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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Old Movie Fest and Boxy Stars!

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I've been having a great time up at the cabin solo ---

And lest you think I’m ignoring family, I’m not.

The Hubster is in a tennis tournament all weekend – several matches today and matches tomorrow if he wins today, so he isn’t home.

Jeff is working, so he isn't home!

If I’m going to be home alone – I’d just as soon it be up here where it feels more like relaxation time to me than OFFICE time.  I think there are a lot of folks who work from home who feel like they never get to leave work – that it is always hovering –and sometimes I feel that way too.  I like a change of venue, even if I still AM technically working – it doesn’t feel like it up here.  There is less pulling at me.  ((And of course, who else is going to stock the fridge for Christmas?!))

I don’t know if you can see what’s playing on my laptop ---it’s Alfred Hitchcock’s REAR WINDOW

I've got a rather large collection of old classic movies on DVD, most of them gifted by my mom and step-dad over the years.  I’m always excited to see what they've sent ---and a nice little stack arrived with mom’s table runner gift the other day so I've been enjoying an old movie fest while sewing my Boxy Stars top together!

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Pressing blocks to Doris Day!

I had a duo of Doris Day –Do Not Disturb and Lucky Me started off the day.  I love musicals – and oh those dresses and outfits and cars from the 50s.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!  How many yards of fabric went into one of those skirts anyway?

As the day progressed I’ve moved on to Hitchcock ---the movie is on pause as I write this quickly, mostly to give ME a break from the creepy feelings it brings!  I love a good Hitchcock!

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Blocks laid out with cornerstones and sashings!

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Several asked for ANOTHER explanation of webbing the top – Here I’ve folded column TWO against column ONE with right sides together.  Sometimes it feels weird because the block is larger than the sashing underneath…..but this is how you start.  Pick up the pairs of  units from the top of the quilt down to the bottom and sew down the column –sashing to cornerstone, block to sashing, sashing to cornerstone, block to sashing…..all the way down.

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Column 3 being added

Column 3 adds a cornerstone to the sashing, a sashing to the block, cornerstone to the sashing, sashing to the block…all the way down the quilt.  Just pick up one column at a time keeping the units in order from top to bottom, and sew them on, leaving the chaining threads between the blocks and the sashings until the whole top is webbed together.

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Here we are all sewn into rows ---and there are chaining threads on each corner of each cornerstone holding the top together.

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Webbed top on floor.

From here I can cut the rows apart and press them, or leave them connected and press them.  I can sew the whole thing together WITHOUT clipping the chaining threads.  If you DO cut it apart…just cut one row off at a time and add it to the previous row….this way you don’t get the rows mixed up or upside down. 

What I like about this method is that I have already laid out the cornerstones where I want the colors to fall.  There is no guesswork.  There is no getting things out of order – there is no turning blocks around, what you see is what you get!

The free pattern for Boxy Stars is found under the free patterns tab at the top of the blog HERE. It's a great project made from 2.5" strips and squares -- Jelly roll friendly even!  Have you made one?

And tonight I’ll be sewing the rows together ---creeping myself out in a cabin in the mountains all by myself with Alfred Hitchcock!


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21 comments:

  1. You are creeping me out and I am in Texas.....brave quilter....

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  2. Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock of all times and I've seen it at least 20 times!! And, yes, I have made your Boxy Stars....3 different times....it's a fun quilt to make.

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  3. Exactly what Marei said. Rear Window is one of my all time favorite movies! And Iove Boxy Stars. I never get tired of making it. It sounds like the most perfect of magical nights.

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  4. Love it Bonnie - the sashings are great!

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  5. I know how you feel sometimes it is good to be all by yourself in a great place, However my son always fuses at me if I post on facebook that I am alone at our camp. I love your quilt almost finished with clue 4 on the mystery.
    Paula in La.

