Seeing Stars--a finished top!

For the past seven weeks, I have been participating in the Seeing Stars QAL, hosted and designed by Melissa Corey at Happy Quilting. It has been great fun seeing everyone's version of Melissa's design, and I'm happy to be adding my finished quilt top to the display.

Seeing Stars quilt top
64.5" x 80.5" 

My quilt is smaller than Melissa's 80" x 80" design, mostly because I didn't have enough background fabric for the whole quilt. I wanted to use up some of my older Christmas fabrics, and the best background fabrics were two pieces of beige poinsettia prints that measure almost 4 yards combined. You can see the two different backgrounds in these close-up photos of some favorite blocks.

Double Star, 24" block

Double Star, 24" block

Curvy Star, 20" block

It was great fun to take part in this wonderful QAL. Melissa's instructions were very clear and easy to follow, and I have loved seeing so many beautiful versions of her design.

I'm sharing my finished top with the Seeing Stars QAL link-up. I'm also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/30/18

Last night I shared a post featuring my completed Tell It to the Stars quilt top (see the post HERE.) I had been counting my fabric usage for the different parts of the quilt as they were made, but discovered that none of the border fabrics had been included. That means I can report 4.75 yards as used, all for those borders. No new fabric added this week. 

Tell It to the Stars with 5 borders

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   4.75 yards

Used year to date:            64.375 yards

Added last week:                    0.0 yards
Added year to date:             32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   32.125 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I'm still keeping up with quilting every day!

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/23 - 9/29           7 of 7 days
2018 Total      266 of 272 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Julie in GA

Tell It to the Stars--a Finished Quilt Top!

My Tell It to the Stars quilt has had a very long, slow development. It was started as a mystery BOM designed by Judy Laquidara at Patchwork Times, and the pattern is still available at her website. Here are the many stages of my quilt through the years.

January - June 2014: Make 2 star blocks each month.

July 2014--add 6 alternate blocks

August 2014--add pieced setting triangles

September/October 2014--add sashing and cornerstones, join everything together (a very dark photo!)

 November 2014--making blocks for a pieced border

That was when forward progress ended on this project, and there were two reasons for that. One was that I had decided to change the spacing on the pieced border and was having trouble getting it to fit. The other problem was the realization that I had used the wrong color in my setting triangles--they should have been made in turquoise rather than black. I pulled this project out occasionally over the past few years, but could never make a decision on how to move forward. It took almost four years for me to decide to bite the bullet and remake the triangles. I knew I would never be happy with this quilt otherwise.

August 2018--auditioning replacement setting triangle. I like that much better!

August 2018--removed 4 borders and all setting triangles, began making new triangles

September 2018--join new triangles to center of quilt, choose outer border fabric

It's September 29th, and my goal was to have a finished quilt top by the end of the month. There wasn't much time to spare, but I made it! Here is my finished Tell It to the Stars quilt top! The close-up shot will give a better look at the outer border fabric.

Tell It to the Stars quilt top
83.75" x 103.5"

Finishing this quilt top was my One Monthly Goal, so I am joining the September Finish Link-Up at Elm Street Quilts. I am also sharing with Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework, Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Seeing Stars QAL--Week 6

There were all sorts of other things I should have been doing over the weekend, but I couldn't resist spending some time working on the last set of blocks for the Seeing Stars QAL, hosted by Melissa Corey at Happy Quilting. Here are my Applique Star blocks. The next step is quilt top assembly--I can't wait!

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag.  I'm also sharing my blocks with the Seeing Stars QAL link-up. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/23/18

It was a very busy week, but a productive one as far as stash usage. My fabric used for the week was .625 yards for 20 Applique Star blocks as part of the Seeing Stars QAL and 1.25 yards on the Scraptastic Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I posted this photo yesterday, but I can't resist sharing these wonderful blocks again! There are close-up shots of each block in yesterday's post.

