Stars

This morning I made the Heart of Vermont guild blocks for February.  The person whose turn it was to design it calls it Variable Star.  I made one to keep, and the one on top is for the lottery.  Whoever's name is drawn wins them all.  Hope it's me!

My Hunter's Star die arrived from Accuquilt Saturday night, and I just had to try it out.  This quilt has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I would like it to be blacks and neutrals with variously colored stars.  I like the way the die cuts the pieces to fit almost perfectly.

I've set this project aside for a while as I work on some of the projects I've got on the slow go.   But I wanted to take advantage of the sale Accuquilt was having.  Cabin Fever is definitely setting in here - I've done quite a bit of online shopping lately.  Besides this die and the cutting mat to go with it, I bought some bright fat eighths as well as new living room curtains and a new shower curtain.  I think this will be "it" for me for a while.

 

Omicron Cabin

 

Yippee!  Omicron Cabin, a UFO that has languished for several months, is now a quilt, albeit a small 36" x 36" one.  My Heart of Vermont guild is having a 36" square challenge this year, due in April, so I am all set.   No fabric was purchased for this quilt, although I did have to buy a little batting.  I used two colors of beige polyester thread to quilt it, a light beige in the bobbin and a slightly darker one on top.  You probably can't see the quilting, but I made rectangles and squares all over.  It feels good to finish something.

Today I'm planning to finish the crazy quilt square I started in my Saturday sewing group yesterday.  It has part of a hanky in the middle and is surrounded by various pink and beige scraps.  Next month we will work on embroidery and embellishments.   Can't wait!

Forgotten UFOs

Last weekend, I was poking around in my pizza box marked "Orphans" when I found a half-finished log cabin quilt top.  I had made the blocks using "strings" and only needed 12 more to make a baby-sized quilt.  I hauled out the overflowing string basket and got to work.  I divide my string collection into neutrals and colors, so log cabin blocks are easy to make.  

Somewhere along the line I realized I had measured the initial blocks wrong.  The original blocks were 5" finished, but I was on my way to finishing 12 6" log cabin blocks.  Ugh.  I put those blocks into the Orphan box and made 12 more in the right size.  The little quilt now measured 32.5", still a little too small.  How about a border?  I dug into my miscellaneous and leftover half-square triangle box for a variety of squares, cut those to 2.5", and sewed them on.  

Now the little quilt measures 36.5" and was ready to quilt.  With a nice, soft piece of unbleached muslin for the back and after a run to Joann's for batting, I started quilting what I'm calling Omicron Cabin, having made a similar Corona Cabin (at left) quilt in 2020.  Remember 2020, when we thought we were just isolating for a little while?  Let's hope there won't be a time when I'm making Rho or Sigma Cabin.

Today I'll add the scrappy binding and take a picture.  It's pretty cold out, after several warmer days, so I plan to be indoors sewing.  Not a problem for me - I have plenty to keep me busy.

Friendship Wreath

 

I've always wanted to make a block like this and was pleased to find it's the first block in Aby Dolinger's Favorites block of the month this year.  Her instructions are always so clear, and I've enjoyed the last two years' projects.  I wasn't going to participate this year, opting to work on my local guild's blocks instead.  But I wasn't wild about this month's choice so this will be a substitute.  It measures 18" square (finished) and will be a nice center for a medallion layout.  But I'll wait and see as usual.

Snow day = Sew day

 The weather people predicted terrible weather for yesterday - snow beginning in the morning Thursday and lasting til Friday afternoon.  Wrong-o!  I had run out for provisions on Wednesday and planned a sewing day for Thursday.  But it rained all day until about 4 pm when it all turned to something that became snow.  I wonder if it's icy underneath.  Guess we'll stay in again today because it's still snowing.  I planned another sewing day anyway.   Actually, I'm procrastinating - should be doing my taxes!  I do have a beef stew in the crockpot and am washing the shower curtain, so I'm not really goofing off.

Wednesday, I made a couple of purple house blocks for the RSC (the "official" color is turquoise/teal but I don't have a lot).

The bigger house is from a Moda pattern called "Brick House."  It's very easy and uses 2.5" strips.  I love the sky on this house - it's my last bit of Downton Abbey fabric.   The little houses are foundation pieced, one by Carol Doak and the smaller one from a pattern that came with the pattern printed on light fabric.  I actually prefer paper piecing for a lighter result but this size house is pretty cute.

Next on my agenda were this month's four 6" pineapple blocks which I sewed together into a larger block.  I now have 14 of these in all colors, but I'm making at least a year's worth more to make a decent-sized quilt.  These blocks use 1.5" strips for the most part, and it's fun to dig to the bottom of my bin for a trip down memory lane.

I took a little time to make a block from a bag of "crumbs."  I find making these quite tedious because they go together best if you stop, iron, and square up after each seam.  A 6" crumb block is really the best I can do.  

As I cut other projects, I put larger but otherwise unusable scraps into a ziplock bag that I keep near my cutting board.  I make the blocks a little larger than 6" and also put the cuttings into the bag as parts for the next blocks.  These will probably end up in an orphan or very scrappy block quilt at some point.

Scrappy birds

 

I've seen a lot of quilts with these funny birds over the years and even downloaded a pattern which I have since lost.  Over this past, frigid weekend, I drafted a 10" block and pulled out a few scraps from the box marked "wild patterns."  Combined with 25-patch blocks, it worked into a 36" x 36" baby quilt.

I quilted it mostly on a grid with some outlining of the birds.  This block used some funny parrot fabric along with a Kaffe Fasset scrap.  As you can see, I didn't make the legs as long as some people have because I wanted a uniform size for the blocks.

The pieced back uses a yard of Minnie Mouse fabric that has been hanging around for a while, and the borders were also pieces from deep in my blue tub.  I am out of the striped border fabric now, but next time I go to A Quilters Garden I'll see if there's more.  It works so well with scrappy quilts.

A productive month

January was cold but not too snowy here in central Vermont.  There were days when I only ventured out of the house to dump the compost and/or get the mail.  This morning, it was -6 degrees F, and that's been pretty typical.  We've had lots of sunshine, though, but it's deceiving.  Staying in so much meant that quite a few books were read, new recipes were tried, and paperwork got its due.  The Friends of the Library filed Articles of Incorporation, and now I'm working on the by-laws.  

One thing I did neglect was my ongoing family history writing project, but I'll get to that in February (I hope).  I need to finish putting the relatives my newly discovered cousin Andre vW-G sent me into my tree, too.  Of course, I need to work on my taxes in February, too.

Throughout the month, I worked steadily in the quilting room on various blocks of the month:

  - a burgundy/teal sampler with blocks of my own choosing and guild BOMs

  - the Jane Austen Jubilee, with blocks from a Quiltmaker mystery

  - Bonnie Hunter's Unity quilt, which I'm making as a quilt along with the Heart of Vermont guild

  - two Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts - 6" pineapples and variously sized house books

  - a 6" block of the month lottery with the international Friendship Swap group

I also made a table runner with hankies, knit a blue scarf and hat, and finished a little sampler (I'll take a photo later today to post).   

I tried a little Guernsey knitting on the hat which was not without its problems.  Hope whoever gets it likes it anyway.  I started a new scarf yesterday using two strands of DK weight yarn, for a bulky look.  It's going fast on #10 needles, which is nice.