Seeing Stars Sew Along Step 4

Step 4

6’’ pinwheel block

Block as it appears in the quilt.

Cutting:

Background fabric- cut 4 squares 3 ½’’ x 3 ½’’

Other fabric- cut 4 squares 3 ½’’ x 3 ½’’

Make 4.

Make the HST:

Layer the background and other fabric right sides together. 

Sew on the diagonal from corner to corner.

Trim away one side leaving a 1/4’’ seam allowance.

Press the seams away from the background fabric. 

Trim to 3 1/2'' x 3 1/2'' as needed. Make 4 HST.

(Or use your favorite method for making HST.)

Sewing:

Arrange the four 3 ½’’ x 3 ½’’ HST units as shown in a four patch.

Sew two units together into pairs. Press the seams.

Sew the pairs together into a 4 patch. Pinwheel press the seams.

Make 1 block for each panel.

Options:

Turn the HST units different directions to make a diamond or a four patch.

Make only two HST units and sew them to background squares.

Get creative and try using scraps from previous steps.

Please post a photo of your blocks to the group Facebook page (link) and tag it with #seeingstarssewalong and #butterflythreadsquilting

or send a photo to me at

Butterflythreadsquilting (at) gmail.com and I will post it for you!

Go here for a printable version of Sew Along Intro Information

Go here for a printable version of Step 1 

Go here for a printable version of Step 2 
Go here for a printable version of Step 3
Go here for a printable version of Step 4

Enjoy every stitch!
Diane

Sale, Giveaway, Update, Etc.

Happy Cyber Monday friends! The sale continues through today as well as the giveaway, see the previous post for details.

Don't forget to finish up Step 3 before Thursday when Step 4 will be released! I'm loving all the progress each of you are sharing on social media. Thanks for playing along!

I'm so thankful my family was together at home for Thanksgiving and I hope that you and your families are safe and warm wherever you are!

The Tiny Stitches Holiday Staff party was last night and we sure had fun celebrating our friendships and exchanging handmade gifts. I made a year's worth of tea towels for Jan.

Millie made some super cute kitchen accessories for me.

Maetha and Henry (shop owners) gifted us all with beautiful hand made bracelets from a local north Georgia craftsman. I absolutely LOVE it!

Happy December friends!
Diane

Happy Thanksgiving and a Sale!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I hope all of you are finding lots to be thankful for today.

To celebrate the start of the shopping season, we are having a SALE!!!

Online shop link

25% off all items in my online shop (including the brand new pattern above!) just use the coupon code: THANKS

The sale will end Monday Morning, December 2, at 12:01 am. So hurry now to get your savings during this last sale of the year.

And a Give Away as well! (Because I'm very thankful for each of you!)

For every purchase you make during the sale, you will be entered to win a stuffed flat rate box of fabric, thread, patterns, books, magazines, and no telling what other goodies! I'm going to start stuffing boxes now, and see how many I can fill! (I'm so sorry but this giveaway is only open to US residents.)

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

Diane

November Reading List

Get the book HERE.

I loved this book! I listened to it on CD from the library and enjoyed it so much. The characters and connections between them was wonderfully appropriate to the time and period of the setting of the book. While I love any historical fiction, I particularly like stories of women doing things beyond the typical expectations of the day. The Kentucky horseback librarians were strong, brave and incredibly determined to stand up to the bullying men who wanted to stop them. I am so glad that I now know about this part of the American library history. I highly recommend this book.

Get the book HERE.

This story takes place in Iran during the coup that saw the end of the Shah and then multiple governments overthrown. It is a piece of history that I have never learned the details about and I really enjoyed seeing the story unfold through the eyes of the two main characters. They are young and naive and trying to do what they feel is right, even if it's more dangerous than they know. The story is well told and the characters are easy to cheer on. I really liked this book.

Get the book HERE.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I listened to it on CD from the library and found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue and snarky observations. The characters were endearing and often adorable. I found the story line to verge on the 'cliche' at times but the overall humor and human connections made it a very worthwhile read. It was uplifting and encouraging and I needed a light and humorous book and this was perfect!

Get the book HERE.

As with most books by this author, there is a large element of magic and mysticism in this story. It is deeply entwined with Hebrew scripture as well. The story takes place during WW2 and follows the journey for several young Jewish people fleeing from the war. They are separated from their families and each copes in different ways. I love Alice Hoffman and all of her novels. This one might be a bit hard to follows for those that haven't brushed up on their Old Testament recently, but it's well told and full of passion and courage. If you like this author, you'll like this book.

I'm sharing my reading list a few days early this month because of Thanksgiving and some exciting fun coming up later this week. There will be a BLACK FRIDAY SALE here that lasts all weekend long. So come back here Thursday morning to see what all the fuss is about. It's going to be so fun with big savings and a few give aways as well! So don't miss it!

