Sister's Choice Quilts

Final Day, Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts Blog Tour-- And Giveaway!

Let me introduce you to "Memory", the quilt I made from Monique Dillard's new book "Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts:  Eleven New Projects from Open Gate Quilts", published by C&T Publishing.

My quilt is not complete--I have ordered border fabric ( for a narrow blue containment border and a wider red print for the outside border), but it hasn't arrived yet.  I think you can get the idea of what this will look like finished from the 48 blocks I have completed and sewn together for the center of the quilt.

This is a picture of the quilt in the book:

Monique's patterns are so accurate and easy to follow.  She gives instructions for making multiple sizes for most of the projects in her book, and when her own fabulous rulers are recommended (for additional accuracy), she shows very clearly how to use them.  She also has a lovely blog where she shares her work and life with her adorable dogs Maple and Tilllie.

It's so funny, many of us who are quilters also have pets in our homes.  Why is it that when we finish a new project, our dogs or cats are so keen to investigate the completed work so thoroughly?

Here is Ozzie, checking for any mis-turned block units.  Can't have that, don't you know?  I am so glad I have him watching out for me.

To celebrate the launch of Monique's new book, Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts, I am doing a giveaway today of both the book and one of her wonderful rulers!  Please leave a comment below for a chance to win one of these two great prizes.  The winner will be announced on Monday.

But wait!  After you leave your comment here, you must go to one more blog to see another one of the projects from the book.  Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company has also made a project from the book, and it is sure to be amazing as everything she does is!  You will also have one more chance at winning one of these terrific books if you comment on her post today.

Thanks so much for following along with those of us who participated in the blog tour this week.  And very special thanks to Monique for honoring me with the invitation to be part of her book launch.

 

 

Looks Like Easter is Coming

I'm really late this year (or is Easter early?), but I finally got out my Easter decorations.  The little vignette above is on my entry hall table.  The decorated wooden eggs I have had for ages and have no idea now where they came from.  They had a little decorated wagon that they sat in, but I tossed it when we moved, thinking it was too cutesy. 

The birdhouse is one that my son made (or bought-I'm not sure--maybe he can leave a comment and tell us about it).  He left it behind when he moved to Ireland, and I spied it out in the garage and snagged it.  No birds have ever used it so far.  See the clever roof?

It is an old Michigan license plate in the decade of my son's birth.  I know he will want this back sometime, but for now, the yellow looked great with my yellow and aqua eggs and my yellow china bunny, so I'm gonna use it!

Nothing like multi-purposing a quilt and using it as a table cover!  This is my favorite spring time quilt.  And my first attempt at hand applique.

This little fellow will guard the rest of the wooden egg collection.

I put some other Eastery/Springy things on my kitchen shelf, which looks kind of sparse after the Christmas and January efforts.  For now, sparse is ok.

I wanted to share a couple of other things with you that you may be interested in.  Today, Candace at Squash House Quilts is having a stash sale you might want to take a look at.  When I last checked she had some lovely fabrics and some very nice kits. 

Also, today is the fourth day of the Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts blog hop.  Today Sherri at A Quilting Life is posting on her project from the book.  She does beautiful work, so this project of hers is bound to be stunning.

Be sure to check back with me tomorrow for my project from the book!  I will be doing a give away as well, so don't miss out!

Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts-Day Three

Welcome to Day Three of the blog hop to launch Monique Dillard's new book "Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts".  Today you have TWO sites to visit to see amazing quilts made from patterns in this book, as well as two chances to win the book!  So, without delay, you must go visit Denise at Quilter's Window, and Monique herself at Open Gate Quilts.

I promised to show you a tricky bit in my block construction and give a little tip to make things come out right nearly every time.

See those intersections where the red half square triangles meet?  It is REAL easy to have those be askew.  Much easier to have them be wonky than nicely lined up.  And that kind of wonkiness makes me seriously crazy.

So, what's the trick to making them line up perfectly?  Besides paying attention to where you are stitching I mean?

U-shaped pins.  If you haven't tried these, you must give them a chance. 

Here's how they work.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Snuggle up your seam intersections so they abut nice and tight.  If you have sewn your HSTs with a proper scant quarter inch seam and pressed your seam allowances in opposite directions, this should happen without a struggle.  Stick your U-pin in place so that the tines hold down each seam allowance.  When you stitch the seam, go slowly (so you don't break your needle stitching over the pin) and try to get the needle to come down right in that "sweet spot" where the stitching lines form an X where they meet.

You will be amazed at how perfectly aligned your finished results will be.  Now, you can certainly achieve this with careful stitching and regular straight pins, but I find the U-pins to be far more consistent.  Besides, those pesky seam allowances are held down nice and secure, so there isn't any of that nasty folding up and mis-stitching underneath.  Don't you just hate that?  When you turn your piece over and the back side shows you a big mess of folded over seam allowances and you have to un-sew and do it again?  Those days are over with U-pins.

 

Another Great Book by Monique Dillard

I am so excited to be participating in a Blog Hop this week to celebrate the launch of a new book by Monique Dillard, the talented quilter, author, and creator of the Fit To Be rulers!  Her previous book "Fat Quarter Winners" was a big success last year, and this new release by C & T Publishing promises to be just as fabulous.

You are invited to follow along this week and see the inspiring projects created from patterns in this book by some of your favorite bloggers!  Here is the schedule:

Monday - Thelma  (Cupcakes n' Daisies)  
Tuesday - Lisa  (Stashmaster)  
Wednesday - Denise   (Quilters Window) and Monique (Open Gate Quilts)  
Thursday - Sherri (A Quilting Life) 
Friday - Carrie  (La Vie En Rosie) and Nicole (Sister's Choice)

Be sure to stop by and comment on everyone's blogs on their scheduled day.  Besides seeing what we all have made from Monique's book, we are giving away prizes!

So, don't wait another minute!  Go see what Thelma made from the book!  Be sure to comment for a chance to win some great prizes.

 

 

 

 

 

Out and About

Just a quick note to tell you I will be out and about for the next couple of days.  My sisters and other dear female relations are going to San Francisco for some shopping and dining adventures.  Hope to take some photos to share when I return!

T is for Terrific

I finished my little Schnibbles project for this month.   It still remains to be quilted, and I hope to accomplish that in the next week or so. 

This was a super easy and fun project to do.  Around 10:00 AM I started cutting out the pieces, and by 4:30 was gazing fondly at the top you see above.  The fabrics I started out using were two charm packs of Half Moon Modern in black and white prints.  My favorite print, not surprisingly, is the one with the little scissors.  I tossed in a few other prints, including a few bright yellows, just to be mischievous.  I did make my version a bit smaller than the pattern, so that it fits my round kitchen table a bit better.

I have a set of black and yellow dishes with which I thought this little table topper would be super cute.  I will try to do a fun tablescape once I get it quilted.

If you haven't started your Bibelot (aka Thelma) Schnibbles for this month, it is by no means too late!

Bonus Sewing Time

Due to a change in my babysitting schedule for Baby E, I ended up with two bonus sewing days this week!  I'm spending it working on a project that I can't share with you until the last week of March, because it is a secret 'til then.  Don't mean to be a tease...Oh yes I do!

This quilt I am working on has 384 half square triangles, all of which require trimming.  I like making my half square triangles a bit big and then trimming them down to size to get perfect accuracy.  (Is that redundant?  I think so).  I am down to making my last dozen quilt blocks (out of a total of 48), and am feeling pretty happy to see the end of these half square triangles in sight!

We've had a lousy week here this week with lots of rain and grey skies.  We need the rain, so that's ok, but my goodness, is Ozzie ever getting on my last nerve.  Due to the inclement weather, he has not been getting the walks he needs every day.  To punish me, he thinks up pranks to get my attention like you would not believe.

This is my asthma inhaler, which has been by side constantly of late.  Except for that time I left it on my desk while I went into another room to do something.  See those little tooth punctures?  Yup, Ozzie thought he would like to try out my meds.  (No, he was not successful).

Yes, he is thinking of jumping up on the counter.  He knows I am standing right behind him, so he is restraining himself.  I have a feeling that when I leave the house, he is into everything he can think of to get into.  He does have something of a conscience, and only does his naughty tricks when he thinks I won't catch him.

One night this week, around 3:30 AM, I heard a rythmic noise coming from the family room.  Was it knocking?  tapping?  Nope, it was Ozzie.  Digging.  He had gotten up onto the counter and filched a ripe tomato.  He was on the white couch, holding the tomato carefully in his mouth, attempting to bury it in the cushions of the couch.  My white couch.  A ripe tomato.  At 3:30 AM.

I got the tomato away from him, and there was no damage to the couch, so I have decided to let him live.

Ozzie, hoping the rain will end soon.

 

Great Scrap Project

Have you heard of Anne Sutton's (Bunny Hill blog) Scrappy Plate Club?  Oh my gosh, you should check it out.  Anne is sponsoring a free tutorial on how to make a Dresden Plate Quilt, from beginning to end.  Her instructions are so clear and understandable, a beginning level quilter could master the project.  And the Flickr group she started where folks can share photos of their little Dresden Plates is such fun and inspiration to look at.

Well, you have all heard me moan and whine recently that I have way too much stuff in the stash.  I thought this might be just the thing to reduce said stash and end up with a beautiful "free quilt".  Turns out that this project has not put a noticable dent in the likes of my stash, but don't you let that stop you.  It is well worth your time and scraps.  My Fig Tree stash was beginning to look rather alarming, so I chose that to work with. 

I printed out Part One of the instructions and got started.  Anne recommends a ruller called "Easy Dresden" designed by Darlene Zimmerman.  I think you can cut out the units using a regular ruler as well, but I thought I'd go with the proper tool for the job.  I got my Fig Tree fabrics cut out in no time flat using this handy little device.  You can get the idea how it is used from the photo above.  You cut a strip the length of the unit you want (mine is 4 inches) and flip flop the ruler along the strip to cut your units.

Here are my 250+ pieces for a total of 20 blocks.

Lay out the units until you get a color pattern that pleases you.  Follow Anne's instructions on stitching the small units and connecting them all together.

In Part 2 and 3 of the Dresden Plate instructions, we will be appliquing a circle to the center of the plate and appliquing the entire plate unit to a background square.  Finally, we will connect the blocks and do a final layout for the quilt top. 

Even though this scrappy project didn't make much of a dent in my stash, I am very pleased that it did not cost me anything.  I had all the scraps, background and backing on hand.  What a pretty project for spring and summer.

 

What's In My Sewing Basket?

Sara and I bought these fun little faux wicker baskets at Target over the weekend.  They were only $5.99 and we thought they would be pretty cute along side our sewing machines, full of needful things. 

They did not come with the snazzy little cloth liners--I made those from a fat quarter when I got home.  I just measured the bottom and sides of the basket and cut out the fat quarter accordingly.  The bottom measured 7 1/4" x 9 1/4".  The sides were two strips 7 1/4" long by 5 1/4" tall, and two strips 9 1/4" long by 5 1/4" tall.  I sewed the sides together to make a rectangle and pressed and stitched the top hem down about 1/4".  Then I attached the sides to the bottom, fitted it into the basket and folded the top over the edges of the basket.  Easy peasy.

We plan to fill these with the items we tend to grab most often and keep them ready, right by the sides of our sewing machines.  Here is what mine looks like all filled up.

What the heck is all that stuff?

A divided pencil cup (also from Target) which holds my extra glasses, sharp little scissors, Pigma marking pen, ruler, seam gauge, and a funny little daisy pin cushion that just looks cute in there.  I could put my seam ripper in there as well, but the ones I like to use are so short they disappear.  I need to dig out my wooden finger presser and stiletto and put them in there as well.

