I don't know what it is about bags and purses, but I am a total hoarder of any that come along. As my friend Jan says, 'I never saw a bag I didn't like.'

Likewise, I collect patterns and tutorials for making all manner of bags. One that has been worming its way through my brain for over a month is this tutorial for a small snap bag to hold cards - gift cards or business cards or credit cards. I saw it on Instagram, saved it, and have watched it a gazillion times.

Finally, I had all the materials for making this little card holder.

My test attempts are the blue and pink ones in the middle of this array. Actually, another blue one is already in use in my purse, and the other pink one turned out to be sewn - and cut - wrong, so it was a loss.

 

Hoping that I would have a chance to try making these, I brought a stack of random florals with me to Florida. I then ordered a snap kit which includes an rather intimidating device for securing snaps into fabric. On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I bought a yard of medium-weight fusible interfacing. 

Then I dove right in to creating some little bags! They are so fun. And after my initial bumbling efforts, I became rather proficient with the snap tool; I streamlined the cutting and folding and I also incorporated some cutting and turning tricks. These sorts of things weren't shown in the tutorial, but any experienced seamstress knows these tips - grading seams and clipping curves, for example. 

The snap kit I bought has a wide variety of colors, and it was fun to pull out snaps for these few pouches. And it came with so many; I'll have to make several hundred before I run out! You can see a few of the color options in the top photo.

I will definitely be making more. I can think of so many ways in which to use them. The one in my purse is keeping a few random gift cards secure. I don't carry very many business cards, but I'll likely use one for keeping a few essential ones in place. 

I'm thinking of how nice these would be at Christmas time or other gift-giving occasions. 

This was a fun little diversion after finishing the layer cake quilt top. Next up, I will pull out the Grandmother's Flower Garden and get to work on appliqueing the border. This will be a worthwhile activity for evenings. Machine time will likely find me pulling out the Wenselydale blocks and beginning to stitch together that quilt top.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

The first flimsy is finished! It has felt as though I've not really been sewing much so far this month, but to be able to say I finished a quilt top by the middle of the month (I finished it on the 15th) feels like at least something is being accomplished! Yay!

My dear, dear friend Sharon gifted me a Layer Cake for Christmas - Emma by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda. She thought, and I agreed, that this would be a great baby quilt for our new granddaughter who will be arriving in April. 

I cut this out at the end of December so it was ready to go the minute we got settled into our Florida routine. Since I've made this pattern before, it was a snap to stitch up. 

If you have an extra Layer Cake that you don't have planned for anything, you ought to try this! The best part is that the waste is absolutely near zero. Let me simplify the steps for you.

1. Pair up a light and a dark from the Layer Cake (LC). Should end up with 21 pairs.

2. From each pair, cut 1 5.5" square. Set aside.

3. Cut 2 rectangles, 5.5" x 2.5". Set aside.

4. Cut 4 squares, 2.5".

5. Match up opposing combinations. See picture above. Each pair will be an opposite of one another. 

6. Stitch in 9-patch fashion and then sew the top, chain piecing in Eleanor Burns method. 

Easy-Peasy. 

Once I finished the top, I experienced that lost feeling of being indecisive over what to do next. I have several options, so I won't be wallowing in doubt for long.  

To see my other Layer Cake quilts using this pattern, click here to see 2 in one post - mine and Sharon's. Helen has made one, too. Scroll down for her purple and green quilt. 

We all love an easy and fast project!! 

As soon as we get back to Ohio, I MUST get that long arm going again and quilt up this newest flimsy. That baby will be here almost as soon as we return.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

 

 I came across an interesting post earlier this week while scrolling through Instagram. Someone - a quilter - randomly wondered what she was working 10 years ago. This lead to others wondering the same thing. 

Of course, I wondered, too. And because I keep a pretty accurate record of what I'm doing since beginning this blog, I could easily discover the answer. 

I was happy to see that in January of 2016, I already had a finish under my belt! I can sort of even remember going upstairs to the sewing room to finish this quilt. I'd been scrolling Pinterest, and after awhile of seeing so many quilts I wanted to make, I disgustedly closed the app and went upstairs to get busy.

I say disgustedly because I can dream all day long with gorgeous internet pictures similar to this, but they won't become realities unless I actually work on them! Take action, woman!Inaction gets me nowhere!

So, ten years ago this month, I quilted this little quilt. I still love it, and would make another in a heartbeat. Since that time, I have found that this is a Kathleen Tracy quilt. I've made other quilts by her, and have at least one of her books. Her appeal is that she leans toward traditional blocks and reproduction fabrics. I like this look, too. Here's the post from when I actually stitched it. 

I share this today, because I have very little accomplished thus far in 2026. I have made a few blocks on the layer cake quilt I am making.  

Here's what I've worked on instead of stitching - my yearly jigsaw puzzle. Gahh! That bottom left corner took me for-ev-errrr! Finally last night I finished it, then I went to the sewing machine to stitch up a few more blocks.

 

I have about 12 more blocks to sew, then I can begin stitching the top together! I may yet have a finish by the end of the month!

 Looking forward to accomplishing a lot more! 

And one final note, since we are looking back 10 years - I was 10 years younger! It's my birthday, and while 69 sounds frightfully close to 70, I prefer to dwell on all the great quilts I've made in the last 10 years, rather than the aging. Another trip around the sun means more time and even more quilts!

Happy Quilting, Friends! 

Jayne

The time has come to make official the quilting goals I want to achieve this year. While I never seem to conquer every goal I make (past years' records prove this!), I still enjoy creating a list simply to keep me focused. I could get so side-tracked that little would end up being accomplished if I didn't make a list. 

The '26 list will have some repeats, but even though some of these have been on previous lists, I still want to make them, and who knows, it might just happen this year!

2026 Quilting Goals

1.) Aurora - a repeat from last year; I have already pulled the fabrics; I already have the pattern; now I just need to get 'er done.

Aurora

My fabrics for Aurora.

2.) Use Winnemucca fabric - a repeat from about the last 6 years! I bought the fabric on a cross-country trip we made; our destination was our son's home in southern Oregon; we stopped for gas in Winnemucca, Nevada, and found a quilt shop while we were there! This quilt will finally get made this year - I promise!

Winnemucca Fabric

4.) Grandmother's Flower Garden - this continues to be a WIP, because I always seem to find that I want to do 'just one more thing' on it - now, I am adding borders, a task that can easily be accomplished this year. 

5.) Kaffe Fassett Around the World - Theoretically, Sharon and I are doing this together, however she is way ahead of me; I will catch up and have an easy, gorgeous flimsy by year's end.

6.) Wenselydale - the foundation piecing is done; I have the blocks here with me in Florida; I want to stitch them together while here. Flimsy done by April?? Hopefully!

My Wensleydale blocks laid out on the bed.

7.) Layer Cake Quilt/Baby Quilt - Sharon gifted me a gorgeous layer cake of Sheri and Cheslsi fabric for Christmas; I've cut it out and am currently sewing it here. We are getting a new granddaughter in April, so I have a very special purpose for it! 

8.) 3-Yard Quilt - Modern Charm - fabrics are selected; these are fun and fast.

9.) Traditional Trip Around the World - I've dreamed about making one of these for a long time; I do think this will be the year.

10.) Long Arm Goal - Could I possibly quilt 24 quilts? 

I am optimistic that I can accomplish these goals, especially the sewing one. That long arm goal could be a stretch, but if I can be proactive at fixing my thread-breaking issue, then I can do it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Reckoning time has come! Let's take a tally on how well I did in completing last year's quilting goals. 

The goals:

• 1. Cotton Ridge Farm OR Grist Mill
• 2. Wensleydale
• 3.  Aurora
• 4. Continue work on Lake Effect
• 5. Continue work on Grandmother's Flower Garden 
• 6. Use Winnemucca Fabric
• 7. Smoked Cheddar
• 8.  Long Arm Lots of Quilts

1.) I did make Cotton Ridge Farm and I love how it turned out.

2.) I foundation pieced all the Wenselydale blocks with my special stash of Tilda fabrics. I set them aside and now have them with me here in Florida to stitch together.

3.) I did nothing toward making Aurora, so it will make a repeat appearance on the '26 goals.

4.) I did work on Lake Effect, but not very enthusiastically, I admit. I brought it with me to work on while here this winter.

5.) I did work enthusiastically on Grandmother's Flower Garden; I ended up making it even bigger than I expected. Adding a border will be the work for my time here in FL.

6.) I did not use the Winnemucca fabric. However, I have finally decided on a pattern and am planning to cut it out as soon as I get back home in April. There's a retreat soon after we get back, and this will likely be my central retreat effort. 

7.) I did make Smoked Cheddar; began it last winter while in FL, then finished it at retreat.  

8,) I did get some long arming done: Lydia's Lace; Good Life (Tag Sale); Fall Leaves; Blue and White Double Irish Chain;  Red Ohio Stars; 9-Patch Strippy. 

Quilted Autumn Leaves.

And while we are on the subject of long arming, let me confess a most disappointing situation.

 I came out with a bold long arm goal in late October to quilt 5 quilts before the end of the year. I was super motivated after I'd bought 5 backing fabrics on a spectacular sale from Quilted Twins in Dade City, FL. I matched the 5 backs to flimsies in my closets and then my long arm decided to be contrary. Thread breakage, over and over and over and over. It was so aggravating! I spent many hours attempting to remedy this issue. I eventually just quit trying, as other things needed to be done, and I was getting nowhere at correcting the breakage issue. I will tackle it in April when we return. 

To tally this all up, I will give myself 6 out of 8 completed goals. Zilch for Aurora and for Winnemucca. Progress was made on all others, regardless of how much. We won't talk about those 5 backings waiting to go on the long arm!

