Lone Star Stitching Together Tea Party

In honor of sewing my Lone Star together:

Be sure to fall down the rabbit hole!

Who are You?

Last Glow Arc for Lone Star and Paisley Prints Detail

I feel a little bit like Alice and Wonderland tonight with the Lone Star Quilt.  Who might you be?  And truly how deep does this rabbit hole go?  The last time we talked about the Lone Star Quilt, I was stuck with Mr. Runny Dye Arc from a water glass spill.  Sure enough the bleach pen did get rid of Mr. Runny, but also brought along a friend.  We'll call the friend "fade". Yep, that's what happened.  Some of the glows in that block had noticeable fading - okay noticeable to me and DH after I pointed it out.  That isn't the quality of workmanship I put into my quilts, so I made another.

Meet the last glow block; 8 of 8 for the Lone Star Quilt!!!!  Right now you're surely thinking what I'm thinking.  Does this mean the center star is ready to be put together?  Oh YES!  YES! YES YES!  Huzzah!  Who wants to join my putting together party?  We'll have tea for Alice - I suppose that's me.  Who will be the Mad Hatter?  Oh and What about the Dormouse?  Hehehe.  And of course the March Hare and if we're thinking Disney - which I always do, the White Rabbit who can only stay for a second?

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back to see the entire pieced star to be posted right here soon.

My May WIP: Jammin Jammiez

Jammin' Jammiez

Okay Normally I would wait to tell you about my new project for May but I just started it this evening and finished it too.  Using leftover flannel I made my daughter new pj's.  Jammin' Jammiez.

This is my own pattern.  I seem to do much better making clothes when I just wing it, and I find not only do I enjoy the process more, I am often much happier with the results both short and long term.  Because I didn't use a pattern that meant I took the measurements off my daughter, while she was feeling impatient with me because she wanted to play on the computer.  I was sure 26" would do it with plenty of wiggle room, but she doesn't feel it's loose enough.  Being sleepwear I'm inclined to agree, so tomorrow I will seam rip off the bodice, adding likely 3" over all (by adding at the side seams of the bodice and resewing the front and back pleats then re-attaching.  It sounds like a big deal but it isn't, and will likely give her a year or more of grow room.

Jammin' Jammiez Back

Oh you should have seen her.  She was delighted, wanting to know if she could pretend it is a dress and wear it to school.  I have never seen her so happy over a blue garment before.  Granted it has been a while since I sewed anything for her.  A year, I think?  Perhaps I need to make a point to hand make something for her every so often.  Oh and the big surprise?  I have enough leftover of the light blue stars to make a simple version for me too.   Then we'll be mom and me sleepers.  Or should I say daughter and me?

Now no worries about the Lone Star, I've been making progress since that border post.  I've have 3 of the last 4 glow blocks fully sewn - and they are completed blocks not just arcs!  As for the 7th there was a little water spill on the completed arc and I had a bit of an issue with the dye in the purple running.  Currently I feel like I have three options.  #1 Just remake the entire glow  #2 Carefully use a bleach pen and last but not least  #3 seam rip out the 3 or 4 offending pieces, cut new ones exactly the same size and replace.

I'm feeling in favor of #2 or #3.  What do you think?

Lone Star Scrolling Corners

There is quilting when you're cutting and piecing, and then there is quilting when you're thinking and researching. I suppose quilting is akin to making a really good stew as you're not always thinking about it, but it's simmering in the back of your mind.

I've been working on the stewing part, and wanted to update you with what I've come up with.  After looking at 100's likely even 1,000's of scrolls and scrolling borders I opened Illustrator and began to play.  I didn't like what I created at first, but as I spent more time I was able to bring the curves around to my way of thinking.  These would be printed out to scale, then using a light box traced onto fabric (I found a palest blueish/teal calico) and then detailed over the markings with Fabrico Markers (likely their ultramarine).

Obviously the blank squares are the Glow Blocks I've been piecing.  I'm on number seven remember?!  I need to clear off the sewing table some to make room for the cutting mat before I can get back to those.  Ironically I'll be clearing away the glow blocks to make room to cut more strips.

So I can't hardly stand it, what do you think?

