"Mini" Feathered Star Block

is finished!

I bought this pattern

at a LQS years ago and found it while cleaning off my sewing table and organizing my "tools".

I loved the block, but was intimidated by how small the pattern was.  So it sat amongst the rulers, Janome instruction book, quilt magazines and pens and pencils.

I pulled it out and decided to tackle it.

The unfinished block is 8"x8".  There are lots of boo-boos in this block.  LOL  The pattern was simple, but I learned the hard way that heavy starching is necessary to keep the paper pieced sections flat and not shifty.

This try came out "wonky" and the seams don't match up like I would like and it sat on the ironing board for a week.  I wasn't in love like I'd hoped I'd be and I was very disappointed.

I am not someone to give up very easily if I know I could have done a better job.

Especially with quilting.

I love a challenge.

This is where the huge pattern comes in.  The small paper piecing parts were hard to work with for me, so I thought, "Why not make the parts bigger?"

I took the pattern to Staples and asked them to resize it by 200%.  I think this is blue-print paper, but I could be wrong.  The lady at the copy desk kept making mistakes and I ended up getting two copies for less than $4.00. 

I cut out all the sections to make the star (there are flying geese sections for a border if you want) and decided to machine piece and hand applique a soft, romantic, vintage looking hexie for the middle.

Okay.  I liked this and I liked the fabric it was on for a picture so much that I made this the "star" fabric.  I cut out and pressed pink, blues and yellows to piece the rest of the star.

Aqua-ish blue scraps are the "anchor" colors where the "arms" of the star meet. 

I am MUCH happier with how this "big brother" block turned out.

LOL

This block is 15 1/4" sq. and I definitely love the scrappy, romantic, vintage look of it all!  I think either a scrappy pink or blue border next.  Again, not sure where this is going...but I'm okay with that!

Stay tuned!

LOL

Linking up with

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

What aweome blogs to be able to visit every week!  They host linky parties where other bloggers can share their finishes for the week, their new projects and be encouraged and inspired!

I almost forgot to share some beautiful fabric I picked up this weekend!

3 yards of "Rose Parade" by Moda

and

1/2 yd of "Victorian Modern" by Modern Quilt Studio for Andover.

Yummy!

 



Over a Year in the Making

but finally finished!

I found some of the original batik for the binding. 

Yay!

There are advantages to being a scrap/fabric hoarder!

I'm calling it the "Tree of Life" and it measures in at at a heavy 17 1/2" x 20"!

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and encouragement...I really appreciated it last week!

It feels good to get another WIP/UFO completed and ready to hang up!

I'll be sending Rett an email to let her know that halfway around the globe, her creativity, genius and artwork continues to inspire me!

Thank you.  Thank you, Rett!

Onto another project.

For scale, I placed my umbrella next to a pattern I took to Staples and had blown up by 200%!

LOL

Go big or go home!

Another machine-pieced, hand-appliqued scrap hexie in the middle of auditioning scraps which became this:

that will be the center of my new project.

Linking up with

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

In a world gone horribly wrong sometimes, it is nice to have somewhere to go for a little light, beauty and kindness.

Join us this week!

 

Encouragement

meant a lot to me this week as I sat down to finish the tree.

So...thank you for your encouragement and cheering last week!

Funny thing is...I didn't break any needles this time!

LOL

I did however, have to unpick all of the sky swirl stitching from before.

Ack!

I used a variagated Sulky thread and my bobbin tension was off.

Adjusted that and kept on quilting.

This quilt started as an inspirational print from Rett to a "grid" of scraps, to an appliqued tree trunk and branches, to the "starry" lights being placed and on to this:

with the quilting finally finished!

I originally had this blue Kona border because I wasn't sure where to take it after the quilting was done and wanted something to help keep the edges from fraying and shifting as I quilted.

I've since asked hubsy sweets and my LQS guru for opinions and advice.  Hubby wanted to frame it...LQS guru said it should be hung like a quilt.  I started this as a wall hanging quilt and want to finish it as one as well. 

This week will be about removing the blue, adding corners to hang it and using the same brown batik as the tree for a simple binding to "frame" the piece.

This is a close up of the quilting.

I tried to stay "true" to Rett's concentric circles for bark and am really happy with that and the feel of the branches.  I did a horizontal stitch in the tree background continuing the circles around the "lights" (which I've always thought of as fireflies).  The ground/grass is just a vertical stitch and I thought of swaying grass while sewing.  The sky is full of swirling air currents the fireflies are playing on.

I am ever so thankful to Rett for her letting me take her vision and recreate it in another medium.

