Sister's Choice Quilts

Back to Work!

Ok, enough goofing around, shopping at the mall, and gazing vacantly into space.  Time to get back to sewing!

I have the day off for the most part today, and plan to put together some Dresden Plates.  I love these pretty Fig Tree fabrics, and know my finished top will be so summery and vintagey. 

Other things on my list to get back to are Farmer's Wife, Granny Squares, quilting my T is for Thelma Schnibbles, and making a dozen or more little zippy bags for my son in law's new wine tasting room.  He has said he would like to have some "boutiquey" items for sale in the shop, and my zippy bags fit the bill!  So excited about that!

So, as you see, I have plenty to do and hope to show some results to you all next time I post!

Can't help sharing this picture of some ground cover that popped up in my back yard:

No clue what it is, but it seems pretty common in my area.  Couldn't you just dive into it?

And look!  They're ba-ack!

 

Barn Quilts for Your Home

When I was tearing through the Road to California quilt show in Ontario last week, my heart nearly stopped when I came upon something I have wanted my entire grown up life.  A barn quilt.

There was a booth,hosted by "Classic Metal Company", who had displayed heavy weight steel "barn quilt" blocks to use as display on your house or on your walls.  These "barn quilts" are part of our heritage, and are a real symbol of Americana.  Quilt patterns on barns date back to colonial America. After the colonists became established and had spare income, they painted small patterns on the ends of the barns as a way to celebrate their heritage.

When you travel through the midwest and east coast and get out into the countryside, you do see these lovely works of art. 

When I was at Life's A Stitch in Janesville, WI in September 2010, I took the picture above, of a terrific example of a barn quilt.  I cherish the memory of that trip, as I was with two of the lovliest friends a person could ever wish for, and we were doing what we love best:  shopping for quilt fabric!  There is nothing that would forever symbolize and remind me of that amazing experience than having my own barn quilt.

So, with that being said, the reason my heart stopped, was because right there at the quilt show, Classic Metal Co.  had this block for sale:

Anybody recognize that block?  Yup, it is Sister's Choice!!!

I bought the small size, but will be ordering the large size (24" square) as well.  It is going to be the perfect touch to my quilting studio, inside and out.  The small one (shown below) will go inside the studio and the larger one outside the entrance under the lamp.   I played around with the smaller one today, but clearly I need to Go Big.  What a wonderful herald for my studio!  I am so excited to have found this.  They also had a fun sign that matched that I want to hang underneath that said "Welcome".  Think I need that too, don't you?

By all means, check out the website for Classic Metal Co., they had all sorts of quilt blocks represented:  Mariner's Compass, Blazing Star, Bear's Paw, Broken Dishes, Dutch Rose, LeMoyne Star...  You could have a barn quilt too!

Favorite Tools

There have been several discussions going on lately in Blogland about quilters' favorite tools, so I thought I would jump in with a list of mine.  I tried to keep my list to ten items, but that was a lot harder than you would think!  If you have any suggestions to add, by all means do so by making a comment.  Other quilters love to know what notions are popular, time saving, and cool.  Long post today, so fill your coffee cup and sit down for a nice read.

I am pressed for time today (Grandpa needs my attention), so I am not providing links to all these products.  If you search my tutorials you will see that several of these products are discussed in detail.  Also, if you "Google" the name of the product, you will get many sites that sell them and provide more product information.

The very basic items that one needs right out of the gate in order to pursue this craft successfully are a rotary cutter, a large self healing cutting mat, small scissors, basic rotary rulers in at least two sizes (12 x 6 and 24 x 6), a pin cushion, pins, a seam ripper, thread and a sewing machine.  There are probably essentials that I am forgetting.  But that is a start.  Beyond that there is a plethora of gizmos and gadgets that make your work easier, stress free and fun.  In no particular order, here are some of my Must Haves:

Bernina seam ripper.  The cutting blade on these is so fine, it makes ripping easy.   They are a bit pricier than other rippers, but I have never regretted this purchase.

How I got along before this gizmo came to my attention, I have no idea.  It is a super bright and concentrated light that attaches to the top or side of your sewing machine.  With these old eyes of mine, it enables me to see really well what is happening with my stitching.

I have blogged about this in the past, so you may remember me singing its praises.  The Angler 2 is a guide that you tape to the throat plate of your sewing machine, which allows you to sew half square triangles and corner squares without marking.  I have used this for years and find it to be a huge time saver.