I did make some quilts that were not even on my goals list: Kaffe Fassett Scrappy 4-patch; Lydia's Lace; a child's quilt using a panel; and a Tilda Hexi/9-Patch table topper.

Kaffe Fassett Scrappy 4-Patch

 

Hexi./9-Patch using Tilda Fabrics,

I have my goals for 2026 ready, so they will appear on my next post. Stay tuned. lovely quilters!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

The one bit of sewing I have done since being here in our winter home is bind a little wall hanging.

Back in the fall sometime, I happened across a stack of what appeared to be orphan blocks that my aunt had made. It has been a year (or maybe two!) since my cousin gave me all his mother's quilting things, so I had sorta' forgotten what all I had. Out of all the blocks in the stack, this little basket appealed to me so much that I quilted it and now have it bound and hanging in our guest room. 

I know why this appealed to me. The floral background fabric is one that I have in my stash and have actually used in a quilt. The other fabrics in the center of this block work perfectly with the floral. Aunt Margaret hand pieced this block, so it was fun to hand quilt it and bind it, thinking about her and how she might have planned on using this block. I didn't see anything else that looked like it was meant to match this, so I suspect she would have used it as the front of a pillow. I did consider that, but went with the little wall hanging instead.

Now for the December highlights. So very little sewing and quilting! So much time for family and friends! That's a fair trade-off, as far as I'm concerned.

TOP ROW: My very dear friend Sharon (who sews with me most Tuesdays!) and I took a walk in Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park to visit a special banner that we Frienzies had placed in the park's Christmas Display. We dedicated the banner to our sweet Frienzies Kay and Lyn, both of whom passed in 2025.  Next, I volunteered for the Greenfield Historical Society's annual Holiday Homes Tour; this dining room is in a historic home near my own, and featured many lovely antique pieces. And last, the Christmas tree is another of Aunt Margaret's projects that I uncovered and finished.

MIDDLE ROW: We hosted our daughters and their families in early December, as I'd finally recovered enough from knee surgery to have them down all at once. It was great having everyone together. Cousins Cate and Reagan (our granddaughters) love playing with the toys in Grandma's basket. The puppets always seem to be popular. And there's the basket block mentioned above that I big-stitch quilted.

BOTTOM ROW: I hosted the Frankfort Girls for our Christmas get-together. We had a lovely brunch followed by a gift exchange. So much fellowship and laughter and goodwill shared with these dear ladies. After Christmas, we had a fun evening of celebrating with all our children and grandchildren! We met for dinner in Columbus at Cap City Diner (Dublin) and then went to Erin's home in Worthington for our family gift-giving. Reagan and Cate had matching pajamas from Gramma Jayne; don't they look darling? The final frame is from Christmas Day, when most of my side of the family converged at our house for a Christmas feast! We had 35 total. We took a picture of 4 generations - Mom, myself, Erin and Cate.

And so we put 2025 to rest; move on to all the great things coming in 2026! I have made a few lists and set a few goals. Those will be shared soon. I guess I will have to revisit "25 once more, as I want to check my goals for last year to see how well I did. 

Since I did mention slow stitching, I will link with Kathy's Quilts and her weekly installment of Slow Sunday Stitching.  

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

I am going to have to do better in 2026! I've blogged so little this past year that I have inadvertently erased an entire post (the one that said Merry Christmas!) Frequency of posting means I remember what to do as well as what NOT to do!

Sorry about that. 

We have survived the 900+ mile trip to our Florida home and are ready to begin a brand new year! We left early New Year's Day and arrived around noon yesterday. Easy traveling when holiday observances keep folks at home rather than on the interstate highways. We made incredibly good time.

We've unpacked the car, cleared out the dust bunnies and are settling in our new 2026 selves. We have made long lists of activities we want to do and places we want to visit. Never fear! Quilt shops and all manner of related endeavors definitely have a high priority for me. I brought several projects, just to be sure I had some variety and also to be sure I wouldn't run out of things to do.

Highest on my list are two projects that have been goals for far too long. Lake Effect and Grandmother's Flower Garden. I will provide details on the individual projects later as I tackle them, but 2026 may be the year that these two very long-standing works in progress (WIPs) are at last finished! Hooray! I honestly think it could happen.

Here's an older picture of Lake Effect. I am filling in blank places in the hexagon parts as well as piecing together the corners on the applique parts. It really does just mean if I stay with this quilt, I can finally have the flimsy finished. It could be soon!

And an older picture of Grandmother's Flower Garden, too. I worked lots and lots on this while here in Florida last winter. I've evened out the sides and the corners; my next step on this quilt is to add a border. 

Typically, I do a round-up of the previous month's highlights, so that will be the topic of my next post. I also will share with you the projects I will work on while here in Florida, as well as the ever-present goals list for the new year. Much to to! I also need to review last year's goals to see how well I did at completing them.

Hope you're having a great day, and

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne