Sister's Choice Quilts

My Blogiversary is Today!

Well, girlfriends, the past year has been interesting, to say the least!  As of today, February 12, 2008, I have been blogging for one year.  220 posts!  My deepest gratitude to you all for sticking by me!  So much has happened to me in the last year, I hardly know where to start.  I had no idea in the world what a fantastic community of quilters and decorators and gourmands there were out there in Blog Land.  At the end of twelve months of blogging, I can say I have expanded the ranks of those I can call "Friend" dramatically! 

My Inaugrual Blog Post featured a lap sized quilt I made in reds, browns and yellow.  About this quilt:  The quilt pattern was a Mystery Quilt done at my Favorite Quilt Shop's very first annual Quilting Retreat.  It has never been used, and in fact, I still need to sew the binding on it!  This is a special quilt, made in the company of wonderful quilting friends, and as the subject of my very first Blog Post, I have decided....

To Give It Away.

You all have meant more to me in the past year than you ever could know.  I have so many people to thank for encouraging me and offering their hand in friendship:  Lisa (my BFF), Kim from Daisy Cottage (who showed me how gracious fellow bloggers are), Perry and Cindy (who are my good buddies and will do lots of future joint projects with), Darlene (with whom I did my first Challenge Quilt), Sharon of Red Geranium Cottage (who just sends cute things for the heck of it), Mary from Australia and her daughter Beth (my first fans--so generous in their praise), Pam (Pamkittymorning-who makes me laugh when ever I hear from her), Susan of Blackberry Creek (who I wish I lived next door to), Karen Dianne at Lee Haven (who sends me puppy training tips), Nancy (Blogging Near Philadelphia), Carol (Brown Quilts), Karen (Yellow Farmhouse), Nan (Quilting in Doxie Land), Susan (Desert Sky), Carole (Quilting Adventure), Anna (Thimbleanna), Chris (Cats on My Quilts), my sister Andrea (Under a Blue Moon), my daughter Sara (The Winemaker's Wife), and countless others of you!  Thank you for making this year so full of friendship, encouragement and support!  I love hearing from all of you!  If you read my blog, but don't make comments, what's stopping you?  We could be fast friends this time next year!

If you would like a chance to get the yellow/red/brown quilt, which I am naming "Blogging Friendship", make a comment to this post.  I will do a drawing on Monday, Feb. 18.  Here are some photos:

Jelly Roll Project

I was busy last week and didn't get to post quite as often as I would like to.  My sister who lives in Wisconsin was out for a visit, staying with our dad in Palo Alto.  I combined all sorts of productive activities into my trip up there (which lasted a couple of days).  The best thing was visiting with my sister of course, but I did squeeze a few additional things into the trip.  Ozzie got a hair cut, a subject on which I will say nothing further.  I also went to the dentist (I need a crown but not on my head), and managed to attend a meeting of my quilting group, Banish the UFOs.  I managed to complete 16 of the 18 blocks needed for the quilt top, which are pictured above.

It is a disconcerting feeling to be between projects.  But that is where I find myself.  The Blended Bonanza is behind me, and now I turn to the dozen or so unfinished projects I started and then set aside when something more interesting caught my attention.  You might remember the blocks pictured above from a post months and months ago.  I think I had completed two blocks, posted on it, and put them awasy.  Jelly rolls are all the rage these days, so I had picked up a couple of them and started a project called Jelly Roll Junction from Heather Mulder Peterson's book On A Roll.

The book, though small, has a number of projects for Jelly Rolls.  This book has been so popular with jelly roll afficiandos, that the author has come out with a second book, On A Roll Again, which is very good also.  The photo below is of the pattern I am using.

I had two jelly rolls in the Madeira fabric line by Moda.  Funny, but I just noticed that is the same fabric used in the book sample.  I swear I didn't copy it on purpose.  Be that as it may, the blocks are much simpler to construct than they appear.  You do simple strip piecing, sewing three long jelly roll strips together, placing a light fabric in the center each time.  Using a special ruler, you cut five triangles out of each strip (plus two additional pieces).  This is the ruler that makes the cutting easy:

 

The ruler is by Omnigrid, and notice how the lines go horizontally across the triangle?  This helps you line up your triangles so they are cut precisely on the grain and not wonkily.  You only need four of the triangles to make a block, so you end up with extra triangles that don't match anything.  You are encouraged to sew those into blocks as well, for added interest.  See the difference?

The pattern calls for one jelly roll, but I had two, so I used both.  It gave me more options for fabric placement, since I had two strips of some of my favorites.  I could just make extra matching blocks, and not use the mixed up odd ball blocks, but I kind of like those Sistie Uglies.  What do you think?

Ozzie Got A Haircut

Ozzie got a Big Boy haircut!!  No, it didn't turn his eyes green---I don't know what that is all about.  My poor skills as a photographer most likely.

Doesn't he look like a proper gentleman?  Don't be fooled.  The groomer (who we have known through three generations of family dogs) said he fought tooth and nail every minute of the experience. 

Since Ozzie likes to be warm, we figured he might appreciate a nice cashmere sweater that had belonged to our last pet, Jeeves.  Grandpa Jeevies wore this red sweater with pride for a number of years and always seemed to appreciate its warmth.  Not every dog is priveleged enough to wear cashmere.  We washed the sweater and put it on Ozzie and this is what he did to it.

He doesn't even care that he destroyed a family treasure.  The one thing my husband saved from Jeeves.  Honestly, Ozzie is so naughty.  This is the last straw.  His reign of terror is so over.  He starts Puppy Kindergarten next week.

I'm Over It

Thank you so much, all of you kindred spirits out there!  Your words of encouragement mean the world to me.  I love you all.  I am better today, and not feeling quite so fragile.  My goodness, the blogging world sure is full of support and encouragement and love.

Right now, this is what I need to be focusing on.  I am trying to start a new business selling some fabulous clothing from a Southern California designer.  I finished unpacking all the boxes of clothing and got them all tagged, pressed and hung up.  Now I need to get some shows booked and get the word out there as to how fabulous these clothes are.

On a related topic, I found a local tailor.  When you are selling clothes, you need to wear them, have them fit perfectly, and look marvy.  If you aren't wearing the clothes, your store is closed, as they say in the industry.  I have a figure issue (we call it a "hot spot), of being rather thick through the middle, for lack of a better term.  We definitely DO NOT call my figure type an "apple".  No, no, no.  The current acceptable term is "diamond shaped".  I have very skinny arms and legs, and a big fat torso.  No, that sounds ghastly. Let me rephrase.  I seem to carry my weight in the center of my body.  There, that sounds better.  So, what do I do to get pants to fit?  I buy a size 10 so the garment fits through the waist, and find a tailor to nip things in through the hips and legs. 

So, I discovered "Julian", the Tailor.  He is such a charming fellow.   He greets me enthusiastically whenever I enter his place of business, and calls me "Senora" and gives me all sorts of flattery.  I try on my baggy jeans, which fit through the waist, but bag around my hips, and flap yards of fabric through my thighs.  "Oh, Senora, just a 'pinch'" he says, as he scribbles chalk marks on my thighs.  I have no clue what the heck he is doing, but leave it at that, figuring he is the expert.

I come back to the tailor in an astonishing short period of time, to pick up my altered jeans.  Well.  My goodness.   Obviously, Julian thinks I am a teenager.  Those jeans are so tight I could not sit down if my life depended on it.  I look like some kind of beach bird, with a round little chest and tummy and little stick legs that will propel me with lightening quickness across the sand. Not *at all* the look I was going for.  I had my husband take a couple of pictures so you all could see just how ridiculous I looked, but my ego has had enought of a beating in the past few days to post them all.    Use your imagination....

They are only jeans.  There are more where those came from.