Sea Star Quilt Top Finished!!

After making a few new stars, I finally was able to sew up my "Sea Stars" quilt top.  All but 2 of the paper pieced stars were made using "Don't Call Me Betsy"'s Lucky Star BOM pattern.  I learned a lot doing these over the last year, and even topped it off by finally figuring out how to create a paper pieced star of my own in EQ7

I'm pretty thrilled about this, and if I can figure out how to share the PDF on my blog, I'll try to do that!

I also found another "Mariner's Compass" Star pattern that was originally on Quilting on the Square's website.  I think I found a link for it on Pinterest.  It was by far the most challenging block, but I love the way it turned out!

Almost all of the fabric is from Tula Pink's Saltwater collection.

Here's one last picture of the top with the 2 blocks I decided to take out.  I turned the quilt blocks on point, adding alternating blocks of the background fabric, and setting triangles.  It's all finished up with a boarder around the panel. The 2 extra blocks will either go onto the back of the quilt, or I may make some throw pillows out of them.  I'm happy with my decision to remove them.  One thing I learned from this quilt process is that I really don't like "mystery" quilts.  I really prefer to see the whole picture before I even start a quilt.  I'm glad I did it though, as I really got a great handle on how paper piecing works and I got lots of practice!!

What about you?  Do you like mystery quilts / BOM clubs?

A Few More Sea Stars

It's hard for me to go very long without doing something quilt-related.

I took some time last week to get caught up on my Lucky Star BOM quilt.  I call them Sea Stars, since I'm making them mostly from Tula Pink's Salt Water fabric line.

I now have 11 of these finished, and plan on stopping at 12.  There is a new Lucky Star BOM round next year, but this will be it for me. I'm looking forward to getting this quilt finished, and to getting back to the City Sampler Quilt Blocks, which have been put on the back burner for a while...

What have you been up to? Have you ever done any paper piecing?

July Finish Goal

My A Lovely Year of Finishes goal for July is to make a project, or piece for the Forest Quilt Along finish link up.  I have until August to finish it.  I kind of stalled out after the first 6 blocks, but hope to eventually make a few more of these amazing blocks.

I knew almost from the start that I did NOT want to make a quilt out of these beauties.  They're something I want to look at every day, so I hope to make a small mini wall hanging quilt (or 2).  I may even make a pillow out of them for our couch.

Happy Earth Day

I finished this "Eurasian Jay" Forest Quilt Along Block over the week-end, and thought it'd be the perfect block to share on Earth Day!  I've never seen a Eurasian Jay, but the pictures of them are so beautiful.

I decided to modify / disguise my bird and try to make a Western Tanager.  It's probably the most beautiful bird that I have ever encountered in the forest.  When I worked in wildlife biology surveying for the Spotted Owls in SW Oregon, I'd see these timid birds from time to time in the forest.  The males are so incredibly beautiful, and as you can see from this page in my "Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds", he's definitely a male.

Here are my Forest QAL blocks so far.  I have been enjoying this quilt along so much, as it combines 2 things I love... quilting and forests.

I though I'd put in a picture of our solar panels.  We were so lucky to be able to be involved in the local city program that helped us buy these.  Due to the weak economy and budget cuts, the program has not been able to continue, sadly.

These 12 panels supply all of the electricity we use in our house, including my sewing machine and iron, for all but about 3-4 months out of the year.  It fluctuates, depending on how hot the summer is (and how much we use the AC), and how cloudy our winter is (short cloudy days are not good for solar electricity production).

We are so happy with these!  We also drive a hybrid car, which we bought used about 6 years ago.  Our next plan is to replace our not-very-efficient heat system and hot water system, both of which are natural gas.  We try to do as much as we can to "lower our carbon footprint", but there's always room for improvement... One very small thing I'll do today is to head off to our local recycling center.  We have no curb side recycling here (booo), so I take a load every month or so.  I'd love to hear about any other Earth Day activities you are doing today and every day, because, as the saying goes... Every day is Earth Day.

Friday Finish: Feather Block from Forest QAL

My paper piecing kick got derailed in the last week or so after our printer ran out of toner.  A brand new, $55 box of it that I'd bought at Best Buy, in a city an hour (each way) away had an opened interior bag and a totally empty toner cartridge inside (which we discovered only after it was home).  Booo....  We're working with the company now to resolve this.  In the mean while, we ordered on on-line from COSTCO.com and it was delivered to us with free 2 day shipping earlier this week!  Yea!  Guess who I'll be doing more business with...

The above feather block from the Forest QAL group again was very challenging.  I made a few goofs, and unsewed more than a few seams, but I love it!  Thanks to Joanna of Shape Moth for the fantastic pattern!!

Along with the publication challenge finish at Project Quilting, I had a pretty good week!!

I'm linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilt's Finish it up Friday!

Project Quilting 5 Challenge Done! Seed Packet Quilt

For this last round of Project Quilting, the challenge was to use page 28 in any publication as our inspiration.  I choose a seed catalog that we have been eagerly browsing through, in anticipation of Spring planting season!  It turned out a little bit corny, but that's OK ;-).

As I mentioned in my last post, I used this challenge to try to learn how to make a paper pieced pattern on my EQ7 program!  I'm so happy about this!  I also thought it'd be fun to "personalize it some, putting our name at the bottom.  My husband is from Illinois originally, which is pretty much a king corn state.  We almost always have corn in our garden, and according to him, it should always be "knee high by the 4th of July", so I had to add that as well.

