Sister's Choice Quilts

Made in China

I have been a pretty loyal Rowenta customer for years.  I go through irons really fast, due to keeping them on for hours at a time, and steaming the dickens out of things.  A good iron lasts me a year, maybe two, and then I need to replace it.  My last Rowenta, gosh, I bet I have had it for three years or more now!   As were the other four or five Rowentas I have owned, my current iron was made in Germany.

It has been starting to act up, not steaming as it should anymore, and in fact, fairly frequently, the steam button gets stuck in the down position and won't come back up.  Lately, I have been complaining to anyone who will listen that it is time for me to buy a new iron.  My husband always responds, "A new iron?  Already?  Didn't you just buy one a few years ago?  An iron should last you a life time.  Why, my blessed mother used the same iron for 40 years, and it didn't even have a steam feature.  She used to sprinkle her ironing and put it in a plastic bag overnight in the refrigerator...."  etc, etc, etc.

Well, something must have sunk into his brain, and when he was shopping for new frying pans (don't ask--that is another blog post entirely) at the Macy's in Monterey, he saw they had Rowenta irons on sale.  And he bought me one.

I was pretty excited, as I would rather he pay $89 for new iron, than me have to do it.  Only this didn't cost $89.  It was only $49.  And it isn't made in Germany.  It is made in CHINA.

And it spits like crazy.  I hate it.

Added later:  My husband just sent me an order confirmation from Amazon.com.  He ordered me the Rowenta made in Germany!  Woo Hoo!  I take back all the bad things I said about him.

 

Red Pineapple

This must be my week to try out new rulers.

It all started with Cathy over at Quilting on Main Street.  Cathy just finished a gorgeous quilt she calls Rendevous, which is a Pineapple Block quilt.  She did hers all in French General reds, with glorious results.  Go have a look at her quilt, so you know what I am talking about.  Go ahead, I'll wait.

Fabulous, huh?

Heaven knows I have a lot of reds in my stash, and am always up for ideas on how to use leftover fabrics.  I was so excited for Cathy's quilt, I had to email her for more details.  She kindly answered all my questions, and told me she had used Possibilities Pineapple Ruler to make her blocks. The Possibilites Pineapple Ruler was designed by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith, and is available on Amazon and from other on line sites.  The ruler originally was a companion to a book Milligan and Smith wrote called Positively Pineapple.  You can still get the book as well, but it will take some searching.

Cathy has a demo on her blog on how she constructed her blocks, which helped me so much.  I always need a visual.  http://quiltingonmainstreet.blogspot.com/2012/10/using-pineapple-rule.html

Also, the good news is that there is a free pdf available to download and print out that gives you all the information on how to construct the block with that exact ruler.  Here is the link for that:  http://www.heirloomcreations.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/pineapplerule.pdf

So, as I often do, I went off half cocked and decided today was my day to make a Pineapple block.   I vaguely recalled seeing a Pineapple ruler in my drawer full of miscellaneous tools, and sure enough, I actually had the ruler already!  Probably the thing has been in there since the 90s.  I Googled "how to use Pineapple Ruler" and found the link to the pdf.

When the baby napped, I hustled down to the studio and got cracking.  I pulled out my reds and neutrals and started cutting out 1 1/2 inch strips.  There was definitely a learning curve connected with understanding how to use the ruler, but I prevailed despite some initial head scratching.

My finished block came out a perfect 12 1/2 inches square.  I did not experience any distortion, and was super careful with my pressing, as you must when you are working with bias edges.  To me, this method of making the block is preferable to messing about with foundation papers.  I have heard that the foundation papers give you absolute perfection in your results, but for me, the ruler is just fine.  Good grief, it took me two hours to make this one block and if I had been using foundation papers I would probably still be on row five.  Let's get 'er done, don't you know?

I am going to cut out loads more strips and start chain piecing the blocks as Cathy shows in this post:  http://quiltingonmainstreet.blogspot.com/2012/10/pineapple-quilt-block-foundation-paper.html  Things will go a lot faster now that I have made a practice block.  Now I just need to figure out how big I want the quilt to be and how many blocks to make.

 

 

 

Cool Rulers

I took advantage of some free time over the weekend to work on my Blogger Girls BOM blocks for February.

The instructions for this block called for a couple of specialty rulers that I am excited about.  These rulers were given to me by the inventor, Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts, I know that I would have purchased them myself, as any ruler designed by Monique is terrific.  These will get lots of use by me in the future.  The rulers are called the Fit to be Quarter Companion and the Fit to be Quarter 6.5.

Without giving away the whole block just yet, let me show you a few pictures of how the rulers are used to make the Square in a Square block shown above.  This block has given me fits in the past, but now that I have some rulers to trim them to the right size, it comes out perfect every time.

You start with a square, which you line up with the markings on the ruler.  My square happens to be 4 1/2 inches.  Using the Fit to be Quarter Companion ruler, line things up at the 4 1/2 inch marks, trim the upper corners away, and sew on the triangles you cut out per the block instructions.  When you line the fabric square up just right with the markings, you cannot go wrong with your cutting.

After sewing on two triangles, flip the block and trim away the upper corners, lining the square up with the markings on the ruler.  Sew two more triangles on.

Now take the Fit to be Quarter ruler and line it up with your square, again on the 4 1/2 inch markings for my block.  Trim away the excess at the top and right side.  Turn the block to the right, and trim away that left hand side.

Do this on all four sides, and you have yourself one perfect square in a square block.

Can't wait to show you my two blocks for February, but we have to wait until next week!

 

 

Finish the Old, Start Something New?

I took my own advice and rummaged around a bit in the old stash cupboards this past weekend.  Oh my, look what was hiding away in a plastic project box labeled "Pretty Maids".  At first I had no clue what "Pretty Maids" meant.  I have glanced at this box a hundred times over the past few years, and really never properly considered what was in it.

I have a habit of pulling fabrics together for quilts I think I might like to make in the future, putting them away together in a box, and promptly forgetting all about them.  Now that is a bad habit I would like to break.

So here were all these positively gorgeous blues and browns, just wasting away in the dark.  I think the majority of the fabrics may have been designed by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Bros.  Aren't they sublime?

What the heck is "Pretty Maids"?  That was the name of the pattern for which I was considering using these fabrics.  But I changed my mind after taking everything out of the box and inspecting it.

I am going to use this old Miss Rosie pattern called "Message in a Bottle".  The scrappy lights will go back into the stash for another day, but those yummy blues and browns will all get to play.  The fabrics are all older pieces from my stash, but there are a large number of a collection called Nottingham Village that was designed by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Bros.

My line of thinking is that I finished something old, so now I get to start something new.  (Bye Bye Jellystone, Hello New Project).  This is a concept I hope to put into effect this whole year.  I cut out the fabric while Eva played at my feet, emptying out all the pantry shelves and kitchen drawers.

My fabric is all cut out, and I am drawing lines on some of the lighter squares, to make half square triangles.

I did make one modification to the pattern instructions.  One of the block units is "Square in a Square".  This is a block that has ALWAYS given me fits.  There is a tool that my friend Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts (and host of the Blogger Girls BOM) invented that makes this problematic block easy peasy summer breezy.

The tool is "Fit to be Square".  You  make the block unit larger than you need it to be, and then use the ruler to trim it down to the perfect size.  Similar concept to her "Fit to be Geese" ruler.  See how those digaonal lines are lining up exactly with my center square?  I trim the top, turn the block and trim each of the four sides accordingly.

My thought is that I would vastly prefer to spend a few more minutes trimming down an over sized block than to wrestle with a mishapen one, trying to make it line up and fit with the other blocks in the quilt top.

The modification I made to the pattern was to cut the block units according to the chart that came with the ruler.  For a finished 6 inch block, you cut the center square 4 3/4" and cut two squares 4 1/2" (cut once diagonally) to form the four triangle sides.

As are all Monique's tools, this one is a winner, and I highly recommend it.  Monique did give me this ruler, but I'd have bought it anyway!!

Hill Country Baskets Blocks and a Recommendation

I have made some progress on my Hill Country Baskets blocks.  Aren't they sweet?  As I make them I am just tossing them up on the design wall, but when they are set into the quilt top properly, there will be a lattice separating the blocks.

For this block, you need to make four half square triangles for each one.  The method I am using is the Star Singles papers.

I've blogged about these before, and think that they are a great product. In the Paula Barnes class I took, I picked up a few tips to make using them even better.

You put your two fabrics right sides together and pin.  One pin is plenty.  Don't go crazy.  Sew on the dotted lines, and cut on the solid ones.

Tip #1.  Shorten up your stitch length.  Really shorten it.  This makes tearing off the paper a breeze and not the horrible chore it can be when you use a normal stitch length.

After stitching, trim the sides off first.  In the photo above, I have trimmed away three of the four sides.

Tip #2.  Not a biggie, but do you see that the horizontal and vertical cutting lines are not the same?  One is totally solid and the other is broken due to the printing on the paper?  I am pointing to the broken line.  After trimming the sides off, cut on that dotted line first, as it easier to keep your ruler straight when you have the entire square to look at.

