My Wonky Star Sampler - Quilted

I managed to do half this quilting before the holiday rush took over my life -- but I couldn't decide how I wanted to deal with the 'inside' of my star. With free motion quilting still a challenge on my poor machine (the feed dogs still don't drop properly and I still need a different foot), I decided just to embrace the challenge and go with some more or less straight line 'shading' kind of lines.

It's a challenge to see what I did.

I chose a point to act as the 'center' of my star and added lines from the outline of the star toward the center. Some points have a lot of lines, others only three or four. I didn't want to be too structured in what I was doing -- and I didn't want to overwhelm the center area with too much quilting. It's already a little thicker than I'd intended in the center area, but I think it'll loosen up a little with a wash or two.

The back shows the texture a little better -- at least for my camera. In person, it's a little less noticeable on the back, competing as it is with this amazingly cute owl/bunting fabric.

I don't have a thing in my stash that is suitable for binding. The fabrics that are the right colors are the wrong texture -- or the wrong scale and just don't work in such tiny pieces. I'm debating on color -- a pop of serious aqua could tone down the pink, but on the other hand, I think it would be completely adorable with a pink/white dot binding. Then again, who knows, maybe I'll throw all caution to the wind and go with something a little less prominent, maybe a limey green or a pop or yellow? I suspect I'll have to take this one with me to the store to fabric shop, there are just too many options!

Sadly, my next shopping excursion is probably not until next month! Oh well, there's no rush -- and I certainly could just leave it up on my wall for a while. It makes me happy just to look at.

Progression and Prepping

The group wonky star quilt top isn't quite pieced together, but it is getting so close! I'm working slowly and methodically, but I have still needed to make several additional itty bitty stars in order to make it all fit without too much blank space. 

There's still a little more work to do to bring it all together, but the end is in sight. Initially, this seemed daunting, but I've been able to pick it up and put it down as time allows and it hasn't been as overwhelming as I feared it might be.

I had hoped to finish up the remaining last five seams last night, but instead I forced myself to set it aside and work on something else -- prepping for the next project we're taking on as a group.

For a first time run through, I think it turned out fairly well. I picked up quite a few tips for the next one, which I'm excited to start on later this week. The biggest issue with this block is the amount of time it took me to make it! Pressing and checking the square after each seem was important, but that took a lot of time -- almost an hour and a half from cutting to pressing after the final piece. So, here's hoping future block assemble a little more quickly, but I'm also feeling a little more hopeful about the next project.

Alright, time to turn on a movie and finish up the wonky star top. I really want to have this done by our meeting. In a dream world, I'd love to baste it, but that seems unlikely.

February Goals

February Goals 

Personal: 

Read 5+ Books
Average 13000+ steps per day
Weekend trip to see family
Plan March family/work trip

New Projects / Pinterest Challenge: 

1+ new recipe

My Projects:

Finish 1 quilt top: Random Reflections 2 of 2 
Finish piecing quilt group wonky star top
Master a log cabin block
Wash my wonky star quilt

Grown Up Junk:

Schedule next cat/vet appointment  
Replacement windshield for the car (if the weather gets better)

House Stuff: 

Continue sweeping every other day, cleaning bathrooms once a week
Start mattress shopping


I know it's only the third, but I'm already worn out over February. I'd like to challenge myself to more, but honestly, this already looks like more than I'm going to accomplish. So, I think we'll be continuing the theme of 'Take it Easy 2015' which I think I unofficially started a few months ago. Honestly, if I get one day off -- or if the weather turns too bad to let me go on the planned weekend trip -- I need to spend at least two hours on laundry. The pile of clean but not dealt with laundry in my bedroom is as tall as I am. Which yes, also probably means there are some things in there I could get rid of and not miss. Point being, with my needs and housework so terribly overdue for attention, there isn't much chance of a new project or recipe happening around here -- unless it happens as a final attempt to avoid doing laundry.

January Wrap Up

January Goals 

Personal: 

Read 5+ Books

• "A Dance Through Time" Lynn Kurland
• "The More I See You" Lynn Kurland
• "Copperhead" Tiny Connolly
• "Atlantia" Ally Condie
• "Fairest" Marissa Meyer
• "The Darkest Part of the Forest" Holly Black

Average 13000+ steps per day
Weekend trip to see family -- planned for Feb
Plan March family/work trip -- still waiting on final details

New Projects / Pinterest Challenge: 

1+ new recipe

My Projects:

Finish 1 quilt top: Random Reflections 2 of 2 
Quilt 1 quilt: Wonky Star Sampler
Begin piecing top for Quilt Group Wonky Stars
Begin layout for X+ scrappy quilt?

