I think I've got the hang of it! Stars and stars and stars

15 stars so far.  This is addicting, and it's using up my scraps, so I have no idea how many I'll end up making.

After spending all day Thursday on flying geese that ended up being used for something else, I finally got the hang of them for the Crumb Along.

I set up a "star factory."  I went through my boxes and trays of fabric, and made a bunch of what I'll call base sets.

A base set has four rectangles cut 2 1/4" x 1 1/2" and four 2 1/4" squares.  I made sure that these base sets are either solids, tone on tone, or small prints.

 This is just a few of the base sets, ready to start adding star points.

Next, I cut lots and lots of multi-colored triangles from 2 1/2" squares for the star points.  This allowed me to not only use up a lot of my scraps, but I was able to make a dent in a basket of squares I've acquired from a two-year-long square swap. 

This is just a part of the pile of triangles.  As I'm assembling the stars, I make sure that no fabric is repeated on a star - it has 8 different fabrics used for the star points. 

My next step was to create a small pile of the center squares - again, all different fabrics.  I used a lot of the swap squares here.  These center squares are 2 1/4" as well.

I then began assembling the stars, and was able to do a lot of chain piecing. These are semi-wonky, as I just used scissors for trimming once I started sewing.

All my squares measure from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2".  Jo suggests adding strips to them to make them 6", but I'm going to hold off on that until I see what she intends to do with them.  I've got plenty of strips to use - two shoeboxes full.

When you screw up...just make something else!

So, I was merrily cutting and sewing, making dozens and dozens of little flying geese to be used in the Crumb Along.  I think I made about 80.  Then I moved to the next step, which was to use the flying geese in stars.   I quickly realized that I'd made mine completely different from Jo's, and they would not work in the stars. 

Jo started with rectangles that were approximately 1 1/2" x 2 1/2".  So did I.  She used triangles cut from squares that were 2 1/2".  So did I.  But she sewed her triangles on differently, and ended up with little squares.  I trimmed all mine back to the size of the original rectangles, thus rendering them useless for the stars. 

I will happily make more little square flying geese so that I can make the stars for the Crumb Along. I therefore had several dozen little rectangular flying geese to use for something. Several months ago I had started a medallion quilt (starting with a center block and working out) with leftovers from other projects.  It has a center block surrounded by a border of rectangles, and also has two white strip borders.  I sewed a bunch of the little rectangular geese together and added them to what I'd created already:

I'll call this Mish Mash #1, since I know there will be more. And there will be more to this one. It now needs another border, and then I'll decide where to go after that.

While I'm showing a quilt beginning using lots of scraps, I'll tell you about what happened at my first guild meeting last month.  A woman (I don't know who she was) came up front with a large white garbage CRAMMED FULL of scraps from two recent quilt projects.  She asked who it was in the group who made doggie beds, and she donated those scraps to be used as filler for the doggie beds.  I wanted to jump up and scream, "I'll take them!!!!" but I'm new, and all I could do was cringe. I later noticed during the show and tell that no one had a scrappy project of any kind.  Now I'm not going to assume that no one does scrappy quilting, but that day, no one was showing anything.  So I'm going to take my queen-sized scrappy log cabin quilt and this little medallion piece to show them that even the littlest crumbs can be used in great projects.  I want to make the point that even our scraps cost $8-$10 a yard - so they need to be used, not put inside doggie beds. 

Block for Operation Uniform

Victoria was given a friend's Air Force fatigues (he is now retired), and was commissioned to make him a quilt.  He knew that there would be lots of fabric left over, so he asked her to use the leftovers to make a quilt for Quilts of Valor. She asked her readers to volunteer to make blocks, and I was lucky enough to get my name in. 

She gave us rules to follow:  use the fatigue material, incorporate some "made" fabric, and use colors that went with the theme. Of course, I used red, white, and blue in my "made" fabric.

Blocks received for Boomerang 5.0

I've received 6 more grownup blocks for Boomerang 5.0. There are still 4 that are owed to me - and I don't know if I'll get them or not. Those 4 ladies are on everyone's "missing" list. We'll just see if they're flakes or not. I hope not.

from Mary (Havplenty)

from Angie S

from JudyVA

from Lillie

from Suzanne W (quiltin' gran)

from Sandy C

Crumb Along, Step 1

On my Liberated Quilting Yahoo Group I saw a post that linked to Jo's Country Junction and her announcement of a "Crumb Along."  Since I'm into scrappy, liberated quilting, I knew this one would be fun.

The first thing we are doing is creating two blocks using some flying geese.  I had a bunch of triangles left over from making African Violets for Block Lotto, and decided I'd use those. Since they were all dark, I made the triangle part of the flying geese white and cream.

I dug into my white/cream scrap tray and cut dozens of rectangles, 1 3/4" x 3".  Then I put together about 50 wonky flying geese.

Jo says her sewing area looks like a bomb went off -- mine, too! 

Since my initial white rectangles were 2" x 3", my flying geese are a bit odd. But I don't care. Continuing Jo's directions, I sewed strips to the sides of the flying geese units and then squared them up to make the 6" squares she said to make.

These are all the extra flying geese.  She said to make several more sets of 4. I ended up with 7 sets plus 15 other unmatched ones. I'll be able to use these in a border.

