Tag: Floating Stars

Happy Friday –  We were blessed with almost 2 inches of rain and hoping for more later today.

I have been working on cutting 5″ strips, sewing 3 together, then making some 3″ 9 patches for my Sentimental Scraps.  This is a fun quilt to make.  Grabbing the different pieces and putting them together, cutting them into 1 1/2″ segments and putting them in a nice pile!  The next step is to start making more of the 9 patches.  It is so interesting when making a scrappy quilt, just grabbing strips and putting them together in a random fashion and the making the 9 patches that come out so pretty!  I am enjoying the process and the outcome. I am glad that I decided to work on this quilt at this time.  It is really mindless sewing, and mistakes cannot be made – not when it is scrappy.

Funny how time can stand still.  I was working on my strips when Darryl’s Doctor called.  It was not good news.  Evidently I was in the middle of winding my bobbin thread when the call came through and we had to leave quickly.  He will now enter Hospice System.   We will continue to have some valuable time with him.

Here are my 5 inch strips.  I am using Reproduction Fabrics with a few Batik fabric thrown in.  I tried mixing the Reproduction fabrics with Batik fabric strips and for me it did not work – it did not yield a 3 1/2″ square 9 patch – the length was off 1/8″… HUMMMM.  So I will make some 9 patches with Batik fabric to spark things up!

I have been busy sewing some strips together, pressing, trimming, and then cutting into the 1 1/2″ segments.  This keeps me from completely getting bored with one facet of the process.  Tomorrow I will begin putting some 9 patches together.

And here is what the “strip sets” will look like.  Need to make a design decision on the darker color Moda Aged Muslin 3.5″ squares.

On Monday I made a decision to enter 3 quilts into the Austin, Texas Quilt Show in September (lucked out as it was the last day to enter quilts).  I entered my Lone Star Over The Rainbow (received a Blue Ribbon at San Antonio Show last year), Floating Stars, and my Jacobean in Batiks. I used Debbie Maddy’s HST pattern for the Star, added an additional border to make it float and designed the border using the Floating Stars in Red).  During the Show last year, a lady was admiring my quilt and assumed I had paper pieced my floating star border.  I told her I did paper piece.  The star has 350 HSTs and 208 star points – all rotary cut and pieced.  I used all the colors in the Rainbow when making this quilt and entered it in the Show’s Theme Category.   This is the best picture I have – hoping I can get a better one while it is hanging in the Austin Show in September.

I started Jacobean Batiks in 2009/2010 while we wintered in Arizona.  I just could not let it be an easy project, no I just had to do 4 more Medallions and put it on Point!!!!  It took me until last summer to finish it.  I had other projects that I chose to work on before finishing one.  Before I could get it quilted, our “ex-cat” bit me in late June and I spent 8 wonderful days vacationing in the Hospital with Cat Scratch Fever – I was very lucky to survive that one.  Then I came home pumped full of mediation and sat down and hand quilted this puppy in 5 weeks. I did not make it easy – the quilting is Vertical and 1/4″ apart – talk about STUPID!   Believe you me – never again will I wait until the last-minute to finish a quilt for a Show.   For some reason (wonder why) this is really NOT my favorite quilt!  If it wins a ribbon – any place – I MIGHT begin to like it!  (LOL)

Now let’s talk about Floating Stars………..Nothing is easy in the quilting world……… The pattern had a cutting direction issue and it took me about 2 weeks of working with a practice block to get the star to float.  Believe me, I have perfected this one!  Thanks to Perseverance and Math!  Again if it wins a ribbon – any place – I will be so very Happy.  I really worked hard on color selection and placement.  I am not happy with the professional quilter who quilted it – she must have had a bad week – so again – I think that 2013 was not my best year – hoping 2015 gets better.   I will probably go back to quilting my own quilts or find someone who really cares about providing show quality quilting.  I had worked so hard to perfect star, I could have cried when I saw the mistakes on the quilting.

Well, I hope that everyone North of Dallas, Texas is enjoying the nice cool weather.  We here in South Texas are keeping the home fires burning – and now I understand that we have 100 degree weather coming everyday next week……….YEA    Until next Post, stay safe and have a Blessed Life!