Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Block 9, Hydor

Some stars are known for their brilliance, others for the odd qualities, some even for their ordinariness, yet others for location. Hydor (Lambda Aquarii), of Aquarius (the Water Bearer), highlights the last of these traits, and carries an unusual attribute at the same time. At the bend of a stream that falls down from Aquarius's Water Jar (appropriate to the name, which means simply "water"), Hydor is an "ecliptic star" that sits practically astride the ecliptic, less than half a degree from the apparent solar path.

This is block 9. I'm a quarter of the way there.




I've gotten distracted with some quilting and I need to piece a block, to keep my eyes from crossing. Something bright like this should just do the trick.


Everybody have a great Wednesday. Lane

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

56 blocks together!

Well, I have completed my blocks and have added my "sashing"!


The picture above shows just a portion of the quilt blocks. I hope to sew them together and get the border on this week.  Please visit my blog if you would like to read more about my progress on the blocks and see another picture of a portion of the antique quilt that inspired this project. 

I feel I am well on my way to getting this done before my 51st birthday - Jubilee!!

Judy

Friday, March 23, 2012

Folk Art Jubilee

Here's my center...all appliqued. Next step is to figure out what my next step is!!

Monday, March 19, 2012

A Busy Feathered Star



I finally finished the feathered star for my medallion. I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but it went together very easily. It lies flat though I may end up having to cut off one of the points. I’ll be happy if it is only one! I ended up using Marsha McCloskey’s Feathered Star Quilt Blocks I. I found the instructions very clear and will definitely make more of these blocks. Thanks to Dawn for recommending this book. This block is called Radiant Star and is the easiest feathered star to make. I was at the AQS show in Lancaster last week and picked up a Little Bits Feathered Star pattern (paper piecing) as Plan B. Glad I didn’t need to use it for this. I have some other ideas for it - all using a little more calming fabric. I’m not so sure about the fabrics I chose for this block. I’m planning on a very busy jubilee quilt so maybe once I surround it with other blocks it will just blend in.

Maureen

STILL HERE... AND PACKING ;>)

Hello from my little corner ;>)
I'm still here, watching your progress on your wonderful projects !
My, Oh My, you are all working so beautifully ...

Progress here is a bit slooooow, but steady,
"A basket is a basket, is a...."
However each one is so cute and special to me.




I've also been SO LUCKY, getting some big envelopes,
with gorgeous reproduction fabrics from
 Regan, Meredith and Debbie.
and I'm SO grateful ...


Can you imagine how many new baskets I'm gonna piece,
out of these treasures ?  ;>)

******
Now, some delay will be needed, as we're packing for Spain,
where we're living 6 months a year (from spring until November).
As usual, the key words are :
" don't take too much... but don't forget anything!"
We'll be leaving in about 3 weeks,
and I'll certainly post my next message from there.

In the meantime, dear friends, keep going on your Jubilee projects
(but not too fast, so that I can catch up, HeeHee....)
Take care and

ENJOY YOUR SEWING!
;>)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Blocks 7 and 8

Adhara is the second brightest star in the constellation Cannis Major and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.




Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion and the 27th brightest star in the night sky...but who counts to 27?





These are the next two blocks. You can tell that one was considerably easier than the other. I put Bellatrix together this morning.




Okay, so no time liek the present. We're going to the rodeo carnival today. Yahoooo. Yippity cayo. Lane














Thursday, March 15, 2012

Looking forward, not back

There is a lesson in these two little scraps of fabric.



I did a block that had a large scale gridded batik, similar to this. I made the block and then I found these two scraps in a bag of batik bits and pieces I'd picked up somewhere, a quilt show or a scrap bin. And, I thought, these would be perfect in that block. What if I just took that block apart and replaced the blue I used with these? Wouldn't that be nice?

But, I didn't do it. I decided to wait and see if I could use these little scraps in one of the other blocks.

This morning, I started block 7 and what was in the middle of the block? More of that large scale gridded batik.

I'm glad I looked forward and not backward to use this bit of fabric.

I don't have to devote energy into making old stuff better. I can use that energy to make the next stuff better instead.

That applies to a bunch of stuff.

I'm so smart now that I'm 50.

Lane

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Mirzam, block 6

Mirzam is a star in the southern constellation of Canis Major, the "greater dog", and is located about 500 light years from earth.

This is the first of my blocks that I think I've made a mistake on. I used too dark of an orange in the background. But, it's still a beautiful block and as I explained to my daughter when she asked if I was going to remake it, it will blend in with the other 35 and you won't realize it could have been better.






So, why, after a whole month, am I just one sixth of the way through piecing these? I've had other quilting responsibilities. I had a quilt that had to be turned in today. And, that being done, I am now free to focus my time and energy to making blocks for this quilt.




And, collecting fabrics. As I've worked on the stars, it's become apparent that the two small bins of batiks and hand dyes I have is not going to give me the variety I want. So, I keep buying a half yard here and a half yard there to supplement the stash and add variety that I can pull from. I need purples and yellows and oranges. I have plenty of greens, blues and reds.




It feels good to have completed my other responsibilities that were already established before I decided to make a Jubilee quilt. That's kind of what being 50 has been like for me. Taking care of stuff I needed to do before so I can get to the stuff I want to do next. Endings and beginnings, all mixed up together and many of them because I turned 50. Others because I just got tired of how things were and what better time to change them than during my half century year.




For heaven's sake, isn't 50 years long enough to believe the same old things are going to happen? It's time to start with some new and fresh ideas. And, there is not going to be a better time than now.




Hope all are well and that you are enjoying your Jubilee quilts. I'm ready to get focused on mine. Lane

Monday, March 12, 2012

Five stars finished.

