More Delightful Stars

 

This is last week's lesson for Delightful Stars. I'm ready to start on this week's today.

I like the orange against the black background--not a color choice I use very often but it turned out well.

 

 

I started making "practice" blocks after Kathy mentioned how much easier it made the "real" blocks.

These are the 1st four of those. Most of them were catch-up, so not really practice. From now on, I'll use muslin and scraps to practice the technique for the week and then I'll use my batiks and black background.

Aiming for Accuracy--Delightful Stars

Four of us from the Cerro Gordo, IL, Quilt Club are participating in Michele Foster's (Quilting Gallery) Aiming for Accuracy Quilt-along, using her design "Delightful Stars."

I think it is amazing that FOUR women from a small town of 1500 are doing this--and we didn't even know Terry Sue was in on it until we saw her comments. We are: Carol (that's me), Kathy, Betty Sue, and Terry Sue.

Below are my first 3 star blocks.

 

 

 

Kathy is making 2 quilts, one being a practice quilt and the other the "real" deal. I think they will both be great when they are done! I decided to follow her example (belatedly) and now have 1 of the 3 done, using muslin for the background/contrast--so far anyway--and scraps for the other pieces. That's what Kathy's doing too. It will be fun to see what all our quilts look like when they are finished!

Thanks, Michele Foster! I'm looking forward to each lesson! (and am I ever glad I am retired so I have more time to do this!)

She Who Sews--my turn--January 27

 

Today is the first day of She Who Sews blog hop and I get to share first--talk about pressure! (Wink, wink!) Many thanks to Madame Samm for her creativity and to our cheerleader Carla for seeing after us!

After seeing a thread catcher in American Patchwork and Quilting magazine, I decided I would make one, having never had one before. BUT, the thread catcher sat on the table, and I wanted it to hang OFF the table--time to put on my thinking cap!

What you see below is the finished product. (Now, I won't hang it there--it will be in the way--but the right side of my machine is too cluttered--what? was this hop about organizing?-- to have IT on display for all to see.)

 

 

And this is what it looks like lying flat.

 

Below you see the pieces are apart. I sewed the flat back to connect the thread catcher to a pin cushion.

The pin cushion is a tube I filled with crushed walnut shells. A scrap of batting is on each end of the tube to keep the shells from leaking out. Then I put Velcro on all the pieces. I thought there might be times I would want the pin cushion or thread catcher separated from the rest. If I make another thread catcher, I will make it a little shorter--this one seems awfully tall (7 or 8").

 

I also made a cozy for a coffee or tea cup. We were to have that lesson at our Quilt Club meeting this month (cancelled because of weather) so I made one anyway out of the Handmaids fabric.

Now, I don't have the right kind of cup for it, thus the one you see.

In the background I displayed the Handmaids fabric, my pincushion separated from the thread catcher, and a mug mat I made for the Be a Hexie Queen blog hop last year. (That was a fun hop too.)

 

 

Lastly, I made a wall hanging--not organizational, I know, but, gee, it looks nice on my sewing room wall!

 

Thanks again to Carla and to Madame Samm!

Please visit everyone else today and see the wonderful things they have made.

 

January 27th

Joy Studio

 Marjorie's Busy Corner

 Tea Time Creations

  Just Sew Quilter You are here!

I like to Quilt Blog

 Shepody Mountain Crafter

 Creatin' in the Sticks

She Who Sews schedule

 

It's almost time for the next blog hop to start (at least the next one I am in)! I will be showing my creations on the very first day: January 27. Sew come back and see what I have done!

 

Here's the complete schedule (I hope) for both She Who Sews and Don't Let the Door Stop You. They are going on at the same time. Thanks to our cheerleader Carla and to Madame Samm!

 

 

She Who Sews

Blog Hop

Schedule

 

January 27th

 

Joy Studio

 

Marjorie's Busy Corner

 

Tea Time Creations

 

 Just Sew Quilter You are here!

 

I like to Quilt Blog

 

Shepody Mountain Crafter

 

Creatin' in the Sticks


January 29th

Why-Knot-Kwilt

 

BumbleberryStitches

 

 Quilt Doodle Designs

 

Sew Incredibly Crazy

 

Thimblemouse and Spouse

 

Words & Stitches

 

The Cosmic Quilter


January 31

More Stars in Comanche

 

Stitchin’ By The Lake

 

selina quilts

 

Jane's Quilting

 

Baa's Amazing Adventures!

 

Quiltscapes

 

 Grandmama's Stories


February 4th

Just Let Me Quilt

 

Hill Valley Quilter

 

Sew Much 2 Luv

 

My Whittle Adventures

 

 Kids and Sewing

.

