Hunter’s Star Nine Patch Quilt

This quilt is the result of simple experimentation and working with what you’ve got on hand.  Some time ago a customer asked for help resizing blocks in my Giant Hunter’s Star pattern .  Just for fun, I made a block to test my math before sending her the measurements.  Months later, not knowing what else to do with it, I made some more.  I had a lot of the Denyse Schmidt floral and figured it would be good to use it up.  Then I ran out of pink fabric, so I added the green, and this is how I came to make a Hunter’s Star Nine Patch quilt.

It’s a fun twist on the traditional Hunter’s star quilt.  I’ve made a lot of them, you can see some here , and here .

I’ve made scrappy Hunter’s star quilts before, but never one with two distinct second colors.  And I like it.  I think it’s really fun.

Like too many others, this quilt top waited a very long time for quilting.  And like my Raspberry Applique quilt, I had a good idea for the quilting but wasn’t able to execute like I hoped.  It’s a combination of my poor novice skills and the limitations of my machine.  You can see that I tried!

But once again, a finished quilt is more useful than a quilt top, so I’m happy it’s done.  I really enjoyed adding the nine patch twist to an old favorite.  Exploring ways to combine quilt patterns is a good way to get creative juices flowing.

I used the remainder of the Denyse Schmidt floral fabric on the back of the quilt (I still remember buying it for $2.40/yard on a crazy clearance sale years ago), and the rest of my green solid finished off the corner.

My final bit of pink solid was barely enough to bind the quilt, and I also finished it on my machine to give my elbow a break from binding.  It was nice to use up three pieces of fabric in making this quilt.

One less quilt top in the queue means I’m making progress!

What are you working on?  I hope you’re enjoying it, whatever it is.

Happy Sewing!

Sweet as Honey – Hunter’s Star Pillow & Hexagon Beehive Mini Quilt


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Welcome to Day One of the Sweet as Honey Blog Tour!
I’m honored to start things off by sharing my projects made with Bonnie’s lovely new fabric collection, Sweet as Honey.
I loved her first fabric collection, Reminisce, and was waiting eagerly for Sweet as Honey to arrive.  It does not disappoint!

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This collection has captured my heart with its beehives, hexagons, and nestled deer.  I’ve been drawn to the warm yellow, coral and orange tones in this line.  They remind me of a sunrise – my favorite part of the day.  When the light hits these fabrics just right, they seem to glow.  The warmth and color make me smile.

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Bonnie generously sent me this beautiful little package to play with, which I immediately paired with a natural linen to create a Hunter’s Star pillow.

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I hand quilted the pillow front with perle cotton to emphasize and frame the eight pointed star.

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I used a coral solid for the pillow back and chose to bind it with a low volume print for added contrast.

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The textures, colors and design harmonize well together and the pillow has quickly become a favorite.  It’s a cheerful sight on all the rainy, overcast days we’re having lately.

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While I was planning this pillow, another idea came to mind and I couldn’t resist trying it.   I enjoy growing lavender on our property and every summer I marvel at the wonder of dozens of honey bees surrounding me as I harvest.  The Sweet as Honey fabrics reminded me of that feeling and fueled the endeavor.

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In my first effort at English paper piecing, I made 125 half inch hexagons, pieced together in a scrappy style to create a Sweet as Honey beehive!

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Once again, I preferred linen as a background and added the hexagon print from Bonnie’s line for a binding.  This mini quilt measures 15″ by 16″ and also features a single honey bee, embroidered in white, in the corner.

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It seemed only appropriate to use the peach honey house print on the back!:)

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I wanted to add dimension to the beehive, so a variety of coordinating perle cottons were used to hand quilt around each hexagon.  This step took time, but was completely worth it.  I love the shine of the threads mingling with the colors and prints of the hexagons!

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I’ve been watching the growing mini quilt craze with interest, and this is my first mini.  It already hangs in my sewing room, a bright reminder that Spring is on it’s way.

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Thanks so much for visiting, and many thanks to Bonnie for creating such lovely fabrics and for allowing me to participate in the Sweet as Honey Blog Tour !  Be sure to keep up with the tour, as there are many talented people creating beautiful things with Sweet as Honey .  Tomorrow’s feature will be Jessica at Haile & Co .  Make sure you visit and see what she’s made!

Best Wishes, Jennifer

Winged Blog Tour: Flight Quilt


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Welcome to Day 7 of the Winged Blog Tour .  I feel like one lucky girl to have this opportunity!  This blog tour celebrates the beautiful Winged fabric collection , designed by Bonnie Christine of Going Home To Roost .  There have been some fun and creative things made so far, including the lovely tote yesterday at May Chappell .

Bonnie’s fabrics have been among my favorites since the release of her first collection, Reminisce.  I made my Scrappy Hunter’s Star quilt from that line, and you can find my Sweet as Honey Hexagon Beehive mini quilt here.
This new Winged collection is no different.  The colors are vibrant and beautiful and the designs have a lot of movement to them, which made sewing with them a delight.

With that, let me introduce you to my Flight Quilt:

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I have always loved watching birds.  Not only are they beautiful, but they inspire in me a sense of potential.   Most of them are small and fragile, yet when they take flight they seem capable of anything.  They remind me that I, too, can do great things.  Even before I saw the fabrics in Bonnie’s collection, I loved what she had to say about them:

“this feeling of spreading one’s great wings and soaring is one that connects with me deeply. a long time ago i decided that i would pursue my dreams no matter what. i would make great sacrifices, journey into the unknown put my heart and soul on the line to live my creative dream.

that is what winged is about.


spreading your wings and flying into the unknown.

”  – Bonnie Forkner Her words resonate with me, as this theme has been much on my mind in recent months.  I believe her fabrics capture this idea beautifully and I wanted to sew something that would elevate my thoughts and remind me of my own potential – of the potential within each one of us.

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As I explored ideas for sewing with these fabrics I was drawn to the traditional circling sparrows block.   The problem was, most of them are quite small, designed for English Paper Piecing, or requiring a lot of Y seams.  I wanted to showcase the beautiful prints with a larger block and simpler construction, so I drafted a foundation piecing pattern that worked with my vision.   Each of the blocks in this quilt are 26 inches square, so they are big and beautiful and allow each fabric to shine!

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To unify the blocks I quilted the quilt in a spiral, lines about 1/2 inch apart.  This was my first time quilting this style and I enjoyed it immensely.  The spiral echoes the circling pattern of the “sparrows” in each block without competing with the fabrics.  The finished quilt measures approximately 52 inches square.

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The quilt back is a vintage sheet I purchased a while ago.  The birds sitting among blossom-covered branches were the perfect compliment to the quilt top, and the colors a great match!

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As the weather turns cold and blustery, these fabrics bring cheer to my heart.

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The green flyaway petalums print makes a perfect binding for this quilt.

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These photos may be my favorites; I love the cute little fingers of my daughter peeking over the edge of the bench.  She was so patient while I took photos, but was definitely feeling done by this point!

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As I was taking these pictures a bird lighted on a branch in the tree above.  The words of Victor Hugo came to mind:

“Be like the bird, Who Halting in his flight On limb too slight Feels it give way beneath him, Yet sings Knowing he hath wings.”

My wish today is that all of us will spread our wings, rejoice in the abilities we have, and soar a little higher.



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Many thanks to Bonnie for putting together this blog tour!  I’ve been hopping along with the schedule and seen some beautiful things.  Tomorrow’s stop will be with Jessica at Snickerdoodle Stew and I’m sure she’s got something awesome ready!

Thanks for visiting!
Jennifer

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