The little wooly pin cushion I use to hold my U pins.

A little bag of hard candies.  These have been unexpectedly popular, and I think they will figure heavily into my future.  My sister gave them to me in a Grandmother's Survival Kit she made up for me.  Turns out the things that Grandma needs to survive are also essential for the well stocked sewing basket.  Here are some other goodies she put in the Kit that are must haves in my basket:

Hand cream, lip balm, bandaids and a pretty hankie.

Not as exciting as the Grandma's Survival items:  Special feet for my Bernina that I reach for often (open toe applique & zipper foot), those little seam rippers I like, extra bobbins (filled and unfilled) in old prescription bottles, extra needles, and the "key guide" for my Angler 2.

Last but not least, small scraps for "leader/enders" for beginning stitching and keeping my thread from making a tangled knot on the back of my unit.

So, what did I leave out?  What's in your next-to-the-machine sewing kit?

 

Welcome to the Studio

It has been a long time coming, but my quilting studio is up and running.  I am so grateful to my husband, son in law, and Handyman Bill for making this dream come true.  For so many years, I did my sewing on the dining room table, in the guest room, and in my last house, in a very nice dedicated "sewing room".  I realize how fortunate I am to have this lovely large space to pursue my passion, and won't forget to be appreciative, ever.

Things are not 100% finished.  We still need air conditioning, some trim, window coverings, and a few other minor details.  This post is very photo heavy, but I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things we did.

We went from a former woodshop, and a very nice one at that (photos from one year ago):

Inside the door to the left, and back wall.  Notice the funky cupboards, bare light bulbs and concrete floor.

Back wall and right wall.  Even though the hobby wasn't mine, when I first saw this space,  I could feel the creative vibe humming!

Right wall and entrance.  More funky cupboards.

To this:

Inside the door to the left.  Design wall is up, but needs some trim.  Dresser for all my various sewing supplies.  IPod dock for music or audio books while I sew.

Left wall and part of back wall.  Sewing station for two!  Sara's chair still needs to be ordered.  She's been using a kitchen chair in the meantime.  In a photo below, I will show close ups of my new sewing table, a former dining room table. Ironing table will be set up under the window.

Back wall with storage cabinetry.  Marvelous cabinetry courtesy of Lowes.  You can see a glimpse of the hardwood flooring my husband installed.  I love my quilts on top, and hanging in the center.  Believe me, those cabinets are pretty full of stash and supplies already!

Right wall with cutting table.

Right wall with reading corner and rocking chair.  Sharp objects have been removed from overhead.

Here are some details.

I did get my Sister's Choice barn art hung, and a larger one is on order for the outside of the building.

Here is a close up of the cut out Bill made in the dining table to fit my Bernina.  He used my acrylic insert from my old sewing table as his pattern.  He dropped a little platform for the machine to sit on, at the correct height.  When the template is put over the cut out, the sewing surface is smooth and uniform.  I had him leave me 12 inches of space to the right, which is about 8 more than I had on my previous sewing table.  He did the same procedure in the opposing corner, so I have space for Sara (or a friend) to come sew with me.  We still need to sand the edges and apply a bit of stain so it looks more finished.  (And yes, my friend Thelma did make the cupcake personalized mug rug for me!)

This fun little holder came from Hobby Lobby.  I have a friend who uses hers to hold her rulers, but I am using mine to hold some patterns I hope to use in the near future.  It also works fine to hold a magazine or book while you are reading the cutting instructions as you work.

Cabinets are 90% organized.  I used plastic tubs from Target and organized my fabrics by designer, but also have things arranged by color or type (such as "Black and White" or "Civil War").  Larger cuts of fabric are folded and stacked on shallow shelves.  UFOs are in smaller project boxes (and yes, I do have a shocking number of them).  That super messy looking bin is full of tote bags that are going to go in a covered container out in the garage. 

If you are designing a sewing space, don't forget to leave room for some treasured momentos and toys.

Goofy photos.

And a sunny spot for the dog.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!