Tip #3--best one ever.  I love shortcuts and here is a good one.  Stack those squares up with the cutting line going down the middle.  You can stagger the squares as I did in the picture, or just stack 'em up evenly.  Just make sure the cutting line is going down the middle, and cut ONCE instead of four times.

Rip off those papers, open your half square triangles, press and trim.  Eight perfect little half square triangles, enough for two of my Hill Country Baskets blocks.

 

Terrific, Awesome Tool for Machine Quilting

Through the suggestion of one of my extremely brilliant readers (Grandma Goose/no blog), I have discovered a new tool that has completely changed machine quilting for me.

My sewing machine is a Bernina, and I have loved it for probably 15 years now.  It is a great machine, and when I buy another one, it will be another Bernina.  It came with a walking foot attachment that has two sole plates.  One is a closed toe foot and the other one is an open toe foot.  The open toe foot is at the top of the picture, the standard closed toe foot is in the middle.  On the bottom is the new tool I am so crazy for.

It is a "stitch in the ditch" foot!

Here it is, attached to my walking foot.  See the screw on the side of the walking foot?  You just loosen the screw and then you can interchange any of the sole plates to the walking foot.   I know.  Who knew?

What you get when you order the stitch in the ditch attachment is just the sole plate with the blade.  It costs around $31 and is worth every cent.  Your Bernina dealer probably has them in stock, and if not, can order one for you.  Attaching it to the walking foot is super easy, and after you are finished quilting, you can replace it with the standard or open toe plate to use your walking foot for other purposes.

Here is a view from the opposite side of the walking foot.  See the blade on the lower right below?

That blade fits right into the "ditch" in your seam intersections and sews a perfect, unwobbling line of stitching exactly where you want it.

I am using my seam ripper to point out where the blade will fit as it glides along the ditch.

Here I am, happily stitching along.

And here you see my perfect stitches right smack in the ditch where they belong.  Look Ma, no wobbles.  This little gizmo has revolutionized machine quilting for me! 

Here is a YouTube video that you must watch to see how it is used.  Great instructions and visuals.

Now, I realize lots of you may not have a Bernina sewing machine, and are scratching your heads, saying, "But I want one too".  Janome, Brother and Viking all make a version of this foot!  Check it out, maybe there is one available for your sewing machine.

 

 

Kiss Along With Me?

Here is my first block made from the Fig Tree pattern "Kiss Me".  Isn't it sweet?  I am making my quilt from various Fig Tree corally reds.  The fabric above is from Patisserie, but most of the reds I will use are from last summer's Strawberry Fields collection.  I found my fabrics late in the game, over the internet.  Quiltshops.com and Etsy are both good sources for older fabrics that your local quilt shop may no longer have in stock.  If matchy quilts aren't your thing, don't worry, this would be extremely cute done in a scrappy fashion, with each block a different fabric, or even Super Scrappy style, with individual blocks made from multiple fabrics in the same color family.  How amazing would that be?

When I posted on my plan to make this quilt, several of you said that you planned to make the pattern as well.  If you are in the process of making it now, as I am, let me know and I can link to your blog or post photos of your blocks as you make them.  Kiss Along with me, if you will!

So, here's the thing about Fig Tree patterns.  In general, I do not find that they are for the inexperienced sewer.  This one is certainly not.  The instructions are clear enough, but if you haven't been sewing long, you may wish for more pictures and more explanation.  There are bias edges, sewing of triangles, and lots and lots of points matching.  The results will be a beautiful quilt, and certainly worth the concentration it will take to construct it.

When I use a Fig Tree pattern, I don't like to mess around with it too much.  Just follow the instructions and all should be ok.  However, this time, I thought there might be a couple of tools that I could use that would make the cutting and construction more efficient (easier) for me.   Here's an example:

For the blocks, you need to cut Isosoles triangles.  Remember those from geometry class?  I know.  My head hurts too.  Anyway,  the pattern has you using your regular old rotary cutting ruler and using the 45 degree marks to find your place on the fabric strip.  I could do it, but it seemed (given my penchant for error) to be an unreliable method for me.  I had a couple of other ruler tools on hand that I though might be easier to use.

