Star Light, Star Bright

I’ve got to tell you, it feels good, downright awesome, to start on a “new” quilt! It’s the first one on my UFO list. I have a quilty goal to work off my UFO list and not start anything new until I’ve finished the UFOs. Of course that doesn’t cover wedding quilts and baby quilts, which I just finished doing and will be doing…

The exciting news is that Noel Heart and her hubby, Chief, are expecting a baby! I’m going to be a Nonnie again! Obviously a baby quilt is going to be made!

The UFO that I picked up this weekend was my Lone Star. There’s a story that goes with this, isn’t there always?

My Aunt Marie made a beautiful version of a Lone Star Quilt, called a Broken Star.

The only picture I have of the Lone Star. I took the
picture back in the day before I knew how to
photograph quilts. I leaned my double bed
mattress against the wall, put the quilt on it and
took a picture.

My hubby loved the quilt and it resided on our bed. I’ve mentioned before that when I inherited all of my aunts quilts, I let my children, sister and MIL choose one for themselves. It took about a year before my sister came to visit and I showed her the quilts. At the end, I showed her the Broken Star. And that was the one she wanted. I will claim fear and youth as an alibi. I let her have it.

When PIQF came to Northern California in 2009, I went down and spent 3 days taking classes and looking at all the quilts. I chose to take a class in making a Lone Star. Being guilt-ridden, I wanted to make one for my hubby. By the end of the class I had a couple of the diamonds made.

My good friend had taken the class with me, and we decided to continue working on them together in order to get them done sooner than later. I got to the point where I had the star finished and four of the eight background squares sewn on. And that is as far as it went.

Until now. Last week, I got it out. First thing I had to do was take out the four background squares. The fabric just wasn’t right. And it was the second one I tried!

The progress I’ve made this week is to take out the four squares and put them back in! In the photo above it's hard to see where the triangles are missing--the background is almost the same color as the paint!

I’m eager to get to work on it tomorrow. I have the four triangles and then the borders. I’ve decided to do at least one (perhaps two) pieced borders and 3 plain borders. At least that’s the plan for now!
I’m hooking up with the following blogs. Hop on by to check out lots of lovely quilts! Their badges are in the right sidebar.
So Scrappy RSC Saturday
Patchwork Times
Show & Tell Tuesday
Fabric Story
Linky Tuesday
WIP Wednesday
We Did It Wednesday
WiP on Wednesday
Needle and Thread Thursday
Fabric Frenzy
Free Motion Mavericks
I Quilt
Fabric Frenzy
TGIFF
Finish It Up Friday
Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party

Joining Up with Wonderful Hands to Help

I’ve only managed one charity quilt in my quilting life. My intent has been to do more but I haven’t followed through.
Enter Hands to Help Charity Quilt Challenge. Each year between March and June, quilters are challenged to make a quilt for charity. This year there are three charities to choose from:
        Quilts of Compassion
        Hurricane Sandy Survivors
        Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo

You can click on the badge on the right to learn more about the Challenge and find out about each of the charities. 

I hope you join along! 

Sarah, who writes the blog: Confessions Of A Fabric Addict, is an amazing person. She is a compassionate woman who runs a quilt ministry that gives quilts to those in need. She needs quilts to be donated also! 

In addition she hosts the very fun, Can I Give A WHOOP WHOOP on Fridays, runs a blog FOR quilters, BY quilters for sharing compassionate quilts: Quilts Are For Giving. 

And if you think that doesn’t keep her busy enough, you should read one of her Monday posts: Make-A-List Monday. It wears me out just reading it!  

I have chosen to make a quilt for Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo. This was my first choice because of my Mom. She went through chemo in the 70’s for breast cancer. I can picture in my mind how delighted she would have been to receive a quilt while in chemo. You can read more about my Mom’s story here.

Pink Design Wall & January Quilting Results

Happy, happy, joyful Monday!

It may seem a little overboard for most, but I have the day off today. Hurrah!

I'm a teacher of blind and visually impaired students. In this county they take off the Monday before President's Day as a holiday; I like to think of it as Lincoln's Birthday. The following week we have President's Day Holiday. I'm a-shiver with Quilting Time.

OH QUILTING TIME!

(sung to the tune of Oh Christmas Tree)

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time!

How wondrous are your hours.

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time

It's like sunshine on the flowers.

I scarce can sleep the night before

As dreams of fabric o'er which I pore

Oh quilting time, oh quilting time,

I toss and turn till comes the dawn. 

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time!

I wake up bright and early

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time!

My patience holds, but barely.

With fabric cut and iron hot

Machine is ready to sew a lot

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time

Your wonders are amazing.

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time!

The hours pass like minutes

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time!

Too soon my time doth exit.

I long for more dear time with you

Cutting, pinning, sewing too

Oh quilting time, oh quilting time!

Pressing seams is quite divine.

Oh quilting time, Oh quilting time

I count the hours between thee

Oh quilting time, oh quilting time

Come quickly now, I do so plead

Everybody sing!

I didn't even wax this poetic for summer vacation! Sometime ya just hav'ta let it out!

On my design wall today are part this month's blocks for Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month the color is PINK! I blogged on Saturday about my blocks for the RSC quilters. You can read every pinkalicious detail here.

Here are the five I got done yesterday:

Check out the tabs above for my Quilty Goals for 2014. I've added my January progress. Then check out my Stash Count for January. I'm looking good. Oh yeah!

And thank you so much for dropping by. I love to see that lots of you have looked. I adore comments. Let me know if you sang my song (in a closet or to one you love!)

After you've made it through my blog, singing, oohing and aahhing, trot on over to these blogs that I am sharing with. (Badges on right sidebar).

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times

Show & Tell Tuesday @ I Have to Say

Fabric Story @ Quilt Story

Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River

WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

It's A Party @ Creative Princess

We Did It Wednesday @ Sew Much Ado