Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Two Blocks

I stitched up two of these blocks...
... and felt fairly satisfied that I'd managed to figure out how to stitch the stars with only the use of graph paper.  (The colors are not accurate.)

And then I was looking at some older photos of these blocks when I was still trying to decide how to join the four corner blocks...
... and had second thoughts about the stars.  Maybe I should have used striped fabric to join them.

I recently read another blogger's encouragement to work in series.  Maybe I should think about a second quilt with strips to join the corner blocks....


This was my pattern for the center stars, cut to the finished size.
Since the graph paper was 1/4" squares and I used a 1/4" seam, I realized that all I needed to do was add 1/2" to the center, and 1/2" to the triangles (though I wasn't positive that would work till I tried it).  I cut the strips for the center at 2" and cut 1 1/4" squares to use to sew the triangles to make the star.  I'm glad I didn't choose a smaller star or I could have been working with really tiny squares to make the star points!

I'm linking this post to
WOW at Esther's Blog and
W.i.P. Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
January 2014 NewFO Linky Party at Cat Patches

--Nancy.
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Monday, January 27, 2014

Big Stars, Little Stars, and Keep Quilting!

My stars.  In the two photos below are different size sashings (if that's what they're called when they're in the middle of a block).  The "wing" blocks are the same size, only the stars and sashing are different sizes.

This star is 1 1/2" wide in the center.

This star is 1" wide in the center.

These are two blocks are side by side.
(The outer sashing is there so I could see the real size of the finished blocks.  I will probably use different fabrics in the quilt.)

It helps me to see more objectively when I take photographs and post them.  I don't know what it is about seeing them online that helps, but I think it does.

After I decide which size, I have to figure out how to cut and sew them.  I think the points are sewn like flying geese except at the end of long strips.  I just need to research or play with what size squares to cut and sew diagonally.  Learning is so much fun!

As I was trying to decide which size stars (and, therefore, sashing) to cut to connect these blocks, I decided to do some research to see if there's a "standard" or preferred proportion.  The "wing" blocks will finish at 4".  Is 1" too narrow?  Is 2" too wide?  Is 1 1/2" too narrow or too wide?

I came upon a blog post at Diane Gaudynski "A New Tradition in Quilting":  Embracing the Old, Exploring the New that did not give me an answer but gave me encouragement.  The post was about scale and proportion, specifically about how photographs can give a different impression of size than a real-life view gives.  Anyway, at the end of her post I read:

"Keep quilting! Your work gets better every day."

I really appreciated reading that.  This art and craft of quilting does not come easily to me.  My mind bogs down with colors, fabrics, scale, proportion, quilting designs....  I take heart in the thought that I'm improving!

I'm linking this post to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

I hope all of your quilting efforts are going smoothly.
--Nancy. .

Friday, January 24, 2014

Stars in the Centers?

I have this bunch of blocks -- or at least I have the four corners of the blocks.  I was thinking of joining them with striped fabric but couldn't find anything I liked well enough to use in a whole quilt.

They've been at the back of my mind for a month or two.  Just recently it occurred to me that perhaps stars in the centers would be fun.


One of the problems with my quilt-making abilities is that I tend to "imagine" in bits and pieces.  Oh, wouldn't red and lights look great in this pattern?  And that's as far as my thought process went.  And I made a bunch of blocks.  Then I have to figure out the next step....


Unless I'm trying to make a finished quilt from a photograph, I figure out a quilt as I go alone.  It has its pros and cons.  My real challenge is that I don't imagine very well.  I have to see it to know what it's going to look like.  In some ways it's very limiting.

Anyway, If I'm going to put stars in the centers I'll have to play around to figure out how to make them them.  And then I have to decide whether to use the same fabric for all the stars and all the connecting strips or whether to vary them from block to block.

Oh, to have a visual brain!

I hope you're staying warm.  It's been the coldest winter we've had for many years.  Brrrrrrr.

--Nancy.
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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Visit Your Local Fabric Store Day

My daughter gave me this sweet little 2014 Susan Branch calendar for Christmas.

I like to have a small one near the computer and at 7" square this one is just perfect.  There is a delightful main drawing for each month and additional drawings and quotes on the tiny, 7/8" x 1 1/8" date squares.


After I took the cover off, I began reading the tiny writing in the date squares.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this on January 23:

No way!  Visit my local fabric store on my birthday?!!!  What a delightful invitation.  Maybe I will -- if it's not too cold!   

I hope you have a fun visit to your local fabric store tomorrow.

--Nancy.
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Sunday, January 19, 2014

Olivia Rose

I've been away for a few weeks tending our grandson and helping his mom as a new baby joined their family.

I'd like you to meet our new granddaughter, Olivia Rose.  She arrived on January 10 at 10:52 p.m., weighing a healthy 9 pounds 2 ounces.  She is sweet and round and fully cuddle-able.  As her aunt said, Olivia has "a proper double chin," though it's not so evident in this photo.  She also has a strong set of lungs which she actively uses to let us know there's a problem.

The facts that her little mouth forms a nearly perfect "O" when she's unhappy, that she weighed 9+ pounds, and that her name starts with an "O" led to her first nickname:  The Big O.  That one won't stick but this one, Ohsie Rosie, courtesy of her aunt, just might.

We had lots of fun with Olivia's big brother, Malachi, who turned 19 months while we were there.  He's a jolly little fellow who awakes with a smile.  He enjoys life with gusto.  We don't get to see him but about once a month so we were pleased that he didn't mind being left with us while his parents went to the hospital.

More than ever before I can appreciate why young people have babies.  Just two weeks and I'm very, very tired -- but very pleased to have been able to spend time with Olivia, Mali, and their parents.

--Nancy.
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