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

String Tulips

Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over

what impression he is making or about to make.

~Bruce Lee

Quilting

As if the first set wasn't enough, here's a second set of the Electric Socket strings. {Thanks for the perfect name, Julie.} Not so much yellow here and the green blocks aren't resonating. 

More string X blocks

Leaving them on the design wall gave me lots of time to arrange and rearrange all those string blocks. I moved something every time I walked by but they were just too crazy together. It could be the mix of fabrics {completely mixed up} or the angles of the strings themselves but it never gelled. What to do? What about taking out the center to make a medallion? 

After a while, I realized scrap tulips have been on my wish list for years. Tulips remind me of our dear sister and always make me happy. This will be my #AHIQPositiveThinking prompt. Just when I need a smile. 

Now I've looked at hundreds of tulip quilts over the years - antique stores, online auctions, blogs, etc. - but some of my favorites come from Audrey at QuiltyFolk. There are three general block types: a single tulip with leaves, one or more tulips in a basket, and crossed tulips. {Audrey has made all of them.  Another reason to follow her blog.} The center petal can be another string set or a single fabric. 

Most often the petals are strung crosswise but I saw one years ago in Dallas where the strings ran the length of the petal. That's what I chose to do with mine. 

Angled string blocks as a border

The tulip are sized so one petal fits inside one of the already sewn blocks. No reason to add more work. It also uses some of the blocks that were removed. How nice is that!

Now to choose the background fabric. Loads of greens and a few blues came out of the stash. These four are too busy, too bright, or too strong.

Possible center background fabrics

This funky green with gold crosses and x's blends nicely with the melange of colors in the border. Lighter tulip petals faded into the background. Using blocks with some dark strings {like the one in the bottom left} makes the tulips pop the most. It reminds me of Black Tulips such as Queen of the Night and Black Hero. 

String Tulips baby quilt top

I was going to add leaves but there wasn't room once everything else was sewn so circles using Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles templates were the backup plan. My circles always turn out well shaped with this tool and there's a lot of choices in the set. I just put different sizes on the top until it looked right. Then it seemed to need another set of circles at the petal points. 

All the appliqué has turned under quarter-inch seams topstitched down using an edge foot... even the circles. {My previous appliqué used a blanket stitch.} Only when sewing across the bottom of the tulips did I have any trouble. So many seams. Just slow down so the stitch length stays even. 

The stems are binding remnants. Their chunkiness fits the large scale of the tulips. 

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

Despite my goal to finish more tops, nothing was completed in July. Again. YTD = 111.75 yards.

Voting and Census

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 98 days away. Help someone register and encourage everyone to vote. Everyone needs to participate in a democracy - both in becoming informed on issues and candidates as well as actually voting.

And just as important, the 2020 census is still ongoing. Everyone residing in the US of every status needs to participate. Our constitution requires an accounting each decade of every person in the US and its territories as a way to determine congressional districts and apportion Congressional seats and allocate federal money. Please make sure you and your neighbors are counted. Check here for more information. 

Reading

Poems by Mary Oliver have been my latest evening reading. After weeks of randomly reading her poems online I started her fifth collection, American Primitive. Her reflections on nature and her joyfulness at life draw me in every time. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

When to Say Uncle

Love determines our bonds.

~Mitch Alborn in Finding Chika

When we were growing up {back in the Dark Ages before the internet} my youngest sister cried because "everyone else gets mail and I don't!" So our mother told her everything addressed to occupant was hers. Mother was a clever woman.

Taking that lesson to heart, I send my grandchildren a weekly postcard. Their parents tell me they are thrilled to receive "real" mail. I look for postcards wherever I go. Museums are especially good places to find them... when they were open. Fortunately I stocked up several good batches. 

Remember the story, String Too Short to be Saved? This week, just before dropping all the scraps into the trash I sewed some together to make fabric postcards. Because they are still useful... And I'm crazy.

It started with some leftover Porgs from a shirt for DH. {That curve came from the sleeve.} I backed it with muslin, stitched the layers together, then decided to zigzag the edge. Oops. Big mistake. It was straight but ended up lumpy and wiggly. However, edge treatments need to be done before attaching the card backing. As we all remember, close stitching on paper just causes it to fall away.

Because I attached the fabric to the card from the fabric side, the back is visibly uneven.  Altogether as bit of a mess.

