Back to Stars in a Time Warp

It's been so long since I posted I almost forgot how. It was a busy summer with company and farm work. The freezer is full and the pantry is lined with colorful jars of our harvest. Things are slowing down a bit and the last few evenings I've been making stars...

week 10 green calicoes

week 36 lancaster blue

week 35 cretonne

week 34 bronze-style prints

week 11 purple

week 9 chrome yellow

It's not too late to join the fun. These blocks go together pretty quickly. I think I spend more time picking my fabrics which I'm really enjoying. It is making me dig through my stash. I'm finding things I forgot I had and learning what it is I have. Seriously, please tell me if I've misinterpreted any of these. I really want to know. For those of you who don't know, Stars in a Time Warp is a weekly quiltalong from quilt historian and fabric designer Barbara Brackman at Civil War Quilts. Each Wednesday she gives a lesson on a color and/or fabric design from the past.

While I wasn't posting this summer I have been quilting. I made the quilt below for a fundraiser for a birthing center. I made another quilt for the quilt auction for our local hospice center but forgot to take a photo.

the back

I struggled with the Jacob's ladder. I wasn't pleased until I separated the blocks - bright and not so bright. Below are the not so bright.

I still need to stitch these blocks together.

We got 17 chicks 8 weeks ago. They've been a major distraction!

I have a couple more projects in the works. I'm stitching down a binding on a quilt for our bed. We've had some chilly nights here so I want to get it done and on the bed soon. I'll be back soon to share.

Cascadia Finished

I spent about a month this spring dealing with an infected toe. I was disappointed not to be out in the garden and took the opportunity to hand quilt Cascadia, a Humble Quilts Quiltalong.

I started another baby quilt for my grand niece, Piper, in Minnesota. I decided to make two of them when the strips I cut lent it self to making two blocks. I was inspired by Quilting with the Past and Oh, Oh, Quilts!.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dawn of Collector with a Needle and Doreen of Aunt Reen's Place a couple of weeks ago. Doreen taught one of Dawn's patterns and invited Dawn to speak in Warrenton, Virginia. It was a treat to meet these talented ladies. Click on the links to read about it.

Quilters Unlimited 42nd Annual Quilt Show

It's been a while! Weather has been beautiful and beckoning me into the garden. I have been doing some hand quilting and in everything I do I'm trying to be more mindful. That concept seems to be everywhere nowadays, even at a quilt guild meeting. Back in April - that seems so long ago - I went to a Quilters Unlimited meeting in McLean to hear Mark Lipinski talk about his Slow Stitching movement. If you've ever heard Mark speak before you will understand that I was quite intrigued. He is very high energy. I thoroughly enjoyed his lecture. It was a good reminder to enjoy the process of quilting. He was lamenting the fact that the quilt world has been moving more to the quick and easy style quilting and loosing the peacefulness of the process and creating something of value. Probably something we are tending toward in all aspects of our lives. There was much more to his lecture so if you ever get a chance to go I'm confident you will find it very entertaining.

This past weekend I attended the Quilters Unlimited show in Chantilly Virginia with my friend Lesa. It was good to catch up with her and to see people I hadn't seen in a while. Here are a few of my favorite quilts. Feel free to Pin and don't forget to give credit to the quilters and the show.

My new church has a monthly gathering of women who make these cute little church mice as a fundraiser. We have such fun!

Tumbling Blocks for Layla

So happy this one is finished. I mailed it off to baby Layla in California last week.

Before I started stitching the tumbling blocks I came across four basket blocks I'd made a couple years ago and got the itch to make more. I always get distracted like that!

I took this photo to help decide which way I want to use this fabric for the sashing. Horizontal or vertical waves. I still haven't decided. Do you have a preference?

Oh, Barbara, you tempt us so...

Stars In A Time Warp Quiltalong

I need another project like I need a hole in my head. So...

I rationalized it by thinking I can add them to my growing collection of blocks for a random sampler quilt. I was also tempted by all of you out there who have been sharing your sawtooth stars. So inspirational. 

Making the stars was also a reward for finishing this tumbling blocks quilt top. You may recall I'm making this for my nephew's baby, Layla. The piecing was quite a challenge for me. I waited until the end to press the seams which I now think was a mistake. The seams are going every which way. If I ever do this pattern again, I will put some thought into the pressing and do it as I go. Thanks, Dawn, for the tip.

I will machine quilt it, probably a meander pattern. Above is the backing fabric and machine quilting thread. The nursery is navy, fuchsia and white with gold accents. I didn't know this when I started cutting diamonds and now I'm sure I have enough diamonds for a full size quilt...

This basket is going on the shelf and I expect it will be there a long time ; c )

I needed a leader/ender project while stitching the tumbling blocks together. I was starting and stopping with each little seam when sewing the rows together. So I pulled out this project.

Bonnie Hunter's Crabapple Pattern

I now have all the crabapple sections completed.

And I pulled these fabrics from my stash for the cornerstones, sashing, setting triangles, binding and most likely the backing, too.

We had a cold and snowy February and March has started the same way.

We have named our little farm Glenalmus and I started another blog to journal our life here. Yeah, I know. I often just post photos there with little text so it doesn't take too much time. Yeah, I know. 

; c )

Happy Stitching!