Enjoy it all!
Diane

The Fine Print: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchase made through these links will result in a very tiny reward for me. I promise that my reviews of each book are honest and I have not be compensated for any of my book choices or reviews. As always, I sincerely appreciate your support!

10 Minute Tip...Quilt Progress Checklist

As we approach the end of the year, it's always important to look back and look ahead. I've developed a printout which you can get here to help with this process.

I know we've all started more projects than we've finished this year. How do I know this? I spend a lot of time with fellow quilters and they all say the same thing...

I HAVE SO MANY UNFINISHED QUILTS!!!!   

And most quilters say it like it's a sin. I hear you and I'm here to help you! Print out this list and then take a minute, (not to feel guilty or overwhelmed) but to just honestly assess your own situation. Then do the following:

1. Get Started. Fill out the list with the information indicated. Name, size, etc. Under special notes, list anything that needs to be purchased or prepped.

2. Let it Go. Now cross out everything on the list that you no longer want to finish. Just cross it out! You have my permission and if the quilt police show up, blame it on me! The fabrics, kits, supplies etc, can be separated and stored with your stash according to color (or whatever method you use.) I've done this many times and it's very liberating, trust me! Even better, pass it on to a friend or charity and make more room for the things that you do want to work on!

3. Set Priorities. Now number the items according to the order in which you hope to finish them. Do any of them have deadlines like a special occasion? Then I suggest put them in order of most progress made. Those that are closest to being finished can be completed first. Having a few quick successes is very motivational.

4. Be Realistic. Then look at your list. Is it a hot mess now? Print a new copy of the list and rewrite your list in order. And keep in mind that this isn't a final solution. You are in charge of the list. You can edit, cross off, renumber and rearrange the list accordingly.

You can do this!

This is meant to be a tool to help you, not overwhelm you. You are in control of this list, not the other way around. Display it on your design wall or somewhere you can easily see it. Be proud of yourself every time you check off a finished task or complete a project.

Lists are my love language. I make lists every day. I get a deep satisfaction in my soul when I check items off a list. I have zero guilt when I cross things off that I no longer wish to accomplish. 

I wish you great success with your lists! Feel free to share photos of your lists or projects on social media and tag #BTQchecklist so we can all encourage each other.

You can do this!
Diane

Quilt Magazines...do you subscribe?

(photo found on web, no source info available)

Back in the day...a long, long time ago, I loved to read quilt magazines! I subscribed to almost all of them and I was lucky enough to be published in many of them.

Changes

Then things started to change. A few of the magazines went out of business one by one. Then it seemed all of the magazines that were left in the US were bought up and published by one company. This resulted  (in my opinion) that they all began to look the same. They were almost all geared to beginner quilters with fast and easy projects.




And now

The current state of quilting magazines in the US is definitely in flux. The buy out and the sale and purchase of the magazine publishing houses in the US (for quilting magazines at least) seems to in a constant state of upheaval. I'm not even sure which magazines are still publishing and which ones are gone. I do know that when I look at the options at the local magazine seller, I'm usually disappointed. I never seem to find any US published magazines that have anything interesting to offer.



There's hope

International magazines seem to be a different story. Currently, I subscribe to Quiltmania and Quiltmania's Simply Moderne, and I also subscribe to the UK publication Today's Quilter. When I see the current issues of Quilt Now and Love Patchwork and Quilting I will often purchase them.

The only US magazines I subscribe to at the moment are QuiltFolk (so gorgeous!) and I am still a faithful reader of American Patchwork and Quilting even though I miss the good old days when they had projects that were featured step by step over a year or so because they were so complex and needed to be done in a series. And I really love Primitive Quilts and Projects even though it's very genre specific, I always find inspiration and fun tidbits by the contributors.

I would love to know what you are reading and what magazines inspire you these days? I would love to find out about some secret gems that I am missing. Please share your suggestions or preferences in the comments.

Enjoy every stitch!
Diane

Under the Mistletoe

I will be teaching this fun quilt at Tiny Stitches Quilt Shop in Marietta Ga soon! If you are local don't miss this fun day! The full day includes a catered lunch, individual design assistance, and step by step techniques including: making freezer paper templates, sew and flip paper piecing, sewing curves, pinning for precision, and much more! Make the quilt or table runner in any size you prefer.

Where: Tiny Stitches Quilt Shop  2518 E Piedmont Rd, Marietta, GA 30062

When: Wednesday, December 4, 2019 from 10-5, lunch is included

Cost: $100 plus pattern purchase

Call the shop at (770) 565-1113 to sign up now!
Request a kit in any color scheme, and I will hand select it for you!

This is my last workshop of 2019, I hope to see you there.
Diane