Turquoise and Red Lone Star Quilt Finished

Ninety-nine percent of failure comes from people who have the habit of making excuses.
~George Washington Carver

Quilting

This quilt was a surprise for my newest grandchild. The turquoise/aqua colors match {or at least blend with} the mint in his older sister's quilt while the red is a stronger version of peach. Hopefully they will look well together like the beloved family they are. 

This variation looks amazingly like a kaleidoscope. A real one, not the quilt. ;-)

Lone Star quilt in Turquoise and Red

The easiest design for the central small diamonds was Orange Peel. It feels very comfortable to sew and was a quick start. Reaching the green border, I chose a repeating S-shape, similar to orange peel but one that makes better use of the space. I could/should(?) have quilted it closer but didn't want that section to become "background" like the stipple quilting on the white fabrics.

Quilting detail on green border

The diamonds of corner and side stars are larger than the center diamonds and I wanted to try something new. After rewatching Angela Walters' recent "Help How Do I Quilt It?" series, the swirl hook design was the best choice. In the corner blocks they all swirl the same way and I found that filled the area most evenly. Both aqua and red fabrics are quilted with light blue thread. 

Quilting detail of corner stars

The side half-stars have the same swirl hook design but they mirror each other from one side to the other. The center pair almost looks like a heart. With four sides there's one heart for each parent, his sister, and me. Cute as a button for the baby who's stolen our hearts. 

Quilting detail of side stars

The remaining green that formed the border of the lone star didn't fill all the back so turquoise and aqua fabrics were added to each side. It's always fun to see quilt backs; the designs usually show up much better here. This is not quite the last of each of these because the trimmed-off bits are now in the scrap bag. This is how it constantly refills. 

Turquoise and Red Lone Star quilt back

The brilliant red binding was waiting in the binding box. How was there enough to fit all the way around in one fabric? IDK but I'm not complaining. It's such a treat to "find" binding cut, pressed and read to apply - even though I'm the one who did all that work.

Quilting detail from the back

Washed and dried, it crinkled up a bit more. Just the way I like it. Due to health concerns, it was mailed to my dear fellow grandmother who kindly rewashed it before giving to the baby. No germs here.

Lone Star quilt folded

One more beauty shot just to see both sides and the binding. 

Quilt Specifics

Size: 38"x38"

Design: Lone Star

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton

Thread: Gutermann 50 wt white, green, and red cotton

Quilting: FMQ and SID with walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.75 yd

Previous posts:

1. Choosing the fabrics

2. Construction tips

Reading

I finished Circe by Madeleine Miller this week. What an excellent retelling {and reimagining} of a few lines in Homer's Odyssey. Raised on the classics, Madeleine not only brings the nymph turned witch to life but creates a full-bodied character. It brings home how little significance women are given in the classics and indeed, throughout history. By the end of this book I was completely in sympathy with this woman, cheering her growth and delighted she found a full life. 

In the postcripts Madeleine calls the Greek gods a cautionary tale. They "reflect what happens to humans when we see only ourselves and our own needs.... They have forgotten what it's like to be told no and it has turned them into monsters."

This NPR review encouraged me to read find the book. Now I can't wait to read her previous one. And BTW, her name is pronounced KIRR-kee or KEER-kee although many English speakers {including me} say SIR-kee. I'll try to change my habit. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Lone Star Quilt Construction Tips and Y-Seams

"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Quilting

After so many Lone Stars, LeMoyne Stars and other eight-pointed stars I have a few tips to pass on. 

If you are sewing smaller diamonds together, it's easier to  press those seams open.

Press seams open on smaller diamonds

Of course, that means those intersections need more pinning when sewing one larger unit to another. I put a pin exactly one-fourth inch from the edge and through the seam on both sides then add pins on either side to keep it from shifting. Take out that vertical pin as you approach it when sewing. 

Also, pin at an angle where the sewing line stops. See the pin at the right below. 

Use pins to keep intersections aligned and to tell you exactly where to stop

When you reach the end pin, backstitch {more carefully that I did here} over the previous stitching line to keep seams from unraveling. 

Sewing up to the pin. 

If your backstitching must go "off" the stitching line, at least make sure it's in the seam allowance and not into the star itself.

Backstitch at the end

Once the large diamonds are sewn into pairs, it's time to add the backgrounds. I usually sew the corner squares first and leave the side triangles for last but either order works fine. Pinning is almost exactly the same except you want to pin the intersection of the two diamonds to the corner of the square without any overlap. I.e., just pin one diamond to one side of the square. 

