"Oh My Stars" # 2

I needed a project that was not to complicated this week. So I pulled out the "Oh My Stars" pattern from Pat Sloan. This made for a fun, easy, quick project. I pulled the squares from my collection of 5-inch squares that I have been cutting from my scarps. The only fabric I had to cut was two squares and the points on the stars.

This is a charity quilt that will be donated to "Together We Can Make a Different" that works in the city of Jackson, Michigan. The Quilt size will finish at 42 x 50 inches.

Staying In

These days are difficult. I pray that each one who reads this post is staying well and heathy. Since March 11, my husband and I have been staying in away from other people. I have had to go to the supermarket a few of times. I have gone about 7 o'clock a.m. There have been a few people there which I felt was manageable.

I have been able to spend time at my sewing machine working on finishing some of my projects. This one is a very simple 9 patch with only two colors and two pieces of fabric.

I love the 9-patch block. It is easy but can look very different depending on the color and the choice of fabric used. All the fabric for this quilt I found on sale at a couple of my favorite area quilt shops. The light pink was from the Moda collection "Downstairs at Downten Abby" and the darker fabric was from the "Prairie Cactus" collection from Kansas Troubles Quilters for Moda Fabrics The second fabric that I purchased to help finish the back was "Fresh Cut Flowers" also from Kansas Troubles Quilters for Moda Fabrics. The colors matched perfectly.

I did the quilting on my home machine using one of the decorative stitches. I have seen it referred to as a "wiggle" stitch or a "serpentine" stitch.

When I  got ready to sandwich the quilt top, I realized that I did not have enough fabric for the backing. The piece I had was not wide enough and I didn't have enough of the pink fabric to add the inches that I needed to make it wide enough. One morning I told Don that we were going to take a little trip. I wanted to get biscuits and gravy at Hardee's for breakfast and I wanted to go to the Quilts at the Marshal House Quilt Shop to see if I could find something that would let me be able to finish  the quilt back. I found the perfect piece and it was on sale. I used all the pink fabric I had left over to make two strips that were 3-inches wide by the length of  the backing fabric. Between those two strips, I added the new fabric to make it big enough to use as the backing.

Another Project Finished

Several months ago, I went to my sewing room with the idea that I was going to discard (throw away) "my scraps." I picked up the box where I had placed scraps leftover from a number of projects. About the time I was ready to toss it all in the garbage can, I could not do it. I saw squares that could be cut from those pieces and used for something. I decided to cut the scraps into 5-inch squares, then 2 1/2-inch squares. Anything smaller than that I would throw away. As I cut squares, it seemed that my scraps continued to grow. I ended up with lots and lots of squares.

Now I have been working to turn those squares into children's size charity quilts. I finished the second quilt for this year on Saturday.

This quilt was made basically with 2 1/2-inch squares. I made the large square using sixteen 2 1/2-inch squares. For the second square, I made a 4 patch surrounded with a background fabric cut into 2 1/2-inch strips. I used a piece of flannel for the back of the quilt and did my own quilting on my sewing machine. I truly hope that this quilt will make some child warm and happy.

The blocks finished to 8-inch squares. The finished size was 40 x 56-inches.

First for 2020

This is the first charity quilt for 2020 that is actually finished. I took 5" squares, cut them in half (5" x 2 1/2") and added a 2 1/2" square on one end. These pieces were sown into rows with the rows then being sewn together. The finished size is 40" x 48". I found a piece on fabric in the closet that worked for the backing.

To finish off the quilt, I used the "magic binding". The blue strip measured 1 1/4" and the red strip measured 1 1/2". When those two strips are sewn together and pressed, the 1/4" flange is created. The binding is sewn to the back side of the quilt, turned to the front and stitched where the two pieces come together. Using a matching thread makes the stitching almost invisible.

Third In The Set

Today  I am posting the third placemat that I just finished. Again I went to my scrap basket, sewed several strips together and made this placemat. I quilted it much like the other two.

Here is a picture of the quilting. All was done using the IDT on my Pfaff sewing machine. I used a decorative stitch that I have seen called "the wiggly stitch".  I reduced the width of the stitch from 9mm down to 6.5mm and increased the length from 3.2mm to 3.6mm. Then I just follow the seam lines. This stitch is very forgiving. If I happen to get off a little, it doesn't show.

For the borders, the machine was set for a regular straight stitch. As I sewed across the border I moved the fabric from side to side to create the waves. No lines to follow and I can make it as wavy as I want. This is an easy way to add the quilting to your work.

