It’s been eight months since I posted the first of thirty blocks designed for an English Paper Piecing sampler quilt. Today I share the final four blocks in the set. I will begin assembling them into a quilt top, possibly resembling this rendering, in the next few weeks. Then the hand quilting will begin.
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No matter the reason you put off working on it, no matter how displeased it made you feel at times, a finished project will stir your heart when it is completed, if for no other reason than it is done.
A productive week! Three quilts finished, as well as finally finishing the silk I’ve been spinning on-and-off for months. I share these completed projects in this week’s vlog. I also have another English Paper Piecing block to share. It is called the Gemstone Star and can be downloaded below.
Plus I created a couple short reels this week when I ventured out of the crafting room 💜.
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In a world were the pressure for perfection is ever present, the quest for success can overwhelm us, thus causing our creative mojo to get lost somewhere along the journey. This is often the case when we are creating to meet the demand of others, but it can also be the case when we are creating for ourselves. The scale we use to measure success, sadly, is seldom one we create ourselves, thereby placing us at the risk of becoming overwhelmed when our efforts fall short of an unrealistic norm.
As creators, or makers to use another term commonly used in social media, we rely on our creative mojo to keep our inspiration flowing and our ideas vibrant. Our ability to keep creating often relies heavily on our feelings of accomplishment, and therefore how we determine success is instrumental in our ability to create.
In my video today, I ponder the notion of success and the question of whether my latest project is a success. I determine success is achieved when three criteria are met – functionality, structural-soundness, and joy. We are makers not machines. Variables in our creative efforts are part of what makes our product unique and desirable. When we hold onto this knowledge, we can better keep hold of our mojo even as we pursue success.
Simply joyful projects do more than just keep the hands busy, they cleanse and refuel the mind.
This week I have two simple flowers to share. They can either become decorative mini pillow ornaments, or they can be applied to a fabric square for use in a bigger project.
A classic block can shine in both vintage and modern fabrics. The Octagon Star is a great example of a classic eight pointed star set into a square for ease of piecing.
Remove the corners, and like the hexagon, the octagon opens up a world of possibilities.
Or keep it simple by setting the blocks in either a standard layout or on-point.
Every so often a crafter will undertake a project that makes them ask, “What was I thinking?” In this week’s video, I share three of these projects – one of which is my English Paper Piecing block.
This is a block worth making, but it is also one that required a determination to get it to work rather than an expectation of perfection. I’m pretty sure that I was doomed from the moment the pieces were cut. This block required clear labels from start to finish – a step I neglected to do. I’m pretty sure a piece or two was flipped or mislabeled. However, despite being doomed from the beginning, I made it work. True, there was some tweaking and fudging during the construction, but the end result will still work for my project. The final quilt’s sashing should help hide any visible imperfections.
With all that being said, I still love the look of this star block and am glad I pressed on with it despite the foreboding I felt when I realized how finicky its construction would be. For more details on where I went wrong and how I made it work, I recommend watching this week’s vlog. It contains three “What was I thinking” projects and a good deal of me laughing at how much these projects spice up my life.
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Star blocks are some of the most beloved designs in the patchwork quilt community. I’ve been drawn to them since my earliest days of patchwork. Foundation Paper Piecing and English Paper Piecing can bring precision and complexity to the process of getting sharply pointed stars. In the week’s to come, I will be sharing more stars, and even a compass. There will be a flower or two thrown in for good measure, but stars will dominate.
This week’s block is the seventeenth in my thirty block collection. Fittingly, for the season, it is known as the Bethlehem Star, named as such in 1938. It was also called the Star of the Magi in 1937.
In quilting, much like in life, the path we travel often lacks complexity; a routine can be followed that will keep us on course. Other times, we need help a map can offer. This week’s English Paper Piecing block, Morning Frost, reflects the complexity that has settled into my life this season. On the surface, it looks simple. Yet without the map guiding me, the subtle differences threatened to trip me up and make the task more difficult than necessary. Taking the time to make a map, or a set of steps to follow, preserved the easy and joy of the journey.
Also, be sure to check out this week’s podcast to hear more about the Christmas Tree Saga of 2023 and more.
When I made my first gingerbread doll, I used fabric from an old vest. Later I used hand-dyed wool to make the larger doll, and cream muslin for my tree topper. My first pattern was derived from a coloring page I had, then with time, it was modified a bit. Simple shapes like these are great places to begin ornament crafting. They can be sewn so that the raw edges are hidden inside the doll, or they could also be made using felt so that the raw edges could stay on the outside. Cookie cutters are a wonderful way to create the shapes for a whole host of ornaments similar to my little Ginger Doll.
The idea to create a tiny kitchen towel came as I prepared for this week’s video. Christmas and baking go hand-in-hand, and I thought I could make more cookie cutter shapes. However since I have been making towel toppers this year to bring more festive fun into my kitchen, it seemed only natural that I should see if a miniature was possible. With a bit of experimentation, I was able to make my newest ornament. Yes, I will admit, I made my prototypes with my embroidery machine. It stitches so much more accurately than I do, but when I put the pattern together I found the traditional method of paper pattern and sewing machine easy and quick.
So this week, in addition to the English Paper Piecing block, I will share two more patterns with you.
Pithy Ponderings 