Vintage Lone Star Baby Quilt

Vintage Lone Star Baby Quilt

A local friend who deals in antiques calls me when she has quilts. I'm so grateful! This time I went through the pile of quilts and tops in her shop, and asked what else was she hiding. "Uh, just this little one," she said. It was a 35" baby quilt in a Lone Star pattern, worn, soft, and sweet as could be. Oh, it was going home with me!

I asked as many questions as I could about where this quilt was from, who she got it from, etc. Dating and placing a quilt where it was made or used are one of the most interesting parts of quilt hunting for me. I always gather as much information as I can before I leave the buyer, and write it down. I only knew it was sourced locally, likely in Coshocton county, Ohio.

Back at home, I went over the quilt in good light to find out what I could about the fabrics, construction, and any other little secrets it had to tell. Everyone wants to know, "How old is this quilt?" These clues can tell us a lot.

QST Second Chance Quilting Finish

Done Is Good.

First, some quick business to discuss. 

I've been "Out of the Office" or the summer equivalent of busier than you-know-what, and far removed from the Blogging World. We are a big family whose lives are very interwoven, and I've been needed elsewhere. Sorry to have abandoned you all, my bloggy and quilty friends, my email and comments. (Is this a form of ghosting? Trust me when I say I feel the guilt.) Summer duties spread us very thin. (Did I mention house guests for the next month?) But the leaves are starting to show signs of change already, the grass is drying, and talk of school starting came up last night. Summer has been a time warp!

Longarming a few minutes here and there has helped me whittle down my own WIP/UFO and PUPs. I've squeezed in a few customer quilts this summer, and have a line up coming next month. It feels good to help other quilters get caught up with their projects too. So, I may not be done with all of my own by the end of summer or even end of the year, but I'm committed to it. The downside is not having anything new and spectacular to show you as I work through old things. 

I'm Quilting as Fast as I Can!

Taking a Moment to Breathe

Yes, I know, I haven't been around much lately. I would say AWOL, but I've been making the best of these cool days, and marathon quilting. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, and when these are all bound will take some pictures of the whole quilts. This is all I have so it will have to do for now.

Quilter with Commitments

Yes, it's good.

Did you ever have to practice musical scales when all you wanted to do was play the new song? I feel a little like that with learning EQ8. I wasn't proficient with EQ7, and didn't get a lot out of the money I spent years ago. I think I believed that playing with the program would be enough to get it, and I was mistaken. I needed real lessons, and never got them. This time I prepared better, and bought the books. I'm roughly halfway through the Beginner Lessons, shout out to Anja, and this is definitely the way to go. I do not always feel like doing the lessons, but I am committed.

Things That Can Go Wrong Do

Quilted

No, I did not cut a hole in my quilt or spill coffee on it.
Almost anything other than those things can be fixed. Almost.
I'll show you another screw-up I worked through.
(I should be famous for this kind of post by now.)

Yellow & Black Baby Quilt

A Baby Quilt to Donate

My scraps are like rabbits. They have had offspring, and are on at least a third litter by the looks of it. I decided to squeeze one baby quilt for charity out of the lot of them before sorting. 

As the Trip Around the World Turns

Scrappy Trip Around the World 

This class surprised me by all bringing in their quilt tops from the month before. I have a few proud quilters to show you. All tops were close, a few were together, and this one was even quilted! Big, bright, and beautiful!

Hurricane Stars on the Long Arm

New Name to Be Announced Soon!

While summer officially blows in today with cooler air, I am still trying to beat the heat while working in my second story studio. The pale, blue setting triangles above are getting some free-handed, ferny feathers.

Blogging Zen. Not.

 Quilt Art: A Zen Hangout

It was time to hang something significant at the top of the long stairway to my studio. I think this star is so enticing. Does it say, "Good things lie beyond this step?

Is Blogging Zen?

Those who fantasize about writing a blog may be erroneously led to believe the blogging process is a zen moment in the blogger's day. Said blogger sits in the early dawn with coffee, sleeping babies or dogs, and pours out accumulated wisdom to readers that await every post. (Insert sinister laughter.) Perhaps it is not so, say I. 

Vintage Drunkard's Path Finish

Combining the Old with New

Summer has been quick ins and outs at the studio with many little changes that mean more space for opportunities to come. Hours have been spent sifting, reorganizing, and happily rediscovering lost items. I am still sticking to working through the Pile of Unloved Projects, and it's getting sooooo small that I nearly lost it the other day. Okay, not really, but it's no longer as big as a piece of furniture, and easy to misplace. That's pretty amazing to me! There is officially light at the end of the tunnel.

So how about this quilt story now?