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:               1.875 yards

Used year to date:          59.625 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards
Added year to date:           32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   27.375 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. My streak of quilting every day is going strong--the last time I missed a day was in June during a family vacation.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/16 - 9/22           7 of 7 days
2018 Total      259 of 265 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Julie in GA

RSC in Black and Blue (Plus Grey)

I've been having a great time all year making Scraptastic Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. My first blocks were made last October to try out Melissa Corey's pattern, and I loved it from the very start--such a great way to combine lots of different scraps! Over the last week I made four new blocks--three that finish at 16" in black, dark/medium blue, and grey, plus one 12" block in blue. They are all shown here along with the black/grey 12" block that I made sometime last fall or early this year.

Here are my new 16" blocks along with the light blue block from January. I love the way the white squares link up from one block to the next. I even like the skinny lines of grey (my design wall flannel) between the blocks.

The close-up shots of the 16" blocks will let you take a closer look at all the different fabrics. For these blocks I used a different white print for the star and chain of squares in each block.

On the 12" blocks, a single white fabric is being used for every block. The next photo shows my idea for joining the blocks together--sashing strips in a light grey print with squares of the same white fabric to finish off the chains of squares.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Seeing Stars QAL--Week 5

This week's assignment for the Seeing Stars QAL by Melissa Corey at Happy Quilting was to make 8" Basic Stars (aka Sawtooth Stars.) For the first time, the number of stars I needed to make for my smaller version of the quilt was the same as Melissa's version. Here are my 11 Basic Stars in their Christmasy goodness!

Wednesday is the day that Melissa will post the instructions for our last set of blocks, the Applique Stars. They will be 4" finished blocks, and we are making lots of them to fill in the gaps on our quilts. I sure hope we get a little extra time on those--I don't think I can get 20 done in a week unless Melissa has some really fast tricks up her sleeve!

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag.  I'm also sharing my blocks with the Seeing Stars QAL link-up. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/16/18

My stashbusting efforts slowed down a bit last week because of other projects taking up most of my usual quilting time.  Yesterday I buckled down and made the week's set of stars for the Seeing Stars QAL, using 1 yard of fabric. Photos will be coming tomorrow. No new fabric added to the stash!

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                 1.0 yards

Used year to date:          57.75 yards

Added last week:                0.0 yards
Added year to date:         32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   25.50 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. My quilting time was very limited because of other projects, but I still squeezed in at least 15 minutes every day. Even a little quilting time is better than none!

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/9 - 9/15             7 of 7 days
2018 Total      252 of 258 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces .

Julie in GA

Spinning the Blues

It's Rainbow Scrap Challenge day, time to share what we are making in medium and dark blues. My newest additions to the Spinning Boxes blocks are shown along with the light blue block from January.

Here are my 18 blocks in all the colors we have used so far. It looks like we will be using dark greens for October. It sure is a cheery, colorful collection!

All along, I have been liking the way these blocks look set on point. Last weekend I auditioned a few options for setting triangles--a white background with rainbow colors, all rainbow colors print, and rainbow colors on black background. Click on any of the photos for a closer view. I'm not sure any of these is quite what I'm looking for, but it was fun to play with some possibilities. I also want to see how they look with sashing between the blocks.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Seeing Stars QAL--Week 4

Once again, my design wall has this week's set of blocks for the Seeing Stars QAL by Melissa Corey at Happy Quilting. The design for the week was 12" finished size Improv Star blocks. I made five blocks for my smaller version of Melissa's quilt.

Improv Stars for the Seeing Stars QAL at Happy Quilting

I had planned to share a photo of all of my blocks made so far, but one of the main lights over my design wall died. That made it impossible to get any decent photos--maybe next week.

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag.  I'm also sharing my blocks with the Seeing Stars QAL link-up. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/9/18

Several different quilting projects moved forward last week, which meant there was a good amount of stash usage for the week. I used 5/8 yard on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, 1 yard on five Improv Stars for the Seeing Stars QAL, and 1.25 yards on new setting triangles for Tell It to the Stars. No new fabric was added this week!

These are some of the new setting and corner triangles for my Tell It to the Stars quilt. The first few triangles have already been stitched to the center of the quilt. They all have little paper tags to help me keep track of their placement around the edges of the quilt.

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              2.875 yards

Used year to date:          56.75 yards

Added last week:                0.0 yards
Added year to date:         32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   24.50 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. We had a strange schedule at work this week, including working two days over the holiday weekend, then having a different day off later in the week. I still managed to get in at least 15 minutes each day.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/2 - 9/8               7 of 7 days
2018 Total      245 of 251 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces .

Julie in GA

Sampling the Blues

Now that we are into September, the end of the year for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is drawing near. Our assigned color for September is dark blue, with dark neutrals as an alternate choice. I believe there is only one more monthly color left for the year, then we can concentrate on assembly and finishing of our quilts.

My month got off to a good start with the completion of my Squared Away sampler blocks in blues. The block pattern is Queen Charlotte's Crown, and you can find it at Mari's blog The Academic Quilter. Those are the blocks in the top row, and they finish at 7.5". I preferred Mari's version that used only two fabrics instead of including an accent color.

The two blocks in the bottom row are Grandmother's Choice from the 2017 Fat Quarter Shop Patchwork Quilt Along. The block on the left is assembled as instructed in the pattern. Things got turned around differently on my 2nd attempt, leaving me with the block on the right. I think I like that one even better!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Musical Stars QOV--a finished top!

My latest finished quilt top was begun on the 4th of July, which seems very appropriate for this red, white & blue quilt. My inspiration was the pattern "Double Delight Star" by Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Quilters. Her pattern was originally shared as part of the 2017 Moda Blockheads QAL. I made one block in the original 6" size, followed soon after by a 12" version.

My musician husband was especially taken with the white music print fabric, and he was the one who came up with the idea of using it for a Quilt of Valor that could hopefully go to a veteran who was also a musician. 

Musical Stars QOV
59.5" x 76.5"

I spent most of July making blocks, then decided to set them on point. That led to making half and quarter blocks for the setting triangles and corners. Everything was joined together in early August, followed by the addition of the striped border. The top has been done for a couple weeks, but I didn't have a good opportunity for photos until more recently.

Here are a couple of closer looks.

I am linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts, Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

September 2018--One Monthly Goal

It's hard to believe that we are already a full week into the month of September. That means it's time for me to figure out my One Monthly Goal for the month. There are so many projects to choose from...

A few weeks ago I pulled out a UFO that was a block-of-the-month project started in 2014, Tell It to the Stars by Judy Laquidara. I had gotten to the point of having the center of the quilt completely assembled, four borders (including one pieced border) done, and just one more border to be added. Instead of finishing that last border, I decided to re-make all of the pieced setting triangles with turquoise fabrics to replace the black ones I had used by mistake.

Here is my quilt top before I removed the black setting triangles (with a blue one being auditioned.) 

This photo shows the center of the quilt with the borders and all of the setting triangles removed, and the next shot has a few of the new turquoise triangles added.

My goal for the month of September is to finish making the new setting triangles and get them all joined to the center of the quilt. I would also like to get the borders back on, including adding the final border. In other words, my goal is to have a finished quilt top at the end of the month!

I am linking up with the One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Seeing Stars QAL--Week 3

One of my weekend projects was making four Pinwheel Stars in classic Christmas fabrics for the Seeing Stars QAL at Happy Quilting. I'm trying hard to stay caught up on the weekly blocks.

These are my two favorites of this group, especially the fussy-cut border stripe.

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag.  I'm also sharing my blocks with the Seeing Stars QAL link-up. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/2/18

There wasn't much time or energy for quilting during the week, but I still managed to use a respectable amount of fabric from my stash.  I used just over 3 yards on two sets of blocks for the Seeing Stars QAL at Happy Quilting. The newest blocks should show up here tomorrow. In addition to that, 5/8 yard was used for a project at work. 

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              3.750 yards

Used year to date:        53.875 yards

Added last week:                0.0 yards
Added year to date:         32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   21.625 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. The majority of my quilting time has been on the weekends, but I did manage to get in at least 15 minutes each day.

15 Minute Challenge:  
8/26 - 9/1           7 of 7 days
2018 Total      238 of 244 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces .

Julie in GA