Show and Tell...

 

This quilt was so much fun to make. The sampler blocks were done using Penny Harren's method of piecing. I love Appliqué and was in the process of finding a good way to make a sampler by hand, when Penny came to teach at our guild.

I tried traditional piecing by hand where you draw the lines with a template. I learned to make quilts using this technique, but found I was not enjoying it this time around! Then I made my own templates for each block using the English Paper Piecing method. I liked this way since I do enjoy English Paper Piecing. BUT once I learned to Piece the way Penny taught us, I really enjoyed making all of these blocks. They are 6" in size.

My quilting friends know that I always say I am NOT a "Piecer" since Appliqué is my favorite. Now that I have made all of these blocks and set them in a midst of pieced stars, I can't really say that any longer! The center is adapted from a book called "Folk Art Flowers" by The Buggy Barn, the blocks are from Penny Harrin's 1st and 2nd "Pieced Appliqué" books. I designed the setting with the pieced stars and the applique borders(which went a lot quicker than the setting strips! After all, I am NOT a Piecer... LOL ). The name of the quilt is "One Star Too Many" because I thought I'd NEVER finish all those sashing stars!!

One more "tell" about his quilt...I ran out of the background fabric with a few sashing strips left to make. Talk about panic..oh my! I went online and did a search from the selvage by name and numbers and finally found a piece 5/8th of a yard! If I had not found that background available I may still have a pile of blocks and sashing in my sewing room! Three cheers for keeping the salvages with numbers!

Have any of you run out of a major fabric in the middle of a project? If so, how did you handle it?? Tell me the story!!