A Quilter's Garden 2021

In April, the Feathered Star sponsored an outdoor quilt show at my home.   
Quilts were hung from fences, benches, chairs, the gazebo, pergolas and anywhere else we could display them!  The majority of the quilts were made by me, but I did borrow several from family and friends.  You can see details on the quilts on the Feathered Star Facebook page.

As before, a video was prepared to take a virtual walk through the Quilter's Garden.  This is the 3rd outdoor quilt show hosted here at my home.  The first was in April 2020 when everything was locked down and the quilt shop was closed.  It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to inspire my customers with new ideas, patterns, and colors and hopefully put a smile on faces.  This first show was strictly drive through only.  Then, in May 2020, another show was organized with a patriotic and Texas theme.  

It was so much more interactive in 2021 when quilters could walk around and touch the quilts!       

 

CATS CRADLE

The Cats Cradle ruler by Creative Grids is an amazing tool!  I love that it can be used in so many different settings and numerous sizes and achieve such different looks!  Above is my miniature "Here Kitty Kitty" using the smallest 1 1/2" Cats Cradle blocks in a Shoo Fly setting.

A number of white and metallic gold fabrics are paired with gold Grunge for this setting.  I used a small sashing with cornerstones and set the blocks on point.

The XL Cats Cradle blocks are set in groups of four facing inwards and then added sashing.

30's fabrics are the theme for these 2 1/2" Cats Cradle blocks in the Churn Dash setting. 

BRIGHT HOPES

December 7, 2020 marked the 10th Anniversary of the Feathered Star quilt shop! In honor of this special occasion, I gave the pattern for the Bright Hopes quilt.  This scrappy quilt pattern uses partial seam construction.  I love it so much I've made several different color combinations!

  Purple prints and batiks

 30's fabrics

 Fall colors with black centers

Happy Anniversary to us! Shaula

Strength for today and Bright Hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

 

2020 Challenge

Sharon Boggon of Australia issued her 2020 challenge to create a crazy quilt with 2,020 items and I was hooked!   Items include unique fabrics, buttons, charms, stitches, seam treatments, beads and trims.

I soon began my response to the challenge by listing places I have lived and traveled to, both foreign and domestic which then led to including my personal interests- gardening, music, sewing, technology etc..  My plan was to represent these through flowers and colors.

 Utah

 

Jennifer Clouston’s Foolproof Crazy Quilting was the perfect format for my blocks.  The hexagon shapes let me tell each story separately.  The backing/ binding fabrics are different for each hexagon, so the back of the quilt is colorful hexagons as well. As the owner of a quilt shop, I wanted to use fabrics that I sell, mostly 100% cotton quilting fabrics mixed with batiks and silks.

Hawaii

New Zealand

It was an amazing journey as I learned many new stitches and techniques!

Colorado

Georgia

Canada

 

One Hundred!

This is quilt number one hundred for me to quilt on my HQ 16!  We bought the machine in August 2010 so it is 10 months old.  The pastel pineapple is quilted with all over feathers in the center, smaller all over feathers in each corner and a long continuous feather in the small green border. I love it!

Now on to binding!

A small Thank You!

Several months ago I purchased a rather large (10 1/2 foot!) curved church pew.  It was a beautiful antique!  It took an unexpected tumble off the trailer, however, and was in a terrible state!  My brother in law worked his carpentry/refinishing magic and put Humpty Dumpty back together again even better than new!  As a very small token of my appreciation I have made him this scrap quilt.  I chose the pattern we call the Million Squares to represent the million pieces of splintered wood he reassembled.  Thank you thank you, Craig!  (The pattern is actually Bonnie Hunter's Many Scrappy Trips Around the World)

The pew is destined for the quilt shop so you can hopefully come and sit here and ponder great family here... and maybe dream up a new quilting project too!

Time Flies

It's been almost three years since I last posted here!  The Feathered Star has been open 5 years this past December.  I can't even count all the quilts I have made in that time.  Seems that I start a quilt to showcase new fabrics, customers see it in progress and then on the HandiQuilter and by the time it's bound the main fabrics are almost empty bolts.... then everything starts again!  

Every week new customers visit the shop.  Every week.  Usually several different times each week.  Smart phones make finding local quilt shops so much easier!  Being just about 5 blocks from Interstate 20 is an ideal location for a quick jaunt off the highway for a quilt shop stop.  I have regular customers from all over the Big Country and beyond.  Every week is like a quilt show with customers bringing quilts to share.  Best job ever!

I have met so many interesting and talented people in the past five years and hopefully I've been able to share some quilting knowledge with a few!

Quilting at home and at work...

So now that the Feathered Star has been open for 1 1/4 years you would think that I might not do so much quilting at home... nope, I generally have at least 2 or 3 projects that I'm working on at both places.  However, lately I've had a major push to sew up some of my great fabrics I've got at home.  Right now I've got a twin sized Rail Fence (3" blocks) and a twin sized Thimble (2 1/2") both mostly finished using bright happy fabrics... an Off the Rail quilt using sports fabrics, one with 1930's reproduction fabrics, and one using purple and green scraps from a granddaughter's baby quilt... a Tumbler (4 1/2") AND a Thimble quilt using jungle prints not to mention a Million Squares with these jungle fabrics and with the littlest of strings I started a 6" square string quilt rather than throw the tiny leftovers away.  I recently finished a light purple and baby fabrics thimble quilt that will be a gift and a wonderful wonky house quilt!

