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 Kits

 Hello Everyone,

I've been taking it easy after my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat.  There is still a lot of paperwork to finish up, and I'm taking my time. I listed some Stardance kits in my Etsy shop.  I have a lot more bolts of fabric so I can make more kits over the summer.

The kits are packaged in a versatile Sew'n Wild Oaks tote bag.  I've been told the bags are great to take when traveling by air as they hold a lot and will fit nicely under your seat.  The kits are available HERE.

There are 31 different fabrics in this scrappy quilt.  The bags are heavy as eighteen yards of fabric are in each kit.  The kits are a combination of my Hearthstone and Gentry's Mill fabric lines.

Today I will be finishing up the tutorial for Month #3 for Gentry's Mill.  I'm a bit behind since I was gone all last week enjoying myself at the retreat.

Bocce Ball is in full swing up here in the mountains.  Mr. Joe is the bocce organizer for his SIRS men's group.  Luckily, we women get to participate.  Maybe because we women supply the appetizers for the evening and we know those men like to eat!

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance

 Hello Everyone,

This is why you haven't heard a peep out of me lately.  I've been finishing up my latest design, making kits and writing the pattern for Stardance.  The pattern is available HERE in my Etsy shop.

Creating a pattern and preparing it for printing is a time-consuming process. My aim was to have this one completed before the kickoff of my very first Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat of 2025, which starts on April 27th—just one week away!  I'm getting excited to see 'my girls'!

I combined my new Gentry's Mill fabric line with my Hearthstone line to create this quilt. The center 'cameo' is from Gentry's Mill, and it is perfect to highlight it in the center of the block. I also loved putting the plaid from Hearthstone in the center. 

I also used the large floral in the center.

The components in the block are a square in a square, flying geese, double flying geese and half-square triangles.  I have detailed, FREE videos on The Quilt Show for each of these components.  Click HERE to access the videos.

The Courthouse Steps are a piece of cake to make. I incorporated the plaid in the final strip in all of the blocks.

The border is a bit different, and I like the way it frames the quilt.  I just made a Courthouse Steps block and cut it in half which then showcases the plaid running around the quilt.

I listened to several audio books while I cut, cut, cut to my heart's content! I also went through a lot of blades on my rotary cutter!

It took me four days to make kits for the retreat and to sell afterwards in my Etsy shop.  The kits contain 31 different fabrics, and there are 18 yards in each of the kits.  My sewing room was overflowing with bolts and bolts of fabric! Those 18 yards of fabric are nicely tucked in a Sew'n Wild Oaks tote bag.  

After the retreat, I will put Stardance under the needle of my long arm.  I knew I wouldn't have time to machine quilt it prior to the retreat without killing myself.  I know how I'm going to quilt it, and it will be nice to not be under a lot of pressure to get this one done.  Also, the weather is warming up and I won't have to wear my snow gear while I'm quilting out in the garage.  I will work on it for just a few hours a day and before I know it, Stardance will be a complete wrap!

Soon,

Lynn

Snow'n Wild Oaks

 Hello Everyone,

Yesterday I changed the name of my company to Snow'n Wild Oaks instead of Sew'n Wild Oaks.  I worked in the dining room on Stardance, my newest design incorporating my Hearthstone fabric line with Gentry's Mill. 

It was like being in a snow globe and I kept getting distracted while looking outside. It seems as though I either need to start making smaller quilts or buy a larger table!  I was measuring and squaring up the quilt and cutting border fabric.  It is so much easier to have the quilt on the table instead of crawling around on the floor.  I can get down on the floor okay, it's the getting back up that becomes an issue.  Also, when I'm down on the floor, Mazey thinks it's playtime.

We were going out every two hours to push the snow shovel around on the driveway to keep it open.  It also helps to clear the snow away, so it doesn't turn into the famous Sierra Cement. The berm created by the snowplow freezes solid, and then the shoveling and snow blowing becomes hard work.

The flowering plum tree was buried under a white blanket.  I was so afraid the branches would break, so I shook off some of the snow and soon buried myself!  I said a little wish for Spring by the wishing well.

Big flakes fell for most of the day.

My mountain friend Sue sent me this cartoon yesterday.  The saying up here in the mountains is that Winter isn't over until there's snow on the dogwood.  Our dogwood isn't blossoming yet, so I'm not sure if Winter is over or not.

It's Spring break for a lot of schools here in Northern California, and our grandson and a friend are driving up to stay with us for a few days.  I think my food bill just quadrupled with two strapping teenage boys in the cabin.  But now we will have four extra hands to wrap around the handle of a snow shovel!

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance Is Almost a Wrap

 Hello Everyone,

It' has been a whirlwind of fun activities over the past few days. Between all of the fun, I was able to get Stardance together.  I have to get this finished before my retreat at the end of April.

We headed down out of the mountains to the SF Bay Area to watch our grandson play in a high school lacrosse game Friday night.  Kade is #6.

We were the Home team and the score says it all.

The next day was our eldest son's 50th birthday party. (You know I was only 6 years old when he was born) 😉 

Just look at my hair!  It kept getting shorter with each child, it's a wonder I wasn't bald after the 3rd baby in 4 years.  What were we thinking?  I always called it 'sperm of the moment'!

Chuck has been an avid Alabama fan since he was a teenager, so we were all dressed as fans. Two years ago, he and his family flew back to Alabama to watch a game in person......one of those bucket list things.

Our son has kept in touch with many of his pre-school, elementary school, high school, and college friends who attended the party.  Our daughter was the 'little sister' to his good friends Cory and Tyler.  Secretly she had a high school crush on them and was delighted to finally be considered old enough to hang out with the 'boys' and not be teased to death. Our daughter's name is Caren, and she was always referred to as Care Bear by her brother's friends. 

Time goes by so quickly.  It seems as though it was such a short time ago that we were hugging a little baby and now we are looking up to a man.  Where have the 50 years gone?

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance Update

Hello Everyone,

In between working on paperwork, and shipping Gentry's Mill BOM patterns, I've been working on Stardance.  This is one of my favorite blocks. 

The blocks are all made, and the pattern writing is coming along nicely.  As time permits, I disappear into my sewing room, even if only an hour or two, and I work on this quilt.  The little white notes are the block numbers.  There are 10 different colorways of the star blocks, and the courthouse steps blocks. 

It's a crisp 32 degrees this morning and the snow on the ground is now an ice-skating rink.  We really have to watch our step when we venture outside.

We are preparing for the biggest snowstorm of the season arriving next week.  We have to make sure all of the 5-gallon propane are full so we can keep the generator running just in case we lose power.  We have a freezer full of food, but we need to get to the store to stock up on fruit and vegetables.....and coffee beans!  I can't do without my morning latte!  We need to bring firewood down to the cabin and stack it on the front porch, so we don't have to venture out too often.  We know the drill to get ready for a storm.

Originally, Weather Underground said we were going to get 18" of snow next Wednesday......now it's down to 9".  It could change over the next few days.

You can bet that I'll be in my sewing room, quilting up a storm. 

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance Update

Hello Everyone,

We've had the perfect weather for quilting, rainy, windy, and cozy. This is the best weather to sequester myself away in my quilting room and work on Stardance.

The Courthouse Steps blocks go together much quicker than the star blocks.  I can make four of them at a time in no time at all.

I've been ordering bolts and bolts of fabric to make kits for this design.  I can't start cutting until I finish making the quilt, so until then, the bolts will stack up.

While I'm making the blocks and putting them on my design wall, I'm always thinking about how I'm going to machine quilt it. I think I have this one figured out, but as soon as I load it on my long arm, I will most likely change my mine.  My prerogative....right?

I can just picture this quilt on our bed at the cabin.  It's going to be perfect looking at the star blocks dance around the quilt!

My Sew'n Wild Oaks retreats are filling nicely.  My email inbox exploded after Barbara Black announced that she is going to attend my November retreat. All of the retreats are fun, but the November retreat will be very special as Carrie Quinn, a designer for Marcus Fabrics, as well as Barbara Black will be in attendance.  

I'm sure the November retreat will fill to overflowing.  I still have a few openings in my April and August retreats.  I can still help you with Laurel Ridge during those retreats should you not make it into the November retreat.

Happy quilting!

Soon,

Lynn

 

Stardance Update

 Hello Everyone,

I have so many fun things planned for the day that it's hard to decide what to do next.  I've been playing around with Stardance in EQ8.  This is what I decided on yesterday.....that could change today.....but I'm really liking this look of the well-defined star blocks dancing around the quilt.

This is what the design looked like before I started to play.  The blocks were cut off and I think they looked incomplete.  To remedy that, I made half-blocks to put in the border.

I keep adding to my little pile of blocks.  I try to quilt every day even it's for only a half hour.  All of that time adds up to a finished quilt.

In addition to quilting, Mr. Joe and I have been stuffing patterns for Gentry's Mill.  The orders are rolling in and the patterns will be rolling out.  The first order is shipping to Australia tomorrow.  Maybe I can pack myself up and deliver them in person.  Now that would be fun!

Every time I do a BOM, the dining room is turned into a shipping dock.  I find myself apologizing for the mess, but it's a wonderful mess and one I can live with. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and have a lot of fun projects to keep you busy, energized and engaged.

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