Deacon Blocks 49-52

 Moving right along . . . 

Only 33 to go. The long center diagonal row (beginning lower left) and blocks on either side are the ones that still need to be done. 

Block 49 attributed to Drucilla C. Morris

There are thirty-two little pieces in this block. This time I turned under the seam allowance on the inner part of the circle and appliqued the heart to the background. The last time I did one of these plate blocks I did the whole center part separately and appliqued it over the inner edges. Make sense?

Block 50 attributed to John Deacon Mt. Holly NJ 1842

I actually made this one first after re-drawing the curved lines of the yellow pieces so they met the red star. Loved working on this one! It's a happy block! 

  

Block 51 attributed to Samuel T Coles 

Some days are better than others when it comes to sewing blocks. I ended up ripping apart the first version and sewing it again. That was before I appliqued the center petals :)

Block 52 attributed to Anna Bullock 

I almost ran out of fabric on this one and had to piece the fabric for the lower square and triangle. That never happens to you, right???

Blocks 49-52 are done. The new set was just posted on Sentimental Stitches. So I'm off and running :)

Two weeks ago on a warm sunny day we grabbed some lunch and went down to the Jay Covered Bridge which was built in 1857. 

On hot summer days people sit on the rocks and enjoy the cool water.

Look how clear it is!

When our kids were little we made Christmas ornaments from dried Milkweed pods.

 

Beautiful Purple Asters!

 

See you next week!

 

 

 

__________

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

It's A Finish! and Whiteface

The strip quilt I started in July is finished! My worries of finding a longarmer nearby were quickly put to rest when I met Dawn at Cabin Creek Stitchery. She lives less than 10 minutes from our house--and she's from NJ!

I couldn't resist this photo shoot :)

The pattern I used was Interweave by Karen Griska but I added strips to the top and bottom to bring it out to twin bed size.

I started by cutting strips from Natalie's stash so the fabrics in this first section were all hers :)

And this section has a row of fun fabrics from our trip to Sweden more than 20 years ago.  

For the backing, I found this Adirondack-style print on Hancock's site. Click on the photo to see how great the quilting looks! 

Do you ever use a large print for the binding? I had enough leftover backing to do just that. 

I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Thank you, Dawn! I'm so glad we met :)

How gorgeous is this?? It's a view of Whiteface Mountain ski area . . .
 

. . . and the river just before you get to the main lodge. 

Yesterday's early morning sunrise from our deck :) 

 

Enjoy your week!

 

__________

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

September Mini and Country Roads

 This month's mini was so easy . . . 

There were some turn of the century blocks in Natalie's stash so I pulled them out and got started. This pic was taken upstairs in poor lighting . . . 

. . . and this was taken in good lighting near a sliding glass door. What a difference in color! In any case I put six blocks on the front . . . 

. . . and two on the back. I was totally surprised how the quilting lines crossed in just the right places. Didn't even think of that when I was making the back. 

Done! It's 13-1/2 x 18. 

Be sure and visit Wendy's blog to see her monthly mini along with links to all the other fabulous quilters who have joined in on the fun!

On another note the leaves were at peak color this weekend. Here are some pics of the country roads we traveled :)

 

The colors just take my breath away! 

Enjoy your week!

__________

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

Next Quilting Project and . . .

 A couple years ago I sewed along with Barb V. making basket blocks. . .

. . . and this was my finished top that's been waiting to be quilted.

I procrastinated for the longest time until Janet O. (Rogue Quilter) recently mentioned on her blog that she buys her quilting stencils from Quilting Creations International. So I ordered three different designs and decided on this one. Thanks, Janet!

This is how it looks on the front . . .

 . . . and on the back. 

The basket blocks are being quilted in the ditch along with triangles in the large sections and straight lines in the outer portions. I'm moving right along . . . 

Last week at the thrift shop, I found this piece of decorator fabric and couldn't resist. It's got lots of good motifs that I might be able to use in another broderie perse Deacon block. We'll see . . . 

There is a huge patch of these Chinese Lanterns close to the road in a neighbor's yard. Aren't they cool??

Early morning mist on the river taken at 7:15 a.m. I could barely see the mountain across the way.

Enjoy your week!

 

 

__________ 

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

Deacon Blocks 45-48

This month's blocks were definitely challenging. I made the ones that Gay at Sentimental Stitches provided but my friend, Dawn, decided to make some changes including re-drafting blocks so they looked more like the originals. Lots of pics! Enjoy!

Still bouncing around . . . 

Original Block 45 attributed to Anna Marie Coles, Gloucester (Sentimental Stitches website)

My block came out way too dark and 1/4" short on two sides. I actually added 1/2" background strips but they are not visible in the photo. 

With minor changes like curving the triangles and spiraling the center points, Dawn's block looks just like the original.

Original Block 46 attributed to Lydia R Deacon (Sentimental Stitches website)

My block. Read on to see how I tackled this one.

The first thing I did was print the entire pattern on freezer paper and cut out the individual pieces. I ironed those on the wrong side of the appropriate fabrics and used the paper pieces as a guide to sew the petals together.

That was not only a real time-saver but proved to be an accurate method for sewing all those small pieces together. I appliqued this ring to the background then sewed the entire center unit in place.

But look what Dawn did. She tweaked the center petals so they were narrower at the base leaving a space between each one. Love that little change!

Original Block 47 attributed to Susan B Haines / Rancocas (Sentimental Stitches website)

I made this block which Gay substituted for the original. I wasn't really sure how to approach making this block so I used the same freezer paper method for the center and appliqued that whole section to the points which I had already sewn on. The result was an uneven circle with bulky seams at the turning points. But I'm not doing it over, lol!

So, this is what it looks like when you take the time to re-draft it. What a fun quirky block, Dawn!

Original Block 48 attributed to Charles D Kemble / Jobstown (Sentimental Stitches website)

This is my version of the substituted block--sort of. There were 3-petal flourishes on each diagonal corner but they just didn't look right so I decided not to add them.  

 

Isn't this block fantastic? Dawn really nailed it when she re-drafted the pattern. The corners work out fine on this one because there are 4 extra petals to even things out. Just beautiful!

 

So to recap--here are my blocks . . .

 

. . . and here are Dawn's.

Thank you Dawn, for letting me post your beautiful blocks! 

 

Moving on to the next set . . . :)

 

Enjoy your week!

 

__________

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer