Stella's Splendid Sampler

Happy Day--Stella's Splendid Sampler top is done!

I first wrote about this last February when the project first started:  The Splendid Sampler.  At that time, the Facebook group numbered just over 10,000, today, at this moment, it's at 25,622. That doesn't include the people around the world who signed up by email.  Pat Sloan and Joan Davidson can be very proud of the project they put together with a lot of work, effort, planning and coordinating of more than 80 designers.  A book is due for release soon.

My quilt, by the numbers:  100 blocks, 2757 pieces, 132 different fabrics, finished size 81" square,  I replaced 6 blocks, one with a "bonus" block that was provided, and 5 that I drafted or added myself.

This quilt is for my beloved grand-girl, Stella LeAnne, who is only 20 months old now but will move up to a "big girl bed" later this year.  As I worked on this, I thought it is possible she will take this to college years from now, it's not overly childish.  Time will tell.

What I learned from this: First, this is a mystery project--if you don't know what the finished quilt will look like when you start, that's a mystery.  Not everyone does well under those conditions--if you want to plan everything from the beginning, this isn't for you.  I was surprised at the number of embroidery blocks, though I shouldn't have been, we knew there would be lots of techniques introduced.  There were some true beginners who tackled this--I hope they learned a lot and weren't discouraged.  There was so much support online by the various designers, every skill level could learn something.

Had I known what it would look like before I began, I wouldn't have made it.  BUT I'm glad I did--I thought of Stella with every block and I hope she will like it.  Here are my favorite blocks:

 

I created the BB block, my grandma name, and the Coneflower I hand-appliqued while on a family beach vacation with Stella in August:

Her "surprised" face she did on command and her PopPop

This embroidery block I simply colored with crayons and heat set.  Loved the design, didn't want to spend weeks sewing it. 

 This embroidery block took me 3 weeks to complete, I do like it but, 3 weeks--I just couldn't get motivated to finish it.

 I substituted this block with a 6-pointed star--Stella means "star" in Italian, and added the embroidery

 I liked the design of this simple sawtooth star and interesting border treatment

 This was the first block with embroidery and I liked how someone added fabric to the "quilt", and colored the face and toys with crayons--I learned I could do that.

 I substituted this block I created for one that had 3 black birds on it--I love flying geese so just drew the paper pattern and made 3 "geese"

This heart block was one of the many paper pieced blocks and one I'll use again--it would be great for those gift quilts made to show love to a friend in need.

Here is Stella having a look at  her quilt in progress in October:

Here are the fabrics I started with:

I intended to use the large print as borders, having saved it after making Smitten:

BUT, a couple weeks ago I saw a wonderful strip-pieced border on Bonnie Hunters' blog and thought "What a great way to use up these fabrics!"  So, how come I seem to have just as much fabric left from this project as when I started??  I added more and the scrap stash just seems to grow.  See what I did with some of the scraps here:  Baby Quilt.

So, it's done, except for the quilting which I will do myself.  Now to baste it and get started.  And I have plenty of projects to get back to now.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Sneak Peek, A New Finish and the End is in Sight

I've been busy writing instructions for the Sew-A-Long.  Doing  my own photos really slows down the sewing process.  Here' a sneak peek;

I still have to quilt both samples, make binding for both, add the bindings, sew both, and takes photos of each step along the way.

Guess what?  There will be a Link-Up party and a Giveaway after the five blog posts have appeared--get your top done and be entered to win a cool gift!

Recently, I got this doll quilt done, using blocks I got in a swap.  They were sewn on interfacing instead of paper so I could not use them with all the other blocks I received in the swap so they had to play only with themselves:

Stella's Splendid Sampler is moving right along and the end is in sight, only 8 more blocks to go, so four more weeks.  Here are the last two blocks, #91 and 92.  For 91, I substituted a 6-pointed star and embroidered the title of the quilt on it--I just was not going to do another hand embroidery block at this stage:

So far, on the wall:

Now I know what my border treatment will be and I'm eager to start working on that.  I also have several new class ideas brewing and want to get samples started of those.  And Ruffled Roses is calling my name, and a gift quilt for a friend, and...  So many quilts, so little time.  Only non-quilters ask me how I spend my time now that I'm "retired"!

And here is why I am making this Sampler, the amazing Stella:

Daddy has a sense of humor

Christmas 2016

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Rajah Revisited

It's December 1 and I just finished the October borders for "Rajah Revisited", the 2016 Block of the Month from The Quilt Show.

Next up are the final outer applique' borders.  Two are cut and await hand applique'.  I don't have enough fabric for the final two though I have something close.  If my local shop has the fabric, I'll buy enough to finish.  If not, the close one will be used.  The women on the ship didn't run to their local quilt shop for fabric, they used what they had.  Works for me.

 Here is  info from the website about this quilt:

It was sewn by women convicts on board the ship Rajah traveling from England on April 1841 to the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land-now known as Tasmania.  The original quilt measured at approximately 128" x 128", but this version is recreated it in quarter scale with fabrics from the designers' stash. The designer, Leesa Siegele,  used many different scraps, imagining that's what might have happened when the original quilt was being made.  She followed the colors of the original quilt loosely, and tea dyed fabrics that didn't look old enough.  

The entire twelve month set of instructions for this quilt will remain available for members until December 31, 2016.  There is so much great information on The Quilt Show and the BOM alone is worth the $42.95 annual membership.  Every two weeks a new 1 hour show is released and I always learn something from each one.  You can be an Basic member for free but being a Star member is the best use of your time and money--in my opinion.  No connection to TQS other than being a perfectly satisfied paid member since the inception of the show.  The 2017 Block of the Month is a Sue Garman design, another fantastic medallion quilt I must not start--until I finish the 2011 quilt she designed, Ruffled Roses.  2017 is the year to finish that one, see my progress here.

Of course, I'm still plugging away at Stella's Splendid Sampler.  Block 84 was released today--I'll make it tomorrow.  Then just 16  more to go:

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Thanksgiving Week--Cranberry Chutney

This is a favorite week for me, especially if I am not traveling so I am not concerned about weather.  We desperately need rain here, not much since April 2016 and we are down more than 12 inches.  We might get some good rain mid-week and that will be wonderful.

My favorite recipe, one I HAVE to make any time there is turkey or ham on the menu is Cranberry Chutney.  I grew up with Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce from the can, the kind that has those can lines on the sides when you open both ends of the can and push the roll of sauce onto a plate. About 40 years ago I followed a Cooking Light Turkey dinner complete menu, making all the dishes shown, and THIS is the one recipe that has stuck around:

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY       

Barbara Black       

1 bag fresh cranberries, 12-16 oz                    1 cup water

1 cup sugar, can be less                                   1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar, can be less                     1 cup apple, chopped

1/2 cup raisins                                                  1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 t cinnamon                                                    1/2 -1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 t ginger

1/2 t cloves

1/4 t allspice

Simmer cranberries, sugars, raisins, spices, and 1 cup water uncovered in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until juice is released from berries, about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat; stir in remaining ingredients.  Simmer uncovered until thick, about 15 minutes.  Refrigerate covered or freeze.  Batch can be doubled--use large saucepan.    NOTE:  I always double this--DO NOT DOUBLE THE SUGARS. Keep extra in the freezer.  This will last from Thanksgiving until Christmas.  I buy fresh cranberries in early November and freeze them for later use. 

Over the years, I've made a few changes, the best being to reduce the amount of sugar.  I doubled the recipe and FORGOT to double the sugar, and it was BETTER!  About 5 years ago I added chopped pecans and that was a huge hit at my house, kind of makes it more "Southern".  The kitchen smells amazing while this is cooking, puts you in the mood for holiday food.  People who don't like cranberry sauce like this, and I am always asked for the recipe--now I can direct folks here.  You can save it to your Pinterest Boards too--see below.

