Update 8 – 2017 Buckeye Ties

I finished most of northeast Ohio today. You can see the shore of Lake Erie and the area between Cleveland and the Pennsylvania border. Hello, Amanda, Nate, Jack, and Ivy – livin’ in the Heights!  That yellow triangle is for you, having fun at the park, with those great lake views.

Buckeye Ties Northeast Ohio – Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula Counties and Lake Erie

Update 7 – 2017 Buckeye Ties

Will this quilt be finished by the Genesee Valley Quilt Club’s deadline? I have to deliver it on Tuesday, May 30 for judging for the 2017 QuiltFest. I’m averaging two stars a day, so in theory I have time to complete the blocks, sew them together, and quilt. There are 49 Ohio Star quilt blocks making one huge Ohio Star, so 50 in all. If you squint a bit, you can see the white star points beginning to emerge.

Buckeye Ties on Design Wall 14 May 2017

A map of Ohio is superimposed on the design, so the lower corners are dark. They’re like the edges of a jigsaw.

Update 5 – Ohio Stars

It’s been two years since I last worked on the Ohio Star quilt, fashioned with silks and other fabrics from my late father’s ties. He was a World War II Marine and life-long proud Buckeye. The design uses stars of many dimensions to make one large star block reminiscent of the map of Ohio. I have 14 of the 49 stars completed and am aiming to have it done by Memorial Day. I have no other projects currently so will have no excuses.
Here are some of the completed blocks. To kick-start the project, I worked on all the simplest blocks. Now on to the rest!

Ohio Star Blocks Made from my Father’s Ties

2016 Silk Pillow

I recently had the privilege of taking a class from Chris Wickert, an award-winning maker of hand-quilted silk applique masterpieces. It was a two-day class that gave me and my fellow students great experience with handling silk and improving our applique stitch.

2016 Silk Pillow

Chris uses a pattern adapted with permission from Deborah Kemball. It made a 14″ square pillow, backed with the fabric in the picture background.
What a wonderful experience!

Genesee Valley Quilt Club – Quiltfest 2015 – Best of Show and Previous Ribbon Winners

This gallery contains 8 photos.

It didn’t surprise any of us when it was announced that our own Chris Wickert won 2015 Best of Show for her masterful silk applique piece “Le Jardin Joyeux” or “The Happy Garden” in French. We featured member quilts that had won recognition at major regional/national shows. Here are just a few from that special exhibit: […]

Update 3 – Ohio Stars

I abandoned the even feed foot for my machine’s 1/4 inch foot. The pieces are flatter now but still the points don’t all match. I think I’ll switch to hand piecing. The navy and yellow pieces are from Dad’s ties; white and red are other silks. Everything still interfaced.

Ohio Star block 6 x 6 on white background

Update 2 – Ohio Star

Taking apart my father’s ties underscored how different silk fabrics can be. Some with woven motifs are sturdy, others are as slippery as scarves. I am fortunate to know award-winning silk appliquer Chris Wickert, who suggested using fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric and cut down on fraying on the straight of grain. (Silk doesn’t fray on the bias.)

Interfaced fabric – Ohio Star back

Since I also have some non-silks in the mix, I chose a solid red cotton, a solid blue silk from a pocket square, and a metallic woven stripe to experiment with. All adhered well to a light nonwoven Pellon fusible. I cut a quick template for the triangles and used my even feed foot to machine sew a 6″ x 6″ block. This represents the smallest Ohio Star in the planned quilt.

Interfaced fabric – Ohio Star front

The piecing isn’t very accurate; I need a better template. But what I’m more concerned about is that the silk isn’t flat along the on-grain edges. So I’ll draft a better template, try a different foot, and switch fabrics for the next attempt.