Introducing ~ ~ Journey Five!!

At last!!!!!  It is with great pleasure, relief, and excitement that I introduce the quilts for... 

Journey Five of the 

Prairie Women's Sewing Circle club!!

Easily one year in the making, you can imagine how thrilled I am to show you the six new quilt projects and the new bonus project!  

The first and largest quilt is called The Freedom Quilt.  It features an original block and a great mix of fabrics from both the Pin Money and Prairie Woven collections.  I think the block kinda looks a little like a Mariner's Compass.

Next is a quilt called Pleasant Prairie.   Aren't simple little quilt so much fun to make?  Pick a beautiful border fabric, then choose coordinating prints and sew this up in no time! 

The third quilt is called Hope Chest Relics made from three of my Pin Money fabrics.  Oh how I love the antique Carolina Lily quilts in their red, green and white glory.  This little quilt honors that tradition.

The fourth quilt is called Something Blue made from two more of my Pin Money fabrics. Recognize this quilt?  It's a smaller version of my larger Settler's Puzzle quilt pattern, which at the moment is only available if you take one of my workshops!

The fifth quilt is called Square Dance. The block is old and not often seen, and I love it.  Love the name, too....Crazy Ann!

The sixth quilt is called Emma's Sewing Basket.  I made a few changes to an old block and set it on point with the zig zag setting.  Love, love red and brown together!

Can you tell what the historic stories are about from the quilt names?

For the bonus project, I must admit it took some time for me to decide on what to do.  It was time to introduce a new shape to work with while club meetings were going on.  So many choices!

If you're like me, you've no doubt noticed on blogs, in quilt shops, and especially Pinterest...they are loaded with images of the awesome Lucy Boston: Patchwork of the Crosses quilt.  I must admit, I was very taken with the wonderful fussy cutting blocks I was seeing, and inspiration struck!  I decided to work with elongated hexagons and played and played until I decided on a simple, striking design for a block.

Here's what I came up with.....

I deliberately used two neutral shades for the quilt setting so the hexie blocks and border would really shine through.  

Oh, did I have a grand time making these hexies!  Now, I like a fair amount of hand stitching, and in the past have hand sewn all the hexies and the quilt together.   A fine task when you have a lot of time, but I never do, so....this time, I used the glue stick.  I figure if the glue stick was available in the 1800's, the prairie women would have given it a try...so what the heck!

Winds of Change is the name of this quilt.  Change was a constant thing in the lives of Prairie Women, and they had to adapt to all kinds of different situations....which as we know is a difficult task, especially when we're older.  What you can't see in this photo is the glorious quilting.  My pal and quilter, Ronda, out-did herself on this quilt.  Sometimes, I like having "open space" in a quilt where the quilting can be the focus instead of more pieced blocks, and I got just what I was hoping for!

After completing the top, I handed it to Ronda so she could work her magic.  Then, I left for Washington, D.C.  While I was gone, Deb (my pal who works with me) picked it up, bound it for me, and dropped it off with my photographer, Dan.  I brought it home and enjoyed it for one hour...one hour....then boxed it up, along with the other six Journey Five quilts, to send to my local quilt shop, The Quilt Merchant.  They are hanging in shop in case you'd like to stop in to see them.  (By the way, I'm teaching Journey Five at The Quilt Merchant starting Saturday, October 12th!  We'd love for you to join the fun.)  I'll try take some good pictures (emphasis on the "good pictures" part as you know what a poor photographer I am) of the quilting on the Winds of Change quilt.  It's fabulous!

After working on a gigantic project like this for the better part of a year, it is a true cause for celebration when it's finished.  The patterns and Shop Owner's guides have been printed, and I'm just waiting for the color covers to arrive from the printer.   Then....I can ship Journey Five to all the shops that have been patiently waiting!  (I'll be doing a happy dance on the front lawn!!)  

If you like what you see and are interested in joining the fun, ask for The Prairie Women's Sewing Circle  club at your favorite local quilt shop!  The Journey Five patterns are only available from a participating shop!!   

Thanks for sharing in my celebration!  Wishing you very Happy Stitches....off to do a happy dance.