Sister's Choice Quilts

First Try with Woven Star

I have made my first Woven Star block! I am making the 4-inch size and using a Jolly Bar (5" x 10") of Kitty Christmas fabric by Urban Chiks. I tell you, it took me a minute to understand the directions. However, after watching the Fatquarter Shop YouTube tutorial I pretty much had it down pat. 

The first step is to cut your foundation paper pattern into four quadrants. You will arrange your fabric pieces on these four triangles and sew them into place. 

Once you have sewn down all your small fabric pieces, you will sew two quadrants together to form each half of the block. Sorry, I just noticed a section of my bottom half is flipped over. It didn't get sewn that way, don't worry! That is the kind of trick my eye is playing on me. I have trouble seeing how the lighter fabrics are laying. 

And here is my completed block. It didn't take long at all. I will tell you this though, I am very glad I am not making a whole quilt. A table runner, or maybe even a small square table topper is going to be more than enough for me. The aspect I enjoy the least is tearing away all those itty bitty pieces of paper from the back. Plus, those blocks are very small! With all we have going on, I only had time to make the one block today.  

Be sure and watch Kimberly's tutorial. She has some valuable tips, particularly about removing the narrow seam allowance part of the papers before the final block assembly.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  Reeding Between the Lines podcast is going up sometime this afternoon. Click the link to the right and listen to Sara and I talk about our favorite Witchy Reads for October!

 

Everything is Happening At Once

We've been planning some major improvements to our house and have been talking to various contractors about what we need done. We found a lovely painter who started work yesterday. Our neighbor had used him and the job he and his employees did for them was outstanding. Our neighbor also did all the work of checking references, so we didn't have to. And we could see with our own eyes the quality of the work, so we decided to go with him.

Before they can actually start painting, there is quite a bit of dry rot to be dealt with and lots of other prep work. I think the prep will take longer than the painting itself. 

The other thing we need done is to have our roof replaced. While we are at it, we plan to get solar as well. 

And wouldn't you know, the roofing company called and said they'd like to start work right away. Obviously we can't have two major jobs being done simultaneously so we are hoping we can stagger the work. The last thing I want is for the roofers to start tossing things off the roof and wrecking the brand new paint job. 

*(Note: these photos are not of our actual house).

We are hoping the painters can do all the dry rot repair and prep work, then the roofers can come do their thing, then the painters can come back and actually paint the house. 

I can just feel the money flowing out of my bank account...

So once again, no sewing is happening. I've been running around in circles between talking to workmen and trying to keep Archie from going out of his mind with all these strange men coming and going. 

What I do want to be working on is the Woven Hearts Sew Along, which just started up. It is a paper piecing project and the blocks are so darn cute. I have the Kitty Christmas Jolly Bar to make blocks for a table runner, which should be adorable. 

This photo is from the Fat Quarter Shop blog, showing the fabrics they are using for their version of the quilt.

Two New Fabric Collections

I've bought some fabric lately...I've been wanting to sew more with 3 Sisters fabric, because it is so elegant and timeless. It is also easy to decorate with if you have a traditional style, but don't want to go all Civil War Reproduction. This collection is called Cascade, and is in dreamy shades of blue and cream. I don't know what I will do with this group, but whatever it is, I know it will be fabulous.

The little wool pincushion was given to me some time ago, and I'm sorry to say I can't recall where it came from. I enjoy it in my sewing room as a decoration and thought it looked nice in the photo.


If you are a Minick and Simpson fan, you will want to pay attention to this. These two sisters, Polly and Laurie, have been designing amazing fabric collections for Moda since 2000 and are retiring. This latest fabric collection is called Grand Haven, and is their last ever fabric design for Moda Fabrics. (Wiping a tear from my cheek right now). I have a tub of scraps in my stash from past collections of theirs, but I only have two complete bundles. The other bundle of theirs that I own and haven't cut into is called Roselyn and consists of beautiful reds and pinks and whites.

So, if you enjoy Minick and Simpson fabric, this is your last opportunity to purchase it. You can sometimes find past bundles they have come out with on Etsy or eBay, but at a high price. So, don't delay if you think you want this latest group. 

I can't believe this is the last from them. I have loved their fabric for decades and think I was taking it for granted that it would be a never-ending supply. Can you believe that between them Minick and Simpson have designed 65 collections for Moda? I wonder if another Moda designer will step up and create designs in a similar style and palette.

Happy October everyone!

 

More Sewing and Good News

My sewing was a bit hit or miss this past weekend, but I did get the borders on Base Camp. I think this is a fun quick project for a fall table runner. The pattern is called Base Camp and is by Sweetwater. The pattern is for a quilt, but I adapted it for the smaller table runner. The fabric collection is also by Sweetwater and is called Timber.

On Friday my husband drove me to the Bay Area for my eye injection. I got some excellent news when I met with the doctor. I had noticed some improvement in my vision, but he declared the improvement was "significant". Plus, even better, he expects to see continued improvement over the next few months. He didn't say I would go back to normal vision in that eye, but better is better and I'll take it. I'll go back for another injection in four weeks, and then the doctor said I could start coming every six weeks. I was so happy I almost didn't mind the four-hour drive home in Friday afternoon traffic. 


This lovely block is the seventh in the Designer Mystery 2012 sew-along. Gosh, I think those blocks and that fabric are terrific. 