Grown Up Junk:

Schedule next cat/vet appointment  
Replacement windshield for the car (if the weather gets better)

House Stuff: 

Continue sweeping every other day, cleaning bathrooms once a week
Reorganize Kitchen: find a better home for the trashcan?
Long Term Goal: Dining area

After months of searching our tiny house for a few more inches of space, we've come to the conclusion that the best option is to change out our barely functional washer and dryer for a stacking set. In theory, this should allow us to move the litter box into the laundry room and turn the corner of the kitchen currently used for trash and litter box into a little dining area. This could take months, or longer, to make happen -- especially with the long list of major expenses looming in the near-ish future: washer, dryer, mattress (the metal spring coming through the material was a pretty good wake-up call to the fact that we can't keep ignoring this one), cat dental work, to name a few. So, it'll be a long term project, but at least we have a plan. 

Layout In Progress

Going from a just to look at everything layout to a think about sewing layout for my quilt group's wonky stars was a bit of a challenge. Thinking about how to piece all these together in a way I could actually sew meant avoiding challenging seams (no T or Y types please) and thinking a little 'blockier' than I had earlier when I was just looking at what we had.

It took a few attempts, but I eventually settled on something like this as a starting point.

Much of that white space can be filled in with excess blue background fabric -- or I can make a few more stars if needed. I do wish I had a couple more extra wonky ones, but at this point I'm afraid if I make any more, I'll have to make many more. This photo has all the stars already made it in, and I'm afraid any more sizable ones and I'll need to make enough to go either the length or the width of the grouping.

My plan at the moment is to assemble these into larger and larger groupings, something like this:

Then ultimately I should be able to piece the larger groupings together until I have strips and eventually a whole top. Or at least, that's the way it works in my head -- but there's sure a lot of building to happen between now and a finished top! The whole thing looks a little daunting, but it can be broken down into manageable chunks.

And yes, the holes in my current comforter remind me that I ought to be working on the quilts for our bed, but that is not a project easily broken into manageable chunks. So, my needs stay on the back burner for now while this project -- which fits my busy schedule at the moment -- seems promising. I seriously need to plan a day (or two) for some of my larger, less easily broken down projects to get some major momentum. Anyone want to plan a quilting local quilting retreat for late February or March?

Quilting In Progress

It's probably pretty clear that I tend to jump into projects without really thinking things through. I know there are some people who create things by thinking every step out and then going methodically through their plan -- and yes, I do have my moments when I can be that way. But as a general rule, my sewing machine is the place where I let go of all my type A everything has to be in order ways and just be.

So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that although I set out to make a six pointed star outline in my quilting, I wound up with a five pointed star...

I'm not sure you can see that -- but the quilting I've started working with is part of a 5 pointed star. I stitched my initial outline then worked out from there. I still need to decide what to do 'inside' my initial line. I don't really want to continue the star shape -- to be honest, I'm a little worried my basting will prove not good enough and I'll end up with some wrinkles in the inside angles. Continuing the shape will add consistency to the quilting of the top, but I kind of want to shake it up now. 

I'll be playing around with it for a while before I decide on anything. I really love this top and I want to make sure I'm choosing the right thing. I also want to be certain that I'm quilting across the areas that look iffy -- I don't want another quilt to come apart in the wash! 

Quilt Group Stars (so far)

Last night I took the time to lay out all the stars my local quilt group has assembled and turned in so far -- not to work on a layout, because I don't think I can start that until every star is in -- but just to get an idea how things are looking so far.

The layout is fairly random, but I think it gives an idea of how things are coming together. Putting everything up on the wall, it felt like a lot of red/white/blue blocks, but looking again at the photos, it doesn't seem too heavily any color scheme in particular -- though I think there are a few colors that are a little under represented. I wouldn't mind seeing a little more pinky/purple tones and a tiny bit more green. I also think that there are a few really wonky ones -- and we could use a few more that are just as wonky.

I don't have an idea of finished size in mind. Right now this one could be close to 45-50" square with just a little bit of extra blue background to fill in the holes. I know I've got a couple more stars coming back to me soon, and I may make a few more just for kicks. Still, I'm really pleased with how it looks all together.

I know when working on something like this, especially as a group project, it is really easy to focus on one single block that seems out of place. Especially if it is yours -- or is that just me?? But look, all together, they look amazing. Sure, you can pick out each star, and yes, there are a few with a little more personality -- whether from the fabric choices (like including glittery fabric) or from the sewing choices -- but that's part of the magic in a quilt like this.

I love to imagine someone spending time laying on or under this quilt, trying to determine which star is their favorite... I know I can't pick just one!