Shadow Stars Quilted and Bound

The wise response to intolerance is not more intolerance or self-righteousness; it is a coming together across the ideological spectrum of people who want to make democracies more effective. 

We should remember that the heroes we cherish 

- Lincoln, King, Gandhi, Mandela - spoke to the best within us.

~Madeleine Albright

Quilting

A few years ago it seemed time to make something with a white background for our summer bed. I recalled the Shadow Star quilt my great-aunt made and found the newspaper clipping my cousin sent. The first step was to redraft the pattern, an eight-pointed star variation. Next I wanted a border even though the original had none.  It took several years to get everything together and I wisely sent it to Peg Collins for quilting. 

She completed just it and mailed it back!

Shadow Star quilt

Peg free-motion quilted everything. The border quilting is simple but...

 

Vase detail on Shadow Star quilt

she went to town on the center. Each star, indeed, each point has its own design.  Lots of swirls...

Shadow Star quilting detail

and spirals...

Shadow Star quilting detail

and circles...

Shadow Star quilting detail

and blades...

and feathers. Even some arrows.  Peg's free-flowing designs move across the white, helping the star points and the background blend even more. That was always my favorite part of this design and I think it's why I remember it all these years later. 

The back is an extra-wide blue and white print. 

Despite being a traditional border, it updates this quilt tremendously. The stripes are "hand-drawn" in several shades of blue on white. There was nothing in my stash that worked so I purchased yardage online which wasn't the right shade. Then I found this. Online, too. Gathering my courage, I bought it. Success.

My dear friend, Gayle, gifted me a yard of her green fabric which gave me enough clear but quiet green for the leaves. The stems are a plaid cut on the bias. And the charming vases are fussy cut from to show off the rabbits. {Unfortunately there wasn't room for the ears. 

This angled view gives me an idea of how it will look on the bed. {But we are still awaiting the bed frames which need repairs after the movers tossed them around.}

Quilt Specifics

Size: 112" x 112"

Design: Shadow Star with Vessel, Vine, and Floral border

Batting: cotton

Thread: white polyester thread

Quilting: FMQ by Peg Collins

Approximate yardage: 22 yds

Previous posts:

1. The test block

2. Fabric pull

3. Nine star blocks

4. Sixteen star blocks

5. Reviewing the star blocks

6. Possible posts

7. Progress by Pi Day 2019

8. Returning to sewing

9. Shot cotton star

10. Star centers appliqued

11. First sashing attempt

12. First sashing failed

13. Plain second sashing

14. Trees for possible border

15. Working on tree blocks for border

16. View of tree border

17. Return to Shadow Stars

18. Vases on the border

19. Fiddling with flowers

20. Cutting leaves for the border

21. Applique prep choices

22. More leaves

23. Leaves and buds

24. Applique flowers

25. Attaching the borders

26. Adding circles

Perhaps this blog should be renamed Shadow Stars since they have been the subject of so many, many posts. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Circling the Shadow Star Quilt

(Fascism develops) not just through the terror of police intimidation, but by denying and distorting information, by undermining systems of justice, by paralyzing the education system, and by spreading in a myriad subtle ways nostalgia for a world where order reigned.

~Primo Levi

Quilting

The border of Shadow Stars caused me lots of trouble. My great-aunt's quilt didn't have any border but adding one would update the design. Over the years I've seen many beautiful borders. For example, this gorgeous Weeping Willow tree border from an antique quilt in the American Folk Art Museum has long been one I'd like to interpret. My skill set is not up for those but pieced Pine Trees seemed like a good idea until I realized that putting them on point left too much open space {and I couldn't figure out a way to fill it that didn't overpower the rest of the quilt.} So those blocks and the Shadow Stars rested for a while; the tree blocks are still resting.

Eventually appliqué became the solution. There's an appliqué vine on the Spiderwebs but I didn't want to repeat the sinusoidal wave of that vine. Nor did I want raw edge appliqué. The Stars called for turned edge. Linda Jenkins and Becky Goldsmith made a straight vine on one of their quilts. Love the shading of the background here. But it seemed too contemporary with my white stars. 

When a family friend now in college took flower arranging for her art elective, she shared some of her work at Zoom dinners. Now I know what Hogarth curves are. Those S-shaped designs wouldn't fit in this space but they got me thinking about the many Baltimore album quilts with beautifully elaborate vases.  It took many iterations to simplify one of those into this border. There wasn't room for lots of flower height above the vase and the vase itself is so basic. No reverse applique, no curlicues. OTOH, fussy cutting a large print elevates the vase.

Once the borders were attached, there was too much contrast between them and the center. Who'd have thought pale blue, green, and white could create such a stark difference. The green is stronger so adding some light blue to the center might be the answer. 

Shadow Stars with small circles only

The first circle attempts were small but slightly larger than the center post but the border delineation still seems too sharp. Adding only half circles along the border creates a bit of fuzziness but the center is stark.

Shadow Stars with border half circles only

It's more work but the quilt needs these dots/circles/spots of color in both places - at the posts and along the border. But now the circles seem vanishingly small. Too innocuous?

Shadow Stars with small circles
and border half circles

Just to be safe, I tested larger circles at the posts. They overpower the stars.

Shadow Stars with large circles
and border half circles

I snapped a quick photo when the work was half done to double check. On the left is a complete contingent of circles while on the right the circles are only along the border. FYI, everything is hand appliquéd but the border circles are only sewn halfway. When they are all attached, I'll go back and resew the border so the other half of those circles will disappear. Simply appliquéing them all around won't work; some of the leaves are in the way.

Shadow Stars circles in progress

This was perfect work for the evening hours. It took a few days to finish, then I rechecked all the seams looking for twisting. 

Shadow Star quilt top ready to quilt

Now it's off to my longarm quilter. I decided not quilt anything this large again. Smaller work is better for me these days. {We'll see how long that resolution lasts.} I'm looking forward to this as a summer quilt on the bed. 

Reading

Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, wrote Fascism: A Warning in 2018 but it's even more pertinent now. She starts with the beginnings of fascism in Mussolini's Italy and moves to Hitler. Subsequent chapters discuss more current world leaders.

She defines fascism as "majority rule without any minority rights... that involves the endorsement and use of violence to achieve political goals and stay in power. It's a bully with an army."

Her solutions are to get involved locally and talk with people with whom you disagree. Good starts. We also need to ground discussions in reality rather than conspiracy. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Sewing Borders on the Shadow Star Quilt

Sisters are the perfect best friend.

Quilting

Unraveling on the edges of the completed borders drove me to attach the first three before finishing the fourth side. Here's the first side sewn.

First Vase and Vine border on Shadow Stars quilt

The next step was to sew the opposite side then to sew the third side, longer to accommodate the width of those border sides. An additional vine helps fill the space. 

Adding third Vase and Vine border
to Shadow Stars quilt

But there's a small problem. Someone stretched this side when creating the sketch. {I wonder who that could be?} It's not just that the seam allowances were forgotten. So... I'll be moving the final flower and perhaps a couple of leaves. 

Testing adjustment of flower to fit side of quilt

With a petal from the fourth side, I tested the needed movement. This will take a couple of days. 

Reading

I finished several books in the past few weeks.

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg relates the life of Doris Alm in flashbacks as she pages through her old address book. Born in Sweden, she became a maid in Madame Serafin's house upon the untimely death of her father. Madame took her to Paris where... Well, read the book for more. The vignettes are short; some characters repeat. Although her life spans 96 years the story only brushes world history.

Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues have long interested me. Gretchen has the same interest bet she created her own set of virtues to guide her through a school year in Happier at Home. Like the quote from Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness, Gretchen sees both sides of the coin can increase our happiness (or discontent.} So collecting and purging, staying home and going out, limiting time and taking all the time are all included in this book.

I'm much older than she but found some thoughtful ideas in her mix of "memoir, science, philosophy, and experimentation." 

My Bed by Salley Mavor is a permanent part of my collection of children's books. Salley illustrates her books with tiny, meticulous hand stitched 3D bas-reliefs of children sleeping around the world. As a maker I adore her work. As a grandmother I love the inclusion of world cultures to raise my grandchildren's awareness and appreciation of others.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Finally Adding Flowers

People overestimate what they can do in a single day and 

underestimate what they can do in their whole lives.

~unknown but possibly Bill Gates

Quilting

With the vines and leaves finally sewn, it's time to sew the flowers. There have been several iterations as you can see by the "cut and paste" of the template under this border. After recopying the entire swag once, I wore out and simply cut the old flower out and taped a new version in. Why? Because the petals extended too far and ended at the edges of the border fabric. 

