Twinkle! Twinkle! Wonky Stars

Brrrrrrrr!  A little cold outside, thank you to Susie that she got in early and had the heat turned up.

Clear roads helped us have a good turnout, and so many machines.

While everyone was setting up, one of the coffee goers next door came over to see how we were doing and invite us to partake of their coffee pot if we needed to.

Thank you Leila for always having the pot ready for us.

And Lisa - we brought cream for you.  Hope you can make it next time.

Susie brought in her light box - Juanita is getting closer to having all of her twilling blocks done for the Piotique Quilters Guild BOM.

Sometimes you just have to lay them all out to make sure where you are.

The rest of us got set up, caught up, and ready to go...........

Carol gave the project for this month.......wonky stars.

She had lots of examples of possibilities.

The part that really drew me in - no rules or exacts.

These are wonky stars, if a leg is too short, too wide, too long, too narrow - it's all in the stars.  And the fabric positionings are up to you.

Couple of hints, close up looks.......

questions here and there

examples of what Carol has been doing with her 2 1/2" squares

Sara even sent in some samples using 5" charm blocks.

Carol brought in parts of the 9 patch in the 5" size, all done and ready for us to mix and match areas to see how different looks could be obtained.

Centers, colors, fabric placement - so many ideas.

And then we were off.  Here is one completed

and another

and another

yep - another

and another idea.  Yikes!  So many ways.

If you missed Carol's lesson, you can click here or here to see how you can do your own Wonky Star.

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

After lunch, YEAH!!!!  Show 'n Tell

Susie took on the job of quilting and binding the quilt that Carol had brought in from the gentleman who wanted his mother's (or grandmother's, sorry forgot which one) quilt finished.

He did not want it washed, so if you see a couple of little stains - his wishes.

Click on the pictures and see them enlarged for a better view.

Susie put in over 25 hours on the quilting.

trying not to cross over the cross stitch

and putting in feathers where there were open spaces.

Vevia brought in 10 MacGyvering bags - we have quite a few of our Morganville friends that belong to PQG, but where not able to attend January's meeting.  So this was a great time to have a short tell and pass out to give them an idea of what happened.

Deb made sure she showed us the lovely label she had made for her quilt.  Remember when Marsha D. came to the PQG in Clay Center and we all got the chance to shop?  Well Deb got a CD with labels and this is from that.

The front of the quilt is the blocks made from her mother's fabric - the ones that each of us taught a month.  Great quilt Deb.

Machelle brought in her top of the kind of whacky stars she has made from a stack and whack type of project.

After Show 'n Tell, Machelle got with Susie to discuss the new ruler she got that has so many ways to do paper piecing.  Whether with hexies, diamonds, triangles or what.

Deb went back to her strip quilt......does it look to you like she needs more room?  hahaha

Lorraine worked on ideas of how to go about her new project.

We are all helpful with giving ideas to everyone.

Janet had a little bit of trouble with her featherweight.  Susie was telling us that the man in Ok. that works on featherweights, said that some are really fussy about weight of thread in top and matching it for the bobbin.  Needles - everyone knows how that can mess up your stitches.  Between Marc and Susie, we are fortunate that most difficulties can be resolved right here, with a pie of course - right Marc?

Machelle's sister had turned over to Machelle this darling yo-yo doll started by her mom.  Since Deb has made so many of those yo-yo dogs and such - getting pointers was a must.

We all agree with Deb.......Put this one up on a shelf for the memory and make another for the little girl that is interested in having one.  The ladies talked about different ways to join the yo-yo's and safety ideas.

Thank you Carol for such a great job and fun block.

Looking forward to seeing what we all make from them.  hahahaha

Susie even talked about maybe just a border on a quilt.

Have fun everyone and see you in March

God willing and the Creek's don't rise and nothing bigger than a chipmunk happens.

Yeah! To a great start to a great YEAR!!!!!

Let's give three cheers to Susie!  She came extra early to turn up the heat and get things laid out so that we would have a wonderful day - and we did.

Susie showed us the ironing "mats" that Jeanette K.'s (Piotique Quilters Quild member) husband made for the November Hexie program Susie put on in Clay Center.  She gave out quite a few as door prizes then, but had a few left to make it easier for us to press during her demo.

As the ladies came in and got set up, Susie chatted with them showing them what was ahead.

Okay Esther - Teacher's Pet or what?  hahahaha  Bless Bruce, he brought Esther and Donnis in, along with Esther's special chair so she could attend our meeting.  Darn the cold and darn bad backs.

Susie brought in several examples of patterns,

books, materials available for those interested in making hexies.

Capstone Quilt Shop in Pryor, Ok. is one of Susie's favorite shops to go to.  (100 fusibles for $7) You can check them out here.  Susie said you can call her at (918) 824-1990 and she will mail out what you need.  Stable Stuff goes through your printer - Ricky Tim's product.

While I was looking up the stores phone number, I came up with this blog from the hugs n kisses pattern above.  More hexie and EPP ideas.

The Hexie Quilt Book that Susie brought had a pattern for a great quilt.

Susie made her own version - little smaller.  She put Yo-Yo's on it in lieu of the smaller hexies shown in the book.

All done by machine, except yo-yo's hand sewn on.

Back

More ideas in the book.

To make our own hexie block, Susie had kits.  We stared out with a 14" circle that we folded in half, and then in half again.  Centered a hexie batting and folded.....

