Here are my interpretations of Faded Synthetic Dyes Stars. These were a bit of a challenge as I don't have a huge assortment of solid fabrics, especially taupes and khakis which are what I could have used to make the stars. So I pulled the solids that once belonged to my mother. We're talking vintage--50 years ago!
I went with the look of faded green and red. You'll have to use your imagination :)
Bright red with a faded bright green. What do you think?
Same red with a another green fading toward gray-blue. Yes? No?
Gray-blue again--once a bright green?
How about a bright red fading to peach like the example on Barbara B's blog?
Down Memory Lane
Monday we spent the day with a friend at his cabin on Lake Owassa in northern NJ. What made it so special was that he lives next door to the house where my grandparents once lived so in a way it was like "going home."
My grandparents (Ralph and Maud Davis) bought this little house on the lake about 1954. Oh, how I loved that screened-in porch!
The house as it looks today. Not much has changed except the porch was enclosed to enlarge the living / dining area.
A c. 1964 photo I took from the back yard. The house was sold in 1967 when my grandparents moved to Florida to live with their daughter, a huge change for them, I'm sure. My dad always regretted not being able to buy the house and keep it in the family.
A view from the main road. My grandfather had a 1940s Ford Wood Panel Station Wagon which he kept in that garage. It was his baby. He only took it out when they made the trip to the store every two weeks or so.
The house is currently for sale and although it was always a dream of mine to one day own it--reality set in. At least I know we can visit next door :)
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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer
Summer Scraps top is done! So are Toile Stars :)
I hardly had any light / neutral scraps left to keep on going so decided to finish up Summer Scraps. It's 46" x 46".
I just about emptied one drawer of scraps.
I tried several fabrics for the edge triangles but these swirly fabrics in brown and pink seemed to work the best.
Here are my Toile Stars from last week--they're all in shades of pink and red :)
The last of Natalie's George Washington Toile.
I couldn't resist sneaking in this "toile de noel" by Alexander Henry, 1997. Love it!
More scraps. The pieces are 2" and fit so nicely together. I'm using the Easy Dresden ruler which I purchased on Bonnie Hunter's website.
Happy Sewing!
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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer
Here are last week's Floral Trails Stars.
I had four chintzes in my stash and one I used twice.
Once for the star . . .
. . . again for the points.
A large floral in lighter colors. . .
. . . and nearly the same as the one above only smaller in scale. It was perfect for the background.
This is the NJ Sampler block I'm reproducing. It has three different leaves.
I mentioned in a previous post that I keep a file of pressed leaves which I use frequently for patterns / templates. I found the leaves I needed: small maple on the left, sassafras in the middle, and oak on the right.
I copied the pages, cut out the leaves which I enlarged /reduced as necessary, then drafted the block on graph paper.
Here's the layout. I struggled with that center circle. First, I thought a solid yellow was the right choice. After all, that's what the original looked like to me. Why is it so hard to work in solids? But after I cut this chrome yellow print I knew I had the look I wanted. Now all I have to do is start basting and sewing :)
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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer
It's another small finish :)
I made this little piece last year thinking I'd practice my machine quilting but ended up hand quilting it instead :)
Simple cable in the border and straight line quilting in the blocks.
The fabric on the back is . . .
. . . Hannah Bella by Robyn Pandolph for SSI. There was no doubt I had to name my quilt HannahBella because those are the names of my granddaughters. How perfect is that??
My Lapis Blue stars from last week.
A favorite. Material Pleasures by Terry Clothier Thompson / Barbara Brackman :)
I already used these two fabrics for the Blotch-Ground Chintz Stars.
By Karen Jarrar for Marcus Brothers.
I'm making good progress with my scraps. The game I'm playing is that I'll keep going until I run out of lights / neutrals which may be sooner than I think or when I don't have any more fabric for the alternate blocks, whichever comes first!
Good news! The book Red and White Quilts: Infinite Variety is due out in September. I just pre-ordered my copy on Amazon :)
Have a great day!
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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer
