Jelly Roll Quilt

I looked up Jelly Roll in Wikepedia and was shocked at all the definitions! In the case of this blog, however, the Jelly Roll is a bunch of rolled 2.5" strips, usually from one collection. This is good and bad. Good, because if you can find something to make with them, all the strip cutting has been done for you. Bad, because sometimes if you use the entire collection from a designer it is a bit too matchy, at least for my taste. Well, in the above quilt, I used three Jelly Rolls, and I don't remember the name of the collection - it was from about three years ago. I randomly sewed the strips together, added some at the bottom to make the quilt a bit longer, and had my favorite machine quilter, Jennifer Bauer, quilt it using a little posie shape. It won't be an entry into any quilt contest, but it makes a nice blanket for the cabin guest room (soon to be part of the master bedroom). You can see the striped curtains - the leftover fabric was in the master bedroom quilt, remember? The painted headboard was originally a dark wood color. I painted it Rhubarb from Benjamin Moore (well, Carl actually did the painting, but it was my idea). After a coat of poly, I sanded here and there to expose a bit of the wood color. Carl questioned the sanity of that move. What you can't see in this room is an old dresser, painted a light turquoise...yep, sanded that one, too. Jerilynn

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The quilt I am showing today is officially called the Color Wheel Quilt. Joelle Hoverson of Purlsoho fame has it in her book Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. The one she made is a square quilt with one complete color wheel circle. My daughter saw the picture in the book and wanted that "look", only in queen size for her bed. So, I just made two circles, kept one whole, and cut the other in half and then one half in quarters. It goes together quite quickly - the white is a whole cloth, and the pieced arcs are appliqued on top. I turned under the inside seam allowance and the outside, then used a tiny zig-zag to sew them down. Jennifer Bauer was the machine quilter, and quilted it in an uneven grid - we thought it would be a nice counter design to the circles. The quilt was a huge hit - it is on a bed that my husband built for my daughter, and the bed is painted a wonderful turquoise color. A reddish nightstand from Ikea is close by. Really cute. So even though it is not a rainbow quilt, I am reminded of one when I see it. My favorite rendition of the classic Judy Garland song is by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole with the runner up being the version by Eva Cassidy. If you haven't heard those, it is worth your time to look them up and listen. Sweet dreams! Jerilynn

Kaboom!

What an exciting day! We had to have two trees removed on our property to make way for the addition of the cabin. We still have lots of trees and plenty of leaves to rake, but these two trees were not only in the way, but had some pretty hefty dead limbs that were a hazard. It was so fun/scary to watch the tree crew plan the cut. Our little three year old neighbor boy (an Opie double complete with red hair that sticks up and freckles...adorable!) had a front seat to see all the action. It was so fortunate that today was his day off from day care! The other next door neighbor had two trees removed also, one of which was between our cabin and their cabin. It was a very, very tall pine tree that had become a high rise condo for woodpeckers. Lots and lots of holes had made the tree somewhat unstable, and it had to come down. There was only a narrow opening for that huge tree to land. We had to get out of the cabin and go waaaay over to the opposite side. What a show! The cut and landing went perfectly! Every tree that came down today, though, made a loud "kaboom"! In the midst of all this, a neighbor friend and I decided to make apple pies....and our contractor came to tell us the set-back had changed and we needed to redesign the addition...so busy! A vendor I used to work with would call me and tell me he had an "opportunity" for me....to be creative. That meant that a shoe I had ordered for a spot in the catalog had dropped from their line and I would have to scramble to fill the spot before press time. Well, Carl and I now have an "opportunity" to be creative and re-configure the addition, before the diggers come next week to dig the hole! I just hope the studio doesn't get cut - yikes! Picture of the day was taken on the back deck that has to come off and re-used once the building is done. It is called Stripes and Squares and the pattern is by Aardvark Quits. You can't see from the picture, but it is quilted in swirly circles by Jennifer Bauer, a wonderfully talented machine quilter. This quilt is on the couch at the cabin and is perfect for chilly times. It is strip-pieced and goes together quite easily because the bias edges are forgiving for matching. The pies are done, the tree guys went home for the day, and Carl is at the counter with paper that has little squares. I am sure an even better design is just moments away. Jerilynn