On the Frame - Progress Report

This quilting has been slow going, but there have been lots of other activities in the SeeingStars household.

I've used Hopi and Pueblo pottery designs as inspiration for the quilting.  Here's one of the border cornerstones.  I'll use this bird in all four of them.

The photo flash washed out the vivid jewel tones, but the shine in the thread makes it more noticeable.

And here's some of the border design.  I like the scroll with the bird head and the variety of designs throughout the scroll.

I have several newsprint pads for scribbling ideas.  Typically, I've have 5 or more pages before I find a design I'd like to use.  Here are a few of mine for this project.  The top zigzag design is used in my dark purple fabric in the photo above.  None of the others have been used so far.

I've come up with a neat design to quilt the applique blocks.  Now I just need to find that piece of paper.  My sewing room is clean, but I've moved that design somewhere when I started thinking of the details of making it happen.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope your Memorial Day is full of thanksgiving as well as fun.  Here's a Quilt Of Valor I hope to deliver to Jimmy today. 

After a bike wreck on Saturday, I'm a little behind and haven't called to see if he's available.  As a side note, I am a whimp and don't deal with road rash or bruising very bravely.  My family is very patient with me while I'm rebandaging every couple of hours and just being pitiful.  However, I am a fast healer and hope hope hope to have my knees and arms better in 2 weeks for a MS fundraiser bike ride. I also need to bring my bicycle to the shop for a little post-wreck TLC.

This came from a block swap I was involved in a few years ago.  It's really great to see another UFO finished.  A friend used a similar layout for some of her blocks and I liked the blue quarter square triangles, so I used them for inspiration.

Here's the back side.  It's a solid navy blue, which shows off the gold quilting threads so well.

Some of my friends (Sarah and Libby to name a couple) have gently encouraged me to blog more often, so I'm going to try for once or twice a week.  Now that our first high school graduation is behind us, life is slowing down again.  I'm looking forward to getting back to the studio to work on my mom's quilt, then a baby quilt, another QOV and a few more.

Enjoy your freedom today.  I'm thankful for those who have served our country and given their lives to defend us. 
 -SeeingStars

Another On the Frame

I've been working on a quilt that I can't share yet.  So I've had to be very quiet for a while.
But this one I can talk about.
It's a Quilt Of Valor.  It's a UFO.  It's a block swap quilt. 

If you walk around the frame to get a better look.  You can see the overall design.

There's mostly Red/White/Blue, but a touch of gold here and there.  So I took a bold approach and began quilting it with gold threads.  At first, I thought about using a clear thread over these beautiful star blocks, but I think they'll still shine with gold over them.

The quilting is very similar to my last QOV motifs.  I was quite thrilled with how that one turned out and other designs I doodled with weren't as nice.

The first of 4 rows is complete now.  For the 2nd and 3rd row, I get to do 6 feathers!  I love quilting feathers.  For balance on these large blocks, I'm marking the spine.  Frixion pens for lighter fabrics and white chalk for the dark blue fabrics.

I'm planning on a quilt retreat next week.  My goal is to have this one off the frame and ready to bind for the retreat.  It's ambitious, but the retreat is hosted by the Alabama QOV coordinator.  So I can leave it with her if it's finished before I pack up to come home.  While I'm there, I can make a pillow case and label.  But if it isn't finished, I'll mail it to her or use her "Mules" to hand deliver it.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

On the Frame

This one's another UFO from a block swap.  I think we worked on these blocks about 4 or 5 years ago.  Yikes!  It's time to get this one finished.

Fish block swap on the frame

My quilting is free motion and whimsical for this one because I don't think these fish take themselves seriously.

The orange border is my favorite part.  To keep the design even, I am drawing the scrolling line first with a Frixion pen.

Here's the whole top on the design wall before quilting.  I was trying to decide if it needed another border after the orange.  That lime green is now part of the pieced backing and the wild stripe will become the binding.

It's nice to play with a whimsical one, but I've still ripped out the quilting a couple of times.  I should have taken more time to draw on paper for each block.

Enjoy your day!  I love our Springtime weather here.
- SeeingStars

Racing the Calendar with Mini Clams

It's not the fastest design, but I love the texture it adds to this quilt.  I'm using a circle template to make the clams.  With the shiny fairy frost fabric, it reminds me of fish scales or maybe even dragon scales.

I generously offered to stay home today so Mr. Seeing Stars could use my vehicle.   
It seems his 23 yr old Honda needs a little TLC ... again.  Yes, we could have carpooled, but he often gets home well past dark and I leave work much earlier.  Plus, this extra time at home will help me to cross my finish line by midnight tonight.

So I can start on another UFO for March.  I do hope it's going to be an easy one.  I'm eager to reload my Mom's quilt again and make more progress on that one.

 I hope the ginkos aren't too un-quilted for the rest of this quilt.  For now, I'll leave them alone and see how it goes.  I could stitch in the ditch around those ginko squares, but time's not on my side right now.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

February UFO - Racing the Calendar

I'm working hard to finish this one by midnight on Friday night.  I love a challenge!

Disappearing 9 patch

The quilting is almost to the bottom border.  Whew!  Except ... there is no quilting yet in the light pink rectangles.

Here's the back side.  The quilting is much easier to see.

Plan A : Use the cherry blossoms as quilting inspiration and make oversized blossoms in the navy fabrics.  The green inner borders have a bamboo design.  Add ginko leaves to the dark pink (Gees Bend dyed fabrics) small squares.  Using a template, add clamshells to the light pink fairy frost fabric.

It's easier to do all the free motion, then change the hopping foot to a template foot once and execute the clamshells.  But I did try a couple of clamshell areas near the top of the quilt, so I've already changed the foot a couple of times.  It just doesn't work on this quilt.  My template makes too large a design and the tops of the second row end up being cut off by the edge of the patchwork.  Not very pretty!

Plan B : Skip the light pinks until all else is done and make a new plan.  Since the focus fabric is an Asian print, I'm looking for another design which will fit that theme.  Free motion is much easier for me than templates.  And .... since this finish is for a monthly UFO challenge, I'd like to get 'er done soon.

I'm open to any ideas for this quilting.  Before deciding on clamshells, I thought about a tall crane, but his wings wouldn't be spread and I thought it wouldn't look regal enough.  I love the look of sashiko and I'm willing to lightly mark a grid to accomplish that look.

I've got to dash off to work now and then I'll check back here to see if anyone has an idea for this pink.  The quilting thread is Isacord Petal Pink.  It blends very well with the light pink, so this area will be all about texture, not contrast.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

On the Frame - Part 2 Through the Ages

Okay.  The stabilizing stitches are finished and so now it's time to play.

Here's the start of the border.  I'm using a few Native American designs as inspiration for this quilt.  I drew the main spiral with an erasable Frixion pen.  They will be some type of filler above the spiral eventually.

It will be slow going to quilt this, but I'm hoping it will add texture and still not take away from the amazing design of the quilt top.  I *think* I've decided to use a light tan thread for the center design and leave this dark purple for the frames and outer border.

The border design is much easier to see from the back side.

Not all the quilting motifs are decided yet.  But I do have an idea for most of them.  It's fun to get this one started.

After three days of no school and no work, I think I'll be ready for a semi return to normal tomorrow.  We've had fun in the snow and it's always nice to take advantage of an unexpected stay-cation!

Enjoy your Friday!  As the sun rises, I'm reminded that His mercies are renewed each morning.  What a gift!

- SeeingStars