Star of Wonder Finishes

     Today, we're going to do something unusual for this sewing blog and talk about sewing! First up, is the promised finishing instructions for my Star of Wonder cross stitch pillow. There's lots of tips for sewing with cross stitch. Then, I'm going to show you the Star of Wonder quilt, now on the longarm, and hopefully inspire you to some of your own finishes! 

      I got the Star of Wonder cross stitch pillow done in about two hours start to finish! This is a great way to finish any pillow, and it makes a nice, useful item if you have enough framed cross stitches filling your walls.

     First, decide on a pillow form size. A pillow form is the best purchase you can make for a neat finish-- do not be tempted to stuff your own! They are not expensive-- think Michael's 40% off coupon. The actual covering we are making is removable, so you can just change out your pillow form with the season. (It makes the covers so easy to store flat, as well.) The rule of thumb is-- make your project 2" smaller than the pillow form for a nicely stuffed piece. I just went 1" smaller all around, since this is a smaller size. My pillow form was 12." They only come in certain sizes, so check first!

     I pulled fabrics to match the cross stitch-- for once, my dusty old stash did not disappoint. If you ordered the quilt kit, there is plenty of fabric left over to make your pillow. Fat Quarter Shop is always so generous with their fabric kits. If you want to make yours exactly like mine, the measurements are below. 

     Note that when cutting a cross stitch piece-- make sure you cut along a row of holes on each side, even if your piece isn't perfectly square. (Frequently, cross stitch is NOT square, since your stitches are all on the diagonal.) Give the piece a little tug and a light press to encourage it back to squareness and remember, this is a pillow, so it need not be perfect. 

     If your piece is seriously out of square, you're probably pulling your crosses too tight-- loosen up on the next one! But all is not lost-- give it a little spray of water, mark a perfect square on a piece of cardboard or foam core board. Then pin it square and let it dry-- i.e.- BLOCK IT!

    These are the fabric measurements to cut:

A)  7-1/2" x 7-1/2"

B)  1-1/2" x  11-1/2"

C)  1-1/2 x 10-1/2"

D)  3-1/2" x 7-1/2"

E)  3-1/2" x 7-1/2"

F)  3-1/2" x 3-1/2"

   For my creative friends, here is how to measure to make your own pillow out of any cross stitch finish. Grab a piece of graph paper and think of each square as 1/2"-- finished size! Mark out the boundaries of your pillow form size, minus 1-2 inches for a full pillow, as we discussed. Then, measure your cross stitch piece for its finished size.  Basically, use the graph paper to draw finished sizes of your pieces-- then, when you have your layout and fabrics, just add 1/2" to each dimension for cutting sizes. 

     On the graph paper, first draw in your cross stitch. You can center it with four borders, which is the most obvious way, but I wanted a more progressive look and put mine in the corner. Then just sketch in the borders in the order you will piece them. Look for opportunities to add a tiny quilt block or a novelty print border. My square "F" would have been the perfect place for a fussy cut or tiny pieced star.

     Now, were going to sew using 1/4" seams. The order is, A to E, then D to F. Attach A/E to D/F. Then add C and finally B. When you sew, sew with the cross stitch piece on TOP. Pick a line of holes in your Aida or a thread in your linen and stitch along it as shown. Always press away from cross stitch, or outward from the pillow center. No open seams in pillows, please. At least not in my house, where it will be abused!

Look how perfect that came out!

     If you really want to up your piecing game, I also cut my fabrics along straight lines-- see how my dot print is squared up? That being said, if this type of precision ruins sewing for you, don't do it. There's plenty to be said for scrapping piecing, too.

xox

     That went together fast!

    Now we need a backing. Our backing is made of two overlapping pieces. The pieces are folded in half, for strength. 

     To make it, cut two pieces 16-1/2" x 11-1/2." Fold them in half, starch, and iron. Each piece now has a nice folded edge for a finish. I top stitched 1/4" away from the folded edge from side to side, just for a little extra strength.

    If you're making your own pillow, the formula I use is 2/3 of the height of the pillow for each piece. Then you need to double it to fold it in half. 

    Now, it's final assembly-- we're not turning this pillow inside out-- we're going to bind it, just like a quilt. So wrong sides are together!

     First, lay your beautiful pillow front face down. Lay one of the backing pieces on top. The folded edge is at the top in this photo.

