Are the stars out tonight?

 Here's a photo of my Star quilt.  I have it all pin basted.  That's in spite of my feeling a bit sick lately.  I'm getting discouraged.  I was planning to be all back to normal long before this.  I guess it's what happens when you get older (and older)!  I've begun to free-motion quilt this today. That ought to lift my spirits.

I'm posting some pictures of the tree that flowers every year in back of my condo.  I just love this tree and I notice that hummingbirds do too. I used to know the name of this kind of tree, but it escapes me right now.  The streets around here are lined with trees, and many of them are of this variety. 

 That's the wonderful thing about California, there's trees and flowers blooming all year around. Some people say that they miss the snowy weather.  But it happens that if you drive up to the tops of the mountains there is snow there in the winters and people can go skiing and snow boarding.

Thanks to all the kind folks who look at and/or post comments on my blog.  I appreciate it.  I've been surfing around looking at all my blogging friends as much as I can--so many really interesting and creative quilters!  I have to remind myself to get back to sewing sometimes.

How to make coasters

I haven't posted for a few days because I was a bit under the weather.  This is not a medical blog, but let me say that I've got three different medical appointments this week, and let it go at that. 

Boy oh boy, what a struggle I had trying to post these photos in any kind of order. If anyone has any helpful hints in how to post a bunch of photos without wasting an hour, please let me know. I decided to make some coasters for gifts and I figured I would post some photos of how I'm doing it.

First of all, I cut out three  5 inch squares, a backing and a  front, of course, and I decided to cut an interlining.  I pinned the backing and interlining together with a piece of batting that was cut in a 4 1/2 inch square sandwiched in the middle.  I sewed the sandwich together all around in a 1/4 inch seam.  Place the backing and the top right sides together and sew around the edge. Leave an opening on one side for turning.  Trim the corners. Turn right side out and sew the opening closed.  There you have it.  I tried machine quilting one of the coasters in the center, and the other one, I just sewed and extra row of stitching all around the edge about 1/4 inch inside of the first one.  A set of four or six coasters would make a nice little gift, just tie with a ribbon.

Stars Baby Quilt, ready to be quilted

I'm making progress on this quilt.  I sewed on the green gingham border. So now, I still have to finish tying (not much headway there) the liberated quilt I made for the Amish-Gee's Bend Challenge (see previous posts)  and I have to pin baste this one.  I'll be busy.  I don't like to have a lot of quilt tops hanging around, so to speak.  It's important to me to complete each quilt top as I go along.  I feel a real sense of accomplishment after I finish sewing on the binding.  So now I have two to work on.  I'm also crocheting a shrug for myself, knitting a sweater for my daughter, plus I had a big idea yesterday on how to use up some green baby yarn that's been in my stash for ages, and started knitting a baby sweater.  This sounds like a big bunch of stuff, but--I did complete a sweater and cap for my granddaughter yesterday evening--so stuff is getting done, eventually.  By the way, I made a baby hat and booties for my doctor last week.  I have an appointment with her this week.  My dentist just went on maternity leave, too.  Good news, people keep having babies!
And another thing, I'm reading a cute book That Dorky Homemade Look by Lisa Boyer.  It's an amusing book about sewing quilts. A quote: "Give it (the quilt) to someone you love dearly.  They must drag it around the house, wrap themselves up in it when they have a fever, spill something brown on it..."

How our little "Stars" are doing

First of all, welcome to new followers of this blog!  There are so many interesting blogs out there now.  I could spend hours surfing around the net. But back to my sewing. I made some alternate crazy-pieced blocks for this quilt.  I don't use any foundation for my free-pieced crazy squares. I simply keep joining my scraps together until I have a block of big enough size, then I square it up. I do lots of pressing of the seams. A quilt like this could be made using any design you choose for the appliques, and any background(s).  I have found in my stash a nice chunk of green gingham for the border.  I don't see many quilters using gingham these days.  It's very versatile.  And can be used in a variety of different ways.  I'll be stitching on the border next--to be continued...

Star baby quilt--the beginning

Well, I was a bit under the weather for a few days, in more ways than one!  Besides my not feeling well, we went from having comparatively cool type weather all summer to having the hottest day ever recorded.  It was as if all that summer heat that we had avoided decided to hit us in only one day!  Lucky me, I had my AC repaired recently, and it was up and running for that blast of heat.  And people say that we have no weather to speak about in Southern California.

I have begun sewing a baby quilt, which was the next thing on my sewing list.  I turn under the edges of the stars by sewing them to fusible interfacing. Placing right side of  fabric to sticky side of interfacing, I sew all around the edges, then I cut a little hole in the interfacing and turn the star right side out.  Presto, all the edges are turned under.  I then press the stars to the quilt square and machine sew the edges.  I plan to make alternate squares in a free-pieced crazy square.  I have a lot of scraps of kid-type fabric left over from that I Spy quilt that I made. So now is the perfect time to get some of them sewn up.