Thread Tales From A Scrappy Quilter

My first entry is my Bali Wedding Star quilt which I named "Happy Medium".    You can read about the event here .  This quilt will be entered in the LARGE category and measures approx. 99x99. This was my 2nd Judy Niemeyer pattern to purchase and my 1st one to finally complete.    I'm currently working on my 4th Judy quilt right now (Paradise in Bloom)!    I really had a time crunch during the time I started this quilt and only found small windows of time to piece.   It took me almost 2.5 years to piece and finish this quilt.  During this time,  a group of us over several counties came together and created a once a month group called "What Was I Thinking" where we worked on these detailed paper piecing quilts.  These are my closest friends today!  I am happy to re-post some photos of this quilt for the festival. Real Piped binding too!     unquilted top Quilting in...

I've posted about this one, the name even suggests my issues with this quilt.   I posted about how I named this quilt "Happy Medium" in this post .   I've copied for your convenience here:   " When I could not find that last fabric that I wanted, a light bulb went off in my head.  I've had to concede, change plans, make adjustments and compromises just to get this quilt made.  Like a marriage!  This pattern is based in part on a Wedding Ring quilt design and my process of getting this one quilt to completion has been very much like our marriage.   Lots of compromise, acceptance, adjustments, understanding, fifty-fifty, win-win, settlement, reconciling, middle of the road,  "HAPPY MEDIUM"!  Is it everything you always dreamed of?  Probably not... but we keep working on it, make adjustments, compromise and love each other just the way we are.   Once again....  Every quilt tells a story.  "....

Piped binding made and completed over Labor Day Weekend.   I noticed 3 inner arcs that were missing quilting.   I took the time to load on my frame this afternoon and quilt that section (how did I miss that?)  Label not made yet, I may get a friend to make me a nice embroidery machined label.  So, finally after 2 years and 7 months in process;  or rather limbo waiting for me to have time lol, I have it soaking in the washer!  There are steps that used glue basting that needs to be removed plus almost 3 years of handing the blocks,  lots of starch and Best Press.   Wow.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that everything stays intact, neat, square, and no bleeding fabrics.   Just awesomeness when it's done!

I did reach the bottom this afternoon while working on my background.   I have not been able to work as planned, allergy symptoms wrecking my days. Either sick with symptoms or sick from taking meds.   Either way...I've been under the weather. Getting closer to a finish but still lots to do.

I sometimes wondered if I would ever see this day!   A date I can always remember... tax day.  I finally have my Bali Wedding Star top completed.  I recently shopped for the outer border fabric.  I had a piece in my stash that I wanted but not enough to get the job done.   After shopping several stores with no luck, it occurred to me that why would this be any different?!   This entire quilt was made with fabrics that I had to "compromise" on due to timing and a change in size.  The change in size due to a request from my always supportive husband.  I was going to make the bed runner, he loved the design and suggested that I make it bedsize.   I could not find enough brights on short notice, so I mixed in some brown muddy colors and some pastels.   My original scrappy background that had very sublte pink tones?   Of course I could not find more in that range of tones/values.   I settled for a ...

Well the main part of the top anyway.  This is tossed on a full size bed.  I have the setting triangles in and the pattern now calls for a flying geese border that will take it out to about 106" square (only 80" square if you leave it with the oval edges).    Something fast sounds like a good plan to me!   Seeing it on the bed as opposed to a view like it would look hanging, I'm not even sure any border treatment will look right.   Seems like it needs to finish with the scallops.      

This customer quilt is gorgeous!   She did not want CC done over the arcs as is traditionally done and preferred minimal quilting which would let her piecing to be the star of this quilt.   We opted for a ribbon swirl similar to one I had seen when searching the internet for ideas with a fun whimsical feather in the main background area and a swirly curl in the tighter arc background.  She made hers with 2 colors only for the star points and all the arcs seem to be scrappy with no matching within the rings of the arcs.  I love the rich browns she used with the pop of color.       Just a portion of the entire quilt.    

I've been waiting to share these pretty quilts until my client picked them up!   We met taking a class for the Bali Wedding Star.  Hers is not only pieced but it is now quilted!   Mine is in a plastic box on my sewing machine table right now....    Also shown is another Triple Irish Chain bed runner that she made from scraps leftover after making a full size one for a gift.   Then, she had scraps from the Bali Wedding Star AND the Triple Irish Chain so she made this big star looking pattern (I'm trying to get the name of the pattern - thinking she said it was a Bonnie Hunter).  That one got a panto called Spring Garland.   All 3 of these were quilted using Hobbs wool batting.                    

I got in a couple of hours to work on my Bali Wedding Star.  About pulled my hair out trying to determine from the instructions and my piles of components where I was, how many of what I needed....     Today I started adding an outer star point to one side of the curved arc of the wedding ring unit. The instructions have you glue instead of pin. I tried both and think the glue method is a little faster (and I know it will be faster when I get to the smaller arcs later in the process).   I have 72 of these units with the black points to glue, sew, remove that edge of the paper and press. Next step will be to add another smaller arc/melon gets to that unit with smaller star points. After those are done, repeat with about 72 blue/purple large star points and a wedding ring arcs...  Accurate, not hard... but oh so boring!     This is how the pieces look when you put right sides together, curves go in opposite directi...

If you had told me in March that I would only today complete "phase 1" of the paper piecing for this quilt top... I would never have started this project!  No, I don't work on it daily and sometimes I have weeks that I don't touch it but still...   I signed up for this Judy Niemeyer pattern/class at one of our local quilt shops.   I have another of her patterns in my sewing studio for YEARS but the 40 pages of instructions always left me a little unsure about jumping in even though I am an experienced paper piecer.  When I saw this class was offered over 3 sessions/ 1 per month I thought this would be a perfect chance to work with the pattern and I would meet people since I am new to the area.  The quilt shop also offers a "sew in" on Fridays.   Perfect.  My plan was to sew on Fridays and have this complete @ the end of 3 months.   It was my intention to leave this all in my travel stuff... w...