Dear Jane is a Flimsy!!

After 10 years, my Dear Jane is finally a flimsy.  She has been through hurricanes, swim meets, road trips, holidays, and so much more.

At Thanksgiving I knew I was close to finishing.  Since I had started on December 29, 2014 I knew that I had to try to finish at the 10 year mark.  It was the push I needed to get it done.  The center was complete, the triangle blocks were finished, and the solid triangles were cut.  So it was just a matter of attaching the triangles and finishing the corner kites.  Very doable.  Every week I got a little bit more done.  

Little S did the final embroidery.

Last night Little S, who is now College S, put the last stitches in the embroidery (my eyes just can't do that anymore) and I sewed the last kite corner into position.  WOW!  WOW!  WOW!

Last kite corner for Dear Jane. 

My idea for the scallops is to sew a long strip to each side and quilt over it.  After all the quilting is done, I will mark and cut the scallops and then bind.  

Finished Flimsy

I am very pleased with the outcome and with myself for sticking with it.  Every project after this is going to seem easy peasy!

Linking up to Kate's Life in Pieces to share progress.

It's Been Quite a While

It's been over 2 years since my last post.  It seems like forever.  A lot has happened, but I haven't stopped sewing and I have even kept lots of notes on lots of little pieces of paper since I like to document my progress one way or another!  I hope that making myself accountable to the blog will help me find a better balance with work in the future as well. 

So as we finish out 2024, I have successfully completed the first part of my goal - I have gotten back into my account!  Big win for me since I am not techy at all.  Patience and persistence on a rainy day!

My next step in the return to blogging is to figure out how to get pictures to this computer.  I can do this.

Stay tuned - I had HUGE HUGE HUGE finish yesterday that needs to be reported/documented/celebrated since it was 10 years in the making!!! 

 

Two-Step is a Flimsy

 In between Dear Jane blocks, I got the Two-Step blocks all webbed and sewn together.

I liked this pattern the first time I saw it, and I like it even more now that I see it in the bright daylight.

This was a random project at the end of the school year when I couldn't focus on something more detailed.  I'm not sure how I will finish it.  Just leave it or add a border of some sort or add more blocks.  No rush at all.   It was a great pattern and I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to start something brand new.

Stash Report 071022

Fabric In:  Nothing in this week.

Fabric Out:  I finished the Two-Step top.  Nearly all of it came from the Scrap Users Drawers of precuts!  It's a good size for a lap blanket or large baby quilt.  2.1 yards  

Two-Step is a Flimsy

Fabric In This Week: 0 yards

Fabric Received as Donation This Week:  0 yards

Fabric In YTD: 37.46 yards

Fabric Out This Week: 2.1 yards

Fabric Out YTD: 29.32 yards

Stash Movement: 8.14 yards in

As far as time spent sewing ....... 

In total honesty I did not sew at all this week.  For a few reasons. 

1) This was Cousin Camp week when the young nephews come for the week and we entertain them.  Now that my older girls and the nieces have grown and gone it is less cousin and more aunt, but between my sisters and I and Little S it is still fun.  We take turns hosting and entertaining.  Having young kids around sure is different than having Little S, who is 0 maintenance.  It also makes me wonder how I make it through a school day with a classroom full of little bodies.  No wonder I need a break in the summer!

Cousin Camp visits Amelia Island

2) I had a mental goal of finishing the Dear Jane square blocks this summer. Then I would move on to the big girls' photo albums/scrapbooks since that is something that is difficult to spread out and do during the school year.  Since I really did finish the Dear Jane square blocks, July is dedicated to scrapbooking.  I have done that the days I did not have the boys.

Dear Jane Rows A-J.  Rows K-M didn't fit.

Since my summer sewing is taking a planned hiatus, I will not include a 15 Minute Report until I start sewing again. 

Linking up to quiltpaintcreate to stay accountable.

Rows L and M are Finished!

I was on such a roll when we got back from North Carolina that I just plowed through the remaining blocks on Rows L and M.  Here is where it was nice that I had randomly made blocks for years, so I wasn't looking at finishing entire rows!  

A few of them were pretty tricky.  In fact I even redid two since I kept thinking about how unsatisfied I was with my work.  They still aren't perfect, but I think they are better and I won't wish I had tried  harder.

There are just two more blocks to make!  For whatever reason I did not have a photo copy of those blocks from the book so they never got made.  So now I will go back and fill those last gaps.  I am so close!!!

Dear Jane Goes to North Carolina

I knew I would have uninterrupted time for hand sewing so I prepped blocks that needed hand sewing for the trip to North Carolina.  I also did some investigation on freezer paper applique.  Wow!  I sure wish I had done that earlier.

I had already prepped the large circles with minimal difficulty.  But I used the freezer paper method for the small circles, the melons, and the tiny triangles.  It sure helped to keep everything uniform and smooth.  Although I don't think anything could have helped those teeny tiny triangles - they were so small and difficult to work with.

Over all I am very pleased with Block J 10, which is one that I had been avoiding for years because of the melon shapes.  I knew that if they weren't uniform it just wouldn't look right.  I'm glad I waiting until my applique skills got better.

I think that there are only about 9 blocks to go now.  Then the center section will be finished.  My summer goal has been to finish those blocks.  I can work on sashing when school starts since that will not require such focus - I hope!

Stash Report 070322

Fabric In:  One more piece from the thrift store from my sister.  A cute flannel.   I need to make burp cloths for a friend whose second grandson will arrive in the fall.  This will be great for that.  1 yard

Fabric Out:  I made 4 masks for Teacher E and SIL for their upcoming 1st Anniversary trip to Disney World.  Then I had someone ask to buy 5 masks since she has a very small face and struggles with masks that fit and her workplace is fraught with poor hygiene and sickness.  0.8 yards

Fabric In This Week: 0 yards

Fabric Received as Donation This Week:  1 yard

Fabric In YTD: 37.46 yards

Fabric Out This Week: 0.8 yards

Fabric Out YTD: 27.22 yards

Stash Movement: 10.24 yards in

As far as time spent sewing ....... 

Summer continues to be productive.  Being trapped in the car for 2 days to pick up Little S from her sister in NC was great for some tricky hand sewing on Dear Jane blocks.   Being so close to the end of the center blocks has been motivation to keep working away on them as much as possible.

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing this week: 7/7

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing June:  25/30  July 2/2

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing in 2022: 151/183

Percentage: 83%

Getting better!

 

Linking up to quiltpaintcreate to stay accountable.