Sister's Choice Quilts

I'm Still Alive

I have started to get concerned emails from readers inquiring "are you all right?".  Yes I am fine.  Just super amazingly busy.  It is hard to be a caregiver and accomplish all the other things your family normally expects as de rigueur holiday happenings.

What exactly have I been doing?  Caring for Grandpa, caring for Eva, mentoring my student, working part time at the shop in town, decorating my house...  Could I please maybe have six more hours in my day?

Grandpa wants to order Christmas gifts he has picked out in catalogs for the family for Christmas.  I am planning a to have a session with him and go through all that and make it happen. It is so sweet, really.  Here he is, 91 years old, and he still cares that his loved ones have gifts under the tree that are from him.  How lucky I am to be blessed caring for such a sweet old fellow.  I am getting him a new US Navy Veteran's cap for Christmas, as he has just about worn his old one out.  He is so proud of his service to our country--even more than his professional accomplishments after the War.

My student is so excited about learning to sew.  This is really a wonderful thing I have gotten myself into.  I am truly enjoying every session we spend together.  We have taken a bit of a break from making charity baby quilts, as she is making Christmas gifts for her mom, her Nana and her sister.  She is so proud to be giving something so personal.  I am honored to be a part of the process.

She is making an eyeglass case for her grandmother.  She's got the panels all prepped and ready to be zippered.   Is this not adorable or what?  Who wouldn't be thrilled to get anything made out of this super cute fabric?  Next week when we get together she is going to learn about zippers.  You want to know something hilarious?  You know what aspect of sewing freaks this girl out the most?  Ironing!  She obviously has never had any sort of experience with an iron in her life.  Is this what the world is coming to?  Tell me no!  She burns her fingers every time and is scared to death to use the darn iron!  Honestly, we have been close to running for ice cubes, Neosporin and Bandaids.  She is trying to be tough and so far has declined medical treatment.

I have managed to do a few things myself in the past couple of days.  I am finishing up the borders for my Halloween 1904 quilt, hurray! 

I have also worked on the Row Along  project, which I have blogged about a few times.

I  am seriously considering stopping the Row Along right now and making a fun Fallish table runner with the rows I have done so far.  If I decide to keep going, I may make another runner utilizing the mitten row, and the hot cocoa mug rows to do a Winter themed runner.  Maybe using blue and white fabrics?  Wouldn't that be cute?  Not sure if I really want an entire quilt out of this project.  I think the rows are super cute, but an entire quilt may not fit into my design esthetic.

And the method for constructing the Flying Geese row?  omg.  Let me just say five words.  Fit To Be Geese Ruler.  By Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts.  That is the only way to go when you are making flying geese.  Trust me.  Every one of these made according to the Row Along instructions was a different size, and probably only three out of four was useable.  You can clearly see in the photo above how different in size mine were.  It may be my poor sewing and construction, but really, if you are making Flying Geese, make them larger, use the Fit To Be Geese ruler and trim them down to size.  Every one will be perfect.  No offense to anyone, but there is only way I seem to be able to make decent Flying Geese, and I need my ruler!

Hope you are all having a super week.  Enjoy your decorations, enjoy your family. 

 

I'm Better Now

I had a bit of a melt down yesterday.  All the caregiving, cleaning, cooking and "doing" finally caught up with me, and I decided I was pretty much done with it all.  I needed a long weekend at a resort spa, complete with all the massage and grooming appointments time would allow.  That wasn't in the cards, but you know what turned my mood around?

A day of sewing.  I took a mental health day today and set up a sewing station in my kitchen.  I had Eva for company, but she did her own thing, and we checked in with each other regularly.  She is getting to be an excellent little companion.  Her main activity was removing the contents of my pantry and placing it in various other locations in the house.  This occupied her for quite some time, and allowed me to get a lot done with my sewing.  Don't ask what my house looks like.  I don't care.

Can you guess what I dived into?  You got it!  The Row Along hosted by Lori Holt at Bee In My Bonnet!  There are two rows to do every two weeks, and folks are on Row 7 right now, so I have some catching up to do.  I have made more progress than pictured here however.  My butterfly row has long strips of white running down the length of the row, and I have completed Row 3, which is a chevron pattern. 

