Sister's Choice Quilts

Sampler Block #2

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I promise to do better.   I have been quite busy with various sewing projects, as you will see!  This weekend my daughter Sara (House of Charm)  and I travelled up to Granite Bay to visit my sister Andrea (Under a Blue Moon), and spent half our time visiting quilt shops in her area (reviews to come) and the other half working furiously on sewing projects.  Sara is planning to travel to Japan next week and was inspired to make gifts for her hosts and augment her wardrobe for the vacation.  More details this week!

Pictured above is my sampler block #2, a joint project I am sharing with my friend Lisa (Stashmaster).  My fabrics are predominently from the Chocolat collection by Moda.  Some of the plaids are a bit wonky looking, but I have decided the wobbles add charm.

Amy Butler Frenchy Bag

Hello friends.  I have been a bit distracted and under the weather lately, so please forgive last week's uninspired posts.  I promise this week will have more interesting and quilting related items of interest.

This weekend, I cashed in a $25 gift certificate at a lovely quilt shop in Pacific Grove, called The Back Porch.  I love shopping at this small, unique and very friendly store whenever I am in the area.  Not only can you browse through their eclectic collection of fabric, books and patterns, but look out the window and see the Monterey Bay in all its glory.  They offer a plenitude of great classes in one of the nicest classrooms I have seen, and have an ever changing display of quilts and garment art on the walls.  There are a number of places to lunch nearby, plus countless places of interest (such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium).  It is a destination quilt shop, and you could easily build a most enjoyable day for the whole family around it.

The Back Porch rewards its customers by giving them credits toward a $25 gift certificate after a certain number of dollars have been spent at the store.  I had earned my $25 certificate and decided to take the plunge into Tote Bag Land.  I picked out a pattern by Amy Butler called The Frenchy Bag.  The yardage requirements for the smaller "Hand Bag" size were fairly modest, and included lining fabric as well as interfacing to give the bag and its inner pockets more body.  The instructions were simple, and I had no trouble in constructing the bag in around two hours.  I will say, if I am to do the bag again (and I will), I will opt for the "Shoulder Bag", a larger size, and I will use a much lighter weight interfacing. 

I don't know why I have delayed so long in attempting to construct a bag or a tote, and know that I am now hooked.  I any of my blogging friends has a recommendation of a bag or tote they have made with particular success, please do share the information with me.  I am definitely interested in making more!

 

Lunch with the Guys

On a recent weekend when I was in San Luis Obispo with my two favorite guys, we had a lovely lunch at Novo Restaurant.  The building was originally a cigar factory!  The food was delicious and filling, and the restaurant has won numerous awards.  Among the honors are:  Best San Luis Obispo Restaurant, Best Wait Staff, Best Fusion Cuisine, Best Outdoor Dining, and Runner Up Best Place to Go on a First Date.

We opted for burgers, which were served with a divine salmon bisque and salad greens.  As fabulous as the food was, my favorite part of the experience was sitting out on the shady deck which overlooked a bubbling creek down below.  You will just have to imagine the sounds of the birds chirping!  We will definitely be going back.

Mexican Chef Salad

I made one of my favorite salads this weekend.  I call it Mexican Chef Salad, but I have also heard it called Taco Salad.  It goes together pretty fast and the folks in my family request it often.  Thought I would share the recipe with you.

1 lb ground turkey

1 chopped onion

1 envelope Lawry's taco seasoning, plus 2/3 c water

1 can kidney beans, drained

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 head romaine or green lettuce, chopped

1 diced avocado

1-2 diced tomatoes

8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese

crunched tortilla chips (amount to your taste)

Brown ground turkey and chopped onion in 1-2 T olive oil.  Stir while browning to break up clumps.  When turkey and onion are browned, add the package of taco seasoning and stir to combine.  Add 1/2 c water.  Add drained kidney beans.   Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Arrange lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl.  Place warm turkey mixture on top of lettuce.  Top with diced avoacao, tomato, and Cheddar cheese.  Crunch desired amount of tortilla chips and crumble over all. 

Dressing:

Combine 1/2 c. mayonnaise, 2 T. catsup, 1 T. cider vinegar, and a dab of horseradish in a small bowl with whisk.  Pour dressing over salad and mix to coat evenly.

Sampler Block #1

This is my Sampler Block #1 prepared as part of the Sampler Challenge between my friend Lisa and I.  You can see the pattern and fabric collection I am using here.  I am delighted with my first block and can't wait to get going on Block #2.  The best part of the process is in selecting the combinations of fabrics to be used in each block.  Too many great choices!  Twelve blocks may not be enough.

To Do List

istockphoto

I've been tagged by Sharon of Red Geranium Cottage and Angela of Cottage Magpie (two of my favorite blogs by the way), to post my To Do List.   Hmmm.  This has been something I have been reflecting upon lately.  A couple of weeks ago, I would have had dozens of quilty projects to list.  I could still do that, but as I say, I've been doing some thinking.  So here goes:

1)  Slow down.  Do less.  Consider doing nothing.

2)  Look my husband in the eyes and tell him sincerely and lovingly how much he means to me.

3)  Hug my children at every opportunity, even if it makes them squirm.

4)  Tell my sisters, father, nieces, nephews, brothers in law that I love them and am full of gratitude for our family and its traditions.

5)  Express thanks to my friends (that would be you) for your support, encouragement and the hands of friendship you extend to me on such a regular basis.

6)  Cherish the safe haven that is my home and the blanket of comfort with which it surrounds me each time I enter the door.

7) And on a lighter note:  read more books, buy more fresh flowers, consider exercise, eat more vegetables, spend less money, and floss.

Hey look, a new project

I went a bit nuts this weekend.  I started two new projects.  I know, I know, you have all heard me vow not to start a single new thing until I actually FINISH something, but, oh well.  Things just got the best of me.

The borders for my Return to Sender Christmas quilt stared balefully at me all weekend, but did I pay attention?  No way.  I started in on my sampler project with Lisa, started up a new jelly roll project, and started up this baby with the fabric my son got for me from JJStitches in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.  The shop had an amazing quilt done up using a pattern called Posy Patches from Buggy Barn's Around the Bend book.  I was all set to do it just as they had done, but at the last minute, I discovered this pattern I had bought some time back, designed by Brandywine, "Meadowbrook Farm".  On impulse, I decided I liked it and made up two blocks.  What do you think?

No will power.  No self-discipline.  I am weak.  But aren't they pretty?  I promise, I will finish something soon.

Jelly Rolls

Jelly Rolls.  If there is anyone out there who doesn't know what this hot new quilting temptation is, a jelly roll is an entire fabric collection that has been laser cut into 2 1/2" strips, rolled up like a bakery confection and tied with a bow.  Each pack contains one 44" long strip of each fabric in the group.  They retail for around $30, and appear to be selling like, well, like hotcakes (sorry, couldn't resist).

I finally picked up a couple of these treats, with the thought that I could perhaps satisfy my craving to have the latest fabric offerings and spend a lot less money than I typically do when I purchase the entire fat quarter bundle for $100.  Also, all the cutting is done for you, so you can leap right in and start your project.  Quilt shops all across the country are starting up "Strip Clubs" where enthusiasts meet regularly and make projects out of jelly rolls. Believe me, these jelly rolls have a LOT of fans.

The advantages of these jelly rolls seems clear, however there are a couple of other considerations that occur to me.  First of all (and most obvious), one is limited to a pattern design that incorporates 2 1/2" fabric strips or squares.   You have to embrace that fact, and have a pattern in mind, or join in one of the many class offerings available at your local quilt shop.  I am learning also, that it isn't easy to find a design that utilizes just ONE of these little gems in the making of a quilt.  One of them on its own will make a crib quilt or a table topper, or,if you add in other fabrics, they can be extended to the size of a smallish quilt.  To achieve the variety I like in a quilt, and in order to get something of a reasonable size, I think two jelly rolls are necessary. 

I recently discovered this book by Anka's Treasures "On A Roll".  It has pattern designs for several quilts as well as table toppers.  Not wanting to be left out of the latest trend, I decided to jump on the jelly roll bandwagon, and buy one and get started.

My jelly roll of choice was one called Madeira, an upcoming Blackbird Designs group for Moda.  The pattern I picked from the On A Roll book is called Jelly Roll Junction, an appealing design that cleverly makes each block appear to be made of miters.  These are the blocks I made in relatively short time:

I love the fabric and thoroughly enjoyed making these four blocks.  The quilt is comprised of 18 blocks, each one having a light colored center strip.  It appears that with the strip selection I have in this jelly roll, I will only get 10 blocks.  In order to accomplish the fabric and color combinations of my choice, I need to go out and see if I can find one more Madeira jelly roll.  They are fast and fun and I am glad I gave them a try (and may even use them again), but I don't see jelly rolls replacing my fatquarter fabric bundle addiction!

    

Sampler Challenge

A few months ago I bought a darling quilt kit from Cottage Quilts online shop.  They had assembled a beautiful assortment of fabrics from Moda's Chocolat collection and put them together as a kit to be used along with this sampler quilt book, "Country Gatherings" by Dillard & Glordi.  The book has several different suggestions for layouts, so it is possible to get completely different looking quilts, even though the same blocks are used in each.  Since I had had my eye on Chocolat for a while, and had no other ideas for it, I succumbed to the convenience of purchasing a kit. 

Coincidentally, my friend Lisa from Stashmaster, happened to mention that she too had bought "Country Gatherings" and was also planning to make one of the quilt versions depicted in the book.  When I heard Lisa's plans, I thought it might be fun if the two of us worked along side each other, making the blocks in sequence and comparing notes on our blogs.  Lisa will be using the Cinnamon Stars fabric group, a Fig Tree design offered by Moda.  Her colors will differ considerably from those that I am using, and she has decided to do a variation of the layout shown on the cover.  We plan to take a leisurely pace with this sampler project, the goal being to post a photo of a newly completed block every other week, with all the blocks to be finished by November 30, and the quilt tops assembled by December 31. 

We invite you to join us in this Sampler Challenge and check in with us every other Monday to see how we progress with our individual projects.   We hope to see you on June 11 when we unveil photos of our first blocks!