STARDANCE - My Pattern of the Week

 Hello Everyone,

This week, I'm shining a spotlight on Stardance—a wonderfully scrappy quilt pattern designed to make the most of your treasured fabric stash. With clear, detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations using fabrics from my Hearthstone and Gentry's Mill lines by Marcus Fabrics, Stardance guides you every stitch of the way. You can find the discounted pattern HERE.

One thoughtful touch: each direction page includes space to attach your own chosen fabric scraps, making organization effortless as you sew. I loved to be organized.....but you'd never know it if you saw my sewing room!

And of course, the pattern features my signature block layout sheet—the true map to your success. If you love turning scraps into stars, Stardance is the perfect way to let your creativity dance across the quilt top. The block layout sheet includes the measurements and graphic of the exact size the components need to be.  If the piece doesn't fit, you'll know it immediately and can adjust accordingly.  The block layout sheet also includes the pressing directions. If your block goes together seamlessly, you are more likely to finish the quilt.

After a full and bustling week down in the Bay Area, it was a breath of fresh mountain air to come home and unwind. We spent a beautiful evening enjoying tri-tip sandwiches expertly grilled by our local firefighters, all while tapping our toes to the live music. The band, fittingly named Burn Permit, played for the fundraiser—clever name.

I’ve been up to my elbows in fabric, cutting yard after yard for the Cozy Country Christmas kits. One day alone I sliced through 90 yards, and followed that with another 60 the next—my back had a few choice words about all the standing and bending! The upside? I’ve cleared out bolts and bolts of fabric, which means the hallway is no longer lined like a fabric fortress. It’s starting to look like a normal hallway again!

Mr. Joe took command of the smoker this Fourth of July with an 8-pound pork butt, and let’s just say—I haven’t needed to set foot in the kitchen since. The mouthwatering aroma wafted through the neighborhood all day long. The real twist? He found a recipe that called for basting the pork every 45 minutes with cherry-flavored Dr. Pepper. It was bold, a little quirky, and absolutely delicious. 

The summer crowd has poured in this week, bringing a surge of traffic and energy to our quiet mountain street and community. Sadly, with it came heartbreak—one of the three bear cubs we've been watching was struck and killed by a speeding car right on our street about five cabins down the road. It’s been a tough reminder of how quickly things can change. We mountain folks tend to drive with a watchful eye, knowing that wildlife can appear in a flash. But the faster pace and unfamiliarity with these roads are taking a toll.  A couple of years ago, a large bear ran right in front of my sister's car as she was driving up the hill.  Her vigilance paid off and the bear scampered off into the woods unscathed.

I have a Zoom meeting with Marcus Fabrics this week to discuss two more fabric lines.  It is so exciting to see my ideas come to life!

Here's a toast to 'to-do' lists! I have a full to-do list this week.  I find I have to 'write it down' to keep me on task.

Soon,

Lynn 

  

 

Stardance

 Hello Everyone,

I've been working on a new design, and I have a nice little assortment of blocks for Stardance. This is a snapshot of what I'm working on in EQ software.

This is what the actual block looks like.  I love that what I see in EQ software is very similar to the real block.

This is a snapshot of another block in the quilt in EQ.  The block placement in the quilt determines the framing around the block.

This is the actual block.

I'm combining my Gentry's Mill fabric line with my Hearthstone fabric line. I'm so happy with what I'm seeing so far.  When the graphic artist at Marcus Fabrics sends me the files, they are ready to import directly into EQ software.  I get a wonderful rendition of the quilt right from the get-go. 

I go between EQ software, to the pattern directions, and then to the sewing machine.  I'm also using my little organization progress sheet to keep track of what I've accomplished.  These sheets will definitely be included in the pattern.  I feel as though this is the most organized I've been while creating a new pattern.

On a personal note, it's coyote mating season here in the Sierra Nevada mountains and the coyotes are 'talking' every night.  When our dog Mazey hears them, she chimes right in and howls unlike any howl she's vocalized before.  It's a primal howl coming from deep within her chest which sends chills up my spine.  It feels like I'm in a horror movie and I never watch horror movies!  I'm blaming these dark circles under my eyes on the coyotes.....and Mazey.

