Farmhouse Quilt Finished

"You can't be both awesome and negative.

Choose one."

Evidence indicates I will never have a stash of finished baby quilts. They leave as soon as the the final strings are buried. In the meanwhile, time is passing and the farmhouse quilt will be gifted next month. You may have noticed I'm working to the deadline... as usual.

Farmhouse quilt - Log Cabin and split Ohio Star blocks

I was amused to see Julie's latest quilt because we both quilted freehand Baptist Fans. Is that an example of great minds thinking alike? A few years ago Julie gave me the courage to try fans again when she shared some tips. Her post with all the details came while I was out sick but it’s here. Take a look and then try it yourself. I never mark them because it's always hard to see them on my quilts - unless they are so dark they never come out. And somehow, mine always come out larger, 6-8 inches. Four-inch fans would be easier to quilt. My new goal. 8-)

Detail of binding and backing of Farmhouse quilt

There are a few dark blue plaids and stripes in my stash that looked terrible next to this lovely ikat border. I finally dug one plain dark grey-blue with enough yardage to complete the binding. Hooray.

Previous Posts:
1. Starting to piece Ohio Star blocks
2. Blocks sewn
3. Top bordered

Quilt Specifics

Size: 66"x76"

Design: Log Cabin and Split Ohio Star

Batting: Pellon 100% cotton

Thread: Gutermann 50 wt light blue cotton

Quilting: Free motion Baptist Fans

Approximate yardage: 8.75 yd

Off the Bookshelf
I knew William Smith as one of the founders of geology who developed the science of stratigraphy and created the first national geologic map in 1815. His greatest accomplishment was recognizing the continuity of the rock formations and confirming that by the specific fossils within. Fossil collecting was a stylish pastime but no one else bothered to actually relate them to the rocks where they were found nor to relate one outcrop of a rock to any other location. Simon Winchester wrote his biography with The Map that Changed the World and the cover of my copy opens to a replica of his famous map. Smith was a blacksmith's son with modest education who faced many difficulties getting recognition for his work which still hangs today at the Geologic Society of London.

The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester

FUR or Fabric Use Rate Update
Five finished quilts = 21 yards. Two dresses and one shirt = 11.5 yards {which includes some preliminary muslins.} Sixteen linen hand towels. I also donated 6.5 yards of fabric. Total FUR = 39 yards.

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

Facing the Year with Freddy

"If you want something to fall in your lap, you have to move your lap to the right place."

~Sandra Bruce

As the time passes more and more junk email arrives in my box. Most are true junk but some are various shops I've inadvertently signed up for. How and where do they obtain my email? Sometimes, it's a lucky break and this was one of those times because Freddy Moran was teaching her Faces class and there were a few last minute cancellations... and I was in the right town... and I had the day free... and the supply list was very short. Two fat quarters, glue stick, scissors, and scraps.

Even better, a non-quilting friend wanted to come. Off we went to play with paper dolls for the day. Not that there is any paper involved but it's as easy as that childhood pastime.

Here's my first face. The hair is leftover triangles from Propellers and Planes - the quilt that will never die. Several smaller quilts have spun off from its leftovers and more of these triangles yet remain.

Jane: collaged face in fabric

Working quickly, the top was finished before lunch. Her eyes were flowers from a wild black and white fabric. Lobster earrings don't show up as much as I wished but they dangle beautifully. Moving her eyebrows made the biggest change in her expressions - frowning, quizzical, surprised. This position reflects the bemused wonder in her eyes.

Jane with a nose job

Before quilting the next day she got a quick rhinoplasty. Now the printed butterfly marks the tip of her nose. I also added a strip of background fabric on the left so some of her spiky hair shows. But once it was quilted, that section didn't work anymore. Off it came.

Jane quilt

Facing seemed the best way to finish this quilt but it took two days to sew correctly. Binding would have taken me a couple of hours. It's not that hard but I don't face quilts often. The consolation is {perhaps} it looks better.

Freddy recommended not trying to make a specific person. However, my kids insist this looks like their favorite aunt.

Quilt Specifics
Size: 23.5" x 19"
Designs: Collage
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Thread: Various 50- and 60-wt cotton threads, 
and YLI clear nylon monofilament
Quilting: FMQ

Approximate Yardage: 1.25 yd

At the beginning of class Freddy shared her story. After a medical issue and entering hospice she felt she'd lost her creativity and would never make another quilt but, remembering a recent class on Mostly Matisse by Rosalie Dace, she challenged herself to make one face a day. By the time 54 were completed she regained her creativity, improved enough to leave hospice, and started showing the quilts. Here she is sharing one of her collage quilts with several Faces in the background.

