CHANGE OF SEASON

It's that time of year when it's finally cooler and there may be some lovely leaves on the trees as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. It's a lovely time of year in North Alabama. This morning we even "gained" a hour as it was time to "Fall Back" with our clocks. 

Speaking of change of seasons, now that it's cooler,  it was time to put away the shorts and sports bra in favorite of yoga pants and a sweatshirt over a t-shirt.  Here is a look at what I get to see on my 6-8 mile daily walk. 

The people in this house go all out each year with their Halloween decorations, adding more scenes each year.  No other house in my large neighborhood comes close to these decorations.

It makes me smile as I go flying by: 

                                    

                                        

                                         

corner of Noel and Blair Day Lane, south Huntsville, AL

                                        

I love seeing wildlife on my walks. Rabbits, chipmunks, lots of squirrels, the occasional fox and these:

Great Blue Heron

Canadian Geese

The Canadian Geese are starting to fly in formation, honking loudly, as they plan to leave for the winter. What a sight!

I don't do much decorating myself, just a few things in the house:

    

The patchwork pumpkins were made by my dear friend Judy Murrah. I miss her all the time but especially in October, her birthday month and the month we were sure to be together again each year. 

Living Room coffee table

I do change out the quilts on our bed to my favorite "winter" quilts:

Foothills on the wall, Western Sun on the bed, and Pieces of the Past at the foot of the bed--you can see I am fond of Flying Geese

As the days get shorter, I will find a new hand sewing project to have by my cozy chair. Not sure yet what it will be...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 11

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401 

This month we work on the final border, a set of Fan Blocks combined in pairs.

The Fan itself was provided in Month 1, it is the same size as the fans around the middle of the center Star. In month 2 I provided the Template for the background shape so you could be working on these 64 fan blocks throughout the year. Those who bought the acrylic template sets had that shape, I wanted everyone to have it.  Find it in Month 2 under Patterns/Documents.

Also in Month 2 I provided a lengthy Supplemental Video on how to paper piece the fan blades. It was so much faster to cut 256 rectangles for the fan blades than using the template to carefully cut each one individually. That Video provides lots of information to make these fan blocks more easily.  If you are logged in as a Star Member you can find the video HERE

The fan blades can have the handles appliqued on them, by hand or machine. They can be pieced in, by hand or machine. The backgrounds can be appliqued in place or pieced, again by hand or machine. It's your quilt, you get to decide.  I did some of each method to find which I liked best.

I wrote a detailed Blog about making these blocks way back in February so you cold be working on them throughout the year. Find it here: BONUS PAPER PIECED FAN BLADES

Try using Freezer paper for foundation paper piecing

A finished block with two handles and one background

Fan blades paper pieced

Handle glued in place ready to be appliqued

My motto is "I want the fastest method that gives me the results I want." Simply try several methods to find your favorite.

This is when I remind you the patterns are only available FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show until December 31, 2024. TELL YOUR FRIENDS! If they want this pattern FREE all they have to do is join The Quilt Show before December 31, 2025 and download ALL THE PATTERNS now for FREE.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PACKING FOR HOUSTON

 It's that time of year when I get started on packing for Houston. As part of the Faculty, there is so much to do to get ready. 

Three weeks out I go to Staples and spend time printing all the Handouts. After first checking to be sure I had the most up-to-date handout ready for printing. Sometimes students make good suggestions and I revise the class Handout. One hour and $250 later I was ready to get ready.

 It's important not to forget anything so I work class by class, reviewing the Supply Lists to be sure I have all the supplies students are asked to bring. I have a folder for each class, listing what to take with me, what extra things are helpful, and anything else I might need to teach that class. Then I gather all the items needed for the class: Kits, Handouts, business cards, and a few "freebies" vendors have sent me to share with students. And then I dig out the class samples, it is REALLY important to have those! 

Fortunately, I didn't have to ship any boxes this year. My three classes each have Handouts/Patterns and student  supplies but all of that stuff will fit in one very large suitcase:

Plenty of room

Goldie doesn't get to go, no room for her

The inside isn't fully packed yet, the quilts have to be folded and added. If there is extra room, some of my other things, like snacks and personal items, may fit in here too:

Another large suitcase will hold my clothes and such. For 24 years I packed two suitcases for my 13 day stay. This trip is only 7 days long so I feel like I'm not taking nearly enough clothes--but I am.

The BEST THING about packing this year is that ALL MY CLOTHES FIT. This may not sound like much, but as someone who dreaded the change of seasons every year, it is amazing to know that I can pack for a week without having to try anything on to be sure it fits. My closet has been purged of all the "too big", "not attractive", "why did I buy this?" clothes. If it is in my closet, it fits, I like it, it can be mixed and matched with several things and packing is FUN--not the chore it used to be.

My half of the closet

Besides the travel clothes--easy to wear in airports, and the teaching clothes--professional but colorful and flattering, I will pack my exercise clothes. Each morning I'll be in the Fitness Center at 5:30 am for my daily workout. Then breakfast, my favorite meal of the day, and then on to class. I never miss a workout.

Fitness Center Hilton Americas Houston

So the "preparation" for packing for Houston is done. All that needs to happen in the week before is a haircut, get my nails done, and then actually put everything in the suitcases. Then the fun can begin! I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. 

If you see me there, please be sure to say "HI!"