I have Row 4 all prepped and ready to go, which is going to be super cute.  Apples, some of them with bites taken out.  So adorable!  Hope to show you some pictures Monday.  Sunday is going to be my sewing opportunity this weekend, and I plan to make the most of it.

What I can't decide is if I should continue on with the Row Along and try to catch up, or if I should try to make some sort of Christmas table topper.  I really need one of those!

Besides being able to spend the whole day sewing, I got a special delivery from my Brown friend. 

I took advantage of Fatquartershop's Black Friday sale and got Tavern Reds by Paula Barnes, Old Glory Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings, and the latest Primitive Quilts Magazine.  I am really happy now, yes I am.

Close up of Tavern Reds.

Can't wait to make the most of this Patriotic collection.

My advice?  If you have any interest in primitive fabric, crafts, or decorating, you must check out this magazine.  It is chock full of fabulous projects and ideas.

Happy sewing everyone! 

Spooktacular

As you can see, I am plodding along with my Halloween 1904 quilt.  Will I finish the top by Halloween?  We shall see.

I got the half square triangles all re-made and finished up all the blocks that required orange ones.  Much progress has been made with the black ones, and some that are pictured above have been finished.  Well, maybe one or two anyway.  

I truly love this quilt, but keep saying to myself:  "I am spending this much time, money, and effort on a HALLOWEEN quilt? Really?"  You know what?  It doesn't matter.  I love this quilt and have had so much fun making it, so what if I only use it for four weeks out of the year.  I am even having trouble imagining just *how*  am going to use it!  On my bed?  Hmmm, I don't know.  Maybe not.  Hang it on the wall?  Good gravy, it is gigantic!  Drape it over the sofa?  Maybe.  Time will tell, and at any rate, it is %*&# cute.

Hope you all had a good weekend.  One of the high points of mine was having some long lost friends drop by the shop I work at occasionally.  One of them, a wonderful gay woman, has finally found love in her life.  I am so happy for her.  She was just glowing and couldn't sing her partner's praises high enough.  Ain't love grand?  For any age, any gender, for anyone?  Bless her and her new found happiness.   I endorse love, in all its miraculous forms.

 

Making Up For Lost Time and PRIZES

Oh joy.  Be still my heart.  Look what arrived on my door step.  My extra blacks and neutrals for my Halloween 1904 half square triangles. 

And you know what else?  Eva took a super long nap today and I was able to finish all of them!  The stars are now in alignment and the cosmos is in balance again.  I am now back to where I was on last Saturday.  Look out Thelma, I am catching up to you!  As if you are worried....

Here is what they look like, made the super fast Easy Angle way.

If you ever need to make a gazillion half square triangles and just need to get 'em done, this is the way to do it.

Was that Spools Parade yesterday fun or what?  I even got a comment from the pattern designer herself, Rock Star Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms, who sincerely got a huge kick out of seeing all the quilts made from her design.  It must be like giving birth to an entire herd of Spools quilts.  Never mind.  That analogy is definitely not working.  At any rate, Camille has been following our progress with great interest and was completely jazzed to see all your projects.

So, how about some prizes?  Chris, who made the amazing red and yellow quilt absolutely must have a prize.  I had a number of people email me to specifically mention how gorgeous her version was.  There is going to be trouble if that woman doesn't get awarded a prize!  Congratulations Chris!!  Email me your address and a Bonnie Hunter scrap quilting book and two charm packs will be coming your way.

The amazing Cheryl is also going to get a prize.  A woman who can complete *anything* while homeschooling six kids deserves some sort of recognition!  And besides her Spools quilt using the black, red and grey Sew Mama Sew collection was so off the chart splendid.  One of my favorites for sure.  Let me know where you live Cheryl and some charm packs and Miss Rosie Schnibbles patterns will be going to your house.

Lisa from Stashmaster is providing two sets of two matching charm packs to two lucky winners, and my random finger pointer says Paula and Amber are the recipients.  Send me your addresses and Lisa will pop your prizes in the mail.  And Paula---everyone is raving about your rebel little spool.  You must tell us what you decided to do about him.  The consensus is overwhelming that he must live and be in your quilt.

Thank you everyone for your participation and for following along.  We are Sister Threads without a doubt.  That thread goes out into the internet and binds us all together, and it makes me proud to "know" you.

Spools Parade

Welcome to the Spools Parade!  Thelma is hosting her half of the parade on her blog Cupcakes 'n' Daisies, so be sure to visit her to see even more Spools quilts.  I understand she is riding in a convertible with a crown and sash, giving everyone the royal wave as she rides down Main Street, so don't miss it.

This sew along has been so much fun for me.  I hope those of you who participated enjoyed the experience as well.  The minute Camille Roskelley's (of Thimble Blossoms) Spools pattern was released I knew I wanted one to hang on the wall of my sewing studio, and figured lots of other quilters would too.

My friends Thelma (Cupcakes 'n' Daisies) and Lisa (Stashmaster) are usually game for a sew along, and we figured the more the merrier.  We wanted a low key, fun summer project, and this  one fit the bill.  It has been exciting to see the photos of these quilts as they got finished, and now the time has come to share them with all of you.  If you haven't made your Spools quilt yet, you just might after you see these!

The first quilt pictured is Amber's.

This is what Amber said about her quilt:  "It provided a nice easy distraction this summer and now I just have to wait for yardage to go on the back. Yes matching backing and straight spools for this "type A" quilter! :) Thanks for convincing me to get this one made".

Next up is Cheryl's.  Is this fabric selection just to die for? She used a jelly roll of the super fun collection "Sew Mama, Sew", which she thought was perfect for this project.  I agree.

Cheryl seems to have a friend who is enjoying her quilt top as well.  Cheryl is a homeschooling mom to six (yes SIX) children, aged 4-14.  If she can find time to sew, well then, my goodness, we all should be able to!

The next entry in our parade is by Chris.  I keep thinking these quilts can't get any cuter, but they just keep coming!

 

Chris made her red and yellow version completely out of scraps left over from another project, a Pinwheel Quilt Along sponsored by Rachel of PS, I Quilt.  She made five red and yellow quilts she gave as Christmas gifts, and had loads of fabric leftover.  Shop at home girls, you may have a treasure trove of fabric on hand!

Now we have Laila's version.

Laila told me she loves hers so much, it is going up in her living room!  She prefers the straight set, and quilted it herself on her long arm, after much consideration of what design would suit it best.  She mentioned how much she likes the space between the spools and the design opportunity it offers for quilting. 

Michelle's quilt offers a setting twist, with the scrappy cornerstones.  She liked the straight set as well, but made a larger version with more blocks.  Love her fabric choices.

Pictured below is Paula's batik version of Spools in progress.  Paula said the wonky version appealed to her the most, and experimented a bit with a smaller size block.  Look at that little rebel spool at the upper right.  In an email to me, Paula mentioned that she wasn't certain the little guy was going to stay in her quilt.  Paula, what did you decide in the end?  I am dying to know if he got to stay or if he had to go!

Robyn's Spools quilt top below is all finished and ready to be quilted.  She did a wonky version using fabrics by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

Shelly did not make a mini version of Spools, I just can't seem to get the picture to enlarge!    She used a gorgeous collection of Fig Tree's California Girl fabrics.  So sorry about the teensy photo, I messed with it for ages to try to get it to be bigger, but couldn't manage it.

Sally (Chocolate Chip Addict) had so much fun with her fabrics!  She made some strips for her "threads" narrower for a scrappier look, and utilized some sewng themed fabrics for her background and border.

Here is what Sally had to say about her project:  "Yes, I finished my spools quilt top.  After it gets quilted, I’m going to try something quite ambitious for me.  I want to appliqué a needle and thread on it that will be in proportion.  Will probably use red yarn to weave in and out between the spools and connect it to the red spool.  I’m going to have my LQS owner, who is the teacher I have taken all my classes from, help me with that!  My border fabric on here has buttons and straight pins in the design!  It was so much fun to do and I thank you, Thelma, and Lisa for hosting the “spools along sew-along”!!!!"  Doesn't her enthusiasm just jump off the page?

Last I heard, Stephani's Spools (below) was still a work in progress, but I love what I see so far!

Another teensy photo I can't make bigger, but I think you can see how Stephani used bright colored fabrics for her spools tops.  It is so much fun to see how everyone took this project and made it their own!

Last, we have my version of Spools, which you all have seen umpteen times, but I want to be in the parade too!  If Thelma gets to wear a tiara and ride on a convertible, I want to at least wind things up at the end.  Picture me coming along with a big push broom sweeping up all the confetti and party streamers!

I did a scrappy Civil War version and made my thread strips narrower.  In addition to this, I am still working on a wonky setting of the pattern using Marmalade fabrics like Camille used in the original version.  That one will be my Summer Spools and the darker Civil War version will be my Winter Spools. 

Thanks to all of you who played along with us this summer making Spools quilts.  We all love to sew, but isn't it even more joyful when we can sew along together?  It has been inspirational to see everyone's enthusiasm and gorgeous results.

Heaven forbid, if I left anyone out of the parade, bring it to my attention so I can show your picture too. Please do come back tomorrow, when both Thelma and I will be giving out prizes to some of the participants! 

 

More Spools to Share

Here is Sally's (Chocolate Chip Addict blog) Spools quilt top, another scrappy one.  She has a very fun plan to appliqué a needle and thread on it.  The thread will be red and will connect to the red spool on the lower right.  Don't you love it when people take a project and make it their own?

I love her background fabric--can you see that it looks like it is already stipple quilted?  And if you look close, you can see that her border print has little buttons on it.  Adorable!

Spools All Done

Here it is!  My Civil War Reproduction version of Spools!

I was so happy to get this put together this weekend.  I varied the pattern slightly by making some of the "thread" strips thinner, so I could get to use more fabrics from my stash and make things a bit scrappier looking.  The pattern calls for three "thread" strips in each Spool, each measuring 2 1/2 x 6".  I made some of the strips 1 1/2", which finished at 2 1/2'.

I so wanted to complete this before I left on my trip to Ireland, but time just wasn't on my side.  I am also working on a larger version of the Spools quilt, done in Marmalade (and a few other Bonnie & Camille prints), but have decided to put those blocks aside for now.  Come Spring, I will be in the mood to finish up those blocks in their cheerful pink, green, orange, blue and red colors.

Right now, I am anxious to work on my projects from the Buggy Barn classes.  Hill Country Baskets is my first choice, especially after a little birdie told me that Thelma has finished hers already!  That is one gorgeous pattern by Red Crinoline Quilts.

How have the rest of you fared with your Spools projects?  If anyone would like to share their pictures with me, I will be happy to post them here on my blog.

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Me?  I managed to come down with a cold.  Have you noticed how often that happens after an airplane trip? 

In other momentous news, Baby E has taken her first steps!  She can walk!  And is she ever practicing.  She went from standing up, to putting one foot out and falling down, to taking three, four or five steps at a time before she falls or sits down.  Of course she managed to fall and conk her head on my coffee table on Saturday.  I suppose there will be more mishaps such as that to come.  She will become more and more proficient by the day though.  Won't be long and I will be chasing after her non stop. I will try to get a picture of her this week to share.

 

Spools

This weekend I managed to squeeze in some time to work on my Civil War Spools.  I don't know which of these cute blocks is my favorite!  I am quite partial to the green ones, I have to say.  I will make 16 blocks in all, and probably do the straight setting/small quilt with these fabrics.  It has been so soothing to go through my stash and pick out scraps for these blocks.  I am remembering quilts from the past and quilts I planned for the future as I go.  Each strip is so tiny, it hardly is making a dent in the stash, but I am loving the scrappiness of it.

Lisa at Stashmaster finished her Spools quilt!  Go take a look, it is beautiful!

Other than this bit of stitching, over the past couple of days I did make some lovely summer salads.  A cucumber salad, a corn salad with honey ginger balsamic dressing, and an avocado salad that I wanted to slather all over myself it was so good.  I also made shrimp fajitas, which tasted great, but were an incredible mess to try and eat.

AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients:

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced 1 sweet onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 large ripe tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 lime, juiced salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	In a medium bowl, combine avocados, onion, bell pepper, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. Gently toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

I got the recipes all off Allrecipes.com.  The only changes I made to the avocado salad was to use red pepper instead of green, and add a bit more cilantro, and a LOT more lime juice (maybe the juice of 1 1/2 limes).  It made a great topping for the shrimp fajitas, but would be terrific on its own as well.

Here's a complaint about the reviews on Allrecipes.com----often they are very helpful, but what makes me crazy is to see someone rate a recipe very low, and then admit that they changed about ten things and left out something major and used I Can't Believe It's Butter instead of real butter etc etc.  Duh, it isn't the same recipe anymore you moron.  If you had made it the way it was written in the first place, you might have liked it.

I have to go out of town tomorrow, so I will miss posting on Tuesday, but check back with me on Wednesday to see what I've been up to.

In other news, I am planning a stash busting sale for the end of this week, so be sure and peek in to see what all that is about!  I've rediscovered some treasures you might be interested in.

Spools Sew Along Friday Update and a Small Rant

Well, I haven't made much progress on my Spools projects since my post on Wednesday, but I did get a picture from Stephani, who is sewing along with us.  This is what she shared:

Cute little guys, aren't they?  Sorry, I couldn't seem to enlarge the photo, but aren't her colors fresh?

The reason I haven't been getting much done the past couple of days is because my husband, in his infinite wisdom, made the decision to cancel Grandpa's morning caregiver.  He has had one caregiver come in the morning, who got him up and breakfasted, made his lunch, and tidied up the cottage.  She also did things like make sure the air conditioner is turned to "cool" so it doesn't get to be 90 degrees in his cottage during our hot days.  But she is just a memory now.  I am the new "morning girl" it seems.  We still have the woman who comes in the evening (my savior), who cooks his dinner, gets him showered and does some light housekeeping for him.  I say a prayer for her every night.  Stay healthy, be happy, keep coming.

We will give this new system a try, but I tell you, it isn't easy to get his morning chores done with Baby E on my hip.  Talk about a handicap.  "Oh, you don't have to do that", my husband tells me.  Right.  Honestly.  He is 150 miles away all week.  He has NO idea what goes on here.   Between feeding baby her breakfast and her morning nap, we bomb over to Grandpa's and get the job done there.  Yesterday while I washed his kitchen floors, made his lunch and filled his hummingbird feeder, Evangeline pulled all his dvds out of his bookcase and all the cushions off his sofa.  It was 10:30 in the morning.  And when I had the lunch all made, Grandpa said, "But I already ate".  What?  You ate your lunch before 10:30 AM?  Grandpa, are you losing your marbles? Ack.  But don't feel sorry for me.  (Yes.  Do.  I am having a "who's in charge here" moment).

They don't call my generation "the sandwich generation" for nothing.  We've got the grandbabies and we've got the aged parents, and sometimes we have to dig deep for those inner resources to keep on going.

Honestly, I didn't mean to go all on a rant.  But that's my life right now.  I shouldn't get personal in my blog I suppose, but now you all know me just a little bit more.  And besides, I have a couple of vacations planned this month and next, and will they ever appreciate me when I am gone.  (Evil laugh, heh heh heh).

Here is something fun I worked on this week in my spare moments--

 Eyeglass cases!

Zippy cosmetics bags!

And a zippy lap top bag that is going to Ireland!

 

 

 

 

Spools Variation

I just had to give a Spools update, mid-week.  I have been working away at my blocks, and had a light bulb moment. 

In yesterday's post I commented that I had sewn some narrower strips for my lattice for the Dimestore Schnibble, as the designer, Carrie Nelson, had suggested in her pattern instructions.  In my Dimestore project, I interspersed some of the narrower strips alongside the wider ones in the lattice and liked the scrappy look and the addition of even more fabrics, plus a slightly more complex look overall.

Hence the lightbulb moment.  Notice anything similar in my Spools blocks in the photo at the top of this post?

In the photo above, you see a regular block, with three wide strips forming the "thread".

Hello.  How about putting in some narrower strips in the same color family?  In this photo, you can see I added two narrower strips in the center of the "thread" strip unit.

I got pretty excited about this (thank you Carrie Nelson), and started cutting 1 1/2 inch fabric strips and randomly incorporating them into my blocks.  I love my Spools blocks even more, now that they have a scrappier look.

And that got me thinking.  My brain really hurts now.  What a taxing effort all this thinking has been.

How about a Civil War fabrics version of Spools?  Scrappy style?  Of course I had to do a couple of test blocks.

Have you ever...seen.anything.so.darn.cute?

So, I will be making two versions of this quilt, one in Marmalade and one from my Civil War scraps.