Sister's Choice Quilts

Mid-Summer Color

My sister and her husband are coming for a visit this weekend, and I have been cleaning my house like a crazy person.  Having company is the thing that really helps me to notice the dust on the bookshelves, the dirty carpet, and the need for a bit of a decorating update.  It is good to have this great motivation to put things to rights in the house and to get a fresh look.

I had such fun putting away all my early summer decorations and changing my color scheme from pale pinks and greens to a much more mid-summer palette of gold, yellow and darker green.  The roses are still beautiful, but we are now beginning to see varieties of sunflowers available as well.

My decor has been shifted from soft pastels to stronger shades of mid-summer.  When we went to Italy a few years ago, I was fortunate to pick up a few pieces of Tuscan pottery in a town called Orvieto, which are the essence of summer and warmth and hospitality.  Look!  In the pictures above and below, I am using the pretty doiles my email friend Mary Wood sent me from Australia!

I couldn't help taking a wee break from the housework to spend some time with Harry Potter, who has been quite a distraction from my sewing activities lately.  I will be back at the Bernina next week for certain!  It won't be long till our guests arrive, so I had better get back to work!  Hope you are all having a lovely summer's day and that your weekend brings you everything you wish for.

 

Weekend Project

I spent Saturday playing around with some pretty fabrics by Joel Dewberry (Westminster).  The fun part of these blocks is that the seams do not match up on purpose.  The strips are cut 2 3/4" and 2 1/2", sewn into strip sets, then cut out with the use of a 6 inch square ruler.

I'd like your opinions on the use of the striped fabric.  Does it make you dizzy, or is it kicky and fun?   I plan to add a containment border, and then a wider border that is super calming.  Look at this border fabric, isn't it gorgeous?

Sampler Block #4

This Sampler Quilt project is turning out to be so much fun!  Lisa (Stashmaster) and I have been working on this project together over the past couple of months.  It is a very slow paced joint project, as we agreed to only post about a new block every other week.  Easy pace, no stress.  My version will have 12 blocks, and I am using the Chocolat fabric line by Moda.  Lisa, always inclined to do just a bit more than required, is doing a different layout, involving 16 blocks.  Her fabric choice is Cinnamon Stars, designed by Fig Tree for Moda.  She is taking a more daring approach in her use of color combinations compared to my more conservative approach.  She is fearlessly switching around her background colors, where I have opted to keep my backgrounds one uniform fabric.  Please go check out her site, so you can see her beautiful work and imaginative use of the fabrics.  Above you see pictured my Block # 4.

To recap what we have posted thus far, you can see the first four of my blocks above.  In my final version, there will be a lattice with cornerstone stars separating all the blocks. 

I was so into the fun of making these blocks, that I forged ahead and made Block #5 as well, but you can't see that for two more weeks!  Maybe we should step up the pace Lisa?

My Friend Mary

I have been blogging since this past February---not a very long time really.  Over these six months however, I have made some truly wonderful blogging friends.  One of them, Mary Wood, who lives in Australia, is a regular commenter on my posts.  We have corresponded through email and have developed a blogging friendship.  I have learned that she has a mother who lives in Scotland, a lovely daughter named Beth who also is interested in quilting, and an astounding 33 grandchildren (not all Beth's!!).  You may recall that Mary was the winner of my Return to Sender leftover blocks awhile back.  Imagine my surprise when I came home the other day, and found a package waiting for me that had come all the way from Australia, with Mary's return address on it!  Nothing makes me happier than getting good mail, and when the good mail is a present, I am just about beside myself with excitement.  I tore open the package, and inside I found SIX pieces of vintage linens!!!!  I will show pictures of the entire contents of the package so you all can see what a lucky person I am to be blessed with such a thoughtful friend. 

I truly honor the women who made these lovely things and salute my friend's beautiful gesture.

Thank you Mary!

The photo above shows an embroidered dresser scarf, with flowers and ribbon.  Amazingly, the back of this piece is hard to tell from the front, due to the careful and perfect embroidery stitching!  You can also see a crocheted edge hankie and part of a little square doily.

This is a close up of another dresser scarf embroidered with a basket of flowers on a pale yellow background.  There are additional little flowers scattered here and there all over the piece.  The crocheted piece in the upper right is more of the little square doily.

Close up of the detail on this beautifully cross stitched napkin.

Exquisite embroidery and crochet work on a sweet little hankie.

Close up of small white doily and larger ecru piece with raised blossoms in the center.

Garden Fence Quilt/Bernina Foot #57

This is my beginner applique project, a design called "Garden Fence Quilt" from two of my favorite designers, Joanna Figueroa and Lisa Quan of Fig Tree Quilts.  Their booklet Hearth and Home Quilts has a number of great patterns in it, including one called Sew Simple Baskets that is a real favorite of mine (in my Quilt Album, called "Christmas Baskets").  The applique is beginner level, but the piecing of the Garden Fence quilt is not for sissies.

As you can see, the quilt blocks have a pieced checkerboard lattice.  These little squares measure 3/4 of an inch, finished (1 1/4 inch cut).  That is pretty tiny.  In order to make your checkerboard strips measure up to exactly match your 8 inch square in a square block, you must be extremely accurate in your piecing.  Any deviation from a strict quarter inch seam allowance will throw everything off and you will have a frustrating mess on your hands.

To achieve the best results, I used a new foot attachment that Bernina came out with recently and everyone is raving about.  This foot is called #57, and it has a little drop down edge that helps you stay right on the 1/4 inch seam allowance measurement.  Fabulous.

The method the Fig Tree gals use is not to cut the fabric into individual squares, but a method called "strip piecing", which I am sure you all are familiar with.  You cut your fabric into the required number of strips and sew them together into units like the one pictured below.

Trim the edge of your unit so it is straight.

Then cut into strips measuring 1 1/4 inches wide, and you have your checkerboard lattice units.

Then you sew them onto your square in a square block, creating the checkerboard lattice effect.

One down, nineteen to go.  Here is a finished block:

Machine Applique Adventures

Yesterday I was telling you all about how much I like the Steam A Seam Lite products for machine applique.  Today I thought I would talk a bit about machine applique methods, and in particular, the one I like best at the moment. 

If you purchase any material on the How To of Applique, you will quickly learn that there are dozens of methods to choose from, and that everyone who does applique seems to have a favorite from which they rarely detour.  I love the look of applique and have always wanted to perfect my skills at hand applique.  I have tried needle turn applique with amateurish results.  I have tried the freezer paper method and dissolved my freezer paper.  I have tried the starch method and made the biggest mess you ever saw, and melted my gel manicure in the process.  I still haven't given up on hand applique though, and thanks to a few tips my blogging friends have given me (thanks Darlene, Susan, and Anna!), I will try it again soon.  In the meantime, I have been experimenting with machine applique and really like what I see.

The first thing to know about machine applique is that you need a machine that can do it.  A machine that does a zig zag stitch is essential, and if your machine has a blanket stitch option, that is excellent as well.  I have a Bernina that provides all sorts of wonderful stitch options, none of which I had used much until now.  You also should have a proper applique foot attachment for your machine.  The one I like for the Bernina is the number 23, which is clear plastic, allowing you to see right where you are stitching.

When I first started practicing, I used a clear monofilament "invisible" thread on top, and regular thread in my bobbin.  I used a small zig zag stitch all around the raw edges of the applique piece.  The results were satisfactory, but kind of wobbly.  Practice would probably improve that over time.  Next I tried matching my applique piece with cotton thread on top and in the bobbin.  I chose a blanket stitch this time, and just loved the results. 

With the blanket stitch, you get into this great rhythm:  stitch on the edge, stitch on the edge, stitch on the applique piece, stitch on the edge, stitch on the edge, stich on the applique piece... And as you stitch around the applique piece you slowly rotate the piece so that your needle always lands precisely on the exact place where the applique piece meets the background fabric.  Two stitches on the background and one stitch in on the applique piece.  Precision is important for good results, so you really have to go fairly slowly and get into the rhythm.

A few months ago I cut out all the fabric to make a beginner level applique project, but never began it, thinking I needed formal instruction.  Never got around to taking a class, and the unstarted project just sat in a box waiting for the magic day.  I felt the magic a few days ago and pulled it out and decided to give it a go, using the Steam A Seam Lite 2 fusible, my Bernina's blanket stitch, and my number 23 applique foot.  The quilt project calls for 20 appliqued blocks and by the time I got to 16 or 17 I felt like I was a pro.  Above you see a completed applique piece and below is the backside.

I haven't quite figured out what to do with my starting and ending threads, so I have been pulling the top threads through to the bottom and tying them off to the bottom threads.  That is what that little knot looking thing is.  Does anyone have a better method?  I would love to know.

A few folks have emailed me to say they are skeptical of machine applique using fusible products because they are afraid that over time the piece may not be securely fastened down to the background.  Trust me, between the permanence of the fusibles now, plus all that tight stitching on the edges, that machine applique piece is far more secure than my pitiful hand appliqued pieces are.  In a hundred years my hand applique pieces will have totally come apart from the backing, but these machine stitched ones will still be locked on tight.

Overall, I am thrilled to have learned this technique, and am really happy with the results.  Seriously, try it, you can do it too.  Below is a picture of a completed block, which involves a lattice made up of 1 1/4 inch squares.  More on that tomorrow!

Steam A Seam Lite 2

As you may have gathered, I have been a bit obsessed with machine applique lately.  For successful machine applique, it is helpful to use a fusible stabilizer to adhere your applique pieces to your background fabric.  My sister introduced me to Steam A Seam Lite, which I liked very much, and Pamkittymorning told me that Steam A Seam Lite 2 was what she likes to use when she does her machine applique.  I had a hard time telling the difference between the two products to tell you the truth, and I got terrific results with both.  Machine applique is one of those areas where the right tools make all the difference.  Since I am so taken with this new technique, I thought you might like to learn along with me, if you aren't already familiar with the method.  Keep in mind this is all new to me, so I am no expert.  If you have been afraid of machine applique (as I have been for years) you can see it isn't so scary after all.

The first step is to trace the applique shape onto one side of the Steam A Seam sheet.  The sheets have paper covering both sides of the fusible product.  One of the sheets of paper will separate much easier than the other, and you want to trace your design on the side of paper that is more reluctant to separate.  It sounds confusing, but once you try peeling the paper off, you can easily tell which one wants to come off with least effort.  OK, as I was saying, trace your shape and then peel away the paper with the least resistance.  The material underneath will be slightly sticky, allowing you to position it on to your applique piece.  It won't stick firmly until pressed, so you can move it around until you get it placed perfectly.

Once you get it placed to your liking on the wrong side of the to-be-appliqued fabric, give it a light press down to hold it in place and get it fused onto the fabric.  You are pressing right onto the remaining paper coated side of the Steam A Seam Lite.  It doesn't seem to matter if you use a dry iron or steam.  See how you can clearly see your traced line? 

The next step is to cut on your traced line as carefully as possible.  This step totally reminded me of how much I loved paper dolls when I was a kid.  Especially ones of movie stars who wore fabulous ball gowns.  I would spend ages cutting those things out and pretending I was a beauty queen.  Does anyone remember Betsy McCall, from the McCall's magazine?  She was a paper doll that could be found in the back pages of every issue, and if your mom said it was OK, you could cut Betsy and her darling outfits out and play for hours.  Betsy even had little hats, shoes, and purses.   You just had to be sure it was all right with your mom first, before cutting up her new magazine.  Because if you cut up her magazine before she had read it....Ah hem.  All right, back to the Steam A Seam lesson.

The next step is to get the other layer of paper off.  This is the side of paper that doesn't want to come off as easily.  I found that I needed my tweezers to start getting the paper to separate from the fusible product.  Once you get it started, it comes off with no trouble, leaving the wrong side of your applique piece slightly sticky from the unfused side of the Steam A Seam.   

 

Place this sticky side of the applique piece to your liking onto your background fabric.  It will allow you to maneuver it around until you are completely satisfied with its position.

Once you get the applique piece positioned just right, then you get serious with your pressing, holding the iron down for a count of 5 or so.  If the applique piece is large, you may have to move the iron once or twice to cover all the area to be fused.  This pressing will permanently adhere your applique piece to the background fabric.

Now you are ready to stitch down your applique piece!  I figure you have had enough instruction for one day, so I will tell you about my machine stitching adventures tomorrow.

Look and Learn

 

Back in April, when we were on our quilting retreat, my daughter Sara created the cutest quilt using two charm packs and some additional white yardage for lattices.  While she was away in Japan last week, I decided to try out her pattern with the new Look and Learn charm packs by American Jane for Moda.  I did everything just as Sara did, using 90 charm squares and some creamy muslin that worked well with the fabric line.  It went together in no time, and the result is kind of sweet.  It would be wonderful in a child's room, as some of the prints are somewhat juvenile.  On the other hand, if you bought three charm packs and left out the juvenile prints, your quilt would have a great 40's retro look. 

The charm packs of Look and Learn are available now, but the fabric has not yet been released for sale by the yard.  I would like to add some sort of border once I can buy larger cuts of the prints.  Here are some close ups of some of the prints in the line:

Applique

I am just so proud of myself I could burst.  I have been putting off doing machine applique for YEARS because I thought it was too difficult, and that I could never achieve good results.  Avoiding machine applique even caused me to slave over a simple hand appliqued border for a quilt that took me three years to finish.  I tried needle point applique as my preferred method, and the results were, shall we say, primitive looking.  But I told myself it added to that quilt's charm.  Here is a picture of that needle turn applique effort below.  Seriously, it took me FOREVER to finish.

My sister Andrea has recently been raving over using fusible interfacing material to attach applique shapes to quilt blocks and borders.  I have to admit a bit of sisterly jealousy, thinking to myself "Well, for heaven's sake, if SHE can do it..."  I just didn't want her to show me up.  Please take a look at her recent project, and you will agree it is as cute as can be.  In addition, Pamkittymorning has posted lately on a darling machine appliqued basket she has finished.  Not to be outdone, I jumped at the chance to give machine applique a try.  I bought some Steam a Seam Lite, a little craft iron, a pressing cloth and started tracing teensy little leaves and flower petals.

Oh my goodness.  It was easy, it was fun, and it turned out great!  I am so hooked now.  If you look at the block I finished you can probably see that my stitches are slightly wonky, but I am so convinced that with a bit more practice, I will get the hang of this technique and will be incorporating it into lots of future quilts.  The tricky parts are the curves and points where you have to master the art of pivoting.  I did do a bit of practicing first to see what kind of look I liked.  I could have done a tiny zig zag stitch and used invisible thread, but decided I liked the look of a blanket stitch using thread that matched the applique piece better. I feel such a sense of accomplishment, and am kicking myself that it took me this long to jump on the applique band wagon!

The block pictured above is from a book called Summer Haven by Linda Hohag.  The fabrics are the remnants of a quilt my friend Lisa made using Moda's Buttercream and Figs line, which she generously shared with me.

Plum Upside Down Cake

We have a plum tree in our backyard.  I am not sure just what kind of plums they are, as they were planted by the previous owner of our home.  What I can tell you is that this plum tree is REALLY happy in our backyard, and for some reason, this year the birds didn't get to the crop before I did.  My husband and I were planning a visit up to see my sister and her husband in Granite Bay over the 4th of July holiday, and I thought it might be a good opportunity to try a recipe for Plum Upside Down Cake I found in the June issue of Country Home magazine.  The recipe was easy, used a couple pounds of the three tons of plums I have, and looked and tasted fantastic.  You can see for yourself how pretty it looked on Andrea's 4th of July table:

Don't you just want to take your finger and swipe up that little bit of dribbling plum juice?  Anyway, here is the recipe, and I do hope you will try it!

Plum Upside-Down Cake

8 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp water

3 cups sliced, pitted plums (about 1 lb.)

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup finely ground pecans or almonds (I used walnuts)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. finely shreeded orange peel

Place 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 7 x 11 inch baking pan.  Place pan in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or until butter is just melted.

Remove from oven; stir in brown sugar and water until combines.  Spread to an even layer in the pan.  Arrange plum slices atop brown sugar mixture in pan.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, pecans, granulated suagar, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk, remaining 5 tablespoons butter, eggs, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.  Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Stir in orange peel.  Spoon batter atop plum layer in prepared  pan.

Bake in the 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Loosen sides of cake from pan; invert onto a serving plate.  Cool about 45 minutes.  Serve warm.  Makes 12 servings.

~Country Home Magazine, June 2007