Dear Jane – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

January 27, 2017

One Monthly Goal (OMG) January Goals Completed

I am so happy to have finished the following projects that I had schedule for January for OMG!

circa-2016-miniature-finished — Circa 2016 – Modified version of the quilt – quilted and binding completed.

miniature-dear-jane — Miniature Jane Quilt – quilted and binding completed

sewing-machine-finished — Pat Sloan’s Sewing Machine Pattern – quilted and binding completed

placemats — Christmas place mats for Doug and Jean – quilted, binding completed, and mailed.

bountiful-life-omg-jan-15-block-5 — Block 6 of A Bountiful Life

I joined the Ocean Waves Quilt A Long (QAL) only to decide that Ocean Waves is not a quilt that I want to continue with so I made a little quilt out of the one “practice” block I made.

nanettes-ocean-wave-quilt — My Ocean Waves Quilt – Miniature

I also wanted to participate in RSC 2017 this year. I have started with purple 4 Patches. I will continue with this project in February, and make a decision by March if I continue on. I may find another pattern that I really like and start over. Time will tell.

rsc-purple-january-2017 — January Purple Blocks for RSC 2017

Last but not least, Oh Glory quilt. It now loaded on the long arm ready to be quilted! My goal is to have it completed by Tuesday 31 Jan.

oh-glory-finished — Oh Glory Quilt – Embroidered Stars – Ready for Quilting

Have a great day and enjoy quilting!

August 9, 2016

Ms Potts, Circa 2016, Goodbye Dear Jane, and Hello Dresden Heaven

OK – one sentence on the weather – The weather has not changed for the good it is now 100 degrees and heat index running from 105 to 109 and this ole’ lady has finally thrown in the towel as far as walking goes for this week. Now on to quilting!

I have (again) caught up with Circa 2016 blocks from the 29 July and 5 August! YEA.

Circa 2016 Blocks from 29 July and 5 August 2016

I really do enjoy making the 3 1/2″ blocks. They go fast and are always a challenge because of the size. To me this is a “practice” session preparing me for some of the quilts that are waiting in line for me to make.

This summer the Margaret Potts group from BAS have 3 blocks to work on. I have finished 2 Blocks and working on the 3rd. The last block has 4 stars and I am using the EPP method to make them so they will be “perfect” (Ha Ha). The pieces are so small so I had to set it aside and complete the other blocks. I took one look at the circles and thought – OH NO! So tiny – no bigger than a dime!!! But I started on the block and begin to enjoy the process. The stems are embroidered with 2 strains of variegated thread.

Margaret Potts BAS Project – Blocks 13 and 17

I thought I would share with all on how I do my circles. I have 2 sets of Karen Kay Buckley mylar circles, but the time it takes to cut the fabric, baste around the circle, and then spray with sizing and iron, that I decided to take a different approach when making circles for my applique projects. I use C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets Here from Amazon. The paper is 8 1/2 x 11 and the pattern prints out great onto the freezer paper. It is a little expensive, but the time saved is worth it. I copy the pattern onto the paper and then cut out the pieces. On larger patterns I have to be a little more creative, but for this project it is great as the blocks fit on the paper size just fine. I am sure one could cut regular freezer paper and feed it through the printer, but then that takes time to do that. (Maybe I am spoiled or getting lazy in my old age! LOL). I still use Karen Kay Buckley circles, but only to trace around the template like I do with the freezer paper. Here is how I prepared the small circles for the circle block above.

As always, the pattern is traced on the background fabric for placement purposes using a light box and number 2 pencil. I really thought I would have issues with the small (dime size) circles, but after working on two or three, it became easier, and besides, that is what ripping is all about when doing hand work. It is not permanent and corrections can easily be made.

I have given up on Dear Jane. I studied it, thought about the paper piecing, and decided that I have other things I want to work on the remainder of the year and making a quilt using paper piecing technique is not for me at this time! I have a lot of hand work waiting in the wings to be appliqued and those should go fairly quickly (maybe by September). I have Blocks 5 and 6 prepped for Bountiful Life, 7 more blocks for Segment 4 of Stonefields, and lots of lovely hexagons to sew together for Brinton Hall quilt.

For piecing projects I went through 5 different patterns and finally chose to make Dresden Heaven by Susan Marth. It has mini and tiny dresden plates and such a fun project. I finally found a pattern that I can use my 1930’s fabrics that were originally intended for the Farmers Wife… so I am happy about that, but it will take a few other projects to use all the fat quarters I purchased.

Dresden Heaven by Susan Marth at Suzn Quilts

The 1930 fabrics are not my favorite colors, but I thought that they would look good using this pattern. This will be a fun project and one that I can cut out the plates and sew at my leisure, remember I am supposed to be quilting on the long arm… if only I would stay away from chicken noodle soup from the can that has MSG! I have so many notes on the refrigerator now that say “do not eat” and if only I would remember to read them!!!!!

Oh well. I hope that everyone has had a great day and continue to enjoy your stitching. Fall is just around the corner – 30 to 60 days! Sometime within the next 30 days or so I will be relaxing in the RV, visiting the Choctaw Casino, and 2 wonderful fabric stores. I need to complete some projects to justify the fabric expenditures!

January 1, 2016January 5, 2016

Happy New Year – Still Working on the Old and Bringing in the New for 2016

Happy New Year! We arrived home in Texas on Christmas Day. We made a mad dash for home with the El Paso Blizzard following us. We left Whetstone, Arizona on Christmas Eve and spent the night in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was cold! We left at 8AM and we were scheduled to spend the night in Fort Stockton, Texas on Christmas night and head for home on Saturday. But when we realized that we would arrive by noon and just sit there until Saturday morning, we kept on going and arrived at home at 7:20PM – a 651 mile trip pulling a 36 foot 5th Wheel that was probably overloaded.

We were very blessed on this trip home because when we went to unload some things out of the 5th wheel on Saturday morning we had a flat on the Dually! No wonder the truck acted like it was dying on the last 50 miles! Now a week later, we are now back to our normal routine. The weather here in our area is dark and dreary and raining. For me I love the weather like this – Cold, Wet, and 100% quilting weather!

I have made myself a promise now that we are settled back into our normal life that I will Blog each week with updates on my projects. Since my last post I have finished Segment 2 of Stonefields and started a Christmas Table Runner and Placements – YUP – bought that pattern and fabric 2 years ago so now it will be ready for Christmas 2016…. why be in a hurry? If I finish this in the next 2 weeks it will be the first time I will have a nice table runner and place mats for Christmas!

We had a wonderful trip, but will not go back to Arizona for the winter again. We have been doing this trip for 15 years and it is time for a change. We have decided to do shorter trips during the year and stay put for winter time in Texas. I can hardly wait to go to Durant, OK for a good gambling trip!

Here are the blocks for Stonefields, Segment 2:

The top two blocks were really difficult to achieve perfection – so I did them twice. The second time I used my EQ7 software and redid the block pattern. They came out perfect the second time. The original pattern was not drawn to scale and it caused the stars to be off-center. The lower left blocks with the little flowers were fun to make, although when I realized the hexies were 3/8″ I thought they would be the most difficult to do, but they turned out to be the most fun! Here are the blocks close up.

Blue Hexie Flower Block — Blue Hexie 3/8″ Flower Block

Christmas Placemat — Christmas Place Mat

I purchased the pattern in Durant, OK in 2013 on the way to Arizona. The Table Runner has 5 candles with the Christmas Balls and has a shadow fabric for the back of the candle which is really neat. When I finish that I will provide the pattern information. Fun and easy project for Christmas 2016!

I have an impossible list of projects for 2016 – none of which will be on-line BOMs. They served their purpose for me last year, but that was then and this is now! Here is my list (hum…..) wonder which one’s will be finished this year?