First postcard attempt

The backs are 4" x 6" index cards... because I have a bunch at the house and it's better to use what's on hand. I sewed the layers together with with longest basting stitch and learned

1. The "basting" stitch length is too long. A 3 on my Bernina looks best.
2. Topstitch thread works better than regular sewing thread. 
3. Lightly glue the fabric to the card {then press with a dry iron until the glue dries} to hold the layers in place. There's no way to pin these together that won't leave a hole in the card.
4. Mark a border about a quarter inch from the edges of the card and sew with the card side up to create an more even border.

My next Porg attempts turned out a bit better. I pinked the fabric edges... because I have my grandmother's pinking shears.

Porg and R2D2 postcards

I made a few more with raw edges but thought sewing a pillowcase might look more finished. No idea why that would matter with a postcard.

Pillowcase postcards

They make a nice change but the raw edges are simpler. Notice how much nicer the back looks when the sewing line is drawn and stitched with the card side up.

Then I pulled any scrap that had a design on it. Crab, bird, frog, tulips. Even when they are partly cut off.

Fabric postcards

These aren't the most artistic pieces but they amuse me. I've seen ATCs but was never inspired. Postcards have a similar function: a place to use tiny scraps, a way to practice new techniques, a time to play. I enjoyed myself, learned some things, and have a way to move these bits out of the house. {Mailing them to the grandchildren. Hahaha.}

Eight postcards used perhaps quarter yard. Warning: Fabric postcards are too thick for the postcard rate; they require letter stamps. But what fun this is.

Gardening

Some of the beans have the loveliest purple flowers. What a joy to watch them grow although I'm not sure how many beans we will actually get. 

Voting

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 105 days away. Help someone register and encourage everyone to vote. Democracy requires the participation of ALL citizens.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Rosie Lee Tompkins

"Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

We had a three month delay in paying taxes here in the US. The new deadline is July 15. Tomorrow.

Chinese Coins

With so many little projects around the house there wasn't much time for quilting this week. Someone asked how to decide on the widths of Chinese Coin columns recently and here's what I wrote:

1. I plan the overall size (LxW) of the finished quilt because it helps me determine when I have enough columns and when to stop sewing onto a column. Believe me, column length is difficult to eyeball. I put pins on my design wall but you could masking tape your carpet or use floor tiles as a guide. Just something concrete to refer to.

2. Decide on a range (say 4-8") or pair of ranges (very narrow and very wide) as a guide because it helps determine how many columns you are shooting for. {50" wide/6" = 8 columns while 50" wide/ (8+2") = 5 PAIRS of columns. Only three 14" wide columns could fit in the same 50 inches.} You might still need extra columns in the end but this gives you an idea to aim for.

3. Sew the widest column(s) you want first because you will run out of strings. Just look at your outlined quilt size and consider what width looks "right" remembering you will trim and seam about an inch off the column. 

4. When that/those columns are finished, look at the strings that remain to figure your next column width.

5. There are usually enough tiny bits left at the end for one or two very narrow columns.

There are many examples on my blog because it must be my favorite scrap quilt idea. Just search for Chinese Coins or use this link where I did it for you.

Quilting

Despite all the issues of the pandemic, I did manage to see the Rosie Lee Tompkins quilt exhibit at BAMPFA. Just not in person. You can see it, too... until December 20. The exhibit opened just as California locked down for the pandemic so the museum kindly made a video tour. It's over an hour long so get your coffee ready first. The museum site includes a slideshow and links to their catalog but the video itself is also available on YouTube. Among the benefits of video {as opposed to in person visiting} are the ability to rewind and tour a site as many times as you wish.

Rosie is the pseudonym of Effie Mae Howard who lived in Richmond CA where Eli Leon met her. He purchased many of her quilts over the years and curated several shows that included her work. I have catalogs of three of the shows but believe there were at least eight including several, such as the 2016 exhibit at the Museum of California, that didn't have catalogs.

Catalogs of African-American quilt shows by Eli Leon

Upon his death, Eli donated most of his collection of 3,000 African-American quilts to the UC Berkeley museum including 500 by Ms. Tompkins alone. 

Projects Around the House

Still scanning and shredding. As previously mentioned the compost bin limits how much can be done each week. There is nowhere else to put the stuff. Currently six of twelve drawers completed. Halfway through although the tougher files are still ahead. More of these will need to be retained. Still, it's good to review what is in the files and put misfiled papers into their correct section. 

Covid

As we watch Covid ravage the US and see other countries actually dampen their outbreaks I realize part of the problem is the politicization of the pandemic. For the first time, politicians have pushed health care professionals out of the way as they rush to get their face before the electorate. They are not trained in public health and conflate their own agenda with medical facts. It has encouraged people to think the virus votes. I am appalled by the thoughtless actions of my neighbors and fellow citizens who somehow think it's a hoax/ they won't get it/ it's not too deadly. Read this short article if you find a 1% death rate acceptable.  

If nothing else consider the rate of infection among health care workers. It takes years of training to become either a nurse or a doctor. As they die off, who will be there to provide your healthcare?

Who else recalls one of America's major problems of WWII was that  malnutrition during the preceding decade of the Great Depression left many of our citizens unfit to serve? Are we really ready to write off another generation of working-age citizens? Do you want yourself or your family to be one of these people? And support them with all the extra care they will need over the years ahead? 

Voting

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 112 days away. Help someone register and encourage everyone to vote. Vote 411 is a wonderful resource. Democracy requires the participation of ALL citizens. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

Stringing Along

We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quilting

The introduction of a story by Donald Hall relates an apocryphal story: 'A man was cleaning the attic of an old house in New England and he found a box which was full of tiny pieces of string. On the lid of the box there was an inscription in an old hand: "String too short to be saved".'

My mother loved quoting the punch line whenever something foolish appeared in our cabinets. We deny packrat tendencies but truth will out. What crazy stuff we save because it might be useful one day. The dreadful warning of this tale {occasionally} restrains me from expanding my quilting stash which I already find overwhelming.

It is also the reason I keep a single small bag for scraps although an amazing amount can be crammed into that bag. I won't purchase containers to subdivide the stuff. My point is to use it up, to keep it moving because this insidious fabric propagates nightly. My scrap bag still looks as full as when I started this recent set of scrap quilts; there are just fewer "pretty" fabrics.

How can I sew this mess? Why am I bothering? How small is too small? What's your limit? What's the smallest scrap you keep? What do you do with the waste? {I know Cathy spreads hers as garden compost.} Questions we face daily.

There are still a ton of strings. I'm tired of diamonds, thought about Chinese Coins, but got the brilliant idea to angle the strings. At least it sounded brilliant. In reality it's been a bit of a pain.

The newspaper foundations are 5.5". No idea why except it's less than six inches so it was easier to cut and the smaller squares don't need such long strings - only about eight inches for the main diagonal. I pulled "longer strings" out so the centers would be easier to plan but still find myself coming up short.

String blocks

What should be the middle string? How can I highlight the angle? The X? I'm way overthinking this.

Wow. It looks like I stuck my finger in an electric outlet. Too wild? I need to think it over.

Projects Around the House

Scanning and shredding continues apace. Two more drawers cleared. I'm finding a few things that still need to be retained physically but hope to limit it to one drawer. Once the compost bin filled I attacked our bookcases and culled three bags of books for the next library sale. QS and I laughingly refer to moving junk out of the house as foundational cleaning. I imagine how happy the house is to lose the weight and I certainly love having more room in the rooms.

We enjoyed a quiet holiday weekend at home. All our family called at some point... and we watched Hamilton. DH took me to the stage play a few years ago as a special gift but the many unique angles of the video recording make it almost as remarkable. 

Voting

Our national election scheduled for November 3 is 119 days away. The Vote411 website can help any American register, check their registration status, and find out what is on their specific ballot. I find printing a sample ballot before going to vote gives me time to double check all my options. Who can you help register? And get to a polling place? Democracy requires the participation of ALL citizens. 

Enjoy the day, Ann

String Star Finished

When presidents lose the trust of the public, I think it's very difficult 

if not impossible for them to govern this country.

~Robert Dallek

Quilting

Just a matter of curiosity, but do you realize all these string sections are 45 degree isosceles triangles or 45 degree diamonds {which are really two of those isosceles triangles?} It's another way to make a string quilt besides square and rectangular blocks.

Once each larger section was sewn I made four right triangles for the corners. You can see I'm running out of lights. These are getting into the mediums. At this point the quilt is about 54" across but it seems to need a border.

Corner triangles added to string star quilt

So I straightened the edges and made a mess. And straightened again. Eventually they were trimmed almost to the star points because I couldn't seem to square it up properly. {Grr. What a fiasco.} With a narrow medium dark blue border, everything looks fine... as long as you don't know how much of the edge I "trimmed" off.

String Star quilt with a narrow border

By this time, I was ready for something easy and chose spiral quilting. I know how to do this well. It's important to hold the quilt square as the needle travels in circles. That way there are no waving edges.

