With such a large center block the person before me added a border to make the piece into a medallion quilt. Although I tried very hard to think of a way to add just one block there didn’t seem to be any way around keeping with the medallion theme and adding a border.
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I picked out a pieced border, but when I put it up on the design wall it was too busy so I added a more calming border. And just so you wouldn’t fall asleep looking at it I added a bit of color in the corners.
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The completed quilt was hung in the 2013 Quilt Show.
The cookie tin I brought home was from the President of the Guild – talk about pressure to get it done properly. The theme for the cookie tin is Stars, and this is the first block.
Here is the star I added
I added the Evening Star block with a nine-patch center. I always assumed that you had to cut and sew each square in a nine-patch individually. When I studied the instructions for this block I can see how much easier it is to sew in strips and cut the rows of squares.
I joined an online Block of the Month club this year. The promo material said it would teach me some new techniques, and at the end of the year I would have a completed sampler quilt.
The technique is quite simple and the video I was following was very well done (better than the paper instructions and I’m generally more of a paper-instruction gal).
I got the first block finished before lunch but I wasn’t very happy with it. The lines didn’t match and, although I knew the second block was to be wonky, the asterisk block was supposed to have matching lines.
I finished up the wonky pound sign block (much easier than the first) and then started over again the asterisk. Although not perfect even the second time around, it is much better and I had some extra practice on the technique.
As you know, Tuesday is one of my favorite days of the week because I get together with other members of the Guild for our bee. The Seniors’ Center holds their monthly luncheon and general meeting on the second Tuesday of the month, and we were going to have to cancel our session or find another location. Several women in the Guild, including two from the Tuesday morning group, live in the same mobile home park and they were able to gain access to their clubhouse for our Tuesday session on the weeks we are kicked out of the Seniors’ Center.
I woke up this morning with quite a sore back and, for about five seconds, I thought about not going to the bee. But I had plans to finish off a project, and I was anxious to see what the space was like. Just as I found at the Seniors’ Center, the clubhouse was very clean and full of natural light. And it was a particularly bright day out today. There were eight of us sewing, and there wouldn’t be room for many more. I guess if we worked two machines to a table we could get more in, but we were laughing at how much we all like to spread ourselves out.
Several of the ladies were working on their Mystery Quilts. I was able to show them my completed top and get their opinion on whether or not I should have a border, and what color the border should be. We decided on a pink “zinger” with a wider green border. I just love the terms we use in quilting. I heard another good one today for when you have to rip out stitches – reverse sewing! Another favorite term from the Mystery Quilt weekend was a “relaxed bottom”.
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I finished my Bargello top today. I took the class in December and I’m hoping to have both it and my Mystery Quilt done for Show and Tell at the February meeting. I thought I would stop at the fabric shop on my way home to pick out some backing material for both projects, but I decided there was no rush and came straight home.
Before I had my dinner I finished a knitting project I’ve been working on for Madison. I hope to have it in the mail to her on Thursday. Why Thursday? I plan to spend all day at home tomorrow catching up on my appliqué blocks.
I finished up the wonky pound sign block (much easier than the first) and then started over again the asterisk. Although not perfect even the second time around, it is much better and I had some extra practice on the technique.