Saturday I taught a fun class--they wanted the recipe when my daughter-in-law sent me a message asking for it during class.  Here are the "Southern Super Star" quilts under construction:

Donna D--half the middle and one quarter star points

Holly R--one quarter middle, one quarter star points

Dahlia K--one quarter middle, one quarter star points, almost

All three students worked hard all day and can now finish their tops at home.  We spent the last half hour of class time considering various border options, square or rectangle, you decide.  This is a class I enjoy teaching a lot and this quilt is my "go-to giveaway" quilt because I can make the top in a weekend, the cost of edge-to-edge longarm quilting isn't prohibitive and I can shop in my closet for the 8 fabrics needed:

Outside Tip:  1/4 yard

Second:          1/3 yard

Third:            1/2 yard

Fourth:          5/8 yard

Fifth:             1/2 yard

Sixth:            1/3 yard

Center:          1/4 yard

Background:   1 3/4 yard--buy 2 yards for border options

Borders are extra--unless I know for sure what I want for the borders, I wait until the star is done then shop in my closet.  Here are some previous quilts I have given away:

The pattern is from Calico Carriage Quilt Designs.  It is also available as a single pattern but the book provides several sizes and great directions and is moderately priced, I recommend the book.

Happy to say I am all caught up with Stella's Splendid Sampler, 81 blocks done:

The top 5 rows are sewn together, rows 6-8 are sewn together and row 9 is just getting started.  Blocks are released each Sunday and Thursday--this began February 14, 2016 and will conclude in February 2017 when 100 blocks have been released.  The patterns are free for now and a book is underway, for Spring 2017 release.  This project is organized by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson--they used over 80 additional designers to provide many different techniques.  There are 23,697 followers on Facebook currently and more than that who follow on the internet here.

What will I do when this is done?  Finish a few more long-term UFOs that have taken a backseat for too long.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, surrounded with those you love.  My husband and I will go to a restaurant but Friday I'm getting a rotisserie chicken so that cranberry chutney can be enjoyed.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Moving Along

After being gone almost two weeks, I had 6 Splendid Sampler blocks to make, to catch up.  Here is row 71-80, with one exception:

Block 75 is an embroidery block  I printed on the computer and will hand-stitch as time allows.  Hopefully, it will be done by this weekend so I can join this row to the previous 7 rows.

Saturday I'll be teaching Southern Super Star at Patches & Stitches, the local quilt shop where I have taught for 28 years:

I'll get a better photo this weekend--it's quilted now and looks great.  The pattern is Southern Stars from Calico Carriage Quilt Designs.  It is my go-to giveaway quilt for high school or college graduation.  I can make the top in a weekend and edge-to-edge quilting on this approximately 75" square quilt is not too expensive.  It looks great custom quilted but that ups the price more than I want to pay for a giveaway.  Students have fun in this class and get at least half the quilt done in the all-day time frame.  This one is mine--every time I  wanted to teach it I had to be sure I had one available as the sample so now there will always be one ready.

Here are a few more Houston International Quilt Festival photos:

Jodi Barrows gave a lecture featuring a lot of her family quilts and told their stories.  Here is what NOT to do if you don't want a hole in the center of your quilt:

DO NOT fold your quilts in half, and in half again, and leave them this way forever.  Fold them "burrito style" or in thirds, or rotate the folds every six months.  If you would like to see more of Jodi's quilts from the lecture, go to my friend, Lori D's blog:  Humble Quilts.  She took lots of photos of many of the Education Department classes, forums, and samplers so you can get a good look at all the many things you can do and learn at Festival when you venture up to the third floor.

If you have a spare bed that is rarely used, as I do, lay out the quilts flat--I put the top one back side up because of light from the window. There are works in progress, some tops, some waiting to be quilted, and some are rolled up across the pillows:

I call this bed the "Archaeological Dig" because you will go back in time digging down through the many quilts on this bed.  When I do need to clear it for guests, it takes a bit of time and I just dump them on the studio floor until the guests leave.  We do keep another guest room ready at all times so you are always welcome!

Here is the one pattern I bought at Festival and am eager to get started on:

It's called Star-A-Day Quilt from Somerset Patchwork from Australia.  These are 3" hand pieced Lemoyne Stars--the pattern suggests piecing one a day for 365 days to have all you need for this large bed quilt.  As I plan to teach this Summer 2017, I think that will be my plan starting January 1, 2017--I'll have half done by then.  They are quick and easy to piece--I'll just cut out the pieces as I am working on other projects that use reproduction fabrics.