Susie showed us how to make the smaller (1 1/2") hexie to cover where all the ends came together.

Remember, you can get your own templates on line at various places, click here for one of them.

Here is Esther's all done.  Wow was she fast.

Some of the rest of us, well we yak and look while we are working.  hahaha

But before long, quite a few were done and ready to be used single-ly or the start of a larger quilt.

Then Susie had one more kit for us to work on.  This Grandmother's Flower Garden hexie was done using fusible hexies and 2 ply freezer paper hexie templates, starch pens and glue.  Check out the fussy cut rose and the way that Susie is joining the outside, then putting in the middle.

Remember you can get the artist pens at Joann's for your starch.

Quilters Moonshine:  4 cups distilled water + 1/4 cup Sta-Flo liquid starch + 1/4 cup "cheap" Vodka.

Makes a lot, so go in with friends to make up a batch.

The glue Susie has found that she really likes is the Apliquick brand.  You can get it at All About Quilts in Manhattan, or have Sheila at Sew Country order it for you.  Check out on line all the Apliquick tools available.

Susie was especially interested in the glue sticks when she worked on the smallest hexie she thought she would enjoy 3/8".

See how precious they came out.  Did Susie say if she was going to do a queen size this way?  hahahaha  Don't think so.

So many ways to do Hexie's.  And the more ways you learn, the more choices you have when you want to add some to a project you are working on.

This one still has the templates in back.  Some are plastic, some made from political mail outs using a punch.

There are so many twists and turns to hexies.  Here, Susie used strips sewn together and then hexies cut from them to make up the pattern shown here.

Susie is not quite done with this quilt.  Look at all the sections she has finished so far.  Looking forward to seeing this some day.

After Susie's demo, everyone got busy trying out the various ways.  What do you think of Esther's portable work table?  Sure helped out.

We had 13 Friends gathered for the day.   Lisa was working on her wool project - this is going to be a beauty when done.

Carol talked over different ways to add a hanger/sleeve to the back of her Wonky Houses wall hanging.

Frances had used the "one stitch" style of tabs on the back of the Clay Center Guilds 2016 Opportunity quilt, so she had some good pointers for Carol.

Juanita had a goal - get those blocks up and figure out how you want to set them together.

This is what she had.

Maybe?

Or?

Could be?

Frances had her foot to the pedal on her project.

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

After Lunch was Show 'n Tell.

Grandchildren get bigger and bigger, so Deb had to come up with a larger size of bib.  Now the mom's want more - for painting and such.  Looking forward to seeing how Deb meets all those requests.

Donnis made this gorgeous table runner out of 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" scraps and 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" background squares.  Don't you just love patterns that create a second look.  And Donnis, you do a great job at quilting.

Hayley was home from college and we got to share some of her time.  Not only did she work on hexie's, she also worked on these stars......two sizes.

Lisa "almost" finished this runner - look at all the carrot noses.  Hurry Lisa, it is gorgeous.

Janet finished this disappearing 9-patch.  And believe it or not.......

That's the same pattern that Frances was working on.  This is a pattern that you may get tired of (right Frances), but it gives you so many different looks - colors, lay outs, etc.

A gentleman had asked Carol if she knew someone that could quilt this top of his mother's.  So Carol brought it in to have Susie look it over.

Look at the detail in this pattern of "x" embroidery.  Wow and double wow.  Remember, click on any picture to have it come in larger so you can see it a little better.

Machelle made double hot pads for her Christmas presents.  She even fussy cut the backs.  Machelle wanted to know who said you had to give 2?  hahahahaha  This pattern takes extra fabric, but is so easy to do.

Susie brought in some hexie quilts for show and tell.  She had gotten this top at a sale and quilted it up.  Now to put the binding on.  Susie said she may never make a whole Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, so she was very excited to get this one to finish.

The fabrics, the small diamonds and triangles that separate the flowers - so much work.  And Susie's quilting holds the older fabrics in place while looking perfect.

Susie made this quilt - in the Quilt as you go style.

And embellished it with doilies she had collected.

This quilt is Susie's take on a Modern style.  She quilted the whole cloth and then added on the hexies with twilling, the large doily and the smaller hexies.

Great look and great work.  Make sure you get a good look at the quilting pattern also.

Lorraine finished her runner in time for Christmas and it is lovely.    Congrats Lorraine.

Esther has the middle almost done on her medallion quilt.  Lovely work.

Next month Carol will be showing us how to do these "Wonky Star" Blocks.  You can read at the top what you need to bring to make your own Wonky.  What fun not to have to be precise and to whittle down the scrap box.  Whether you make one or oodles.  Looking forward to your demo Carol.   Thank you.

When Bruce came to pick up the ladies, he got a chance to check out all the critters and such that are in Carol's neighborhood of houses.

Juanita practiced with her Apliquick tools to get these flowers going for a runner she wants to make.

Check out what she is holding.  Vevia will be demonstrating this method of applique in March.

Yeah!  Machelle finished her second hexie flower.  Sorry it is hard to see in front of her cute sweat shirt.

AND THIS IS THE WAY THAT JUANITA WILL BE PUTTING TOGETHER HER BLOCKS!

Final picture.  Once she gets the blocks sewn together - then she will decide on the framing.

Wide, narrow, black, blue, piping..............the sky is the limit.  What fun we all have ahead - if she brings it back for our input.  Please, please, please Juanita.  hahahahaha

Have a pleasant start to 2017, see you next month if not before.