Sister's Choice Quilts

Is Mars in Retrograde?

I looked it up, and actually, it isn't.  However, when it is, people tend to have problems with mechanical devices.  Which I am.  So I wondered.  My camera is telling me that I have a memory disc error.  I have no clue what that means, and hope my goose isn't cooked.  I love my camera.  Just before it quit on me, I managed to take a couple of pictures of two of my Christmas quilts.  My plan was to give you a Christmas quilt or two each day until I run out of Christmas quilts to share.  There is a story that goes with each quilt, and I want to share those with you too.

This quilt is called Christmas Cactus.  I loved the fabrics, which I picked up in Wisconsin while visiting my sister Mary.  There was a shop in the little town of Fitchburg, right near her house, that was adorable.  I can't remember the name of the shop, but the owner was a nice lady named Wendy Apple.  Any one out there know how Wendy is doing?  I know that, sadly, the shop did go out of business and that it is sorely missed.  I remember how helpful the staff was in helping me locate the particular polka dot background fabric I HAD to have to finish the quilt.  They bent over backwards.

This quilt reminds me of the terrific visit I had with my sister and her lovely husband Doug.  When I go out to Wisconsin, I always hit the local quilt shops (which are amazing), and picked up the pattern and most of the fabric to make the Christmas Cactus quilt on this particular visit.  It was Thanksgiving, and my sister was hosting her first Thanksgiving dinner with her husband's relatives.  Typically, this event was always held at another relative's home.  Mary was nervous, not so much about the cooking, but about the decorating.  The two of us went out shopping at Pier One and we came home with an entire set of dishes and table linens, plus a centerpiece decoration.  We had so much fun making the house look nice.  

The relatives arrived, and were so happy to have their holiday celebration be in a different place.  You see, one family had tragically lost their 17 year old son that summer, and this was their first Thanksgiving without him.  When you experience such a profound loss, I think it is common to want to break away from your usual traditions and in the hope that it will somewhat lessen the pain of missing your loved one at the holiday.  Ergo, that's why everyone was coming to my sister's instead of the usual place.  I recall that we lighted a memory candle for the young man, which burned throughout the meal and into the evening.  We shared a prayer for him and some fond memories, but it wasn't a terribly maudlin affair at all.   There were plenty of smiles around that table.   After the meal, we gathered in the living room in front of the fireplace and played some sort of family game---I have no idea what it was, except that everyone was laughing, young and old alike.  The house looked great, our tummies were full, and we were sharing the best sort of fellowship.  It was one of the nicest Thanksgiving memories I have.

So that is the memory, now about the quilt.

As nice as the quilt is, I made a horrendous error, the kind of error we don't like to talk about.  Sssssshhhhh.  One of the blocks is turned around wrong and no one noticed it, not even the quilter.  I had the quilt over the back of a chair and was admiring it from across the room when something struck me all wrong.  Sure enough, there it was, a huge boo boo, standing out like a sore thumb.  Now when I look at the quilt it is right where my eye goes.  

I still love the quilt, despite its flaw.  We all have them, right?  And besides, it is the association I make with this quilt and my memories that make it so special.  The hole in the pattern of the quilt design makes me think of the hole in the heart of that family that lost their son.  Love goes on despite loss, and a quilt can provide warmth and beauty even when imperfect.

The First Christmas Quilt of the Season

If you have been trying to finish up a holiday quilt in time for Christmas, by all means do it!  It is such a joy to surround myself with quilts that express the festivity and happiness I feel at this time of the year. I love the concept of having a Christmas quilt on every bed in the house!

One of the projects I forced myself to finish this last long weekend was to get the binding on my most recent Christmas quilt.  The pattern I used was Opening Day by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and the fabric line was Roman Holiday by 3 Sisters for Moda.  Delightful pattern, gorgeous fabric.  A sure fire combination for a dynamite quilt.  Don't you love how the flying geese perfectly surround the rectangular dimensions of my queen size mattress?  Now that is the sign of a pattern designer who is thinking things through.

I don't have any other decorations out yet, but this is my first step towards full blown holiday regalia.  My son has invited his long time pen pal to visit this holiday season.  She is coming all the way from Ireland, and I want to make a good impression.  More on this delicate subject very soon.  I am hoping that next weekend we will get a tree and get started with the usual holiday hoopla.  I will be getting out all the Christmas quilts and making the important decision as to which quilt goes on the bed in the guest room.  I should have a regular Sew and Tell and have you help me decide.  A lot could be riding on this.  Good idea, Nicole. 

As I was trying to write this post, my trusty side kick made an appearance.  She sure does know how to get in a person's face.  "Hello Mama!  Let's get going, shall we?  Enough of this computer nonsense.  Let's go for a walk!"  Those would be my knees she is sticking her head between and the lap top is just above her head on the desk.  Ok ok.