As you can see I've made some progress.  Five blocks finished and the strings done for the other four blocks.  I love sewing the strings together but I'm not enjoying the triangle set in seams.  I'm in danger of losing some of my points!  Do you think I can cover them up with the quilting?hahaha.  I have plenty of strings left over for more quilts in the future.  There are lots of cats and fun things in my stars.  Definitely not a serious quilt.

I was going to sew some sashing between the blocks I'm not sure about a colour or style yet.  Maybe with stars at the cornerstones.  I've got a few decisions to make before I can go forward.  Any
suggestions?  

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Folk Art Jubilee

I've been showing snippets of my Jubilee quilt but I really wasn't sure if I could make what I wanted to make. I'm still having a few doubts, but I'll show you what I've got so far. Some pieces are appliqued together but nothing is appliqued to the background yet.





Oops, I see I left a row off one side. I was wondering why I had extra.
This will be the center of a medallion quilt. I saw the original of this block in the Folk Art Museum in NYC.  Figuring out the construction and the layering really gave me an appreciation for the artist that made this one block!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

It's all I want to do!

I can't seem to get focused on anything but the Jubilee quilt!  It's all I want to do right now!  I don't want to shop, cook, watch tv.......anything!  I just want to sew!

I finished up the last of the 20 blocks last night!  This morning I'm working on the sashings!  Chain piecing my little brains out!  :o)



And I realized I just have 2 weeks until we leave for our driving vacation/cruise!  We'll be gone for 3 and 1/2 weeks, so I'm really hoping to have my Jubilee done before I go!  And yeah, I'm definitely taking handwork with me.  I think I'd go nuts if I didn't take something to work on with me!

Have a great day!

Regan  :o)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Moving along

I have been trimming off the edges of  my 1.5 " HST squares and have a pretty little pile of trimmings:


All my squares are tidied up and in my box ready to put together.  I have 37 blocks complete.  19 more to go.  Here is a picture of four completed blocks:


The squares finish at 1 inch which makes the blocks finish at 5 inches. I have a bit more information on my blog if you would like to know more.  Thanks for reading!

Judy

Friday, March 2, 2012

Second Border Done

My first border was a plain 1" border of brown fabric.

The second border is made up of 3" blocks.


Next I think another plain 1" border of brown.  Not sure what comes next.

Hugs, Cathy

Jubilee Progress!

I have all 80 string sections de-papered and trimmed, and have 5 blocks made!  Woohoo!

I think the hardest (or just annoying) part of this process is the static that builds up when taking off the papers!  They stick to EVERYTHING!  I'll be glad when spring comes, and static season is over!  Then I can kiss hubby without having to ground ourselves first!  lol




Have great weekend!  I'll be sewing!  Hope you can, too!  :o)

Regan

Block 5, Kuma

Kuma is one of the favorite, and most easily seen, double stars of the northern sky. Even steadily held binoculars will split it into two nearly identical white stars.

Okay, so I should be reading these before I make the blocks because getting the two halves of this star to come together this morning nearly make me "unsteady".




I pieced the star portion before I went to Cleveland this week and today, added the background and joined the 8 sections into quarters and then halves and then the whole block. I'm pretty pleased with the results, tho and I learned a very important lesson about joining the sections that I don't remember from Judy Mathieson's book.


After the sections are pieced, but before they are joined, turn the block right side up and measure the quarter inch seam allowances from the seam joins (I think of these as the match points to get the points perfect). I was measuring the quarter inch seam allowances from the paper edges, paper side up and trimming with my add a quarter ruler. But, that wasn't exactly in line with the actual match points on the front. One might be just a hair different and it was causing my points to be off. When I trimmed by using the fabric match points on the front instead of measuring based on the paper edges on the back, It made my seam allowances much more reliable and the two halves went together in one try instead of the 8 tries it took me to get two of the quarter sections together. (seriously, 8. what was up with that? clearly, my head is still wacky after all the flying and sitting yesterday) If that sounds confusing, I'll be adding it to the paper piecing tutorial that I'm planning for soon (hey, at 50, soon becomes a relative term. we've earned it)


Anyway, I did get in last night and just an hour and a quarter late. But where was I first thing this morning? Was I unpacking my duffle and putting clothes in the hamper? No, I was in my sewing room, working on this block. And, that is how it is supposed to be.


Have a great Friday. I hope to get time to catch up with all the posts I've missed this week soon. I'm sure I've missed important progress.


Lane

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Hello, my name is Tammy :)

and I'm finally able to make it on over to this blog and post something. I have had a nasty cold and and the energy levels for blogging have been zero, zip, nothing :(

But it's better now!

OK about my Jubilee quilt...I turned 50 on January 20th of this year and saw the Jubilee quilt project idea and thought, I want to do this!!. I have had my eye on the quilt pattern I'm using for quite a long time and thanks to a dear friend, she was able to locate the pattern for me.
It's the Tree of Life pattern by Vivian Robinson, an Australian designer.
I love hand-piecing and this quilt certainly fulfills that love.


There are 68 hexagons in this quilt. Each hexagon is embroidered, finished with a print fabric and then hand-quilted before stitching the blocks together. Kinda a "quilt as you go" project and I have also heard this type of quilt referred to as "potholder" quilt.

As you can see this quilt will be literally about me. The designs I started with are a combination of my own, Bareroots designs and from the pattern. The hexagons that will be surrounding this center (shown above) will be mostly from the pattern and about things I love and like to do. :)
So this is my Jubilee quilt and I'm SO happy to be included in on this project and able to share here on this blog.

Best wishes and stitches everyone!

Tammy
www.treadleworksbytammy.blogspot.com