St. Louis Star

 

When I was a kid, I became a bit obsessed with the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I read all of them, some multiple times.  I even had a songbook and cookbook, I think.  My dad used to tell stories of our illustrious ancestors who came across the country in covered wagons, or were disemboweled and had their intestines wrapped around a tree.  You know, feel-good stories that made you proud to be a member of the family.  

We moved often because of my dad's career in the military, and I really thought about what it would have been like for those who left their families behind and never, ever saw them again.  When the Ingalls family left Wisconsin to head west, their extended family was just as close as mine was.  But once they were gone, that was pretty much the end of that.

Back when I was in high school, my sister made a log cabin quilt.  I thought that was pretty much the coolest thing ever, so I made one called the "Virginia Reel."  I took that quilt with me to college, but over time it fell apart and died a sad death, mostly because I didn't sew it well in the first place.  

 

When my dad was really sick, I was able to fly home a few times a year to see him.  This was a really nice opportunity, and one which I recognize isn't possible for many people.  Because Dad's meds made him sleepy a lot, and because no woman in our family ever has idle hands, I brought back a quilt that I wanted to make.  I bought this new quilt as "Block of the Month" sets from JoAnn Fabrics, so everything was pre-cut.  I thought that was cheating a bit, but it was on sale and I liked the colors.  Each trip back, whether by plane or car, I packed that quilt along with me.  Mom pinned and I sewed, and eventually we had twelve big pieced blocks.  Then we worked on the sashing and borders.  I bought some coordinating fabric to make the outermost border just to make it a bit bigger.  

Dad died nearly three years ago, so all the finishing work I did here at home.  I finally finished stitching the binding down today.  It's real name is "Pathway to the Stars," but I will always think of it as the "St. Louis Star."

I'm going to put it on my bed tonight, and try not to freak out when the dog jumps up on it.  I have about five more quilts (much smaller) that I'm working on, so hopefully I'll have more projects to add.