I Finished My Glacier Star Quilt

 I finished my Glacier Star Quilt at a Quilt Retreat at Lake Chelan on March 18, 2023.

For some reason my blog has lost all of the pictures - I am trying to figure out what happened since they are in my Google Photos.

My Glacier Star Project - Almost Complete

Wow, my first post in 5 years and almost two months. I finally figured out how to get into my account. I tried changing the email account I used with it and then it wouldn't let me edit and then I couldn't get in at all.

I have worked on the Glacier Star during three quilts retreat at the Sewing Basket in Prosser, Washington and spent countless hours at home working on it.

                                              

These flying geese are from January 22, 2016

 

These are from September 21, 2018- Some of the sections still need to sewn together. When we go to Prosser, it is three or four days of sewing.

 

 

At this point once I had it sewn together, the Glacier Star quilt was basically done, but me being me I had to add the Queen Extension.

January 26, 2020 My Glacier Star Quilt top is done

Five years seven months and 2 weeks since I purchased the material and the top is finally done. The wonderful teacher that I started the class with died of cancer just before the last class. It was hard to pick it up and work on it after that so I had to give it some time. I got the top quilted in March 2020 so all that is left to do is the binding.

Glacier Star Techniques 5 and 6 Progress Report

Last weekend I was quilting again at Hood Canal with Sue and Ann. A nice relaxing weekend.

I got all the Feathered Star units sewn together and ready to attach to the Lone Star units.

They will go around the Lone Star like this --

I laid everything out to see what the finished center will look like.

I also started getting the material cut out for technique 6.

Glacier Star - Technique 5 Progress Report

Saturday, October 4th was my 4th Glacier Star class but I had worked ahead and was working on Technique 5 - I was just exhausted after the week at work. Our teacher was sick but the store owner Pam took over for her. The Quilt Barn is now a Judy Niemeyer Certified Shop so they now have all of her patterns.

I have finished 9 of the 14 sections on half of the spikes. I haven't had a chance to work on it since.

The spikes go around the diamonds -

And they are the outside edges of the center star - the spikes will be between the center star and the squares.

 Here is the store sample.

I had to leave class at 3:30 because I was going to a private movie screening of The Last Rescue.

Glacier Star - Technique 4 Final Report

I did get the eight snowflakes sewn together before my class last Sunday.

I was then curious about how the center of the quilt was going to look so I laid them out together.

The next step was to sew technique 4 to the already joined technique 2 and 3.

I had to then lay them out to see how the center of the quilt would look again.

I then set out the blocks from technique 1 -

Technique 5 will go in between and join everything together. I was going to do that next but I have a 104 42" long fabric strips to sew to the A and B arcs of the Bali Wedding Star quilt - in a mere two weeks - now down to one week.

Glacier Star - Technique 4 Progress Report

By Tuesday night I had finished half of the Snowflake blocks -

And then by Wednesday night I finished the other half -

Now all that is left is to sew the two pieces together -

It should look roughly like this -

And then I need to sew each one to the end of these -

Tonight I was working on trying to put pictures in tomorrow's blog post my cousin did for her mother - sometime Blogger is just a little unfriendly.  I hope to sew these together and then piece them to the end of the other two blocks tomorrow night.

Glacier Star - Class 3 of 6 and Final Report on Technique 3

A number of people missed Class 3 - so it was a very laid back class. The teacher Linda found my background fabric for the Bali Wedding Star class on September 21st, and I found all of the center star and corner fabrics. I have fabric to get cut out before class in September. Our Technique 4 class for Glacier Star is not until October 4th and I have that fabric cut out and I would like to get a head start on sewing it. Somehow I need to work in time to finish my 52 Ancestors posts for August 10th and August 17th which is going to be on my Dad.

In class I finished one Lone Star block and attached it to the Geese in a Pond block.

I also got the C1 units done which are the three pieces on the left , the C2 units which are the next three in a row and then the last four on the right which is the C3 units and part of them sewn together. I finished the rest of the seven Lone Star blocks after class.

Today when I got back from lunch with Shelley, I finished sewing the Lone Stars to the Geese in a Pond.

Tomorrow I will finish cutting out the material for Technique 5 and start cutting out the Bali Wedding Star. Then I need to get my blog done for August 24th, and finish the two for Dad before I start sewing on Technique 4. It will be an incentive because I am eager to see out the center of the quilt will look like.

Glacier Star - Technique 3/4 Progress Report

All I managed to get done this week was some fabric cut out.

Tomorrow's class is the Lone Star block which is Technique 3. I had hoped to get some sewn tonight but I am so tired after this work week.

The next class after that is not until October 4th - which is for Technique 4 - the Snowflake center block, but I have it cut out as well. I do start the Bali Wedding Star class on Sunday September 21st so I should sew tonight but I think I will just go to bed.

Glacier Star - Technique 2 - Final Report

I always take more sewing stuff than I can possible get done over to Sequim so this time I decided to pack lighter - and I was finished by 5 pm. Oops.

 

Geese in a Pond are Done!

My next task is to audition the fabric for Technique 3 - The Lone Star block. I have something picked out but I need to cut out sample pieces and lay them out to see how they will look. Class is next Saturday so I will need to work on it when I get home on Sunday (after the grocery store, a movie, dinner, laundry, and watering the parking strip.) Linda showed us how to do Technique 3 in the last class so I would like to get a head start and hopefully finish all the Lone Star blocks in class.

Glacier Star - Class 2 of 6

Yesterday was Class #2  Geese in a Pond. Of course, as usual, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped but we were given hints for Technique 3 so I am hoping to be able to work a little bit ahead.

I finished 8 out of 15 sections on the eight blocks.

I haven't finished the Geese in a Pond but the next two geese will be shades of green which may not seem like it is goes with the New York Beauty block but there is a lot of green in the coordinating fabric for the border so it should be OK - I hope. It will definitely be different for me. I don't usually like to mix too many colors because then it gets too scrappy for me. I have eliminated a number of different fabrics already and I'm using more of the same fabric then what I started out with.

I am really enjoying taking this class from Linda Tellesbo. She teaches Judy Niemeyer Foundation Piecing classes all over Western Washington.  Judy designs the absolute best paper piecing patterns I have ever used so with the combination of Judy and Linda I had no choice but to sign up for another class - Bali Wedding Star. I am probably overbooking myself but I already had the Bali Wedding Star pattern and I did want to do it eventually - and it is fun sewing with others.

I am having trouble deciding between doing a white background or a tan background.

Choices, Choices.....

I wasn't going to buy any more fabric but it is all Pam's fault at the The Quilt Barn. It was her newsletter with the picture of the gorgeous Glacier Star that made me want to sign up for the class. I actually had zero batiks in my stash - at least I did a month ago.

Glacier Star - Technique 1 - Final Report - Technique 2 Progress Report

On Sunday I finished the eight blocks for Technique 1.

On Monday night I finalized the material for the next couple of Techniques, and then tonight I cut the fabric and I'm ready for Technique 2 on July 19th. It is a variation on Flying Geese called Geese in a Pond. First time ever on a Block of the Month type project while working full-time.

Glacier Star - Technique 1 - Progress Report

I planned on doing some more sewing after my dental surgery on Tuesday afternoon but instead I slept for 17 hours. I did some sewing on Thursday night and some today in between cleaning the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom and finishing a genealogy post.

16 sections done

Now I just need to sew the eight small sections to the eight larger sections. I have removed the paper from one of the large sections - now just have to do it for seven more. Sewing on a curve is not something I have done before so I am hoping I remember the instructions on how to do it.

Glacier Star - Technique 1 - Progress Report

I went over to Sequim this weekend and sewed most of Saturday (except for a quick trip to the latte stand with Mick - he scored 4 doggy cookies!) Of course, Val and I stayed up past midnight watching Netflix. Mick stayed glued to my side the whole time I was there but at least this time he didn't break my heart by jumping up to get his leash so he could go home with me.

I got the first unit finished and then finished sections 1 through 9 on the next seven units - just four more sections on each to do.

Then I need to do the seven inner portions and sew the two pieces together for the eight blocks.  The block is called a New York Beauty. I think I have the fabric figured out for the next few techniques (aka months.)

I am having dental surgery tomorrow afternoon at 3 so that will mean no sewing probably for a few days. (No operating machinery for 24 hours!) I also have some genealogy posts that I have to get finished. So much to do and so little time! It probably didn't help that I was at work for eleven hours today trying to get Accounts Receivable corrections done for month end.

Glacier Star - Class 1 of 6

This is the picture that suckered me in from the Puyallup Quilt Barn Newsletter ~

Glacier Star by Judy Niemeyer Quilting

I called on a Wednesday and signed up for a class starting on Saturday. On Thursday night I had to drive through the most ghastly traffic leaving Renton at 4 p.m. and getting to the store in Puyallup one hour later (I took back roads - it was faster than the freeway.) I picked up the cutting instructions for the first class and the first set of material so I could get it cut. I got it cut on Friday night after work and a dentist's appointment, got my supplies together and then fell into bed.

On Saturday I got up and headed for Puyallup - much faster on a Saturday morning. I could go the freeway and it took 30 minutes. The classes teach special foundation piecing techniques developed by Judy Niemeyer Quilting who also designed the patterns. The classes are taught by Certified Instructors. I have to say our instructor was wonderful - Linda Tellesbo. The classes are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a half hour for lunch. (And dinner is with Cousin Chris for five of the six classes.)

We had to narrow the stitch length and put in a different needle - and then I couldn't get my 1939 Singer Featherweight to cooperate. It would not make a stitch. I threaded the machine several times, and reinserted the bobbin a dozen times, even changed the bobbin. No luck. Then, I thought, what is different from the last time I used the featherweight - stitch length and the needle! Stitch length didn't make a difference and then I put the old needle back in and it sewed like a champ. I then tried the new needle and it sewed just fine. Obviously, the 1939 Singer doesn't get cranky and make loud noises when the needle isn't right - it just doesn't stitch.

I got to start sewing much later than every one else so I didn't get very far, but I have to say it is a wonderful way of doing foundation piecing.

Fabric is cut out using templates so there isn't as much waste and the cutting is done along the grain line. The templates have "sew here" notes so you can keep it straight.

The patterns are marked with the sewing lines in order and you use the templates in order. The Judy Niemeyer pattern looks very complicated but it has step by step instructions that are very clear when you focus on them one at a time.

There will be five more seven hour classes to go between now and December 6 with the next class on July 19th. I have a lot to get done before the next class and I am determined to have a finished quilt top on December 6th. This weekend I plan on finishing the first block above. I then have seven more to sew. Before the next class I need to cut out the patterns and templates for technique #2 and get the fabric cut and ready to put the templates on for the final cut. I still need to find the right background material for the next technique which in the first picture of the sample is the background that the flying geese go into around the center star. I found something that might do but I think I need something lighter.