5pointed star any size you want!

Thinking about progress on the MidnightATO quilt, I couldn't get "stars" out of my mind. A quilt with such a pretentious title SHOULD have stars! Maybe in the middle block? Anyhow, I started playing and decided on a five point star. How to draw that with no circleruler thing in da house?

 

Ha, my triangle ruler had circle degrees!

First I put a tapeline from 72 degrees towards the ruler edge..so there won't be any mistakes.

 

 Then, draw a circle (any size you want) on a piece of paper (like cardstock)

 and put a line from the circle edge towards the middle

 Align the triangle 0 (zero) to the middle point , and put the edge of the ruler on the starting line. Mark the 72 degree (where the Arrow is!)

 Draw the second line

Again: 0 in the middle, ruler edge against the second line and mark the 72 degree point

 

 Repeat untill you have the circle in 5 parts

 Connect the points (dotted lines)

 Cut out and you have a 5 pointed star!

 If you cut the coloured area and add seam allowances ,you have a template for a pieced star.

My math teacher would be so proud...

Now, how will I use this in my quilt? Could use it for Xmas purposes too....

Orange peel block applique

After watching loads of YouTubes and some trial and error, this is how I do my Orange Peel blocks for the Midnight...quilt: the freezer paper way!I thought it best to write it down for my own future reference:)

-First trace the template onto freezerpaper and cut them out (loads of them) and iron on the RIGHT side of the fabric. Cut it out with a small seamallowance.

Peel the paper of, put it on the WRONG side of the fabric piece, shiny side up and iron the seam-allowance on the shiny side of the freezerpaper. It sticks! (if the iron is hot enough!) It can be done with a regular iron, but since I have this nifty thing, I might as well use it!
Note: ironing the points down and then the sides, did NOT work for me: I got blunt points :(


 All done!

 Dab a bit of fabricglue on the inside of the dog ear

...and on the outside.

 

 and fold the dog ear back.

 Tadáá, sharp point...
I found the glue pen from Sewline VERY helpfull. I didn't remember that I had it, but came across it while searching for suitable fabric scraps...

 Draw a diagonal line on the background fabric.

 and put glue on a quarter of the lines. Sewline glue pen is blue, but white after it dries

 put the prepared fabric on the line, you don't even have to pin it. I stitched it in place with a small ladderstitch.

 Repeat 3 times and the orange peel block is done :)
Turnover, clipp away excess fabric and remove the freezerpaper

I always proclaimed applique is not for me, but now I'm at it I find it VERY addictive!!!

DH

Me: I told you I needed a portable project, remember?
DH: Mmm
Me: how about this one? It''s called Midnight at the Oasis. Come have a look
DH: (staring at my pc screen) Isn''t that a bit busy?
Me: busy? what y mean ""busy""? Look at the HappyJoy you''re leaning against. Y think that'' one is busy too then??
DH: uhh, no
Me: well it''s a lot "" busier"" than this MATO pic!
what kind of quilt do you actually like?
DH: you want me to choose one of your quilts?
Me: no, just want to no what style you prefer..
my Debbie Mumm/Thimbleberries phase or what i sew now. What you call busy
DH:I will not choose a particular quilt (fearing this conversation can turn against him)
Me: I asked what style, not what quilt
DH: oh no, I will NOT go there!I can''t say..I don''t know. I would say if I think it''s ugly though.
Me: Would you really?
DH: yes
Me: but you don''t like "" busy"" and I''m doing ""busy""
DH: uhh...Look! a new episode of ""the Closer"" Let''s watch!

I guess I went a little overboard (according to some..)with the Midnight so far...

Must say that I''m really enjoying the process so far. I''m sewing the orangepeel applique blocks now. Had to watch lot's of how-to youtube video''s but I think I found a way that suits me and makes sharp points too.

Busy.....TSK!

Back to the future

Every 3 weeks or so, C and I plan an evening of sewing/patching/quilting. We work on whatever project we have on hand and chatter the hours away. Over the years fellowbloggers/quilters told me a was a quilting dinosaur, doing everything by hand and the opinion was that I needed to be kicked into the 21th century. Meaning tossing the old sandpaper templates out, get used to rotarycutting and start using that sewingmachine. Well, with the help of Harriet Hargrave's "Quilter's Academy", I did....

So last time I went to C's , I dragged my Husq along, a small ironingboard, a tiny iron, mat, cutter...the works. And ofcourse I was to be found in my sewingroom at home, sewing franticly to get the Hello Handsome quilt done, instead sitting in the livingroom with DH, watching tv or something.
When C and I got together with a third quilter at her house, I knew I was in trouble: I desparatly needed something to handquilt OR/AND something portable!

Back to the roots! Get a piece of sandpaper to make templates! Find a pattern that's suitable (oh and no hexies that everyone but me is addicted on)

So now i have this

 Piecing tiny parts together and , new to me, doing applique! The pattern is called "Midnight at the Oasis" and should look like this when all done

I know, it'll take forever, but that's okay. I'll see how it goes!

Meanwhile, someone came by boat to the Netherlands (and Belgium)

It's the season of St Nicolaas aka Sinterklaas again! The quilt is up, now let's go shopping for presents:)

 

"Cool"!





It took lots of cutting, trimming and sewing to finish "Hello Handsome".
 
 
 

but today i happily handed it over to it's new owner

DS was pleasantly surprised by the huge skull on the back...

I tried machinequilt the diagonal lines and boy, did I struggle! At one time I even tried to put the quilt and the extensiontable of my machine through the needle!
What I learned is that DH really REALLY needs to make me a proper sewingmachine table. A Husq on the table with an extension will simply not do.
So I have crooked quiltlines, and occasional pleat and some puckers but I also finished bedquilt nr 13.
(perhaps the 13 caused the mishaps..)

BikerSon had no idea I was about to give him a new quilt when I called to ask him to come over.
He thinks "Hello Handsome" is "cool" and will sleep under it tonight and that matters more than wobbly quiltlines.

Note: the pattern idea is from Nancy Downey and I found it in Quilty magazine (without the skulls!)

tomorrow...

Hello Handsome!

It took a lot of FF (Fiddling with Fabric) as well as some math :( , but I think I nailed it.
A Halloween appropriate sneak peek of Biker Son's new quilt.
Hello Handsome !

Parkinglot

 Inspiration is everywhere! Even in a parkinglot.

Don't want it on the roof of my car, but I'd love it on my bed. In reality the blue was a darker turqoise. Like the colourcombo!

Quilt S.O.S!

When I visited Biker Son the other day I was shocked to see the state his Skulls and Bones quilt was in. It was not just a case of "bring it over and I'll wash it for you", oh my, no. It was worn and torn. Even the (double) binding was worn in places.
In his defense I must say that he slept under his quilt, and only under his quilt, from the day I finished it, March 2008. Apparantly 6 years of very intense use is enough :)

March 2008



 

I knew he needed a new one and showed him patterns on more than one occasion. He never liked any of them. He's attatched to his Skull quilt and his Skull quilt only.
He won't even let me replace the shredded binding!

Still I decided he needs a new quilt NOW. I picked a pattern, ordered 3 shades of grey and black and got to work.
Measuring, cutting, pressing, trimming, sewing, fanning the seams. Repeat...

I'm halfway there and ran out of fabric. I do hope FabricShack deliveres soon.
Don't worry about the overload of grey. RED will be added. Duh

Don't.

 When C returned from her annual US trip she brought me a present: a pair of Gingher scissors!
O my, it slides through fabric. What a joy to cut a piece of fabric to shreds *lol*

I trained my family to stay away from my sewing stuff and always ask first before using something that's in my sewingroom.
But these scissors need extra protection and when I came across this tin in Oxford, I did not hestitate.
Perfect for my precious quilting notions!

So, now you know. My pencils are not for writing on paper, my scissors not for paper, my pins not for pinning posters on the wallpaper, my gluestick is not for an artproject and my rotarycutter is for fabric only. You cannot use my safetypins to replace a missing button. You can't take my buttons either and my rulers are off limit too.
Back away!