Country Thread’s Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge: #1 Feedsack Star

My Feedsack Star quilt is my December finish and I am so thankful that it was a quick and easy finish being only 31” square. It only took around seven years to finally finish since parts of this quilt were started in 2014, which are the tiny feedsack circles in the corner nine-patches. 

I thought this would be a good post to finally explain how these 2” feedsack circles came to be and waiting for a project that I could finally include them in. Back in 2014 I finally finished my Feedsack Clamshell Quilt which you will see later in another Post in the future since some of the leftover blocks is another quilt which is part of the UFO Challenge.

The feedsack circles are made of four quarter circles which were cut from the bottom of the clamshell freezer paper pieces and  I could not bear to throw them away and figured I could find a way to make something with them. I decided to sew four of them together, then sew them on light interfacing which a circle drawn a little smaller than the sewn feedsack circle and then the interfacing was trimmed 1/4” around the circle. While deciding on what to make with these circles, I passed a few of them, liking them as feedsack coins,  to a few friends, some of them to Susan of Patchwork and Play who also immediately made something with them.

The feedsack circles sat around for several years before I appliquéd them to 4” black hatched print squares which was a project I took on a road trip. Then it laid around for several more years until August, 2020 when I had an idea to make a wall hanging since I finally decided that these circles were meant for small projects.

Almost five years ago I wrote a post about Feedsack Fabrics and Friends which I mentioned my love of feedsack fabrics and how I accumulated a stash through the kindness of friends. After this post, I became blog buddies with Wendy Caton Reed of The Constant Quilter whom we both share a love of feedsack fabrics and a past fondness for Tom Selleck. Wendy sent me a pack of 3.5” feedsack squares, many of which I’ve never seen before. I thought I would make nine patches with a combination of the feedsack circles and Wendy’s squares and just needed to trim the appliquéd circles a half-inch  in order for them to be the same size as the squares.

The center nine-patch were made with all squares. Once the nine-patches were sewn, I then needed to sew four QSTs with a red pin dot fabric, a black and red feedsack reproduction print and the black hatch print used for the appliquéd circles. All of the squares measure 9” finished and once the inner and outer borders were added made a 31” square wall hanging.

I did machine quilting in the ditch around the star and nine patches and then did diagonal big stitch hand quilting with black embroidery thread across the star and nine patches. Tiger tape helped to keep my stitches nice and even.

The backing is an Aunt Grace print and the binding was hand sewn which is what I like to do for wallhangings.

I wasn’t sure if I had a spot to hang this sweet quilt but then realized that it would fit on one of the wide black doors in the farmhouse kitchen at the Grandparent House. Doesn’t it look sweet with Susannah, my metal goat? I thought Mary Etherington, host of the Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge would get a kick out of this photo since the goat is named after her late, great goat Susannah. I still have some feedsack circles and squares left so another small wall hanging may be in the plans. But first I need to check with Wendy Caton Reed to see if I ever sent her any feedsack circles, I can’t remember.

I thought my Feedsack Star Quilt was going to be my last quilt for 2021 but I was feeling a little quilt guilty about not making the darling granddaughter a quilt for Christmas. I decided after my last visit at the Grandparent House and spending days and hours watching Brown Bear videos with her that she needed a sofa snuggler which is what a Patchwork Blankie is. 

I ordered the fabric from Fat Quarter Shop (not an affiliate link) and had the teal plush fabric in my stash. I wasn’t sure of how these fabrics were going to be laid out but fortunately Nancy, Grace and Peace Quilting just posted a Vintage Santa Quilt which uses a large focal print and inspired me to come up with this pattern.

Since there is no batting in this quilt, I only did light machine quilting with silver polyester thread, straight and wavey. The Brown Bear Blankie measures 50” x 70” which is a nice size for two to snuggle under. This was a fast make, just under two days.

We’ll soon be heading to the Grandparent House for Christmas and will be spending the final days of 2021 at home which might give me enough time for one last quilt. We’ll see. 

Wishing everyone a Joyous and Merry Christmas, please stay healthy and safe.

Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

A Finally Finish: The June Quilt

Last year, I participated in Crazy Mom's June QAL and I finished the top in July (you can read about it here) and has sat in the studio waiting to be quilted.  It was on my Quilty Confessions, UFO Busting List which I have to admit this list has been put on the wayside along with some of the other lists I made for 2018.  Even though the June quilt would have been perfect to finally finish in June, I still hadn't plan to quilt it until I happened to come across a photo of the top on my Pinterest board this past Tuesday.  My eyes immediately saw the quilting lines, just simple diagonal and horizontal grid lines and I was suddenly in the mood to start machine quilting.  It also helped that we were experiencing days of heavy rain which is perfect quilting weather for me.  So, with less than ten days left in June, my June Quilt was rightfully and finally finished during her namesake month.

The machine quilting was an absolute breeze and made me wonder why I waited so long.  But it's a good thing I did because I only started machine quilting the Jacqui Gering and Christa Watson method of starting the quilting on the side rather than the center.  In the past when I did grid quilting and started in the center, there was always the inevitable puckering and pinches when quilt lines intersected and for some reason when you start the quilting on the side, this doesn't happen.

I chose to use black thread for the quilting which went well with both the top and the perfect backing which I love.  Last year when I was on my fabric diet and  really didn't want to purchase any new fabric, I did break down to buy more of this fabric since I didn't have enough of it and didn't have any other fabric in my stash which would work as well as this print did.

The binding was done with the happy green polka dot fabric which is the same print Crazy Mom (Amanda Nyberg) used in her June Quilt in her book No Scraps Left Behind and was generously given to me by my good quilt friend Mary Etherington who got me involved in participating in the June QAL.  I normally don't machine bind quilts which are for me but I had to so I can show off the black thread some more.  

And now for some glamour shots which were taken on Saturday, our first day of sunshine and no rain.  The grass was so soggy and there was no way I was going to lay it down so I thought I would use my cute bicycle as a prop to hold the quilt.  It's sad to admit that I don't ride this bike which was a birthday gift from my hubby two years ago.  Three years ago, he gave me a choice of either a new sewing machine or a bicycle and it should be no surprise my Juki 2010Q came home.  The next year, I had no choice and I found this bicycle waiting for me on the front lawn.  Her name is Banana and it has some really pretty patchwork details on the frame which still doesn't inspire me to ride it.  My old legs need a bicycle with gears since we live in a hilly area and the cruiser is only good for level roads (at least this is what I tell Hubby).  I thought my vintage looking quilt would look pretty with my vintage looking bike; they go together, don't you think.

And another photo with my metal farm animals.  I've been wanting to use my metal goat, which I purchased when I was in South Carolina in April, for a photo shoot with one of my quilts and I thought my June Quilt which also has a farm vibe would look good with it.  I haven't named my goat yet but Mary Etherington suggested Susannah which is the name of her dearly loved and departed goat which when she was alive was how Mary and I became friends since I was such a fan of Susannah.  My hubby still talks about the time Susannah butted him and is just glad that this goat won't, so he thinks.  Since Mary did give me the happy green polka dot fabric, I should name my goat Susannah.  I also think since I have some blocks left over from the June Quilt, I should make a small quilt to place over her back and sides; won't that look cute?  I would love to keep my goat out on the front porch, decorated with quilts and all, but hubby is afraid of it disappearing because Susannah is just that cute.

I'm so glad I finally have a UFO quilt to cross off my list; would you believe it's only my second UFO finish for this year.  I have ten more on my list but won't be working on anymore for the rest of the month since my dear, sweet granddaughter, Micah, is arriving next week for a six-day visit which means there is no chance of quilting in the forecast.

Linking up with:  Tish Adventure in Wonderland, UFO Busting, Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Oh Scrap!, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday and Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday