Three Quilts Done and Dusted

Twin Quilt No.1

I started twin quilts for twin girls back in January 2023. I had a sense I wanted them to coordinate, but not match, and be nothing too fussy. The girls are early school age, and I hoped they would grow with the sisters.

Star Upon Stars #4 Finished

Star Upon Stars Block 4 Finished

It goes without saying I'm ready to have this block done. Summer has been long, and aside for a tiny dry spell it has been green throughout. Nice weather meant less time I could sit inside guilt-free to sew, and more spent with my head and hands in garden beds. It's not even every other day now I get to sit down to piece, and that certainly slows a big project. But 4 are done with pieces to do some half blocks already stripped from leftovers, and I hope to do a few of those before moving on to a whole new block.

Stars Upon Stars July

Plugging Away

If I was going to make progress on this block, I had to give something up. So the minute I finished breakfast, I was at the sewing machine in my pajamas. Yesterday I squeezed in 2 half blocks, and today the same plus a corner. The final 3 are underway, and I should be able to finish it by tonight. We've had house and garden projects without end to work through this spring, and sometimes I'm just too tired to work on something hard. 

Aeroplane Blocks

Aeroplane Blocks

You know the scenario. Your niece/sister/neighbor is having a baby, and you think, "Oh, I'll make them a quilt." Then Quilter's Block kicks in. Not like a quilt block, but the mental block as in, "What will I make?"

To tackle that block on my creativity, I started with rules such as, "What can I make with my Accuquilt die system that will be fast and fun, and can I learn something in the process?" No, this isn't an ad for Accuquilt, but I've invested a lot in one, and haven't used it as much as I'd liked. I purchased and used several specific dies, but also the 10" QUBE kit, and the cellophane was still on the QUBE. It was time. 

More Tools for Star Upon Stars: Mirrors and Pins

Next Star in Progress

April and May are the busiest months in my year. If I'm starting seeds for the garden, I'm paying as close attention to them as I would a baby. Well, almost. But it does take a lot of time to get everything ready to get your own seed starts into the garden at just the right time, and I'm still figuring that out. Last Sunday I decided I needed a lot more space than I had planned, and we tilled another plot inside the fence. I'm a no-till gardener at heart, but conditions weren't optimal to go that route now. It's rained ever since we tilled, and I've used that time to catch up on the next block. Let me show you that along with a neat tool and technique.

Star Upon Stars 4: 3 Tools that Rule

Third Block in Star Upon Stars

Let me say this block was a trial to see if I liked the two color stars. I did! I think it helped tie the red, white, and blue theme together well, and will definitely employ the technique again.

This quilt is not fast paced for me. I have a greenhouse full of seedlings and plants, and am quilting for customers several days a week. Forgive me my gaps in posts. I have a sewing space at home that affords me the convenience of popping in to work a few minutes here and there, and that time adds up to a new block every few weeks now. It will get better next month when the garden fills up, and I'm not so busy. Now let's talk tools.

Star Upon Stars: Block 3 & Color Process

Block 2 Is Finished

I finished this block up Sunday morning. It was completely fiddly, and I was lucky it came together. The outer circle of stars were all off enough to make me sew and rip, sew and rip. I will say I'm developing a sense of how to see where I need to mismatch seams a bit to make it fit. That's good progress. 

Star Upon Stars: Block 2 and Backgrounds

Star Upon Stars: Block 2 and a Background Fabrics Discussion

A beautiful star in the end, but not exactly what I was looking for. And that is the whole question when we create any block. "What exactly do you want it to look like?" Being so new to this pattern, I'm was still not completely sure. Remember I said I knew I had a lot to learn by making this quilt. Watch the video below as Edyta explains her theory for picking colors, and method for construction.

While Edyta Sitar was explaining her take on the quilt, she remarked about the setting stars being darker than the center star. That says to me that the center star is the focus, and the outer stars are in more of a support role for the block. The outer stars should include some of the colors from the center, but ideally be a darker shade. This one is the same shade as a green within my star. Let's get into backgrounds, and see what happened.

Star Upon Stars: One Done, One In Progress

Block One: Star Upon Stars

Pink and Brown

There were a several people that said this was their favorite combination with pink in the center, and blue on the tips. And to be fair, it was my original intent so I sewed the block this morning. It was quite a relief to see it come together the way it should or nearly there. If the rest fit this well, I'll be delighted.

The star itself was about 13.5" tip to tip before adding on the corners, and I was nervous. While I assembled each corner star to the large star, I checked against my cutting mat markings. When I had both corners in, I needed to be fairly in range to 12.5". If I wasn't, I ripped and readjusted until I was.  Adding the half stars took it down just to where it needed. 

FYI: A shocking amount of each star tip got swallowed into the seams. 

Star Upon Stars

Star Upon Stars

Pattern by Edyta Sitar inspired by an 1846 antique quilt from the Grand Rapids Public Museum. 

Re-created with permission.

I am tentatively saying this 12" block is the first of many, but I'm honestly not sure yet. I've never done such a labor intensive block. It took days, and isn't together yet. I had decided a few months ago to do a challenging project this year, and first bought the pattern Common Bride by Edyta Sitar. While I gathered my ideas for that quilt, I came back again and again to look at Star Upon Stars. I wasn't sure I could actually make it, though, as I had practiced those pesky stars for months, and still wasn't great at it. 

