POLKA DOT CHARM SWAP

Hi Friends!  I need to keep my sewing streak on a roll so I thought I'd host another charm swap!  The last Orange/White was well received, so let's do it again!

Anyone out there in blogland interested in an POLKA DOT charm swap?  I'm posting this on IG as well as here on the blog.  The more the merrier I always say!

Let me know because I'll be posting details by the end of next week here on the blog.

There's not much to it.  It involves buying various POLKA DOT fabrics, cutting into 5"x 5" squares, sending them and a self addressed FRE to me (charm swap mama!).  I'll divvy them up and send you back an assortment from everyone involved!  Easy peasy!  Make something fun with them or simply add them to your stash.

Comment on this post or send me a separate email saying you'd love to join in and I'll send you a confirmation email.  If you do comment via this post, please make sure that your email is attached to your profile.  If you have friends that would like to participate, just have them email me!  I'd love to include them even if they don't have a blog or an IG account.  purpleheartorijennals@yahoo.com

This will be great fun!

Sew little fabric....sew little time!

Jenn

The Dresden Quilt and Birthday Boys

January!  I love the nip in the air this time of year.  Sorry to all my quilty friends that are buried in the snow!  Kindof wish we had a little down this way in Texas.  We'll probably get ours next month.

But in the meantime, I FINALLY found my way out of my sewing funk and back to the machine!  It was only to make and attach binding, but it was still sewing none the less.  I bought this beautiful quilt top on Instagram for like $40!  What a deal!  All of the Dresden plates are HAND SEWN together and appliqued to the orange fabric.  Vintage Vintage Vintage!  I was totally in love at first sight!

After "sitting" on it for a bit, I took it to my local longarm quilter, Janie Merritt, SHOUT OUT!! and she worked her magic with a Baptist Fan pattern.  I wanted something vintagey.  And boy did she deliver!  I love how it turned out and can't wait to get it all washed up and start to snugglin' under it! It's a big one for sure - about 68" x 90".  The backing is a vintage sheet that I had been hoarding, uh, saving, just for the right occasion!  Amazingly, the blues and reds of the backing match the Dresden plates perfectly.  The muted blue polka dot binding was purchased from JoAnn's on SALE! (of course) from their new Buttercream fabric line.

 Look at this quilting!!  It really gave the quilt some added life!

He totally loves my quilting obsession especially when he gets to model the final product.

He totally thought of this as a King's Cloak!

Now onto the really fun part!  This little fella turned 7 on Tuesday.  SEVEN?!?!  Where the heck did the time go??  He was pretty excited but now is on the count down til his 8th birthday so he won't have to ride in a booster seat any more!

We also celebrated my dad's 71st birthday, which is exactly a week before Malek's.  I'm so fortunate I have him as a Dad and the kids are pretty stoked about having him as their Grandpa!

He's not crazy about his sister at all!!

Still able to pick him up after all these years!!

I hope to have some exciting adventures in 2016.  Hope you will come along for the ride with me!

Happy Quilting!

Jenn

Endings and Beginnings

Happy 2016!  I can't believe I pretty much missed all of Fall posting here on the blog.  The end of 2015 / start of 2016 has been a rocky road for sure.  On December 29th, I lost one of the most important people in my life, my grandmother, Lillie Belle Franklin.  She's always been known to me as Mamie.  The best Mamie anyone could ask for.  She was a very spiritual, sweet, kind and soft spoken woman.  She was the peace-keeper in the family.  Or always tried to be.  She always saw the good in everyone.  I was always close to her and my grandfather growing up but over the past 29 years since he passed, I became very close to her.  As an adult, I grew to appreciate her more and more and craved all that she could teach me before she departed this earth.

She taught me to sew when I was about 7.  Started out with the most important thing, Quilting!  She loved to make quilts and I loved spending time with her doing that.  The first quilt I ever made was for her. I wanted her to know how important she was to me and to thank her for teaching me her beautiful gift. 

She was also an excellent cook!  Her chocolate pies, fried potatoes, meatloaf and pinto beans were legendary.  Luckily she shared those recipes with me before she passed and I have since mastered them as well so that her legacy continues on for many more years to come.

 The love she and my grandfather shared for 44 years was the most pure I've ever seen.  You don't see alot of that these days.  Once she went into the nursing home almost 7 years ago, I started cutting squares for her to hand piece together into quilt tops.  It was still her favorite pastime even at 90 years young.  The quilts she made are now my most treasured possessions.

So now that she's gone, I will also hold her strongly in my heart for all the rest of my days.  I'm so honored that my children had as many years with her as they did.  She will always hold a special place in their heart too.

 

Four Generations - with Emma about 2 months old.

This is the last picture I have of us together from Thanksgiving a few months back.

This is a rose from the bush outside her house - 30 degrees in Texas and it's still blooming! No filter taken with my phone camera - even matches my sneakers!

 

Here she is with my grandfather whom she married at 16.  This was probably taken sometime in the early 40's.

  

This is now one of my most precious photos - two quilter's hands locked together forever.

Love them while they are here..........

Jenn

Commission Quilts

I had the opportunity to make another commission quilt from a sale in my etsy shop.  My client sent me some really cute clothing that both of her small daughters had worn and I worked my magic to create a wonderful RAINBOW quilt.

I started with the heart print fabric and pulled together other corresponding fabrics as well as some other plaid & floral outfits that she had sent me to use.  My client and I were both delighted how it turned out.

 

 

 

 At the same time I was making this sweet rainbow quilt, I was making another commission quilt for a co-worker to use in her photography business.  She wanted something vintage and anyone who knows me knows I'm all about the vintage look.  So out came all my vintage sheets!!  Much of the fabrics for this quilt I already had cut up.  Then all I had to add were pieces from some of my latest thrift store purchases.

OMG - I am in LOVE with the rounded corners!

Somehow this shot didn't quite turn out like I thought it would, but at least I attempted it! lol  The face behind Purpleheart Ori"Jenn"als!

I'm afraid it was a bit too shady for this shot.  The colors were really vibrant.  It was really hard to part with this one.  Luckily I have TONS of vintage sheets left and could whip up another for myself!

2016 is going to be the year I quilt more for myself and family!  I'm going to call the shots and everything I make is going to be 100% me!

Happy Stitching Friends!

Jenn