Stars and Strips

There's a few of the kids that I haven't made quilts for. So I want to make a quilt for my Daughter in Law.  She is very supportive of the military, police and fire department so my husband suggested a patriotic quilt of some kind.  I started looking for some patterns. This one would be good because I've been making these blocks for my rainbow scrap quilt.

This one is similar. 

 I have this panel but not sure.....

I finally settled on this one.  

 I pulled out some civil war / Americana fabric however, my hubby thought maybe it would look better in brighter fabrics.  And since I feel like I'm bulging at the seams with fabric I really don't want to go buy some right now, but couldn't really find the right blue.  Low and behold my friends came to the rescue.  We went to our friend Barbara's house in Kingman, because Vickie wanted to use her cutter to cut some animal appliques out.  Cheryl mentioned that I was looking for a bright blue so Barbara opens her closet and tells me to pick something that will work. 

Then she starts pulling out star dies for her cutter and white fabric and fusible and next thing you know I'm all set up to make the quilt. Instead of piecing the star blocks I'll applique them.

I already have a couple of different reds that will work and a white on white. 

I have some pretty special friends.  There are a few other quilts in the works right now, but will work at getting this done for her December birthday.
As a side note the next day my big machine started acting up really bad. I have been having trouble with it skipping stitches.

Well it got super bad - I can't even sew a straight stitch anymore so..... another trip to Kingman.  It's not too far about 45 mins to an hour one way - but had I known the machine was going to get that bad, I could have taken it the day before. I haven't been sewing, I was cutting out and fusing the rest of my scottie dogs.

It wasn't until I started sewing the strips that I realized how bad it was.
Oh well.  Lucky for me I have a couple of other machines I can use. I have a travel machine that I use for retreats, so got that out and cleaned it, omg was that bad.  I don't think I've ever let my machine get that bad before cleaning. 

So since I've pulled my machine out of the travel case, one of my doggies decides this space makes a nice new little dog house for her.

I let her be for the day but have since closed the side up. Sorry Punky that's not your dog house. 
Well I've got lots to do, sew I better get at it. 
Have a blessed day,  Lynn