8 Stars

I finished eight Stars in a Time Warp blocks so am caught up according to the "make two each week" schedule.  This is a sew along hosted by Barbara Brackman, who is providing informational background on Civil War era fabric on her blog each week. 

The idea is to make two sawtooth star blocks each week, then turn them into something quilty at the end of the year.  Barbara Brackman's instructions for making the sawtooth star block are here.   I've departed from these instructions because I want my stars to float in the background; that is, have a narrow border of the background fabric surrounding the star when the blocks are sewn together.  So I'm using a slightly different method.  In case you like this approach, here are my cutting directions.

From the background fabric, cut four pieces 2.5" square (will be the corners of the block) and four pieces 2.5" by 3.5" (will be the background of the flying geese.  From the star fabric, cut one piece 3.5" square to form the center and eight pieces 2" square to form the star points.  See photo below.

Make the star points using the corner flip method.  Place a 2" square in the corner of one of the background rectangles, sew the square diagonally corner to corner, flip, press, then trim away the background fabric under the star point.  Do the same on the opposite corner and repeat for all four background rectangles.  You will have four flying geese units to form the star points. Placement is shown in the photo below.

Sew all nine pieces together (like making a 9-patch), and voila!  Your star is complete.

When finished and sewn together, your stars will "float" with a half inch border of background fabric on all sides.  When you sew the star blocks together, you don't have to worry about nipping the points of the stars off.  You can still add sashing if you want your stars further apart. 

The corner flip method is not my favorite for making flying geese.  I prefer the Open Gate method which involves making the units over-sized then trimming down with a special ruler.  I get the best results with this method. But for the floating effect when making small blocks, the corner flip method works best for me.  

I'm going to cut more pieces from my French General scraps and try to stick with the two per week schedule.  Are you going to join in?

3 Sister Etchings Destash Sale

On Saturday, I spent some quality time pulling fabric from my stash for various projects.  I found something I know I will not use any time soon so want to send it to a new home.  All this fabric is from the Etchings line by 3 Sisters for Moda.  I think it came out in 2011.  I loved it then and still do but did not make whatever I had planned to make, the colors are not compatible with our home decor, and I have so many other projects in the works. 

Included is a fat quarter bundle; 40 FQs, one of each print, along with some extra yardage.  The colors are deep red, gray, Wedgewood blue, and cream.  Some of the prints are like architectural blueprints, some have handwriting, and there are some beautiful florals.

This photo shows all the fat quarters, some unfolded.  There is also half yard of gray woven stripe (last fabric in the column on the right - the stripes are very narrow), 2.5 yards of large gray and red floral print (on the left in front - I planned to use this for borders) and 4 yards of cream tone-on-tone.

A total of 7 yards plus the 40 fat quarters.

Price is $170 which includes domestic postage.  SOLD

If you would like to purchase this, leave a comment telling me and I will send you an invoice via Paypal.  Just be sure you are not "no reply" in Blogger/Google so I can respond to your comment via email.

Sawtooth Star Sew Along

Last week, on Nicole of Sisters Choice blog, I read about Barbara Brackman's Stars in a Time Warp Sew Along.  It took me only a few minutes to decide I'm in.  I love a star block!

To make my sawtooth stars, I'm using my stash of French General fabrics, mainly the scraps left from making my pineapple quilt called Rendezvous in 2013 and another star quilt (Ginger Belle pattern from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.) in 2011.

I have a plastic shoe box size bin of scraps as well as a layer cake of Rural Jardin, a few fat quarters, and some charm packs.  I started by cutting some of the scraps and have a few stars ready to sew on this block board.  

 I need to make eight stars to get caught up, then I can add two stars a week until the end of the year, or until I have enough for my project.  I have a vague idea in mind but that could change.

Another Dip In The Magic Basket

I pulled some fabric from my bottomless basket of Fig Tree fabric for my next quilt.  Like Mary Poppin's carpetbag, my basket of Fig Tree fabric seems to hold much more than you would think given its size.  I started with a few fat quarter bundles, a layer cake, and few other odds 'n ends.  I've made seven quilts already and still have lots of fabric to work with.  

Next up in the Fig Tree Harvest is a baby quilt using the minty greens (the color is more vibrant than it looks in this photo).  I have something simple and fun in mind, a design I can quilt myself. Check back soon for a progress report.

Contemporary Traditionalist

25 blocks like this...

came together to make this top (needs pressing).

The last step will be a simple border from the white background and a bit of the gray polka dot then it will be ready for quilting.  I even have the backing fabric.

I recently heard this term, Contemporary Traditionalist, and I think it is a good description of the direction my quilting style is going. Traditional blocks and techniques in contemporary fabrics, colors, and settings.  I like it.

For Christmas, 2015

This morning, I found a new project in my in-box.  Isn't he cute?



photo from Bunny Tales, the Bunny Hill Designs newsletter

He's the first in a series of free monthly projects from Bunny Hill Designs, all involving applique, snowmen, and hearts.  I could not resist; I already ordered the flannel needed for the snowman applique.  I have a tub full of red and green Christmas fabric.  I think I have some embroidery floss around here. 

I will just have to keep up.

And Then There Were Seven

Happy New Year!  I started the new year doing what I love to do and spent the whole afternoon in my sewing room working on my current project.  I have seven blocks up on my design wall.  I am loving this color combination! 

While at the sewing machine, I thought about what lies ahead for me, quilting-wise, this year.  I want to make some smaller quilts.  We have more than enough bed-size quilts and smaller quilts like wall hangings will give me scope to try new techniques without a major commitment of time and fabric.  I could put a new wall hanging into the rotation in my kitchen. 

We also have a couple of additions to the family who need quilts!  My mother-in-law is a quilter but at nearly 90, she is no longer up to it and her latest great-grandchild did not receive a quilt yet.  Poor Abby had to make do with a crocheted afghan on Christmas!  An afghan is all very well but it is not a quilt!  So I had better make a quilt for Abby and one for the baby on the way.  (By the way, these babies are not my grandchildren.  They are the grandchildren of Mr. Main Street's sisters.  Miss Main Street is only 19 and, much as I love babies, I can wait a few years - or 10 -  for a grandchild of my own.)

And my project for the year is an applique quilt.  So far all I've done is selected the pattern and the fabric.  I need to prep some blocks so I have some hand work to take with me when the opportunity arises. 

But of course, I can't plan too much; I need to allow time in the plan to respond to inspiration as it arises.  While on Pinterest updating my Quilts To Make In 2014 board, now re-titled Quilts To Make in 2015, a few items caught my eye.  And more of this is bound to happen over the course of the year so I need to be flexible. 

It is wonderful to have the inspiration of my fellow bloggers and quilting Instagrammers.  And even better to have your support!  It is so uplifting to know there are a few people who think it is worth their time to check in on what I am making.  Thank you for joining me on my quilting journey.