2016 Finished Quilts - Star Struck -Quilt 1

This was my first completion and only completion for 2015 from my UFO pile.  I am considering it a 2016 finished quilt as it came back from the long arm quilter in December.

Fortunately, I had written two posts on in while putting the borders on and getting it off to the long arm quilter, so I don't have much more to say about this one.  You can read about it here.

The nice thing about the following pictures is that they are much nicer and better than those in the posts.  

This first picture is showing the whole top out in my front yard.  The roses were in full bloom and I thought it would make a pretty background.  I used an old wooden ladder (see prior post for a better picture) to prop up a corner for a nice visual.

Each of the quilts I took one of it laid out flat, so you can see the whole design.

This is a close up of the corner, showing in detail the borders and the binding colors and prints.

These next two show the backing print used on the quilt.

Next are the specific facts about the quilt:

Next are the specific facts about the quilt:

Size: 86" X 86"

Fabric Lines Used:  Solid Red and Solid Green - Maywood Studio

Red dot, floral, and floral stripe -Henry Glass English Cottage Line

Pattern: Star Struck BOM

Designer:  Terri Staats

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Logan Nelson

Year Began: 01/2008

Year Completed: 12/2015

Warmest...

Star Struck Quilt Done

Please Note:  I'll start out by saying the pictures are very good, as the lighting is poor this time of year in the Pacific Northwest.  We have had overcast and rain for days on end. Sorry, but I still wanted to get a post out, as I am pretty excited to have a completion under my belt.

Well it took me a few years (from 2007) to get this finished and on the bed.  Our bed it king size, and it only overlaps a couple of inches on each side.  

I wrote some about this quilt here, but not revealing much about it, only because I might not have gotten it done, and it would be just another half done project.  My resolutions this year was to get quilts done, and only do few new things.

Here are two closer views of each side of the quilt.

This is the borders and binding.

This is a close up of the quilting.

And of course the kitty found her way right away to find a nice spot on the new quilt.  I don't know how they know when you have new fabric, towels, clothes, etc. laying around, but they find it very fast and settle in nice and comfy.

Warmest...

A Really Old UFO Top Completed

This quilt was a LQS BOM club / program that was designed and done by a quilter that was trying to break out into the professional quilt pattern designer world.  She eventually went on to getting published and I have made a couple of her designs, mostly because she is a local designer.  Her name is terri Staats, and her pattern design name is Sweet Treasures.  The sun had gone down by the time I got outside to get the picture.  The only place I have to take a picture of a quilt this big (85" X 95") is out side on my lawn.

Here is a close up of the quilt top to show the colors and background of this quilt.  Each big star block is a different pattern, as it was a way to build skills building stars and making points come together correctly.  Then the solid red stars are all the same throughout the quilt that were used as setting squares for the big focal star blocks.  This red dot on white print that is used as a background is one of my favorites that I have ever used as a background.  Not plain, not too busy.  Just right.

I had the top completed, but had not put on the borders yet.  Part of the problem was a couple of the setting triangles were too short along the outer edge.  So I opted to tear it out and add about an inch to make the sides all around even.  Then  I added the three borders, solid red, the pink print, and then the background red polka dot print.

This last picture shows the binding (red) and the backing, the pink floral stripe.  Just yummy!  The pictures don't do it justice.

I am sending this off to a Long Arm Quilter, as I want it to be nicer than what I can do on my domestic machine.

I will post completed quilt in a couple of weeks.

Warmest...

Yellow Instead of Blue

Yep, I ended up choosing yellow for the binding of this table topper.  The blue made it look to dark for the "summer" feel I was wanting in the one.  So, what do you think?  I did the quilting in a blue thread, though.

Chalk up another completed finish for 2014!

Warmest...

Strawberries and a TableTopper

I was busy all day today.  The Pacific Northwest is the berry capital of the US, and June brings the first berries ripe and ready to pick.  Yes, strawberries are coming on strong around here, and there are several "U-Pick" farms every where.  I went to one about 5 miles from my house and spent three hours picking 26 (half I picked for a neighbor) pounds of strawberries this morning.  Then I came home and put about 1/4 of them in the dehydrator, and the rest in the freezer.  Below shows the dried strawberries, as it only took about 8 hours to dry.  I have never dried strawberries before, so I only did a small batch.  But, these turned out so good tasting, and pretty that I might have to go back to the farm and pick some more early next week.

After I got all of the strawberries in the freezer and in the dehydrator, I sat down to get some sewing done.  Last fall, I made a hexagon table topper that I posted about here, and thought I would make another one for a change for my round dining room table.  This is such an easy pattern, and I had left over 1 1/2" strips from a honey bun I used in one of my Farmer's Wife  quilts I did last year.  

During the course of making the Farmer's Wife quilt out of Moda's Breath of Avaigon, I ended up getting a yard of a border print, which is a SKU in fabric line.  I really didn't need it to complete the blocks, but I knew I would have left over fabric from the blocks and figured I would be able to make something with this border bring and the scraps.

So, I fussy cut the border print for both the center of the front of the table mat and for the backing.  This way, it can be used on either side.  

This is the back of the table mat, showing a full view of the border print.

This is the front of the table matt, showing the border print in the center, and strips from the leftover HoneyBun roll sewn all around.

I have it layered and ready for quilting, which I plan on doing tomorrow afternoon.  And, I will have to pick out a binding from some of the other scraps I have in my leftover bin.  I am leaning towards a dark blue.

Warmest...

Hexagon Table Topper

Today, I finished the table topper I posted about yesterday.

It measures about 21" across.  I did a simple stipple quilting all over the topper because this time I used a thin scrap piece of cotton batting.

Here is a close up of a corner.  The next one I make I will be sure not to stretch the strips as I sew.  The 1 1/2" strips are a thin width, and stretch easier than the 2 1/2" strips I am used to working with.

Here is a picture, showing the nice yellow backing I used.

I think the next one will be a fall one, then a Christmas one, and then maybe a patriotic one.

A New Project

I am revamping my dining room, only because I am really tired of what was here when we moved in a few years ago.  It's not that it is all that bad, I am looking to perk up the living space with my craftiness. 

I want to keep the blue theme going, as the vertical blinds are blue, and that would be a rather large expense to change, so I have had this kit of a table topper that is blue and yellow and would look great on my round dining room table.

The pattern is by Terri Staats, through her company, Sweet Treasures and is called "The Centerpiece Tablemat".  She is a local designer, here in the Pacific Northwest, and I have used several of her patterns.  I have even had the privilege of attending a monthly local quilt shop club meeting that she led, several years ago.  Awesome lady!

I think this would be a hit out there in blog land, as everyone is on a hexagon kick right now.  It is also "honey bun" friendly, as it uses 1 1/2" strips.  

The fabric line in the kit is from Moda, the Summer Breeze (either I or II or a combination of both) line, and I have a larger piece from this line that I will make a valance for my glass sliding doors.