A Weekend Full of Finishes

A fellow quilting blogger recently asked the question "At what point in your quilt construction do you get bogged down?"  There were plenty of different answers.  Some folks let their quilts sit for months before they get the bindings sewn on.  Others love making the blocks, but hate the lay out and row construction. 

I have been guilty of many delaying tactics, but I have to say, my issue is borders.  I love getting those quilt tops together, and then I set them aside for a little rest.  Borders are boring.  Or they can be, I suppose.  I had a bit of a look around the sewing room last week and discovered I had a fair number of borderless quilt tops still waiting for that final step before they go off to the quilters.  I had my work cut out for me, but I made the most of this wonderful four day weekend.  Aside from Thanksgiving Day, I barely left my Bernina.

Here is my completed blue and white quilt.  Please don't tell me you see a block turned the wrong way around.  It would be cruel at this point.  My gosh, I had trouble with this lay out.  I think it might have been easier if I had used blues all in the same tone.  I still like the effect though.

This is Birdseye, with its final border.  I will be so happy to get this one back from the quilter so I can start using it.  This quilt just says "Autumn" like no other.

Remember Prairie Paisley?  This poor thing has been waiting so long for its borders.  Once I get this one back from the quilter, I will display it from Memorial Day to Fourth of July.

And finally, Woo Hoo!  I am so proud of this one.  Flowers for Clara, complete with machine appliqued borders!  This is one huge quilt.  I couldn't get back far enough to fit it all into my camera lens!  I practically had to go outside and take the picture looking in the window.

 

I made it just as the pattern showed, but am thinking it would be cool to put the applique motif in all four corners, and not just two of them.  Besides, I was having myself a good time once I got into the applique thing.  Now, I can't stop!  I am going to be putting appliques on everything.

 

If you have not done much machine applique, please reconsider.  Start small, with dish towels to give as holiday gifts, or baby bibs, or aprons.  Once you start with applique you will love it.   Applique adds such a special touch to a quilt, I hope you will give it a try.  I felt like a little girl again, cutting out paper dolls.  My teachers always did say I had good scissor skills...

I kept referring to Barbara Brandeburg's wonderful tutorial, and it made all the difference.  She shows you how to trace the shapes onto fusible interfacing, how to iron them onto the applique pieces, and what stitches to use to sew them down.  Her pictures are great and she makes it look easy.  Shoot, it WAS easy!  I only goofed up once and ironed my interfacing to the right side of the fabric instead of the wrong side, but it was ok, I had extra fabric.

So now that I have four quilts finally off my "Finish It" list, I can buckle down on my Red and White Snowball quilt.  What a good feeling to get these done!

The Day After

Good morning.  This is my sleepy self saying, "Hope you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving".   Mine was lovely, and I seem to be operating in low gear today.  Probably the effects of too much turkey (and mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie).  Seriously, it is a known fact that turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan, a component that in large amounts makes people sleepy.  I think you would have to eat a truckload of turkey to achieve that effect, but in combination with all carbs one eats at Thanksgiving dinner, I for one, always feel like curling up on the couch and sleeping until next Thanksgiving.

The picture above is of the pretty Japanese maples my mother planted in the garden at her house in Palo Alto.  They are always at their full glory on Thanksgiving.  They always remind me of my mother, as if she is still with us through their beauty.

We had a big crowd of family at the table, and since everyone in attendance brought a dish or two or three, there was enough food for the entire neighborhood.  It wouldn't even all fit on the table.  My sister Kate brought her special gold and white holiday dishes, so the table was truly festive.  The guests ranged in age from 16 to 84.

We brought both the dogs with us to the party.  Sophie did not get car sick, for the first time in her life.  Now that is really something to be thankful for.  The dogs did not get into a fight and embarrass us to death.  Another item for the gratitude list.

I know I didn't feed Ozzie and Sophie any turkey, but somebody must have.  They are pretty much sacked out and good for nothing today.

 

Ozzie making himself small.

 

Sophie making herself large.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am pretty sure that this lovely pilgrim girl is going to decorate her Thanksgiving table with those greens, and that they won't be showing up as a side dish.  Things were tough back in those days, so you never know.

It is my heartfelt wish that all of you will be spending a safe Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones.  This year has definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all, we have so much to be grateful for.  I plan to think on it and express my love to one and all, including You, my Blogging Friends.

Thank You Dee

The best thing about having a quilting blog?  The kindness of other bloggers!  You can share your work, see what others are making, exchange tips, join challenges and generally offer support and friendship to others who share your passion.  Today I have a big reason to celebrate blogging.

Yesterday I posted a picture of my partially assembled blue and white quilt.  I was pretty happy with it, and indeed got a lot of positive comments.

One of the comments was from the lovely Dee, who pointed out gently that I had a block turned wrong.  She said she knew I would see it myself any second, but wanted to point it out just in case.

Gasp.  Dee was right.  This is the sort of mistake that would just ruin this quilt.  It is so important for the strong visual effect of this quilt not to make any sorts of errors of this kind.

 

There were in fact, two blocks turned wrong.  See the difference in the pattern?  You would think it would be impossible to mess us a strong design like this, but you would be surprised.

Thank you Dee.

Here is another reason to celebrate blogging.  Welcoming new bloggers to our midst!  Go on over and say hello to Laurey in Oz.  She just started a blog and would love to make some new friends.  She is working on a Jane Austen reproduction quilt she is making for her parents 25th anniversary.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

I know, I know, I am supposed to be working on my Red and White Snowball Challenge quilt.  And I am, really.  However, working on this red and white two color quilt got me thinking about a project I started about two years ago.

I adore two color quilts, and back in June 2008 I started a blue and white quilt from an old Marsha McCloskey book called On To Square Two.  The inspiration for the quilt was an amazing project completed by Patti of Quilting is My Passion.  Here is a picture of the quilt Patti made that so inspired me:

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?  I just had to have one, and since I owned the book and had a hefty stash of blue and white fabrics, I got going and started my own version in blue.  And stopped after making 16 blocks.  Why?  Because the author, a very well known quilting guru, who I respect and admire, favors the most regrettable method of constructing half square triangle and hour glass blocks known to man.  She does something called Bias Squares, which involves cutting strips of fabric on the bias and trimming them up into half square triangles.  It is a method I find tedious in the extreme.

So, I shelved the project, but it has haunted me and called to me for the past 15 months. 

"Niiiii-cooooooollle, we waaaaannnnnnt yoou to fiiiiiiiiniiiiiiisssssh us". Great.  Now I am hearing voices.

So, as I said, the Red and White Snowball thing got me thinking about this potentially fabulous UFO.  I got the project box down out of the closet, blew the dust off it, and got to thinking about a different approach.  I did the math and figured out that to make the  3 1/2 inch hour glass blocks, I needed 4 1/4 inch squares.  Great.  To get the  3 1/2 inch half square triangles, I used my trusty Easy Angle tool.  All I needed to do was take my fat quarters and cut one 4 1/4 inch strip and one 3/12 inch strip.  And, I got two blocks out of each strip combination!  Instead of butchering my lovely fat quarters with Marsha's method.  Sorry, but I think my way is better.

 

Before I could say "Bob's your uncle", I had made 42 blocks.  The block,  by the way,  is an old classic called Massachusetts Cross and Crown.  But I was far from finished.

The quilt calls for a complicated pieced lattice.  There are a lot of ways to go wrong with the lattice, which involves 2 1/2 inch light strips and dark strips paired with half square triangles that must be positioned just so.  One way for the light strips and another way for the dark strips.  Would you think that Marsha would have included a diagram to help out with the placement of the lattice strips?  Me too, but she didn't.  She does include a black and graph thing that you could color in with your own colored pencils, but please.  Just give me a diagram, is that too much to ask?   Woeful directions.  So that took another hour to figure out. 

Then the lay out.  Aye yi yi.  This is one tricky so and so.  Not for sissies. Do not drink any chardonnay while working this out.

My version of the quilt is not so large as Patti's but larger than Marsha's.  Patti made 64 blocks to get the design she chose.  Marsha made 30 blocks to get the quilt pictured in her book.  I believe in quilts that actually fit a bed, so I decided on 42 blocks, a 6 x 7 layout.  This block and lattice are conducive to just about any log cabin type layout you can imagine.   I liked the sort of off kilter design featured in the book, but just needed it to be a scosh bigger.

 

I'm at the half way point, and I know this is going to be great, but stay tuned! Back to the Red and White Snowball Challenge in a minute.

A Patch of Sunshine

Thanks for all your encouraging comments after my post on Thursday.  I don't have so much trouble finding things to do, I just miss the routine and company that having my husband and Ozzie home brings.  So, Friday, I had the entire day off and made the most of it.  I didn't leave the house all day long, and spent about nine hours in my sewing room.  I will show you what I was up to on Monday.

Sometimes we need to take lessons from our pets.  That is Ozzie, the eternal optimist, in the picture above.  He is never bored.  He can always find some sort of trickery or mischief to get up to.  Everyday is a new adventure for him.  They say dogs love routine, and that is definitely true when it comes to Sophie's preferences, but not Ozzie.  Oh sure, he likes to have his dinner and walkies at the usual time, but he is a guy who is Always Up for Some Novelty.  A ride in the car?  Oh yeah.  A toy?  Whoopee!  A visitor?  Hang on to your hat.  And if there is no entertainment, he will make his own.  Hide your shoes, cell phones, the tv remote, eye glasses, any small personal object he can get his paws on.  He will grab it, make sure you KNOW he has it, and then make you chase around after him to get it back.  Fun, fun, fun.

Even when he slows down and stops for a second, he has a knack for finding the patch of sunshine.

See what I mean?  We can learn a lot from our pets.

Isolation

"Tap tap tap....is this thing on?  Anyone there?"

I think I am done with the being on my own during the week business.  I am lonely.  TV has no appeal, and reading is ok, but I want something more.  I play with the dog and I goof off on the computer, but those activities, no matter how enjoyable, are no subsitute for human interaction.

After the first week or so of being on my own, I have completely given up on cooking.  I buy a big sandwich for lunch and eat half at noon and save the other half for dinner.  Sad.  Fast food is tempting, but that equals FAT in no time flat.  Still too vain to go that route.  However, cooking for one just seems like too much of a bother and mess.  I still set the table for two though.  How pathetic is that?

I want someone to talk to!  How do the rest of you who live alone, all or part of the week deal with your solitude?  Is it peaceful or is it boring?  I am lucky that at least I have the weekends with my husband and sometimes other family members.  I don't know how I would cope if this was a permanent arrangement.

Maybe this is just a blip on my solitude adjustment graph.  The low point before I start thinking "Oh yeah.  This is the life".   Maybe next week.

This isn't the post I started out intending to write.  Obviously I don't have a heck of a lot to share, but what I wanted to show you was my progress on my red and white snowball quilt.

Half square triangles done--check.  Red strip units done--check.  Light strip units done--check.  The next step is to complete the light snowball side units and then assemble all the blocks.  This baby will be done way before the end of January if I keep this up!  By the way, have any of you checked out Thelma's blog to see what she has done with some of her blocks?  Please go check it out, it is the cutest idea ever.

Have all of you swappers received your swap fabrics?  Let Allyson and I know if you haven't.  If someone has had to drop out of the swap and you are left with less fabrics than you counted on, send me an email.  I will try to make it right for you.

I totally lucked out in the swap department.  Not only did I get all my swap fabrics in a timely manner, I got some totally unanticipated extra goodies!  Which I, the gal who didn't even remember to enclose her fabrics in a plastic zip lock bag, or leave a cheery note, did not deserve.

 

Check out that little cupcake stick pin!  How cute is that?  Thelma again.  That girl always takes it to the next level, I swear.

Seeing Red

I'm seeing red alright, but in a good way!  I found the fabulous border fabric above for my Red and White Snowball quilt challenge.  My plan is to add a narrow black containment border, and then a wider border of this pretty red print.  Inkwell Prints by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics.

Sophie, my little companion, is fascinated by this project and keeps getting into things in an effort to "help me".  She is a swell helper indeed.  She is prepared to hang on to this zip lock bag of red snowball units no matter what.  I had to give her a dog biscuit to let go of that.

 

I am so glad that many of you enjoy shoes as much as I do!  It was fun hearing from some of you about your memories of buying favorite shoes.  Just so you know that I share the goodies, I am organizing a holiday shoe drive at work. 

The charity is called Soles4Souls.  It provides new or "gently worn" shoes to people all over the world who perhaps have never had a pair of shoes on their feet in their lives.  It is an especially good feeling to be able to provide foot wear for barefoot children who live in poverty stricken conditions.  Imagine their joy at receiving a pair of shoes when they have had to do without their entire lives.  This is a great cause, and if you are interested, you might want to check out their website Soles4Souls, and organize a Holiday Shoe drive of your own. 

We take having good shoes on our feet as a basic right, but it sure doesn't work that way in many other places.  Do you know most American households have dozens of shoes in their closets that they are not wearing?  Take a good look, you probably do too.  I may not be ready to give up those snazzy red plaid heels just yet, but I do have a few pair of decent loafers and sneakers I could donate that are more practical anyway!

Choosing Shoes

Choosing Shoes

by Frida Wolfe

New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they'd let us buy?

Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.

Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy-dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes,
Like some? So would I.

BUT
Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That's the sort they'll buy.

What is it about red shoes?  Susan at Blackberry Creek had a post the other day on how much she loves red shoes.  Me too.  It is a proven fact that wearing red shoes makes a person happy.  Plus, I think red shoes are lucky.  At the very least they indicate a person who has courage.

The poem by Frida Wolfe is one of my favorites from back in my teaching days.  You must believe me that the words in that poem resonated with every single child I ever read it to.  Remember when you wanted the Glow In The Dark Mary Janes and your parents wouldn't let you have them?  And you had to settle for some other more sensible, far less fun, shoes?  Every one of us has had that happen.  The first time my mom let me buy my own shoes was when I was in 8th grade.  I had earned the money myself by babysitting.  What did I choose?  Gold Lame' Ankle Boots.  (Hanging head in shame).  All I can say is that becoming a person of style and taste takes some practice.

One of the joys of becoming an adult is being able to choose our own shoes!  And I hope I can say I am doing better than I did when I was 13.  I love shoes.  But the red ones hold a special place in my heart.

 

These are the most recent red shoes to come live with me.  They were on sale at Macy's and I couldn't resist.  The heel looks high, but it turns out if you buy your high heels a half size bigger than you normally wear, they feel better.  (What is that line from Steel Magnolias?  Dolly Parton says,  "I wear a six, but a seven feels so good, I always buy the eight").

These are the red shoes I wear most often.  Very silly shoes.  However, they feel like butter, and I got them in Madrid when I joined Sara and Ryan on their honeymoon in Spain.  (I'll tell you about that another time).  Great memories associated with these shoes.

These are my Go-To shoes when I want to feel glamorous.  The first time I wore them was to a family party for the Academy Awards.  I dressed up in little black cigarette pants and a red silk kimono style blouse and wore these shoes.  Fun fun fun.  They have a  little heel, but not so high it is dangerous.

Oh shoes.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.....

Back In Business

I used to fantasize how lovely it would be if my son became a doctor.  Or maybe a jeweler.  Sometimes you don't get what you want, you get what you need.  (Thanks Mick).  My son is a getting his graduate degree in Computer Science.  Yes indeed, he is.   Are you making the connection?

He came home this weekend and took my seemingly dead laptop apart.  Honestly, can you even imagine?  How the heck can anyone even get in there?  Well he did.  It turned out that the damage from my coffee spill mishap wasn't fatal after all.  But the computer was pouting and needed some coaxing and prodding to wake up and carry on properly.  It was interesting to see all that lies underneath the keyboard on a lap top.  Once you see what is under there, you can understand why spilling some sort of liquid would be a disaster.  

Now that things are all better (Thank You Ahren!), I vow never to have an open cup of any sort of liquid in the vicinity of my laptop.  If I do have any coffee, it will be in the old Tommy Tippy cup Sara used to use when she was a baby.  Notice the dishtowel underneath the laptop?  Just a precaution. 

Now.  On to the Red and White Snowball Challenge!  How is it going girls?  I have my 480 half square triangles all done.  Man, that was a lot of HSTs.  I used the Easy Angle ruler to make mine, but half square triangle papers would be a good way to go with this task too.  I was just weary of the paper method, having just done a million HSTs that way recently.  This is what 480 half square triangle units looks like:

The way I kept track of how many I had was to stack them in 10 piles of 48.  I got 12 HSTs out of each 21 inch long fabric strip pairing.  I made myself do 4 sets at a sitting (48 HSTs), and before you know it they were done.  

Next, I was on to the strip sets needed for the middle part of each block.  I am using 21 inch long strips for those too.  Just so you know, you need to make 7 strip sets to get your 49 or 50 2 1/2 inch units.  If you are using 21 inch long strips of fabric like I am.

One word of advice:  follow the pressing instructions very carefully.  You will be glad you did.

I have finished 100 of the 118 red side units that I need for my blocks and borders.  I haven't started in on making the light units yet.  This quilt isn't one of those snappy things you can throw together in a weekend.  But isn't it nice to work on something that takes a bit of effort?  I agree.

 

One thing I always always do when I am making any quilt, is to make a test block first thing.  It is kind of an incentive thing for me I think.  These are the two blocks you will be making for the quilt.  

So, how are you all progressing?  Let's have a status update!

Take the High Road

Did that make you smile?  Well good. 

That's how I am feeling this week.  Like I need a helmet or a coat of armor or thicker skin or something to protect me from all unpleasantness and misfortune.  I've been having some issues with a Difficult Person that I work with.   We've all been there.  There is always one character in the work place that can make things miserable for everyone else.  So, what is the best technique for handling these people?  DPs let's call them.

DPs come in all shapes and forms, and all forms are toxic.  A toxic coworker can take the form of a cut-you-downer, a two-faced backstabber, a gossip, a meddler, an instigator, or a nasty competitor.  My personal demon is a two faced backstabber and put-downer.  Impossible to have a even a simple exchange of information with this person without them becoming defensive or blaming.  The sort of person who,when they have an issue with you emails you their displeasure and cc's everyone else in the organization.  Ouch is right. 

