LUCKY STARS -- NEW HANDWORK PROJECT

 Recently I decided I needed a new Hand Piecing project to take with me on my travels. My friend, Jackie Kunkel, has been showing her tantalizing LUCKY STARS blocks on Social Media and she SUCKED ME RIGHT IN.

A few of Jackie's photos:

Who wouldn't be tempted with all these fantastic fabric selections of such amazing COLORS?! 

But I don't have a lot of orange, or lime green, or aqua, etc. A group swap would be the perfect way to get some. Fortunately, my Sunday Sew and Sews were all excited to join in this project. 

Twelve of us are swapping 3.5" squares of a LIGHT and a DARK shade of specific fabrics each month.

Cyndi took on the task of ordering the 12 sets of patterns. She also made us each a set of cardstock templates for the 3 shapes needed so each person could get started right away. That was an unexpected surprise! Thank you, Cyndi:

The pattern is excellent and a reasonable price for all the information included. There is an additional password-protected file online with even more instructions, including the best way to baste each shape and files for printing your own paper templates. There are video instructions there as well.

See the designer's website: Kustom Kwilter.  There are several options for ordering.  Just the pattern--printed or PDF, the pattern and 3 acrylic templates for easy cutting of the shapes, or a complete set with the pattern, templates and ALL the pre-cut papers for the 60" x 72" quilt. There are additional intriguing designs available as well:

We met recently and did our first swap: ORANGE:

I made a name page for each of us and as people arrived they put their LIGHT and DARK orange squares on each person's page. I didn't get a photo of the beautiful stacks but here is what I received:

We are using lights and darks for the 15 wedges that make the circle around the star and background shapes. We will discuss color and contrast--"COLOR gets all the credit but CONTRAST does all the work."

As a demo for our first meeting I was working on an ORANGE block:

Next month is GREEN so I cut that one out too:

Cyndi had also done some pre-meeting work so we could discuss alternatives to the pattern instructions. Here you can see what we had ready for the group to enjoy, Cyndi's orange and aqua stars and my two in progress:

We are looking forward to seeing what each person does. There are NO RULES, and NO DEADLINES, each person can do as she pleases. I love picking the fabric and using glue to baste shapes to the papers. The sewing is not as exciting to me. But I love how they turn out. 

This is going to be FUN!

Find a project you like, see if a few of your friends want to join in, and get a group together. These small squares of fabric would easily lend themselves to a "distance group", where those not nearby could mail the fabrics in a regular envelope. 

We are a group of 12. Cutting 3.5" squares from a Fat Quarter is easy--cut two strips 3.5" x 21", lay them on top of each other and cut into 3.5" squares--exactly 12 are cut from those two strips. And you still have a 11" x 21" piece of fabric left for your collection. So buy ONE LIGHT and ONE DARK fat quarter of a color and get 11 more different fabrics for your rings. Easy and fun!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

GAME ON! MONTH 5

Game On! is the 2026 Block of the Month quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW: find Game On! information here. Join as a Star Member to get all the patterns and all the videos FREE. Membership is just $49/year and provides access to over 18 years of shows and tremendous additional content. Join HERE

This month we make one 3" border and one 6" corner block. This border is one of my favorites, I use it a lot in my quilts:

I like it so much I am using it all around for my personal PRINTS version:

The instructions and videos are excellent, be sure you read/watch them for best results. 

The GOOD NEWS: there are NO papers to print for the border. It is all regular piecing. 

My best advice is to check your piecing as you go. There is a good bit of bias in these pieces, though not on the outside edges. They can "grow" if you don't check to be sure your 1/4" seam allowances stay accurate.

What could possibly go wrong? This intersection is off enough to cause a problem with the border. I fixed it: 

I measured the colored square exactly 2 3/8" from the seam--it started as a 2 5/8" square. After the first seam it should be 2 3/8". I cut off the white points with the rotary cutter.

After all the units are sewn and checked for accurate sewing, I joined them in pairs, then pairs of pairs, as Becky's instructions direct. 

It is important this border measures 36.5" long including seam allowances:

Follow Becky's video instructions for trimming the border to 3.5" wide. I start with the 1.75" mark on the center of the border, at the points of the colored squares. Double check the outer corners are at the 1/4" mark before you trim:

Once the border is done, 36.5" long x 3.5" wide, set it aside until needed. We will make the small corner squares in Month 7. This border will be sewn onto the quilt AFTER the Right Side narrow border is made and joined to the center.

The Corner Block DOES have papers to print. Follow the written and video instructions:

By now you know, if that center where 8 points meet doesn't look as perfect as you hoped, you can always cover it with a little circle!

Next month we make the right side narrow border and another corner block.

My SOLID version through Month 7. I changed the small corner blocks to 9 Patches: 

Please post your progress photos on the FORUM, we love to see your work.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PAPER PIECING LESSONS

 Having just returned from 5 days in Las Vegas for our 50th anniversary, I didn’t have a weekly post ready. 

Using the SEARCH box in the upper left corner above, I typed Paper Piecing. Here is what I got:

Paper piecing posts

If you are new to Paper Piecing or are experienced with this technique, you will likely learn some useful tips in these posts.

Next week the Month 5 GAME ON! Post will appear.

Let’s quilt.

Barbara

50 YEARS and COUNTING

 This is a SPECIAL DAY. And this post is not quilt related--check back next week for quilty stuff.

50 years ago we got married at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. We met on the 4th of July 1975, and had our first date on August 17, 1975--he asked me to marry him on that date. I said "no". I joined the Marine Corps to see the world, not get married. I was barely 21 years old. He was almost 29. 

A week later he asked again and I said "maybe". There were 40 women and 2000 men going through The Basic School--new officer training. I quickly saw he was the best one there. The next week when he asked again I said "If you're serious, let's go get a ring." Off to the jewelry store we went and it was official.

This was a great story until we had teenagers. I told them "Forget you ever heard that. You have to know someone for years to know they are the right one!" 

A little look back at 50 years that seems like a lifetime ago but also seems to have flown by:

1975: we were so young:

1978: Joshua arrived. Three generations of Wilkins men.  Will's parents came to visit just before Will left for a one year unaccompanied tour in Okinawa Japan: 

1980:  Andrew arrived and our family was complete. My parents came to visit:

1981: we survived our first Tax Season. I started working for H&R Block when Andy was 3 weeks old:

1982:

1984:

1986:

The next 20 years are a bit of a blur. Will retired from the United States Marine Corps in 1988. We moved from Northern Virginia to Huntsville Alabama, an excellent move. I worked for H&R Block and Patches & Stitches and sold Longaberger Baskets. Will worked as a Civil Engineer, a job for which he was well suited. The boys grew, life was busy. And it was good.

Jump ahead to 2006:

2012: Andy and Lauren found each other and there was a wedding:

2015: Blessings arrived in the form of STELLA:

2016: St Louis was a long drive but we made that trip several times to see Stella, (and Lauren/Andy). And they came to see us:

2018: More blessings, the gift of Samuel:

2019: The grandkids moved back to Alabama--oh, happy day! Sam's first birthday:

2021: I was traveling a lot to teach and still making as many quilts as possible. An important one is the Quilt of Valor I made for Will. It was presented to him at this ceremony July 15, 2021:

Once I started teaching on quilter's cruises, Will traveled with me. Paid vacations for us both. March 2023, on  a Caribbean cruise: 

2024: Joshua was hired to do a photo shoot of me for Woman's World magazine.  He took this great portrait of us together in the spur of the moment. So glad we have this shot, taken March 15, 2024:

Less than two weeks later our third blessing arrived: OLIVER! (We are not allowed to show his face on social media--too bad because he's awesome cute, with the bluest eyes ever!)

May 2024--a reproduction of the photo taken in 1978 of Joshua, Will and PawPaw Wilkins--in the same outfit:

2024: June 1--the whole family got together. Now this generation of the family is complete:

2024: August on an Alaskan cruise, where I was teaching:

2024: Christmas:

2025: our 49th anniversary:

June 2025: Disney with Stella and Sam and their folks:

September 2025: I taught on two cruises, back to back. First, New England and Canada:

                                                        

                                                    

Then on to Bermuda:

November 2025: I received my own Quilt of Valor:

2026: the most recent photo, taken Easter Sunday with Stella, Sam and Leroy Brown--the newest member of their family:

I have a theory about what makes for a happy marriage. It's when both people think they are the LUCKY ONE. And they are BOTH RIGHT. That's certainly the case for us. He knew what he wanted. And I was smart enough not to miss the opportunity to hitch my wagon to his star. 

Fifty years sounds SO long, but DON'T BLINK! Time goes by so quickly.

Now, let's quilt!

Barbara