Moosestash Quilting

 

I Piece 2 Mary


February 6th

Lixie Makes It

 

How ART you?

 Seams To Be Sew

threads on my socks

Quilted Delights

 

Life in the Scrapatch
 

krislovesfabric

 

Sew We Quilt

Don't Let the DOOR STOP You
Blog Hop
Schedule

January 28th
 
threads on my socks
 
How ART you?
 
Den syende himmel
 
Moosestash Quilting
 
life, quilts and a cat too


January 30th

Just Let Me Quilt
 
Quilted Delights
 
Meadowbrook
 
Hill Valley Quilter
 
Pampered Pettit
 
Life in the Scrapatch
 
Seams To Be Sew


February 3rd

Why-Knot-Kwilt
 
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
 
Marjorie's Busy Corner
 
Shepody Mountain Crafter
 
Lydsfire Sewing
 
Creatin' in the Sticks


February 5th

More Stars in Comanche
 
Buzzing and Bumbling
 
Sew and Sow Farm
 
Purl Buttons Blog
 
Carretel E Agulha

The Quilting Queen

Pig Tales and Quilts


February 7th

GrammieQs

Pickles Quilting

Made by Me in Red
 
A Passion for Applique

Living With Purpose

Tipsy Teacup Creations

Sew We Quilt

We'll have lots of fun, so be sure to visit everyone each day!



It's finished!

 

After I took the Christmas decorations down, I decided to hang some of the old quilts I have. Our loft makes a perfect display area. I particularly love the log cabin quilt.

Unfortunately, we don't know who made any of these. We suspect it may have been my husband's grandmother Lula Worrall Kussart, but none of her grandchildren remember seeing her quilt--she knitted all the time. It could have been her mother Eva Miller Worrall, but we don't know. Very unfortunate! The people who would know are dead.

Lesson: Sign your quilts!

 

 

Below is the label I made on my machine for my newly finished quilt. I spent last week machine quilting it on my home sewing machine. It is twin-size. After experimenting with some FMQ in the ditches on 3 blocks, I tore that all out and stuck with the walking foot for the whole thing.

I wanted all straight line since it seemed appropriate for this quilt. In some of the more open areas, I quilted straight lines, triangles and even squares.

 

It's hard to see the quilting, and the view is somewhat skewed since I had to take the picture from our loft. I like the brown binding. It pulls out the brown in the quilt.

This quilt was a great learning experience-thanks Michele Foster!

 

Now I'm ready to begin on Michele's new Aiming for Accuracy quilt--Delightful Stars!

Check it out on http://quiltinggallery.com

 

Christmas Time

Kathy in her blog, Just Quilt It, inspired me to share some of the gifts I made for this Christmas season. It was a full several days with a wedding to start our festivities. I showed a photo earlier of the table runner I made for Andrew and Marie. Here they are with their gift. They really like it.

 

 

 

Kathy also inspired me to make aprons for my daughters, but then the project kind of snowballed. I made one for myself, then for Sarah and Natalie. Since the granddaughters like to help them bake, I thought they needed their own aprons too, to match their moms'. Then I realized our grandson needed one since he likes to help as well and the sons-in-law have to have them too. They cook a lot. We are all decked out in our Christmas aprons. The girls and I all have church lady aprons, reversible. I created the guys' aprons to be more like the chef apron style.

 

I made several different doll outfits for both the little girls. This is the only 1 I took a picture of, silly me. I also made rag quilts for Hailey and Harper and matching doll quilts, but didn't get photos of them either. Their parents are going to have to do that for me.

I love Christmas because of time we get to spend with family which adds special meaning to the season. Getting to make gifts for them is an extra bonus.

I hope all had a very merry Christmas and remembered the message of the Christ. May his blessings be on us all in 2014.

Christmas projects are underway

 

Thanksgiving was fantastic!!! with lots of family (could have been more) around, lots of visiting, games, walks, some shopping, and FOOD! Oh, my goodness! I treasure times with family--love Thanksgiving!

 

I've been getting ready for Christmas by making a number of presents. My list is prioritized by when each project needs to be finished. Here is one that will be given away tonight at our women's fellowship Christmas meeting and potluck. Many of us have prayer partners and tonight is the big revealing of who our partners have been during 2013. My prayer partner is going to receive this table runner. The pattern is "Copper Pennies" from the Loose Change book. This design used charms and mini-charms--so pretty!

 

 

 

Several other things are finished, but I have enough other things to make that I should be busy up until Christmas.

More postings to follow in coming days about my projects.

I hope all of you enjoy sewing and quilting and getting ready for Christmas and the excitement that goes with it.