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

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 8

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 more appliques for the Log Cabin borders. Border 3 for me is the Right Side of the quilt. Which it is for you depends on what photo you are using as your guide--it's a square quilt. 

Jen's blocks from the sample quilt:

My blocks:

Happily, I FINISHED MY TOP this month! It will be going to it's new owner in October when I go to Houston. Alex will enjoy doing all the remaining embroidery. It wasn't my favorite part of making this quilt. I did enough to know it's not my favorite thing although I do enjoy handwork and will do more embroidery when it is appropriate. 

My finished top at this point:

I have been asked about the quilting instructions. The pattern doesn't provide any information on the hand quilting Jen Kingwell did on her quilt. She discusses the quilting in the Show #3401--you will want to watch that again.  

In December I will post many photos of her quilt so you can see the many ways she quilted hers. It is very free-form, no real specific plan would be possible to describe. 

Now I am eager to start work on the 2025 BOM--it's still a secret until later this year but it's a great quilt. And it's big: 90" square. Stay tuned...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

SASHIKO and BORO STITCHING

 Recently, I was sent a copy of a new book by my friend, Pepper Cory for review:

The 6" ruler is to show the cute size of this POCKET GUIDE.  Pepper's book will be for sale December 5, 2023--it's release date to the American market. I see it is available for pre-order now.

It is 64 pages of great information and photos. Easy to understand instructions, along with historical information will have you excited to use this very old, yet now modern again, SLOW stitching technique.

Back Cover

Table of Contents

Years ago I took a Sashiko class from Pepper and I really enjoyed it. But life gets in the way and I didn't keep going. Last year I took a Sashiko class at International Quilt Festival in Houston from Becky Scellato. I enjoyed the class but had not touched that project since then. Now I am excited to get it back out and get stitching again! 

All you need is fabric, a design, thread, needle, and a thimble. Pepper's book explains each of these things in detail. How to draw your own patterns as well as how to use commercial stencils will teach you all you need to know to get started.

Using pre-printed fabric made for a great class kit and you can find these panels in shops and online. Google Pre Printed Sashiko Fabric to find many options. Here is Becky Scellato's website: Shibori Dragon

Besides using Sashiko and Boro stitching for quilts and home furnishings, Pepper's book shows how to decorate a denim jacket as well as make a beautiful scarf. You will look at your favorite scraps in a whole new way as you play with Boro stitching. I am eager to give that a try now too.

The Pocket Guide to Sashiko and Boro Stitching costs less than $10. If you are looking for a fun, easy, meditative way to spend your quiet time, look no further than this little book.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

HAND QUILTING

I enjoy hand quilting. Because it takes so much more time than machine quilting I don't do it a lot.

Recently I completed a small quilt I hand pieced and hand quilted, HEXIE STARS:

40" x 40" 

Detail 

It has wool batt, making it easy to hand quilt, and very soft. The downside to wool is that it costs more and should not be dried in a hot dryer. I always indicate on my label if a quilt has a wool batt and that it should be air-dried. This label was made 2 years ago so needed an "update" when I finally finished this quilt:

A few weeks ago I wrote about a New OLD Quilt I recently bought. As I like to have a handwork project available for "slow stitching" in the evenings, I put a small quilt together last week. It is a tribute to the antique.  While I AM making a full-size reproduction of the original, the Goose Track blocks are a variation style so the blocks are easier to piece. I did make 4 Goose Track blocks with Y-seams, as the original maker did hers, but knew few people would want to do that. 

So here is what I am doing with those 4 blocks. I wanted to replicate the quilting motifs used in the original quilt, feathered wreaths in the blocks and feathered plume vines in the borders. Rather than use shirting fabrics for the background, I used white so you can really see the quilting. And wool batt is so easy to quilt through: 

A few more of the quilts I have hand quilted include:

42" x 42" 

        

Detail--black thread

Detail

If you are new to hand quilting, start small, there is a learning curve:

14" x 15" 

This one took me 7 years to complete. It won Best of Show, Heritage Quilters of Huntsville, 2011:

    A-Round With My Friends, 68" x 68" 

If you want speed, try Big Stitch quilting. I find it faster than fine hand quilting. It uses thicker thread, I like Perle cotton size 8, a large needle and doesn't take too learn to learn. Here are a couple I have quilted with Big Stitch:

Antique Rose Star, 76" x 76"

Charming Sampler Red 33" x 33" 

Recently a great student friend asked if I would offer a hand quilting class locally as she wants to improve her hand quilting skills. Not expecting much interest from local shops and knowing it would be months before that could be arranged, I offered a "Pop Up" two hour class in my home. With only a few days notice we got one other interested student. 