1. Civil War Bride (There are 3 (maybe 4) Ladies who will be doing 2 blocks a month starting in February or March and I will be posting the progress of all each month! If you have the pattern and would like to join, let me know). There are no set rules or time constraints with this project.

2. Brinton Hall (Quiltmania Project)
3. Flower Garden (Edyta Sitar’s Handfuls of Scraps Book)
4. Baskets of Scraps (Edyta Sitar’s Handfuls of Scraps Book)
5. Dear Jane (Brenda’s)
6. Stonefields
7. Stars and Sprigs (Kim McLean)
8. Sweet Surrender – Australian pattern (waiting for the mail impatiently)

There is a “maybe” project – 9. Farmers’ Wife 1930 (There is a BIG maybe on this one – there are issues with the .pdf files). As I previously posted, I purchased the book and all the fabric, so I have already invested a lot of $ for this project. My friend Cathy sent me 3 books on 1930’s fabrics for Christmas and they are great reads. They will be a great help if I decide to use the fabric on another quilt.

I also would love to start on Di Ford’s 2013 Mystery Quilt but of course who knows. I realize that there is no way to complete all, but I am going to at least get started on all of them and do not think I will get bored. This will be the first time I will run projects concurrently – should be fun or I will slide into oblivion world of “ex-quilters”.

My friend Jaydee, sent me a piece of fabric of Peacocks. She was working on The Morrell Quilt and had a couple of the birds left over. When I received them I immediately could see a Medallion coming down the road… The birds are so pretty.

Have a wonderful 2016 and remember, Life is short, Friends are Few, and God loves us!

December 24, 2015January 5, 2016

On the Road Again – Going Home to Texas – Merry Christmas

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. My Christmas wish for everyone is to be healthy, happy, and enjoy your family! Also pray for our Country as I believe 2016 will be a difficult year to get through.

After 3 months in the RV we have decided that 3 months is our limit. We have had a great time in Whetstone, Arizona at Tombstone Territories RV Park. We shopped a lot, visited Tombstone Arizona, and visited with our friends Doug and Jean. Young couple – 84 and 93.

In the past 15 years of going to Arizona for the winter months to escape the horrible Cedar allergies, I always have high hopes of working on numerous quilting projects. WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN THAT WON’T HAPPEN. Although I did load about 1/2 of what I usually do I did not accomplish a 10th of what I wanted to do. So I added to my stash – what else does a quilter do when on the road?

So now I have even more projects for 2016!

We were going to stay through the 26th of January BUT, it has been so very cold this year due to El Niño that we could not get out as much as we liked. Cabin fever can also be felt in a 36 foot RV!

When the weather started looking like it was going to stay cold we decided to come home. We were going to leave on the 28th BUT now the Arctic air is heading this way this week-end, so here we are close to our first nights stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We will stay at Hacienda RV Park and head for Fort Stockton, TEXAS Christmas morning. Driving through El Paso should be easy this year – most will be at home with family.

The cold weather will hit Las Cruces on Friday night, and Fort Stockton on Saturday night – when we will be at our home safe and sound!

I do have some pictures to show of my progress and my 2016 projects but that will have to wait until next week. I have missed my Studio so much this winter and very anxious to get back to my little quilting world. Clay is REALLY ready to be home – he did a lot of leather work on this trip, but is ready to get back to his projects and hobbies. We had one of the most enjoyable trips to Arizona than we have had in 3 or 4 years.

My goal for 2016 is to work on making Dear Jane, Civil War Bride(doing that with 3 other ladies and will keep all posted on our progress on my Blog – let me know if you would like to join us), Stonefield’s, Sweet Surrender, Sitar’s Flower Garden and Basket quilt from her book, Di Ford’s Mountmellik, AND maybe Farmer’s Wife. I am disappointed in the Farmer’s Wife 1930 book – a few too many errors for me to start that project – I will wait to get all the corrections to the book, then I may start it. I also have 5 quilts that need to be completed. And as Rosemary Youngs I have 5 king size quilts to bind!

I am not going to get involved with on-line BOMs this year. It seems to take up so much of my time when I could be more productive. So hopefully I will be blogging at least once a week on my progress.

