Sister's Choice Quilts

Summer Reading

No, I don't have a porch swing, but if I did, it might look a bit like this one.  And wouldn't I spend a lot of time sitting in it and reading?  What I do have is a couch, and I curled up on it for a good bit of time yesterday, with a good book.  I truly felt lucky to be able to afford the luxury of spending my day in that way!

I do have some good light reading recommendations for you, if you are interested. 

The first is called Comfort Food, which is by Kate Jacobs, who also wrote The Friday Night Knitting Club, a book I bet lots of you enjoyed.  The plot of this book concerns a 50 year old cooking show star, whose ratings have begun to fall.  Her producer gets the bright idea of partnering her up with a firey former Spanish beauty queen who has been to culinary school.  The resulting fireworks between the two women are hilarious, and the book had me laughing out loud a number of times.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler, is a book with a Freaky Friday type plot.  Courtney Stone, a 21st century Jane Austen fanatic who has recently broken up with her fiance, wakes up one morning in a manor house in Regency England.  She finds herself with a new body, new voice, and the abilities to embroider and dance.  Once she accepts the fact that she has taken over the life of a Jane Austen type character, she has all sorts of crazy adventures, quite different from anything she has experienced in LA. 

I can't review this book, because I haven't read it yet, but it did come recommended by the book store owner up in Murphy's where I purchased it this past weekend.  This shop owner is hosting a book club where all the selections this summer are books that are spin offs of various works by Jane Austen.  How fun is that?   Rude Awakenings is by the same author as the book above, only with the twist of having it be about the Recency era Jane Mansfield, waking up in Courtney Stone's body in 21st century LA.

 

Lastly, True Colors, by Kristin Hannah.  I am half way finished with this book, and have to say that it has all the satisfying Drama one expects from a Kristin Hannah novel.  Predictably, the book is all about family relationships, jealousy, and thwarted romance.  It does have a few twists and also some legal aspects to the plot.  A family saga packed with Emotion (with a capital E).  Hard to put down.  In reading the reviews of this book on Amazon and Borders, it seems to be a real favorite with Hannah fans.

If you are looking for some intellectual reading recommendations, these suggestions may not be your cup of tea.  But if you want something light, quick, and satisfying, you might like them!

New Project--Saltbox Harvest

Since I finished a project this week (Neptune), I figured that starting something new would give my spirits a boost.  I got to thinking about picking fabrics and colors that were a bit out of my norm.  After rummaging a bit in the stash closet, I surfaced with two layer cakes of Saltbox Harvest by Deb Strain for Moda.  The colors in this collection are brown, black, red, rust, gold and green.  Not too far away from my favorite colors, but the prints are a bit more whimsical than I usually go for.

What to use for a pattern?  Why, a Schnibbles pattern I have had on my radar for quite some time seemed just right.  Roundabout by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. 

 

To make the blocks, you need to make loads of the units shown above.  You assemble them around a center 2 1/4 inch square, using a partial seam.  Are you afraid of partial seams?  Don't be.  They are not difficult at all.

Aren't these blocks adorable?  They finish at six inches.  I plan to make the quilt larger than the usual table topper Schnibbles size.  I was thinking I might make 100 blocks and arrange them 10 by 10, and add on a final border in that cute tree print--maybe the one with the black background?  This fabric is perfect for the end of summer/early fall I think.  And a lap sized quilt would look so nice on the back of one of my brown leather chairs in the family room.

It's interesting, but I can often see things better in a photograph than with my naked eyes.  That light background polka dot?  I think it is too light and doesn't look so good with the other higher contrast blocks.  The light background prints don't bother me as much, but I think I might have to not use anymore of that lightest polka dot.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  Eat healthy and take a walk, if you can!

Neptune Rules Above and Below

Yesterday I was talking about making quilts with fabric colors that are "outside my comfort zone".  I guess these coral, lime, aqua and navy shades would fit that description.  The fabrics are from a collection called Neptune by Tula Pink when she was designing for Moda (she now designs for Free Spirit). The pattern is called Sweet Escape by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.  I would absolutely make this pattern again. 

Actually, I like the colors.  I find them fresh and cheerful and fun.  However, they do not coordinate in any way with the colors I decorate with---red, brown, green, gold.  That being said, I have to admit, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with these colors. 

Are you in a color rut?  If you would like the experience of making a quick quilt using colors that are different from what you normally choose, I have a suggestion.  Try making one of the Schnibbles small quilts from Carrie Nelson's Schnibbles patterns (Miss Rosie's Quilt Company).  Most of them use two or three charm packs and are a fun way to experiment with new fabric collections for a reasonable price.  If you like making bigger quilts, get hold of Carrie's book Schnibbles Times Two for some great quilts that can be made with two layer cakes.

Could this possibly be any different than the Beach Cottage quilt top I shared yesterday?  So happy to have it finished at last, and all ready to give as a gift to someone someday.