String Star quilt

Of course, it's even easier with orange peels in the center to keep me from having to turn the quilt in such tight circles.

View of orange peel and spiral quilting from the back

The back is three white prints. Not much to see in a photo but soft to touch.

The binding didn't need to contrast with the narrow border and there was enough of this navy binding in my leftover box. It made it around the quilt... barely.

Quilting and binding details of String Star quilt

There are still strings in the scrap bag for at least one more quilt. How can that small bag hold so many of them?

Quilt Specifics

Size: 52" x 52"

Design: String Diamond blocks

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: Superior 50 wt grey cotton thread

Quilting: Orange peel center with spiral walking foot

Approximate yardage: 8 yds {a guesstimate of all the strings}

Previous post: String Diamonds

One of the Hatchet quilts was recently gifted to the new son of a coworker. He has a big sister so this slightly larger quilt went to her. I told her it was a star like she is but she decided the center is a lake and she's even found some fish in the water! Kids are so clever.

Projects Around the House

The perfect project has been staring me in the face: scanning and shredding our massive paper files. So many years neatly stored in tall filing cabinets. We never refer to them but feel compelled to keep them. DH bought me a new scanner last year making it very easy to repackage the files into pdf format. The critical path is the composting bin. Once it fills I'm through for the week. Two of twelve drawers are purged. 

I have plans to donate the file cabinets once they are cleared out. Paper copies are so 20th century. 

Voting

Our national election scheduled for November is 126 days away. Are you registered to vote? Are all the young people you know registered? Can you help them register? Democracy works when we ALL participate. Change won't happen without votes.

Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 

This was my only finish in June. Keeping a record points out how many quilt tops are started and how few are finished. I need to move the tops along next month. YTD = 111.75 yards.

Enjoy the day, Ann

More String Diamonds

When men fear the loss of what they know, 

they will follow any tyrant who promises to restore the old order.

~Barbara Kingsolver in Unsheltered

Quilting

The scrap bag still looks as full as when I started. More diamonds in the making but this time simply divided into either light or dark. A speaker at our guild showed her elegant Feathered Stars. Some were traditionally set while others were rotated 45 degrees so the points lined up with the cardinal directions.

Diamond strings made into a star

With this layout, the backgrounds are just more 45 degree isosceles triangles. Half diamonds as it were. Since they needed contrast with the star outlines, they are made using only lights. The strings are chosen to "look good" next to the previous one. Whatever that means. Just as long as they are light.

Triangle strings for a background

I wasn't sure what these would look like arranged around the star but it's not too bad.

Triangle strings added to diamond strings 

Gardening

My mother was a gardener but I've never been very successful. With all the extra time at home this year {and with lots of advice, encouragement, and some seeds from a dear friend} I planted two larger containers with zucchini and bush beans, two window boxes with herbs, and diligently added watermelon radishes between the larger seeds. The idea is that they will be pulled before/as the larger plants need more room. Watermelon radishes are delicious but usually only found at restaurants. Only twice have I found them at the farmers' market and never in our groceries. We'll see how it works out. Pretty good so far but there is a squirrel or cat who comes by regularly to dig certain plants up. Sprinkling lots of pepper around seems to be discouraging this antisocial behavior somewhat.

This morning I noticed a new but smaller hole near the plants. This time I'm getting the red pepper flakes out! And I'm open for more advice. 

Projects Around the House

Like everyone else, I've noticed an uptick in quilting procrastination. I've been reading {mainly rereading  favorites.} That led to a purge of the bookshelf. DH even agreed to discard twenty old reference books that were seriously out of date. AND the related software. Now he's on eBay selling off old DVDs and spare parts. Woo hoo! Not much money but we are both delighted to keep things out of the landfill and I, at least, am delighted to get them out of the house.

This weekend was a clean out of the spice rack. Sad to report one bottle expired in 2006. No wonder it didn't add much taste. 

Voting

Our November 3 election is 133 days away. Are you registered to vote?

Enjoy the day, Ann

Making Fabric

"I do not know how you draw the line between fine art and craft, or 

between the utilitarian and the non-utilitarian... I want to be an artist

... I intend to walk where I choose and not care which country I'm in." 

~June Schwarcz, 

Fourth National Conference of the American Craft Council, 1961

The quote reminds me of a recent well-written post by Kris of Pixeladies. I spend so much time {way too much!} worrying about all sorts of things it's a family joke. But I've decided to quit fretting about quilting. Even though I love stretching myself to make art quilts, the usefulness of bed quilts draws me back again and again. But whenever I've "created" a unique layout for any traditional block a photo of a similar quilt comes to my attention... usually just as mine is finished. Not worrying about that either; I'll just show mine and detail my inspiration. I will "walk where I choose and not care which country I'm in."

