Liberty Star

It's been quite a while since I last posted on this blog, but Liberty Star was entered into a couple of exhibitions and then I took a break for a while to refresh my mind.  With exhibitions that are being judged, you are not allowed to publish photos of your completed quilt before hand so that the judging can be completely impartial.

Now, I can tell the story of one of my most favourite quilts that I have ever made.

In September 2017, my husband took a work trip to the UK.  He called me from London on his last day and said he was going into the city center, was there anything I wanted.  Of course there was - fabric from Liberty!  I told him to just choose what he liked the look of.   About 20 minutes later, he called me again and said "Don't worry about the news reports, yes that is the tube line from my hotel, but because I was talking to you, I was walking and missed the train"  A bomb, which had failed to detonate properly on the underground train, had injured people and damaged the train.  Enough said.

These are the fabrics which came home.  Seven were in the pack and I added one more.  Not all my usual choice - but oh, so very nice.  

I planned a Lone Star Quilt.  I cut the strips, labelled them and started sewing......

I found the perfect background fabric, which unfortunately, is very directional.  Clever cutting was required to make sure that all of the flowers were standing up and not falling down.

 

 Ta da - the center is finished.  WOW - all the background pieces are going the same way and there is some 'movement' in the star - it radiates....  So happy....

Now what??  I had an idea in my head for the borders, but making them work was taking quite a bit of planning and thinking and drawing and more.

After a while, I managed to get the corners to work.  The rest of the border just flowed then.

Eventually, I had a completed quilt top.  It was huge.  Now it had to be quilted.  It took me a full week to pin baste on my trestle table.  Bit, by bit while drawing on the quilting pattern with chalk at the same time.

It was so hot and I was on a deadline.   The tension on my machine was fine while I used the walking foot in the star, but when I tried to quilt a large feathered wreath 'behind' the star with free-motion, the thread just kept on breaking, or gave me birds nests on the back.  I gave up and used the walking foot again with different a colour thread and quilted the borders.  Nice and smooth, some tension issues, but not too bad.   

Back to quilting the feathers, nope, no go.  I don't whether it was the weather, my stress at meeting a deadline or what it was, but that feathered wreath did not want to be on this quilt.  In the end I gave up, changed the thread and simply meandered the background behind the star.

Finally, late afternoon, just before the sun set, I was able to get my two teenage sons to stand on chairs and hold the quilt up for me.  It is quite heavy, finishing at 100in (2.54m) square.  But they did it.

 A few groans when I asked them to turn it around so that I could photograph the back to see the quilting...

Then, all of my hard work of quilting this very large quilt in very hot, over 40 deg C muggy weather was worth it to see my quilt hanging at the Liberty Quilt Exhibition, which was held over the long weekend back in March.

And, I managed to get the backs of two of my strongest supporters in the pic.  Very pleased with that!

After the exhibition in March, I entered Liberty Star into the Heathcote Quilters Quilt Show, 9th and 10th June 2018, where my quilt was awarded 1st place in the Viewers Choice awards.    [sorry, no photo]

Finally, I took the plunge, after being a member of Victorian Quilters for many years to enter a quilt [for the first time ever], in the "First Time Entrant, One Person" category at the Victorian Quilters Showcase, in July.  I won a ribbon!!  Highly Commended.  I'm pretty chuffed  - the competition is pretty tough.

Everything about Liberty Star is meant to be, from my husband bringing home the fabric, the design and wonderful enjoyment I had with making it.  The prize winning ribbon really is the "cherry on top".

Blue Stars

At the start of the year, when I was going through some projects and doing a bit of holiday sewing, I pulled out what was supposed to be a project of "Strippy Stars".  A declared WITB* to work on and finish. I decided not to make the full original pattern, but just complete the partially made stars, put them with the completed stars and then decide upon a setting. 

Sometimes, we start projects with the best of intentions, but they don't always work out how we have perceived them in our mind's eye.  When I purchased the fabrics for this quilt, it was for a fun day of sewing at a local Scouts fundraiser in 2015.

I purchased the fabrics at a large quilt show, and loved the blue batiks, but struggled to find a background that I really liked.  I purchased the one you see in this quilt, and I'm pretty pleased how it has turned out, however, it didn't work when I went to set the stars in the planned zig zag setting.  I truly wasn't happy with the original quilt plan at all.  So, as all projects do when feeling dis-enchanted, it hopped into a plastic tub and into the cupboard it went.

