Back in the Saddle and Looking Forward to 2023

 

Long time no see!  I'd like to say that I stopped blogging because of the Pandemic, but I dropped the ball back in 2019, so I don't think that excuse will fly.  LOL!  All I can say is that life got in the way and then I just got out of the habit of writing my blog.

I took a very lllllooooonnnnnnggggggg break, but now I'm ready to get back into blogging mode.

So, hello!  Let's start over together.

A lot has happened for me since 2019.  I bet you can say the same, huh?

New Job

First, let me tell you a little bit about my cool new job.  I am now a Virtual Assistant at Villa Rosa Designs, www.villarosadesigns.com.  I started this new job in 2021, after I left the library I had worked at for over 10 years.  

It was time for a change.  Starting a new job is always a bit scary, but I was more excited than scared about my career change.  Now I work from home, which is awesome -- my commute is only down the stairs to my office/studio dungeon in the basement.  I write patterns, do quilt diagrams, create quilt mock ups, write the weekly blog, do tutorials for the blog, and whatever other projects that come up.  Love my job.  I will say that working from home does have a few drawbacks, though.  I am now more physically available so I get more interruptions.  Sometimes it's hard to get to my work because home/family things get in the way.

New Pets

After losing all of our older/elderly cats during the Pandemic, all of a sudden we were the pet parents of one lonely cat, Pip.  I adopted a kitten in late 2021 and this year as in a couple months ago in 2022, we adopted a very energetic and sweet Shih Tzu puppy, Bailly.  We have a super active furry family now with a young cat and a 5 month old puppy, who by the way are about the same size, and Pip who is about as energetic as a snail.

Here are my furbabies:

This is Bailly in her Christmas dress!

Here's my boy, Griffin!

Here's my perfectly plump Pip!

New Books

In 2021, I tried something new -- self-publishing on Amazon.   Luckily, I had already written 3 books the traditional way and published them with craft book publishers, so I had a more-than-average understanding of the world of publishing.  Which was good, because writing, editing, and illustrating your own books takes time and patience.

My first self-published book:

 

Feed Sacks is a tribute to my love of vintage feed sacks.  I started collecting them a couple years ago and now I have a large growing collection, so it made sense to photograph the different patterns and designs.  Then I put over 1000 of them together in this book.  It's a great Look Book of feed sack designs and patterns along with sections containing historical information and where to find your own feed sacks.

 

You can buy my book HERE.

My second Feed Sack book will be out soon, which will have another 1400+ feed sack designs and patterns!  So stay tuned to early 2023.

 

My second self-published book:

 

                                    

 

I love planners, journals, and calendars!  So it wasn't a hard decision to create my very own Quilt Planner with blank weekly and monthly grids so people can start it when they want to.  But the coolest thing is that my Planner is also a Block of the Month project!  Woo-hoo!

 

You can buy my planner HERE. 

Well, I guess there's not much more to say right now except:

 

Happy New Year!

Image by callmetak on Freepik

Stop in next week for more information about a FUN event coming in January 2023........did anyone say Blog Hop???

Until next time --

Tricia, AKA The Orphan Quilter

 

Tricia's Favorite Quilt Blocks -- Block 10 SAWTOOTH STAR

By now you've probably noticed that I like Star blocks as I've included several different stars in this Sampler quilt.

Why Stars?

Stars add a lot of movement to quilts AND there are so many different stars and variations out there to explore.  Star Blocks are also some of the oldest known quilt block patterns, too.

So, YES, Stars!

Our 10th block this time is:

Sawtooth Star

which is one of the earliest Star block patterns.  

Have you ever made a Sawtooth Star?

Isn't this a great Star block?  I love the large unpieced center -- perfect for adding a fussy cut fabric OR you could add a smaller block in the center.  Sigh......Sew many ideas, sew little time......

Here's how to make a 12" finished Sawtooth Star block:

What you need:

Light fabric:  4 squares 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" and 1 square 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" -- cut this large square on both diagonals to get 4 triangles

Medium fabric:  4 squares 3  7/8" x 3 7/8", cut these squares on 1 diagonal to get 8 small triangles.

Dark fabric:  1 square 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" (you can fussy cut this square OR even replace it with a pieced 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" square -- maybe a 4 patch or 9 patch or even a smaller star)

Put the Block Together:

1.  Sew a medium triangle to each side of a background triangle.  Make 4 units.

 2.  Sew a light square to the ends of the unit from step 1.  Make 2.

3.  Sew a unit from step 1 to each side of the center 6 1/2" square.  Make 1.

4.  Now sew the block together like a 9 Patch with the center unit from step 3 sandwiched between the units from step 2.

 DONE and DONE!

Tricia's Favorite Quilt Blocks -- Block 9 FRIENDSHIP STAR

We're three-quarters of the way through my Favorite Quilt Block Sampler!  It won't be long until we put all 12 of our blocks together into a fun Sampler Quilt.  If you missed the first 8 blocks, you can find the block links along the left side of my blog.

Friendship has always been an important part of quilting.  I bet you have quilting friends and get together to do all sorts of things together.  Maybe you go on shop hops or to quilt shows, maybe you head to the nearest outlet mall, or maybe you have sewing days together.  Whatever you do, make sure to enjoy spending time with your quilting friends.

Block 9 for my Favorite Quilt Block Sampler is the sweet

Friendship Star 

I like that the Friendship Star block has a lot of variations.  Variations means unending options and design potential.  Here are a few good examples of what I'm talking about.  Both the quilts below alternate with a Nine Patch quilt block.  But that is where the similarities end.  The first quilt is set in straight rows while the second quilt is set on point.  Changing color values/fabric can also make a big impact on your quilt design.

Here's What You Need:

Light:  2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8"

Medium:  4 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Dark:  1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2 and 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8"

Make the Block:

1.  Layer a light 4 7/8" square with a dark 4 7/8" square.  Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.  Sew 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line.  Cut apart on the drawn line.  Open and press to yield 2 triangle squares.  Make 4 triangle squares.

2.  Assemble block like a Nine Patch with the medium 4 1/2" squares in the corners.  Pay close attention to which way the triangle squares are pointing.

3.  DONE!

Tricia's Favorite Block Tutorials -- Block 8 CHURN DASH

It's time for Block Number 8 in my Favorite Block Tutorials.  I hope that you've been following along and maybe even trying out some of these fun blocks.

Here are the links for the previous 7 blocks if you have missed one:

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5

Block 6

Block 7

Now that you're all caught up, let's make Block 8 --

Churn Dash

 

The Churn Dash Block is an old favorite of mine.  I have made many quilts using this block.  One of my most interesting ones was called Halloween Dash and was published in Quilter's World Magazine some years ago.

 

Can you see the spiderweb machine quilting motifs in the middle of the big Church Dash blocks?  Aren't they sew cute?

What you need:

Light:  2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8", 1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", and 4 rectangles 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Medium/Dark:  2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 4 rectangles 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Here's what you do:

1.   Layer a light 4 7/8" square right sides together with a medium/dark 4 7/8" square.  Drawn a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.  Sew 1/4" away from both sides of the drawn line.  Cut apart on the drawn line.  Open triangle squares and press.  Make 4 triangle squares.

2.  Sew a light 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle long sides together with a medium/dark 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle.  Make 4.

 

3.  Sew the block together like a Nine Patch.

4.  And you're done!

Tricia's Favorite Block Tutorials -- Block 7 OHIO STAR

Hello Again, Dear Friends!

I hope everyone is having fun with these quilt block tutorials.  In case I didn't mention it before, I plan to do 12 block tutorials and then I will do a tutorial on putting the 12 blocks together into a throw-sized Sampler Quilt!  So stick with me and you'll have a pretty nifty quilt when we're all done.

Here are the links for the first 6 blocks if you're just joining us:

1.  Shoofly

2.  Courthouse Steps

3.  Flying Geese

4.  Rail Fence

5.  Electric Fan

6.  Eccentric Star

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's jump right into our next block: 

OHIO STAR

  Did you know the Ohio Star Quilt Block is connected to John Brown, the abolitionist??????  

Hop over to Suzy Quilts to read more.

 

Here's what you need for one 12" (finished) block.

Dark Fabric:  1 square 5 1/4" x 5 1/4", cut on both diagonals to yield 4 triangles

Medium Fabric:  2 squares 5 1/5" x 5 1/4", cut on both diagonals to yield 8 triangles

Light Fabric:  1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Background Fabric (white):  4 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" and 1 square 5 1/4" x 5 1/4", cut on both diagonals to yield 4 triangles

Let's Sew it Together! 

1.  Sew a light triangle to a dark triangle.  Make 4.

2.  Sew a background triangle to a medium triangle.  Make 4.

3.  Sew the units from steps 1 and 2 together to make an Hourglass unit.  Make 4.

4.  Sew a unit from step 3 together between 2 white squares.  Make 2. 

5.  Sew a light square between 2 units from step 3.  Make 1. 

6.  Sew the rows together into an Ohio Star block.  SEW SIMPLE!

That wasn't too hard, was it????

Stay tuned for our next Block Tutorial in a couple weeks.

Know a friend who might enjoy this tutorial?  Please share.

Playing Hooky -- Going Antiquing!

Yesterday, my family and I played hooky on a Friday and went antiquing.  We didn't go too far -- about an hour's drive -- but it was enough to be considered "away."

We headed to an antique mall called Whistle Stop in Corry, PA.  We had seen the commercial on television and our interest was piqued.  So yesterday was our day to check it out.

Honestly, I haven't been to an antique mall for several years so I was excited to see what treasures the mall contained.

At first, all I saw was glassware.  Miles and miles of sparkling shiny pretty glassware.  Nice, but not really my thing.  I wove through booths and up and down aisles until I finally came across a booth with lots of textiles.

There were aprons, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, and other textiles.  There were a couple quilts and I was tempted by the unique Dresden Plate summer quilt (no batting), but I passed.

Then I spied a booth across the aisle with some stacks of haphazardly folded textiles.  Hmmm.  I just love poking around in piles of old textiles -- you never know what you'll find.

The first thing I pulled out of the stack was an adorable 1930's/40's doll quilt.  It was machine-quilted, but it spoke to me and of course it went home with me.

There were some other vintage pieces and although I was tempted by the vibrant yellow 30's top, it had enough damage that I wasn't sure it was worth the price.

I continued looking and found some other quilty items.  BUTTONS!  A cute sewing box (I actually saw several sewing boxes and baskets).  Doll pin cushions.  A pair of adorable Sunbonnet Sues in frames.

 A few booths later I scored a set of 8 signature blocks -- SUNBONNET BABY blocks.  Of course, I had to have them.  I have several different sets of Sunbonnet Sue blocks (even Colonial ladies and Sunbonnet Sam) but I've never had the Sunbonnet Babies before.

Aren't they just the cutest?????????

I added a Blue Willow platter at an unbelievable price.  I paid for my treasures and I headed across the street to another antique shop.

I didn't see any quilty stuff until I was about ready to leave and I spied some quilts hiding at the back of a booth.

I was really drawn to the indigo and blue Sawtooth quilt because I have never seen this design before, but it was in such poor condition.  What a shame.

There were a few other quilts, too.  I bought a Nine Patch quilt (on the higher shelf in the photo above) from the 1930's/40's teeming with tons of feed sack fabrics.  I thought that I could use this one in the presentation I'm putting together on feed sack fabric for my quilt guild.  (Yeah, yeah, I know ......that was just an excuse to buy another quilt.  LOL!)  The quilt is a bit worn and ragged with some pretty bad  repairs with sparkly butterfly fabric, but the feed sack fabrics are really wonderful.

Sigh.....Yes, I know I'm supposed to be trying to downsize my studio, but there's always room for something special or interesting.

Until my next antiquing adventure.........

More Fun Quilt Block Finds in My Stash

Wait to you see the blocks I unearthed yesterday!  I finished up the last crate and started another one.  I think I must have a bajillion more to go.  Who collected (hoarded) all of this stuff?????  Oh, yeah ...... me.  LOL.

Anyway, check out these awesome String Star blocks.

At first glance, they look kind of like a hot mess.  Then you start to notice the individual fabrics.  I have found fabrics from before 1900 all the way up to the 1930's in these 9 star blocks.  What a wonderful slice of textile history.

But wait -- it gets even better!  8 of these 9 blocks STILL HAVE THEIR NEWSPAPER FOUNDATIONS ON THE BACK OF THE BLOCKS!  What a fascinating bonus.  Here are the back of 3 of the blocks looks like (seriously, from a distance they all look pretty much the same).

Then I started looking a little closer at the newspaper pieces.  I discovered that the pieces seem to be from The Record Argus, which is the newspaper in the Sharon/Greenville PA area, which really isn't all that far from where I am located.

Next I went looking for dates.  I found months and days, but no years until the last Star block I looked at.  I found the date 1933. 

Most of the articles were local and society news articles, but I did find a few interesting national pieces -- one of them about boxer Jack Dempsey and his fight with Sharkey and another article about an assassination attempt on President Roosevelt!

But my absolute favorite local news piece was about a man who was drunk and had a car accident. I can't believe the color of his skin is noted in the article -- I know, it was the 1930's, but still.....  I do love that the man's pet cat was his passenger, though.

These quilt blocks are an absolute treasure.