Galaxy of Stars Block 3

Block 3 for my Galaxy of Stars quilt is done. There are two of these in the quilt.

Quiltathon Weekend

This is a Quiltathon weekend, but I have to work tomorrow, so I am only sewing today in between some chores. This morning I sat at the kitchen table with my coffee and finished the binding for Bug Strippy #2, so there's another (small) finish for the year.

The Twisting Star is Block 2 in the Galaxy of Stars quilt, which is a sampler quilt designed by Lynn Dash. There's only one block like this in the quilt. It took me a couple hours to piece it because I was trying to be very precise so all the pieces would fit together nicely.

I foundation pieced the subunits using a method I learned from the Info-EQ list. Because you don't actually sew through the foundation, freezer paper is a requirement for this method in order to anchor the pieces to the paper. Instead of sewing through the paper, the paper is folded on the sewing line, and the seam is sewn next to the paper but not through it. Each piece is then pressed open and adhered to the freezer paper. After the unit is completed, you simply peel off the freezer paper. No little bits of paper to remove later! You can then reuse the same foundation for successive units. I used a single foundation for all eight subunits. It is a method that works exceedingly well.

Galaxy of Stars Block 1

The Blazing Star block is Block 1 in the Galaxy of Stars quilt, and there are four of them in the quilt. A couple of posts ago, I uploaded a representation from my Electric Quilt program

of the whole quilt. It's a beautiful quilt, and these blocks will go in the corners of the quilt.

The Week In Review

It has been a sad week for me, and I have not had much interest in doing anything in my sewing room. I lost my little dog Amy last Sunday evening. She developed an abcess on her side; and even though the vet said we could try to treat it with antibiotics and give her pain meds for her arthritis and an ear infection, she said she didn't know the cause of the abcess, and she really didn't sound very hopeful. I've realized that Amy has been sliding downhill for awhile now; and for the last week and a half, she'd just been lying on her bed staring. She's had multiple health issues for quite a while, and she was losing her hearing and eyesight. Not a very good quality of life for my poor girl, so I thought maybe the very best thing I could do for her was to put her down. It's an awful decision to have to make; and even though there's nothing I can do about it now, I keep agonizing over it, wondering if I could have made it work a few more days, a few more weeks, a few more months. Her dishes are still sitting on the floor because it gives me a little bit of comfort just to see them there.

Friday I went to Kay's for our bimonthly get together, and it was nice to forget about everything for a little while. I love these women that I share this time with, and it was a nice afternoon. I worked on the binding for my Twisted Nine Patch, and I have one more short side to finish and it'll be done. I have one more quilt to bind after that.

I didn't get my strippy for the week finished either and will try to get it done this coming week. My Orange Crush is still languishing on the design wall, right where it's been just about since Bonnie posted the last part of the mystery. Needless to say, probably the last thing I really should be doing right now is starting a new quilt. So after much consideration I decided not to start on Judy's Star Block of the Month after all. Rather, I'll collect the directions for the blocks as they're posted and start it at a later time. At the rate of two blocks a month, I could start it in two or three months and still catch up, if I'm better positioned at that time.

What I thought I might do instead is pick up where I left off with this Galaxy of Stars quilt that I started seven or eight years ago. I bought it as a kit, made 3 or 4 blocks, and it's been sitting ever since. It is predominantly rose colored and would work equally well in my bedroom. Better to get the ufo done maybe.



Even though I hadn't wanted to start another new project, I'm having a hard time refraining from starting this butterfly quilt, which appeared in the latest issue of Fons and Porter quilting magazine. This is not typically a pattern that would interest me, but I found the use of these large scale prints very appealing. I'd love to make this whole quilt with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, as the maker did; but I only have a few, so I'd like to start collecting some fat quarters and start making a few blocks here and there. I would plan to machine applique these and hand embroider the antennae. The Maine quilters guild is hosting their annual quilt show in Augusta this coming weekend, and I am hoping to find a few fat quarters in some of the vendors booths.

Credit where credit is due:
Galaxy of Stars quilt design by Lynn Dash
Butterfly Garden quilt design by Cheryl Kerestes, Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Jul/Aug 2008