     Now layer the other backing piece on top of that-- the folded edge is at the bottom of this photo now. Pin all the pieces together and baste all the way around at the 1/8" seam line. Remove the pins.

    Cut yourself a 2-1/4" strip of fabric and bind as you would a quilt! I stitched mine by hand at the back-- I actually have a YouTube tutorial with 10,000 views for machine binding. Obviously, it's a skill we all want to speed up the process!

Machine Binding Video

     It's forty minutes, but will save you time in the long run. Practice on little mug rugs!

    So that's it! I have more finished cross stitches that need FFOing-- making myself sit down and do this instead of always thinking about it proved it doesn't have to take long.

     Now for a quick look at my Star of Wonder quilt-- it is on the longarm. If you are a frequent reader, you'll know this thing was a royal pain to get together. Not the Fat Quarter Shop's fault, it's my fault. Since it tortured me, I am now going to repay that favor on the longarm!

     My poor longarm sat unassembled for almost two years while I patiently waited for my over the garage studio. I have now vowed I will use it EVERY DAY, even if it's for just a half hour! Since I don't like to practice, my Sew Sampler box finishes over the last months will serve that function!

    

   

  I have been obsessively watching YouTube videos, primarily of Angela Walters and Natalia Bonner, who have freely shared their expertise-- they are both quite good. Beyond that, I'm using the "think method."

    

    My strong feeling is, practice will never equal working on a real piece. For one thing, when you practice you tend to just quilt all over the place. A real piece has shapes to fill!

    Also, I need to get over my fear of "ruining" something. Artists need to be free! When something becomes too "precious" you can no longer make risky decisions that are the essence of growing in your art. 

 

    What better way to get over the fear of "ruining" my quilts, than to actually ruin them?

    You can see I'm not opposed to drawing the whole thing in, but staying on the line is another issue. But when I step back from this-- it actually looks great!

   To encourage you, there's always a few uncomfortable seconds when you start the longarm up before you get it "rolling" where bad things can happen-- since quilters love to show their mistakes, if you look closely, it's far from perfect. No picking out is allowed!

    I know I'm doing the right thing, because I'm very much enjoying myself-- and who is honestly ever going to look this close?

   So I guess that's my final thought-- get over your perfection and just enjoy the process. Ironically, your joy will show through, and with time, you might step back and see something that is PERFECT!

    That's it for Star of Wonder-- I will show my finished quilt in a couple of weeks, when all the blue marks are washed out-- lol. And I did treat myself to my "Merit Badge" pin minder for finishing these two projects!

Now let's get out there and SEW--
have a wonderful week!

xox
Carol

Let's go for a Road Trip!

     I promised I’d take you on my recent drive all the way up the East Coast from Florida to Maine. It is 1684 miles or 25 hours--let’s do it!

    It’s adventure enough just to get out of Maine! I had to fly down to Fort Myers for our one way trip. Our closest airport is about and hour and fifteen minutes away in Augusta and this is the biggest airliner we have to choose from. Actually, it’s the only one. They ask for your weight before boarding-- all I can ever think of is they better be adding 20 pounds to whatever people say!

     Be sure to bring ear plugs-- it’s LOUD! I am never one to shy away from a challenge, so up we went. So cute to see all the little farms and churches from above, but on this day it was cloudy, so we quickly lost our view.

     Going into Boston, we hit some turbulence-- I have to say I definitely felt sickish when I descended the little stairs and crossed the tarmac to Logan Airport. Each time I fly in that little plane, the four-hour drive to Boston seems like a better approach!

    I had a four hour layover, and quickly rebounded with a little stitching time in a quiet lounge I found between Terminals B and C.

     In no time, I was boarding the “real” jet for Fort Myers, and arrived about 8pm. It was HOT, but I have always loved seeing the palm trees. My family used to drive down to Florida every other year in the 60s. The palms seemed so exotic to me then, and they still do now. A beautiful sunset was thrown in as an extra on this night.

    My sister is moving back north-- her main reasons are the congestion and also just the constant worry of hurricanes. You may recall Sanibel Island and Fort Myers were pretty much wiped out by “Ian” in 2022. Of course, I had a lovely place to visit each winter from Maine-- that is now gone. So my sister kindly scheduled a day off before we started the trip to say goodbye to this area-- she had her home here for about 30 years.

   First up the next morning, a quilt shop-- because, why not? Okay, so I made it all about me-- my sister doesn't even sew, but I did limit myself to one which I researched and found a half hour away. It was "Flash Sew and Quilt" in Naples. Wow! It did not disappoint! 

   It was a huge store--They had all the brightest fabrics, Kaffe, Tilda. I could have spent a lot longer, and a lot more, hehe. I pulled these photos from their website.

     I was immediately knocked off my feet with this tropical wave, right when you walk in-- just look at these beauties! They were all lined up on bolts in a row right at the front. As you can see by the picture, there was enough room in the car for them.

     It is "Faraway Flowers" by Pimlada Phuapradit-- I do a lot of online looking and I have honestly never seen this. We do need to get out there occasionally, people! Even the selvage is beautiful. All the worries about fitting into my new closet evaporated. I’ll find a space.

    Then, I told my friend she needed to buy this set of fat quarters. She did, but apparently I was the one who really wanted it-- there I am, projecting again! So it also leaped into the trunk. It's Robin Pickens "Wild Blossoms."

     Then we were off to Sanibel-- I LOVE this little island, not just for the Three Crafty Ladies fabric shop, but for the all the cute shops, restaurants, and of course, the beach. The island was devastated two years ago-- if you recall, the bridge, the only way to get there, was wiped out. People were evacuated, then had to take boats back, many of them finding out their homes were completely destroyed.

   The bridge is reopened, but still has so much construction going on. All the lovely trees and lookout points along it are just wiped out. I’m sure it will take years for new growth.

    Once you get over the bridge, you come to a tiny intersection-- make a left and you head to the beach, a right and you wind your way up to Captiva and all the little touristy shell and food shops along the way. We went right-- our favorite hot dog place is just a couple of miles up.

    It was about a 50/50 for rebuilding-- the optimistic built right back-- the rest just can’t afford it, or just had enough heart break this time. The Three Crafty Ladies shop was here-- although the center has been repaired, they have not opted to return. It is heartbreaking-- they had the best selection of seashore fabrics, kits, and a little sampling of every other craft as well. It looks like they are doing pop up shops and planning something for the future, but I’m not likely to be in these parts again.

    This is the “hot dog place” which I’m happy to say was fully restored-- better than it even was. My mom, my sister, and I had lunch here many times. 

     Now that mom is gone, I thought I might cry-- but honestly, I’ve come to terms with it mostly, and I was really enjoying the time with my sister. It’s funny about memory-- I thought they had a big selection of hot dogs here, but it was mostly burgers! LOL-- you’d think the name would have tipped me off--"Cheeburger, Cheeburger." 

     So instead of getting the hot dog I remembered, I got this. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the restaurants the most in this trip-- Florida has it all!

    We walked around a bit-- there was a fabulous gift shop in this center call Pandora’s Box-- it has not returned. Although fully renovated, the center was about half empty. 

    We came back with a drive through Fort Myers Beach-- also devastated, and seemed less rebuilt than Sanibel. There was a pier here that was completely wiped out, and will probably never be rebuilt, if good sense reigns. The sad truth is, we were just getting out ahead of hurricane “Debby”-- we beat it up the coast, but I did see on the news just a few days later, this area was totally flooded again.

    I kind of surprised myself at the ease with which I was able to let go of all this-- seeing it for the last time. But I'm really looking forward to next adventures in Maine. It's the best place I've been in emotionally for a long time.

    After dinner, we headed back to the hotel my sister had been staying at, to pack the car and get ready. Off we went, first thing the next morning.

     The weather was beautiful-- what else is there to be said when you have two cats in the car and only one person can leave the car at a time! I decided for fun to just take picture of each "Welcome to" state sign for my own amusement. We planned four six-hour driving days which seemed very doable. Most of the first day was just getting out of Florida-- I insisted we get into Georgia, and we made it just about to Savannah. Any idea of doing a little exploring at night was out of the question-- we were so tired, and so sick of the car! This is the only picture I took that whole day. We did have a nice time at the first hotel's pool.

    Day Two-- I really wanted to get to Virginia by the end of the day, but North and South Carolina are big states! 

     The biggest event this day was stopping at Buc-ees in South Carolina-- I didn’t even know they were on the east coast. 

