Sputter, Gasp, Whizz, Whir . . . Hummmmm!

I don't know if I should love it, or hate it when my mind kicks out an idea. It seems to be rather like the sounds of the machine in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the classic with Gene Wilder) that belches out the Everlasting Gobstopper. There it is on "the plate", and I can't wait to try it.

One of the ideas stewing in the back of my head for Guild Retreat is an Ohio Star block as a base, and to reflect the many ways a simple alteration can change the original block. I wasn't quite looking forward, however, to making multiple quilt tops to illustrate this factor. I was just about to settle for a few plain blocks on a fleece wall, with many alternate loose corner and center pieces. I'm still inclined to do that to encourage "hands-on" play. But my ultimate sample will be "The Star Family Album". Top row will have Mom and Pop Star in each corner, with the title in the center (fun lettering, like the many examples that Laura uses). The next row will represent the "kiddies". One will have a snowball center; the next a four-patch center; the next a half-square triangle center, and so on. Successive rows will have both center and four corners with alternate piecing in those positions. Maybe it should be "multi-generational" to effect these changes!

I have also been playing with a simple piecing method for another fun scrap block. I've seen a couple different patterns for a taffy block. Both had very awkward piecing. So, I just made up my own, using the hour glass block for the twisties on each end. The center of the block can be scaled to fit the scrap available. In honor of our Guild Retreat, it has been dubbed, "Old Tippe Taffy". And, to reinforce the concept of the snowball block, the theme block for our "snowbound" retreat, there is a companion candy, "Hoosier Hard Candy".

To some, it may appear that I have launched more projects, but really, these are just class samples for Retreat. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!