STAR RISE IS DONE!!

                                                                TAAAA-DAAAA
                                                             Star Rise is finished!!
(Notes )
I used that leftover children's castle print that was so popular a few years ago 
(I asked myself at the time:"Now, why did you buy this??--you'll NEVER use it!"
and it ended up Waaay in the back of my blue stash)--

and  here, (amazing myself) I end up just LOVING how the people are all standing around the  edges --watching the stars rise....;))) SWEET!!

I guess you just never know, and have to go with your gut....

                                               

the backing is just a couple of old, old fabrics...softened by time...

And, I ended up by tying this one..............................

**



**
with a light blue 
DMC cotton
No. 8 , a lovely
thread...





**and I am happy I put in these "Love" strips for contrast...

just a couple...
















And so my Star Rise journey is over--even labelled it....;))) 

Would I make this one again?  
(Actually I do have a few leftover blocks that will become something)

Well, I certainly would make another string quilt--whether or not this pattern,
maybe not, although it was a challenge and fun!!

I truly enjoy this kind of work...I didn't use any batting as the blocks were all
sewn on light muslin....so it is not too heavy...

I am having a celebratory drinkie and patting myself on the back--
("and another one bites the dust..." yeah, yeah, yeah!!) 

hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse, (done-euse)

SUNDAY'S WIPS

I put "Blue Moon" up on my design wall as it uses 1.5" strips and thought that it, along with my new project over at Diane's ,

 (her beautiful and well thought out pattern for her star sew- a- long also uses strips-- but 2.5" ones--who knows how one's mind works, but there it is!--;))) --go and check it out--just really cleverly worked out!!) would be good to sew using the leader-ender method...
Uhhh, do you get what I meant--both strip works??? Anyhoo.....;*)))

Here is the Blue Moon fabric that sparked my whole idea for using all sorts of blues and teals in close color families for the bands...(a lot of older stash in this one) .

I also, it seems, began another colorway--if I recall-- to use up my H U G E pink stash that I never seem to use...

So here, pinks and purples...with a bit of light blue thrown in and whites...
I have no idea where this is going (either I've forgotten, or never really knew in the first place...which may be more likely considering how I seem to work LOL).

***************************************************
AND...Butterflies Are Free has reached this point:

I finished up appliqueing those golden leaf-ey circles...I am happy with them...
and so...now what?? 

Am thinking maybe a little flange all around of what's left of that
circle fabric...and then the low key strips I have already cut...

But then, of course, someone mentioned that flowers go with butterflies--should I do a flower-ey border too??  

Decisions, decisions--borders, of all kinds, I guess, are difficult for me to figure out--
But,at least if you don't like how they look, you can un-pick (gasp!!) them fairly easily....
so that is where this one waits....fluttering....

*************************************

Sewed the binding onto Star Rise--finally!!;000-- yesterday, despite the fact that I am a bit under the weather--both the DH and I seem to be feeling like we have some kind of stomach bug...I was determined to get this one done...I folded it in half and over after sewing it on,,,haven't done that in a while, but I like how it came out...

the binding is a big array of scrappy binding bits--all
in blues that I had in the leftover
bindings bin...
So, that worked out well...





***************************************

I will leave you with my latest flower in bloom, my glads...

I have a yellow just budding and another
shade of this yummy apricot...

I cut this one about 4 days ago and it is still 
ok inside...do you put sugar in your flower water?
I do and it seems to work well...





I hope you are enjoying your Sunday--it is a beautiful Fall-like day here--cool breezes
and sunshine...ahhhhh
Hugs, Julierose, La blageuse (binding-euse)

STILL HERE

I've been "coining" off and on for the past week...just sewing my bits and pieces of
leftovers into strips in three colorways.. the above is the purple-ey one and...

Here is the garden themed one...a lot of my favorite fabrics from my Georgie Peorgie quilt are in this one...and......

this merlot group...with sparks of golds....

I really have no idea where this effort is going to end up...just that it will be one to
three little improv pieces...all using scraps...and no ruler for cutting ...so very
wonkified...;))))

Here's my working stash:

Nice mess that it is...
AND:

We had a family celebration of Steven's High School Graduation at my daughter's
and really enjoyed seeing everyone....

Willa 











and

                                      FIONA are getting so big--Fi goes to kindergarten this Fall
quite a span of years in my grandchildren's ages....

Here are the two girls with their cousin Cassidy who will be a high school junior this year and is working to get her driver's license...(yikes, I AM olde!!)

Her are  (L to R) Pat, Steven's other grandmother, Steven himself and his younger twin brother Connor...all of us were able to eat outside and had a fabulous meal compliments of my daughter, Candice...

Such a wonderful hostess ...

The grand finale...YUMMY!!

*********************************************************
Star Rise is a flimsey!! 

Love how this one came together....
it is now resting until I get up enough energy to find a backing and to tie it...

And so, I will leave you again for a bit as we remain in "waiting mode" here....

Hugs and thanks to all of you who left encouraging and warm comments....
much appreciated....
Julierose, La Blageuse  

WHAAA???

Now..... I really have no idea what I am doing...; 
just know that I want those four star blocks, 
and coins and strips....

and I have only limited amounts of some fabrics--so making do....

Here's the other side of what is on the wall...yikes....total disarray....
(this looks like the day : feels hot --is that what is propelling me this hot,
 humid weather with all that R E D ????and my peonies peeking out? (Which
by the way is the very limited fabric!) 

I sewed 3" blocks together and then free cut them in half =/- or so
and
These are the first strips...that emerged (above)
...sewn to that mottle-y fabric...

and these, the second group (above)...sewn to the limited strip fabric--
(I had used this fabric mostly up in "Georgie Peorgie"  which is now in our back 'throne' room ;)))) lol)

I like this smaller strip set better..so I have two more set up  for tomorrow's edification/
or not!! ;(((

Here they are next to
Helga
awaiting
their fate......

Another colorway
from two of the other
stars....

Here is the mess that hopefully turn into something?
So, this is my start....such as it is....

I feel like the little girl in "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" (by Stephen King)
LOST in the deep dark woods, feeling my way ....seeing all manner of strange things...
Feeling like my brain is on overdrive even when I'm doing something else, it is churning
away at this....

;0000 stay tuned.....

****************************************************
And, just to keep my head  from going totally wack-o, 
I sewed two plain, straight rows on my Star Rise--and now,
it looks so different to me--very regularly spaced (even though it has its moments of off centeredness)...

Could it be the 90 degrees and 71% dewpoint working its hoo-doo
on me??

Hugs from the AC --thank heavens....
Julierose, La Blageuse (improv-ing-euse)

IRIS IN THE RAIN, et al

                                                            ISN'T SHE LOVELY?

this iris has three to four buds and as this one fades another one will bloom...
this beauty  also smells like grapes...amazing...

 My son and daughter-in-law gifted me with this lovely geranium for my birthday/Mother's Day...

It sits on my front steps....such a pretty color in these Ivy geraniums...
****************************************************************

Now, something feels wrong to me about this piece....It would be (in this form)
about 60 x 60 and                  
is a whole lot of blue and white...AND............
it has just begun  to not "feel right" to me....

Star Rise is lifting over my front garden (in my mind anyway)--and so I feel that I need
a garden of some sort at the bottom...I need to move it  around and see how I can add
deep, dark greens to indicate the garden areas...and what form they should take...

Why can I never seem to just follow a picture/pattern as is?  I don't know why...really...
after staring at this for many days now, it just doesn't "do it" for me--
as lovely as this pattern is...for me, it needs ..............

something a "je ne sais quois" bit...something more....

Here is the bottom section...uhhh....the same as the top...so I am in the throes of
changing it all up...to what and how it will turn out, I have no idea--well, a few, but they are really just amorphous right now--just a glimmer of an idea...

And so, on this very cool Tuesday, while I am pinning the 2nd "I Spy" quilt on my dining room table, my mind is imagining blocks....imagining in green,....
Hugs,
Julierose, La Blageuse (in wondering-euse)

STAR RISE EXPANSION +

These will be the 2nd row of stars..closer to the earth --
rising over the flowers in my garden...