The flower base that covers the vine end was simplified, too. It's now a unique three lobed shape without specific leaf structures.

One tulip version had three separate petals that were too difficult to deal with. And I don't think they used less fabric than this simple bowl. It's definitely easier to sew this one that fits over the base easily. Since hand-quilting is not planned, the extra thickness shouldn't matter.  

Lining up the tulip petals

Then a teardrop petal was appliquéd on top. After looking at several placements, I matched the base of the teardrop with the base of the cup but the three petal points are lined up with the drawing underneath.

Pinning the final tulip petal

Here are two of the vines extending from the center vase. The quiet speckled green print was a gift from my friend, Gayle. Thank you. There wouldn't have been enough leaves without that addition. 

Vine and leaf detail

And here's one side of the shorter border. Wow, that pink stands out. 

Half of a vessel and vine border

Do you see the rabbit in the vase print? I'm still considering re-applying the base of the vase. That curve is off a smidge.

QS gifted me some owl fabric at Christmas. Ever since college, my sisters notice and send any and all owls they encounter. This heavier linen blend made a simple, useful tote.

Tote with brown owl print and yellow

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

A kawandi placemat and the tote were finished in January. We are in the middle of home repairs so sewing slowed significantly. YTD = 2 yards.

Electric Socket Shock QAL

The first post is next week. Are you ready? I can't wait to see what everyone does with this basic block.  

Did you see it? The Iowa Quilt Museum has a new exhibit, String Theory, about... {wait for it}... string quilts. How timely is that? Works from the ten quilters and collectors in the show include my friends Sujata Shah, Fern Royce, and Rod Kiracofe.  

Curator Linzee McCray defines string quilts as "thin lengths of fabric sewn onto a foundation." They are usually considered utilitarian as evidenced by the random foundation papers on the backs of unfinished tops. The technique lends itself to "happy accidents and intricately planned designs alike." 

The first Zoom meeting was last week and featured Rod with Siobahn Furguson discussing their quilts.  More meetings are planned on Tuesdays at noon CST. You can sign up on the museum's website. {I'd link it here but it's not https. Doggone it. So look up their name.} They also plan a gallery walk online for $6 - the regular admission price. I can't wait and only wish I could attend in person!

Enjoy the day, Ann

Never Ending Leaves and a Few Bud Bases

It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America.

~Molly Ivins

The US turns to healing our bodies and souls with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris tomorrow. I will be but early to watch. Let's commit to more than watching though. Let's become involved, especially in local matters and primaries, so horrors like these last few years don't happen again.

Both the 2016 and 2020 elections showed that the majority of Americans did not support the policies of the group that came to power in 2016. By neglecting to participate early, by waiting to see who and what "the parties" promoted, we lost the opportunity to shape those policies. A small group of dedicated, single-issue radicals swung our national agenda shamefully and cost us hundreds of thousands of lives.

Adults know we have to do things we don't want. Sometimes it's working every day, putting on a smile when we would rather go back to bed. Creating equitable political structures is another duty of adulthood - if for no other reason than to keep sadistic, misogynistic, and racist opinions out of the laws of our land.

Quilting

I cut out all the leaves starting with the smallest fabric remnants to maximize diversity. They were then sorted into four piles like dealing cards so each border has basically the same ratio of each fabric. Here is my set for the second side. Oh, my fingers hurt from all this sewing. Even with a thimble.

Basted leaves for a quilt border

Of course, the first two sides are shorter than the last two so I started sewing them first. Then the leftover leaves were set aside for the longer sides. It's not a perfect system but maintains some semblance of diversity.  

Again the leaves are blanket-stitched so their stems nestle under the vine. I shortened both the stitch length and the zigzag. My Bernina also has a mirror image function that lets me align the "teeth" of the blanket stitch to either side. That makes sewing easier, too. 

Blanket stitch by machine

Once the leaves are sewn, I re-pin the vines and sew them down. Then it's time to add the flower bases. This template has had the most changes. At first I planned a double-lobed leaf on each side, kind of like a dumbbell. It was too difficult to machine quilt and I ended by including the base with the leaves. Actually it now just looks like a larger base. Whatever. It works. 