Mazie and Betina came and had good time while learning a variety of tips for both fine hand quilting and Big Stitch quilting. I dug out lots of threads and other tools, and gave them each a simple "sandwich" with wool batt to try. See those smiles:

Betina and Mazie

Some tools of the trade

Do you hand quilt? It does make for a cuddly quilt--it uses half as much thread as machine quilting. It can be hard on aging hands so I save it for very special quilts, and use a "hybrid" method--I do machine Stitch in the Ditch quilting first, to anchor seams and provide stability to the quilt. Then I hand quilt where it can really be seen and appreciated. Works for me.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

New Class Ideas

Time for me to plan local classes for 2020. I'm ready to offer a few new classes and update my Quiltmaking 101 Class--for true beginners.

The sample I have used for QM 101 is now 12 years old. While the block is still perfect for a beginning class, I am making a new sample with current fabrics and making the overall project simpler. Most students in this class are really beginners and this will be easier for them.

New blocks in progress:

This is the new plan:

Somewhat easier and faster than the current project:

I am also eager to play with large prints, using the book "Organic Applique" by Kathy Doughty, a shop owner, fabric designer and author from Australia:

The project will be a fairly simple pot of flowers from her book--it can always be enlarged to make a larger quilt. It will be a fun and easy way to work with very large prints, something most American quilters are not used to. My sample might not get done until I return from Houston in mid-November but I've been reading her great book and ideas are percolating. Stay tuned...

Yesterday I was asked to create a class using Sylvia's Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts:

This will be a year-long, lecture/demo class--all sewing will be done at home. It will be a good Quiltmaking 202 class--for those with basic skills who are ready and eager to increase their knowledge and learn lots more tips and tricks.

Fortunately, one student has a completed quilt so the sample is ready. Now I have to work on the class plan and pick dates--not that easy when trying to schedule for a year-long class. The book is ordered--I will take it with me to Houston and work on the individual classes when I have free time--just the planning, paper to pencil--or more likely, Ipad Pencil to Ipad.

My ongoing hand piecing project just came down off the design wall so I can put up another project too long in the making--a patriotic Pineapple Log Cabin that will be a Quilt of Valor. Here is the hand piecing project--far from done but it is my travel project so who knows when it will be done:

Here are two of the pineapple blocks--I have at least 25 more of these done but-- I CAN'T FIND THEM! It annoys me to not be able to find something I know I have. Looked in all the places where they "should" be--nope, haven't found them yet. Guess it will stay on the back burner until those other blocks turn up:

UPDATE: I FOUND IT!! October 22, 2019. Not where it should have been, in a stack of finished quilts. Now I know I can finish this in 2020:

In 2020 I plan to finish a few long-term quilts since I don't have to make the 2020 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show--we did that earlier this year. Soon, it will all be revealed and I'll be able to show it to you--can't wait!

October 11 and 12, 2019 is the Heritage of Quilters of Huntsville's Quilt Show--Fanfare 2019. We only do a show every two years--it is a LOT of work--and our show is truly worth your time to see. Great quilts, terrific vendors, demos all day long both days. If you are anywhere near us--Nashville to Birmingham, Iuka to Atlanta, be sure you get to this show:

Heritage Quilters of Huntsville

Lots to do, little time to do it, but all this keeps me busy and happy.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Slow Sewing

I enjoy handwork and always have something going that I can easily pick up and work on.

The other day I started quilting my newest little quilt--see post Nothing New Under the Sun for the story of this one:

The method is "Big Stitch", using a thick thread, Perle #8. I find it very fast to quilt and that is what I wanted on this quilt. While I can do fine hand quilting with small stitches, not every quilt deserves that much time and attention.

I am still thinking about the border design--either a simple cable that requires marking with a stencil OR a simple cross hatch that can be marked with painter's tape. Stay tuned.

The other long-term hand piecing project is this hexagon star. This layout shows the stars touching--it looks a bit crowded:

An alternate layout allows some breathing room between the blocks and means I can cover more territory with fewer blocks. A large plain hexagon from a variety of small background prints like shirtings would fill the blank spaces:

Which do you prefer?

How do I get these done? I cut some out and leave them beside my comfy chair. At night, while listening to TV, I start sewing them. I can do several a night if I choose. And I can easily put them in a zip loc bag with a needle, a few pins, thread, scissors and my thimble, to take on the road:

 They are cut from 2" wide strips, using a 60 degree angle cut--I use a pencil to quickly mark the sewing line on the back of  the light diamonds, that doesn't take long. Easy to prep, easy to sew.

Back to my garments now--the lining arrived and has been washed so it's time to get those jackets finished.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

What's on My Wall

I've been working on Long Time Gone, a Jen Kingwell design:

Crosses of the UK Blocks, 4" finished

Trip Around the World Block, 13" finished

A hand-work project I take on my travels, each petal block is 3.5" finished.

Soon, I'll get back to work on the June instructions for the Halo Star Medallion, 1.5" finished sawtooth borders. After the curved flying geese, they should be a breeze.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara