ll see them more.


After all my indecision , I quilted this one on my Juki in a simple, straight line crosshatch pattern.  For the backing I used what was left of the blue lawn and paired it with a precious piece of Lizzy House lawn that I’d been saving.  I also used bamboo batting in this quilt, to keep it light and airy for summer use.  It’s soft and a little bit puffy feeling.  I love having it on my bed in the summer.

I also love these simple photos from a treasured visit to the dearest place.  Today they make me smile with gratitude for the gift of the beach, and for memories.  And quilts.  I’m grateful for quilts.

Happy Sewing!

-Jennifer

Introducing my latest scrap project:  a log cabin style quilt made entirely with bonus half square triangles.  Do you make these?  Maybe there are other names for them, but to me they’ve always been “bonus half square triangles” or “bonus HSTs”.  For years they’ve been collecting in a box.  I can’t tell you how happy this new project has made me!

Every time I make a flying geese or snowball quilt block, I sew two seam lines instead of one.  The first, I sew on the line for the pattern/block I’m making.  The second, I sew 1/2″ away from that line, into the fabric I’ll be cutting off.  Then I press it while closed, and trim off the excess.  Except when I trim, I’m trimming off a smaller half square triangle block instead of two scrap triangles.  This way they’re made as I sew, and then they go in the box – usually subdivided by project to keep like fabrics together.

For this project, I first started by putting a bunch of them together in a 16″ block, and then I gathered all the bonus half square triangles from one of my oldest projects and began.  I sewed like blocks together in a row, and then started wrapping them around my original block, log cabin style.  It’s really fun to see these original Cotton + Steel fabrics again.  While I would never have paired the fabrics in the center block with them, the surprising color patterns that emerged are delightful.

This project is improv.  That means no trimming blocks to square up, no measuring, no worrying.  Just sew them together and smile at what happens.  I’m embracing the cutoff pieces in the corners as part of the fun!

So far I’m sewing one full round each day, and I like that goal.  I’m sure it will become just one strip per day as the quilt gets larger.  I don’t know how big I will make it, or what scraps I’ll move to next when all the bonus HSTs from this one run out.  It’s the most relaxing, fun sewing I’ve done in a while!  And it’s great to have all those bonus half square triangles out of a box and into a project.  I wonder how many I can use?

I’ll be back soon with a progress report on this one.

Happy Sewing, Jennifer

Meet the Arise Quilt !  Arise is the second pattern in my Resolute Collection of quilt patterns, following the Awake Quilt .  I’m so excited to officially introduce you to this design.  I am a thinker – inclined to think about things for too long instead of diving in.  It’s hard, sometimes, to believe that simply doing small things consistently will yield enough .  For the last 18 months I’ve built my personal goals on the premise that diligence in lots of small things will build the life I want to live.  I’m beginning to find great satisfaction in the systems and routines I’m building.  These thoughts led me to design the Arise quilt.


Arise means “to ascent, mount up, or move to a higher place; to emerge from below the horizon; begin to act; to exert power; to move from a state of inaction.”  It describes my goals well.  Thus, in designing the Arise quilt, I used simple quilt blocks, made again and again, as the foundation of the quilt.

This quilt uses square in a square blocks, otherwise known as economy blocks.  But it comes alive through deliberate fabric and color placement.    And fussy cutting!  Arise offers lots of places to fussy cut those treasured fabrics you’ve been saving.  The sashing serves as the hero of the quilt, creating a secondary block design that keeps the eye.  In this quilt, every piece of fabric is small but mighty, and has an important role in the design composition.

In this version of the quilt I used Tula Pink’s Curiouser and Curiouser fabrics, plus her black and white stripe, combined with solids from my personal stash.  I love the fabulous pink painted rose next to rich, dark green.  I intended to bind the quilt in the black and white stripe, but went with green instead because I wanted more of it!

The quilting is a design called Chancel, a design fitting for a tea party with the queen of hearts.  Once again, Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting did a great job!

The Arise Quilt finishes at approximately 66″ square, and is available in my Etsy shop .  While my girls enjoy snuggling under this beauty, I’m looking forward to the next design.  The Stand Quilt is coming soon!

I’m so grateful God led me to quilting.  Happy sewing to you!

Jennifer