 

Now for Some Sewing

I haven't been doing a lot of sewing in the past month, but hope to get my Mo-Jo back and finish up a few things.  I have brought out my Beach Cottage project, and finally completed all the blocks.  The step I am at now, is sewing all the blocks into units of four blocks. 

I just tossed some of them on the floor so you can get an idea of the overall effect.  If I were ready to sew the large block units together, obviously I would endeavor not to have to blocks of the same color next to each other.

While I was at my LQS sewing group recently, I picked up a green to use for a containment border.  It "reads" as a darker green than the others, but on closer inspection, it is actually the exact shade of darker green used sparingly in the large yellow and blue floral prints.  I think it will work great for my purpose.

 

I was not able to find the large blue floral print at my LQS, so I ordered a couple of yards of it online to use as the outer border of the quilt.

Have you all been checking out the Year of Schnibbles projects on Pink Pincushion and A Quilting Life?  Some really good stuff there.  Sinta and Sherri, who are hosting the Year of Schnibbles typically choose one Schnibbles pattern for each month, but this month, there are two patterns to choose from!   And Darlene, over at Quilting Daze, is working her way through the Schnibbles Times Two book.  Seriously, she has made all the quilts in that book.  She says she forced herself to use fabric collections that were outside her comfort zone, but the results have been wonderful.  Just think, if you did several projects from that book, even if you used fabrics that weren't your typical choices, you would have some outstanding gifts on hand when the occasion presented itself.

Heaven knows, I have just about all the quilts I can use myself--taking on some of the Schnibbles projects sounds like fun.  What I can't use, someone else might love.  And I could experiment with some fabric collections that have come into my hands that I might not have chosen for myself.

Pitiful Pearl

 

I think it was my sister Mary, or was it Kate? who had a beloved doll named Poor Pitiful Pearl.  Pearl was a pathetic looking doll if there ever was one.  She wasn't elegant like my Madame Alexander dolls, nor was she chic like my younger sisters' Barbies.  Her dress was patched, and she had a raggedy cardigan.  Even her underpants were kind of shot.  Shabby and sad, that was Pearl.  Pearl had a brave little smile, like she was trying to forget that her eyes were full of tears.  Nevertheless, she resonated with my sister, who somehow recognized a kindred spirit therein.  I always wanted to give Pearl a Make Over, but wasn't allowed any where near her, probably because my sister realized that I would have tampered with and forever altered the Essence that made Poor Pitiful Pearl so cherished.  I kept envisioning Pearl without the babushka, and with a bob, maybe.  Oh, oh, or how about a perm???   And a Vidal Sassoon style vest and white boots to go with that unfortunate polka dot dress.  I think there were versions of Pearl that came with a pretty party dress, so you could rescue her and make her pretty, and for God's sake, happy.  That's the version I would have liked.  I was all about the Glam Factor, the Belle of the Ball syndrome, the It Girl.  No artifice was too extreme for me, when beauty was concerned (and that may still be true).  I wanted to get my hands on that doll and make some Improvements.

But that would have been so wrong.  A kindred spirit is someone with whom we share origins (like a family or clan), or more likely, someone who has a similar nature or character to ourselves.  The doll was advertised with the message  "Make her pretty, make her wish come true!"  For whatever reason, my sister liked Pearl just as she was.  Different.  Different from the dollies that the rest of us played with.  She was not a doll who had it all, like Barbie in her Dream House. Pearl was a dolly with a Story, a History.  A Past.  To my sister, Pearl didn't need any sort of improving.  She was perfect just as she was.  Or maybe my sister loved her because she was more pitiful than she felt herself to be?  We all have insecurities as children, was that Pearl's appeal?  Or did she appeal to children who had a greater sense of empathy than the rest of us?  Someone who could be rescued and brought up out of despair?

Did any of you have a Poor Pitiful Pearl doll?  Why did you love her?  I  don't know if my sister reads my blog, but if so, I would love to hear from her why she loved this doll so much.  I have always wondered.

This was not at all the post I intended to write today.  I had a picture of Sophie, milking her wounded foot for all it is worth, and I was going to post the picture with the caption Poor Pitiful Pearl.  Funny, how some things just get you thinking.

Let The Weight Loss Begin

getty images

I got such a fabulous response from successful "Losers" on my Friday post on needing a diet!  The overwhelming consensus is that you can't do much better than Weight Watchers for a weight loss program.  I got so many tips on healthy living, eating right, and losing weight from my blog readers!  If you haven't read the comments, and have an interest in dropping a little (or a lot) of weight, be sure to see what so many lovely people had to say on the subject.

I've decided to join an online Weight Watchers group, sponsored by Stephanie at A Ditchin' Time Quilts.  I think I will like the online support as much or better than going to a weekly meeting.  There are weekly weigh in posts, and Stephanie profiles the people who are participating, so we all will get to know one another.  I am going to get her blog link on my sidebar, but haven't figured out how to do it yet!

I have to go plan some grocery shopping and menu ideas now, but check in with me tomorrow.  I may just have something quilty to share!