DAWN sent me the blue/yellow and blue/green florals and I just love how they lighten up the lower
stars...thank you Dawn so much--;))))

Does this ever happen to you???
When I first saw them I thought: now how will these fit into my "Scheme"...but dipping into my blue scraps basket this afternoon I thought  AHA--lower=closer to the earth--stars rising over my garden flowers...and off I went....

Here's a closer look at those lovelies....nice old-fashioned florals--they hold a special place in my heart....

They stand out just enough....almost as if the moon is shining on them...

[And (I've just realized) that this will be a H U G E piece--
I should have started with smaller squares than 6" ones--
but so it goes...]

I am so comfortable and relaxed while making this type of quilt...and I love how when I put the blocks up on the wall there are surprises; and  how they change the whole piece...I haven't really re-arranged anything..just going with the flow...

All my favorite things: ocean waves breaking, trees, blue roses, garden pots, 
snowflakes,,,,
and that's just the blues....

I spent some time cutting more muslin squares for tomorrow's work;
 I have been doing two at a time using one as a leader-ender 
for the other...not really thinking hard about choosing what lies 
next to what--as long as it is different from what is already on the block--
so no repeats within each block...
What a free-for-all...very liberating...;)))
****************************************
A N  D....
Look who came to visit for my birthday and Mother's Day:

My 3-year old Willa with her Dad on Saturday..(need I point out that she always
gets chocolate from Grand-mere? hahaha) 

My daughter-in-law stayed home with Fiona and their dog, Kota 
(who is recuperating from an ACL operation poor baby doggie..), 
pretty tough...
so Mom and Dad have to split their times away from home as Kota 
cannot be left alone as yet...

We did a lot of this:  "See my dancing moves, Grand-mere"
and this, too

My little perpetual motion machine...love her....
She's getting so big so fast...time sure flies by....one going to college in the Fall 
and one 3 yr old--what a lucky Grand-mere I am ....

Hugs,
Julierose, La Blageuse (making stars-euse)

SCRAPPY STAR RISE

                                                  SCRAPPY STAR RISE SO FAR.....
                                             This definitely will be a long-term adventure....

I am building this one on 6" muslin squares and totally enjoying
string sewing once again....(and I will not be putting any other batting between front and back--)

I am using all small strings and triangles and bits and bobs to fill
the bill for these in deep dark blues and pale white/blue/pinks.
AND............

here are my baskets of culled pieces I've been pawing through....

Set to the right of my sewing machine and near my makeshift ironing spot....

                                and I am still plugging away by hand on these every evening....
I have 7 done--five to go....

I can finish about 1/3rd to 1/2 of a circle each evening depending on the state of
my wrist/thumb issues; but, I am totally enjoying this big stitching....

Hugs, Julierose, 
La Blageuse (stripping-euse) lol ;)))

OASIS IN THE RAIN ET AL

Oasis is a flimsy; it no longer fits on my design wall with Star Rise..so
my "helper" is holding it for me...(measuring 41" wide and 49"+/- long).

It is resting on my dining table right now until I decide whether or not to border it and what to use for the backing...

This morning I finally found an ironing board--just an inexpensive,
 plain, old simple, but metal--
(you know my track record with plastic lol) board from Target.

("Tar-zhay" as Mom always called it ). 

Here is my very favorite  block (they are all nice patterns, but I love this trailing flower viney thing):

I think it is a succulent [something "beads??]--yummy anyway....

And on the Dresden front:

I have hand quilted the first one...using white regular quilting thread for the spokes and perle cotton (Valdani) for the background...

I will need to add more of the perle cotton quilting, but am waiting until I square up all the blocks; for now, three rows of echo quilting...
This is my evening tv project...

And Star Rise is coming along (pray tell, and how did I end up working on
THREE quilts all at the same time?? I think they got together and snuck up on me lol);000

Here is my working area to the right of my machine...

All these strips are leftovers {and a lovely selection from Dawn--thanks hon
;))) }
Here are some of my favorites...

Those Winter-ey branches with silver sparks, clouds, and stylized flowers--
AND

the Asian waves, deep blue roses and batik leaf shadows....

I am trying to take it slowly and enjoy these processes...
Hugs from "mizzling" CT
Julierose, La Blageuse (triple playing-euse)