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Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Quilt #116 :: Carolina Jewel Box for Quilts of Compassion


When we designed the house we built in 2012, we knew we wanted to open our doors to whatever opportunities came our way. We knew we would house family from the Netherlands as well as my family from the States, but we wanted to give our one and only child the opportunity to have adopted brothers and sisters around the world.

This month's One Monthly Goal came courtesy of our first exchange student, Marissa.


 The second quilt I ever made was actually gifted to her when she lived with us in 2013!


Marissa came to visit us for two weeks. When we talked about how she wanted to spend her time back in the States, one of the things on her bucket list was to make a quilt with me. She decided to make Jewel Box quilt like this one from Auntie Em of Quilt Crossing.

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Marissa wanted a full-size quilt. I decided to make a smaller, lap size quilt. Mine will be donated to Quilts of Compassion for their Quilts for the Carolines drive. If you aren't aware of the great work this group does, please check out the Facebook page. 


It was fun to work on this project together for many reasons. For starters, it gave us many hours to catch up on each other's lives. It was a little strange to think that my craft room used to look like this when she lived with us. 


And now it looks more like this:


Actually, last month, I added something new to my craft room. Introducing Allison Janome, my new  Janome 9400.


Allison came with a table, the same Janome universal table my Pfaff sits in. I'm still figuring out which machine I like best for each part of quilting.


It's a great set up for sewing with a friend. And fortunately, my faithful Phiona didn't have to sit all alone while I made my first quilt with Allison. 


Because Marissa was brand new to quilting, I made her a coloring sheet for her to help her visualize here color choices of blue, teal, turquoise, and green scrappy with a white background.


For my quilt, I also used blues, teals, and turquoise, but added purple instead of green. 


I was so proud of Marissa for her focus! The first week she was here, I was pretty much out of commission after my little procedure, so we didn't get to get started until she only had a week left of her trip! It took a bit to get the first block done, but after that, she was off and running!


Can you believe she made this in a week?


We finished late her last night here.


This was such a special project for me. I love Marissa to pieces. She really is my Dutch daughter and I couldn't be prouder for her. 


I made a label for my quilt. I realized after I attached it that I put the wrong month, but I started planning it in September, so I'm going to let that go because it's already on its way to its new home.


As for Marissa's quilt, it's already home in the Netherlands with Marissa. 


To see more pictures of this quilt, check the hashtag #CarolinaJewelQuilt on Instagram. To see what I'm currently working on, please follow me at deJongDreamHouse.

Linked to:
BOMs Away @ What a Hoot
Design Wall Monday @ Small Quilts & Doll Quilts
Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts
Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Link Party Tuesday @ Clever Chameleon
Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion on the River
Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts
Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication
Monday Making @ Love Laugh Quilt
Moving It Forward @ Em's Scrap Bag
Needle & Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation
Off the Wall Friday @ Nina Marie
Oh Scrap @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework
Scrap Happy Saturday @ So Scrappy
Show Off Saturday @ Sew Can She
To Do Tuesday @ Stitch All The Things
Wednesday Wait Loss @ The Inquiring Quilter
What I Made Monday @ Pretty Piney
Whoop Whoop Friday @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
WIPs on Wednesday @ Esther's Blog
Work in Progress Linky @ Silly Mama Quilts



My Quilt Infatuation Feature 

24 comments:

  1. What a lovely story! Marissa made a great quilt for the first time! She must have had a good teacher next to her!!! The quilts turned out beautiful. I am Dutch but live in Greece and work with a group of 10 Greek woman, the Quilting Bee Sparta. We make quilts for an orphanage here in Greece.

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    1. Hoi Ada! I saw your other post (now that I figured out why I was missing posts). I married a Dutch man, so Nederland is close to my heart.

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  2. Very pretty! And your studio looks terrific. How nice to be able to have your exchange student back for a visit, and a quilty one at that!

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    1. It was so fun. Amazing that after 5 years, it was like she was never gone.

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  3. Love your quilt. And so glad you worked with Marissa to teach her how to quilt. Thanks for beingetting an inspiration.

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  4. What an awesome experience for you both and fabulous quilts too!

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    1. I'm glad that she has such a great tangible memory of her visit.

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  5. What a fun project. That's quite a quilt for a beginner. She did a great job. Yours is lovely too.

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    1. I'm in awe of her. When we were wondering if we'd finish on time, I showed her my first quilt and it was easy to see how great she was doing.

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  6. Gorgeous quilts!
    I love stories of quilting as a vehicle for connection!

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  7. Lovely quilt! What's even better is the chance to make one side by side with your Dutch daughter! Thanks for sharing this on Wednesday Wait Loss.

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  8. This is so wonderful that you taught your exchange student how to quilt!! I love how you personalized her room with her name, too. She was lucky to be paired with your family!

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  9. Such a lovely story, and pretty quilts! Looks like you had a lot of fun, both of you ;)

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  10. Marissa was lucky to have a fabulous teacher. Her quilt (and yours) turned out great!!

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  11. What a wonderful memory for both of you. Your quilts are beautiful. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  12. The colors are so soothing. Thanks for the reminder about the relief quilts.

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  13. I’ve been following this on Instagram. I can’t believe how quickly the two of you completed these, even without considering your down time and the fact that it was Marissa’s first quilt. They are both so pretty. What a lovely remembrance for Marissa and gift from you to the Carolinas.

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  14. How much fun to have your own quilt retreat with a returning house guest!! And, no, I can't believe she made that quilt (her first - and full size!) in just one week, complete with binding. Amazing. :)

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  15. What a sweet story! It looks as if you've inspired the quilting bug in Marissa - I hope to see more from her in the future.

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  16. Oh, I love those quilts. Such pretty colors!

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  17. I've always loved the Jewel Box setting for the Jacob's Ladder design. I find it incredible that Marissa made her first quilt in a week, complete with quilting and binding. Hopefully, she will make many more back home.

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  18. These quilts are so beautiful!! I really love the jewel tones. And how fun to quilt together!

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  19. This is such a lovely post. Truly beautiful quilts and a fantastic story. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  20. QUESTION: The label has been zigzagged to the quilt post-quilting, apparently. How did you manage to do that? Does the zigzag show through on the top side? If not, again, how'd you do that???

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