I’m thrilled to report I am CAUGHT UP on Judy Laquidara’s Star BOM blocks.  Here are blocks 8, 9 and 10.

And all the blocks posed for a group shot:

And all I can say about the wonky colors is I need to take pictures at a more favorable time of day or something!  Every single time I photograph these blocks, my colors seem to be a little different.  Also, if you notice any points cut off, or any other irregularities in the blocks, I am also sure my camera is to blame!

Sue

Block 7 on Judy L’s Star BOM quilt went together as easy as could be.  Since I’m adding colors as I go (and not following any sort of plan, except to make the blocks jewel-tone scrappy), I did swap one color I thought was going to work, and when I laid it out, I didn’t like it.  This quilt is going to be mine, all mine!!!  I won’t be weak and give this one away!  Here’s a collage of the seven blocks so far.  I really need to retake these photos.  The background fabric is the same in all the blocks, but you would never know it from looking at these pictures!  It is a little golder, closer to the photo in the upper left of the collage:

Gotta go.  DH is barbecuing brats outside (OUTSIDE!!!) in November in Minnesota!  What a treat.  Of course, with the time change, he’s working in the dark…

Sue

I know I’ve been delinquent lately in updating my blog, but the next couple of weeks will be busy, so I can’t promise I’ll be any better!  Wednesday (yesterday) we went on a bus tour to New Ulm, Minnesota.  It was a wonderful fall day, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the sights.  I will be posting pictures when I sort through them and try to narrow them down to a very few.

So on to a bit of progress in the quilting part of my life.  Judy Laquidara has posted Block 6 of her Star BOM, and tonight seemed like a good time to jump right in and get it done.  This block went together as easy as could be.  *whew*  But I think I was a little more watchful on my measurements.  It doesn’t take much to throw the whole block off.

The colors are much more accurate in the “group photo”.  It must be the light, but sometimes I just can’t get the colors to look like they’re supposed to!  Anyway, I’m loving every single block so far.  The background fabric is somewhere between old gold and brown paper bag color.  I want the stars to all be a variety of jewel tones, with dark green sprinkled throughout.  I’ve really enjoyed checking out the progress of the other bloggers who are doing these blocks.  Everybody’s is so unique, we should have a show (even if it’s just a virtual one) of all the quilts when they’re finished!

Sue

Actually, my whole life is a work in progress, but here are some quilty things that are getting my attention lately.  Judy Laquidara’s latest Quilt for an Hour (QFAH) is a star quilt with an interestingly shaded background called Shine on Bayou Cane.  It will really make the stars *pop*.  The idea is that you get her instructions for each day, it should only take about an hour (unless you’re slow like me), and then you post your progress, hopefully each day so you stay caught up!  So for Monday and Tuesday of this week, here are my 120 half-square triangle-blocks, composed of my two background fabrics.  I also included in the photo 32 fat eighths in Civil War reproduction prints that I had squirreled away for a rainy day (and it IS raining today).  If need be, I will break into my fat quarter collection of Civil War fabrics.  And my colors photographed pretty accurately, for a change.

Another fun project is Judy Laquidara’s Star BOM.  We are up to Block #5!  Here is block 5, along with a photo of blocks 1-5.  These will finish at 12″ each, so they are good-sized blocks.  The Star BOM is another example of Judy taking familiar blocks and shaking things up by making the background, the borders, and the settings more interesting.  She also seems to favor nearly solid fabrics.  I’ve always been drawn to prints with maybe a couple of nearly solids, so this has been a new direction for me, and I’m enjoying it!

Here are a couple of table runners that are awaiting binding.  The one on the left is an Anka’s Treasures pinwheel pattern included in the pattern Little Charmers III, designed to use charm packs.  (Eileen, I think you were looking for the name of that pattern?)  And the one on the right is from a Terry Atkinson book, Lessons from Mama.  (Although I’ve never met Terry, I know she’s a local pattern designer.  Her patterns are always easy to follow.)  For a fall theme, I used an Indian corn fabric for the center of the stripe, which you can see better if you click on the photo for an enlarged view (you might even be able to click twice to enlarge it twice).

While I had a neutral backing fabric on the longarm, I floated the two table runners plus this sweet Mary Engelbreit panel.  (Mary also needs a hanging sleeve and binding.)  Panels are such a great “cheat”.  I have a place by the front door for panels of this size, and I would like to be able to change them out at least once a month, so I have a few to go.  It’s fun to look for them for different seasons/holidays/moods.

So that’s it for now! 

Sue

(I think the reason I like this block so well is because one of the checkerboard fabrics is in the same color family as the star fabric.  Just a thought…)

Here is Block #4 for Judy Laquidara’s Star BOM quilt.  This was a fun block to do, and it went together very easily.  I’m liking how my blocks are coming out, and it’s a great chance to work in some fat quarters that I’ve had for a long time.  Please note that I have a photo of my four completed blocks at the “Star BOM” button at the top of this page.  Thank you, Judy, for another great block!  I don’t know that I will be able to give this quilt away.  I should probably be making doubles . . .

Sue

Judy Laquidara’s (at Patchwork Times) Star BOM #3 — done on the first day (woo-hoo!).  That’s out of character for me, but I’m glad to have it done right away.  This block goes together so easily, if you’re doing this quilt along with Judy, don’t hesitate to jump right in and get it done!  I’m making mine scrappy, so my plan is to keep one of the greens in every block, but also introduce a new almost-solid in each new block.  We’ll see how that goes — I may run out of stash and have to do more repeating. 

I’ve also started something new this month.  I’ve added a tab at the top of my web site where I’ll have an up-to-date picture of the blocks I have done so far.

Sue

Here is block two of the star block of the month being offered at Patchwork times by Judy Laquidara.  I nearly lost my points on this one, and should probably redo, but I know once it’s sewn together and quilted, it will be just fine.  I like this block a lot, as well as the first block.  You can’t go wrong with stars, and these stars have something extra going on.  No problems with the miter.  Not a perfect job, but done is better than perfect!  Thanks, Judy, for providing us with this quilting journey!

Sue

PS:  I’ve added a tab at the top where I can post a photo of all the Star BOM blocks together.  I will update that photo each time I finish another block.

At last, I’ve found time to make my first block for Judy Laquidara’s Star BOM (block of the month).  Judy is actually providing us with two blocks a month:  one on the 1st of the month, the second on the 15th.  I am glad to have this one done before the next one comes out.  I’ve pretty much thrown my original color plan out the window.  I’m going with the gold background instead of the cream I was planning on.  I’ve also pulled a bunch of brighter colors from my stash (all solids or tone-on-tone), so I’m going to have a scrappy quilt after all.  Actually, it will just be scrappy in the stars with the greens in all the stars for some continuity, so it will be more of a controlled scrappy.  Just the way I like it!