I was able to make 20 star blocks and binding from the remaining fabric.  (The rest of the batik fabrics went into 'Twas a Mystery - just in case you think the colours are familiar)

In the end, it turns out that simple can often be the best.  Straight sets, with sashing and cornerstones.  Perfect.

Simple quilting with tumbling leaves and loops over the columns of stars with 'in the ditch' quilting along the long lines of sashing and two long borders.  

One would think that is easy - right?  No, sometimes things just go a bit awry...  I was stitching in the ditch, after I had quilted the swirling leaves, and decided that the quilt needed a bit more stitching to make things more even.  Mistake number 1, should stitch in the ditch first....

The needle fell out twice - had to tighten it.  I really struggled to push the quilt through the machine when it normally glides.  I checked the presser foot pressure, I re-threaded the machine, checked the bobbin, cleaned out the bobbin race, everything I could think of.  It was only when I finished the ditch quilting, ignoring the slightly wobbly bits, and went to change to my walking foot to attach the binding, that I realised when I put my open toe foot on - I had not tightened the little bolt which holds the foot on, it was just sitting there - no wonder it didn't work!  The foot was just swinging in the breeze and I didn't notice...  No wonder it was such hard work.....Sheesh....  Mistake number 2, because I kept on sewing.  Then I had to reverse sew and then forward sew and sew on....

However, I am pretty pleased with the overall effect of this quilt and it's simple setting.

And to finish off, here's a peek at the backing - gorgeous blue deer...

* WITB = what's in the box/bag

Orange and Green 9 Patch

Orange and green nine-patch, also known as, the leftovers quilt!  The green, orange,white and busy print were large pieces left over from when I over-estimated how much was needed for preceding projects and, not wanting anything to go to waste, I made up a nice simple quilt pattern. 

9inch squares alternated with 9inch 9 patch blocks - too easy, well until I put it altogether and it looked blah...

So, back to the drawing board to figure out what to do, oh, I know, make an Ohio Star block - bingo, looks much better now.

Simple cross-hatch quilting finished off this quilt, complete with red backing and orange binding.

The rain managed to hold off long enough for me to get photos, except the brilliant patch of sunshine has highlighted the fold lines in the quilt - poor thing had a wait of several months to get the binding hand sewn down.

Sometimes there is a nice contentedness with working on an easy, relaxing project.

Six projects in 10 days!

Last post I wrote one project at a time - but I just cannot help myself.  However, lots and lots of progress has been made on 6 projects!  One simply cannot get bored....

So far, so good - here's the update:  

1.  Book It Challenge #1 - "Poppies" table runner (see previous post) all shapes are cut out and fused to the background.

Fused pieces, ready to applique.

Miscount - had two extra leaves, so have stuck them on the back.

2.  Merry Mayhem - New Year's Day Mystery - (44in x 48in) quilt top completed, with backing and binding made.  Every single thing in this quilt, top, back, binding, wadding and thread is all from stash.  It's on my UFO list because it was started before Jan 1.

I changed the size of the larger background pieces to make it a good cot or lap size quilt.  I am really pleased that each block has it's own star in the centre.  A moment of serendipity with where the colours ended up does make me smile.  There's always some trepidation with a mystery quilt, but I worried needlessly with this one! :) 


3.  Flying Kids - my own design, for which I have completed the top, backing and binding.  Will have it's own post next week.


4.  AP&Q+ Stashbuster Project - Part 2 - not touched, but thought about.  Have made a decision on my choice of applique picture for center block because I don't really like the one in the magazine pattern - sun bonnets are not my thing.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Bonus projects - oh ooops...

a) WITB* - Strippy Stars project, will be somewhat smaller than originally intended because I stole the blue fabrics from the box to make #2 above.  Opening the box caused me to re-evaluate that particular project and why I had stopped working on it.  I will not make the full original pattern, but just complete the partially made stars and then decide upon a setting. 

b) WITB* - Purple Butterflies - stopped approximately 2 years ago because I didn't like the applique thread.  What had initially seemed OK, actually was too light when stitched.  Yesterday 2 friends came for a sewing day and were asking me about the butterfly quilt - pulled it out and had a look.  Last night while watching a movie, I unpicked the applique stitching and re-pressed the top.  It is now ready for me to machine applique with new thread.

Having made progress and decisions about 6 projects is such a relief.  The thought of finished projects being visible in the near future is a great motivator!   Especially as 5 of these projects are more than a couple of years old......


+  AP&Q = Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

*  WITB = what's in the box/bag/basket - another fun little challenge to play along with