Keeping Warm

Winter is upon us and the nights are very cold (depending where you live). I have made two special flannel quilts, one for my mother-in-law and the other for my sister-in-law.

I started making these two quilts the beginning of December and got them finished a week before Christmas.  I made them both with similar colors but used simple blocks to make different patterns.  The flannel is a very soft cotton flannel with warm colors.

I used a thicker cotton batting, one that can be washed and washed and will not distort.  Then I put a soft Fleece backing on them for extra warmth.  They are heavy, and very warm.  Because of the thickness, I tied them every other block.

They both love their quilts and will be warm this winter and more winters to come.

What did you make lately?

HAPPY QUILTING.........Have a Great Day!!

Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Quilt Acronyms

 Christmas is the time of year when everyone is busy with their quilting, shopping etc.  I thought I would share the quilters language and get you to take a brake for a minute or two.  to take a deep breath and to put a smile on your face.

An Acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g., radar, laser).

. The language of quilters is quite interesting. Quilters have embraced the use of acronyms in a simply fabulous way, but the language can be somewhat confusing for non-quilters – like husbands and partners. The first time I mentioned a fat quarter to my husband he said “darling don’t talk about your body like that, I like cuddly”. Hmmmm. Ever told a non quilter that you quilt in the ditch? They give you this sort of funny look and you can see they’re thinking – she did what in the ditch? Acronyms fly thick and fast in the vocabulary of a quilter and I’ve taken on the task of describing to the uninitiated, what some of those funny sounding acronyms really mean. This is just a smattering of acronyms (say that fast) that I have come up with. There’s a lot more out there in webland – just Google Quilt Acronyms and be surprised! I’ll start with the well known ones, that are simply WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get!). FQ Fat Quarter (quilt fabric usually measuring approximately .5 yard by .5 yard) SID Sitching in the Ditch (quilting right on the seam line) UFO Unfinished Object. I sometimes wish my UFO’s would be taken by Martians, never to be seen again! WIP means work in progress and I’m guessing that we all have a lot of that. The above acronmys are the simple acronyms that most quilters use regularly. Now I’m going to take you on a journey of discovery of acronyms that are used by the wider quilting community, and they are very clever, I think. HSY Haven’t Started Yet PHD Project Half Done (does that makes my title, Judie Bellingham PHD.) MGBTQ Must Get Back To Quilting WIVSP Work in Very Slow Progress TOAD Trashed Object Abandoned in Disgust USO Unstarted Object STASH Special Treasures All Secretly Hidden SABLE Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy FART Fabric Acquisition Road Trip ( I do that all the time!!) TGIF Thank God It’s Friday is the usual acronym but quilters like Thank God It’s Finished. WIWMI Wish It Would Make Itself WWIT What Was I Thinking? And finally WOMBAT Wast of Material, Batting and Time (This one is close to my Oz Heart!!). As I said that’s just a small sample of the quilting acronyms out there. So I’ll have to just dream of a FART cause I  MGBTQ . HAPPY QUILTING EVERYONE,     HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Sweetest Place on Earth

The Sweetest Place on Earth, that is Chocolatetown!  Oh, yeah, that is what they call Hershey, USA.  It was a town built on Chocolate, thanks to Milton S. Hershey.  I grew up near Hershey, most of my relatives worked at Hershey, including myself.

Milton S. Hershey was a very determined man who did not have a formal education but had the love of Chocolate
.


By the time he was 30, he nearly went bankrupt with prior businesses.

He started his first Candy business in Philadelphia in 1876 which did not do good at all.  He they went to Denver to learn how to make Carmel using fresh milk.  From there he went to New York City and started a Carmel factory, which failed.

He returned to Lancaster, PA.  This time the Carmel candy caught on.  He sold this business for 1 million dollars to concentrate soly on Chocolate.   He started building the well known Hershey Factory in 1903.  It was the worlds largest Chocolate Factory when completed in 1905.  The milk chocolate bar became famous and the rest is history.

In 1907 he opened the Amusement Park with many rides, a pool, and even a Ball Room.  Later Trolley Cars and Trains were bringing people from all over.






Milton S. Hershey School was built in 1909. (Also known as the Hershey Industrial School)  Milton and his wife Catherine could not have any children, so they opened a School/Home for orphan boys.




(The Homestead) 


Milton Hershey took pride in all he had done for the people of Hershey and the surrounding areas, he passed away in 1945 at the age of 88.  

My husband and I traveled back to Hershey  for Thanksgiving, where most of our relatives live.  We had a great holiday.  We got to visit with everyone and ate, well, you know how you can eat while on vacation.   Now, everyone knows why I am such a Chocoholic.  One can never get enough.  

We are now home again, and I can honestly tell you that Hershey is the Sweetest place on Earth.  That is where my son lives and where my Mom is!!!











Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Facts I learned on the Log Cabin

I learned some interesting facts on the Log Cabin Block that I would like to share with others.  Some, like myself, are unaware of the interesting history behind these beautiful quilts.   Did you know that each square is a piece of history itself?  The block is a representation of an early log cabin home that was being built on the wide prairie.

The story behind the Log Cabin Quilt is as follows:

The center block is usually red or yellow.  This represents the fire in the hearth.


The light strips of fabric found on one isde of the square is the sun shining on the eastern side of the log cabin.


As of course the dark strips are for the shady side of the log cabin.


Together these simple strips were stitched together in a precise manner to form a complete picture of those who lived on the prairie.  They were to represent:  Home, Warmth, Love, and Security.


According to experts the earliest American Log Cabin Quilt that still exists was created in 1869.  Apparently it was signed and dated.  That does not mean there may have been many others that were fashioned by hand prior to that date.  

I also read that some will argue with the history and say the block was originated by Egyptians during the early Centuries,  No matter where or when this block first was originated, we are fortunate to still be able to enjoy the beauty of the Log Cabin Quilt.


Happy Quilting everyone, and hope you have a Great Day.






Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Christmas Card Holder

I have been working on a lot of different Christmas projects lately.  Yesterday I made a Christmas Card Holder.  I had made one last year and it not only holds all your cards but looks good too.  Plus, you can hang it almost anywhere.

This is so easy to make and you get to use up all your scrap Christmas material.  But I can almost guarantee you that anyone who sees it will like it and want one too.  I started with these Christmas prints:

Then made a total of 8 Log Cabin Blocks.  Each block will be 5  1/2 inches square when completed.

Then sewed all of my blocks together in a row and put a 2 inch red Poinsettia boarder on.

From there I painted 18 mini clothespins gold.  You can paint them any color, but I wanted something shinny.

When they were dry, I carefully sewed the backside of the wire to the quilt.  I then used fabric glue to keep them straight and even.  It is a fun project that will last for years.  Total size is:  10" X 48"

Happy Quilting............Have a Great Day!





Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Winner of my 10 Fat Quarters

CONGRATULATIONS TO Sharon Pernes , she is the WINNER of my 10 Fat Quarters "Summer in the City" by Urban. I used the random counter and it chose "Number 9", Sharon was number 9 on the comments.   They are beautiful, brightly printed fat quarters I hope she likes them (I am sure she will)

AGAIN.......................... CONGRATULATIONS,  Hope you enjoy them


Happy Quilting Everyone........Have a Great Day! 







Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com

Summer in the City....Fat Quarters

I have 10 Fat Quarters of "Summer in the City" by Urban, for Moda......Is there anyone interested in having these beautiful prints? 

I have purchased 30 of these prints not that long ago and made a quilt for on my porch swing. A Crazy, Scrappy, Reversible quilt, it turned out beautiful.  The fabric is bright and cheerful, will match anything.

Anyway, I have these 10 full fat quarters left over and wanted to share with someone who would enjoy them. 

 

Check them out.....

 

So, all you have to do is leave me a comment.  "What do you want to make?"  I could ask for you to "Like my Facebook page, or my site...but why?  I really don't want to make this a problem to enter, I just want you to have fun.

Just think, there are 10 Fat Quarters......"Summer in the City" by Urban  for Moda 
Large prints, beautiful material, just leave a comment and they could be yours.  Friday, November 11th, I will use a random counter and announce the new owner of this fabric. 



Good Luck and Happy Quilting...........
Have a Great Day!

Check my website gallery for more selections: http://janesquilting.com