Quilting Quiet

Have you missed me?  I've missed you.  I'm still around, clearly.  The school year is coming to a close here, and I really need to use the last of the peace and quiet to get the Lone Star Glows done.  I'm halfway done with arc #7 of the 8 blocks that I need, so steady progress is getting me there.

I've found leaving in the paper piecing paper, ruined my accuracy when sewing the two completer curves to the arcs, so I have already removed the paper from blocks 5 & 6 in preparation of sewing the last two seams for those blocks.  Why stop in the middle of block 7 you ask?  Well I just ran out of my pre-cut strips, so that is a job for tomorrow or maybe for Friday...

Have you been having nice weather?  We have a storm sitting on top of us and the forecast says it should rain daily through Tuesday.  At least the grass will be happy right?

Christmas Quilt-a-long Year 3 May Evening Check-In

Good Evening.  Who here wants a nightcap?  I personally finished a Mudslide with dinner, DH had a craving for Spanish food so I was able to try something new that was yummy, sorry no leftovers.  As for the Mudslide, it had been in the freezer for several months, so I handed it to DH and told him to "fix it" which of course he did and after he was done I went and "fixed it" some more.

We had a wonderful day out.  My horoscope said I'd been to busy lately, so I should relax and work on something I enjoy this afternoon.  How about that for a surprise?  Considering I hadn't checked my horoscope since the New Year I felt that one was nice to read.

This evening I have all of my HST's made and pressed open.  I will save squaring them to 3.5" for another day, I used Sharon's tip for cutting first instead of drawing the line and I think it did save time, though I'm surely more used to the other method. Now, I'm certain all of you have a large mountain of things that you made today and I know I'm going to have a blissful time in the next two or three days catching up on what I missed out on in blog world today.

Naughty Sue has been having my goat about this Mystery Quilt and my yearning desire to know what it looks like.  I can't help it I plan the quilting while I piece!  Without that to keep my mind busy, instead while I was working on our assignment for this month, I daydreamed about what our quilt might look like and this is the quilt that popped into my head.  This isn't our quilt though because the numbers of what we have don't work with the numbers this quilt takes.  Though maybe if I'm close Sue will tease me some more.  ;-)

Merry Christmas Quilt-a-long Year 3, May Morning Check-in

Ho-Ho-Ho, you've entered a comfortable 80 degrees when bumming into my blog this morning.  That's only because I have the air conditioning on so why come inside and settle yourself for a few minutes before continuing on your way.  Welcome, Welcome!  I'm so glad you're here!  What will you be working on today?  My daughter has some plans this morning.  It's a big deal when you're six to have plans of your own, so I will be away for that part of the day, and then I hope to come back and started Sue's installment for our Christmas Mystery Quilt. 

Does anyone have any ideas yet what this quilt is going to look like?  Oh I would love to know!!!  Now off with you, because I'm certain you have so much to do today. Don't forget to stop by our Hostess with the Mostest this Month, our very own Miss May, Sharon!  Stop by and see me this evening, I'm sure you'll have plenty to share.

Lone Star Border Thoughts

Here is the beginning stages of my planning for the border of my Lone Star.  I saw this really amazing Lone Star Quilt, which you can see here, it was made and quilted by Jennifer McRae whose website you can visit here (though she doesn't have any pictures of it on her site).  The details, both in the border and in the quilting are really remarkable.  The more you scroll down, the more images there are of the amazing details.  If you're wondering about your Lone Star, or just want to feel like oh my goodness now what, check that one out.

EQ5 does not have a lonestar block, at least not one that I can find, so rather than let that deter me, I took pencil in hand.  As you can see the leftover trapeziods will surround the quilt, and then from there I'm not sure.  I think I'd like to do something in the corners...  Maybe more paper pieced blocks with the rays flaring in towards the center of the quilt (the reverse of the ones shooting out of the star).  When I look at the quilt as it is now, there is a pale blue that speaks to me.  You can see what I'm talking about here. I'd like to do seomthing with that and I'm thinking I'd like to move away from the white, allowing it to be contained within the center focus.  So maybe brown or black for the background to really light the center fire?  Or perhaps the other way around with the blue as the background and the details in black? 