Freddy Moran at New Pieces Quilt Shop,
Berkeley CA

Me Made Update

With two dresses under my belt, I felt ready to tackle a new challenge. My friend was not available to help fit the pattern so I sewed a muslin of the top only using a "bargain" fabric that had tiny holes in it. I was so annoyed to discover them but it's perfect for this use. 

It took a couple of days to work out the adjustments because I chose the hard way. Only afterwards did the easier methods occur to me. Sigh. At least now the alternations are completed if/when I make it again.

Dolman sleeved dress

The attached belt wraps around and ties with a knot in back. No bow. I reduced the skirt width twenty inches, lengthened it half an inch, and added deep pockets. Why did designers think mid-century women didn't need pockets? When they are deep enough that items don't spill out, they remind me of Winnie the Pooh's useful pot. A place to put things in.

Clothing Specifics

Style: Dolman sleeved dress
Pattern: Retro Butterick

Fabric: Cotton broadcloth print with large blue flowers
Yardage: 3.5 yds plus 1 yd for the muslin sample

Thread: Gutermann 50 wt blue cotton

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

Bye Baby Bunting - Another Finished Quilt

Who remembers this old rhyme?

Bye baby bunting.

Daddy's gone a-hunting.

Gone to get a rabbit skin

To wrap his little baby in.

This quilt started with the light blue toile next to the center star. The variety of animal heads wreathed by laurels seemed to be perfect Shadow Star centers. I used a few there but didn't know what to do with the rest. The middle of each diamond trio was fussy cut to highlight rabbits and deer. {And there's enough for one more quilt.}

Fussy cut rabbit and deer on Lone Star quilt

The grey-blue of the toile called for darker fabrics - almost a reproduction feel - but then came the border.

When I don't know what to use next, my usual method is to toss the fabric {in this case, the sewn diamond sections} on different yardage until something sparks. This was the one that did it for me. It's such a contemporary design and while there aren't any gold colors in the diamonds, it blends well and actually enlivens the somber colors in the star.

Lone Star 6 baby quilt 

The triangular pieces were cut from one QST so they line up well. Of course, there wasn't quite enough so one corner square is pieced. There wasn't enough to match the pattern across all the sections but the offsets seem to work well enough.


Sewing Issues

I'm out of my favorite Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon batt and can't find it anywhere. The closest store quit carrying any Mountain Mist and only has Pellon. I decided to purchase some on sale. It's thicker than I like, not as evenly spread but shrinks up well {although it seems a bit uneven. On this small quilt the shrinkage could be from the quilting so I will test this some more.} I'm not as fond of this as MM or Hobbs.

Quilting details on Lone Star 6 baby quilt

The previous Lone Stars were quilted with the walking foot. Wanting to change designs, I switched to FMQ where my troubles began. Lots of skipped stitches. Ten or twelve in a row with no rhyme or reason why it's happening. I cleaned the machine {again}, changed the needle, rethreaded, used the bobbin hook all to no avail. This is the same thread I've been using for a while so the only difference is the thicker batting.

I decided to use the walking foot for orange peels on this small quilt and didn't have any skipping problems. On my next trip I purchased a larger Schmetz 90/14 microtex needle and tried it on the wavy lines of the background. Still not working so back to the walking foot until the machine gets cleaned and repaired.

Binding detail on Lone Star 6 baby quilt

The binding is a navy lawn printed with tiny birds on branches. It made a crisp edge here, even after shrinkage. The quilt is about four inches smaller each direction after a quick wash.

Quilt Specifics
Size: 37" x 37"
Design: Lone Star
Batting: Pellon 100% cotton
Thread: cream Gutermann 50 wt cotton
Quilting: Orange peel and parallel lines with walking foot 
(after FMQ didn't work)

Approximate Yardage: 3.625 yd

Reading Update

I'm currently reading two books from my "purchased but never read" shelf: Memories of Silk and Straw and Memories of Wind and Waves, both by Dr. Junichi Saga who collected stories from his older patients every evening.

Two books by Dr. Junichi Saga

He lived in Tsuchiura which is in the lower left corner of the frontispiece map. Both books contain stories of ordinary people from the area: shopkeepers, farmers, yakuza {gangsters}, geisha, and midwives. Another of his books relates the stories of a local yakuza but I wasn't interested; however, Bob Dylan read it and liked it so much he seems to have included some of the wording in his album, Love and Theft.