Quilt, Hutch, Dogs

Barron's Debut

Before you wonder aloud, the Doxie girls are still with us, and doing as well as14 years old dachshunds can do.  Their days are full keeping one step ahead of this incredibly sweet, but rambunctious Japanese Chin named Barron. He turns a year old in a few weeks. He came to live with us last May, and we haven't had a dull day since.

Ocean Waves Blocks Ready

9  Kind of Blocks

Sewing has saved me this week. I find it calming, and when life gets to be a lot--and it has lately, I dodge into my sewing room at home for some therapy. To explain, I mainly longarm quilt in my studio, but I also come home to sew after work. If I have a quilt with an edge-to-edge going on the longarm, I can sew at work too, but often I'm engaged with other client work. At home I can do my own thing. It's more conducive to be creative when I'm not listening for an empty bobbin. 

Ocean Waves In Progress

Ocean Waves

Getting back to sewing was good, but I still wasn't in the creative mood just yet. There's still a lot on my plate. Grabbing a kit I had sitting on my shelf for some years meant I could sew, but didn't have to think much. Pure therapy.

Simply Sparkly Quilt Top

Simply Sparkly

This is a free quilt pattern available at Robert Kauffman Fabrics designed by Kay Koeper Sorenson. It has the vibe of a Gees Bend style housetop quilt, or that same style you see in many Nancy Crow quilts. 

Nancy Crow lives in Baltimore, Ohio, while Lunn Studios is just south of her. Some of her earlier pieces were made with their hand-dyed and surface manipulated fabrics. The fabric featured in the pattern is Pointillist Palette by Lunn Studios, coincidentally, and shows an ombré effect. One of my year's goals is to use fabric that's been aging in my studio, and free up space. This was an ombré yardage bundle I purchased from Craftsy years ago when they had the Boundless line.

The Sabbatical Is Over

Sanibel Bridge in the fog

A Long Time Away

Our roles in life change fairly often--perhaps more as women, but more so as care givers. While our families are young, we look forward to the day when each child becomes independent. Ours all did, thankfully, and afterward there were several carefree years. I had time to grow my garden, sew for myself, and quilt for others. I look back at that now as a blissful, golden period. 

Summer Quilt Catch Up

Simple Summer Quilt

Life has been anything but simple for nearly 2 years now. I know I'm in good company across the planet when I crawl out of bed after midnight because I can't sleep--again. My neck and shoulders are sore from canning apples and making applesauce all day. My head is full of swirling thoughts like, How the heck are we going to get through this mess? (Certainly not by depending on the government!) 

My last post was early August when I was still working on the quilting of this summer quilt. I needed an uncomplicated project to stitch on, and I loved having something in the frame to pick up for even a few minutes at a time. But August turned into a difficult month healthwise here, and funneled us right into September and a local outbreak of Covid. We were included as well as many friends and family, but thankfully all came through without serious complications. I was out of the studio more than a month, though, and feel like I'm still catching up on sleep.

7 Year Blogiversary & 700th Post

A Quiet Celebration

If this past year has taught me something, it's that we should celebrate milestones, and keep with traditions in our lives. So you and I will celebrate this together. (Cue the horns!) Seven years is nothing to sneeze at. It's ancient in the world of blogging! I know I'm here, though, because of you all, and because I'm still fully in love with life! And the things that make me most happy are quilting, surely you knew that, my garden, and sharing my enthusiasm for both. Helping people learn is important, too, but encouraging people to just try something is the big one. 

I hope we all continue to be friends. You are important to me, and the many back channeled conversations that go on among us makes my--and I hope your life rich. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful journey!

Bees & the New Summer Quilt

A Simple Summer Quilt

This has been a good summer. Those of you who know me well will think I'm nuts for saying so, but after last summer, well, it is good. To top that, this has been a doozey of a week, and without explaining the gory details everything panned out well. The involved party is recovering, and it's almost nice to have a slow down for a few days. For one, it's given me time to sit, to stitch, and to write. I really want to tell you about this new quilt for summer--for just me.

Easy No-Knead Bread Recipe

Easy No-Knead Bread Recipe

I am a gluten free gal with a gluten loving husband, who needs a homemade loaf of bread once in a while. Carefully stirring the ingredients vs. kneading and tossing flour helps keep my kitchen as gluten free as possible, and still delivers the goods. And remember, there are hundreds of simple bread recipes out there if this isn't just what you're looking for, but it's a good place to start. Experiment! 

The Kitchen Garden in July: Preparing

The Kitchen Garden: July 2021

Pictures of my kitchen garden are helpful to me in spiritual ways. I see such a difference week to week in change, in growth, and it feeds my soul knowing I had a part in this. Yes, there's a lot of work and planning, but the payoff is sweet.

One of my major goals this year was to grow food my family could and would eat, and to put some of it up through canning, dehydrating, or freezing. I believe food security is a real issue facing us. Last year's struggle to source food and basic supplies was a lesson to many of us, and should not be wasted on those who think it's past. The supply chains everywhere are fragile, and each of us should think in terms of what we need or want to be comfortable in our homes. How do we maintain our lives in case of future shortages and scarcity? It wouldn't be the first time in history people have had to ask this question, but perhaps in many of our own short lives. This is what I'm doing.