So how do you handle it?  Ignore them?  Kill them with kindness?  In my opinion, the thing that must happen first is that you address the problem directly with the DP.  Ignoring the tension will not ever work.  It won't go away, believe me.  You must address it.  Confront the person who is bedeviling you and if face to face communication doesn't work, take it to a higher authority.  Do not let it fester.  If you do, you could become so angry that you may do or say something out of anger that you will really regret later.  If you are so darn mad that you are irrational, you will certainly not be in shape to solve the problem with any control or clarity.  You must practice self control.  Anything you do that is out of line will be used against you.

You also don't want to make your issue public.  If you are always complaining to anyone who will listen that so and so is making your life miserable, you will soon be perceived as a whiney baby who can't solve their own problems.  Plus it is embarrassing to be in such a situation.  Above all, do not air your differences in a public format such as a staff meeting.  If you lose your temper in public, no one will ever take you seriously again.

You must be respectful, no matter how impossible that approach seems.  Listen to what the DP has to say, even if it seems a waste of time.  Their perception is their reality, no matter how whacko that is.  Be as kind as you can.  Communicate clearly.

In my situation, I have decided to take the High Road.  After I told the individual that their attitude towards me left much to be desired, I proposed some steps I was prepared to take to endeavor to mitigate the tension between us.  I expressed the desire that this DP would extend the same courtesy to me.  So far I haven't had any response to that olive branch.  However, there has been an exchange of information that was needed to facilitate a project, so that was good.  And I didn't even point out her rude and defensive tone...

I have involved my boss, so she is aware of the situation and what I am doing to try to solve it.  Funny, it turns out that I am not the first person in the corporation that this DP has had interpersonal problems with.  See what I mean?  They are everywhere.

Be careful out there.  It is Friday the Thirteenth after all.

 

What Not to Do List

So, my laptop is fried and I can't connect my camera to my husband's computer to post any quilting pictures, so I am relying on Getty Images to inspire me with blog topic ideas.  The photo above got me thinking about unfortunate things that could have been avoided had they been on my master DO NOT DO THIS list.  All so true.

1) Do not take your cell phone or the tv remote into the bathroom with you.

2) Do not try bikini waxing at home.

3) Do not leave dirty motor oil on the side yard where the dog can knock it over.

4) Do not drink coffee in an open container next to your lap top.

5) Do not leave fat quarter collection on coffee table where son in law is drinking red wine

6) Use less soap than you think you need when filling the dishwasher or washing machine.

7) Do not stick your head between bars of any sort.  It will get stuck.

8) Don't catch your heel in a crack on the stage when you are being introduced to make a speech.

9)  Do not wear a new white bra and a new red tee shirt at the same time.  Especially on a warm day.

10) Do not carry a bottle of red nail polish in your purse.  

11) When in doubt, double bag it.

12) Do not put your rings in your shirt pocket when you are playing at the beach.

13) Five Reese's peanut butter cups is enough.

14) Don't forget about the spaghetti in the pot.

15) Do not leave your new orange sandals alone in the same room as the puppy.

16) Don't forget to put the lid on the blender jar.

17) Do not confuse the spray adhesive with the Scotchgard when spraying your new canvas shoes.

18) Make sure the tree stand is big enough for the Christmas tree.

19) Don't let your freshly colored wet hair touch the back of your beige suede chair.

20)  Do not let your toddler play with marbles in the bathtub.  Please trust me on this one.

Uh oh.

I had a little accident yesterday.  I was drinking my morning coffee while I read my email and somehow managed to knock my cup over and spill coffee all over my laptop keyboard.

Ooops.  It started making a terrible crackling noise and then...

 

No, it didn't burst into flames like the one in the picture above, but it is very very sick and refusing to cooperate on any level.

So, I have no computer at the moment.  I am posting this from work on my lunch hour, but think that my blogging this week is going to be interrupted.  When my husband gets home this weekend, maybe he can figure out if it can be fixed.

Let me tell you, life without a computer is a dull thing indeed.  I am so used to getting up in the morning, checking my email, visiting my favorite blogs, and maybe doing a little blogging of my own.  It makes me try to remember what I used to do before I had my own home computer.  Hmmm?  What did I used to do with my free time?  Read the newspaper?  Walk the dog?  Clean the kitchen?  I just can't recall.

Let my mistake be a lesson to you!
 

Something to Feel Good About

I had a productive weekend!  Maybe not so much as Lisa, who has been on her annual Quilting Retreat, but still, I did all right.  What you see in the picture above is the center part of the Flowers for Clara quilt, a pattern by Bonnie Blue.  I love this.  LOVE this.  This is a quilt that I will use and be proud of for years and years.  It positively dances. 