Inukshuk

While we were on our Alaska Highway trip this summer, we saw many, many of these for sale at the souvenir and gift shops. We saw them made of jade, gold, rocks, marble, wood, and lots of other materials.  This is called an Inukshuk, also spelled Inuksuk, which is a type of cairn. A cairn is a marker built to identify paths or specific locations, and these were made by the First Nations people in British Columbia and the Yukon. When I saw this paper-piecing pattern for sale at Bear Paw Quilts in Whitehorse, Yukon, I had to have it so I could make one for myself.

3 Boomerang Blocks 5.0 received

from Laura B

from KarenPatrick

from Lauren K (MFQS)

Blocks for 15 Minutes

Victoria's Basket of Flowers

Julie's Hybrid Tea Rose

Bonnie's Cactus Flower

Just trying to keep up with the BOMs on 15 Minutes Play.  I have so much "made fabric" to use up, with more scraps to use.

At quilt guild yesterday I learned that there are many, many women who do not use their scraps. One woman had made a pretty quilt, and came to the meeting with a garbage bag full of the scraps left over. We're talking about large scraps, too.  She donated them to be used as stuffing for a doggie bed.  I wanted to shout, "give them to me!" There were enough in there to make a whole quilt!  Don't they realize that our scraps also cost $9 a yard?  I was talking to the president during the break and mentioned the garbage bag of scraps, and she said that a lot of the ladies just don't "do scrappy."  Well, they're going to see my scrappy!!!

My first quilt guild meeting

I joined the Citrus Belt Quilters yesterday. It's a pretty large guild (I think) - there were 109 members and 5 guests at yesterday's meeting. I'd wanted to join one for quite some time, but didn't have the time while I was still working. I know a couple of ladies there, and have already been roped into helping with our vendors' tables activity in December (members selling their own stuff).We're having our first annual quilt show in October - the Harvest of Quilts, and it'll be at the Yucaipa Community Center.  I'm sure I'll be able to help with that, too.

After the business meeting, we  had a great speaker - Lyn Brown of LynBrown.com.  She's from Anaheim Hills, just down the road a ways, and did a presentation of quilts she's made and designed "through the seasons." She started with Winter-themed quilts, and worked her way through the seasons and holidays.  She also had her patterns with her for sale, and sold them for $5 each - they're normally $8.  I bought one - I'd been looking for a way to use up a set of fat quarters I bought a few years ago in Seattle, and this one will be perfect.

Two more Boomerang Blocks received

I am loving all these blocks! Everyone is doing such a fabulous job of coordinating the colors, and each block is different. There's very little repetition of colors, too, so the quilt made with these blocks will be very bright and colorful.

from Karla R

from Robin S

African Violets for Block Lotto

I like these!  They worked up quickly, and a bunch of them will make a lovely quilt.

More Boomerang Bocks Received

I had 10 more Boomerang blocks waiting for me at the post office when we checked mail on Thursday. I am so excited about these.  I deliberately selected a multi-colored, wild fabric so that I could get lots of bright colors. That's what is happening.  I LOVE these blocks!

from KaSandra

from Donna D.

from Jennifer

from Larissa B

from Carole Mc

from Cindy

from Linda H - this is an embroidered patch that matches my fabric beautifully

from Janet T

from Patsy S

from OK Darla

Now that I'm Back...

I'm happily sewing again.  First up was a block for Qbee, which should be the next-to-last in Boomerang 5.0.

The block is called Hayes Corner.  There might not be another block for me to do in 5.0, as I have yet to receive a Fat 8th from the last person. They were all due to me by April 15.  Yes, April 15. The swap organizer has tried to contact her numerous times to no avail; we're both resigned to the fact that there are often people who flake in swaps. But what bugs me is that this person now has 35 Fat 8ths from everyone else, and hasn't returned our completed blocks. 

I will, however, continue to do this swap - version 6.0 will start next month. I really like the challenge of getting fabric and coming up with coordinating fabric and a block to put it all in.

Alaska quilts

Several of the museums and visitor centers we've visited have had quilts on display by local artists or quilt guilds.









At Denali National Park they have an "Artist in Residence" program, where different kinds of artists (painters, sculptors, writers, quilters) stay for a period of time and then interpret their locale or experience. The quilt above and the closeup are by Linda Beach, who stayed there in 2005. It's titled "Threading Through the Gravel Bars--East Fork of the Toklat River." her description says, "During my ten-day stay in the park as Artist in Residence, the one element that took me by surprise was the sheer vastness of the open spaces. Walking along the gravel bars of the East Fork of the Toklat in particular, I was overwhelmed by the sight of miles and miles of multicolored stones and water as far as the eye could see. With this quilt I hope to share my experience of Denali with an unlimited sense of place and time."













This quilt, shown in its entirety in the first picture, is actually a set of panels that form one larger piece. it's called "Seasons of Denali," and it was made by Ree Nancarrow. "This view from Eielson depicts the changing seasons, from the last bit of winter, through spring, summer and fall, to the beginnings of winter. Sun, plants, animals, and migratory birds increase in a kind of crescendo, then decrease with a rapidly approaching winter. I have tried to convey my love and awe of this truly special place. If you look carefully you will be able to find some of the very unique plants, birds, and animals which are able to flourish in this harsh environment. "

Down on the Kenai Peninsula in the Pratt Museum, there are several lovely quilts.












I've been blogging about our trip to Alaska on my blog Wanderlust: http://holmantravels.blogspot.com


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