Pinning one side of a background square to one of the two diamonds 

Again, sew to the pin but not over it and backstitch.

Sewing to the intersection of three pieces of fabric

Then when sewing the background pieces to the Lone Star, sew them the same way: up to intersecting seam allowance and backstitch. Both sides. No overlapping here, please. And you'll notice this time my backstitching looks better. 

Backstitch when sewing backgrounds to Lone Stars/Eight-pointed Stars

I always press the large diamonds and the backgrounds to one side {not open} so the intersections spin.

Press these seams to one side and spin at the intersection

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

The LeMoyne Star was completed in August for a total of 13 yards. YTD = 124.75 yards.

Online Lectures and Meetings

How can we feel lonely with so many online meetings? Between Zoom and Meet, I now have at least five meetings a week. It's wonderful to see friends again and great to participate in lectures. I only participated in one short workshop but my friends are taking and teaching that way. 

Bisa Butler recently spoke with Dr. Myra Brown-Green at the American Folk Art Museum about her body of work. The excellent discussion covered the development of her craft {always my favorite part}, her history, and the reasons she chooses who to portray and how to portray them. She began as a painter and moved to quilting with her master's program. Initially she quilted portraits of family, then friends, and finally moved into the wider world as her confidence increased. I was very interested to see the development of her skills and color sense over the years.  She also had a wealth of information about the names of the African prints, something I was unaware of until this program. 

In the second part of the program, Myra discussed her quilts and books which focus on symbolism from cultures worldwide. The third part was a conversation between the two of them. And lucky us, AFAM made the program available for reply on their website. Get some coffee and enjoy an hour of in depth thought on unique quilts.

Voting

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 70 days away. Have you requested a mail-in ballot or made plans to vote early? Check Vote411.org for details about your state and precinct. {Make the website is correctly typed and you are on a Secure site!} Democracy requires the participation of ALL citizens.

Wink at the Moon

Neil Armstrong passed away eight years ago today. His family asked that we wink at the moon annually in his honor. Tonight the moon will be in its first phase but I plan to spend a few minutes admiring the view and remembering an event that united our world with joy.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Why Do I Ever Think Construction will be Easy?

"Opportunity's favorite disguise is trouble."

~Frank Tyger

Quilting

Another baby quilt will be needed next month and even though there are ten previous stars, I thought up  another Lone Star variation. Small stars in the corners and partial stars on the sides means it won't need as much of a single fabric for the background. 

Last time the mother wanted mint and coral. This time I'm not asking. There's several mints in my stash, one red, and a couple of red diamonds leftover from previous Lone Stars. Using those as a start, I added some greens and a dark print to round it out. 

Fabric choices for Lone Star quilt

Even though the additional stars in the corners is a traditional design, I want the main star to read more contemporary so I chose to cut the light green print into long parallelograms rather than diamonds. Then I placed some darker fabrics on the outside and tried several variations of reds for the center.

Laying out Lone Star variations

Thinking the center was complete, I looked at two minor variations on the outer row and didn't like either.

Two variations of the outer row of the Lone Star quilt

Finally I decided they were in the wrong place altogether. Exchanging their location with the light green parallelograms made an enormous difference. But back to the drawing board to get the center correct. 

Lone Star 11 comparing center changes

Finally it's time to place stars around the sides. Remember the small diamonds were cut from 2.5" strips so they finish at two inches. That makes the corner squares 11.25" finished so the outer diamonds are slightly larger. I cut mine 2.875" to finish 2.375". Then I had to determine the best placement. 

Of course, I thought more red would be better but that was a mistake. None of these photos shows a complete layout. They are just to get an idea of what looks better. I occasionally use a folding mirror to "see" the entire idea. It saves laying them all out.

How much red does a border need?

And here's the final layout. Way less red than I'd ever have thought. 

There is a good mix of new and very old fabrics. Traditional, conversation, and contemporary. I like the touches of red paired with a range of turquoise/aqua values. The dark print adds needed depth and the Kona white background makes it all so clear.

Lone Star 11 quilt - mint and red

This quilt has been loads of fun to create but it was not the cakewalk I expected. Simply using a new collection of fabrics {even if some are leftovers from previous projects} changes the needs of the quilt. It's always good to keep an open mind. 

