Stars and Crocus

This weekend I made five more Radiant Stars and I think I'm done making them.  I have twelve and that should make a nice quilt top. 

I have to cut out each block using templates and there are 48 pieces to each block.  The most fun was mixing and matching the fabric, but I'm low on the background and don't know if I can get more.  The sashing will be the prints. 

I have been using the practice pieces from the FMQ challenge as mug rugs and place mats.  I used one of the templates and then washed the item, so this doesn't really look that great now, but with more practice I think this will be okay.

This surprised me today:

Where did winter go?

God Bless You.

 

FMQ Challenge February Exercise

I have been working on the February FMQ challenge from Diane Gaudynski  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-2012-fmq-challenge-tutorial.html , and I have one sample that I will share.

Good enough for now, but not for a quilt.

I ordered stencils from Quilt in a Day when they had a 30% off sale recently, and they arrived yesterday so I now have some new toys. 

They are bigger than I expected.

They'll be fun to use.

God Bless.

February Christmas QAL Post 2

I have changed my mind.

After seeing the Christmas fabrics that others are using I went through my Christmas fabrics and found some I like better than the brown group.

And I'm up to six stars.

Now I will do some cutting.



February Christmas QAL Post 1

I'm having a difficult time making the fabric decision for the Festive Mystery quilt. This is what I chose yesterday from what I have on hand.

So of course this morning I'm second guessing myself and came up with this combo.

I think the medium and light fabrics are too close in value.  I'm using the brown because I have enough of it for the dark. 

Question for Sue:  would this design work with two darks of the same color and the same for the mediums and lights? 

Help please!

I may just go scrappy, but that means I probably won't make much progress today.

I have been making Radiant Stars and am up to five so far.

I might just work on those today until my coffee kicks in and I'm truly awake.



Saturday is Christmas Quilt Along Day

Not ready for Santa this soon?  That's okay.  You just need to be ready for some quilting fun.  The second Saturday of the month is almost here, well not here in this blog, but at Hazel's blog, http://hazelsquilts.blogspot.com/.  Hazel is the hostest with the mostest for the February Christmas QAL.  She has a wonderful blog and is sure to make you feel right at home and welcome when you join us.

Last year Sue and Cathi created a quilt for us to make together, and we were all so pleased with our finished quilts. We also enjoyed seeing each others progress and finishes.  This year Sue has created a Mystery Quilt for us to make together and has named the quilt A Festive Mystery.  Is that fun or what?  We will have six installments of the quilt, then will share our finishes in December when Sue again hosts the QAL.  Sue has a wonderful talent for design, so you can trust that the quilt we make together will be lovely.  Check out last year's finishes if you need more encouragement. http://quilttimes.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-quiltalong-party.html Just visit each blog to see the quilts and other items made by the bloggers who participated. 

Hazel will begin this Saturday by giving us the materials list and the first cutting directions.  I am hosting the March QAL and will have the second installment, although I don't know what it will be.  It's a mystery to me, too.

If you don't want to make the mystery quilt, you can make whatever you like.  I think that since the Christmas season ended so recently, we all know what we could use or want for next year.  And it's not too early to begin making gifts.

Hope you can join us.  It's sure to be a fun experience.

God Bless.

Storm at Sea Block

This is the fifth block for the Treasure Chest Quilt that I am making per Eleanor Burns and Quilt in a Day's facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/#!/quiltinaday

What I've learned is that blocks that may look difficult may just require more exacting attention.   I love working on this quilt because each block I've made so far is entirely new to me but is traditional, so I'm enjoying making them.

When I did a search for some history on the Storm at Sea block, I found that it is a very popular block that when used as the sole block in a quilt can create many different designs depending on how the block is put together and the choice of fabrics.  Two sites mention that the design is based on the  New Testament event when Jesus quiets the sea from the fishing boat, which is a nice testament to the faith of so many quilters of the past.     

Enjoy your crafting and Go Patriots!

God Bless You!



My Third Radiant Star

These blocks cannot be put together quickly, at least not by me.  But for this third block, things went much better.  I only had to rip out 3 seams, maybe 4:)

The February FMQ Challenge practice is a lesson in feathers!  So happy!  Maybe after following the instructions that are given and practicing as much as possible this month I'll get good at them.  Diane Gaudynski is the guest instructor.  The pictures look very helpful. http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-2012-fmq-challenge-tutorial.html

I spent time this past weekend patching together scraps of batting to use for the practice pieces.  So I'm ready to make feathers.

Today I visited an Audubon Wildlife Refuge nearby which is near some of the few remaining farms in this area.  Across the road the field was filled with Canada geese.  They were so quiet I guess they were resting.  I think the mild winter we are having is affecting man, beast, and plants alike.  My crocuses are popping up, but it's too soon.

God Bless You.

Another Star Block

The Radiant Star block designed by Eleanor Burns and published in Quiltmaker's winter issue of 100 Blocks:

I made this block twice.  The first time, the last three seams did not line up, and the lateral lines of the stars were off.  I was going to give up because the damage appeared so big, but while dozing last night it came to me that I should take it apart and start from the beginning.  So I ripped every seam out, measured each piece to be sure I cut correctly and began again.  This time it went much better.  No fabric wasted, just thread.

I have sewn outfits that didn't give me as much trouble as quilting gives me, at times.

I order fabric online and on sale, and over the past year in different orders was able to get quite a few prints of this line which I'm using for the Radiant Star blocks.

This is much different than my usual pastels, flowers, or cute images, but I think making the stars in a mix of this fabric will be nice. 

I didn't use this mix but will do eventually.

I didn't practice FMQ today (can't rip out stitches and sew at the same time,) but SewCalGal gave us a link today to a blogger who I enjoyed reading.  You may already be familiar with Geta's blog, but if not it's worth visiting.  http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.com/2009/10/free-motion-quilting-tips.html 

I did learn another thing today.  Those short seam rippers are for the birds!  I'm getting an ergonomic seam ripper as a New Year's gift to myself. 

Have fun with your crafts.

God Bless You.



January FMQ Challenge

For those participating in the FMQ Challenge that SewCalGal organized, the January practise was to make leaves.  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/01/welcome-to-2012-free-motion-quilting.html  The leaves look easy to make, but I've found that consistency takes practise, and I have a tendency to lose the smooth curve that makes for a nice leaf.

Go Patriots!

God Bless.

Radiant Star Block Practise

We had a snow day here today, so I spent the day, and I mean "the day" making the radiant star block in the Winter 2011 issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.  Began well enough and seemed to be proceding correctly.

So far, so good.

Getting smug.

Uh oh.  Big oops.  The center seams do not match on the vertical. 

I unstitched quite a few seams and resewed.

Now the vertical seam takes a detour. 

I was really enjoying myself until that final seam. 

Fortunately the fabric is dark and printed so it isn't very noticeable.

Tomorrow I shovel snow. 

God Bless.

More Free Motion Quilting Practise

I practised feathers and other squiggles this weekend.

This design I saw in Maurine Noble's book, Machine Quilting Made Easy, and I like it because it is easy and has a nice look. 



I really like making G Clefs.

God Bless.



Practising FMQ for The Challenge

SewCalGal's Free Motion Quilting Challenge http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-challenge.html  is a year-long session for anyone who wants to improve their skill at this facet of quilting.  Darlene of SewCalGal sent an email with a link to a quilter's video of how she makes feathers, and after watching her method I've been practising them today.  I haven't made two alike yet, but that's why we practise.

Edit:  This is the link to the video: http://joanne-threadhead.blogspot.com/2011/03/free-motion-feather-tutorial.html 

What is difficult for me is that feathers are done backwards,  beginning from the bottom and working up, so I can't see the stitches that I have to sew over.  That's my excuse, anyway, for the wavy lines:)

God Bless.

Scrap Bag Block and Another Lone Star Pattern

This is the fourth block in the Treasure Chest Quilt from Quilt in a Day's facebook page. 

My four blocks so far. 

I missed the Lone Star sew along that Sue of Quilt Times  http://quilttimes.blogspot.com/  held this past Saturday.  I guess I'm not ready yet, but I do have my fabric chosen and plan to begin cutting this week.  I was going through my quilt magazines looking for a pattern when I came across this ad:

So I visited the Janome USA site, found the pattern and printed it out. 

I'm not rushing this project, even though it was a spur of the moment decision to do it.    It's an advanced quilt project that has numerous challenges, such as offsetting the strips accurately, then cutting them in a 45 degree angle accurately, and sewing in the set in triangles.  I've read that one of the biggest challenges is to not have a puff in the middle of the star after the points are sewn together; in other words having it all come together and be flat.  And I am visiting the sites that Sue's quilter friends are mentioning, because every bit of knowledge helps. 

I did think about ordering Eleanor Burns's book on the Radiant Star, but a revised edition is coming out this month so I held back.  The Janome directions seem to be good, and I do like the applique on this design.

God Bless.  



Effort to Organize and Radiant Star Plans

I'm hoping to make this year a "buy very little fabric" year.  So I needed to get a handle on what I have so I can make an efficient use of it.   I read some ideas for cleaning up stash and organizing it, and since my sewing area has fallen into the "path to walk through" condition, I am making a stab at putting things in order. 

I began by putting on Threadbare by Monica Ferris (a mystery audio book) and then digging through the scrap bag to find pieces to cut into 5" squares.

The colors and prints are very mixed. Sometimes loving fabric so much makes me hesitant to cut into it, but this size is easy to work with and I love how neat they look.  Just doing this one group used up about one quarter of one of the scrap bags. 

I also found bigger pieces that I will square up and put into a fat quarter category. 

For the bigger pieces I am wondering if the "comic book board" method of folding is a good idea.  Has anyone else tried this?  This is what I saw that I liked:  http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/2011/02/fabric-folding-tutorial.html.  Here is another one: http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com/2011/01/mini-fabric-bolts-tutorial.html.

Sue of Quilt Times http://quilttimes.blogspot.com/ sent out the invitation to join and support her in her project to make a Radiant Star Quilt.  The button on the left shows the version Sue is making.  I'm joining in for the challenge.  I found this design in one of my older quilt books:

However, I couldn't get a grasp of the directions, but I found a block by Eleanor Burns that enlightened me.  She designed a  12" Radiant Star block for the latest Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issue.

Thank you, Eleanor, for making it clear to me. 

I have no idea of what fabric/colors I will use, but if I keep up with my organizing efforts, I may stumble upon the perfect collection. 

God Bless.