Patisserie: All in the Stars

This morning I sewed all of the Snowball Blocks (look here for my tutorial that will give you a 12" block combined with four bonus 3"  half square triangles), and then this afternoon I sewed all of the blocks together.  I'm certain with this quilt the work was all in the stars.  Well...  What do you think already?!?!  Personally I'm a bit stunned that I made it this far so quickly, of course I still have a border or two to add, as well as something for the back but honestly how can you not look at this quilt and love it?  It's so girlie it screams to be loved.  Now if only it would tell me a bit about how it wants to be quilted.  I thought I had a couple ideas until I saw it open and flat for the first time and then every thought of any quilting went right out of my head, sort of a long "ohhhhhhh," followed by a "hu".

Tiny was of course the first one to actually have full body contact with this quilt, both DH and I moved it carefully to the side to sit.  This quilt is seven rows, four blocks wide and at this point measures 87"x49".

Tomorrow is my birthday, so don't expect much if any sewing out of me for the next couple of days.  Nothing like an "0" ending birthday to make you want to get the lead out - at least a little bit.  Besides I have to revel in the joy of having gotten DD's quilt this far! 

They're Here!

I was thrilled when I won the giveaway Aunt Spicy was holding for a friend last week.  I was able to pick one item from Erica's Etsy Shop and of course I selected the rose studs, they are just the right size and I can't get over how fast they arrived, I wasn't expecting them today at all.

As a bit of an extra perk Wednesday is my birthday so the earrings will be something special I can wear while I celebrate.  I was torn between these earrings and her hair pins, so I might very well be back to her store before you know it.  Erica also has many beautiful photographic prints so why not head over to her store and take a look?  When I checked she has three different rose hairpins still, as well as the Coral Ruffle Rose Earrings that are like mine (except mine are pink)  Of course if you'd like to get to know her better pop in to her blog. 

Patisserie Stars

Last night I finished up the 54-40 fight Stars, my goodness, I think these turned out pretty.  As I was ironing them open I stopped and counted the pieces.  There are 29 pieces in each and every star, what was I thinking?  Though I am certain I've made blocks with more pieces, I don't think I've ever made so many, and I'm nearly sure the blocks were bigger than 12".  No matter I'm glad I didn't select to make the 9" blocks!  It sounds like it was bad, but as I made each block in sections, aka the star points and the four patch blocks it wasn't the big deal it might sound like it was. 

Of course it helps that the fabric I'm using is nice, so it slips through my fingers just right and presses open just the way you want it to.  Now that all of the stars are completed I'll be starting on the snowball spacer blocks.  Those will be the Patisserie fabric and that pretty blue-purple batik.  I'm sharing the process with dd each step of the way, so she's completely in the loop on where her quilt is and how I'm progressing on it.  Doing so even enticed her to do a bit of sewing on her own. 

As I'm certain you're feeling picture deprived (the camera had a dead battery - but I was dreading it to be something worse because the fool thing never warned me!)  The photo above is the front of the strip quilt for the freemotion Quilt-a-long, the back is a bit more complicated so time will tell which is the front and which is the back.

Sew Much Backing!

I think I need a basting day!  Seriously today I finished two quilt backs.  One for the Freemotion Quilt-a-long and one for the denim patchwork.  I'd like to think I'll be up to doing all of that basting Monday or Tuesday, but only time will tell as my birthday is Wednesday and I refused to be pooped from basting.

Long ago and far away my mom took an oath never to make her own birthday cake.  I think it's the meaning behind the cake.  Perhaps that someone cared enough to make you a cake, or buy one as the case maybe.  I have no such qualms, as I'm sort of a "you want something done you have to do it yourself" kind of person.  Currently I have a Strawberry Cake Mix in the cabinet, but you know what sounds really good?  Angel Food Cake.  I can think of only once that I've made it from the box, every other time I have separated that dozen eggs and baked it completely from scratch.  I've done this so many times that I've begun to wonder if I make it from a box perhaps it will fall?!?!?

I have my Grandmother's tube pan -which is also called an angel food cake pan, you know the one with the drop out bottom.  When I bake angel food cake she is always in my heart guiding my hands.  Perhaps that's why my cakes never fall?

I'd like to serve my cake with whipped cream and strawberries that have sat in a sminge of sugar for about half an hour just so they start to get a little bit of syrup.  But angel food cake is good enough that sometimes I don't feel the need to top it with anything.

So tell me, would you make your own birthday cake and if so what kind would you make?  I draw the line at candles I think.  I will not be buying my own birthday cake candles.  Shoot then I'd have to count them out and light them all, and then deal with the wax because it took a while to light them...  UGH I think not!

Quilt Along Quilt top, or is it a bottom?

Today I made the strip quilt suggested for the freemotion-quilt-a-long.  You already knew I didn't want to use Christmas Hodgepodge for that, and I figured it out while I worked on it.  For the strip quilt I used the mint and the pink of from the Star Kit (remember the one I had to buy to get the Patisserie fabric?) and they went together really well with the butterfly yardage that I had leftover from this time last year when I made dd's butterfly jumper. 

We glittered up dd's jumper with pee wee glitter shortly after it was done so working with it without the glitter seemed a bit odd, but as you can see I had just enough fabric.

My strips are longer than the suggested strips.  Mine being the length of the fabric and the suggested being 32".  That gives my finished top a size of 41 x 40 instead of 40 x 36, yes I know that means a pieced back...  Or maybe it will be the top...  You never know when it comes to my projects.