Tuesday, March 12, 2013

All my Friends are Stars

Yesterday, Nikko and I walked to the park with my quilt and a step ladder and digital camera. thinking of taking a picture of my friendship quilt ... well, that is what I was thinking of ... Nikko? she was probably thinking about meeting cats and little yappy dogs and watching out for scary kids kicking balls.

The park fence was too narrow in the sunny spot and had too many tree shadows in the other places so we walked another block to the fence around the tanks at the apartment buildings.

When I first began my quilt diary, I trimmed all the pictures from prints made from negatives. I have made many quilts with no pictures at all, let alone digital ones, and many pictures I did have were lost when my last computer died. It's a good thing I didn't wait until today, because no quilt could ever hang in the blasting winds we are getting now.


This is the finished friendship quilt. There are five other blocks made by quilt group friends who are still in Tokyo but have left the group. There was some small problem about size of the finished blocks but putting a black sashing on each one solved that.  For the border, I put the feature fabric as part of a half-square triangle and hunted down bits of color that the other quilters had featured.

For the center and inner star points, I used the fabric I had used in my own basket block, changing the star point fabric in several places.










I drafted a large scalloped pattern for quilting the setting fabric.

The backing is all feature fabric and I turned it to the front for binding.

Since 1998, when I finished it, this quilt has spent most of its life on the guestroom bed.  It is 82 inches (208 cm.) square.


I love the idea of a friendship quilt. When my #4 daughter was working at the American School, we made several friendship quilts for teachers that were having babies. Each teacher contributed a patch or a hand-print ... depending on what we were making ... and my daughter and I put them all together,
I hope they provided good memories for those new mothers.

Now that I have reached my 300th post, I am thinking of friendship in terms of my blogging friends. In just a few years I have made friends throughout the blog world that I think about often.. It warms my heart to read their comments and I love getting to know them through their blog posts.

I was thinking it would be fun to make a "follower's" quilt. If I made a block to represent you, what would it be? Well, Irene's might have hexies ... beautiful fussy-cut hexies ... or a cute house. Maybe Tanya's would have cats or Janet's, snowflakes, or Cynthia's, sashiko stitches. And there would be a few with embroidery stitching and a touch of indigo dying... Oh wouldn't that be fun! Mine sure would be an Ohio star.

How about it? What could I make to represent you? Favorite colors? Favorite seasons? Favorite topics? Favorite block designs?
I am going to keep notes in my blog journal with your suggestions.

Now back to the + and x quilt. Almost finished quilting the second side. Woo Hoo, I'm on a quilting roll!!

14 comments:

  1. I love your star friendship quilt Julie and your quilting pattern is lovely.
    A block to represent me would have to be hexagons in blues and yellows. I love hexies and blue and yellow just cheer me up.

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  2. The quilt is wonderful Julie and I love all the friends being brought together. It can be difficult to accommodate differing skills when sharing blocks. My small group of quilters around the world who swap have been very good and always positive when receiving blocks even though some are far more accomplished than others. I sit somewhere in the middle I think! I always send the offcuts of fabric with a block as I think it might be useful when combining blocks into a quilt. A followers' quilt? What a lovely idea. I am so fickle, what would represent me? A block of Japanese indigo? A block in autumn colours? A block using English fabrics - although I'm not at all keen on those London buses and taxis fabrics!! As we met up last year (nearly a full year ago now, incredible) I am going to bottle out and leave it up to you to choose!!

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  3. Julie - BEAUTIFUL quilt and BEAUTIFUL quilting!! I LOVE your idea of a "follower's" quilt. Although I don't "Follow" anyone officially (never took the time to figure out how to do it) - I do read your blog every day. So - if you were to include me - I would ask for a block with a "Friendship Star" spinning to the LEFT - ;))

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  4. Teapots or vintage sewing machines would represent me. How fun!

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  5. When a bed quilt is draped over a bed one can't always enjoy its entire beauty, so with a picture like this where the quilt is fully exposed we see how absolutely stunning this large quilt it. In a way the problem of various sizes for the blocks was good; the black sashing makes the quilt even more dynamic.
    What a wonderful idea of a Follower's quilt. Shouldn't we, if I may be included, all contribute in some way, a piece of fabric, a button, some tread, the pattern....?
    My block would have to be flamboyant with excessive embroidery, bias tape, velvet, metallic thread...

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  6. Julie this quilt is gorgeous - I love the pattern and I love the colors! I think sashing in black always makes things really stand out and it certainly highlights the red star here - perfect. To represent me...oh goodness, I love embroidery of any kind of course, and then there's the Arkansas Traveler block (I found it in a book one day but have never made it!) or perhaps a friendship star.... I could never pick! :) blessings, marlene

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  7. Julie, I love your friendship quilt!

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  8. Julie, this post makes me smile! Your friendship quilt is just stunning. I love the Delectable Mountains block you wrote about in the last post - have been wanting to make a variation. A followers quilt - great idea, I'm sure we would all be flattered! Yes, sashiko:).

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  9. Love your friendship quilt. I like the idea of a follower quilt, but to save me I don't know what would represent me. Its an I the resting question, but not sure I have a style that defines me, or a color or a block...this is tough

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  10. Hi, Julie ;>)
    How did I skip this post ?? Too busy, maybe... Anyway, I find your idea of a followers blog friends terrific, and just in case I'd be repesented in one block, I'd say I'm a winter girl (but you know that)and I love everything you make... so I'll leave it to you, let it be a surprise ;>)
    THANKS a bunch, Julie!
    XOXOXOXO
    NADINE

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  11. I really love your finished Friendship Quilt and think like others that the black makes the design stand out. I think my block in your Followers Quilt would have to represent a book! Wonderful idea!

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  12. I just discovered your blog and am enjoying getting acquainted. I love the setting of your friendship quilt. It is very unique and I may have to steal your idea. Thank you!

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  13. I wanted to add that your Nikko looks just like my Annie. Sadly, we had to put Annie to sleep a few months ago. I still miss her!

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  14. I remember reading this post month's ago, but somehow didn't quite make the connection between this and all those "follower's blocks" you've been making. I'm not the brightest bulb, I guess. But what a neat idea! I'm enjoying those blocks even more now that I understand the concept.

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