50 Fab Paper-Pieced Stars
09-09-2012, 06:50 AM
#2182
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sonora, CA
Posts: 814
awwww- don't stress over it all- still plenty of time to decide on sashing fabric--and as you lay out your blocks they will all go together beautifully! if you had one that (screamed) at you- you would have known from the beginning- i new as soon as i finished the blocks---but at the time just put them with the others anyway thinking---i will remake that one before i'm done. (i kind of hoped the Hawaii would grow on me-but it didn't-and hubby didn't like that one either) so---
anyway-if you don't have any yet that you just don't like don't worry about it- they must all be just fine
i've been (tossing around) the idea of embroidering the state name & year it joined the union on each one---jury's still out- & put them in alphabetical order? or in the order of statehood? put them on point? or straight set? so many decisions...every now & then i wish i hadn't decided to use black for all of my backgrounds---but then at the same time am glad i did---some blocks were difficult to figure out (like my horrible failure of Iowa!) it's been quite a journey
i have mine pinned together in rows of 7 with the top block tacked to my sewing room wall - up near the ceiling- side by side- so i am just working on row 6. it's nice to walk by & glance in & see them (hanging around)
some of them seem to 'glow'
anyhow---don't stress over it- it will be fine!
anyway-if you don't have any yet that you just don't like don't worry about it- they must all be just fine
i've been (tossing around) the idea of embroidering the state name & year it joined the union on each one---jury's still out- & put them in alphabetical order? or in the order of statehood? put them on point? or straight set? so many decisions...every now & then i wish i hadn't decided to use black for all of my backgrounds---but then at the same time am glad i did---some blocks were difficult to figure out (like my horrible failure of Iowa!) it's been quite a journey
i have mine pinned together in rows of 7 with the top block tacked to my sewing room wall - up near the ceiling- side by side- so i am just working on row 6. it's nice to walk by & glance in & see them (hanging around)
some of them seem to 'glow'
anyhow---don't stress over it- it will be fine!
My "wall" is a flannel sheet attached to coat hangers with clips, hanging on some screws my husband put into the top of our bookcases, which are about 8 feet wide. They are in my sewing room which is a plus. I am thinking of taking the stars down for a while to put up another project I just picked up again (one block wonder). I am building a virtual quilt of the stars in Quilt Pro for Mac, so I can see what it looks like as I go.
I guess I could put another sheet up over the first one for the one block wonder.
As far as embroidery, statehood dates, etc., is concerned, I personally would not bother. I had thought of trying to use fabrics that "represented" each state, and turned out to be impossible. Carol Doak named the blocks after the states because there are 50 and because it would make it easier and more fun to differentiate them than calling them #1 to #50. But the patterns themselves have nothing to do with the States, or with the official State colors. Anyone who looks at these quilts will not say, "oh look, it's the 50 states of the Union".... They will just notice a beautiful collection of stars.
So I hope that helps you. To me, the most important thing will be to put them in an order that is pleasing to the eye. I will need to use sashing for mine, since every one is so different. For that reason, I am going to use only 36 stars in the quilt, and the rest in pillow shams or table toppers. The 50 blocks with sashing would make a bigger quilt that I want.
09-09-2012, 06:58 AM
#2183
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sonora, CA
Posts: 814
I want to show you my blocks for the OBW I just picked up again. It has been in UFO status, blocks cut, but just sitting in a bag. I picked it up last night as I promised myself, and got 8 hexagon halves sewn. It is much easier than I had thought it would be. I also just finished some couch and chair covers. I will try to post the links to those two projects.
09-09-2012, 08:09 AM
#2186
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sonora, CA
Posts: 814
09-09-2012, 08:14 AM
#2187
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Phoenix, AZ suburb
Posts: 4,664
Taa Dah
thank you, Nicki, here is is. This morning Florence also suggested I post it on this thread. When I started the stars I had planned that it was going to be lap quilt and not another big quilt. I keep looking at the second in from the left bottom row, and think I am going to change it before quilting it. It blends into the background too much, compared with the rest of the blocks. I'm pleased with the overall look using the same background but still not fond of the color I chose.
Nicki, thanks for sharing the OBW site, your fabric is absolutely fabulous!!! I did one and love it, using an Asian influence pattern but the scale was too small and the blocks aren't too dramatic. I was going to make one for my bed - it's a king - but I would have needed 18 repeats of the pattern! I'd get so bored doing that many of those blocks so that is off my bucket list. Here is my OBW if anyone is interested.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t178504.html
Nicki, thanks for sharing the OBW site, your fabric is absolutely fabulous!!! I did one and love it, using an Asian influence pattern but the scale was too small and the blocks aren't too dramatic. I was going to make one for my bed - it's a king - but I would have needed 18 repeats of the pattern! I'd get so bored doing that many of those blocks so that is off my bucket list. Here is my OBW if anyone is interested.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t178504.html
Last edited by paintmejudy; 09-09-2012 at 08:24 AM.
09-09-2012, 08:16 AM
#2188
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sonora, CA
Posts: 814
thank you, Nicki, here is is. This morning Florence also suggested I post it on this thread. When I started the stars I had planned that it was going to be lap quilt and not another big quilt. I keep looking at the second in from the left bottom row, and think I am going to change it before quilting it. It blends into the background too much, compared with the rest of the blocks. I'm pleased with the overall look using the same background but still not fond of the color I chose.
09-09-2012, 08:59 AM
#2190
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
here is my Oregon block- thanks for the (info) nickylsf---i kept thinking about all that embroidery & how i would make it fit---now i won't bother worrying about it
i do plan to use a 7 across-8 down layout (the 50 + 6 alternative blocks) so i will be making a pretty large quilt- definitly no need for sashings.
and about that (daughter request for my -discarded- Iowa block...she wants a queen size quilt made out of it-she's so funny)
anyhow-
Oregon done- now on to work on a couple other projects i really need to be working on- suddenly the (season) is hitting! hubby watching football- that means me quilting
[ATTACH=CONFIG]361453[/ATTACH]
i do plan to use a 7 across-8 down layout (the 50 + 6 alternative blocks) so i will be making a pretty large quilt- definitly no need for sashings.
and about that (daughter request for my -discarded- Iowa block...she wants a queen size quilt made out of it-she's so funny)
anyhow-
Oregon done- now on to work on a couple other projects i really need to be working on- suddenly the (season) is hitting! hubby watching football- that means me quilting
[ATTACH=CONFIG]361453[/ATTACH]
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