Summer's End

It always begins with a whisper in the wind ...

with messenger leaves that turn quickly and drift slowly

onto fields still summer green ... 

with a touch like a cool hand on my arm. 

I embrace the fall.

I gather light and color to carry me through the changing of the seasons.

 

~ <3 ~

A New Quilt Beginning ~ Orange or Not?

 

These are the main fabrics for my new project!

 

It is a new pattern I am designing and I am very excited about this one!

 

The zig zag is the fabric that has determined the palette.

 

The cream texture and the gray solids share the background.

 

This project is for the upcoming

 

 

@ Sew We Quilt

So I am sure to be ready for the next hop, I have had to set aside my improv star quilt for a time.  I hope to be sewing again on that one soon! 

 

Although I have started cutting and piecing ...

 

I am still deciding as to whether or not I will add this

 

 

 ? orange to the mix ?

 

or

 

 

? no orange ? 

 

????

 

I am vexing when I should be hexing!

 

Anyone care to help me decide?

 

Opinions always appreciated and carefully considered.

 

:-)

 

 

Twinkle - A Modern Christmas Quilt

 

An Improv Christmas Star Block

Ho! Ho! Ho! 

Today is my day!

Thanks to Madame Santa Samm for getting us all in the holiday spirit by sponsoring this festive blog hop!

 

To find all the elves who have been busy, busy, busy
getting ready for Christmas,

visit our

Cheery Head Elf Carol 

Thanks, Carol!

For this blog hop I wanted to try something new. 
I saw a improv modern star block somewhere on a blog awhile back
and have been wanting to try it ever since. 

So my Twinkle Star Quilt is born!

 

 

Here are the gorgeous shimmery fabrics I am using for my new

Modern Christmas Star quilt!

 

 

I cut the silvery background fabric in sets of rectangles in three sizes:

3" x 5" ,  4" x 6" and 5" x 7"

 

I cut the corresponding strips for the stars in three widths,

1", 1.25" and 1.5"

 

 

I used my Easy Recs Tool to cut the corners.

I did not make any effort to cut these even sizes.
The idea is that the stars points will be uneven.

 

 

I laid out each improv star.

 

I sewed on the strips for the star shape.

 

 

 I sewed the rectangles together, pressed

and trimmed into rectangular blocks. 

The blocks are not all the same size. 

I squared the block by laying a straight line across the middle seam.

Here are some of my blocks in an improv layout.
The idea is that there will be a lot of "negative space" in this quilt
with the shimmery gray background fabric.

 

 

Butterfly is being very helpful and playful in my sewing room

by keeping me company, pressing my fabric

and helping me arrange ... and rearrange ... the pieces.

 

I am having fun playing with the pieces to this puzzle, too.
I have an idea of how I want my quilt to look, but I have not drawn it out on paper or computer like I usually do. 
For this quilt, I want to keep is easy and let it fall together as it will.

 

I do wish I had a little more at this time to show you.

Over two weeks ago I made this "test block."

For more "how-to's" on making this block, click Here.
This quilt should have gone together quickly and easily.
 

Unfortunately, this week I have had to take time away from my sewing room for an unexpected visit to an opthamologist. 

 

As many of my friends and regular readers may know, I have had vision problems all my life and for the past few years my eyes have taken a downward turn.  Recently my vision has become much worse, much faster than anticipated.  For the last month or two, I have tried to ignore the signs while I was focused on my daughter's wedding preparations, but the time has come to face facts. 

 

My regular eye doctor has been telling me the last few years that I would someday need surgery "sooner or later."

 

"Sooner" has arrived. The first of several eye surgeries is being scheduled three months from now, the earliest that can be accommodated by the surgeons.  Afterwards during recovery, I have been forewarned that it may be slower than is usual for this procedure, due to the other problems in my eyes.  Then I will initiate the process to repeat the procedure to have the second eye operated on.  Somewhere further down the road there will be more surgeries.  These surgeries are all efforts to prolong my vision.

 

I will be taking things each day as it comes.

 

I have faith that will keep me strong and going forward.

 

Sewing is my the best therapy for me right now and I will be in my sewing room as much as possible and hope to have more to show for my efforts soon.