Let's quilt,

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 2

 This quilt caught my eye at the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange TX last year:

In Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns I found it as Glittering Star # 3738. But that only has 5 diamonds on each side, this quilt has 7. 

Playing around in Electric Quilt 8 I have these two ideas:

One Central Block, with the center square and rectangles pieced in

Four separate blocks, much easier to make

I studied the original at the museum and I am sure the center block is pieced in--there are no seams in the center white square. I didn't think to check the white rectangles but it stands to reason they were also pieced in.

Making four separate blocks would be easiest for a machine pieced quilt.

The fact there are 6 diamonds on a side instead of 7 doesn't bother me, at least not enough to redraw the entire star to have 7 as the original does. 

I was able to use the diagram from EQ8 to determine yardage. I have plenty of fabrics what will work for the colored diamonds and the squares on point on the border. The white background requires more than 4 yards. That might mean I have to use more than one white. Easy enough.

My first quick "fabric pull" for Bucket List Quilt #2. Turns out I do have enough of a white solid for the background to be all the same fabric:

I want to hand quilt this one so the solid background is the best choice.

This will be fun!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 1

 For the last year I have been thinking about what quilts I still really want to make. You know, those "BUCKET LIST" quilts you really want to make while you can. 

My thought process is to make that LIST. Then pull the FABRICS for each quilt. That should make it easier for me to let go of so much "extra" fabric I have no plan for and can't live long enough to use. That's the theory, anyway...

Why should I let go of fabric? Because there is just too much! My 3 closets, so full:

 

So for the next few weeks I will show you one of the quilts that has made my BUCKET LIST. In no particular order here is #1

HAWAII SUNSET 1845: Quilters Newsletter Magazine Feb/Mar 2010.

Saved this magazine for 14 years

Yardage I have on hand that works--I have many fat quarters in these colors to supplement this group

The ONE RULE I have set for myself for these BUCKET LIST QUILTS is I will BUY NO MORE FABRIC TO MAKE THEM. I will use what I have.

There is only one fabric in this quilt that requires a sizeable amount--the Navy Blue sashing. I have enough of one, it's a bit lighter than the one used in the magazine. I have enough of two other darker Navy Blues, if I am willing to use one for the body of the quilt and one for the perimeter triangles. Time will tell which I decide to use. 

This resembles Western Sun I made a couple years ago but the fabric selection is very different and the Nine Patch centers will be much faster to make than these Star blocks:

Western Sun 110" square

Do you have a Bucket List Quilt?

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 10

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we work on the remaining embroidery for the last 2 Log Cabin borders. 

Here are some detail photos to assist you:

These images came to me as videos, they may also help:

Feel free to do your own thing, add whimsical motifs and shapes, whatever you like.

Next month provides the instructions for making the final Fan Block outer borders. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

OH, MY STARS!

Things are coming along nicely with Oh, My Stars! This pattern is from American Jane patterns. I expect to offer it as a class locally and it will be my Empty Spools Seminar quilt project for 2026: April 29-May 4 2026. Plan now to join me there for the BEST quilting experience of your life. Registration won't open until May 2025 but you can still make your plans to SAVE THE DATES.

I made a design change--my borders are made from Half Square Triangles. Easier than the Dogtooth triangles in the pattern, and it provides an alternative design. Mine so far: 

The original as designed by American Jane patterns:

The original pattern as designed

After making the pieced borders from half square triangles (HST), I was able to calculate the "floater borders" needed to make everything fit together. The quilt top before borders measures 88" including seam allowance. I use a metal tape measure to carefully measure the quilt folded in half:

Then I measured the HST borders. They should have been 90.5" but had grown by a few extra inches because I did not check my piecing carefully as I went. While that is OK, I could easily have calculated a wide floating border to fill in the space, I didn't want those borders to be that wide. 

SO, I fixed the pieced borders, all 4 of them! NOTE TO SELF: next time, check those pieced borders as you are making them. A little "extra" becomes a LOT over 30 seams.

Using my TUTORIAL on FLOATER BORDERS I calculated what size to cut the RED borders to make the quilt middle fit the pieced HST borders:

1. Pieced Borders including seam allow.            90.5" 

2. Center of the Quilt including seam allow,         88"

3. Difference                                                            2.5"

4. Divide in half for finished size                         1.25"    Finished Size of Floater Border, add .5" seam allowance for Cut Size

The Left and Right Red Borders were cut/pieced to be 1.75" x 88".  They are sewn to the quilt.

The Top and Bottom Red Borders were cut/pieced to be 1.75" x 90.5". They are sewn to the quilt after the left and right red borders were added.

Now all I had to do is add the four pieced HST borders--they fit perfectly.

The biggest decision is what to do next. I don't like to finish a quilt with pieced units at the edge that need to be precisely aligned with the binding, like this: 

It was simple to add one narrow red border to the outside like this:

About 97" square

What I really had in mind originally was to make this King size by adding a wide outer border. This print is nothing like the one I would use but you get the idea:

About 109" square

Here is the actual print, I really like it:

BUT, do I really want a KING SIZE quilt, especially if this has to travel for teaching? QUEEN would be big enough. 

For right now, I am waiting until I decide the best course of action. What are your thoughts?

See my previous blog posts about this project:

The Fabric Pull

Getting Started

More Design Decisions

Tiny Stars

Let's quilt.

Barbara