    If you don't know, Buc-ees is a HUGE rest stop chain with a hundred gas pumps, food, and all kinds of souvenirs. In we went, one a time and it was packed--the line for the restroom was huge to my dismay. They actually had a person in there, directing traffic and there were at least a hundred stalls, too, so it went super fast. Likewise with the line to check out. You have to wonder how much money they bring in at a place like this, minute to minute. People were just milling everywhere. I had no notion of shopping, but they don't have fabric anyway.

     My sister snagged us a couple of pulled pork sandwiches and off we went.

   Shortly after, we passed “South of the Border." As a kid driving down in the 60s, we so looked forward to stopping at this famous roadside attraction, and “filling our trunk with Pedro’s junk.” Many of your will remember they had fun rhyming billboards telling you how many miles you had to go before you got there-- it really passed the time when we were kids in the back seat of the car! 

     Well, I'm sure you also know, it’s currently in a state of disrepair-- I wouldn’t even consider stopping there and by the looks of it, no one else would, either! 

   So Buc-ees is the new roadside attraction for our new culture-- I’m not sure what my thoughts are on that, but my own Buc-ees experience did not match the nostalgia I have for South of the Border.

     We did make it to Richmond that night, but after two gorgeous driving days, the weather started to get the best of us. We walked across the street from our hotel to get dinner-- again, there was no way we were getting back in the car. We sat by a window and a severe thunderstorm blew in-- we saw the lights on our hotel across the street blow out! While we did get soaked walking back, the hotel had a generator which soon had everything restored. A nice hot shower, and we were tucked in for the night.

     Day 3 was a tough one-- Washington--Baltimore--Wilmington-Philadelphia- and New York. Can you relate? But we really didn’t want to drift into a fifth day of driving, so we pushed on. 

     We did pass what is left of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore-- it was very eerie. Here's my bad photo through the port-- you can just see the approach that ends in nothingness. Did I mention I don't like to drive over bridges? 

    The six hour drive turned into nine hours, especially through Delaware, the short state, which took us the longest! It was stop and start the whole way.

      What a relief to finally cross the Delaware and get to New Jersey.

   New Jersey is where I grew up and met my high school sweetheart, Mr. SFO. We really had made alot of progress in three days-- back on familiar turf! We consciously avoided New York and the dreaded George Washington Bridge-- if you ever headed into New England, take the new Cuomo Bridge further up the Hudson. We stopped for the night at a hotel right before it, and the downpours began again-- we were fortunate not to be driving in it all day, at least!

     Day 4--last day! We left super early this morning to get across the Hudson and though Connecticut with as little traffic as possible. The GPS told us to get off 95 and take the Merritt Parkway-- more good advice for anyone venturing up to New England. 

     This was one of the countries first “designed” highways-- meant to be a lovely rolling drive through the country in your model T, I guess! It’s quite a different experience than I-95-- it has only two lanes in each direction, and you roll under a canopy of trees with lovely countryside views-- no trucks allowed! 

     They bridges across are super quaint and the roadside is totally manicured. Here’s a cute little rest stop-- God forbid there is ever a line for the bathroom-- it is tiny and you’d never make it!
Quite a different experience from Buc-ees, I'd say. Welcome to New England!

    On into Massachusetts, which we called home for almost 20 years-- so strange to continue through it. 

     I bought a ton of peaches at this farm stand at one of the Massachusetts Pike's rest stops. The day was overcast, but at least the six hour drive was, indeed, six hours.

New Hampshire--

Then Maine!

     So, I'm pretty sure my sister had had it with me and my Welcome to signs by now-- Maine is missing. It says, "The Way Life Should Be." And I have to say, for maybe the first time, I was looking forward to getting back to my little farm, and my sewing room, and family. I was really tired of all the traffic, all the rushing about. After two years, Maine finally feels like home.
     We’re about three hours past this border-- the time flew. We got in about 4pm that day-- look what was waiting for us-- a grill out, with corn from our very own garden! 

    So that was my adventure-- in spite of the long hours in the car, I really enjoyed being with my sister for four whole days-- the most time we’ve spent together in many years, I bet. There was lots of time to just enjoy the scenery rolling by and reflect on the past and the future of this great country of ours. It’s probably not an experience I will have again.

    If you felt like this post was a little boring, and a little long-- I have exactly captured what it was like to drive these 1686 miles. Thanks for coming along!

xox

Carol