  ... just keep sewing ... just keep sewing ...

 

Thank you for visiting my scrapatch.

 

I hope you have enjoyed my post and all of the

 

You will not want to miss a stop on this merry sleigh ride

so please visit all my quilting friends of the day

in the links below ...

 

August 9th
 

Moose Stash Quilting

Cathy’s Chatter

Darlington Delights

Life in the Scrapatch (you are here!)

Quilt n Queen

Forget-Me-Not Stitches

Quilted Delights

AnnieOak Designs

Sew Peace to Peace

Wips& Tuts

Just Keep Swimming

Sew We Quilt

Have a merry time counting down the days until Christmas!
 

 

Christmas will be joyous!

 

<3

 

Trying Something New

"Twinkle"

An Improv Christmas Star Block

I started with this idea and some scrap fabric.

 

 

I cut 4" by 6" rectangles of the background fabric and then cut the corners for the star shape.

 

 

I cut 1.25" strips and sewed.

 

 

I used my seam roller to press open the seams.

 

 

I trimmed the rectangles back to a 4" by 6"

 

 

I nested seams

 

 

and sewed some more

 

I laid the plan for another star

 

 

I had enough background fabric for two stars.

At this point I decided that the green star looked more like a spool.

Hmmmm ...

 

So ... I picked out a couple of seams and "resewed."

 

I think the green star looks much better!

Maybe better than the red but I am not going to rework that one. 
These are meant to be slightly different and fun.

 

I laid out the rest of my background scraps

to make a block setting for the stars and

 



I pieced the block

 

 

I am liking this fun way and easy way to make simple modern stars!

 

Sew now I am working on a quilt!

 

... just keep sewing ...

 

:)

 

 

The Wedding Quilter Quilts

The Wedding Tables

 

With a big THANK YOU! to MK, 

my daughter's best friend and maid of honor,

who was the lovely person at the wedding

who took this lovely photo of her table.

This also shows the beautiful paper rose bouquets

that they made together for the bridesmaids.

and

 

 

 The Wedding Cake Table and Quilt

 The beautiful and delicious cake itself 

was a gift of the Maid of Honor's cousin.

 

 

By the big day, "The Wedding Quilter" made 12 quilts:

 

 

8 of the large flower "Marissa" quilts for the guests' tables,

 

 

1 of the hexagon flower "Patricia" quilts for the escort card table,

 

 

 

1 small flower "Emeline" quilt for the pretty little flower girl,

the Bride and Groom's 4 year old niece.

This photo was taken before the binding was sewn to the back.

I actually brought the last three quilts with me the day before the wedding and finished hand sewing the bindings to the back that evening

to keep my hands busy. 

 

 

"Dance of the Blessed Spirits"

The Sweetheart's Table Quilt (center)

 

and

 

 

"The Wedding Quilt"

which my daughter plans to use as a wall hanging.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have good photos of just the table quilts at the reception.  I did take some pictures at the start, but then I had a memory card failure in my camera and lost all the ones I had already taken at the ceremony and reception.  Fortunately, I did have a second memory card and was able to take the videos of the first dances that my daughter was hoping to have and a few more pictures.  

 

Mostly, though, I just enjoyed this wonderful day with my family and friends and forgot that I had a camera.

 

I received many lovely compliments from the guests on my quilts and

there were many photos taken and I am sure a few will surface in the coming weeks and I will find some to post later.

 

For now these will have to do ...

 

 

 The Best Man, my oldest son Jonathan, Toast.

 

Centerpiece made by my daughter and her bridesmaids and me

visible in the center of the closest table.

 

The Bride and Groom at their Sweetheart Table

 

 

"Dance of the Blessed Spirits"

The Sweetheart Table Runner

 

 

Close up of center "True Love Knot"

 

Thanks to all who have followed along and supported me and sent well wishes to my Daughter and Son-In Law while I have ventured down

"Wedding Quilter Lane."

 

Time to turn my quilty attention to new ventures.

 

I have a Christmas Quiltyness to sew!

 

I am posting in the fabulously festive

Ho Ho Ho! Hop

on Friday!

 

My quilt is in pieces right now!

 

Time to sew!!

 

:-)