Be safe, and thank you for taking the time to read/keep up with my Blog. I hope to make it exciting and have more quilting and less travel the next 6 months!

Nanette

November 22, 2015

I am Still Here – Brinton Hall and Stonefields

Greetings from Whetstone, Arizona, about 8 miles from Huachuca City, Arizona and 25 miles from Sierra Vista, Arizona. We are really enjoying the area. It is so nice to look out and see the mountains. There are mostly mesquite trees in this area, whereas in Sierra Vista the foliage is much different. There are trees that have the beautiful fall colors starting in October. Reminds me of Virginia when the leaves begin to turn. So pretty.

I do not know where the last month has gone. It seems like each time I plan to start the other 2 projects (1930’s Farmer’s Wife and Dear Jane) things happen. Last Sunday I was at a point to “get with it” and had just began to start when all of a sudden a “boom” noise coming from the RV. Well, it was the clamp on the hot water hose that gave way and hot water was rushing out from underneath the kitchen! NOT GOOD! This had happened when we first purchased this RV. Well, needless to say, it took me 2 trips to Sierra Vista to find the right clips that Clay need to repair the problem. So goodbye Sunday. Monday – well, weather always gets me and it did on that day. On Wednesday Clay reworked the hoses so I took advantage of that time and worked on my Stonefield Quilt blocks. I am now in the process of finishing the 2nd segment, of which, are appliqued blocks. I will post the 2nd segment as soon as I complete them. These are some of the fabrics I am using for Stonefields and my “limited” workspace.

Stonefields Fabric 2 — My Workspace – Clay made me the cutting table extension – He has me spoiled!

There are two quilting groups that I meet with while we are in Arizona. Tombstone Quilting Guild meets on the 3rd Monday of the month in Tombstone and then on the 4th Wednesday of the month they meet in Mescal, Arizona (about 30 miles from Whetstone). Due to weather and water issues I missed both times to quilt with the Ladies from Tombstone and Mescal (early due to Thanksgiving this week). I will visit with them in December. On Thursday I was able to go to the Sierra Vista Applique group that meets each Thursday at the Squirrels Nest quilt shop. I have been visiting with this group since 2008.

And of course each week I set a goal to “finish” a few things and get started on my 1930’s Farmer’s Wife and Dear Jane……MAYBE today I can start cutting out a few blocks from the Farmer’s Wife. I am hoping to do so. I have completed the Medallion of my Brinton Hall quilt. But I will have to wait until we return home to finish it. I need more room and a bigger design board to complete the medallion and the surrounding hexagons.

Brinton Hall Medallion

A week or so ago we made another trip to Tucson to Tandy’s for Clay’s projects. On the way home we stopped off in Sahurita, Arizona at the Quilters Desert Patch Quilt Store. There is such a great selection of fabrics. I purchased a few of the 1930’s fabrics, a Southwest panel, and Clay found some fabric he wants me to make a cover for his chair. He is Choctaw so he loves the Southwest fabrics.

Southwest Panel — I was drawn to the beautiful Turquoise and Browns.

Southwest Panel alternating fabrics — Panel and Coordinating Fabrics. Love the Arrow fabric – Over bought on this one.

Clay's Southwest Fabric — Clay’s Selection

I found a book on Panel Play but like a dummy, did not purchase it. I was lucky because I was able to find the Designer on-line and ordered the book. The Designer provides so may different and beautiful ways for settings for panels. I have only made one quilt using panels (2011) and it happened to be the fabric that she used on the cover of her book Panel Play Book by Barbara Becker. When I downloaded this picture, I could not believe it was in 2011 when I made that quilt! It was the year we “thought” we wanted to have 2 Shihtzu puppies. Been there done that and they lasted 18 days before they went back to the Breeder! That is a story in itself! Doesn’t take long to figure out you may as well adopt a baby and raise it instead!

Kohnie's Dog Quilt — My Doggie Panel Quilt – Same fabric as the book.

