Always Something New....

I am probably one of the most focused individuals you will ever meet.  I keep "to do" lists for everyday of the week so I can make sure I get everything done.  I've always been that way -- ever since I was in high school. 

I am focused.

At times, I am intensely focused

Exxccceeeppptttt when it comes to quilting.  Then I have the attention span of a two-year old. And believe me, I know two year-olds...I have a granddaughter that age.

If it's a pretty fabric, I buy it.  At least four yards of it.  I don't care if I don't have a plan for it.  At some point I will have a plan for it.  For right now, it simply needs to go home with me.  And if I have a stressful day, I will go into my sewing room and "pet" it.  That relieves tension. 

Trust me.

If it's a gadget or a ruler I don't have and feel like I need, it's in my cart (on line or at a brick-and-mortar store) faster than a New York minute.  It. Is. Mine.  I want it.  Do I need it?  I didn't ask that question.

And patterns.  Despite the fact that I have a handy-dandy-knock-your-socks-off-it's-so-impressive spreadsheet on my projects, I will not hesitate (not for a second) to add to that list and buy another pattern.  I admit, at 53, my list is ambitious, but I figure now is the time to make the purchases...

Before I get too old and my children take my debit card away before they put me in the home for old quilters.

So this week, I did my part to spur on the economy and support my local quilt shop and small quilting businesses. 

First I purchased these through a good friend at the quilt retreat.

They're patterns and stamps by Cindy Blackberg.  She's a big hand-piecer.  I've hand quilted but never hand pieced.  The patterns come with stamps.

You use the stamps to mark your fabric instead of templates.  According to my friend, Karen, all this stamping and cutting and hand piecing is very relaxing. 

I'm willing to give it a try.  I'm making the Star Garden first.   It's the pattern on the right.

Then I bought this pattern from Dragonfly Quilt Shop.

 

Patty Grubb has two versions of this quilt at her shop.  One is with a dark background, similar to the pattern, and the other is with a light yellow background.  Both quilts are stunning and the applique can easily and accurately be done via machine.  It's 74" x 74".  I will add a solid inside order and then use the rail border on the outside to enlarge it just a bit to go on a queen-size bed.  And I think I will go with a lighter background than the darker one. 

 

 

The best purchase I made this week is from Barnett Hoops.  Please visit their website and their Facebook page.  Their hoops are for handquilters, but they make so much more than hoops.  They have a terrific applique stand that I will purchase in the future and then they have several versions of caddies.  I purchased their small handquilting caddie.  Each one is hand made, so it may take several weeks to receive it once you place your order

 

What I absolutely love about these caddies are the details...like the little knobs to hold your thimbles....

And the small magnet to hold your needles and the square space to nest your Thread Heaven.

It's so easy to slide your thread through the Thread Heaven before you thread your needle.

Again, it is so important to support your local quilt shops and small quilt businesses and designers.  We do not quilt in isolation.  It's in these small shops and on-line businesses that we can ask questions and get help and even more than that, find a fellowship of like-minded, obsessed folks.  Don't take them for granted.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I'm not sure if I will have a blog up or not.  We did my family's Thanksgiving last night.  On Thanksgiving Day, my children will go to their respective in-laws.  So it will be Bill and me and Sam with some turkey and dressing.  I may take the week off....I haven't decided yet.  So if I'm not here next week, have a wonderful thankful Thanksgiving!

Love and Stitches!

Sherri



At Piece with Time -- Diamond Star

What a block...

More set in seams and different cutting directions....

This is a challenging block, but the pieces are bigger in this one, so the set-in seams do go together a little easier.  Re-read my blog on Tulips and Ivy to go over the basics of these Y-seams if you're a little foggy on them. 

First of all, there are a lot of biased edges on this block, so handle carefully and starch liberally. 

Second, on section C under the Cutting Recipe, I found that cutting the blocks 4-inches worked better than 3 1/2-inches. 

Cutting the diamond strips are very similar to the to the way that we did in Tulips and Ivy.  But this time you cut one strip at a time and you don't fold them wrong sides together.  And this time you use the 45-degree line on your ruler rather than the 60-degree line.

Cut away the first section and discard.

Measure 2 1/2-inches from the new end and mark.  Line up your ruler again along the edge of the strip and use the 45-degree line as your base and cut the first diamond.

 

Continue in this manner until you have four diamonds of one color and four diamonds of an opposite color. As you're cutting, makes sure the two sets of diamonds are going opposite directions, as shown below. 

 The rest of the square goes together pretty easily.  Just follow the directions in the book At Piece with Time.  One of the things that may through you, is this step.  When you get to the point where you're working with the first set of Y-seams, that inserted triangle is going to stick out a little above the diamonds.  And that is fine.  It needs to  and you will see why as you construct the rest of the block.

This is the finished block.  You can see now why those insert triangles had to go a little above the diamonds.  If they had been even with them, the points would be cut off as the rest of the quilt is constructed.



Next week we will focus on the large setting triangle for the final time before beginning work on the center medallion.

 

Until then, love and stitches...

 

Sherri



Dear Jane Update

I've been working on my Dear Jane quilt for a couple of years now.  There are some weeks I can get a couple of blocks done and then there are other weeks that one block takes so long that I'm just lucky to get one done.

I got a little behind on her this summer.  There were weddings and reunions and just a lot of events going on and so some weeks Jane and I were not on speaking terms.  I did make up for it at the quilt retreat last month.  I got these done...

I'm showing these for a  couple of reason...first of all they're harder than they look.  I worked on a couple of more this weekend and the last block of At Piece at Time.  This must have been the week for pain-in-the-tookus blocks because they all were harder than I anticipated and took three times as long and I thought they would. 

I'll be posting the last block in At Piece with Time later this week. 

Love and Stitches...

Sherri