Time to get the first thing off my UFO pile!  I started these quilted jumps, a kind of casual 18th Century substitute for stays, back in 2015, using an older sewing machine.  I re-found them in 2017, and put them in my working pile again, and now I am finally done!  (Just as Spring arrives and I have no reason to wear them for months!)

Several years ago, when I was newly arrived in Portland, OR, and I had a basic, borrowed sewing machine and no experience with either pattern drafting or quilting, I found Sharon Ann Burnston's website and was taken with the idea of making my own version of 18th Century quilted jumps.  Mainly, I wanted them because I was cold.  I'm always cold in the winter, and I simply hate being cold.  The jumps appealed to me as a garment to keep my core warm and leave my arms free, which would be an improvement over wrapping myself in blankets, and more interesting and unique than the "puffy" vests which were then fashionable. 

The Ahsoka Tano dress being done, I had to make a few accessories to really create the character.  The biggest thing was the belt with its apron front.  Then gaiters for the feet, and leggings with diamond-shaped cut-outs.  I'll post about the belt and leggings today, but not the gaiters, because (I'll be honest) I found the gaiters really annoying to do and I'm not happy with them.  They're not bad... just not gonna be in this post.  Maybe I'll post about them in future, when time has passed and I can be objective. 

On May 13th this year, my friend Rosanne and I went to the Northwest Quilters' Quilt show.  For me, it was an art show!  So much artistry, so much beauty.  I want to share it with you! 

Re: the pictures... I did not talk to the quilters or get their permission to post these pictures here, but as they'd already made their work public by exhibiting it, and as I was within the rules of the exhibition to take pictures, I think it's all right to show their workmanship here as long as I credit them.  If the work is yours and you object to its placement here, Contact Me and let me know, and I'll remove your stuff.  Ditto if I've mis-attributed something and you want me to fix it.  Thanks! 

As always, click on a picture to see it enlarged. 

​​What a fun and colorful project I have to share today!  Today is National Quilting Day, and this year many people are making baby blankets for the first babies born in their local hospitals.  Meanwhile, some of my Congolese friends from church are expecting a new baby, and I decided to quilt a baby blanket for them!  Their baby shower is not for a few weeks, but I'm posting the quilting details today!