Today I am having an excursion and a lunch out, so no sewing for me. However, I will have a post tomorrow of two new fabric collections I recently purchased. 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

 

 

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

Today's post is a mish mash of various things I have been fiddling with lately. I did get my Base Camp blocks together for this fun fall table runner. I do think I need to add a narrow border of the background all around to make it look more finished. No problem, if I can only remember what Bella solid I used. I've been trying to write down the backgrounds I use for various projects because sometimes when I need to bind the quilt, or add a border my mind is a blank. Is it off white, or porcelain, or maybe bleached white? Or did I use Kona Snow? Oh dear.

I've finished three more Halloween Memories blocks. These are actually quite fun to put together. I really like how I have done the fiddly work of making half-square triangles, the square in a square center, and the flying geese for each block ahead of time. When it comes time to assemble all those units, the block comes together quickly.

This is a book that I am currently reading and very much enjoying. It is The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods. In 1894 Minneapolis, spiritualism is all the rage, and women are mysteriously dying all over town. There doesn't seem to be a link to the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers, but when silent Faith arrives, the mysterious powers she is thought to have hints at a connection to the murders. This one is full of dark atmosphere, making it a perfect book for September and October.

Is this title not the perfect choice for the spooky reading season? The Burial Plot by Elizabeth MacNeal. I have to admit, I bought this book simply because the cover appealed to me. I had to order it from Blackwells in the UK because I don't think it is available in the US just yet. It is described as a Gothic thriller set in Victorian England. Crowded cemeteries were an issue in England at that time and this cleverly plotted book touches on that issue. I've heard that this book transports you to 1839 and engrosses you in a dark and absorbing tale. I haven't read it yet, but you can be sure it is coming up soon!

So that's it for now. Today I travel to the Bay Area for my monthly eye injection. I am noticing some improvement in my vision, and I hope my doctor concurs. Have a great weekend everyone!

Sunflowers

I was busy in the sewing room yesterday and have plenty to share, but decided to just stick to one topic for today and not bombard you all with a half a dozen projects that I have in the works.

So, I started a new project. Of course I did. I got up yesterday morning and saw that Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Co had posted about a pattern (that you can purchase) and her custom fabric bundle to make it (which is sold out). The pattern is called Sunflowers and is adorable in Fig Tree oranges and greys. Here is a link to her blog post and photos of the fabric and quilt. 

This is one of Joanna's mock-ups of the finished quilt top.

At first, I was bummed that her fabric bundles were all sold out. But then I got to thinking that I must have bought every Halloween collection that Fig Tree has ever produced, so I should have no problem going through my stash to find the right fabrics for the project.

Need Fig Tree fabrics? No problem. Shop at home. I must have had six or eight yards of a white tone-on-tone background fabric from the Fig Tree 2021 Pumpkins and Blossoms line. It is called Pumpkins and Blossoms Vanilla Cinderella Pumpkins 20427-21, and you can still buy it at Fat Quarter Shop. It is the perfect background to go with your Fig Tree fabrics. The design doesn't show up real well in photos, but you can kind of see it in the photo of the block I made. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

I loved the test block I made. The pattern instructions I didn't love quite so much. I just sat down with it and worked out how many pieces and what sizes I needed per block. The block is constructed with a partial seam method, which turned out beautifully. If you haven't done partial seams, don't be afraid, they aren't so bad once you've done one. 


Ok, I can't resist. I have to show you one other thing I am working on. I am getting the binding sewn on my Sewcialites 2 (or is it 3?) quilt. My thumb is protesting, but it isn't too bad. I just love that quilt and would love to have it on my bed. Just look at that quilting!

Hope your week is going well.

 

 

 

Some Sewing, Some Changes

I haven't been completely idle this week. You might not be able to tell, but I did get the top row of my Base Camp table runner sewn together. I plan to wrap this project up today. Love that Timber fabric by Sweetwater.


On another topic, do any of you subscribe to the Fat Quarter Shop monthly Sew Sampler Boxes? I recently signed up and have thought the first two boxes I have received have been quite nice. Typically you get a collection of fabric (a Jolly Bar, Layer Cake, Jelly Roll etc), a quilting tool (a ruler, marking pen, template etc), and one or more patterns, plus an extra notion or two. My friend Carol says she thinks the box is worth it for the coupons alone. The August box had a 20% off Layer Cakes coupon, and the September box has 15% off Jolly Bars (those terrific 5" x 10" fabric collections). In addition, FYI, if you don't really care for the contents in one of your month's boxes, there is a FaceBook Sew Sampler Box resale site where you can resell it to someone who might want it.

I wanted to give all of you a head's up that there are going to be some changes ahead for my blog. I have used Typepad as my blogging platform since I started Sister's Choice Quilts in 2007. Typepad is becoming obsolete and I am experiencing some serious issues lately. As a matter of fact, they were "down" yesterday and I was not able to even write and post my daily blog. I am afraid that they could go belly up any time now, which would leave me in a real pickle.

My plan is to hire a service to help me "migrate" this blog to a different more up-to-date platform, Wordpress. I hope to accomplish this in the next week or two. I am hoping that all my content will transfer over, but that remains to be seen. Anyway, keep checking here for the latest news on how to reach my new site so you can keep reading this blog. 

For those of you who are worried about not being able to keep following me, I suggest you hit the "subscribe" button just below the top photo where it says Sister's Choice Quilts. If you subscribe to this blog, you will be notified by email each time I create a new post.

That's all for now!