I must leave you with a short story about scissors and timbles! Wednesday I was able to work on my projects. Later that afternoon I cleaned up my work space and put things away. On Thursday when I arrived at my Applique group, I was shocked to see that I had forgotten the thread I needed for applique, and NO SCISSORS! What? Out to the quilt store area to purchase thread and cheap scissors. When I arrived home I almost panicked – my black Elan scissors were no where to be found. We went through everything including shaking the recliner, etc. I figured that they had fallen into the trash can by my chair, so we went dumpster diving…………..By then the trash was gone! So I did what most quilters would do – ordered another pair from Amazon! The Elan scissors are 4″ scissors with one blade serrated and they are wonderful when trimming the fabric around applique pieces. Elan Scissors I still had the feeling that the scissors were not in the trash, but I had absolutely no idea where they could have gone. Thank God they were not my very very expensive Italian Gingher scissors.

After the dumpster diving experience, we decided to go to Sierra Vista to eat and do some shopping in Sierra Vista. I still felt that the scissors were not in the trash! Later that evening, I went to the pantry to grab some chips. As I picked them up there were my scissors hooked to the magnet that is on the chip clip!!!!! I laughed and laughed and thought that I would be having a scissor sale soon. I had experienced a similar situation in August when I thought I had accidentally put my silver thimble from TJ Lane Thimbles in the trash! So I ordered another one after exhaustive searches for my thimble. On the same day I placed my order I turned the recliner in the Den upside down (for the 3rd time) and WOW there was my Thimble! Now I have 3 wonderful silver thimbles from TJ.

Have a great day and find some time for Quilting! (Of course life may get in the way!)

March 24, 2015April 1, 2015

Happy Scrappy is Finished!

Greetings from La Vernia, Texas where the weather is great. Not too hot, Not cold, but just right. We had 3 inches of rain last week and the trees are blooming (mostly Oak) and the grass is growing and the Bluebonnets are going to be abundant this year. Life is moving along. Clay’s surgery is scheduled for the 3rd of April, so there will be a few weeks of working on my hand quilting projects – and I have plenty of applique and embroidery UFOs hanging around begging to be finished. I am praying for a successful surgery and fast recoup time. He will do well.

Here is a picture of Happy Scrappy. Thank you Rosemary Youngs for starting this BOM last year with your Center Medallion. I did not have a lot of UFO Blocks to make a quilt, so I used an old Moda fabric line that I liked – I still have enough left to make 4 more quilts – LOL – We quilters are something else when it comes to purchasing fabric and adding to our stash. We tend to forget it must grow overnight (as Jaydee told me it does!)

Happy Scrappy 1 — Happy Scrappy 2014 – Medallion by Rosemary Young and the remainder of the quilt designed by Nanette Chopin-Cook – First time to design a quilt!

Here is a picture of my old/new Singer 301 sewing machine. it is a Grand Introduction Model introduced in October 1952. This machine has the original Badge Center and has the “paperclip” design. I am going to really enjoy sewing many fun projects on this machine.

And finally I received Bonnie Brown, the old/new 401A. This machine is absolutely perfect! The 301 and 401 have the same base, so I only had to order 1 insert for my Koala Table and one Sew Steady Table. It sews like a dream. I am hoping that by May I will be able to really put them to the test. I have ordered a table for “Sam” – The bottom portion is made from the old Singer Treadle Machine cabinet with an Oak top. I should receive it in the next week or so.

I have completed 8 of the Dear Jane blocks, but began thinking about the work that is going into the small blocks. I have decided that I would like to enter this one in a Quilt Show if and when it is completed and to do something different, I am going to use batiks. I realize that it will not be a “copy of the reproduction”, but I love to do things differently.

I know I will enjoy my new toys, but it will be awhile before that happens. I will just be glad to see May 1 of 2015! Hospital time this Good Friday – guess we will be spending Easter there. I will be so happy when things are over with and our life can get back to some normalcy.

Have a blessed day and keep on sewing!