Author: jeaniesdreams

Happy Halloween!

Rambling a bit about quilting and my projects.

It feels so nice to actually finish a quilt. After all of the mask making and craziness going on. It feels like my sewing has been all over the place.

I really enjoyed working on the Clover all Over pattern by Jennifer Ofenstein @sewhooked. The pattern called for 20 blocks, but I wanted it larger, so I made 30. After playing around with the layout I decided to make it on-point, so I only needed 25 blocks.

A couple years ago I started practicing with FMQ (free motion quilting). The progress is very slow, but I am determined to do it. This is only my second time attempting a pattern outside of meandering,swirls and loops.I just made large flowers in the middle of the blocks with swirls in between. Overall I think I did a pretty good job.

I made a small baby quilt with the leftovers. I also rounded the corners on this one.

This weekend me and my husband really needed to get away. With COVID-19 going on we really didn’t feel comfortable going to a hotel. On an impulse we rented a small apartment from the Airbnb called The Rising Sun in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. I have never rented from airbnb before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

It was a relaxing ride from our little town in Ripley,TN (about 2 and a half hours away). We stopped and had breakfast at the Breakfast Cove in Covington, TN. The Breakfast Cove is a normal stop for our weekend trips. They have a nice variety of meals and good coffee. All the staff was wearing mask and stepped back just enough so you could order. I’m not terribly scared of COVID, but I appreciate everyone doing their part to make our visit feel safe. As usual the breakfast was perfect.

Upon arriving in the historic side Helena, the old town needs some work. You can see the community trying to stay ahead of it. A new upcoming business here and there. If you want to see a glimpse of the past, Historic Helena-West is your place. We did take some time and go into the updated Helena to do some last minute shopping for our weekend getaway. They have all the regular shops such as Walmart and fast foods. I should note that everyone was wearing mask, greeters at the door, and sanitizing wipes as you walk in.

I had to take a picture of the steeple. Such beautiful craftsmanship. It also reminded me of the game Assassins Creed.

There was a slight misunderstanding with the check in time at The Rising Sun. This being my first airbnb experience, I was getting a bit nervous. We had requested an early check in, and somehow the lines got crossed. Once Chuck, our host, realized we had already made it, he greeted us with apologizes and started the building tour. After seeing the little town you are not quite sure what to expect. We was not disappointed. Room one included a kitchen,living, and bedroom section. And the second room being the bathroom with a shower.There is also the highlight of the stay, the balcony. You have complete access to the balcony and I quickly realized it is The Rising Suns pride and joy. They have taken great care in making this area a little oasis for the guest. With tables and chairs, beautiful greenery, Bluetooth speakers, retractable awnings, and access to a grill. During our stay we spent several hours out on the balcony talking and laughing. Chuck and his wife Cindy shared some wonderful stories of the towns history.

Chuck recommended us try the Tavern in one of our stops, a restaurant just down the street. We got there during off hours. As we were reading the signs a very nice lady opened the door and said “come on in”. Because I knew we were intruding in their prep time for supper , we decided to get hamburger and fries. Freshly made to order delicious hamburgers. A bar and grill atmosphere that was very proud of the local King Biscuit music tradition.

COVID-19

For our first outing during this pandemic we wanted a nice quite weekend. The Rising Sun was a perfect choice. At no point during the weekend did we feel uncomfortable. Everyone that we encountered was wearing mask and/or keeping the appropriate distance. The room and businesses we visited was very clean. Thank you Chuck and Cindy for a relaxing weekend.

BTW it’s Tuesday the 25th..got my days wrong.

TTMT hosted a Friendship Quilt Swap.

Once I made up my mind that I wanted a quilt top with some sort of knot, I started researching different quilting patterns. I love the idea of something symbolizing how paths cross and intertwine. I very quickly started zoning in on the Celtic knots. I finally found the (almost) perfect pattern called Gordian Knot Quilt Pattern.
The crazy thing is I like to get the official pattern whenever possible and I kept finding different versions of the same pattern.

1. Gordian Knot Quilt Pattern -by Mary Whitehead
2. Eternity Knot Pattern- PieceByNumberQuilts
3. Celtic Knot Quilt Block Pattern- Kathy Seaman Shaw
4. Gateway to Mongolia-Dragonfly Quilts

And many, MANY more.

After spending way too much time researching the pattern, reading all the different meanings, several origin stories, I decided the best thing to do was to make my own.

Thank you TTMT for letting me join in the fun.

You can find my version of the pattern HERE.

The block is 16.5 x 16.5 with a 1 in. border. Final size 18.5 x 18.5