Cheddar Baskets

My newest quilt, Make Mine Cheddar, made for the American Quilt Study Group's 2016 19th Century Basket Quilt Study. Every 2 years, the AQSG has a quilt study on a specific topic and one finds an antique inspiration quilt to reproduce in a small size (42" or smaller). I picked a cheddar orange Mennonite basket quilt from the late 1800s (see below). I chose to recreate it in 1/2 scale - 1/2 sized blocks (5") and 1/2 the number of blocks.

Make Mine Cheddar
31" x 31"
Sandra Starley

The original had only 3 fabrics but I'm a scrappy gal and so I used a different set of fabrics for each basket and then used all of those in the border. So I went from 3 fabrics to 27.

I paperpieced the baskets and sawtooth border and hand appliqued the handles. I machine quilted in the ditch to stabilize and then hand quilted the heck out of it with hearts, lines, and feathers.

1890 Mennonite Baskets
Southeastern PA
Starley Antique Collection

Quilted Moab

There is a great new retreat in Moab called Quilted Moab 2016, which will be held next week. This will only be the 2nd year but there is already a loyal following and awesome teachers and classes.
Come on down, over, up, etc.!

On Feb. 19th, I'll be teaching a unique class that is part paper piecing class and part antique trunk show. You get to work on creating a fun Flying Geese doll quilt while looking at lots of antique doll, crib, and children's quilts from the last 200 years. Guaranteed to be a LOT of fun!

17 ish More Christmasy quilty love

Details of this amazing antique signature album quilt made for Sister Esther McAlister of New York City. Dated 1858. Quilt is full of heart motifs and loving tribute inscriptions.

Day 15 - Pick Me I'm Cute

Pick Me, I'm Cute (Flower Humor) 

2010 Sandra Starley - original design

Part of my Word Play series

finished for the 2010 Hoffman Challenge 

Selected to travel across the US in the challenge

The 2010 challenge fabric:

However, the quilt was started for the 2009 Hoffman Challenge 

All the letter were completed but life intervened ...

 Here are the 2009 letters before they were trimmed and integrated to work with the 2010 blue fabric

And here are a couple of close ups of the altered blocks

I'm glad I got it finished and accepted into the 2010 challenge and that I didn't give up!

Day 13 Modern Cheddar Stars

 Post 26 of the month between the 2 blogs - wowza!

Today is another cheddar stars quilt made for the Riley Blake Challenge charity fundraiser with the 2010 Home Machine Quilting Show. It is also inspired by the same antique cheddar star quilt that inspired my cheddar repro shared on day 9. This version is modern and larger scale with 5 inch stars instead of 3 inches. It is a quick and fun pattern and work in all types of fabrics.  The pattern is available in my etsy shop.

The Riley Blake fabric was pretty wild with large polka dots, stripes, paisleys and pink, orange, red, green, etc. One day the fabric was sitting next to some solid cheddar fabric for another project and VOILA!!

Not sure why or how but the cheddar actually calmed down the busy fabrics. It still looks a bit wild but wait until you see it with my inspiration- an antique quilt in my collection. Here is a bit of the challenge quilt and the inspiration quilt together: I love how they are so different and similar at the same time.

Another detail-

The full Riley Blake Quilt 

2010  Sandra Starley
 29" x 29"

day 12 Folk Art

I still get a kick out of this little folk art scene! My original Design. Hand appliqued and hand quilted.

If you'd like to try you hand at this one, the pattern is available at my etsy shop.

Folk art -art made by us folks- doesn't have to follow stuffy rules like size or scale. It is okay to make a giant sunflower and a cat as big as a purple house. Sewn with a running/gather top stitch that adds a decorative detail to the appliques. It is relaxing to not worry about hiding stitches.

Full quilt is 16" x 16"

I echo quilted around the appliques and added in a sun in the corner. I used variegated thread to add interest.

day 11 - Q is for Quilt

Another one of my favorite quilts is this miniature made for the Quilt Alliance Crazy Quilt Challenge. It won an Honorable Mention in the challenge.

Q is for Quilt. I still remember how long it took to stitch each of those little * in the swag - yes, it was by machine but still slow and yet FUN!!! These are like before/after pics.

Here's what the paperpieced letters look like before they get the decorative stitching/quilting. I use 2

 layers of batting and embroider and quilt at the same time.

Love creating word play quilts and you can see I took the "Crazy Quilt" challenge quite literally!

The full quilt is only 16" x 16" with 120 different fabrics - YES'm you read that right. I squeezed in a lot of fabrics in a small quilt. It is a easy quilt to make and there is a pattern available. Email me for details or wait a few days for me to get it on my etsy shop.

Day 9 Antique Makeover

On of my favorite antique updates is this Cheddar Star quilt: "Cheddar Stars Over Moab". The quilt was juried into the big quilt show, AQS Paducah, KY in the miniature category and was patterned in the American Quilt Study Group's 19th Century Stars Book.  Want to try your hand at this fun pattern?  It is available at my etsy shop.

Miniature repro 20  x 24 

Machine pieced and hand quilted

my hand quilted repro with 3 inch blocks

Here's the full size antique inspiration from my antique collection

Ohio Stars from Ohio c. 1890

74" x 87"

auditioning fabrics is an essential step in creating an accurate reproduction

Day 8 Moab Rock Talk

Being a southwest gal, I really groove on petroglyphs and rock art, in real life and on fabric too.
This quilt was made for a "Text" Challenge - it seemed to me that petroglyphs were some of the first text messages. Traveled with the Text Challenge to Mancuso Shows. Won award in challenge. Original design.

Mountain Goat/Sheep

Moutain Lion

Another Sheep

full quilt

Day 4 - Batik Tulips

An applique pattern is available for this quilt at my etsy shop

Detail of my vintage inspiration and my first retro block are below

The vintage inspiration. Starley Collection.

The quilt after hand quilting
An hand applique pattern is available for this quilt at my etsy shop.  If you don't do hand applique the pattern would be great by machine with a decorative stitch or invisible applique. It would also be perfect for a quick and easy wool applique project!

day 2 Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

Sew excited to have my block published in the newest edition of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine, Volume 12.

It was fun to create this Echoing Churn Dash block and play with repeating the churn through the block. It was hard to keep it under wraps for most of the year but happy to finally be able to share it.
Enjoy.

Echoing Churn Dash 12 1/2" (unfinished)
Sandra Starley 2015

It was also fun to participate in the official blog tour on my 2nd blog.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

I have some great news: one of my new creations will be part of the next Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine!!! I would love to share a photo but alas I can only tease you until the magazine hits the newstands and download queues in November. There will be a fun blog hop and great give aways then so stay tuned.

Scrappy Color Play 8.5" x 11"
Pattern available

The above photo gives you a preview of the colors used - black, white, pink and grey. Probably not a shock to anyone who follows my non-traditional quilts which tend to be in that color scheme. Another hint - a version of the block is found in the picture above and is related to churning butter or shooing flies and you might have read about the traditional pattern in my Behind the Block column for the National Quilting Association's magazine Quilting Quarterly.

To see what the magazine is all about or to purchase current and back issues, visit their shop.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Art Quilts

Literally Challenging
Original Design
18" x 18"
Wools, Cottons, Lace

 This quilt recently came home after traveling for several years to national quilt shows with the Arts and Old Lace Challenge sponsored by Artistic Artifacts in VA.  I love Bloggers Quilt Festival time which is a great reminder to make and share ART

Here is what was included in the challenge packet: 2 sets of salesman's samples. Greys and black suitings and then summery stripes and woven checks, as well as laces and buttons.

I really enjoy paper piecing and making "word play" quilts using my own patterns.  I used more than 105 different fabrics from the packet and a lace for the ampersand. I only added 2 vintage laces and a woven tape binding (thanks Mom, for all 3).

OKAY, now time to see the rest of the Bloggers Quilt Festival quilts - enjoy. If you like my quilt you can vote this week at the viewers choice link or check back in a week and vote for it at the Art Quilts page.

Spring 2015 Bloggers Quilt Festival Page is HERE.

Art Quilts Page is HERE

Vote for Viewer's Choice HERE Nominations- May 15-21

VOTE for your Favorites in each category May 22-29
Winners Announced May 30, 2015

Fun with Antique and Modern Quilts in St. George

Need a breather and a chance to create.  Then come see me and lots of other wonderful people  in St. George, Utah,  January 6-10, 2015.  Time for the 2nd Annual Quilt St. George retreat, a truly Quiltabulous Event!

Need a jolt of joy or craziness ?  Then this funky free-form and fun, alphabet paperpiecing class with the choice of two delightful projects would be perfect.

Love Birds & Lady Bugs  18" x 30"

Crazy Quilt, 16" x 16"

I'll also be teaching my cheddar stars class as well as a red rock landscape quilt.


And I will be sharing antique quilts galore.  With a half day class on antique signature quilt, you'll get to see many museum quality early quilts from 1840 forward.  You'll be able to get up close and really examine the fabrics and names and the amazing tiny stamps and drawings that many people added to their signatures.

Hoopes Worral Quilt, dated 1850, Chester Co. Pennsylvania

And I'll also be doing a second half day class, Patterns Through Time.  You'll see about a dozen different quilt patterns and 2 or 3 examples of each which give you a chance to see the changes in quilting and society over time.

If you like modern artistic quilts, my luncheon trunk show: Everything Old is New Again will show you how to learn from past quilters to make amazing new quilts.

And I will be doing quilt appraisals in my spare time at the retreat.  I'm certified to appraise all types of quilts, old and new, traditional and modern.  Email me if you want to schedule a time.

Travels with Cheddar

In case, you are wondering what you've missed if you couldn't come see me at my various quilt appraising and teaching events, I thought I'd share a few pictures from my booth at the Home Machine Machine Quilting Show.

More of the booth with the c. 1885 Variable Star quilt along with my reproduction Mod Cheddar Stars and the c. 1870 Four Eagle Quilt from Pennsylvania.  By the way the pattern for the Star quilt is available at my Etsy Store 

And here's the full booth shot with even more cheddar fun.  Remember me when you need a guild speaker, trunk show or quilt class.  Hope to see you soon