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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

For the Boys Blog Hop



Today is What's Her Name's day for the latest blog from Madame Samm! Amy, a fellow Canadienne, is our hostess for this wonderful blog hop and she is also a fabulous quilter herself!  Come join me and visit my fellow pawticipants today! 

 November 13th
Living with purpose



Chip and Anna checking out the wall hanging

But Mom, I am comfortable!

Ta Da!!!
I was drawn to this blog hop for two reason- first it was for the man in my life and also it would occur just before his birthday!  (The original ending date was 13 November, which is the day before Geoff's birthday but of course it had to be extended due to its obvious popularity!)  As Blogville knows, Geoff is a railroad man and of course one would expect me to make a train related quilt!  (I do have a great pattern but that is for Christmas)  Instead, I opted for something new- paper piecing a mariner's compass oval! I had seen the sample for a class at my favorite store, Jackman's Fabrics in St Louis, and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it involved paper piecing, a technique in which I had absolutely no interest in attempting.  However, Geoff had accompanied me to Jackman's one weekend and he saw me just drooling over the sample and had me sign up to see if I could learn paper piecing.   We paid for the class and Geoff helped me to pick out my fabrics, as the wall hanging was intended for him.  The teacher, Lisa is a wonderful quilter and patient!  I had the most difficult time getting my points even, and I got very familiar with my seam ripper! I was the only student to not finish piecing the oval during class. I was so frustrated, with HBO and Showtime words dancing around in my head, that I shoved the fabric and directions out of sight for a week, convinced that I would never get a handle on it.  When I did sit down to at least finish piecing the oval, I only had to rip out two lines of stitching and was able to piece the entire oval in two hours.  I found that I did enjoy paper piecing, after I remembered Lisa's tips, and will be taking more of her classes.  I finished the borders and quilting today and am very happy with how it came out.  My points are not all perfect but this technique was a challenge and I am so happy that I did not just chuck it in!  Geoff loves how the center medallion turned out and I hope that he loves how the finished product came together!
Close Up of the center medallion

54 comments:

Judy B said...

Love your paper pieced star! Me being a wiggly stitcher, paper piecing is my favorite way to go. Thank you for sharing.

Millie and Walter said...

You did a great job. I love the colors.

Oh Yeah...Happy Birthday Geoff! You are a fantastic husband and dachshund daddy.

Cindy, Millie & Walter

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Good for you in learning something new, sticking with it to the finish, and who cares about imperfections as it is a gift from the heart.

Baa. xxx said...

That is awesome! You finished it! Wow! I reckon I wouldn't have the courage to start! It looks fantasic!

Shari said...

Love this wall hanging. It is really beautiful. Congrats on your paper piecing!

charlotte said...

It looks great. Congratulations on sticking with it!

Jess @ Scrappy n Happy said...

It looks great, I love the oval shape! Paper piecing is tricky and very frustrating when you first start but after a while it all falls into place and comes more easily!

Lorna McMahon said...

Your Mariner's Compass is amazing! What a fabulous wall hanging! Good for you sticking to it and getting it finished. Great job!

Sparky said...

lovely star you created, glad you joined us

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Lovely!! I like that center medallion too!!

Michele T said...

Looks great!!! Thanks for sharing in the hop!

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

That looks very complex, but you did a great job with it!

Bobbie said...

Very nicely done!i love the colors-Geoff did a good job p picking them.those points are tricky, I am glad you perservered

Thearica said...

I have yet to tackle these... yours is very nice.

Happy birthday to your hubby!

Loves to Quilt said...

Beautiful quilt! I see that you have the Doxie seal of approval!!

Renea said...

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing.

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

It's beautiful and I love the blues!

Anonymous said...

SO, not all the points are there, but I would say you did a great job with this being your first experience with paper piecing. I like how it looks 3D in the picture.

StitchinByTheLake said...

Despite the problems it's simply stunning! blessings, marlene

Joyce Carter said...

I am glad that you stuck with it because it is so beautiful. Great job. Thank you for sharing.

Linda said...

It's gorgeous! I wouldn't worry about the points. Your man won't! I'm sure he'll love it!

krislovesfabric said...

Nice work, beauty of a star!

Just Quilt It said...

I think it turned out just great. No one would have noticed those points if you hadn't mentioned it. Great hop!

Hailey and Zaphod and their Lady said...

That is a beautiful piece.

Vickie said...

If a dog sits on it...it's totally acceptable !

Carol Swift said...

It looks beautiful to me, even with the pup sitting on it. Very nice work!

Heidi said...

Good for you for tackling this complex design - it is a Great finish!

Kathy H said...

Glad you stuck with it. Your medallion turned out great.

CeLynn said...

Great finish! As my mom would say,those little imperfections just add character :) Most times we are the only ones who ever notice them anyway.

Jackie said...

That is gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

You did a great job with your first paper pieced pattern! I love to do paper piecing so always enjoy seeing what others do. Great job!

Calicojoan said...

Paper piecing takes some time to get into the groove. You did a great job, and the colors are fabulous!

Calicojoan said...

Paper piecing takes some time to get into the groove. You did a great job, and the colors are fabulous!

Unknown said...

We think it is great and we know it will be well loved.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Best wishes Molly

Leanne Parsons said...

Great job! It looks wonderful. Congrats on sticking with it to learn a new technique.

Createology said...

Stunning Star quilt "For the Boys". Thanks for hopping. Creative Stitching Bliss...

Carla said...

I love paper piecing. The more practice you do the easier it will be. Your star is very nice. Well done.

Linda C said...

I think it looks perfect from here! Hooray for the boost of confidence your man gave you and the class that helped you learn a new technique. You sort of have to be able to think upside down and backwards to foundation piece. It does get easier!

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

Beautiful work!
Thanks for sharing!

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Clever design to stretch out your Mariners Compass and make an oval. It's striking!!!

Amy said...

He'll love it. Great work on you first paper piecing! Sew glad you joined us!

tink's mom said...

What a wonderful piece. Never saw it done as an oval before. Really like that. Great taht you are learning new things. Geoff's birthday is a great motivator. Happy Birthday to him.

Jane's Quilting said...

What a great star. I so envy those who can paper price so neatly. Some day I too will master it.

gpc said...

Nice! I hope someday I'll be so talented. :)

Marcy said...

Lovely! The colors are wonderful. Great star quilt.

Quilt n Queen said...

I still struggle with paper piecing...I explain it as having to think backwards. You did a great job!! Happy stitching, Pauline

Lana said...

Ahhhhh....those colors!!! It is lovely!

evelyn said...

Wonderful little quilt. I have never had the courage to attempt something this difficult. Give yourself a pat on the back for trying something new and difficult and finishing it. It turned out great.

Two French Bulldogs said...

Looks wonderful
Lily

Joanne said...

This wall hanging turned out beautifully! I am impressed that it is your first paper piecing project. Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your creation with us today.

CarolB said...

It looks great, really! One quilter in my mini group uses a measure of what's "OK" that goes something like, If you can't see it when galloping by on a fast horse, it's just FINE!" Perfect is just not achievable in my world. I too have trouble with paper piecing; too often, the piece of fabric that looks way too big (so wasteful!) ends up not covering one corner of the area. But I am skilled at patching corners!

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle said...

Terrific mariners star. It looks wonderful! I enjoy paper piecing, but mariners star scares the beejeebes out of me! Maybe I'll try to be brave like you and try it! Thanks for the inspiration.

Unknown said...

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing

LJ said...

Taking 'my' husband to the fabric store would have been a nightmare!! :) Great medallion and I like it on the horizontal. Points look good to me. Always good to push ourselves to learn new things.