At the shop I'm working on a red and white Courthouse Steps Log Cabin, an ABC quilt with the letters inside log cabin blocks, and many others that started out as Demonstration Day samples.  Whew!

Feathered Star update

The quilt shop has been open for six months now and its been a  whirlwind of activity.  Ordering fabric... being creative with where to display the fabric when it comes in...keeping up with the Facebook page and web site...creating pattern samples and quilts from the beautiful fabrics for inspiration...planning the classes offered at the shop... planning and preparing for Demonstration Days the last Saturday of each month...and being the custodian, bookkeeper, and other assorted "must do" activities!  But what fun! 

The numbers of my customers continues to grow.  At last count 475 quilters had signed into the guest book/ enewsletter list!  Many have become regular visitors to the shop often coming with friends and family. 

So if you are reading this blog you might check out the Feathered Star web site and blog or search for "feathered star" on Facebook!
Happy Quilting!
Shaula

Cuddly Thimbles

My latest thimble quilt made from bright pastel fabrics from recent baby quilts. 

All the colors are represented in the bright candy straws fabric used for the border! And look at the yummy back!  Its a bright pink minkee fabric.  I quilted soft roses and leaves throughout.

Open for business!

Opening day for the Feathered Star was Tuesday, Dec 7.  Since then I've had many shoppers and visitors to the store!  How exciting to see old friends come through the door and meet new ones.  Many are stopping by with good wishes and to see the amazing transformation of the building.  My mother and sister spent the first day at the store providing yummy breads and taking pictures.  Son, Aaron was there for opening day to make sure the computer cooperated nicely.  Many thanks to them!! 

The flower shop is long gone though I've been fortunate to use many things in the quilt shop including the Christmas tree and its' decorations.  The shelves from the flower shop have been repurposed to hold beautiful fabrics (many florals which is more familiar to them!).  Our friends next door have give us slat board to add to the back of two shelves where I display notions. From another friend I purchased old doors and school desks/chairs which are used throughout the store for display. 

Since the store has opened one new quilter has created her first quilt for a Christmas gift (string pieced squares using Civil War reproductions)... beautiful!  I hope she's just the first of many new quilters to gain inspiration and guidance from the store!

The Feathered Star web page is now online at http://www.featheredstarquilt.com/.  I hope to see you online or in the store!  Merry Christmas!

Logo... maybe?

I've been working on the logo for the quilt shop and this is where I am with that project at the end of the day.  What do you think?  Readable? 
We are making progress at the shop, hopefully the flooring soon!  I'm ready to move in the building with fabrics!

Giving Thanks

Several months ago I purchased a fairly large (10 1/2 feet!) curved church pew.  Unfortunately it took a tumble off the trailer and was in a terrible state!  My brother in law worked his carpentry/refinishing magic to put Humpty Dumpty back together again even better than ever.  So, to show my deep appreciation I made him a quilt.  I chose what we call the million squares pattern to represent the million pieces he brought back together to repair this beautiful antique!  Thank you, thank you, Craig!

The pew is destined for the quilt shop so come on down and enjoy it with me!

Snow White

The biggest latest development down at the quilt shop is on the roof!

We had insulation blown on the roof then this snow white rubberized coating.  Hopefully this will keep the electric bills reasonable and eliminate the leaks in the roof!  You should be able to spot us if you are flying over Clyde, wouldn't that be fun?!

Four Year Old Fun!

I teach four year olds in Sunday School.  We created this fun (and busy!) rail fence quilt one Sunday.  The kids chose from the cut rectangles and sewed three together to create their own blocks using the sewing machine.  Our class is all boys and one little girl.  As I have always found the boys are just as excited if not more so to use the sewing machine! 

The children will take turns taking it home for the week and writing about their experience (well, parents writing) in our journal.

Crazy Girl!

Today a young quilter friend came over and we made crazy quilts using a stack and whack method.  They were very different, mine in bright pastels, hers in black/white and bright colors!  Here's my effort from today.  Now to find just the right border fabric to bring it all together.    

I have long admired Mary Lou Weidman's bright pastel crazy quilt, I'm wondering if I could/will finish the quilt if I add appliques on the blocks like hers?? 

Roses and Feathers

This sweet pink rail fence quilt has a soft Minkee back.  I quilted it for Jane with soft roses and leaves.

Becky's pastel carpenter's star wall hanging is great fun with feathers in each diamond and stippled background!  Hurry and bind this and hang it!

Making Progress!

Our sidewalk in front of the future quilt store went from cracked and awful to beautiful stamped concrete!

Inside the new air conditioning is complete!

We uncovered the huge sliding glass doors that led to the building next door.  This huge hole in the wall will become something wonderful soon!

 And Mike has been working hard to finish the workroom and upstairs office and put in the electrical along both walls.  Hopefully soon we will be able to paint the tin ceiling and the walls and the staircase will be built! 

The quilt shop name will be the Feathered Star!  We will open Tuesday December 7.  Great fun ordering fabrics and notions and patterns!

Happy Fourth of July!

The quilt is a Lori Smith pattern except for the center block which was in my "I started this applique long ago" box.  Hurray for American Quilters... and future quilt lovers!

Feathered Diamonds

The "Too Good To Cut" Radiant Star quilt is now quilted.  I'm very pleased with the large feathers in each of the eight diamond shapes.  The background and border and just small stipple quilted as it was VERY difficult to see the quilting as I was working on it!  In the end it just adds an all over texture and lets the feathers take the attention.