Are you all about finishing up quilting projects (UFOs = unfinished objects, PIGS = projects in grocery sacks, etc ) that have been in your studio for awhile? I have participated in Quilting Gail’s Stay at Home Round Robin for the last few years and it helps you do just that. This I was stumped as to which block to choose; coordinating fabrics were the problem for the blocks I wanted to use. Then, I went through the bag of blocks and finally went with a block I designed in 2017. It is grey, white and black and I have plenty of that and can add in a hint of color! I am excited about my choice.
My Prior SAHRR
I thought I would share with you my prior Stay at Home Round Robins. In 2022, my finish was A Cardinal Comes to Visit. The center block was from a store sample I made ages ago. I did a more traditional approach in 2021 with Dear Compass Take Me Away. The center block was designed by me for a quilt along. I am so delighted to make this year 3!
My Block: The North Star
My block this year will be the North Star. I designed this in 2017, with a group called the Partners in Design for our very first QAL. It is also the block I submitted to Island Batik when I became an ambassador in 2018, they have the original one. I love this block and realized I had a lot of fabrics to work with it. Funny, it wasn’t in contention until the last day or two. The original blog post has a pattern, which should probably be rewritten as I know more than I did then. It is still free so if you are interested in it, help yourself.
My Round 1: Spools
Roseanne and Sue of Home Sewn by Us choose Spools. There are so many variations, but don’t you love this block? I really wanted to make it but it didn’t work with my choices!
I moved on from that beauty and decided on spools inspired by Emily at Darling Dogwood, who used these here. Here are the spools I made acting as cornerstones.
There is a chance they could be used in the borders, maybe in the center. The picture below just shows another view of them. I like to keep my options open the first few weeks to see what happens, and have some flexibility in my design.
SAHRR Schedule
Here is the schedule if you are interested. The first two connect to the right post so you don’t have to look for it. Its not to late to join. You are totally in charge of your stay at home project…do a block or a row or not. Come, join in on the fun. There are prizes, too, this year…an added incentive to making your block into a useful quilt!
- January 16: Center Block Reveal @ Quilting Gail
- January 23: 1st Round: Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn By Us
- January 30: 2nd Round: Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
- February 6: 3rd Round: Chris @ Chrisknitssews
- February 13: 4th Round: Anja @ Anja Quilts
- February 20: 5th Round: Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
- February 27: 6th Round: Gail @ Quilting Gail
- March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs!
Coming Up on the Blog
I have quite a few little projects that I am working on that you will see in the next few weeks. One of them includes blocks from San Franciso Stitch Co called Winter Twist. I caught up on those this week and look forward to sharing them with you. The other is Diatom, a Quilt Along with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl. We are only on block 2 so there is plenty of time to join in. The other quilt is a moose, from Sew Fresh Quilts. I will start talking about those this week, as there are no hops to keep me hopping! Oh, and I have 4 benefit quilts to quilt up for our guild and a bee that I participate in.
SAHRR Block 2
Retreat Placemats
Diatom Progress
Tips and Tutorials on the 22nd 2/22/23
Dust Off a Book Blog Hop 3/8/23
Winter Twist
Linky Parties
Fabric Stash
No progress since my last post as there are no finishes….so I have still not made a dent in the stash.
Your spools are fantastic, and they work really well with your center block (which I love). This is going to be a great SAHRR quilt for you, and I’ll enjoy watching it progress.
Author
Thanks, Wendy. I don’t know why I ignored that center block for so long!
It’s so smart to sit the blocks aside and see what is coming. This is my first year so I am certainly learning. Your center is so good – I am excited to see where you take this design.
Hi Kathleen! I just LOVE this center block. I find it interesting that the gray reads with a blue tint. It seems to me that keeping your options open for the first round is a great idea! You just never know where Wendy’s round two suggestion might take you. Thanks for linking up this week and for joining in for the third year in a row! {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne
What a beautiful center block, and I love your spools the way you made them. A very pretty beginning!
Love your spools – they look perfect with your block.
LOVE “Emily’s” Spools, Kathleen!! I think you are smart to leave your options open. They look good as cornerstones or a border, but time and the growing quilt will tell where the blocks want to live.
I find this challenge interesting to watch from the sidelines. Cute block that I will watch grow into a quilt as you work through it.
I know I’m missing something here, but if you’ve purchased 16+ yards and used 12+ yards, how do you figure you’re ahead? I would say you have added 4.75 yards to you stash. I thought the object was to use more than you buy. Thanks for clearing this up for me.
Never mind – I got it. I’m just thinking backward. Thanks
Wow, lots of projects in progress! All that means a lot of fabric out of the stash for Stashbusters!
Hallo Kathleen, your SAHRR will grow wonderfully, you interpreted the spools very good, love your center block. Often it is good to keep something long time and then with a “bang” you know for what to use. Like my center. Thank you for your very nice comments on Wendy’s page. I never liked Mondays … but now … it is the most interesting day for some weeks! We will see what will be our task this week.
The spools as cornerstones look great! It’ll be fun to see what you do for the rest of the quilt!
Love your block and you thoughts on future progress!
I really love that you are using a block of your own design for the center. And I also like the idea of keeping your options open a bit until you learn more about the coming week’s rounds. I look forward to seeing how this comes together for you!
Your spools are really, really cute, Kathleen! Good idea to not put everything together just yet in case you might want to change your mind for the next round! Great idea!
Your blocks are so pretty, especially those spools. I am thinking about joining in on that Round Robin.
I like the mock up spool block. Never would have thought to lay them out on point.
Well aren’t you smart, keeping your options open? I am a rule-follower, and thought I *had* to do each round as specified! Meh, that’s okay because if I put it off, I may not get it finished! I absolutely love your star block, and I like the cornerstones because the rays point to them! I’ll have to check out Emily’s spool block as it’s a cutie!