It's 18 by 12 inches, and has hand embroidered letters, paper and regular piecing, and finally some free motion quilting.  My husband remarked when it was almost done that the corn needed some tassels, so I added a few of those too for fun! I purposely did the embroidery and quilting over it to give me a mini trial on how quilting my "Organic Chemistry" quilt would work.  As you can see, sewing through the embroidery really doesn't distort it much at all.

I also tried out my idea for using a lamp and my glass table as a "light box", and it worked beautifully!! SWEET!  ... corn that is LOL

I DID it!! My first EQ Paper Pieced Pattern!!

I'm just too excited!!  I FINALLY figured out how to create a paper-pieced pattern in my EQ7 program!!  I've been struggling with this program for about a year, as I got it last Christmas, or birthday (which is in January).  I'm not too computer savvy, but have been making myself use it each time I try to design anything quilt-related.  Slowly but surely, I'm learning this program.  I've been wanting to figure out how to make a paper-pieced pattern for several months, and have even used quite a few of the foundation block patterns in the EQ library.  It finally all clicked (sort of) and while my pattern is a bit clumsy, I did it!

It's part of this week's round of Project Quilting.  With my current round of quilt alongs, swaps, and finish alongs, I almost decided NOT to participate in this round.  I generally don't do these unless it truly inspires me, or I want to try or learn a new technique.  It's a perfect way to do this.  So, I decided to try to make a paper pieced ear of corn block.  And it worked!!!  I used this tutorial on Joanna of Shape Moth's site to step me through it.  THANK YOU Joanna!!

I plan to create a "seed packet" mini quilt with it, based on my "page 28" inspiration in my seed catalog :-).  Our printer is out of service, but luckily I got this printed in the nick of time.

Paper Piecing Passion

Last year, I admired from afar the "Sew Out Loud" quilt along, and finally attempted a block or 2.  I was hooked, but have been too intimidated to do a whole lot more, outside of the geometric stars that I've been doing.

When I saw the Forest Quilt Along starting up, I was undecided on whether or not to join in.  As soon as I saw the first wood pecker block from Juliana at Sewing Under the Rainbow, I fell hard..... really hard!  It pretty much took over my last 2 days.  To say it was challenging is an understatement, but now that it's done, I'm higher than a kite!

Having worked in the forest, and being married to a husband who also works in the woods, I have a feeling that I may not be able to resist any of the future blocks!! We also used to get Pileated Woodpeckers frequently in our Michigan home.

Over the week-end I also finished March's Lucky Star block of the month that "Don't Call Me Betsy" is hosting.  I can't seem to let more than a day or 2 go by after I get these in my mailbox before I have to make them!

I'm getting quite a nice collection of them now!

Finally, I wanted to thank you all for the quilting suggestions for my organic chemistry quilt.  I hope to get it pin basted before long.  After looking online for Red work quilts, I was impressed at the simple quilting on most of these, and am now leaning towards something similar.

More Swap Postcards

I decided to try some new foundation paper that I recently bought for these aprons, thinking that it'd be faster than the freezer paper piecing. 

Boy was I wrong.  I love the new paper, but I think from now on, I'll be using the freezer paper method if I can!!  It eliminates the "backwards flip side confusion", and creates a nice precise finish, and really doesn't involve any more cutting and trimming than the foundation method.  I don't like the foundation aprons nearly as much as I like the freezer pieced ones.  I thought I'd try both ways on the same pattern to compare.  Now I know.  I'm now eager to try making a home made light box that a local friend told me how to make.  Stay tuned...

Just as I got the last of my postcards into the mail, I started seeing the following beauties appear in my mail box!!

Flossie is my kind of lady!  She and I were on the same "wave" length (pun totally intended) as we interpreted the theme "where you want to be".  The beach is the place for both of us.

Can you believe the detail on this card?  Look at the sea shells and beads in the waves!

Lynn must be following Space X's Dragon mission closely , as our family has been, as she wants to go to the moon!  So cool!!  Unfortunately, it picked up a stain in its travels.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to mail these cuties.  Flossie (and I) used clear cellophane envelopes.  Many people prefer them "naked" though.  That's how I'll send my aprons, per that swap.  I'd love to hear your opinion.  Do you like the artifacts and postmarks and such on these postcards, or do you like them protected?

Love at First Stitch, "Oh Snap" Tutorial, and Beach Postcards

I wasn't going to post today, but I just got so excited when I finished this postcard that I had to share!!

The theme for this swap is "Reproduction Fabric Aprons", and I knew as soon as I saw the theme exactly what I wanted to try out.  I saw this pattern, by "Charise Creates" at the "Sew Out Loud Quilt Along", and wanted to adapt it to an apron postcard.  The only problem is that I had never tried out freezer paper paper piecing before. 

I shrank the pattern down, made a few modifications, and started muddling through it.  My smile got bigger and bigger with each step, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.  It's love at first stitch!!  My only problem now is that I don't want to give it away :-).  I'll just have to make more!!

I also got my "Where I want to be" postcards finished.  They'll go out tomorrow!!

Finally, I have some exciting news about my "Oh Snap" quilt block. 
 
Caroline, from Trillium Designs, a talented quilter, seamstress, and fellow Oregonian, agreed to create a PDF pattern for it so that anyone can make it!!  You can find it on her blog!!  I am super thrilled and excited that she was generous enough to make it!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!