Sister's Choice Quilts

Now, That's What I'm Talkin' About

 

Packaging is everything. 

I ordered this piece of fabric from an online shop I had never heard of, Z & S Fabrics, in Denver, Pennsylvania.  My selection criteria was pretty basic.  I wanted this particular fabric and they were the first shop I found online who had it.  Simple as that.

Here is where things started getting personal.  My order was placed on Monday, was mailed on Monday (USPS Priority), was received by me on Wednesday, and was packaged as you see above.

Will I remember Z & S Fabrics the next time I want to make an online order?  Definitely.  You betcha.

Check them out.  They offer outstanding service, have a good inventory and seem like real nice people!

Scratch

 

Carrie sent me one of her Schnibbles patterns along with fabric to make it up.  She claimed I won a contest she was having on her new blog, but it seems that everyone who entered won!   The fabric is by Sandy Gervais for Moda, "Merry and Bright", and the pattern is called "Scratch", from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  It was fun to make and took only one afternoon to put together. 

I made a mistake, which isn't too critical, but could have been avoided by Reading. The. Directions.  After constructing the ladder like pieces, they were supposed to be cut down to 3 1/2 inches wide.  I missed that sentence, so now my top is a bit wider than it is long.  As Grandma Higgins would have said, "A man goin' by on a bus wouldn't notice". 

This fabric is so darn cheerful, I love it!  And guess what?  Look how great my Christmas dishes look with it!

 

I have made up my mind to make up every Schnibbles pattern there is, and while I am at it, to practice my machine quilting skills.  They are just the perfect size for that.

Designer Mystery Block of the Month Progress

 

In between breaking up dog fights (a REALLY bad idea, I found), I did get some sewing done this past weekend.  I was in a mood to sit down and accomplish something tangible in a brief period of time, and managed to complete two blocks from the Designer Mystery BOM that Fatquartershop has going on.  You may recall that somehow I lost a 3 1/2 inch square of the green print for this block and put out a help request to friends in Blogland who might have some extra and would be willing to send me a little piece.  The response was amazing.  I even got two emails from gals who work at Fatquarter shop saying they would be happy to send me a replacement piece!  My friend Jeanine was the first to email, so I took her up on her generous offer.

Using the new orange print rotary cutter she included with the scrap of green fabric (!!!), I finished the block on Sunday morning.  I started the blocks out of sequence, and the block above is Block One in the series.  Thank you Jeanine!

 

While I was on a tear, I finished Block Five as well.  Isn't that Peppermint Star just the sweetest thing?  I love this block!

Girl Trouble

 

This is Sophie.  Isn't she pretty?  Isn't she sweet?  The answer is Sometimes.  Even Usually.

But something is happening to Sophie that she doesn't understand, and it is making her very cranky.  She is going through her first "season", to use a euphemism.  Having only had male dogs, this was certainly new to us.  I sort of had an idea there would be a bit of a mess involved, but I had no notion of the personality change that would be involved.  She is so touchy and flies off the handle at the slightest provocation.  Sharing toys is out of the question, and she and Ozzie have had some terrible fights. 

Friends, please tell me that her crankiness will go away and she will be back to her sweet self.  We plan to have her spayed as soon as reasonably possible as soon as this episode is over with.  Will that make a difference?  Those of you who have female dogs, please advise.

Ozzie is just so confused and sad.  He is a very reasonable and patient fellow, but he has his limits. What happened to his friend?  Will she be back?

 

Gift From a Friend

 

I entered a blog contest hosted by Carrie at La Vie en Rosie and won the lovely loot pictured above.  I wasn't the only winner, as it seemed that everyone who entered the contest won something!  Carrie has a new blog, and if you haven't discovered it yet, you need to go right over there and introduce yourself.  She is the sweetest, funniest, most generous quilter ever.  I have long been a big fan of her work, and it was a major thrill to take a class with her a summer ago. 

The package contained two charm packs, background fabric, a Schnibbles pattern Carrie designed, and some dog treats for Ozzie and Sophie.  Carrie sent six of the dog bones, but I tore into them as soon as I opened the package, so you only see three.  As I took the picture, Ozzie and Sophie were munching happily at my feet. 

I had planned to pass this cute pattern on to Sara, but decided, nope, I had to keep it.  Won't it make a fun table topper for Christmas?  In fact, I have in mind to make a black and white one out of the same pattern.  How neat would that be?

Schnibbles are a brilliant idea of Carrie's.  They work exceedingly well for fabriholics who want to buy every new fabric group that comes out.  You can get your fabric fix by purchasing one or two charm packs and some background fabric and whip up a table topper in no time flat.  You learn new techniques, expand your skills and can collect charm packs 'til the cows come home.  They are addictive, I tell you!  Go get yourself a couple of Schnibbles patterns and some charm packs!   You will see, you won't be able to stop!