Anything jumping into your mind for those big open corners?  The border is about 16" from trapeziods to the edge of the quilt. 

Lone Star Assembly Part 2

Half of Lone Star Flimsy

I have joined half of the Lone Star Quilt!  The pictures were almost better before I sewed them together but I wanted to show it off anyway.  Often when these Lone Stars have rays bursting off they seem to be called Bethlehem Stars.  Clearly the reasoning is obvious.

Below is a picture of my little helper.  When I was pinning she thought it was the best game ever, which I was glad she'd never done that before!  Also she was so eager for this blog post that she jumped from where she was resting to play underneath before I even had this half of a flimsy spread out.  I think it's earning four paws up!

Can you see the birthmark on Tiny's bottom lip?  Both of my kitties have that and both have rings on their tails.  They are both darlings, but what with these pictures I post of Tiny you'd never guess it would you?  I think of Tiny as a man's cat.  She doesn't care about visitors one way or the other, though she will happily find any woman with or without hair product in and make friends.  Gals it's the hair it's not you.  Not to mention she is a real sweetie at bed time happy to cuddle up for pets before leaving you for her own bed.

My Helper

Lone Star Assembly Part 1

Sometimes quilts fly out of my machine, more often they crawl.  That was the thought that ran through my head this morning as I settled in to join the Lone Star Quilt-a-long.  My machine was feeling sleepy this morning so instead of waiting for it I got right to work.

There is simply no way my house is peaceful enough to get any paper piecing done on making more glows.  As a special treat (likely as much for you as it is for me) today I've decided I will start sewing half of the star together.  I have half of the background blocks finished and thereby I will start sewing, those. I am using my own Y-seam free method, though it is likely others have assembled a Lone Star Quilts this way before me.  To see my step by step tutorial you can find it here: http://sandandsunshine.blogspot.com/search/label/Y-Seam%20Free%20Lone%20Star%20Trick

I began as you see above by spreading out my Lone Star Diamonds with my Radiant Glow Blocks.  As you can see I'm really at a shortage on space for spreading out this beast, which makes working with them in two halves of a whole quilt more feasible. For space reasons I spread everything out counter clockwise, so when it came time to pin I again worked counter clockwise.  I feel like the way I have my diamonds laid out is really important to how well my star will look overall, so it was very important to me to ensure these diamonds stay in that order all the way through the process.  To help with this I sorted my pins by color, thanks to my sister for adding these to my collection just the other week, and then I wrote down the order and a note to myself that I am working counter clockwise.

 Time for me to start sewing!  Sue is our hostess today so why not pop of there and say hi?  She thinks she's behind me but her star is actually together, and I have some rather involved plans for my borders too.  Those of course will come later.

Glow Arcs Become Radiant Blocks

Today I sewed the curves onto the first four glow arcs that I showed you yesterday.  Just for fun I put them together in this circle for the picture.  What a switch hu?

Don't forget tomorrow is the Lone Star Quilt-along-Group.  Our Hostess is Sue and as she will likely have far more peace and quiet around her house than I will have here.  I'm certainly looking forward to the day.

4 Glow Arcs for Lone Star

4 Radiant Glows for Lone Star Quilt

My Lone Star isn't feeling lonely with the four Radiantly Glowing Arcs that I have completed.  Now that's halfway!  The going seemed really slow there for a while, but I've figured out a trick, pinning from the "pretty side" and double check alignment, instead of what all my research said.  Pinning from the pretty side some how allows to me to have a much better idea of where my fabric is and how it will lay, resulting in much less un-sewing on my last block.

This Saturday is our Lone Star Support Group Quilt-a-long and I'm looking forward to being able to say "I made progress this month".  DH will need to trace more of these extra large paper piecing patterns for me before I can continue, therefore my plan is to get to work sewing the arcs on these.  Then I'll be able to say I'm halfway done with this part.  Can you tell I will be thrilled when I can say that??

What have you been working on?  Anything not related to paper piecing I'm happy to hear about.  Oh unless you want to tell me you also have had issues with paper piecing, then you too can leave a comment.