Basted flower bases for an applique quilt border

In the plastic bag the bright pink flowers are cut and ready to be basted next. It's taking about three days to get all the parts basted and another day to pin just the leaves. Then sewing, repinning, more basting. Not a lot to show at the end of the week but I'm sticking with it. It's time to get this top done. I only hope it looks as good as my sketches. 

Lectures

One of the unexpected joys of the pandemic is the upwelling of internet meetings that allow international speakers and audience to interact. And one of the benefits of multiple program chairs is the diversity of vision they provide. Sue Bianchi, one of our program chairs, arranged a unique speaker for our December guild meeting - Harriet Riddell of the UK spoke on Street Stitching Around the World. Artists must be brave to put their work out for public response but Harriet takes it to another level. She takes her electric sewing machine around the world to stitch the scenes in front of her. The audience in the street power her machine by pedaling a bike. Sounds crazy, yes? What a opportunity to interact with people, build connections, and build a portfolio of ever-increasingly skilled work.

Last week I joined the first lecture of The Black Index: Artists in Conversation sponsored by the Getty Institute. The online exhibition curated by Bridget Cooks and this month's lecture included two conversations. Professor Leigh Raiford interviewed Lava Thomas about her pencil sketches of the Montgomery bus boycott mug shots. The history Lava researched for this series reminded me of Patricia Montgomery's swing coats. 

After a short break, curator LeRonn Brooks and Whitfield Lovell discussed his drawings of card players. Photos of family and friends playing cards highlighted how the cards are the intersection between the viewer and the subject. Whitfield took time to choose the correct card for each person. In a way, this reminded me of Susan Shie's Tarot Cards althought she did it the other way around, chosing a card and then created images for it. Susan embellishes her work with extensive writing across the surface. 

Interestingly both textile artists wrote on their work while the others did not. Another feature that struck me was the use of well-known people as models versus "the man in the street." It recalled artists who were paid for commemorating prominent people versus Impressionists who sold work using unknown models or family. The various reasons give us food for thought.

Replays of this lecture are available at the Getty and more are planned monthly.

Enjoy the day, Ann

More Leaves and my Light Table

Whoever is careless with truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

~Albert Einstein

Quilting

String Tulip QAL will start the first Tuesday in February. Thanks for responding so enthusiastically. Like our usual prompts, I will post steps in successive months. 

February 2 - ESS string blocks

March 2 - Tulip petals

April 6 - Center details

May 4 - Putting it all together

The instructions are not a mystery; they will recreate the three quilts I made with this design. The mystery is what you make of them. Everyone is encouraged to alter the instructions to suit their own plans. I can't wait to see where you take this.

Meanwhile, Shadow Stars continues. I estimate it will take eight more weeks to finish all four borders. My blog documents my process rather than being a source of continual eye candy and it's important to reflect the actual time it takes. Consequently these may not be the most exciting posts but I'm sticking with the program. 

I drafted leaves in three sizes and made mirror images of all. The vines were pinned in place before the leaves are arranged so the stems can hide under them. Then I removed the vines to keep them out of the way of the presser foot. {Don't ask me how I learned to do that.}

Sewing leaves to border with machine blanket stitch

Laying all these parts out properly is quick. Using a light table makes it easier to orient the applique on the borders. Years ago I had an "old school" light table that used an incandescent bulb. Eventually the toggle on/off switch broke. DH found this fantastic LED light board that is much thinner {about half an inch} and puts out no heat. My only problem is that my hands are frequently cold and the touch-sensitive switch doesn't always recognize it. Rubbing them together for a minute usually takes care of the issue. You know what they say, "Cold hands, warm heart."

The light table is bordered with ruler measurements which make placement easier.  It also works for real artists. 

LED light table

On the back the table is raised by four small pads that raise the table slightly off the surface. And for the record, information to order by phone or email is taped to the back. With this photo I'll be able to remember it even if the sticker comes off or fades. 

LED light table contact information

It's been a great present. DH is clever at finding just the right equipment.

The kawandi placemats have been perfect anecdotes for these tumultuous times. Choosing scraps from the bag with soft music is a respite from the outrageous behaviors of terrorists and traitors. Perle cotton makes the quilting much easier. DMC's manufacturing process is excellent. 

Here's the third one. It includes the last bird from the Spiderweb border fabric. I found another scrap with a similar blue-green background to add to this placemat and it unifies the design better than the previous one. 

Third placemat kawandi

Reading

I finished The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker, his second in the Bruno series. Since I started reading this series late, I'm pacing myself - one every two months. Two young men arrive in Saint-Denis to start vineyards. One wants to create organic wine while the other is the heir to a large American wine business. Both seem attracted to the beautiful young Quebecoise student who is working in a wine shop for the summer. Martin write lovingly of his adopted region. You wish you were there for the wine-stomping parties and the truffle omelet dinners or even to walk through the woods with his basset hound. This is a series to treasure.

Rhys Bowen's The Last Mrs. Summers came through a library loan. Although recently married, Darcy leaves Lady Georgie for an assignment and she joins her friend, Belinda, to view her recent inheritance of a small cottage in Cornwall. The story is inspired by Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca {which I read in high school.} A good read on a rainy day.

Hoping everyone can be vaccinated soon. Stay safe.

Ann

Figuring Out the Best Appliqué Prep

Do what you feel in your heart to be right for you'll be criticized anyway.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Quilting

Whenever I appliqué it seems to need different methods. There are two older but excellent machine appliqué books in my personal library: Mastering Machine Appliqué by Harriet Hargrave and Traditional Quilts Today's Techniques by Debra Wagner. 

Machine appliqué instruction books

I drafted my patterns on graph paper then looked for something to reinforce it. The plastic on hand is either too thin or too small. But... there's a whole bunch of file folders from my shredding summer. Woo hoo. Doubled up with some glue, these are quite strong and the supply is almost limitless. So I can trace lots of leaves without compromising the edges of the design. 

Next issue is appliqué. What to do?

• I actually have {needle turn} appliquéd an entire bed-size quilt {top} but that was years ago. 

• When appliqué was required for some early t-shirt quilts, the backs are stabilized with fusible interfacing and then they are stitched with a narrow zigzag. Quick and easy. The knit fabrics limit fraying unlike wovens. 

• Quilty365 circles started as needle turn but quickly changed to the "gathering around a template method." 

• I used Lara Buccella's crafted applique method to stabilize the raw edges on the Spiderweb, on the Phillies quilt, and on a couple of medallion Chinese Coins quilts. Perhaps I should have used it here, too.

I chose needle turn but quickly realized that wasn't great for machine work. And there's no way I'd get this finished if handwork is involved. 

I tried gathering around the template which doesn't work well unless it's a circle. 

Gathering the seam around a template 

Next I glued the turned edges to the template which worked okay until trying to remove them. Result: A quick way to ruin paper or cardboard templates.

Glue basted applique

Now I'm simply turning the seams under and basting in contrasting thread to help me identify the correct one when it's time for removal.

Thread basted applique

Three down; 197 more leaves to go. 

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

No quilts completed in November. Not that I'm sad since I'm working on this massive project again.  

YTD = 159.5 yards.

Reading

Most evenings this month I've been reading Underland: A Deep Time Journey by British nature writer Robert Macfarlane and it's finally finished. Caves, mines, tunnels, and crevasses reveal geologic time, prehistoric art, funeral practices, and nuclear waste storage for millenia into the future. Robert spans the globe taking us to different sites and showing what they hide. At times claustrophobic but definitely mind-expanding. NPR has an excellent review here.

Happy Thanksgiving! Wherever you are, I hope you and your family are well and staying safe. We're all looking forward to better holidays in future when we've gotten ahead of this terrible disease.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Cutting Leaves for the Shadow Stars Border

What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? I avow my faith that we are marching towards better days. Humanity will not be cast down. We are going on swinging bravely forward along the grand high road and already behind the distant mountains is the promise of the sun.

~Winston Churchill

Quilting

With so many colors in the Shadow Stars already, more green vines and fewer flowers seems like a better idea. I drafted several versions of the vines, made many minor changes, and then cut some simple leaf templates.

Paper leaf templates

Now it's time to review the greens. The stack that looked so good on the border stripe is now set on the Shadow Stars and it's easy to see that some are too bright. The Stars are a cheerful collections of clear and toned prints that {possibly} evoke a bit of Depression-era nostalgia. But none of them are reproduction fabrics. While I like nodding to a bygone time, I don't want a reproduction quilt. Neither do I want the border prints to overpower the Stars. 

So the two more colorful prints on the left are discarded along with the bright green on top. I may not keep the two polka dots underneath either. The remaining fabrics are quieter and more monochromatic. We'll see if there's enough to complete all the leaves. Merely 200.