Something I Can Count On

 

Our weather here in California has been unseasonably, if not freakishly warm lately.  In the mornings there is just a hint that cooler times may be ahead, but it doesn't take too long for the sun to warm things up and for it to get quite toasty.  Our friends down the coast in Montecito are having a terrible fire, which has destroyed many beautiful homes in the hills.  Fires are not uncommon here in late summer or early Autumn, when high temperatures, dry conditions and the Santa Ana winds whip up.  We had some bad fires this past August which were scarily near by.  But we are way into November now, and things should be cooling down.  The weather experts predict more moderate temperatures today, and with luck, perhaps the winds will die down and the firefighters can contain the fires.

Losing a home to a fire is an unfathomable loss.  The people, pets and wild animals that are displaced, the valuable real estate and treasured possessions that are lost are enormous tragedies.  There is an additional type of loss that isn't spoken of as much, a loss that takes decades to recover.   I am talking about landscaping.  In a forest fire, nature reasserts itself and before too long and weeds, grass, scrub trees and seedlings take over and the forest grows again.  It takes a long time, but eventually the forest recovers.  The thought and planning that goes into making a garden is huge.  Our gardens shelter us, provide a haven from the world, and give us countless pleasures over the seasons.  A garden is Personal.  It is a unique reflection of who we are and where we go for relaxation, entertainment, privacy and peace.

The tree pictured above is a Japanese maple that lives at the entry to my father's house in Palo Alto.  My mom had it planted years ago as a welcoming accent to their home.  Over the decades, it has settled in and never fails to disappoint us with its seasonal changes.  In the winter its delicate frame of black branches sits reflectively with clumps of pure white cyclamen clustered around its base.  In the spring, the branches become covered with the most delicate pale green leaf buds, looking positively lace like when the sun shines through them.  In summer its lush green cascade is a cooling backdrop to the white geranium, oleander and begonia flowers Mom surrounded it with.  There are fragrant white violets that grow with abandon underneath its protective shade. 

Mom had a passion for her green and white garden.  She adored the contrast of rich green against stark white flowers.  For the most part, her garden reflects her color palette, but I don't think she was looking ahead to what this tree would do to her carefully thought out landscaping plan when we shifted seasons from summer to autumn!  The fall is when this tree asserts its personality and independence and puts on its most glorious show.  For a few weeks in November, it is a waterfall of red, gold and yellow leaves.  If this house ever passes out of our family, I think this tree is the one thing I would miss most.  I just cannot imagine it being replaced.  To lose it in a fire?  Unthinkable.

Something about it soothes and calms me.  It is so Reliable.  No mater what else is going on in the world, I can count on this tree doing precisely what it is meant to do.  If I were a garden gnome, this is where I would live.

 

My heart goes out to the people and pets who have lost their homes in the fires in Montecito.   And to anyone who has lost a beloved garden.

Most Annoying Phrases

 

I read an amusing news article today about a group of University of Oxford researchers who have listed the top ten most annoying phrases in the English language.  I agree with most of them, and have a few of my own I could add.

Here is the list:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

 How about "proactive"?  I used to work with THE most annoying young woman who used that word twice in every sentence.  It got really old.  Or "chill out"?  Don't you just want to smack someone who says that to you?  "Deal with it!".  That one is also a smacking offence.  I am also getting thoroughly sick of the expression "Sweet!", which is very popular in my area currently.

Here is Nicole's Top 10:

Basically

Going forward

Whatever

Think Outside the Box

No worries/No problem

Get a life

That’s  where we’re at

Touch base

It is what it is

Let's play it by ear

 

How about you?  What phrases grate on your nerves?

 

 

 

The Tarot

  My children are really good at doing Tarot readings.  My son Ahren is a master at it, and has been teaching his sister Sara.  While up at our quilting retreat this last weekend, Sara brought along her Tarot card deck and her reference book and offered to do readings for all the gals who were attending.  This activity was the hit of the weekend, and nearly everyone entered into the fun and sprit of it.  Several people said their readings made the hair stand up on the back of their necks, it was so accurate. 

Tarot isn't so much fortune telling as it is a tool for divination.  A reading involves a "seeker" who is asking a question and a "reader" who interprets the cards.  Each position in the card draw has significance, as does each individual card.  Typically, the Tarot cards would be consulted if the seeker has a challenge or problem they are trying to resolve. The seeker is instructed to keep a general question in mind--personal, work, relationship or other situation.   Yes or no answers are not what you are going to get out of a Tarot reading.  The seeker shuffles the cards and then picks out four of them, representing the Past, Present, Future and Overview.  One woman at the retreat had questions regarding the repurcussions of moving to Europe.  Another woman had concerns about undertaking back surgery.  I had some questions about my current job situation.  Nobody left feeling that they had to follow the indications the cards suggested, but it sure was interesting food for thought.

I was pretty shocked at the cards that I selected.  Seriously, I thought at first glance that I should just shuffle them right back up into the deck and go eat a fudge brownie and forget about the Tarot reading.  To tell you the truth, things haven't been going so great at my new job, and I have been greatly troubled about what course of action to take.  My question was pretty much along the lines of "what the heck is going on here?"  These are the cards I drew.

 

The first card, the ten of Wands,  represents The Past.  Here is this poor schmuck, struggling to control all these poles and sticks that are refusing to stay organized and are falling every which way.  The poor guy can't even see where he is going for the burden he is trying to shoulder.  The second card, which represents the Present is the Death Card.  Good Golly Miss Molly, you don't want to get this dude in your reading.  It isn't as bad as it looks though.  Yes, there is the Grim Reaper, but there in the foreground is a baby, which represents rebirth.  One door closes, another one opens, don't you know?  Something ends, and something else begins.  I'm not going to die, but something is about to come to a close, that's for sure.  Then the third card I selected, representing the Future, if I don't watch out,  is the greedy four of Pentacles.  He is hanging on to everything he has with all his might.  He is materialistic and not accepting of change.  Make your own interpretaion of this card--I know I did. Collect that paycheck at a job you hate, at least the bills will get paid and your standard of living won't change.  He represents the future, if I don't mend my ways.  The final card is the Overview, "what can be" if I pay attention and think things through properly.  She is the nine of Pentacles, an elegant lady who represents all that is high minded and civilized.  It is a card of self reliance and a card that symbolizes showing restraint and sacrificing for the moment so that you may achieve your best efforts in the long run.  Take matters into your own hands is what she is saying.

Interesting answer, don't you think, to my question of "what is going on with this job situation I find myself in?"

Back From the Retreat

 

Hey there, I am back from the retreat and have lots to share, but work is getting in the way of me taking the necessary time this morning to tell you all about it.  I will say we had a fabulous time, and I promise to share all the details!

The picture above is a little teaser---Marla, one of the gals who attended, brought her embroidery machine, and kept churning out impressive little gems such as this embellished canvas tote bag.

We laughed and sewed and got to know each other better and better.  As always, I was inspired by the creativity of my companions and feel recharged with energy and good sewing intentions! 

Singer

 

Art by Carolyn Watson.  Print available at www.art.com

I have to apologize about something.  Usually, I am so careful to give credit when I use an image that isn't mine.  I really slipped up last week when I posted "Quilting, Then and Now".  I used an image I found when I Googled "quilting bee" or "women around a quilt frame" or "image of women quilting".  For the life of me I can't remember the site where I found the image, and naturally many of you have asked about it.  I have gone back to Google and tried all sorts of searches, but I can't find it again! So sorry about that!  Guess I was just in a big hurry to post and make my point and didn't give credit where it was due.  In the future I will do better.

The picture above is very cool, don't you think?  Both my grandmas (Shyne and Savage) had Singers like that, and they were set into beautiful wooden treadle tables.  In my childhood, I was always so regretful that my feet wouldn't reach the treadle of my Nonnie's machine.  I wanted to sew like she did so badly!  And no one would put blocks on the treadle like they did on the peddles of my trike.  I just didn't get it.   One year Nonnie made every grandchild ( I think there were five of us at the time) a pair of flannel pajamas.  That was a labor of love.  I recall she also tried to reupholster a couch down in the basement.  It was not one of her more successful projects, as I remember that it was up on cement blocks for months down in the damp recesses of the basement and was never completed.  I admire her courage in tackling the project however.

My Nonnie's and my Grandma Agnes's Singers are long gone, but my husband's family has taken more care to preserve his grandmothers' Singers.  From what I understand, Grandma Clark was a refined lady who could afford the best, but probably didn't need to make most of her own and her children's garments.  Her machine is beautifully preserved.

 

The case is a bit banged up, but the machine itself looks pristine.

Grandma Higgins machine tells a different story.  She only had one child, but used her machine for home decorating projects and for constructing garments for both herself and her daughter.  Her machine looks better used and is not such an expensive model, which goes along with her status as a single mother.

 

I found the coolest thing when I opened up her machine case.  Look at the little change purse in the foreground.  It is where she stored her little sewing accessories.

 

I bought myself a Singer Featherweight a few years back.  Here in California where I live, they are a real prestige item.  Anyone who totes around a fifty or sixty year old Featherweight has earned her stripes as a quilter, that is for sure.  Or at least that is what the image hints at!  All my friends have them, and I have to admit, the machines never fail to stitch just right, are very low tech, inexpensive to repair, and are easy to lug around.   They really are light weight too!  The two machines I photographed above both weighed so much I thought my arm would pull out of it socket when I dragged them into the back hall to take their pictures!

This weekend I will have an opportunity to use my little Singer Featherweight, because I am going on a Quilting Retreat!  While I am there, I will be sure and take a photo or two of my trusty friend and share with you when I get back!