It isn't finished yet though.  I plan to add a narrow black containment border, and then an 8 inch wide appliqued border of flowers on the tan background fabric.  I have reviewed a fabulous machine applique tutorial by Barbara Brandenburg, and cannot wait to get going on this border.  If you are leary of machine applique, please check out Barbara's tutorial.  She makes it look so simple.

 

Thanks to all of you who urged me to bite the bullet and get those rumply borders re-cut and re-attached.  It wasn't that horrible of a project.  I took the borders off one evening when I was watching tv, and then trimmed them down to fit better.  I remeasured my quilt top without stretching it one single smidge, and ended up with a border measurement that was 1 1/2 inches less than what I had sewn on in the first place.  Let my error be a lesson to you all:  when measuring a quilt top with half square triangles (or any other type of bias edges) DO NOT STRETCH the fabric at all.  If you do, you will end up with borders that are too long, and therefore wavy and rumply and practically unquiltable.

I will have to really watch it when putting the borders on Flowers for Clara.  If you notice, we have many half square triangle bias edges.

 

I've got all my red strips cut for the Red and White Snowball challenge, and most of my lights.  I have decided to use a different method for making my 2 1/2 inch half square triangles that allows me to use 2 1/2 inch wide strips instead of the 3" square method used in the pattern instructions.  (See yesterday's post).

I'd love to get started on my November Schnibbles as well, but I am feeling like I have a few irons in the fire hear!  I will be lucky to finish my October Schnibbles!

Another Way To Do It

Hi there everyone.  Have a good weekend?  Me too.  While I was puttering around in my sewing room, fondling all the lovely cream colored strips my swap partners have been sending me for the Red and White Snowball challenge, I had an idea.

The swap strips are five inches wide, correct?  The pattern calls for 3 inch squares to make the half square triangles and 2 1/2 inch squares for the solid squares.   How could I use my five inch swap strips to the best advantage?

What if I used a different method for making half square triangles out of 2 1/2 inch strips?  Instead of cutting 3 inch squares, drawing a line, stitching and cutting in half?

I cut one of my 5 x 42 inch swap strips in half.  Then I cut the 42 inch strips in half so I had four strips 21" x 2 1/2".

 

I layered one light strip with one red strip, right sides together.

 

Then, I got out my fabulous Easy Angle ruler and started cutting triangles.  This tool allows you to make 2 1/2 inch half square triangles out of 2 1/2 inch fabric strips.  (Or 3 inch HSTs out of 3 inch strips, or  1 1/2 inch HSTs out of 1 1/2 inch strips etc etc).  Fabulous tool.  Comes in two different sizes, small and large.  I used the small size.

 

 

I got 12 half square triangles out of one 21 x 2 1/2 inch strip combo.

 

Stack them up and sew.

 

I use my Angler 2 guide on the throat plate of my sewing machine, so there is no marking necessary.  If you don't have the Angler 2, don't worry, just sew your 1/4 seam using your presser foot as a guide. 

 

And Bob's your uncle, you have 12 perfect little 2 1/2 inch half square triangles.  And with this method, you end up with a "dog ear" on just one corner of the square, so there is less trimming.  And no drawing lines.

You will need 40 2 1/2 inch red strips and 40 2 1/2 inch light strips to make 480 half square triangles with this method.

 

Use your remaining 2 1/2 inch red and light strips to make your strip units as directed in the pattern instructions.  (36 2 1/2 inch strips each of the reds and the lights).

I think this method makes better use of the fabric strips.  Otherwise, you are wasting fabric when you cut the strips 3 inches wide as the pattern instructions call for.  And I don't know about you, but I get really tired of drawing those stitching lines on hundreds of fabric squares.

Just another idea!

Just Puttering

I don't have anything particularly interesting to share with you all today.  I had the afternoon off, but instead of using it productively, I shopped for the ingredients to make an Indian Chicken Curry, and puttered about in my sewing room.

The mess you see in the picture above is the now borderless red and white quilt that had the rumply borders of shame.  I took the darn things off, and now I am just so not interested in this project.  But, I must fix the problem and get the quilt done.  Someone wants it.  Maybe I will focus on it this Friday when I have the day off.

But I want to start cutting out my red and white fabric for the Red and White Snowball challenge.  The swap fabric is beginning to come in!  I got my first package from Melissa today, and did she ever pick cool fabrics.  Totally what we need.  However, when I got her package, I realized that when I mailed mine out, I neglected to do what Allyson had instructed.  I did not put my strips in a zip lock bag to protect them!  I am so sorry Swap Mates!  If my fabric arrived soggy or otherwise damaged, let me know and I will send more!