A New Year -- 2020

I can hardly believe that the first month of 2020 is gone. Here in Michigan we have had some really warm days and a few really cold days. We have also had a couple of large snow storms.

Parkinson's Disease continues to be a controlling factor in my days. My husband has some really good days and then there are days that are difficult. We try to take each day as a gift. Over the past few months I seem to be doing more and more quilting and less of the card making. I am trying to use fabric that I have on hand and I am also trying to become better at free motion quilting.

I took strips from my scarp basket and sewed them together to make some placemats. I then tried different ways of quilting them. It has been good to try something new. These placemats will be donated to "Meals On Wheels" in a few weeks.

Each mat measures approximately 12 x 16-inches. The pictures are not the greatest but the quilting shows up well.

Almost Ready

I think I am almost ready for the Parkinson's Support Group's Christmas auction which will be November 12. This year I tried to think of new items to make for the event. First, I made this table runner. It is 15 1/2-inches wide and 44 1/2-inches long. It is made from fabric that I already had on hand.

Second, I made these "Angel" earrings from beads I purchased from JoAnn's and Micheal's. Then I wanted a little box to put them in. So--- My next project turned out to be designing and making little boxes to put them in to. These boxes measure 2" x 3 1/2". I love little gifts in little boxes.

"Scrappy" Is Fun

This past week, I finished up two quilts. I really love the process of making the three pieces -- top, batting and backing, feel like one piece. It goes from three separate pieces to one united unit. Both of these quilts were made with squares cut from scraps and leftover fabrics from other projects.

This first quilt was made from a pattern from Pat Sloan's website "I Love To Make Quilts". I was introduced to this web site about a year ago at the January Quilt Retreat hosted by the Pieces and patches Quilt Guild. I have just started my third year as a member. This was one of the free patterns that Pat made available this past summer. This quilt is called "Oh My Stars". Here is the link to this pattern. I used 5-inch squares that I had cut plus some extra fabric for the stars and border. You could also use two charm packs. The quilt measures 41" by 50". Just right for a small child's quilt.

For the quilting, I used a "wiggle" stitch that is on my sewing machine. I am not sure of the correct name of the stitch, but this is what I have seen others call the stitch, especially on Pinterest. It is a very forgiving stitch and one that I have really learned to enjoy using.

This is the second quilt that I finished last night.  It was made from two different blocks. The first was a block made using sixteen 2 1/2-inch squares. The second is called an X-block. This block was made with four 4 1/2" squares that have two 2 1/2" squares added to opposite corners. When sewn together, the four small blocks make one large X-block. Each block finishes to 8-inches. The over all measurement for the quilt is 40" x 56". This quilt reminds me of ones that my grandmother made.

Almost Complete

I have all of my Farm Girl Vintage Quilt blocks sewn together. I still need to add a border and get it quilted. The final step will be to add the binding. There is a total of 48 blocks. I am looking forward to having the project finished. I had never made 6 1//2-inch quilt blocks with so much detail before. I learned a lot about my sewing skills and over the course of construction, I also was able to work on the areas that I needed some improvement on.

I am glad I participated in our Quilt Guild's challenge.

Amazing

It is amazing to me how a "friend's birthday" can draw us back to our paper crafts.  Yesterday we were celebrating Daan's birthday. Today he turns 80. I looked through my cards but didn't find one that I wanted to use. After looking through my stamp inventory book, I came to SU's "Enjoy Life". This set had the perfect stamps.

You see, Daan has Parkinson's Disease just like my husband. He sometimes has trouble walking because of his freezing. BUT when he gets on a bike, he is free and can ride for miles. Actually, there are a total of four couples that have become very close friends over the last two years. All of our husbands have Parkinson's, but more than that, we all love the Lord. We enjoy being together. We all have similar interests. Yes, our husbands have Parkinson's but that does not define who we are. We all still have an identity. We love doing the things other couple's enjoy doing. It may just take longer for us to accomplish the task. Of course we are each limited from doing certain fun things. Often time, I feel excluded from social events because we have to deal with these certain limitations. These friends understand.

So I want to share my card with all who come to my blog.

Here is a list of the items that I used--

Stamp sets --  Stampin' Up "Enjoy Life" and "Bloom with Hope"
Card stock --  Pacific Point
Ink --  Gina K Designs Black, SU Soft Sky, Brocade Blue and Pacific Point
Accessories --  Make up brush for sponging

For the sponging, I used one of the new make-up brushes that I received as a gift. I was really pleased with the results. I love the softness that the brush creates.

I hope have a beautiful day. Our Michigan weather is perfect today.