All Decked Out

Here are a few of the labels that I've made this way.  Suzie Q's Garden label was hand-colored and printed with fabric pencil & a micron pen. 





Jelly Roll Races, that is!  Actually, there was no racing involved, since everything was done in the quiet of my own sewing room, and the stop watch stayed in the drawer. 

I'm sure you have read about the idea of a Jelly Roll Race, or  Jelly Roll 1600 quilt top.  I've been intrigued with the concept for a while, but wasn't juiced enough to try it until I saw this post on Jackie's blog.  The race part wasn't what did it, it was the no-brainer simplicity. 

Take a jelly roll, or the cut-from-your-stash strip equivalent, sew the strips together, end-to-end as you would for binding, then fold the whole darned 1600" length in half to stitch along one edge, cut along one side & repeat the fold/stitch/cut routine until you have a quilt top.  You don't have any control over where the strips will land in the finished top, so there is no point in trying to plan the strip sewing order.  Ridiculously easy. 

Some of the finished tops in Jackie's post, just did not speak to me -- they looked a bit choppy.  They were still nice tops, but not what I was looking to make.  The ones I did like, however, were the batik tops, and one that was done with all black and white prints.  I think the trick is to not use so much glaring color contrasts, and to use fabrics with good texture.
 

So how did mine turn out?  The first one was great.  It is intended for my nephew and his fiance.  Their living room needs some color --it's your basic beige, with a brown sofa and one picture with some teal in it on the wall.   I picked a Bali Pop that had blues, teals and some browns.  I liked the way it turned out.  When it's folded and draped on the back of the sofa, it will bring a lot of color to the room.

Flush with success, I tried another, this time featuring a Bali Pop that had purples in it, for my purple-loving niece.  It did not turn out well.  Similar colors were lumped together, and a number of the diagonal joins ended up in stacked in rows instead of scattered over the surface.  I think that may have been because I strayed from the magic formula & stuck in one or two additional strips.  Then it struck me.  Why not cut it in sections and re-piece it so that the flaws were not so obvious?  It worked.

Would I do another one?  Less than 3 hours for a good sized top?  Yep, I would.  I'm wondering what cutting some of the strips in half or into differing sizes would do to the finished layout.  I'm also wondering what a whole bunch of Kaffe Fassett fabrics would look like, especially if I stayed with one color family.  Seriosly folks, it's questions like these that keep me up at night.

 

And, on another very happy note, my niece Jessie Lynne Grasso became engaged to to Jordan Grater on Thursday. 

That's Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  If you are a fan of fresh, home-made bread, you have to try it.  It's nothing short of a revolution in bread making.

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields

McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" remains to this day one of the most memorable war poems ever written. It is a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ypres salient in the spring of 1915.  Hostilities in that "War To End All Wars" did not cease until the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.  

We set aside this day to remember all who have served, and all who continue to serve, to preserve our freedom.  Originally called Armistice Day, the day is now commemorated here in the United States as Veterans Day, and in Britain and Canada as Rememberance Day.  The poppy, which bloomed in blood red profusion across the fields of Flanders, has come to symbolize the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. 

 

 

Sue is hosting an engagement party in a few weeks so that Jamie's family, who are from New Jersey and New York, can meet our family here in Pennsylvania.  It should be lots of fun.   

I'm never sure what the gift protocol is for an engagement party.  There will be a shower closer to the wedding most certainly, and of course the wedding itself next October.  Their wedding quilt is already planned and the fabric purchased, but what to do for the engagement party?

There were 100 comments posted on my giveaway blog. Some were from old friends, but the vast majority were from people I didn’t know.

Some of you are from my home state of Pennsylvania, but you're also from Florida, Maine, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Texas, Idaho, California, Oregon, and Wisconsin, to name a few.  Many of you live in far-away places:  Canada, British Columbia, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sri Lanka. 

You are a mix of young and seasoned, grand/great grandparents, parents, workers, retirees, singles, marrieds, knitters, scrapbookers, gardeners, ranch hands, avid readers, city dwellers, country folk, and denizens of the beach. You have dogs, cats, chickens, cows and horses.

We even had our requisite male quilter (hi, Gene!). Some of you have been quilting for years and years; others for just a few months.

Thanks so much to ALL of you for stopping by!  I've enjoyed meeting you, and will continue to pop in on your blogs.  I sure hope you'll pop in on mine every once in a while.