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance Quilt

 Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your input about the organizational sheet that I'm going to start including in my patterns.  I used it while making the first four blocks for my new Stardance pattern. The stars will dance their way across the quilt.

I'm going to make 40 blocks in 10 different colorways.  This is a picture of the first four blocks.

I took your suggestions to heart and reconfigured the organizational sheet to make it less busy.  I used it while making the blocks and got a great deal of satisfaction checking off the components after I finished making them.

The new Stardance quilt combines both my Gentry's Mill fabric line with Hearthstone.  The two lines have been playing well together!

  

The sheet is streamlined and gives you more room to make 'notes' along the way.

I've also been asked to make these organizational sheets for all of my older patterns.  Although I think that is a great idea, there are just so many hours in the day.  I'll try to make the sheets for Gentry's Mill which is currently being offered in quilt shops beginning in Feb/March.  The patterns have already been printed, so it would be hard to re-coup the cost of the sheets.  I'll have to think hard about this request.

Have a great rest of the week.

Soon,

Lynn

The Machine is Humming

 Hello Everyone,

When I'm not at my sewing machine, I'm working on applique for my secret project. This quilt design is unlike anything I have designed in the past.

I love combining a bit of applique with pieced blocks.  When I get tired of working on piecing, I switch to applique.  The entire time I'm working, I'm listening to audio books.  The hours just fly by and it's time to start thinking about fixing dinner before I know it.  We had company over for dinner last night, so dinner tonight will be the yummy leftovers.

I thought I would tire of working with my Hearthstone fabric collection.....but that hasn't happened yet. I find that it is quite versatile, and the designs and colors play well with each other.

I have bolts and bolts of it in my sewing room and plan on cutting more bundles for my booth at the Independence Hall Quilt Show in Angels Camp in October.  I have to plan ahead in order to fill a booth with loveliness.

I have a ZOOM meeting this morning to discuss the secret project.  I wish I could share everything with you......but not just yet.

Soon,

Lynn

Heart of the Valley Quilt Show

 Hello Everyone,

Here's just a very small sampling of some of the product that will be in my booth this weekend at the Heart of the Valley Quilt Show at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, CA this weekend. 

My friend Diane helped me put half yard bundles together of my Hearthstone fabric line.  They are yummy.  Diane got very distracted fondling the fabrics!

While watching TV the other night I rolled 128 wool fat 1/8's.  These look good enough to eat.

I have 175 patterns and books packed and lots of bundles of other fabric lines that will be for sale in my booth.  I haven't done a show in a long time, by choice, since it is a lot of work.  I'm rusty thinking about what I need to bring, and my master list is missing in action.  Then there's the fact of just how much can I get packed in the car?

I'll head down to the valley on Thursday to get set up for the show on Friday and Saturday.  My sister Gail will be in my booth with me, and we'd love to see you and make some new friends.

While getting ready for the show, I've also been working on a new BOM for Marcus Fabrics.  I just submitted my final, final fabric requirements for my BOM using the new fabric line.  I'm SOOOOOOO excited about this new line!  I can't wait to start working with it in my new design.  There's just so much swirling all around me and it's all GOOD!  But there are days when I don't know which end is up and what needs to be done first.

Soon,

Lynn

Timeless Applique

 Hello Everyone,

I worked my way through the torrential rain and snow at the cabin over the past five days on these precious little cuties which are made with my Hearthstone fabric line.

We never lost power during the storm, but we had intermittent Internet and TV during the worst of the snow on Saturday and Sunday.  

I enjoy combining stripes, checks and prints.....and then there is the fussy cutting for the centers.  I showed you in my last post how I make the perfect circles with the Perfect Circle templates.

I LOVE working on an applique project.  I find it very rewarding and soothing.

I have quite a few of these to make.  Four down, twelve to go.  I sew love them!

We received over a foot of snow which is much more manageable than the 3 to 4' of snow which was predicted.  That much snow would have paralyzed our mountain community. We had wind and 4" of rain throughout Thursday and Friday.  Had it been colder, we would have been in trouble.  The temps dropped on Saturday and the rain turned to snow.

I have to put all of this fun aside and finish my taxes which is the number one item on my to-do list today.  I also have to make a tutorial for the house block for Bridle Path, and finish with the Packhorse Librarian story for March.  