Quilting

I've been thinking about many ways to lengthen the LeMoyne Star quilt - applique, hourglasses, more HSTs - and finally decided to add a row of smaller stars to each end. In red. Except... there's not much red in my stash. One delightfully splashy floral print, two solids, and a handful of tone-on-tone batiks.  Neither inspiring nor extensive. I pulled out all the red HSTs for potential star points then looked at these fabrics again.

Fabric choices for center of Sawtooth Star blocks

With such a small group of fabrics I again thought of slabs using bits of these and any red scraps in my bag. Everyone else makes lovely slab blocks. Mine get to a certain size and then look terrible. With a four-inch center, this should be about enough to work out even for me. Here are my first two samples. Not bad although the corners of the Sawtooth Stars could/should be changed around.

Sawtooth Star quilt blocks in progress

That was a quick fix. Then I sewed a row together with narrow sashing between the stars. Why? Two reasons. I don't want them as tightly packed as the HSTs and I'm tired of working with odd sizes. These sawtooth stars finish at eight inches, close but not exactly the needed width. Cutting pairs of random sashing in different widths fills out the spacing and gives the quilt a homespun look. {At least that's my story.} Can you tell that each sashing is a different cream print and a different width? 

With one side sewn, it's an adequate length. I could stop now but making a second side will balance it better and the recipient will like it more.

Sawtooth Star blocks added to one end 

I was dismayed after snapping this quick shot when both ends were sewn because the sides look lopped off. Will it need more stars? Oh, golly. Then it will become too big for a lap quilt and too small for a bed quilt. This is where "the need to add borders" started. {It was too large for a baby quilt and too small for a lap quilt.}

LeMoyne Star quilt with Sawtooth borders on two sides

In the end I added a narrow border of random strips around all the sides. Enormous improvement from such a tiny change and something to remember.

Final narrow border of cream print

Now there are three largish tops that need quilting. And the scrap bag is still full. 

Videos

This thought provoking video with Jane Elliott highlights our knowledge of racism. No excuses.

Voting

Election day is November 3 this year. That's 140 days away. Remember you must be registered to vote. Tell everyone!

Enjoy the day, Ann

Using the Parts Department to Complete a Quilt Top

"Voting versus protest; politics and participation versus civil disobedience and direct action. 

This is not an either/or; this is a both/and. 

To bring about real change we both have to highlight a problem 

and make people in power uncomfortable, 

but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws that can be implemented 

and we can monitor and make sure we're following up on.

~President Barak Obama

Quilting

Sashing was the next decision. I laid out four choices but secretly thought one of the darkest {vertical} would work best. Instead, that dark grey on the left is it.

Sashing possibilities

The sashing is printed with small dots of "non-colors" on dark grey. You know, those nothing neutrals - soft yellow, green, etc. So I looked for fabrics in those values for the posts and immediately like this odd yellow print.

Sashing sewn

Now it's larger than baby quilt size but still doesn't look finished. Borders would solve that; however, I want them to be composed of smaller blocks instead of lengths of single fabric. There's already a small pile of HSTs, many already sewn, that could be the first round. The top is currently 51 inches. Divisible by three. Easy. Seventeen on each side.

LeMoyne string stars with single border of HSTs

But it needs still more. I don't want another round of the same size nor a "matched block of 1.5 or 6 inches. Too planned. A simple spreadsheet came to mind as a quick way to find a good working measurement.

The current size of the top at the top is divided by the number of blocks down the first column to calculate a finished block size. Between 1.5 and 3 inches is what I want and look, 2.375" fits.

This round took a bit longer because of all the trimming. There are 17 large HST and 24 small HSTs {plus the corner blocks.} Since they have no factors in common {just a bit of math} they don't line up until the edge is reached. I like the way that looks. More random.

LeMoyne Star with a double border of HSTs

Sixty-one inches is an in between size - too large for a baby quilt and a bit small for a lap quilt. I prefer quilts to cover me from toes to chin. One way to lengthen the top might be to add another border on one or two sides. Pulling some fabrics I was surprised how few lights are left... at least lights in colors that work. Neither of these seems right. Both are a noticeably different style of print.

Two possible fabrics for another border

Obviously this needs more work. And fortunately I have time... next week. So the title of the post is a lie. The top is not complete.

