I’m finally feeling caught up with all of my after-market work.
Notice I said “feeling,” not that I am…
I want to show you my new patterns!
I’m excited to have 3 new patterns that I enjoyed making
& I know you’ll love them too!
I’m going to warn you,
this post is image heavy!!!
I love taking pics of my progress not only to mark what I’ve done,
but also as a great retrospect.
Meet Dresden Feathered Stars:
It all started way back when the total solar eclipse was happening in August of 2017.
Do you remember that day?
Clare, Nemo, Mabel & I spent the day mesmerized by the changing light.
It’s also when I started cutting fabrics for a new design for a
Feathered Star block
that would accommodate my Tiny Dresden plate.
Designing was fun.
I had to be sure it would all fit together.
I’m reminded of a book about the Wright Brothers that I read over & over in grade school.
I read it aloud to my mom while she cooked.
The boys’ mother made clothing from her own patterns.
She always made the garment out of paper first.
She would say “If you get it right on paper,
then it will be right when you make it.”
I don’t know why that stuck with me all these years, but it did.
I wish I could find that book.
The past few years I’ve bought & checked out of libraries
every version of “The Wright Brothers”
that I could find, but so far I’ve not found that exact book.
Anyway, getting it right
& making notes along the way
helped me to realize the process.
It also helped to remember the exact steps
to make a perfect feathered star block.
I had several Tiny Dresden plates hanging around to audition for the role…
but that really wasn’t the task at hand.
I enjoyed the process
& the results were such that I had to make more.
making more & more notes as I went along.
Soon feathered star block #2 was complete!
Next I cut for block #3.
I added labels, notes & illustrations to make the next block even easier!
Soon I had the instructions written to help with assembly of the next block.
By then my book,
Dresden Quilt Workshop
was released & my time & attention was taken elsewhere…
Eventually I came back to finish feathered star block #3.
It was considerably easier with the instructions that I had written.
Soon block #4 was complete!
That’s when Dresden Quilt Workshop Sampler was born & I couldn’t stop myself!
That lead into getting ready for fall market
& all the prep involved with promoting a brand new book with C&T.
Dresden Feathered Stars got put on the waaaaay back burner…..
Then this past winter Susanna’s Scraps by Betsy Chutchian became available.
I ordered sample yardage.
In my prep work with that collection
I decided the border print looked great with the Moda pinks in my stash.
& that’s when it hit me that my feathered star blocks would look great with this border print!
But then what?
The pinks from other collections looked great, but they needed something else.
That something else was GREEN!
So I set to work with my instructions
that I had written more than a year before
& my green stash!
Soon I was set to sew!
An estate sale had produced this awesome green box perfect for organizing my cutting table.
So, green stars evolved.
They looked great with the pink stars!
Nemo kept me on task snow & all.
Points were just falling together!
Soon I had stars ready for the beautiful border print.
Oddly enough when I got ready for the Tiny Dresden plates,
I realized the plates that were hanging out in my sewing atelier
were perfect!!!
How crazy is that?
So I set to the fun task of appliqueing them to the centers of the feathered star blocks.
But now what?
Too dark…
Too…
So much too, that I had to set them aside & let them percolate.
In the meantime I made a baby quilt for a cousin’s new baby.
In case you don’t recognize it, it’s my “Name That Quilt” baby quilt book.
It has really saved me in times that I need a baby gift!!!
Soon I was back to the feathered stars…
I finally decided on the perfect fabric for the
Mini Dresden plate intersecting plates & sashing too.
Soon the quilt design was complete!
Next was to get it professionally quilted by Tamara,
then photographed by Scott.
Nemo was of course on hand to offer his support!
Sadly this was Nemo’s last photo shoot.
We had to have him put to sleep this week.
We had 13 years together with this sweet collie
& I already miss him!
Many of my work days were made sweeter with his company.
But life goes on & more quilts will be made.
Dresden Feathered Stars,
full of illustrations & notes
will help you make perfect Feathered Stars,
& my hope is that you enjoy the process as much as I did!
They’re available on my website.
Just Keep Sewing…
Susan
Quilting my way through life! 