Lone Star QAL

Today is Lone Star Quilt Along day on 'Quilt Times' with my good friend QuiltSue. I started sewing these units last month using a pattern from:

I'm afraid I haven't got much further in the last month but I am working my way through piecing the big diamonds and now need to decide about a background fabric. The photos in the book show quilts with a light coloured background but I tried my diamonds on a dark purple marbled fabric:

Not a brilliant representation of the true colours but I do quite like it. What do you think? The pale background, as in the photo at the top of this post, or the darker background?

Last night when I couldn't sleep I was leafing through a copy of Ricky Tims 'Rhapsody Quilts' and came across a photo of his Dad's Lone Star which Ricky set in a curved frame and added lots of feathery applique. I think I'll be finishing this quilt simply but it did get me thinking about possibilities for future quilts!

QuiltSue and I are going to spend a day next month in Ricky's company. Not a private audience unfortunately but at a seminar hosted by Patchwork Parade in Oldham. I'm pretty excited - I just love his work!

When I sat down for a coffee break this morning and went to Sue's blog I had to smile. She has a lovely new header of a row of pieced flowers in  pots. Look what I was working on at the time:

Great minds eh?!

I've recently based a class on this and one of my students has beaten me to finish:

 Barbara said she didn't like foundation piecing or pineapple blocks before we started this! She also only started free motion quilting a few months ago but has taken to it like a duck to water. Her stitching is beautiful. Unfortunately for us Barbara can't come to Friday classes any more as she is starting a new job - I'll miss her cheery chatter next week and her ideas. It was she who suggested the addition of a butterfly which I then designed and added to mine. Good luck with the job Barbara and hope to see you soon!