With all of this going on, we have been caring for a very sick Mazie.  We dug our way out yesterday and took her to the first morning appointment at her vet.  The vet thinks she has pancreatitis.  She's in pain and hasn't eaten or had any water for the past two days.  They filled her full of fluids and gave her an injection.  She's had us up since 2am, so it's back to the vet today for x-rays. It is breaking my heart to see her like this.  

Earlier this morning I was out in the great room with Mazie when I heard a fox bark.  Once you hear one you never forget it.  Normally, Mazie would have gone into protection mode and barked back, but this morning she didn't run over to the door and there wasn't a peep out of her.

I'll keep you posted.

Soon,

Lynn

A Sneak Peek

 Hello Everyone,

Here are just a few snippets of the project I've been diligently working on during all of our storms here in California.  The project includes 12 of the applique blocks.

I'm working with my Hearthstone fabric line, and I haven't tired of it yet.  In fact, I'm loving it more and more as I go.  I'm making 16 of this pieced block.  I finished block #8 yesterday.

Here are the blocks against the backdrop of Hearthstone bolts.

I'm making 8 of this applique block.

I set up an applique station in the great room so I could watch the playoff football games and applique the day away.  I need to find another sport now that football is over for the season.  I'm not a huge fan of basketball.  I wish the Winter Olympics were on so I could do some Olympic-type applique!

Before all of the rains began, we did have a bit of snow.  The shoveling was very doable as the snow was very fluffy and we just had to push it out of the way. We probably could have used the leaf blower as it was so powdery.

The picture doesn't do this scene justice.  It looked like thousands of diamonds were falling out of the trees and glistening in the sun.

We stay comfy and cozy in our cabin in the woods.

While all of this quilting is going on, I also worked on two new fabric lines and submitted them to Marcus Fabrics.  I'm working on fabric line #3 now.  It takes sooooo long to bring a fabric collection to life!  I'm having a Zoom meeting with the graphic designer and Marcus management next week to discuss my submissions and maybe I'll get some sort of timeframe for their release.  

I always set the Zoom call up in my quilting room and change out the quilt behind me.  I really need to tidy up my room so I can show them the entire setting.  We'll see about that!

Soon,

Lynn 

Applique in the Snow

Hello Everyone,

Another snowstorm rolled through the other day. I set up my workstation in the dining room so I could watch the snow and work on my applique at the same time.  

I love the applique process, the old-fashioned process using the starch method of applique.  I set up my Ott light as the cabin was dark in the middle of the day due to the storm.  At 3pm, I stopped for our afternoon hot cocoa break.  Was there a splash of Bailley's in it?  I'll let you decide.

 

I have a new tool which I used to apply the starch to the freezer paper which I really love. It is called the Aqua Touch Marker.  It is available HERE at The Quilt Show. The tool comes in a set of 3 applicators, so you have 3 sizes of tips to choose from. You can be surgical where you apply the starch, and it doesn't 'drip' on your workspace.  It can be a bit tricky to fill them with the starch, but once that's done, you are good to go for a long time.

 

I've been wanting to create a new project to incorporate applique using my Hearthstone fabric.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be creating different bouquets of flowers during each of the next snowstorms.  Rain is in our forecast for tonight and all day tomorrow......I guess I'll have to work on my piecing and my next fabric line.

Soon,

Lynn

The Bolts Have Arrived!

Hello Everyone,

It was a banner day when my bolts of Hearthstone arrived from Marcus Fabrics!

Of course, I had to do a couple of photoshoots before I started cutting into it.  I actually don't think I can cut any fabric off the bolts!  Maybe I'll just leave it as a design element at the cabin and periodically dust it off.

The boxes even brought a smile to Mazey's face!

On another note, I took a header when I was walking Mazey.  The leash, the road, and Mazey led to my downfall.  I'm so lucky I didn't break anything like both wrists that I used to break my fall.  My head and chin took the brunt of the impact.  I look like a bad impersonation of a KISS bandmember with the accumulation of bruising around, above and below my eye.  I can thank my neighbor, Bonnie for that quote!  Another friend suggested a cast member in the Rocky Horror Picture Show!  That's what friend are for, right?

Soon,

Lynn

 

Calico Cottages on Steroids

 Hello Everyone,

In between making pumpkins, I've been working on a large Calico Cottage quilt which has been on my design wall for a few weeks now.

Originally used a dark teal for the posts.

I went back and forth between plaid posts and teal posts.  Then I decided to audition a strip of plaid in the border between the red setting triangle and another border.  The plaid posts won.  When I looked at the overall look with the teal posts, all I saw was teal popping out at me.  The plaid is muted, and it tied the quilt together when I added a touch of it in the border.

All of the sudden the quilt transformed from a brighter quilt to an old-fashioned look and feel.....which I love.  My houses are all made, and most of the sashings, so it's time to stitch the rows together.  I will have to wait for my large fabric order of Hearthstone to arrive from Marcus Fabrics before I can put on the border.  Hopefully, my bolts and bolts will arrive by the end of July.  As soon as get the borders in place, I'm going to fill them with plate feathers. 

This is an example of the plate feathers that I quilted on Country Sunshine.  I LOVE these feathers; however, it requires my brain to really THINK while I'm quilting.  My long arm has a stitch regulator, but it is not computerized, so I have to drive it around the quilt to create this pattern. Sometimes when I drive, I end up in the gutter!

I can't wait to finish this quilt and put it on our log bed at the cabin.  That touch of plaid just tugs at my heartstrings.

Here is a picture of the house blocks that I was working on at the retreat in Lake Tahoe.  

By slowing pecking away at this quilt every day, it is now all coming together.  I prepare everything in the late afternoon that I want to work on the following day.  When I get up, I can go straight to my machine and get a few hours of quilting done before Mr. Joe starts to stir.  I get more done in those hours than I do for the rest of the day.

Breakdown those big projects into daily, doable amounts and before you know it, you have a quilt.

Soon,

Lynn

Retreating

 Hello Everyone,

I spent my week preparing a few quilting projects for a retreat that I'm attending this week with my guild members at Zephyr Point at beautiful Lake Tahoe. 

I've had an idea circulating through my brain about making pumpkins with my Hearthstone fabric line.  The first two pumpkins came to fruition.  I decided to incorporate Marcus Fabric wools with my cottons.  There will be either 9 or 12 pumpkins.  Mr. Joe suggested I name the quilt Rodent Resort as there will be little mice scampering around the quilt.  This name made me laugh and I'm afraid it's going to stick.  It's catchy if nothing else.

My main goal for the next 5 days is working on a queen-sized Calico Cottages quilt.  I have 10 blocks finished with their frames.  I made 10 more foundation pieced houses, and they are waiting for their frames.  I will need to make at least another 20 houses.

I need about a billion half-square triangles for the sashings.  I have a stack of them all set to go.

I filled project bags with everything cut and marked and then I'm ready to do some serious power sewing.

The worktable in my quilting room was decorated with parts and pieces of the quilt all week.  It all looked so pretty.  I placed an order for my Hearthstone fabric line with Marcus Fabrics this week.  Bolts and bolts will arrive in July and Mr. Joe is trying to figure out where I'm going to store it before I cut it all up into kits and fat quarters.

It was a busy weekend here in the mountains of Calaveras County.  It is the celebrated Jumping Frog contest in Angels Camp made famous by Mark Twain.  It is so famous it made it to a question on Jeopardy.  When I think of frogs, I think of motorcycles.  I do believe every motorcycle west of the Mississippi invaded our county and in particular my neighborhood.  Talk about rolling thunder!  The motorcycles travel in packs, and you can hear them coming from miles away. A group of questionable characters rented the VRBO cabin across the street from us.  Luckily for us, they were very quiet once they put their bikes to bed, so I guess they weren't that questionable.

The other night, after we came inside the cabin from our leisurely dinner on the deck, Mazey went into her full throttled anxiety-ridden bear bark.  Sure enough, there was a bear in our back yard.  This healthy-looking bear was completely unconcerned about Mazey and us. Mazey smells the bears before she can see them.....it's pretty amazing and we take her warning seriously.

The beautiful creature was so relaxed it just sat down!  Maybe it was doing what bears do in the woods?  Time for us to start carrying the airhorn on our neighborhood walks.

I'm leaving my computer home this week so I can get away from work, work, work.  I will only be posting on FB on my Sew'n Wild Oaks page and on Instagram from my phone.  I'll post a lot of pictures here when I return at the end of the week.

Happy quilting,

Lynn