Friday, January 13, 2017

swoony stars for a Star



Can I just say - I love this quilt (top)!!

Love it!!

It turned out even better than I imagined,
due, of course,
entirely 


Even though there were no new skills in this quilt,
I feel like I really mastered a consistent 1/4 in seam
on this baby
(though there are still a few not *quite* pointy points...)
and
 I cut fabric in eighths of an inch
which is something I never thought I'd do.


Of course,
I never really thought I'd sew 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch flying geese either...


Most fabrics were chosen primarily for color,
(as a reminder, 
my 'color story' fabric for this quilt was 
Budquette in Nightfall from Art Gallery's Emmy Grace collection)


though some were chosen especially for Jordan.
and here are a few more:

Jordan loves to read,
so I used lots of text prints.
Normally I love Lecien fabrics,
but I'm not as crazy about their text prints.
The looser weave makes the letters not line up real nicely
even with tons of starch.


She also likes to camp


and travel


and she loves animals



big cities

this is the fabric that Sally gave me


and music.

No automatic alt text available.

I actually bought that fabric for the treble clef,
but ended up sprinkling other bits here and there,
because they were so perfect



These
 I added because Jordan is a really great friend,
so the girls playing together
made me think of her.



Jordan got engaged
during the making of the quilt,
so it seemed fitting to give that momentous occasion
 a little nod,
so I made a little teardrop diamond.

I'm not totally crazy about it,
so instead of using it as the center of a star,
I stuck it in a filler spot.


A friend had suggested I replace the surrounding fabric
with something with more contrast.
I'm sure that would have looked nicer,
but I stuck with my original plan,
because I thought the fabric I chose was opal-ish,
and she got engaged in October....
(opal is October's stone) 
Silly; I know. 


These fabrics don't look like much,
but they're actually pretty special.


I needed something to fill a 2x10 space,
and I didn't want to use just a strip of fabric.
I also didn't want to make 5 2" stars ;-)
but I really couldn't think of another option,
so as I worked on filling all the other holes,
I prayed that I'd come up with the perfect solution for that one.

I remembered that I had a pile of pre-sewn 
red and white HSTs
that I didn't end up using in Any Which Way.

My 'reds' ranged from pink to orange,
so I thought I just *might* find something that'd work.

And wouldn't you know it - I did!

But then I heard my husband's voice,
reminding me to give the quilt what it deserved;
not to skimp or compromise.
I wondered briefly if I was.

But I knew that I wasn't.

You see,
Jordan was here with her dad that day.

Jordan was excited about
and interested in my current project that day, too.

That project - was Any Which Way.

So it was absolutely perfect
that I use a piece that was originally intended for that quilt,
in Jordan's.



Ah.
This one makes me smile.


I'd ordered the ballerina girls when I found it on sale last Spring,
not knowing if Jordan had ever done ballet or not.
I figured I could use it for another quilt if she hadn't...

When I started pulling fabric for the quilt,
I texted her mom and asked.
She told me that when Jordan was little
she'd signed her up,
but when she took her to class
Jordan would just stand there (or cry).
Then she told her momma that she didn't 
need to learn how to dance;
she already knew how!

So I had to add some,
for the little girl who has always known how to dance,
and the beautiful young woman she became
who has more charm and grace
than just about anybody I know.


I wish I could send this one off to Carole to quilt.
I'm a little afraid I'm going to ruin it...
I'll just have to take it super slow.
Good thing I'm ahead of schedule :-)


11 comments:

  1. That is a beautiful quilt! I love the colors and the layout and the fact that you chose specific fabrics that you know will be meaningful to your niece. All of it, really great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so fabulous. The colours, the stories, all those stars!! I love it. A real heirloom piece in the making.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OK, I don't even know what to say! This is absolutely stunning! The care and thought you put into the fabric selections is amazing. Jordan is one very lucky girl!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think this my favorite quilt of all the quilts you have made except perhaps for the pigeon quilt. Beautiful! Jill

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is a neat quilt. I like all the meaningful fabrics you included. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I I love this Tracy! You have a gift and are a blessing to our family. God bless you always!

    We love you!

    Mitch (Jordan's daddy for those who may not know ��)

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so fantastic! I love all the little stories behind it and the thoughts you put into choosing the fabrics! This quilt will be loved!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is a gorgeous quilt, and has so much love put in it! Great job! I'm sure your quilting of it will be just perfect. :) Thanks for sharing on Main Crush Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh that is so beautiful! You should be extremely proud!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is one of the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen! Not only because of the wonderful colors and patterns but because of the meaning behind each and every piece. That was so fun to read!

    ReplyDelete

You're leaving me a comment?? Oh goody! I love comments :-)