Versatile Blogger Award

It's been a long time since anyone gave me an award.  I think perhaps we get into circles or loops of them and around and around they go and then things quiet down for a while.  Anyway I'm very honored as this one came from Cat Patches who told me my blog adds to her reading enjoyment, which as an avid reader I found to be quite the compliment.  Thanks a million! So here's the scoop.
1. Add the award to your blog. 
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3. Mention seven random things about yourself. (see below)
4. List the rules.

Then there is something about 15 bloggers, but you know how it is, I always pick people who don't want to pass it along, or it doesn't work with their content.  So I'm going to scratch that part.

Seven random things hu?

1.  I have a bug bite on my forearm.  This is the second one today as I woke this morning with one on my other arm.  I think it's this mild winter, bugs that should have died instead are dining on me.

2.  I am the oldest of five children.  The youngest was in diapers when I started dating my husband.

3. I have always wanted a rolling organizer cart.  So back before Christmas when my mother offered one she didn't need anymore I jumped at it and now I don't know what to do with it, so it just sits in the sewing room.  Empty!

4. I hate seeing children play in the street.  It makes me feel ill. 

5.  For the first time in my known memory, my husband is sick and I'm not.  Normally I am the virus and bug magnet in the family. (knock wood!)

6.  I keep my fabric in my china cabinet.  The china lives in a box so I guess we know which one I like more these days.

7.  My computer desk is actually a table my grandfather built to hold one of his wood working machines.  When I run my fingers over the wood smoothed by years of use I think of him.

Pins, Ironing, and Leftovers

Pinned Lone Star Strip Set

Check Alignment Using a Standing Pin

Pins:  Jayne made a good point about pinning.  This quilt doesn't just beg to be pinned - it demands it.  Here is a picture I took while pinning.  The standing pins go in first and I pin them all the way and then check them so that they are lined up on the front and on the back too. You can do that by flipping and checking the pin on the back, does it line up as you see below?  If it does you can move on but if it doesn't fuss with it now until you get it.  Then I add more pins to be certain nothing slips as I sew.  Then for good measure I sew slowly and carefully to be certain I hit aka sew right on top of where that standing pin was.  I never sew over pins though, that scares me.  I also like the flat head pins because I feel like the make less bulk and less wiggle room for things to not turn out okay.  Stitch with a nice wide seam, check it and then sew over top.  It's worth the extra time.  Trust me as I did my diamonds both ways depending on my mood, and that meant plenty of unpicking when the points didn't hit right.  Jayne pinned hers a different way so feel free to look at her way too.

Lone Star Diamond Ironing

Ironing:  I made a comment in this post about this time last month I think, about ironing.  After trying all ways of pressing that I could think of, I found that I liked the look when I ironed my seams open.  That meant my first strip set was ironed all up, the second all down, and then when I put the diamonds together I ironed everything open like this.  And while you'd like to think I'm joking you know I'm not.  All eight of my diamonds have their seems pressed this way, and you can even click on the image to see it better if you'd like (and then tell me you iron better than I do, perhaps that way I'll give you my ironing from now on ;-).  Now, you might find with the way you sew that you can iron everything to the right or left, which is fine.  Even great, for you.  But I found after hitting that point just so I really wanted it to show and show well.

Lone Star Strip Leftovers

Leftovers:  The more carefully you cut a strip pieced set the more leftovers you will have.  I cut as carefully as I could and checked my angle each time.  Sometimes I corrected it more often than the pattern said, and sometimes I corrected it less often.  I tried to be extra careful because I hate waste and because one of my strips was shorter than all the rest and I was worried it might not be long enough.  I am now the proud owner of 21 extra strips of diamonds.  At the most I would have 4 extra strips from a set, but every set (even the one with the short strip) gave me at least 2 leftover strips.  That's about 460+ feet of pieced diamonds.  Can you say, "border anyone?"

Y-Seam Free Lone Star Trick

Y-Seams, who wants them?  Why make them on purpose?  I see neither friend nor foe when sewing Y-seams, but they are rather fussy, so I say, Why sew them if you don't have to?  This little tutorial is all about how to sew your beautiful Lone Star aka Bethlehem Star without Y-seams.  

Step 1: Have all eight of your Lone Star Diamond Pieces finished. Also have your background pieces cut.  Your pattern should give you tips for knowing what size to cut your background pieces. Now fellow quilters, I know you can't stand it and want to sew this star together already, but I assure you if you do that you'll be following those directions of yours and come to a Y-Seam before you know it.  If you'd rather not do that lay your star out on the floor or your design board  now to your star add your background pieces.  If a diamond just isn't seeming to want to line up you can try moving it to another location, often that will help, or if you star is a radiant star like mine is - aka both ends of your diamond are the same you can actually try flipping the diamond around so the outside most point is now in the center.  I found that helps quite a bit.