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  6. Fantastic! Enjoy yourself. Thanks for inspiring me out of hibernating from quilting (and almost everything else) for the past few years. I am now 'stalking' your facebook page and blog several times a day. I am actually almost ready to sew Clues 1-4. A small distraction over the next few days will keep me occupied but I plan on doing some sewing before the end of the week. Thanks for everything!

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  7. Those dresses from the 50's used 5-6 yards of fabric (and it was only 36" width) for the wonderful skirts you could twirl around and have them stand straight out! Used to love to do that when I was little. We (3 girls) shared one can-can and took turns wearing it to church each Sunday! Mom even made us patch work skirts and somewhere there is a picture of the three of us and my sister's skirt is standing out then the other two are just hanging! Such fun memories!

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  8. Love your quilt top!!

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  9. Rear window, the birds and north by northwest......my three favorite Hitchcock films. And on my list of ll-time faves!

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  10. Your top is coming along nicely!!! Stop watching Alfred Hitchcock! Since you have already started, finish and then watch something funny. It will put you in a less creepy mind frame.

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  11. You are SO lucky to have time to yourself! I've got out-of-town company until tomorrow AM. I'm dying to get into my sewing room! My favorite movie by "Hitch" is Rear Window. Don't like "Rope"--it creeps me out! Vertigo is another favorite along with Dial M for Murder.

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  12. You know I'd be right with you, love all those movies also. Doris Day/Rock Hudson just make me all giddy! And then Hitchcock...love 'em, my favorite is Birds, Tippi Hedren and her clothes are marvelous. Have fun and you certainly deserve some "Out of Office" time.

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  13. I have used that method of putting quilt tops together for many years but have never heard of it called webbing the top. It is a great method and I also use it when putting individual blocks together. Interesting g to see you use the technique!

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  14. love the pattern - thanks for sharing so much over the years - many lovely patterns.

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  15. love Rear Window. I was lucky enough to see it in a movie theater during a rerelease. I'm watching a stupid horror movie called Devil's Pass and not sewing because they keep throwing in subtitles. that and Cooper is sleeping on my crumbs...

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  16. I am not a lover of creepy Hitchcock movies. Guess I am a wimp. Still remember seeing Rear Window at the movies and didn't like it. So you are a much stronger woman than me to be there alone watching it.
    I wore some of those skirts back in the 50's. Just a standard gathered skirt for school took a full 3 yards. Underneath we wanted those net can cans to make the skirt stand out as much as possible so we sewed yards and yards and layers and layers of net to do the job. Sometimes ruffles. Wear several at a time. They would give you what they called a crinoline when you bought a dress but usually, we just dumped that wimpy thing for a real can can if the skirt was full enough. Thinking back, we had the Honey-Boo-Boo look at 16, except our skirts were below our knees.
    Loved those skirts but sure don't miss the ironing we had to do.
    The quilt looks great.

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  17. I think I'm finally " getting" your webbing idea. It looks easier every time I see you doing it. Now, if you leave it all together, where do you start the next step? When you turn it , do you start from the left or right side?

    Vickie in Cleveland

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  18. This one is GORGEOUS, Bonnie!! I just love scrappy quilts! They make my heart smile.

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  19. I love Rear Window, but I'm not sure I would watch it while I was alone in a mountain cabin! lol Love the Boxy Stars. Can't wait until all the Christmas chaos is over so I can get back to quilting. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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  20. You had me with "Old Movie Fest" in the title.
    Rear Window is a great show, but alone in a mountain cabin I would definitely choose Lucky Me! That is such a fun one! I think Doris Day really shines in it!
    Oh, I wish we could talk movies. I have hundreds of titles from the 30s-50s, with LOTS of musicals! : )

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  21. Oh yes, I love old movies. I adore Deanna Durbin films. The 40's and 50's old films I love. Also, all the Busby Berkley films. Meet me in St. Louis is on TV in a couple of days in the UK so I will definitely be watching this. I love your quilt and in the New Year, Iwill definitely be trying that one.

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