Feathered Stars Are Not For The Faint of Heart

One of the first of March blocks in the Just Takes 2 quilt is a feathered star.  I think sometime many years ago when I was a beginning quilter I tackled one of these and I thought, "oh that isn't so hard".  I have no idea what happened to that block but for the last couple days I have been working on this one. 

 As you can see by my sewing room, I have directions at the right of the machine, at the machine, and at the left of the machine. 

 I am taking it nice and slow and laying out each piece like a big puzzle. 

This post was almost named "how many ways is it possible to sew half square triangles together wrong".  I can tell you there are A LOT of ways.  My seam ripper is stationed right next to my scissors by the machine. 

I am having fun however,  being mostly an appliquer, the piecing of this quilt is good for me to keep up those skills.  I learned with this block that even if you press your seams open as the instructions suggest you can still see the points on the open pressed seams for accurate piecing. 

 

The next block for this quilt is a compass star!!!  Yikes!!!!

Happy Quilting Day (and St. Patricks Day)  to you all!  Bop on over to  http://www.thequiltshow.com/ and enjoy some free shows this weekend, they are available Mar 16 -18.  I have my computer set up in my sewing room and am listening to shows as I stitch.
Cheri

States Quilt

Back in October I had a post about quilting with my Mom.  She has early dementia/Alzheimer's and had recently moved into assisted living.  She was having difficulty with her sewing machine and the decision was made not to move it to her new home, but she still enjoyed hand sewing.  We started making the states quilt together and she has completed all 50 embroidered blocks.  I am preparing  for my annual quilt retreat with my small quilting group this weekend and I am planning to dedicate most of the weekend to sewing these blocks together.

 

It is quite time consuming as each of the blocks has set in corners, but I have worked out a system and they are going together quite well. 

I also am all caught up on the Just Takes 2 blocks.  My wall of blocks is starting to look very interesting :)

Happy Stitching All,

 Cheri

Happy Heart Day!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!  Appropriately enough I have some little hearts to applique.  This is a 6 inch block in the Just Takes 2 quilt (see the link on the side bar).  I am doing the needle turn applique by back basting and have loved every stitch.  I have missed having a hand applique project and not done one since I finished the Civil War Bride last year.  I just can not seem to find the right pattern.  I have sort of been looking at Aunt Millie's Garden and the Circuit Rider Quilt, but not committed yet.  I am trying to be more careful at choosing quilts, they are such an investment any more. 

In the meanwhile I am truly enjoying every block (okay- maybe not so much the Y seams in that house block) in the Just Takes 2 quilt.  After I finish the heart block this evening I will have the January blocks finished.  Tomorrow more blocks will be published but I will soon catch up because...

TA  DA  Bella Garden is finished!!!

I hope you all have a good Valentine's Day.  February is my month professionally, I am ultrasound technologist in the Heart and Vascular Lab at one of the medical centers here in Omaha.  We always do some sort of health screenings on a Saturday in February and this weekend we are doing carotid artery and aorta ultrasound screening.  We have been overwhelmed with interest - YEA -  and will be screening over 120 this Saturday morning!!!

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

January Free Motion Quilting Project

Well it is the last day of January and I am barely getting in my January free motion practice piece for SewCalGal's (see the link on my side bar) free motion quilt challenge. This months practice is leaves. The instructor is Frances Moore and she has many more wonderful tips on her blog. My photo does not show the quilting well, or maybe it is my fabric, but the leaf motifs are fun to do, just think hearts. I am looking forward to spending a little of my sewing time practicing some new quilting motifs and techniques.
I am also participating in the Just Takes 2 quilt from Gay at Sentimental Stitches and Brenda at Dear Jane. I am using a turkey red fabric and only have four blocks done, but my annual winter retreat with my quilting buddies is coming up in a couple weeks and I will be working on the blocks then. The eagle is for yet another quilt that I hope to be working on at retreat, the states quilt.I am not getting to my new projects because I have been spending most of my quilting time on Bella Garden, I have the appliques all quilted and the water portions finished and am now starting on the background fillers for the center block. Now I can throw in a few leaves here and there thanks to the Free Motion Quilting Challenge :)

Happy Stitching All,

Cheri