I also fell in love with this one but they sold out of this pattern long before I stopped at the booth 15 minutes before the show closed:

Hexagon Star-A-Day. also hand pieced.  Both patterns include the adorable little window templates for easy marking of both the sewing and cutting lines:

I always have a handwork project ready so I can make use of the time I have to get things done, don't you?

Tonight is our monthly guild meeting and in honor of Veteran's Day the panel will be made up of several guild members who are military veterans.  We've been asked to tell how our military service has impacted our quilting.  I've been thinking hard on this for the past month and I'm not sure I can make a link between the two, other than that being in charge is something I'm accustomed to which might explain why I've been so active in this guild for 28 years.  And when there is a hard job that needs to be done, you send in the Marines, right?

All members are encouraged to bring red, white and blue quilts for Show and Tell.  Here are the two I have packed to take:

Strippy Stars

Red, White and Blue Circle Star

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.  It will just be my husband and I this year, he is pushing to go to a restaurant so we don't have dishes and pots and pans to clean up.  I love turkey leftovers so I'm not convinced that is what I want to do.  Better make up my mind soon...

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Back At It

The 15" feathered star block I prepped for demonstrations in my recent two-day Feathered Star--Perfect Paper Piecing Workshop, is now a finished block:

I figure it took me about 6 hours to complete, from fabric selection to final seam.  That's why Marsha McCloskey calls feathered star blocks "Really Hard Blocks that Take a Long Time to Make"--that's truth in advertising.

This block is one of 16 I need for my Diamond Jubilee quilt, to celebrate my 60th birthday--which occurred 2 years ago.  Better get crackin'!  It is the fourth one done, and goes with these:

The gold one is hanging at the quilt shop as a sample so I don't have a photo of it completed, but it is.  Only 12 more to go.

I also caught up on Circa 2016..  We must be getting close to the end of this project:

All these little blocks will surround this middle:

And then there is Stella's Splendid Sampler, 61 of 100 blocks done.  So glad I am assembling this one as I go:

Today I will do some free-motion machine quilting as my regular machine has gone in for her annual cleaning.  Take care of your machine and it will take care of you.  I clean out any lint in the bobbin area and under the throat plate each time I change a bobbin.  And I add the recommended drop of oil each time I change two bobbins--to keep that straight, I simply wind 2 bobbins each time they are both empty so it is easy to tell if this is one bobbin or two.  If you don't know what kind of maintenance you should do on your machine, just Google it--there are videos for most every machine.  Preventative maintenance is very important too.

I'm off to Mississippi for a few days, for a guild show.  I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting new friends.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Almost Caught Up

So, I was on vacation last week, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, with our family:  both sons and their women, Stella, grand-girl extraordinaire, my D-I-L's folks, and her brother, his wife and their 5 year old son.  Does it look like we had a great time?

We stayed at The Breakers of Ft. Walton Beach and it was the perfect place.  We also lucked out with wonderful weather all week.

Now I'm back and doing all those post-vacation things: laundry, mail, bills, newspapers, returning phone calls and catching up on The Splendid Sampler blocks.  Here are the five most recent, #51-55.  I still have to do 56 but I'll get to that later:

#51 was a paper-pieced Bumble Bee that I replaced with BB, my grandmother name.  #54 was released last week while I was at the beach and I was thrilled--it's a shell!  Unfortunately, mine doesn't seem very recognizable as a shell, may have to do more heavy outlining.

At the beach, I hand-appliqued the #52, the Purple Coneflower and was able to show it to Stella:

This is her "Excited" face, a new one she just learned and is delighted to perform on demand.  She is expressing her happiness with Stella's Splendid Sampler to Grandpa, my husband.  Lest you think she only gets this excited about her quilt blocks, here she is at the Peach Park, Clanton, AL:

Best of all, she loved the beach and the ocean.  Here is her very first experience there:

I miss my beach view, especially first thing in the morning when the sun is just coming up and no one is on the beach:

Now to get ready for my "Pretend I'm Moving Sale", it starts Sunday and I've got things to do,

Let's Quilt!

Barbara