Sunday, July 28, 2013

Star Gazing!

June Morning 
In summer ... our days are very long!  The sun rises hours before we wake up ...
June Sunset - midnight
...and we go to bed while it is still light.  It never gets dark enough to see the stars!
Flicka and I have been creating some stars of our own!  As always ... she was a great help!  Her back leg resting on the bed of the sewing machine really helped me maintain an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance! ;-)
She had to check the block arrangement to make sure the placement was accurate!
Finally it received her "Double Paw" stamp of approval, and I could begin block construction!
Oh - oh ... she spied some rouge block units!  What would I do without her!
Finally she felt comfortable with my abilities and took a "cat nap"!
After all 20 stars had been pieced, it was time to move on to the center panel!  Like all panels, they come off the bolt nowhere near square.  I love panels ... so it was time to utilize some creative problem solving techniques!
I decided to cut off the snowflake border and recut the tree so that it stood straight ... I then resewed the snowflakes back on.  It meant that I lost about a 1/4 inch on each end of the snowflake border (see above photo) and part of the flakes in the background, but having a straight tree was worth it!
The changes to the center panel resulted in it being a different size than the pattern dictated.  No worries, I just did the math and changed the inner border size in both directions.
Star quilts have always been a favorite of mine ... and I love the results of this sampler!  Twenty stars ... in an oval placement around the center panel ... in one of my favorite colors ... I am happy about it in every way!
The pattern is designed to be a Block of the Month.  It is called Starlight and was designed by Marilyn Foreman of Quilt Moments.  The fabric is Starry Night by Stonehenge.  The organization and instructions in the pattern are excellent!  This is a great project for beginner and intermediate quilters ... everyone will learn many skills that will improve their piecing ... and the result is an heirloom quality quilt!
Yesterday, July 27th, Lila held a "Christmas in July" party at her shop, Cordova Quilters' Hideout!  She highlighted two new holiday fabric lines!
Here she is with the samples using Starry Night by Stonehenge.
Samples made with Holly Taylor's Holiday in the Pines collection.
Both fabric lines on display!  A low number of bolts are all that is required to make those beautiful samples!  Amazing!
Another beautiful pattern using the Stonehenge panel.
This table topper comes from the new book, Very Merry by Sherri Falls of This & That Patterns.
Here, Lila quilted the panel, then made button holes and added battery operated lights.  There is a pocket on the back of the quilt that holds the batteries.  It will cast a beautiful glow during the holidays!
It was great to see my quilt hanging vertically, I'm excited to eventually have it quilted and hang it every Christmas in the years to come!
Lila served punch and Christmas cookies ... such a fun event!  I feel so fortunate to have a local quilt shop that carries all the supplies necessary to complete an entire project!  Oh ... how I love the quilt community here in my remote corner of the planet!

Do what you love.  Celebrate the Holidays!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally

5 comments:

  1. Always enjoy seeing what is going on at the Cordova quilt shop! The quilt with the lights-wow, that is cool!

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  2. Gorgeous! I LOVE it all, but especially your quilt. Oh Mrs. Dilly Dally, you are an inspiration :)

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  3. Your blue and white Christmas panel and blocks are stunning! Christmas in July is always so much fun and gets us thinking about the holidays. As always, I loved seeing Flicka on the job.

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  4. I love the winter quilt! Stars are my favorite blocks. I think you made the right decision to straighten the tree. I didn't even notice the snowflakes until you mentioned it.
    I get the biggest kick out of Flicka. She sleeps about as much as my black lab, Gus!

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  5. Oh, that is so pretty.
    What would you have done without Flicka's help? ;)
    That's also a great idea of Lila to add lights!
    I bet it's gorgeous lit up.
    Marilyn

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