Is your layout beautiful?  If yes grab your top left square and your uppermost left diamond.  We're going to work around this quilt in a clockwise fashion.  Reverse is good too, just remember that you reversed it.  Now you see that lovely little drawing I have for you?  Sew that first background piece to the first diamond piece, right there on the teal line.  Looking at the picture note that you need to start sewing by lining up the bottom of the square to the inner point of the diamond, that way any extra fabric in your background pieces will be towards the outermost part of your quilt. Iron as desired.  Do this four times placing the diamond + square piece back into your layout when finished.

Step 2:  Now take down the second diamond and the diamond + square piece.  Pin the two diamonds together, taking care to line up the seams just as you did earlier when piecing your small diamonds.  Do not worry about the square, simply let it dangle free for a minute.  Sew along the blue line.  Stop.  Fuss with your fabric a bit and align the second diamond to the second side of the square square pivot the foot of your machine and begin sewing along the red line.  Do this four times with your other pieces.  Returning each newly sewn piece to your star layout as you go.

Step 3: This will work if you're using diamonds on the sides or if you are using squares on the sides.  The shape makes no difference.  My directions will show you using a diamond as that is the most common.  Take your first double diamond + square piece and your first triangle background piece.  Pin and sew from the right angle of the triangle to the outermost point of the star as shown with the green line on the left.  Do this four times.  Do not worry about the dangling edge of the triangle we will take care of that and wrap up this star in the next step.  Return your pieces to your layout.  Can you believe it, your star is a mere four pieces already!

Step 4: From your layout remove your first double diamond + square + triangle piece, as well as your second.  As in step 2 pin your small diamonds carefully, leaving the triangle to dangle.  Now starting at the centermost point of the star and sew along the red line.  Stop, align the loose flap of the triangle to the diamond and sew the purple line.  Do this four times and your star will be all sewn together without a single Y-seam.  Now aren't you glad you decided to create a Lone Star Quilt?

I actually only started this star at the end of December, and I'm using a free strip pieced method that I found and you can get it here.  If you'd like to see my past progress just click here and scroll down though my Lone Star Quilt posts.

Lone Star Support Group Session 2

Lone Star Diamonds Laid Out

Good Morning Everyone.  My coffee has gone cold this morning while puttering around.  I have good news.  The Star piecing of my Lone Star is done, as some of you already know.  I'm holding off on piecing it together yet because I have a method that will let me skip the Y-steams, I made a tutorial that you can find here.

Lone Star Quilt Layout Sketch

So now on to the background!  I'm not sure about the background color.  I'm thinking a cream, or maybe a brown if I found the perfect fabric.  I'd like to make eight paper pieced blocks for my background pieces creating rays that will radiate out from my star.  Currently I like the idea of using a cream background with hot pink/fuchsia rays with teal rays in between.  My dear friend Vicki found these free New York Beauty blocks, and my current favorite for this quilt it Block #8.  I've only ever done one single paper pieced block and I had a hard time with the rough cut sizes to sew and fold, so hopefully this time it will come more easily.  Vicki's math figures I need to increase the size of the blocks 225% which shouldn't be a problem as I will either scale it up myself or print it out normally and ask the copy place to increase it for me.  Your amount of increase could vary depending on your star, though I'm certain if you want to make these blocks too just ask for help and someone can figure out the math.  There was something else I wanted to say but I'll just have to share it later in the day because I can't recall what it was right now, as I am to excited to see what everyone else is up to.  It was so much fun last month to trot around the blogosphere and see what everyone has done and where your at.  I'm looking forward to another great day.  Today we're linking up at Jaynes.

Lone Star Center Detail

I actually only started this star at the end of December, and I'm using a free strip pieced method that I found and you can get it here.  If you'd like to see my past progress just click here and scroll down though my Lone Star Quilt posts.

The Second Act: The Snake

The Snake in my Snake and Meerkat Quilt

I've been working on my Snake and Meerkat quilt lately.  I used organza and pinned it to the flannel, luckily I could see through the organza to the lines I drew of my snake on the flannel.  Then I ran a running stitch by hand stitching on top of the drawn lines.  Once that was done I cut the organza back to the edge of the running stitch.  Using glitter thread I painstakingly satin stitched overtop of my running stitch.  I will hand stitch the fangs on next, but I'm not sure if I should use thread or embroidery floss.  What do you think?

As this is a quilt about "What I would look like if I were a quilt".  I can say that the snake, oh the snake.  When the pain is very bad I can feel the snake in my veins hissing and spitting.  Sometimes even driving to me to reach out and snarl at friends and family with words I would never say under other circumstances.  Even though the pain is in my leg I can feel the snake in all of my veins, pounding and thrumming against my will.  Since starting this quilt May 9, 2010 (I know it's been on the list a long time!) I feel the snake less often.  Perhaps I could even say I rarely feel the snake.

Snake head in need of Fangs

But in the past couple of days I have learned that I'm not the only one with a snake.  I think we all have one.  Maybe it lives deeper inside some of us than others.  Coming out sometimes to hiss?   Perhaps not a hiss of pain, but a hiss of frustration?  Of anger?