Autumn and Stars

It's beginning to look like fall around here plus I have a Savery Stars update. 

I love this tri-color mum! And pretty soon my Kolanchoe plants will be coming in for the long winter. 

A highlight of my many walks is taking a picture of these Chinese Lanterns growing near the road in a neighbor's yard.  

The leaves are beginning to turn. How beautiful is this tree??

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Savery Stars update:

Remember the fabric I purchased replicating inkings from the past? Well, after I reduced the template a little the center hexie worked out perfectly for each star :)

Dawn's coordinating Queen Victoria fabric :)

I actually appliqued 3 stars by machine and 6 by hand. 

I trimmed the reverse of each star to reduce the bulk before appliqueing. 

And here's the finished block. I prepped it for hand applique by machine basting it to the background--quick and easy!

I'm working on the sashing so stay tuned . . . 

Another lovely sunset :)

Enjoy your week!

 

Copyright 2023, Barbara Schaffer

Crazy 33-36 and Lake Placid

I made 3 blocks this week and am finally caught up. Also sharing some pics from a boat tour on Lake Placid.

Block 33. Uh-oh, I discovered after-the-fact that the upper left 4-patch is turned the wrong way. 

Block 34. A fun mix of scraps!

Block 35. On long pieces I run a row of stitching to keep the fabric in place so it doesn't shift. 

Block 36. Looks like I didn't learn my lesson the first time around. That is, if you use large prints for the individual shapes (bottom two rows), they really look muddled when sewn together. 

Thirty-six blocks done and 18 to go . . . :)

Last week on a beautiful warm sunny day we went for a boat ride around Lake Placid. Here are some pics of the magnificent camps we saw along the way. 

Many camps have boat houses--some with living quarters above. 

There are magnificent estates . . . 

. . . and camps on an island with boat access only--no road or bridge to get there and back. 

Lots of privacy, for sure! 

On another note . . . 

Meet Apollo--our granddaughter's H-U-G-E 7-month old 103 lb. puppy--a Cane Corso and German Shepherd mix with a brindle coat and a very big head :) 

That's all for now . . . 

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

Crazy 29-32 and Lake Flowers

The next four Crazy blocks are done and I'm alternating those pics with ones of flowers from my walk around Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.

Block 29. I'm really loosening up with my fabric choices by including anything and everything! 

I started my 2.5 mile walk at the far end of the lake where this beautiful display of hydrangeas caught my eye. 

Block 30. It always makes me feel good when a 3" block with its tiny pieces comes together without having to tear out and re-do.

These beautiful planters are interspersed all around the lake and many are located next to a bench making it the perfect spot to sit down and take in the view. 

In town these flowers are in baskets and cover a large iron fence wall.

Block 31. That little block went together perfectly :)

At the end of the business section these flowers were spotted in a private garden.

Block 32. I was anxious to get this block done so kind of grabbed pieces with no real planning in mind. And it shows. Not a favorite.

My walk ended at the Mirror Lake Inn where I am always in awe of the flowers in their gardens :)

And another group is done :)

I can't believe it's the end of August. I lost half the summer!

Looking forward to the long weekend and a string of sunny days :)

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

Garden, Stars, Beauty and the Beast

Our plot in the community garden is in full bloom, I added centers to a few stars and a "Beauty and the Beast" surprise!

The community garden is in full sun and has well-drained soil. Connie and I planted both starters and seeds and couldn't be happier with the results.

 

Cosmos and Calendulas

 

Zinnias

 Snapdragons

Poppies 

 

My table has fresh flowers every day!

On another note . . .  

I reduced the size of the center hexies and hand appliqued them to the stars I've been making. Now you don't see bits of the border around each one.  

I'm loving the way they look :)

What can I say??? Beauty and the Beast?? This toad has been hanging around our front step and when I took the photo I realized it was stalking that white caterpillar for a meal :)

Can you believe the leaves are already beginning to turn around here?

That's it for now.

Enjoy your week!

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

Starting something new . . .

Recently, I received Dawn's stash of repro fabrics and as I was wondering how best to use them, I recalled a pattern I'd been saving for about 20 years! 

When Rita, Dawn, Rachel and I would go to Lancaster (years ago) I'd always bring along a folder of antique quilts that I liked along with pics of some of my reproductions tucked in the sheets. The Savery Friendship Star Quilt was one that always appealed to me. In fact, I recall Rita buying the entire kit and when she was done with the top she asked her friends to sign the centers of the stars. 

You can read more about the original quilt which in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum. The quilt on the printed pattern by Andover Fabrics was made by Gail Kessler and quilted by Barbara Persing.

I've decided to fussy-cut fabrics for the stars. Here are a few: 

The instructions call for the center hexie to be machine appliqued first to the star then the entire star be appliqued to a 10" square of background fabric that will be trimmed to 9-1/2". The finished block size is 9".

When Googling info about this quilt, I came across a piece of fabric that was specifically printed by Andover for the hexies. So many cute designs reminiscent of inkings found on quilts c. 1840s.

How cool is this?? There was only a 1/4 yd. but the hexies are small so I'll be able to use quite a few.

 

I had just enough of this Prussian blue fabric designed by Natalie's daughter, Laura, to make a star and test the center. I'm undecided if I want to applique it by machine or by hand and I wasn't sure if I liked the bits of border showing along the edges. I could try and reduce the size first. There's also a lot of bulk on the back that I should trim away. Still working on it . . . 

I'm not intending to make a full size quilt--maybe only 9 blocks or so. That's certainly doable :)

Enjoy the rest of the week!

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer