Wonky Star Quilt Blocks

This is the progress I have made so far on the preemie quilt. It is on the small quilt wall waiting for the rest of the sashing and the borders. When it is finished, it will be 24" by 30". I have a bright yellow check for the borders. I will probably bind it with the dark green, since I have quite a bit of it. Some of the stars are a bit wonky. Thank can be a good thing if it is intentional and all of them meet the criteria of wonkiness. Unfortunately, in this case it is because I need loads of practice. I plan on doing a lot of that this year.

I plan on creating many star blocks this year. I started one this afternoon. I am using scraps, which is a good thing since I am having a bit of difficulty. I may have picked a block a bit above my current skill level, but I figure I have to learn somehow. One important thing I have learned is that my old machine does not really like straight lines. I have figured out a couple of tricks to help me with that. Again, I just need to practice. Tomorrow, I will finish the new block and the preemie quilt top. I will put up photos if I get my camera battery charged.

The Redesigned Studio

I have been working in different mediums in my wonderful studio over the past couple of years. For each, I have changed things around. During each change, my sewing machine stayed in a small dark corner. Not so, now. Quilting has taken over. Everything is easily reached. I have my big cutting mat, that my wonderful sister-in-law got for me, on my big table. I moved my sewing machine to the small table where I can simple turn in my chair and stitch. I have my stash in my bedroom just waiting for a shelving unit for the studio. In the meantime, I am having a great time in my redesigned studio.

I have started working on a preemie quilt for my quilt guild's charity project. The group, Cedar River Quilters, makes and donates 250+ preemie quilts to the NICU at a local hospital. I am excited to be making my first one. You can see the progress in the photo above. I am going to focus and star blocks this year, and this is my first one. One of my goals is to create a star sampler quilt. I have loads to learn, but am really enjoying it all.

Christmas Quilt Gifts

This Christmas, I made four quilts as gifts for some people in my family. The on on the quilt frame is the one I made for my sister and her husband. It was the first quilt I quilted on my new frame. I selected the colors based on my sister's favorites, and I quilted with an all over wave pattern because they live on the water,






Our youngest son is a chef. I decided to create a lap quilt for him made of fabric with realistic foods. There are figs, peaches, potato chips, olives, raspberries, and many more tantalizing food fabrics included in this quilt.

I made a third quilt for the oldest son and his wife. He is a glass artist and she designs jewelry. They both like contrasting colors in the blue and orange families. I found a perfect layer cake by Moda to make their quilt. It is also a lap quilt.



I made one more quilt for my daughter and her husband. I don't have a photo of it yet, but will post it when I do. It is also made from and Moda layer cake, but has a very different look.

My current project is a preemie quilt. I will post photos as I make more progress.

My New Quilt Frame and Sewing Machine

My wonderful husband gave me a new Little Grace quilt frame and a new Juki quilting machine for a combined birthday and Christmas present. I got it set up in time to finish the quilt I made for my sister and her husband for Christmas. I really like it and can't wait to get the next quilt on the frame.
I have joined the Cedar River Quilt Guild and look forward to participating in their charity projects. This group makes preemie quilts for a local hospical NICU. I just finished washing the fabric for my first preemie quilt. There is a group within the guild that also participates in the Hero quilt project making quilts to donate to wounded soldiers. When I got the quilt frame and machine, I was determined to participate in making quilts for charities. There are a number of opportunities to create quilts for a cause out there. For now, I am going to start with these. I am looking forward to being part of this guild.
I intend to use this space to share the quilts I make, tips I pick up along the way, and anything else about fabric and quilting that I find interesting. As time goes on, I hope to become a very active member of the online quilting community.