Green prints for leaves

Leaf templates on regular paper won't last long so they are reinforced with the heavy cardboard from the old hanging folders. Boy, I'm glad I didn't dump these yet. Each can be reused several times before the edges become soft and I can lay them out to maximize use of my fabrics.

Arranging leaf templates on fabric

Reading

Martin Walker spent his career as a reporter for The Guardian and UPI. He also wrote several non-fiction books about European, Russian, and American politics including The National Front, Waking Giant, and Clinton. After moving to France, he began the Bruno mystery series centered on a local policeman. 

I finally read the first one, Bruno, Chief of Police, and enjoyed the way Martin incorporates his previous work into a believable and unique story. Tony Hillerman wrote a fabulous mystery series that introduced his readers to the Navaho homelands and Martin's books develop from a similar love of the Périgord region. He weaves threads from French history with current events about wine-making and small town life to create a memorable story. I'm looking for the second one now.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Fiddling with Flowers on the Shadow Stars

The cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy.

~Jane Addams

The US election results are in with joy for many of us but also sorrow that the vote was anywhere close. Much work remains to help minority communities, to reestablish science and belief in its research, and to rebuild faith with our democratic partners internationally. Hopefully we can all commit to considering the words we use and the meanings and intentions behind every word and policy.

Quilting

My head aches from all the ideas running around it. First, I thought I could sew the four main pieces of the flower together and appliqué the finished group as as single unit. You can see that wasn't such a clever idea. The three petals went together easily but then form a thick seam allowance against the green base. Lumpy and pleated result. This is NOT easier. 

Not only that but the double petal on the leaves is too difficult for me to machine appliqué. Something else to simplify. 

Partially seamed flower

On to Plan B. Or is it C, D, or E? I forget. Each piece of the flower unit will be appliquéd separately. And I redrafted the base into more abstract shape. Much easier. 

Next it's time to remove the center of the vase rim so the stems will fit inside. I made a template with the center oval cut out and laid it over the rim. Then I marked the inner oval with chalk and carefully, with much trepidation, cut the vase fabric in the middle so it could be reverse appliquéd. 

Trimming for reverse applique

The back of the rim must be appliquéd before the stems will fit into the vase.  Finishing the front of the vase comes later. This is fussy but not too difficult. I just need to be careful when I restart the stitching. Ha ha ha. 

I adjusted the amount the rim is turned under until it looked even then blanket stitched from one inner curve to the other. Meanwhile the rim's front seam allowance was pinned down to retard fraying. Then each stem was inserted and blanket stitched just to the edge of the rim because leaves still need to be inserted under the long stems. Finally the front of the rim could be appliquéd. Not too bad.

Applique vase

And because I still wasn't sure how the flower would look, it was appliquéd in place, too. Four thread changes. This is not simple but still much easier for me than hand sewing. We already know it takes thirty years for me to complete a quilt by hand. 

Reading

The Return of the Thief, the sixth and final novel in the Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner was published last month and I just finished reading it. Twice through. The books are set in an alternate world reminiscent of ancient or medieval Greece. The tiny countries of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia occupy the Little Peninsula with larger empires and confederations on each side hoping to annex them. 

Pheris narrates this book. He appeared at the end of the previous one as the "youngest attendant" of the king. Here we find he is the disabled heir of Baron Erondites, the leader of the faction trying to depose the king. When the baron is forced to send his heir to be raised {and influenced} by the king, he sends Pheris, planning to kill the child later and name a new heir. 

If you've followed the series, you know the Medes are preparing to invade. The Little Peninsula must find a way to truly unite against them. There isn't much more I can write without spoiling the plot. And since it's the final book, reading them in order would really help.  

The series started over twenty years ago but remains one of my favorites and this final novel makes a fitting conclusion. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Vases on the Shadow Stars Border

Fairy tales are more than true: 

not because they tell us that dragons exist, 

but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

~C. K. Chesterton

Today is finally Election Day in the U.S. unless you voted early. And I hope you did since the lines will be long today.

Even though the rabbit print seemed a bit light I wanted to try it. The vase is too short to include the whole image. I chose to put the face in rather than the ears. Then I asked QS and several friends whether it needed a foot. Of course, everyone said, "Yes." And I agree... even though it's more work.