Map of the Lake Kasumigaura area
from the frontispiece of
Memories of Wind and Waves

I've never been to Japan although DH has but I enjoy reading blogs like Pamela's Hokkaido Kudasai and Julie's My Quilt Diary for their art as well as their insights into life in modern day Japan. These books are almost an anthropological look at a former era - from the fall of the Meiji Restoration to the 1930s and reminds me of Lark Rise to Candleford and Letters of a Woman Homesteader. The former concerns small town life in England about the same time while the latter are the collected letters of Elinor Stewart from her Wyoming homestead. I loved Elinor's book but seriously wished they'd put the letters in chronological order. {I went back and marked the chapters into that order myself 'cause I'm just that way.}

Let me know in the comments if you'd like Dr. Saga's books.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Lone Star Quilt Reprise

I finished the second one this week. The last of the red print makes the star points and I quite like how lively the lone star looks on the pink.

Lone Star quilt 5

Here's how I started the center. I thought the green would work but it wasn't strong enough. The navy blue print is better.

Next I tried moving the reds. Across the star points or down them? Should the outer row be green or navy or alternate?

Or perhaps it should be navy and light blue. Do the inside of the star points look better with dark or light greens and blues? Taking photos helps decide which looks best. Aren't we lucky to live in the digital era!

Finally I tested several borders. Of course, that blue with the green print border was my favorite but there's not enough. And this quilt is for a girl. The pink is a shocker but in a good way.

Possible borders for Lone Star quilt 5

Again I started this spiral with orange peel arcs in the center of the star then completed a circle around them. After that, a quick off-ramp starts the spiral.

Quilting detail

Here's a view of the back. The quilting doesn't show up as much on this print as it did on the solid of the previous quilt but it works well with the greens on the front. A navy print finished the binding.

Detail of front, back, and
binding of Lone Star quilt 7

Done and dusted. Who'd have thought? But now DH will think I can pull this off any time.

Quilt Details
Size: 40" x 40"
Design: Lone Star
Batting: Pellon 100% cotton
Thread: Metler fine embroidery pink cotton
Quilting: Spiral with walking foot
Approximate Yardage: 3.75 yd

The next day I flew out to see my daughter. SFO has wonderful exhibits in their terminals. This time they displayed California Studio Craft from the Forrest Merrill collection featuring work from the 1940s to the present including sculpture, pottery, paintings, textiles, and furniture. Studio craft combines handmade crafting with fine art. Precursors to the American Craft Council and the NYC Museum of Arts and Design raised the professionalism of the artists and increased the popularity of the movement which really took off after WWII with the use of the GI Bill.

Bowl and Tile by Beatrice Wood, 1940s

The graceful lines of the legs attracted me. I wonder if it's as comfortable as it looks.

Hammered and soldered copper Sixes
by Merry Rink (1976)
with shedua and leather Wishbone chair
by Arthur E Carpenter (1972)

Mr. Merrill collected at least two artists' work over the years. The exhibit highlighted how each worked on a simple design in series.  First, John Lewis created lunar themes with his glassworks.

Blown glass Moon Bottle (1970)
and Moon Bowl (1972) by John Lewis

These two bowls by Kay Sekimachi show the progression of her work. The 1990s bowl is laminated handmade Japanese paper with bark and straw combined with linen thread inclusions. By 2014 she laminated much more delicate maple leaf skeletons adding watercolor and Kozo paper. These two demonstrate how working in a series builds our skills.

Bowl and Leaf bowl
by Kay Sekimachi

Intricate woven, embroidered, and silkscreened textiles were tucked into the corner where the curving glass picked up all the reflected lights making photos impossible.

FUR or Fabric Use Rate Update

I donated 8.25 yards to the guild this month and finished two baby quilts of 3.75 yards each so my total FUR is 15.75 yards/month or a smidge over half a yard per day. That's something to consider before I go shopping again.

Enjoy the day, Ann

Who Knew?

And... just as I was ready to design some feathers for SIL's grandmother quilt, DH came home. Inspired by Preeti’s posts at SewPreetiQuilts, I relate the following:

DH: Two guys just returned from paternity leave.
Me: Wow. Everyone in your office seems to be having children.
DH: Yeah. {Pause.} Do you have any more baby quilts?
Me: No.
DH: Could you make some?

And so I made another Lone Star from fabrics that were already out of the stash. {At least I don't have to fold and return them to their box.}

Lone Star quilt 4

Playing with the center was a fun afternoon. Here are some of the possibilities. I started with blue and green in the center but finally realized it looks much better with a simple navy star.

Possible center variations for a Lone Star quilt

Spiral quilting is quick and easy. Good choice for a quilt that should have been given several months ago. Remembering how difficult the center was to encircle {in-spiral?} I used an orange peel on the first half of that star and drew a circle around them. That was the only thing I marked.

Then I took the "off ramp" and started spiraling around.

Detail of quilting at center of Lone Star

I chose a width for the stitching and simply maintained it by eyeballing. The other trick is to not stretch the quilt as the foot goes around. I hold my hands so the section I'm working on is squared up. Hand position needs to change frequently to maintain that squaring of the fabric.

Spiral quilting the Lone Star

Variegated yellow thread that ranged from pale yellow to orange worked beautifully on the yellow background and looked good on the back, too. I'm finding a mid-range light works well across lots of fabric. Variegation helps when it crosses such different colors. {This is a written reminder to myself. I fret about thread color way more than it matters.}

Detail of spiral quilting

I've quilted most of my life and sewed even longer but my constant complaint over the last forty years is that I have too much fabric. How do I know? It happens when I can't remember exactly where each piece was purchased. {I know I'm weird.} I just can't work with so many choices plus there have always been quilt shops nearby.

Rooting through the stash invigorates me when there's only one or two boxes but it quickly overwhelms me when the stash grows. {Yes, I know I'm weird.} With stacks against the design wall, it seemed like a good time to reduce the bins.

I disposed of two. That leaves four {and that is still two too many.} {Yes, yes, I know I'm weird.} This fabric won't all fit in the remaining space so... it either gets made up, replaces something already in the bin, or will be given away. Since these are my current working fabrics, they must be some of my favorites. I'd better get busy.

Why mention it now? Glad you asked. Several quilters {like Nann at With Strings Attached} track their fabric by weight or yardage. I've decided to join that movement by adding the approximate yardage used to make each quilt. This will certainly be a rough estimate because we all know there will be scraps left over but it will hopefully raise my awareness of my fabric use rate. Hmmm, that's FUR. Perhaps I could calculate a monthly and annual FUR.

Quilt Details
Size: 40" x 40"
Design: Lone Star
Batting: Pellon 100% cotton
Thread: Gutermann 50 wt cotton, variegated yellow
Quilting: Spiral with walking foot

Approximate Yardage: 3.75 yd

Enjoy the day, Ann

Lone Star Quilt Top

The Lone Star top went together without any trouble. The effect of the fussy cut diamonds in the center is striking to me and the medium blue brightens up the otherwise dour fabrics. Those dots make me happy, too.

Once again I considered adding appliqué in the corners but that would call for another medium blue and there's none in the stash. Plus, SIL would probably like feathers. Markings will show up easily on the white but so will mistakes.

Blue Lone Star quilt top 3

This traditional design runs in my family. My parents had a large version on their bed made by my grandmother. It was already a generation old when they got it and finally disintegrated when my kids were young. By using all our quilts daily, my mother sparked my lifelong interest in quilting. {Now I know who to blame.} So much better than storing it in a cupboard and never learning to appreciate handmade items.

In the late 80s, Catherine Anthony offered her final eight-week Master Quiltmaking class which I was clever enough to join. She and her daughter, Libby Lehman, wrote a set of books detailing six-inch blocks. Of course, I purchased the oversized books {but later passed them on during a move. It's hard to transport big paperbacks.} Catherine was a treasure-house of details about math calculations and  precision sewing. Towards the end, we covered Lone Stars and I made a pillow which is long lost. No photos either but that traditional design was my first Lone Star.

In 2006 I took a class with Jan Krentz and made my second Lone Star for a friend. Her book Lone Star Quilts and Beyond is still available. It was in my library until recently.

The cotton sateen border print had been in my stash for a while. Most was used making a dust ruffle and trimming the curtains but it was so lovely I couldn't discard any.

Lone Star quilt 2

Here's a detail. Choosing fabrics was pretty easy - just match or tone with the border. Most are batiks or tone-on-tone prints. As you can tell, I don't worry about mixing different types of fabric.

Detail of Lone Star quilt 2

The border print reminds me of happy times creating our first home. Very fond memories.

Enjoy the day, Ann