Last week Nann's husband offered an extra copy of String Too Short to be Saved {the story I mentioned here.} What a surprise to find a very large and heavy box on my doorstep two days later. I knew the book was fairly small and couldn't imagine what was in it. Look! Three bags of scraps, too! It's a treat to receive some new fabrics to work with and is sparking my imagination.

I enjoy having my own copy as it's worth rereading regularly. And now there are some new scraps for my next scrap quilt foray. Thanks, Nann!  

Gardening 

Fresh veggies

The squash and beans have been coming in. What fun to run out and pick fresh vegetables for lunch. My friend gave me several varieties of beans including these purple ones that turn dark green when steamed. 

Voting and Census

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 91 days away, just less than three months. The deadline for registering is fast approaching and is a prerequisite for voting. 

Help your community by completing the Census and encouraging your neighbors to do so, too. It helps support hospital services, transportation funding, and other community projects as well as Congressional representation. Everyone who lives in the US counts in the Census whether they are a citizen or not because everyone who lives in the US impacts the infrastructure. The current Executive branch recently decided to close the Census early (September 31) so please help everyone you know complete it. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Lone Star Quilt for a Grandmother

Our ecological emergency demands proactive choices, not reactive sideswipes.

~Tommy Morton

How much more true in this global health crisis? Some countries are taking effective action while others exacerbate the problem by their past and current choices. By firing the CDC pandemic staff in 2018, our president ensured we would be less prepared for this emergency. We see the result in critical lack of testing kits, ventilators, and coordinated response.

We are under a shelter in place order. I had a visit to QS planned but postponed it due to the pandemic. We were already fairly well prepared because we are accustomed to keeping emergency supplies. Fortunately there are also mounds of fabric and stacks of books in my house. My best choices are to stay home and increase my monetary donations to help those in need. I hope you all are safe and careful, too. 

Quilting

Grandmother quilts are gifted to friends when their first grandchild is born so they have a quilt for all their grands to use. My SIL became a grandmother at the end of last year. That's not too long ago, right? She loves blue so I made a top using leftovers from the farmhouse quilt I finally finished for her. This week was the time to push myself to get it quilted. I'll mail it later.

Blue Lone Star grandmother quilt

What was so hard about the quilting? Nothing. I simply psych myself out at times. The star itself was easy orange peels but the background was another story. The top looked so formal that a circle of feathers seemed a requirement. Besides, SIL will love them. That was the sticking point because I hate marking - which is why the quilt went to the closet for a while.

Finally I rewatched Angela Walters YouTube videos on feathers and fillers. Then I marked an arc on the four sides with boundaries for the feathers. My official washable marker is dry so washable Crayola markers were the next solution. I've heard red and purple don't always wash out so chose the blue. It required a longer soaking but afterwards all was good.

Drafting lines for free motion feather arc

You can see the "wavy" arc in the top photo. After looking at it with all sides sketched, I didn't like the wave so I just eyeballed a normal curve on the go and it turned out pretty well.

What else can you see in the photo? You can see how mark a two-lane road for feathers. It gives me the center spine {the median} and the outside width of the feathers {the shoulders.} The feathers are close enough in size although each is unique. It's certainly easier than marking every one and trying to follow those lines!

The main circle of feathers uses the bump back method but those little twirls inside are normal feathers. I can only bump back when they grow from the base. If they are sewn from the top down, I have to do regular ones. Does anyone else have that problem? Can you even tell the difference? {I can't unless my nose is right on the quilt.} Do I care? {No.}

I quilted the side feathers first, then the inner twirl, then stippled the inside {because I didn't have a better plan.} The corner feathers came next. Then it was time evaluate and determine how to handle the outside.

Corner free motion quilting on Lone Star quilt

By this time I was bored with stippling and decided to add random motifs: clam shells, curls, string of beads, and echo quilting. I pulled these ideas from Diane Gaudynski's Quilt Savvy, The news was on all day and I just kept quilting. That's my excuse for the heavy quilting. It seemed a bit stiff when finished but softened beautifully after a wash and dry. {It also helped that the thread is YLI Soft Touch, a fine Egyptian cotton thread.}

The center of the back is a remnant of the fabric backing the Square Deal. The borders came from my stash. I usually put fabric I'm tired of on the back but I'm trying to up my game. Amazing how nice it looks with reasonably coordinated fabrics. They all have circular designs and a soft blue-green color.

Back of blue Lone Star grandmother quilt

The orange peel arcs that looked a bit irregular on the front appear much better from the back.

Detail of orange peel quilting
on the back of the Lone Star

So many blues have been used lately that the stash is low. This binding is a remnant from my dress. With blues and blue-greens it blends the front and back perfectly.

Detail view of blue Lone Star grandmother quilt

Although this top has been hanging in the closet for six months, it's finally done and on its way to the best SIL in the world. She will love seeing her fabrics in a new setting and I love using some of my favorite fabrics to finish it off. Her new grandchild is a blessing and I hope this quilt is, also.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 49" x 49"

Design: Lone Star

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: YLI Soft Touch white cotton thread and Aurifil 50 wt. light blue thread

Quilting: FMQ orange peel, feathers, stipple, echo, etc.

Approximate yardage: 7 yds

Previous post: Lone Star top.

Entertainment

If you have Amazon Prime, you can read the Newbery Honor winner, The Thief, free. It's the first book in the series by Meghan Whalen Turner and I recommended it two weeks ago. I've now reread the five current books in the series and am awaiting the sixth coming in the fall.

Staying home this week I watched Mirror Mirror starring Lily Collins {daughter of Phil Collins} with Julia Roberts as the evil queen. It raced through theaters but was one of my favorite versions of Snow White - more fun than scary. Best of all was the costuming by Eiko Ishioka which was nominated for an Academy Award. As quilters we love fabrics; these are glorious {although I've read they were extremely heavy to wear.} She creates structured clothes that reflect her Asian heritage... at least they do to me. This was the last movie Eiko ever costumed. A 2017 Google Doodle celebrated her. Wouldn't it be great to personally know someone who was honored this way?

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy the day, Ann

Froggy Went a' Courting

"Quilts leave messages in signs and symbols."

~Kathy Doughty

This is absolutely the end of the stripe now sewn as the border. The top is quilted and bound. {No more sticking it back in the stash to age some more.} Instead of salamanders, this one features frogs. I finished the other first because it attracted me a bit more but I've changed my mind. This is my new favorite of the pair. Ha. How's that for fickle affection?

Lone Star quilt 9 with frog border

For the back there wasn't enough of any fabric that worked with the front so I sewed WOFs together... and it still came up short. One more narrow pale blue strip was added. If you ignore that strip it looks a bit like a flag, doesn't it?

My now standard spiral was the quilting choice. This time I held it properly so the result is wave-free. Easy peasy if I just remember to position my hands correctly.

Four stripes make the back of this Lone Star quilt

Next up was binding. The top has lots of bright colors. For a while I tried to match/coordinate with one of them but none worked. Then I really looked at the border. At the outside is a dull navy; not at all expected but it makes the brights shine.

Taking that as an example, I pulled the last of the stripe with dull navies, greys, and reds from Kaja. Perfect. And I have an idea for the remnant, too. Fabrics are moving out of the stash and out the door.

Binding detail on Lone Star quilt 9

Open, folded, or or simply tossed, this one looks cheery and bright.

What happy memories are sewn into this quilt. The frogs are an obvious sign {see quote above} but it holds deeper memories for me. This child especially loved to play at the creek, wandering miles up and down stream. He brought home loads of precious flotsam/junk every trip - from fossils to tadpoles to bits of pipe stuck in concrete. Lone Stars remind me of one house where my parents had a classic example on their bed. I snuggled under it next to Mother while we watched Wizard of Oz, pulling it over my eyes whenever the wicked witch appeared but keeping my ears open for Glinda. Oh, to have a dress like hers!

Lone Star quilt 9 detail

Quilt Specifics

Size: 38"x38"

Design: Lone Star

Batting: Pellon 100% cotton

Thread: Gutermann 50 wt light blue cotton

Quilting: Spiral with a walking foot

Approximate yardage: 3.75 yd

Off the Bookshelf
DD sent me Old Man's War by John Scalzi, telling me I would enjoy it. She was correct - as usual.

Scalzi is a long-time blogger but this was his first science fiction novel; there are currently six in the series and I plan to read them all. At 75, people from Earth may enlist in the Colonial Defense Forces and leave Earth to fight aliens. No one knows how their bodies are enhanced but John Perry and his wife sign up anyway.

Scalzi writes confidently and clearly about what makes us human as well as mortality and life extension. He also begins addressing the ethics of war and humanity's inhumanity, concepts I expect to be developed as the series progresses. I've ordered the second book, The Ghost Brigade.


Enjoy the day, Ann

Almost the End of an Era

How beautifully trees grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.

~John Burroughs

Cleaning out continues. This time I found six yards of beautiful linen, a gift my parents brought me from Europe years ago - before my oldest was born. All these years I thought it was yardage for a shirt and doubted my ability to make it fit correctly. When I pulled it out this time it was only nineteen inches wide. {It must have shrunk while in storage.} Perfect for hand towels or dish towels - some to use and some to gift. There was enough for eight of each.

Linen hand towels

Sewing Specifics
Project: 16 linen hand towels
Size: 13" x 19"
Thread: 50- white Gutermann cotton thread

Approximate Yardage: 6 yd (but only 20" wide)

Remnants of a very old novelty stripe used to make a twin quilt for my youngest son were the next to surface from the stash. Ribbons of red or orange-and-yellow wiggle waggle between each row of critters. It made the stripe directional so the corner posts were needed to fill out the width of the quilt. Yes, we may all be getting tired of lone stars but I have the design down now and am interested in working out background variations. A few more ideas are wiggling around my brain. Haha.

Lone Star quilt 8 with gecko border

Softer colors were planned for the quilt but once I added orange it started looking like a gas flame and screamed for a stronger center star. There was just enough of the African print to put green and blue diamonds in the center and plain blue ones at the outer points.

Possible center stars
on this lone star quilt

Ah, that saying: Pride goeth before the fall. Someone wasn't keeping the quilt straight as she quilted and the result is waves. Grr. But we all know the solution. Measure across the center for the binding widths and ease the sides in place.  As you can see from the first photo, everything worked out once it was washed and blocked. Whew.

The wave at the bottom happened when
I didn't keep the packet squared up while quilting.

The egg print on the back is Birdwatchers by P and B Textiles from our dearest sister's stash. It's lovely and meaningful - almost too good for a back - but I'm sticking to my pledge to use the best stuff first. The yellow at top and bottom were needed to extend the length.

Detail of quilting and binding on
Lone Star quilt 8 with gecko border
and birdwatcher back

Why did I ever think I could create a stash of baby quilts ready to go? This one was gifted the day it was done.

Quilt Specifics

Size: 37"x37"

Design: Lone Star

Batting: Pellon 100% cotton

Thread: Gutermann 50 wt yellow cotton

Quilting: Spiral with a walking foot

Approximate yardage: 3.75 yd

This photo of the original quilt using this fabric was in my files. It's amazing the 25 year old photo made the transfer through all those computers because the camera is long gone. My son loved playing at the creek so it includes every fabric I could find with aquatic life. Bugs and caterpillars fill the corners. You can tell I've always designed around limited yardage of any one fabric.

Every Critter in the Creek twin quilt

For a while I used the leftovers to make baby bibs. Then it just rested in the stash until this week. There is just enough border print before this era comes to a close.

Off the Bookshelf

Using a combination of patient and family histories, interviews with other professionals, and summaries of research, Dr. Gawande shines a light on elder- and end-of-life care in Being Mortal, another wonderful book from my shelf. After bookmarking twenty pages I finally just started underlining, something I rarely do with any but textbooks. He traces the evolution of elder care through family care, poorhouses, nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice.

We lose abilities with age and those with incurable diseases may face that issue sooner. Most of the current solutions fail to focus on the varied desires of the people for whom they're designed because "we want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love." Ranging from Plato to Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow to Keren Brown Wilson's community living model, he develops thoughts on "how to make life worth living when we're weak and frail and can't fend for ourselves anymore."

Being Mortal: Medicine and
What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande

Psychologist Laura Carstensen theorizes that "how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive we have." As time horizons contract, whether through age or civil unrest, our focus becomes more immediate and concrete - family and simple pleasures.

Realization that life is finite "can be a gift." It drove the La Crosse, Wisconsin, hospital to develop a questionnaire for patients that ended up prolonging life, increasing peace in patients and their families, and reducing medical costs by starting family conversations about what people do and don't want before the crisis occurs.  They clarify how our lives continue to have value and reflect our goals when a cure is not possible. "You may not control life's circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them."

As a surgeon, Dr. Gawande recognizes the drive of all medical professionals to fight for life but he points out that death will always win in the end. We need serious and truthful discussions to prepare for the inevitable consequences of both a disease and its treatment options.

The book also discusses chronic aspects of aging, not just diseases. One point was that looking down while eating prevents the choking that many elderly experience. This was particularly useful to me because both my mother and grandmother suffered from this. I wish I'd known sooner but will put it to use in my own life.

Being Mortal touches on a wide range of topics centered on a simple question. How do you create a meaningful life at every stage of it?

Enjoy the day, Ann

A Simple Border Variation for Lone Star Quilt 7

The logic of nationalism always flows downhill, toward the gutter.

~ Adam Gopnik

Of course I had to use the last few toile diamonds - rabbits paired with squirrels this time.

Lone Star 7 baby quilt

The row where the diamonds split into points is the lightest round in this quilt. It's not usually my favorite locations for lights but the background is dark. I used the rest of this Australian print, combining it with a funky greyed chartreuse floral. when it ran out. The subtle variation works well... at least IMO.  

The centers went together easily but there were a few possibilities for the outer points. The lighter diamonds on the left or dark ones on the right. 

Looking at different diamonds in the star points

When the large diamonds were sewed it was time to choose a background. My favorite is the large scale floral on white but there was not nearly enough. I tried combinations of grey-blue and mustard, alone and together to see what worked. Close up the mustard seemed too dark but fortunately we have digital photos. It's a winner.

Dusting off my math skills, I calculated the size of the corner squares and subtracted the width of the outer border to determine a cut for the inner border. 13 - 4 = 9 + 0.5 so 9.5" square and 4.5"x13.5" rectangles. You'll notice I deliberately chose to extend the border beyond the start point - to make it larger and to avoid having to match those points with the binding. Ugh.

Next I multiplied the total width of that corner square by 1.41 {square root of 2} to get the hypotenuse of the background triangle. (13 x 1.41= 18.33) After double checking that each leg of that triangle congruent to the width of the square, I halved the hypotenuse to find the height of that triangle. (18.33 / 2 = 9.165 or about 9.125") 

Subtract the width of the outer border here to get the height of the inner triangle. Add seam allowances and cut. 9.125 + 1.25 = 10.375" square cut QST.  Then outer borders 19.625" by 4.5". Edit: Math calculations added. Use your own diamond side lengths for your work. 

It's just math; the real magic is how well these two fabrics worked together.

Auditioning background fabrics

Same old, same old quilting design. It works well across all the fabrics and repetition increases my muscle memory and skill {hopefully}.

Orange peel quilting in the center before spiraling out

The binding gave me a few problems. I was sure red was the answer. Wrong-o. No dark green in the right tones could be found even after pawing through the stash. No blues worked either. Finally this little pinky-purple stripe called me. Kaja sent it to me last year. It seemed like a waste to use it on the binding but it's perfection. Thanks, Kaja!

Quilting and binding detail, Lone Star quilt 7

After a quick wash and dry the batting shrunk up more than usual. Or perhaps the striped binding makes it appear scrunchier. I wish I'd washed it before adding the binding.

There was enough of the mustard print for the whole back, something that rarely happens around here. And there's enough for the back of another baby quilt. Oh, good. These fabrics are moving along! Don't misunderstand. They are all lovely but I've been saving them for the perfect quilt - that  mirage in the distance we always look at longingly.

Amounts like this {3-4 yards} continually wait for the spot that needs that exact yardage because "we can't waste any." ROTFLOL! But leaving it to molder in the stash is another waste.  My new story is to use them up now. There will be more lovelies tomorrow.

The Superior thread was a gift from a fellow conference attendee and it is the best thread I've used in a long time. I know it's available online but I need to see if there's a local source... and if it comes on large spools.

Quilt Specifics
Size: 37" x 37"
Designs: Lone Star
Batting: Pellon 100% cotton
Thread: Superior MasterPiece 50 wt golden brown cotton
Quilting: Spiral with walking foot

Approximate Yardage: 3.75 yd

Me Made Update

With the kinks worked out, a second shirtwaist dress made up fairly quickly. Now that the neck is tighter in back, the sleeves don't bind when I move. I've needed summer dresses for a while but couldn't find anything appropriate in the stores - washable, modest, lightweight. Houston summers are meltingly hot and humid.

This time I pleated the skirt instead of gathering it and deepened the pockets. I'm pleased with the matching of the plaids on the front placket and sides but somehow forgot to match the sleeves.

Brown and blue plaid shirtwaist dress

The plaid has been in my stash for donkeys years. It's a thin tight weave that should wash and wear well. Done is great but well done is the best. 

Clothing Specifics

Style: Shirtwaist

Pattern: Out of print McCall's 

Fabric: Lightweight woven cotton plaid
Yardage: 4 yds 45" wide

Thread: Superior MasterPiece 50 wt brown cotton

Enjoy the day, Ann