 

Vase with and without a foot,
before turning the edges

So I adjusted the template and started pinning them in place. Fortunately DH bought me this LED light board for my birthday. It really helps tracing and placing appliqué. 

Placing components with a light table

There was another fabric I considered for the rim of the vase but it doesn't work as well as it moves quickly into greens. 

Alternate vase rim

The vase is {possibly} straighter than it appears in the photo. My applique is not that accurate and these are hand drawn templates; hopefully, they will look organic when finished and not just weird. I left some basting stitches because the center of the rim needs to be cut when the stems are inserted. 

Vase mostly sewn

But that's next week's task.

Comments

Because I learned some people can't comment on my blog, I briefly tried the popup window and full page options for comments but neither allows me to reply directly to the comments. So I'm back to my original choice - embedded. Let's hope Google gets all these issues fixed soon. 

Reading

Watching a recent Textile Talk on Women's Suffrage introduced me to the Grimké sisters which led to Sue Monk Kidd's novel, The Invention of Wings.  The story blends their history with the fictionalized Hetty, a slave gifted to Sarah on her eleventh birthday. When Sarah teaches Hetty to read, both girls are severely punished. As Hetty notes later, she is physically imprisoned but mentally free while Sarah is physically free but mentally imprisoned. 

Because Sarah and Angelina supported abolition as well as equality for women, they eventually moved from Charleston to Philadelphia where they began speaking and writing pamphlets. The South Carolina legislature threatened to arrest them if they ever returned home. 

Sue's book is meticulously researched. Most of the Grimke story is true although the timeline is slightly altered in places. While Hetty is fictional, all the cruelties of slavery are not. Nauseating to watch Whites justify their actions in ways we still hear today. 

The novel was published in 2014 so many of you have already read it. What can I say? Sometimes I'm slow.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Return to Shadow Stars

This present moment used to be the unimaginable future.

~Stewart Brand

Quilting

Did you think I'd forgotten about the Shadow Stars? I've been researching different border ideas. DH didn't like white for the border and I've come to agree with him. I don't want a reproduction although this has traditional roots.

Without enough fabric on hand I spent several weeks looking at online choices. That's a difficult way to make a decision when looking for a specific color. The background needed to be white rather than cream. But the whole thing needed to be soft since I'm planning to applique on it.

After looking at lots of small prints, microdots, plaids and stripes, I settled on this watercolored stripe by In the Beginning. 

Striped border around Shadow Star quilt

Now that I'm developing a tulip fixation like Audrey, I drew a fairly simple design. It only took four or five days. Sometimes I'm so literal I try to include everything down to the pollen! It finally occurred to me to merge the leaves and base into one template. I may change the petals later. These outward pointing ones are narrow at the top; perhaps an inward shape would be easier.

Stylized tulip

Lots of leaves so I pulled these light greens. Mainly too light although the dark one in the middle is too dark. The light blues are also too light. They are lovely but won't contrast enough with the background stripe.

Fabric pulls for applique

Something from these choices will show up on the background. There's not enough of anything to make all the leaves. We'll see how many different fabrics are needed. Sometimes I like a lot of variety {the more-is-more style} but this time a restrained collection seems more appropriate.

Green fabric choices for leaves

The flowers will be pink... or purple. There's only a smidge of red in my stash and no yellow. Of course, there are some bits in the scrap bag.

 

Fabric choices for the flowers 

These darker blues might make a vase. Black and brown fabrics were too severe. The lightest one here is really too light but it's that Tula Pink print with rabbits. I'm just compelled to try it. Perhaps with a darker rim...

Vase fabric choices

Lots of plans, sketches, and measuring this week. Cutting and sewing starts next. And so does the U.S. election. Make democracy work for all of us. V-O-T-E!

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

October saw one quilt completed. It took  6.5 yards. YTD = 159.5 yards. I do like tracking my fabric usage as it makes me more honest about purchasing. And I intend to go shopping again soon.

Reading

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate follows dual timelines of Benny, a present-day schoolteacher , and Hannie, a freed slave in the 1870s during Reconstruction. The title comes from the real Lost Friends column published in the Black Methodist Episcopal newspaper, The Advocate, to locate missing/stolen/lost family and friends of former slaves. The subject is heavy but the writing is excellent. As others noted, this is a topic not usually covered in history classes. 

Enjoy the day, Ann