Monique Dillard's Fit to be Geese ruler.  If you have one of these rulers, you will be making the most perfect Flying Geese units you ever imagined.  This is worth its weight in gold.  In fact, any of Monique's rulers are outstanding!

Love these fine quilting pins by Clover.  They are fine enough that I sew over them regularly.  (Don't judge me lol).  They are super fine and have heat resistant glass heads you can iron over.

More pins.  These are "fork pins" also made by Clover.  You can see from this picture I found on the internet how they hold your seam allowances down and enable you to match up your seam lines perfectly.

This is the Olfa Rotating Cutting Mat.  In addition to your large cutting mat, you may find this small one a great help when you are cutting out small pieces.  I am loving it while using my Marti Michell templates for the Farmer's Wife blocks.  Instead of picking up my little shapes and repositioning the template, I can just turn the mat to easily cut all sides.

Another quilting mat I really like.  These June Tailor Cut and Press mats come in several sizes, and I love having one on my sewing or cutting table with the pressing side up.  I can use my little iron and it is so convenient.  Great for retreats too, when there are a lot of folks sharing the big ironing boards.  And if you need to cut, just flip it over and Bob's your uncle.

Are you all still with me?  Just a couple more...

There are a number of rulers of this type out there, and all are pretty much the same, and very good.  The Precision Trimmer (or something like it) is an invaluable tool for trimming up your blocks, especially half square triangles.  You line up the diagonal lines along your seam and trim away the excess, leaving a perfectly square block unit.  Trimming is good. I love making my blocks a scosh to big and trimming them down to size. 

This is a new discovery for me.  Because of the afore mentioned old eyes, I need help threading my sewing needles.  I have always used Clover threaders in the past, and found them to be excellent.  However, with my current six strand of floss embroidery project, I found I was breaking the Clovers one right after the other.  These Grabbits were recommended to me, and I love them.  They are super fine, but very securely attached so the wires don't pull out.  Plus, they have a little magnet on the back, so you can stick it to your magnetic pin cushion or embroidery scissors!

This Goth looking device is my all time favorite thimble by Roxanne.  I have had one for over 15 years and know it will out last me.  They are quite expensive, but worth the splurge.  They come in a ton of sizes, so you can get one that fits your finger tip perfectly.  I would try to find a store that carries them and if possible, try them on in person to get the exact size for you.  My fingers are super thin, so before this, I never could find a thimble that would stay on my finger tip.  And do you see the little cut out?  That is so you gals with fingernails can have your thimble fit securely on your finger and let your nail peek out.

I hope you enjoyed this list of gadgets that I find useful for my quilting.  Please chime in and leave a comment on what items you find essential.  We all love to know what other quilters are using!

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, How About Them Buns, Honey?

 

I think it is time for a little reward to my blogging friends!  There is  much to celebrate in my life right now, and I can't think of a better way to express my gratitude than a little blog give away.  Yes, my heart is becoming lighter as I imagine giving these little darlings away.

What I have above is four, count 'em FOUR honey buns in the fabric group Harmony by Jan Patek for Moda.  Honey buns are 1 1/2 inch wide strips of fabric that lend themselves to all sorts of fun projects.  And with four of them, your options are wide open.  Like what, you ask?  Well, imagine a log cabin quilt using the reds, blues, blacks and greens, with the light tans for contrast....That could be really nice.  Or, let your imagination run free and come up with your own creation.

So, comment on this post and on Friday I will announce a winner, and send the four honey buns off to one lucky person.  The only catch is, you have to let us know how you will use them, and update us whenever you complete your project!

Ah, to give is more blessed than to receive.  Truer words were never spoken.

Looking Ahead to Halloween

You all know what a nut I am for Halloween.  I just have to share the idea I got in Disneyland for my next family party.  Now what a fabulous costume this would be!  I think the trickiest thing would be to find the coat.  Black dress- check.  Shoes-check.  Gloves- check.  Cigarette holder-check.  I even have the wig on hand, believe it or not.  I have the wig leftover from the year I was a chef at the Ghoulinary Academy.

Besides, wouldn't it be fun to get into the character of someone who was so Nasty?  I love the look on Cruella's face.  She looks like she is giving some poor schmuck a royal tongue lashing.  Notice that no one in the crowd seems to want to get up close to her to have their picture taken? 

I have no idea who these people are with Minnie.  My husband has a habit of taking photos of total strangers.  I was going through my vacation pictures and found this.  If you know them, let me know, I will send them the pic.  They are pretty cute.

My Year in Quilts---July through December

My year in quilts continued:

July was all about quilting and getting tops finished.  Some of my favorites are below.  I was super happy this month, with all the sewing and a fantastic trip to Disney World in Orlando with friends in the fashion business.

 

 

   

 

In August I began the Job From Hell, and little Sophie came to live with us.  In retrospect, things sort of went downhill for a few months!

 

September was a month of adjustments.  We were getting used to Sophie and visa versa.  I was struggling to get on board with the new job.  I did become friends with my crock pot.  Thanks to a potty accident on Sophie's part, my Raise the Roof quilt center went from this

 

to this

 

She is still cute as anything though.

 

In October things started to go sour at work.  Not much sewing happening. We did have our annual Shyne Family Halloween Party though.  Dressing up as Lady Luck was obviously a psychological cry for help on my part.  The only picture worthy of showing for this miserable month was the Heritage for a Cause fabric bundle I bought.  Shopping truly is therapy.

 

In November the job situation became extremely grim.  The writing was on the wall, but I stuck with it.  I didn't get much sewing done, but did attend a lovely quilting retreat with friends at a monastery in Danville, CA.  Thank goodness for my Block of the Month projects!  That was about all I could work on.  My Thanksgiving with the family was wonderful, and truly something to be grateful for.

 

 

In December I lost the Job From Hell, and things improved dramatically!  Back to the Bernina, back to myself, back to enjoying life again.  I celebrated the holidays by having my favorite women over for a Christmas Jammie Party.  Life looks like it will become good again. 

 

Interesting isn't it?  For me, looking back on my year in pictures has been a clear lesson in what I value.  Friends, family, quilting, entertaining--those are the things that enrich and fulfill me.

I got lost for a few months there, and my promise to myself for 2009, is that I will not lose sight of what is most important to me ever again.

This was such a theraputic exercise.  I challenge all you bloggers to do the same.  Go back and look at your year in pictures---it will tell you a lot about yourself!

   

My Year In Quilts---January through June

My sister Andrea did a neat thing on her blog where she showed her past year in pictures.  She said she got the idea from Cindy at Romantic Homes, and I loved it so much, I decided to copy it.  2008 has been quite a journey for me, and I think going through my photo history of it was very enlightening.  I learned quite a bit about myself and made a few quilts along the way.

In January 2008 I finished a quilt top that I called Blended Neutrals.  This quilt was made as part of a challenge with Lisa, Cindy and Perri.  This quilt was a departure for me in that it used fabrics mainly of a neutral tone.

In my personal life, I took a trip to Nashville with the high hope that I would become a successful fashion consultant.  Loved the girls, loved the clothes, had a great time, but bombed as a fashion consultant.  Gosh it was fun though.  I may try that again sometime.

   

 

In February I celebrated my first year of blogging by giving away a quilt!  The winner was Susan Ramey Cleveland from Alabama (Blackberry Creek).

Personally, I was dead broke and sold half my purses on eBay.  I also took Ozzie to dog training lessons, which he enjoyed very much.

 

 

In March I don't seem to have finished any quilts, but worked on the Posh Basket quilt that Sara got for Christmas.

My grandpuppy Remy came to live with my daughter Sara.  Ozzie ate an iron and my orange sandals.

 

 

April was one of the highpoints of my year.  My friend Lisa came for a visit, and we went to a quilting retreat, on our own shop hop, and to fun restaurants like Roy's at the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach.  Lisa....come baaaaacccckkkk.  We had so much fun.

Quilting-wise, I discovered a box of a gazillion red and white half square triangles on a shelf in the closet, which gave me the idea to initiate a two color quilt challenge.

 

 

May was spent working on the Two Color Challenge and The Web Sampler II quilts.

Ozzie killed another iron.

 

 

In June I started my weekly Friday Finishes.  I had so many unfinished projects sitting around, and this was a great way to get some of them DONE.

We had terrible fires near us, in Big Sur and Carmel Valley.

 

 

 

Half the year gone, and the things that stand out are my friends, my quilting, my family and my funny dog Ozzie.  That's enough for today!  More tomorrow....

Find the Pickle

 

It sounds kind of naughty, but seriously, this is a G Rated fun thing that we do in our family.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the tradition:

"The Christmas pickle is a pickle-shaped ornament hidden in the tree. The child who finds it first on Christmas morning receives an extra present. While the Christmas pickle is believed to be a German custom, it is fairly unknown in Germany but widely spread across the USA. In fact it is completely of American origin."

I have to disagree.  My 86 year old mother in law has some antique Christmas ornaments from her Irish grandmother.  One of the ornaments is a tiny glass potato.  The story goes that the first child who found the hidden potato on the tree gets an extra present.  Same game, different culture.

You might think that playing this game is a cinch, but you would be wrong.  This little pickle disappears right into the branches of the tree like magic, and is impossible to find!  I actually had to replace our pickle one year because when we undecorated the tree of all the other ornaments, we still couldn't find the little dickens.

We have been unpacking boxes of holiday decorations for the past five days and I will be darned if I have yet to find the pickle, so who knows if it will find itself on the tree this year or not?  I know it's around here somewhere.

Sometimes Losing Your Memory Can Be Fun

While I was turning my sewing room upside down this weekend, looking for the 3 1/2 square of fabric I swear Sophie ran off with, I made a discovery.  I love it when this happens.

 

Usually I keep all my future projects in my stash closet where I can frequently admire, fondle and consider them.  Imagine my surprise when I opened a dresser drawer and under some fabric scraps and triangle papers discovered this complete quilt kit.  The fabric looks to be some past Kansas Troubles collection (they all look alike to me) and this easy, fun looking Miss Rosie pattern.  The fabrics are all arranged just so and the kit was contained in a sturdy plastic zip project bag.

I have way WAY too much fabric by Kansas Troubles, and have sworn off buying any more until I use up what I have.  I made two quilts this past summer to make Christmas gifts for the grandparents, and used up quite a bit of the stash.  I probably stuck this in the drawer out of guilt for purchasing more fabric from this designer.  Good Lord, I am like an alcoholic hiding bottles of Jack Daniels out of sight for a rainy day.  Or rather a "dry" day.  Sure wouldn't want to run out or anything.

Isn't that just a kick?  I don't remember buying this fabric, and I certainly do not recall putting it away in the dresser.  I may be losing my mind, but gee, it is kinda fun sometimes!

Flowers For Clara

So.  What do you all do when you feel overwhelmed with the number of quilting projects you have started and have yet to finish?  Do you pull your hair in frustration?  Do you stay up all night to make some headway on all the sewing you need to do?  Do you hide the unfinished projects away so your family won't scold you for buying more fabric when you haven't even finished what you have started?

Or do you do what I do?

Start a new project!!! 

I love the energy and enthusiasm that comes with beginning something new.  It cheers me up and makes me love life and the joy of creation and the prospect of bringing something lovely into my future.  Please. No comparisons to the psyche of the typical addict.  That would not be me.  Not at all.

 

This is my new project!  (Don't you love it Karen Dianne? It is so your thing).  It is a kit I bought awhile back from Bonnie Blue Quilts.   It calls for 64 blocks, each one of which has 12 half square triangle units!  That is 768 half square triangles.  I did not feel daunted in the slightest however, because the kit came with these cool half square triangle papers called Spinning Stars.

All you have to do to make two blocks is to cut out three six inch squares of your print fabric and three six inch squares of your background fabric.  Plus eight 2 1/2 inch squares of your print fabric.  Stack a print square and a background square right sides together and stitch on the dotted lines.   Do this three times.  Cut on the solid lines and you have 24 half square triangles, which is enough to make two complete quilt blocks.  The kit came with 32 different prints, so there will be loads of variety in the blocks.  Super scrappy, just like I like it.

 

This is the package of Spinning Star papers that came with the kit.  You can buy these in a number of different sizes from Bonnie Blue.

 

Stitch on the dotted line.

 

Cut on the solid lines to trim up the edges and separate the square into quadrants

 

Cut the squares in half on the diagonal.

 

Tear off the paper, like you are ripping off a bandaid.

Open your half square triangles, press them and trim off the little dog ears.

There are many ways of making half square triangles, and this one is a nice change.  The units come out super accurate.  Give it a try, and I bet you'll be smiling.