Summit, Schoolhouses, a Swap, Sunsets, and CJ

Lori of Humble Quilts blog usually hosts a doll quilt SAL each year. This year it was called "Summit". I did not get it completed in time to be a part of the "Summit" linky party, but I wanted to share it with you. I finished the top on January 2, after having worked on it during two Zoom sessions with the Chookshed Stitchers the last couple of days of 2025.

Though the quilt that inspired Lori's SAL had three borders, I wasn't sure I was going to put any borders on it at all. Then I made the decision to pay homage to my house quilt, and use leftovers from that border to put a border on this little thing. You see, the five stars in this quilt were the leftovers from the cornerstone stars I made for the house quilt. When I saw that "Summit" had 5 stars that finished at 4", I decided to use these five leftover stars, but they finish at 3". That meant my 16-patches had to also finish at 3". Not as hard as I first imagined. The strips I cut in order to make the 4-patches had to be 1 1/4", so those squares finish at 3/4". I cut the borders 1 1/2", and the quilt measures 17 1/2".

I am also thrilled to show you the finished house (or schoolhouse--in order to maintain the alliteration of the post title) flimsy!

One side appears darker than the other--my sewing room lighting just makes it seem that way. This fits nicely on our queen-sized bed, but I haven't decided yet if I am keeping it. It will be a hard one for me to give away. I am planning on having my usual quilter do Baptist Fans across this one. If you are new to this blog, you will find the information on the pattern that inspired this in my previous post.

For Christmas my guild did a mug rug swap. I was feverishly working to get mine finished the day of our usual meeting, when a friend from the guild called to see why I missed our meeting the night before. Such a "duh" moment. We had talked the previous month about needing to have the meeting a day earlier in order for our president (who was hosting at her home) to have us over. I made that note in my guild notebook, and then promptly forgot all about it. Anyway, this is the mug rug I made, which someone will be receiving in our meeting this month. The rotary cutter is for perspective--and because it matched so well. ;)

We had some gorgeous December sunsets. It was hard to narrow things down. This was taken on December 9th. You can click on these for a full screen view.

The photo below is of CJ, my brother-in-law's llama. When I am out moving around the yard taking photos (or for any other reason), CJ moseys on over to the fence to see if I have anything to feed him. 

On December 10th I caught the following photos of the sunset.

Of course, CJ had to get in on the action.

I felt like he was saying, "This is my best side."

I hope your new year has begun well. I'm not a resolution maker. I work on goals each day, so I don't feel inclined to set new ones as a year starts. But I do like to continue to focus on being kinder, more grateful, more thoughtful, and more intentional. There is always room for improvement, and it usually works better for me one step at a time, rather than huge leaps and bounds that are hard to maintain.

Thank you to all who visit my little corner of blogland. I appreciate the comments, suggestions, inspiration, laughs, and most of all, the friendships. Blogging has broaden my horizons in ways I never dreamed!

Let's make it a happier new year!

Until next time,

Janet O.

A New Subdivision

In this valley right now, that title is a sore spot for many. Subdivisions and apartment complexes are popping up all over the valley, and many of the apartment buildings are in quiet, single family neighborhoods, and subdivisions are gobbling up previously pristine farmland. In the "historic district" where I grew up (5 miles from where I currently live), I can count at least 3 multi-story apartment buildings that have gone up in the past few years, within 1/2 mile of my childhood home, and they aren't usually welcome by the long-time residents. But this subdivision below shouldn't cause a stir.

At "ChitChat, Finish That" at Village Dry Goods this week I made the last five houses, and the last 2 cornerstone stars. When I have this assembled I will decide if I want another round of sashing and stars on the sides and bottom, or if I will just put a blue border around the whole thing.

This quilt was begun in February of 2021, using the pattern shown here from the October 2020 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. It was designed by Valerie Langue. I love the design, but deviated from the pattern when I opted to use the AccuQuilt die to make the rest of the houses, after using Valerie's pattern for the first 5 blocks. I have still let the original pattern be my inspiration for the layout (other than the center).

Also at ChitChat, I finally stitched together the top that I asked for help with in my last post. 

I received 30 preferences or suggestions (and I appreciate each one) when I asked for input on the setting squares for this little quilt. The red squares definitely won the popular vote, but Diane Bryant's suggestion to try red stars on the dark background (which I know looks black to many, but is actually a very dark navy) got me thinking. I had actually hoped NOT to have to make more stars, but I decided maybe I needed to give it a try. 

I didn't want to make the same stars as the other nine. In the back of my mind I remembered a "floating star" that Barbara Black had shared (with permission) from Lindsey Weight's Instagram post. Find Barbara's post HERE with the link to Lindsey's post. It is a 4" finished block pattern, and it took me a couple of tries to get the measurements correct to make it finish at 2.25". You can see the results above or below, and I am happier with this than with any of the plain setting squares options. I can't decide if it is a starry night, or fireworks.

This photo gives you a better perspective on the size of this little quilt. I don't know that I love how I pressed the seams, and many of the original stars ended up "pointless", but I'm not going to think about that right now.

We have had such a hot, dry summer. I am looking forward to cooler days and some occasional showers, as we move toward fall.

Until next time,

Be creative, and be kind.

Janet O.