How many of you have one of these triangular Omnigrid rulers laying around that you have no clue what to do with?  I had one too!  The strips you cut for the triangles are 2 1/2 inches wide.  If you position the Omnigrid ruler so the number 4 lines up with the bottom of your fabric, you can cut on either side of the equal sides of the triangle (on the right and the left) and get the perfect sized triangle you need for this block.  Can anyone tell me what the numbers 1-8 on that ruler signify?  I hadn't the foggiest idea, but since 4 corresponded to 2 1/2 inches, I was good.  Do those numbers reflect the measurement of the long side of the triangle?

But wait, there's more.

I had another ruler called the Companion Angle by Darlene Zimmerman (who also made those wonderful Dresden Plate templates), which would do the job as well.  And look!  Her ruler has lines that actually say 2 1/2 inches so you can't possibly get mixed up.  It also has those same numbers 1 through 8 that I didn't understand, but I ignored them.

Ta da, first triangle.

Flip the ruler and cut another.  Of course you can stack your fabric so you don't end up cutting out individual triangles.  I cut up to four at a time.

To test things out, I made up a block and it seems like everything measured up just right.  I plan to spend the next day or two getting all my fabric cut out for this project.

Have a safe and fun Memorial Weekend everyone!

 

 

Quilt Basting Spray

Do any of you use quilt basting spray?  Helen of the Runquiltknitwrite blog posed the question in her post yesterday.  She was considering getting some and wondering if it works on large quilting projects.  I thought this question made a great topic for discussion.

I love spray baste.  It smells horrendous, but if you use it outside you don't notice it so much.  The smell dissipates in a minute or two and does not linger on your project.  I also have only used it on small projects--Schnibble size projects meant for a wall hanging or table topper.  There are a number of choices out there when it comes to purchasing the product.  The first one I ever tried was made by Sulky.

It comes in a wee tiny can and costs $12.95 for just over 4 ounces!  At least that was the price when I purchased it over a year ago.  It is a fine product.  The stuff is sticky, but not so much that your sewing needle gets gunked up when you do your machine quilting.  It also is not so adhesive that you cannot lift up your fabric and reposition or smooth things out.  They claim the product is odorless (it may smell less than the others I have tried) and that it is friendly to the Ozone Layer--which if true, may be a reason to purchase it over other brands.  Also, it is the only product of the three I have used which claims to be non-flammable.

The next time I purchased spray adhesive I picked up the June Tailor brand at KMart.

It was WAY cheaper than the Sulky and you get three times the amount of product.  My can doesn't have a price tag on it, so I can't tell you what I paid for it, but I think it was around $13.  This product works just fine as well.  It may be slightly less sticky than the Sulky, but not so much that it caused any problems.  No sticky sewing machine needles and you can fudge around with positioning your fabric until things are as smooth as you like.  No Ozone claims that I could see on the can.  It is also extremely flammable, and makes no claim to be odorless (it was the stinkiest of the three).

The next time I had to buy spray basting adhesive was this past Fall, when the first two cans I showed above were packed who-knows-where out in the garage.

That time I picked up 505, which was $12.95 for an amount somewhere in between the Sulky and the June Tailor--just over 6 ounces.  It worked exactly the same as the other two products.  No negative issues.  It has a warning that it is extremely flammable and claims to be odorless.  No mention of the Ozone Layer.

So, my feeling is, there doesn't seem to be much difference in terms of functionality between the three products I have tried.  They all worked to stick the three layers of the quilt sandwich together and caused no problems with my sewing machine while I was quilting.  The Sulky may have an edge over the other two products as far as being more environmentally friendly and non-flammable.  You will have to ask yourself if those plusses are negated by the high price and smaller amount of product.  Being constantly watching my pennies, I lean towards buying the cheaper products that work just as well.  If anyone has a differing experience or opinion, please weigh in so we can all be educated.

Here is how I do my spray basting.  I go outside and just use a cleanly swept patch of concrete patio or driveway.  Don't judge me.  It has worked fine--no dirty fabric or any other problems.  Just make sure the concrete is clean and not covered with dust, ants, oil drippings from your car, leaves, or other debris.  If you are appalled by this idea, go ahead and lay down a drop cloth or clean sheet and have no worries. 

I press my backing and batting and lay the backing fabric face down.  I spray the wrong side of the backing liberally with the spray adhesive and then immediately position the batting on top of it, making sure it is fairly centered on the backing.  Smooth the batting down in place.  Then I flip the piece over and smooth the heck out of the backing.

Smooth, smooth, smooth.

Flip the piece back over so the batting is on top again.  Spray the heck out of the batting and position the quilt top on it.