Voting

Just 147 days until the US election but you must be registered in order to vote. Please do it now.

Enjoy the day, Ann

LeMoyne Stars

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.'
~ C. S. Lewis

Quilting

With the chunks are out of the way, I'm ready to attack the scrap bag. Still enthused with diamonds, I cut newspaper foundation into five-inch wide diamonds to make LeMoyne Stars. To add some cohesion each started with one common fabric at the widest point of the diamond.

The idea to make a ring inside the star came from several sources. First, traditional Lone Stars {you recall how the tiny diamonds make a circle of each round.} Since this would be strings rather than diamonds, my mind jumped to those beautiful ringed spiderwebs. But even if I was crazy enough to line up all these strings. there wasn't enough of all the fabrics for that idea to work. I vaguely recalled  Gwen Marston's Amish String Star from her book, Liberated String Quilts and pulled it out for another look. It gave me the brilliant idea of making that circle from striped fabric but there wasn't enough in a color that worked. So I pulled out all my fabrics for a closer look. There was just enough of a pink fabric with double rows of dots. {All of this is just to demonstrate how ideas bloom and how constraints guide our choices.}

Lighter fabrics on one side and darker fabrics on the other; most of them are red or blue dark points. Yes, I cherry-picked the strings but as the preferred colors ran out, greens and purples and even brown was added. The inside is whatever light string was available.

LeMoyne Stars in progress

Problems arose with the background(s). After repeated measurements and calculations the four backgrounds require twenty inches for each pair of colors. Just over half a yard. And there's the rub. The print at the top of each of these photos {Background 1} works beautifully for the red stars but only okay for the blues. After pulling more choices, the flamingos looked best here but... there's not enough to make two backgrounds. And the other fabrics won't even finish one background. So all four will have Background 1.

Background fabric possibilities

String diamonds take a while to construct. This is a week's work. I thought I'd be further along.

Enjoy the day, Ann

More Hatcheting

Every test in our life makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to break us or make us. The choice is ours whether we become a victim or victor.

~Lorenzo Dozier

Quilting

Following my usual plan, I made so many of these blocks there's enough for a second quilt. This one  had even more iterations because they blocks had been culled once for the previous Hatchet quilt. First the blocks were laid in the order they were sewn.

Hatchet 2 baby quilt original blocks

At first I regrouped some streamers and removed the light blue ones on the right.

Regrouping the Hatchet blocks

Next I switched short blue and yellow streamers.

Then took out four beige blocks to add yellow and moved the light green to the right. I thought this was it but the digital camera revealed a less than attractive center line dividing left and right, dark and {mostly} light.

Still more adjustments to the Hatchet blocks

Tweaking the coral and green streamers resolved that issue.

Hatchet 2 scrap quilt

Having a few extra blocks made this possible. While not perfect I'm only using the scraps on hand, not going into the stash for more. Babies will like these graphic designs and I like clearing some space in my workroom.

Again the extra/discarded blocks make up part of the back. It always amazes me how well they work with each other and with the main backing choice.

Hatchet 2 scrap quilt back

Parallel quilting lines, of course. The binding is a really bright carnival stripe.

Hatchet 2 scrap quilt detail

Quilt Specifics

Size: 45" x 45"

Design: Hatchet or Signature block

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose cotton

Thread: Superior 50 wt grey cotton thread

Quilting: Parallel lines with walking foot

Approximate yardage: 5.625 yds

Of course I saved the waste triangles. And sewed them up, too. I'm that crazy. They will wait in the HST box until needed for a border.

Waste triangles sewn into small HSTs

The next troll through the scrap bag pulled strips 2.5" or more to cut into squares for a future Trip Around the World quilt.

Squares for a Trip Around the World

A week's work ended with another baby quilt as well as additions to the Parts Department. Now there are just narrow strings ready for my next project which should start next week.

There was even time to sew a few more pillowcases, too. These are more enjoyable than expected. They are useful, look pretty, and use fabric that had become stuck in my stash.

Reading

Just in time for an online discussion, I found the History book club through MFAH which meets quarterly. Usually they gather at Bayou Bend or Reinzi but with the stay -at-home order they set up online, at least this time. And guess what? The book was Bill Bryson's At Home! So of course, I joined in. There's a list of previous discussion books here.


Monthly FUR (Fabric Use Rate) 
Nineteen pillowcases, six totes, and two quilts used 41.25 yards for May. Tracking my usage is salutary or at least, educational. YTD = 103.75 yards.

Enjoy the day, Ann