Archives for October 2014

Bright & Cheery Lone Star

Bright & Cheery Lone Star

October 20, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Bright & Cheery Lone Star

Bright & Cheery Lone Star

Well I got this little gem put together over the weekend.  I’m a little sad because I wish I would have made it BIGGER!!  With some borders, this will be a pretty large baby quilt.  I was surprised at how easy piecing this and putting the blades together was.  It’s stripped pieced and then the seams are pressed opened. (First time NOT pressing to the dark side.)

strips

Strip Sets

Then came the more difficult part, blocking the blades and then the assembly was a tad tricky for me.  The Y seams are a tad tricky at first, as is getting the center star together.  So this being my first attempt, I had a few mis-steps as well as 1 “stubby” blade.  Which normally would drive me crazy, but I’m excited to make another one, so this will be chalked up to a learning experience.  😀

seams

Seams pressed open

I’m going to make my next one larger, and I’m toying with adding white or another solid color between the colors…we’ll see.  But I’m excited to make a few more of these as they aren’t nearly has hard as I thought they would be, and want to keep building my confidence in making them.  Happy Quilting!

Filed Under: Quilts
What I Learned Today

What I Learned Today

October 18, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

30's Lone Star Mock-UpSo I spent my afternoon with Jan Krentz (Okay not HER, but her DVD) and getting my first lone star quilt setup.  I chose 30’s reproduction fabric, for many of my friends this will not come as a surprise.  There is something about 30s fabric that just makes me smile.  It’s bright, it’s cheery, it plays well together, what’s not to like?

I plan on the center to be bright red and will burst out into the cooler colors.  The background will be yellow, and then I plan on adding either smaller stars or some applique in the corners.  Jan’s DVD is a WONDERFUL tool if you plan on making one of these in a strip pieced method.  Her instructions are clear and precise, as is her entire method of assembly.

olfa45So as for what I learned today?  I should be embarrassed probably, but I will admit it, I have NEVER changed the blade on my rotary cutter….ever.  So when watching the DVD, because of the need for precision, she tells you to change your blade.  So I open my package of blade and pop a new one in.  (And I didn’t even cut myself!)  Boy HOWDY does that make a HUGE difference!!!  It cuts like BUTTER!  So the moral of the story is….change your blade.  (I admit I was cheap and didn’t want to spend the $7 on a blade, but it was SO worth it, and made the cutting process MUCH easier and enjoyable.)

So tomorrow I need to get my strip sets sewn together.  Then it’s off to Sew Inspired (my LQS) to get some muslin so I can “block” my diamonds once they are complete.  I also need to see if my 97D foot has come in yet, I can’t WAIT for that little gem!  I will keep you updated on my progress!  Excited to see how this turns out!   😀

Filed Under: Equipment, Fabric Designers, LQS, Patterns
Vacation – I’m Back!

Vacation – I’m Back!

October 13, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

30sI’m back from vacation and ready to get going on some projects!

We had a wonderful time at Disney World, so much to see and do, and a few quilts ideas while I was there.

But for now it’s time to focus on my Lone Star quilt.  I decided to take a practice run at it.  So I am making a 30’s Lone Star (something that won’t shock any of my quilt friends, I have a fondness for 30’s fabric, so I’m breaking into my stash to create this one.)

Tonight I plan on to finish pulling fabric from my stash, and then getting some strips cut.  I also plan on making it scrappy, so even though the blues will be similar, the patterns will be different.  That way I can use more smaller pieces of fabric in my project.

Hopefully by the end of the week I will have a panel to show you all!  😀

Filed Under: Uncategorized