A word of caution.  Do not spray your shoes accidently.  You will be very sorry the next time you walk through leaves or sand, ending up with shoes that look like jungle camo, or in the case of being covered with sand, weigh 5 pounds each.  That happened to me once.  I accidently sprayed my new espadrilles with what I thought was Stain Guard, and turned out to be spray adhesive.  Then I took my kid to the park sandbox.  It wasn't pretty.  I looked like the Mob had given me cement booties and was going to toss me in the East River.

At this point, when the spraying is done, I take the project back inside to my cutting table or other large flat surface and smooth things again like mad--on both the top and the back.  If you need to lift up the top or backing to reposition things slightly, the spray adhesive is fairly forgiving.  If you really mess around with it, you may have to respray though.  This has not happened to me.  Just be vigilant to be sure there are no puckers on the backing, quilt top, and batting layer.

You can strategically place a few quilt basting pins if you want to, but it really isn't necessary with a small project.  I would stay stitch around the edges of the project to secure things around the border.  Then you are ready to quilt!

So, to address Helen's question--will this work on a large project???

Hanging Out In the Studio

What a lovely day I had yesterday.  I hung out in my studio a good part of the day, puttering with this and that.  No deadlines, no pressures, just futzing with whatever my heart led me to do.

Since I am working on my Fig Tree Dresden Plates, I decided I needed a thread catcher to match my project.

I am kidding, sort of.  My other thread catcher lives up in the house next to my embroidery work, and I have been wanting one down in the studio next to my sewing machine.  I grabbed a layer cake of "Fresh Cotton" and pulled out two coordinating 10" squares and whipped up this little thread catcher in about 15 minutes.  Gosh those things are quick.  This time I left out the fusible interfacing, and to tell you the truth, it doesn't seem to make any difference if it is in there or not.  If you haven't gotten around to making one of these for every gal in your sewing group, you should consider it.  Here is a link to three tutorials, including mine.

I only constructed two more Dresden Plates, but sure do like looking at how cute they are.  These could become seriously addictive.  There are my Granny Squares smiling down at me from the design wall as well.  Those things make me happy!  Right now I am so in the mood for feminine, springy colors.

Oh, and here is an apparatus that I am currently enjoying very much.  It is a thread holder.

It was sent to me by a very thoughtful friend, and I have really been appreciating both its beauty and its functionality.  Here is another picture of it, without any thread strung through it.

This is made by Paul's Metal Petals.   The cone thread holder is such a stable way to hold your thread while you piece or machine quilt.  The thinner spindle on the right can be used to stack extra bobbins.  A very decorative and extremely practical addition to any sewing table!!

What's In My Sewing Basket?

Sara and I bought these fun little faux wicker baskets at Target over the weekend.  They were only $5.99 and we thought they would be pretty cute along side our sewing machines, full of needful things. 

They did not come with the snazzy little cloth liners--I made those from a fat quarter when I got home.  I just measured the bottom and sides of the basket and cut out the fat quarter accordingly.  The bottom measured 7 1/4" x 9 1/4".  The sides were two strips 7 1/4" long by 5 1/4" tall, and two strips 9 1/4" long by 5 1/4" tall.  I sewed the sides together to make a rectangle and pressed and stitched the top hem down about 1/4".  Then I attached the sides to the bottom, fitted it into the basket and folded the top over the edges of the basket.  Easy peasy.

We plan to fill these with the items we tend to grab most often and keep them ready, right by the sides of our sewing machines.  Here is what mine looks like all filled up.

What the heck is all that stuff?

A divided pencil cup (also from Target) which holds my extra glasses, sharp little scissors, Pigma marking pen, ruler, seam gauge, and a funny little daisy pin cushion that just looks cute in there.  I could put my seam ripper in there as well, but the ones I like to use are so short they disappear.  I need to dig out my wooden finger presser and stiletto and put them in there as well.

The little wooly pin cushion I use to hold my U pins.

A little bag of hard candies.  These have been unexpectedly popular, and I think they will figure heavily into my future.  My sister gave them to me in a Grandmother's Survival Kit she made up for me.  Turns out the things that Grandma needs to survive are also essential for the well stocked sewing basket.  Here are some other goodies she put in the Kit that are must haves in my basket:

Hand cream, lip balm, bandaids and a pretty hankie.

Not as exciting as the Grandma's Survival items:  Special feet for my Bernina that I reach for often (open toe applique & zipper foot), those little seam rippers I like, extra bobbins (filled and unfilled) in old prescription bottles, extra needles, and the "key guide" for my Angler 2.

Last but not least, small scraps for "leader/enders" for beginning stitching and keeping my thread from making a tangled knot on the back of my unit.

So, what did I leave out?  What's in your next-to-the-machine sewing kit?