Farmhouse Star Baby Quilt Finish

Farmhouse Star for Baby

There is an indecisive moment just before you start guiding a long arm machine. It's deja vu if you aspire to writing. You have a plan, but a creative muse swoops in and takes over your hands. In the first several seconds of stitching, you are fairly committed. Thread goes down faster than words on a keyboard, and is far more permanent! So went this baby quilt. I had one thing in mind until I stared at the flowers in the border print, and suddenly my original idea disappeared. 

Farmhouse Baby Quilt & Stars

Farmhouse Star 

The plan I had for January was to sew a stack of baby quilts with stash so I had some on hand. Little did I know that most of what I sewed would be spoken for before I had finished. The baby announcements just keep coming! 

Star Quilt from Strips: 3D Groovy

3D or '70's Groovy Star Block

This 36" block was created to pattern test an EQ7 project I was working on. When I pulled fabric from my stash, it had a definite 70's feel, and I was transported back to the summer I had a sundress in these colors. How vividly I remember the colors and patterns of clothes my mother made for me growing up! I'm sure my early memories influence a lot of color choices without me realizing it. Have you found this too?

Comparing Methods for Trip Around the World Quilts

Scrappy Trips Around the World

I've made this quilt pattern more than any other. You might even say I have a thing for it. One patch quilts are very similar in design and creation, and I love finding new variations on both. 

27 Quilt Finishes in 2017

Quilting Mandalas: 

New Work from Old

I labored and debated when titling this post. It's packed with so many big ideas while trying to be subtle. Yes, I know 27 finishes is not so subtle. But I'm excited--newly inspired, and self-directed for the New Year. But first, more about last year.

Worthwhile Working Vacation

It's hard to work on vacation, but last weekend I forced myself. It was foggy and cold in Florida even for a northerner, and the wind was fierce. After a chilly swim I stayed in, and worked on Pink Doxies' webpage. 

I pinned to Pinterest. I cleaned up picture files. I added quilt photos to the 2017 Quilts page at the top of this page in the header. And finally I counted the quilt pictures there. Missing one I had not photographed, I had 27 quilt finishes in 2017. There were additional finished wall hangings, completed quilt tops, and several dozen quilts happily laid out for MCC. I longarm quilted for customers and friends. I hand quilted several of my finishes, and have others presently in process. I dyed 25+ yards of fabric, and I had fun with an abundance of creative energy!

Churn Dash Baby Quilt II

Churn Dash II

I had some minor problems with the points when I made the first Churn Dash baby quilt. Check it out along with the book I'm working from in A Two Quilt Tuesday. I needed one more quilt in similar colors so I made another one.

This time I starched the squares before making the large HST, and was very careful while squaring up and trimming them. Once again, it was problematic piecing the giant nine patch. Goodness, you think I would have stopped, ripped, squared the other pieces, and then sewed it together. But, No, I just plowed on. The points aren't cut off as bad as the picture shows above, but one or two will be. I think I need a third try to work this out.

A Two Quilt Tuesday

Cabin Under the Stars: Quilt No. 1

Yesterday was Monday, and it felt like a typical Monday for me in spite of the ice and snow storm. I am a self-proclaimed Monday Lover because it is the day of new starts, and I get so much done!

Starting mid-morning, I had all but a couple of these stars done before I went home for lunch. By 2:00 that afternoon, this sweet thing was sewn together. 

Some little details: The fabric is beach-themed. Swimmers, sling chairs, umbrellas, flamingos, and so one. I'll show you more when I quilt it, but this piece has been fun to work with.

The fabric wasn't pre-washed. That's really unusual for me, but I bought it on vacation, and set right to sewing. I didn't notice any difference in working with it, but it's not something I would do normally. All the other fabric in my studio is pre-washed so I chose not to mix them. 

The finished top is just under 40" x 40". 

Cabin Under the Stars Quilt

I'm Back to Sewing &
Oh, Baby, It Feels So Good!

My urge to sew finally returned. (Did you ever wonder about me? I did.) It came back with clear, strong intentions. 

Make what you love. Use what you have. Listen more. Talk less.

I can't say these are resolutions or even goals really. Simply put, they are intentions.  I want to live like this right now--not when I figure it out or jump through impossible hoops. Resolutions have such high expectations, and great chance of failure. Without success, we give up and quit. My daughter termed that kind of resolution-centered thinking as, "New Year--New Me." No, that's never worked for me or the other 92% of people who tried it.

This positive idea of living with intention has more to do with envisioning the kind of life I want to live. It has so much to do with my recent purging and clearing, as you might guess.

Holiday Slow Down & Time to Think

My Favorite Quilt
 (At this Moment)

It's been 10 days or so since I've blogged. I finished that post, shut my computer down, and pretty much unplugged for the holidays. Why, you ask? Well, you know those people who think the holidays are the best time ever, and love to shop, wrap presents and bake cookies? Who wait for the first snowflake with hot chocolate in hand and furry hat on head? Yeah, I'm not one of them. I'm the Grinchy, bah humbug person who was told she was ruining Christmas for everyone else this year, and to please shape up. 

Quilting the Vintage Log Cabin

Hand Quilting a Vintage Log Cabin Quilt

It's December, and everywhere I go I hear coughing. Deep, gripping coughing. There's a rotten cold going around our area, and I'm two and a half weeks into it. I did my duty of self-care, and canceled the monthly sewing group. I rested, t.v. binged, and quilted. Still, a dry cough just hangs on. This one is a doozy.