Linking this up as a "finish" and a WIP at:

Quilt Story

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

Go visit these blogs and see all the incredible projects these bloggers are working one!

You never know what might inspire you!



Gently

was the word of the week.

Do you remember last March when the Granny Squares were all the rage?

I drank the Koolaid and made a small wall hanging inspired by the colors in my hot chocolate mug.

I used my last hoarded pieces of Moda's Sunkissed.

I was in the middle of painting our front hallway and wanted a cheerful and happy something to hang on the wall in there.

I used a Hunky Dory-ish type print for the binding and then used it as a table quilt for the next year as one thing after another kept me from finishing the painting (sad, sad, sad attempt at sympathy for such crazy apathy!).

While spring cleaning, I washed all my table quilts and found this:

Ack!  The top had come loose from the binding in one spot.

What to do?  What to do?

Well, we all know there really is only one thing to do.

Gently.  Gently.  Gently.

With a very soft touch with the seam ripper....remove the old binding

and replace it with a happy, bright, polka dot orange

and add corners to hold a dowel rod for hanging.

The word "hope" on the back with a close up of my FMQing.

Well, the painting is done now (and other rooms are groaning!) and I'm needing to make a trip to Hobby Lobby for another dowel rod and hanger to put this up.

A favorite quilt saved.

I'm also trying to get the nerve up to finish this:

Last time I worked on it, I broke four needles in a row!  Four!  Exasperating and intimidating to say the least.

I tried different sizes and types of needles and have been psyching myself up to try again.

Linking up with Quilt Story

i have to say,  Freshly Pieced and crazy mom quilts

for a virtual Quilting Expo, Bee, Extravaganza!

Come join us!

April WIP's

April!

Yaaaaaaay!

We just finished up our Spring Break for Homeschoolin' fools!

LOL

We N.E.V.E.R. get a Spring Break.

E.V.E.R.

For the past six years, our Christian school, homeschool co-op, outside classes for homeschooling and the universities our oldest guys go to/take a class at have all had different times for Break.

Sigh.

So to make myself happy, I started a new project (or three) and worked on the Tangerine Dream Medallion quilt.

These prints sat for eleven years.  Collecting dust.  Hiding under clothes.  Moving from room to room trying to find where they belong.

No more!

I bought some white, acrylic paint and watered it down to a consistency a little bit thicker than milk and painted all of the frames, but for the center.

I then took some Modge Podge (love, love, love this stuff!) and using a ruler, tore my favorite scrapbook paper (to make a jagged edge) into the size I needed for the canvas frames.

And here they are now!  I really like the way they turned out.  There's just a purposeful hint of a shadow from the old prints "framing" the new paper and helping to break up the fresher white finish.  I coated the rest of each canvas and its side for a soft, glossy finish.

Even the boys like them!  They will hang on each side of the Digitalized Heart quilt over the mantle in our den.

I just finished painting in there!  Over a year ago (shame on me!) I started painting our yucky, old brick fireplace with a happy, bright shade of ultra white paint.

One very early, hot spring, even hotter summer and bringing Ben home to homeschool later....it's done!

Hooray!

When hubs cupcakes has time, he's promised to help me center and hang everything.

Two other Modge Podge and canvas projects worked on just for kicks...

a 6" x 6" canvas with sweet rose paper and a bird decal.  He will hang in the kitchen when I move onto painting in there.

We had an old, half-painted 16" x 20" canvas left over from a homeschool art class last year.

I wanted to experiment with the Modge Podge before doing the other project and played around with the papers and come up with this.

A Great Granny Square!

It's a bit rough in places, but I like it and will probably do something like this again.  It was fun to choose a block, the colors, cut the paper and start "piecing".

I also got to work on the next border of the medallion quilt I'm making.

The block is called Patience Corner and it's a fun one to piece too!

Also from quilt.com in the 6" version.

I decided to pull out the limey green from the center star and hand applique a small, yellow hexagon flower to it to continue that theme for the row.

Pretty pleased with how it keeps the colors with a scrappiness to it all!

Linking up with

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

for my quilt love this week!

(sorry, Barry White took over for a second!)



Engaged!

This is a post I've been waiting to write!

Our oldest son, Jon, proposed to his girlfriend, Rebecca, Saturday night and she said, "Of course!"

From the moment they are born, we have started praying for our children to be followers of Christ.  We have prayed this for their future spouses as well. 

We are so very thankful He has answered our prayers with Rebecca.  We could not have picked out such a perfect match for him!

We got to have dinner with them and her parents last night and not only are we gaining a daughter, but a whole other family with her mom and dad!  We love them and are already planning family vacations to the beach together!

Fun times ahead!

With a full and thankful heart.....