Last week I managed to cross another UFO off the list. The Lone Star is quilted, bound, washed and smelling heavenly. Pulling a crinkly new quilt out of the dryer is my favorite moment in the quilting process.
I used a mix of fabrics - mostly of the French General variety and a couple from JoAnn's, including a Denyse Schmidt (yellow). The back is from a cotton sheet set I found on clearance at Target...you'll be seeing more of it soon.
The quilting is a bit random in places (made it up as I went along), but I love how it looks on the back - like a giant, lime green, polka dot snowflake.
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Now, let me tell you the story of how this little lone star came to be...
Last month, my cyber friend, Des, invited me to a quilt retreat with this group of talented (and hilarious!) ladies, none of whom I had ever met in real life. I only knew her from the internet. Scary, huh?! I had a complete out of character moment and decided to be brave and go. Shocking. I can be a bit anti-social, so this was a big step for me.
The retreat house was in the middle of Idaho farm country with no neighbors in sight. It was beautiful...until I had to drive down the dirt road and park in the pitch black of night to get cell phone coverage, then it was just plain spooky. Country dark is a whole lot darker than suburban dark. I couldn't see a thing.
There were a lot of lone star quilts and triangle star quilts in the works, so I jumped on the bandwagon. I rarely use patterns, so following detailed directions was a little tricky for me. Fortunately, Kathy was there to help me navigate - she is a lone star super-hero.
I bet this front porch never looked so good!
I bet this front porch never looked so good!
They were definitely not lonely stars.
My Soul Blossoms quilt found a Soul Blossoms friend. I guess you could say they are soul mates.
(both made from jelly rolls!)
My Soul Blossoms quilt found a Soul Blossoms friend. I guess you could say they are soul mates.
(both made from jelly rolls!)
Amazingly, these quilts look even better up close. These ladies know how to work a long arm!
I had such great time!
Branching out of my stubborn comfort zone to meet new people and make new things was a good thing.
The food was good too!
And the neighborhood...
Pretty cool - as long as it was light outside.
10 comments:
That is so amazing! They are all beautiful and creative.
Gorgeous scenery too.
I am glad you did something out of the comfort zone.
Aren't blog buddies the best?
Wow, so glad you went out of your comfort zone! I love rural, very rural in Northern BC. My road where my studio is located has few neighbours and its really dark outside.
I totally enjoyed this story of your retreat. I loved it. Thanks for sharing and are going to do it again with the same ladies?
That is the best part of new retreats!
OMG I forgot to tell you how much I love this idea of doing the same kind of pattern, such a the lone star. What talented quilters you are, great fabric.
have you worked with organic cotton yet?
You are amazing!!! Love how this turned out Jamie loves her new vintage sheet quilt and Ginny will look beautiful all wrapped up in it.
I am glad you went and met these fun and talented ladies. The crazy stories were the best!!! I still smile thinking about one of them and wish I would have thought of playing that one on dad:)
Ginny is adorable and so soft. I could just eat her up. Mikey is so tender and curious about her.It is fu to watch. xo
I love it. It is beautiful. Great job.
What a gorgeous quilt made in such beautiful surrounds!
Lucky you! Sounds like a great time was had by all. Love the pics of the lone star quilts hanging out together. And I also love your soul blossoms quilt. Glad to have found your lovely blog! Danielle x
Way to go! It is inspiring that you broke out of your comfort zone and had a wonderful experience to boot. :) Beautiful quilts! Hey, I actually commented! :)
Your photos are just beautiful! And your comments are perfect. We did have such a great time - hope to repeat it over and over. Your star turned out so lovely and the quilting is way cool.
Whoa! Those are gorgeous. Love the starburst pattern for real :-)
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