 

I spent a lot of time auditioning light fabrics for my Raise the Roof project.  I am using a fat quarter pack of Vicksburg for the darks, but wanted some golden tans for the lights.

 

Seeing the fabrics in the photo, I think I am not done auditioning fabrics.  Those lighter ones really don't work for me.  I need more fabrics in that mid range golden tan.

So, it's just Sophers and me, hanging around the house.  I am kinda lonely for my husband, but we just had a nice chat on the phone.  It is his dad's birthday tonight and he and Sara are going to their house with Chinese take out for a nice dinner.  The problem is, the grandparents are going on 90 and eat their dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon, and by the time my husband and daughter get off work, commute home, and pick up the Chinese, it will be going on 7:30.  Hope the old folks can stay up and eat that late!

Sophie and I are getting along all right.  We have a lovely routine, where she gets me up at 6:00 every morning by giving me gentle kisses.  I swear that dog can read a clock.  The switch out of Daylight Savings Time didn't phase her one bit.  We used to get up at 6:00, we still get up at 6:00.  I have one of those digital clocks by the bed and I just know she knows when it is time to rise and shine.

 

She is such a tease.  Hey!  That is my new knee sock from Talbots!  Let go, you bad dog!

Flowers for Clara

Now, these blocks are not sewn together, just laid out on the design bed, but you can see how this top is coming together!  Don't the blocks make a cool design when rotated the way they are?  The pattern and fabric was a kit I bought from Bonnie Blue Quilts, a shop specializing in reproduction fabrics.  The pattern is called Flowers for Clara.

I am so relieved to have these blocks finished.  Would you believe I have been working on them for over a year?  I was using some special triangle papers that Bonnie Blue sells, and all in all this is my review of them:  The half square triangles were super duper accurate, but tearing off that darn paper was a pain in the you know what.  It was a mixed bag for sure.  You have to lay the fabric and the triangles papers together just so, pin the paper to the two layers of fabric, sew on the dotted lines, then cut on the solid lines, then press, then trim, then make the blocks.  I would make three or four blocks and just get weary of the entire process and its many steps.  It took me forever.  And I had 64 blocks to make, each one with 12 half square triangles.  You do the math. 

 

The plus side is, you get dead on accurate half square triangles.  And you get eight of them per triangle paper.

I love the blocks, I know I am going to adore the quilt, so I guess it was worth it.  Now that I am done with the darn triangle papers!

Watch for more progress on this quilt, as I get the rows sewn together.  Once that is done, I will be making my second appliqued border in my life.  Woo hoo!  And it will be an accurately measured, flat, non-rumply border.  Yes it will.

Hanging Head in Shame

My son discovered this quilt top in my sewing room and asked me why I hadn't had it quilted.  "Too many quilt tops, too little money" was my answer.  He said he would pay to have it quilted if he could give it to someone special in his life.  How could I say no to that?  I had made the quilt top about a year and a half ago, the summer I was unemployed and finishing up a quilt every Friday.  Check out my album of Friday Finishes on the right side bar.  That was a productive summer!  However, haste makes waste, as you will see.

I have been going to a certain quilt shop for my quilting for several years now.  They do a great job and I love getting in there to talk to the gals and do a bit of shopping.  However, due to my current work schedule, I have a hard time getting to my favorite quilt shop, which is closed on Sundays, my only free day to get up there to it.  It is also a long way from where I live.  So, this quilt has been sitting around for weeks waiting for me to buy backing and take it in for quilting.  Today was the day.  I took a half day off work and drove the 70 miles to the shop.  We laid the quilt out on the cutting table to measure it, and the lady who was helping me said, "Uh oh".  What?  What?  What's wrong?  Did my darn dogs chew a hole in it?

She then pointed out how my border was totally ripply.  Much too much fabric for the length of the sides and top/bottom of the quilt.  When quilted, it would be a rumpled mess of folded fabric and uneven stitching.   How did I do that?  What a bonehead, novice sort of thing to do.  And I was so embarrassed.  Here I am, supposedly an experienced quilter, and how in the heck did I manage to mess up such an elemental thing?  I have a reputation to uphold for goodness' sake. 

I was so humiliated I just folded up the quilt and said I would take it back home with me and remove the borders and sew them back on so they were flat and even.  My face was as red as this quilt as I drove home with the faulty quilt top.  I just cringe when I think about it.  Why hadn't I checked it first?  How did I miss that?

Well, I can fix it.  This has moved up to the top of my priority list.  And I will be darned if I made that mistake again. 

Look at the cute backing fabric I found--at least the 140 mile round trip wasn't a complete waste.