Sister's Choice Quilts

July Schnibble

July Schnibble.  Check.

I made a small version of Dimestore for my Schnibble of the month.  I used the same fabric collection Carrie used in her pattern version:  Urban Cowgirl by Urban Chiks for Moda.  Love this fabric group, and I started out intending to make a full size quilt.  After a few cutting errors and a realistic assessment of the time I had available to finish by the deadline, I ended up making a mini version.

"Stop rushing Nicole.  Just relax and enjoy the process".  That is my good angel on my shoulder giving me words of advice.

Dimestore is summery, it goes with my dishes, fits my kitchen table, and I think it suits me just fine.  Thanks again to Sherri and Sinta for hosting this wonderful project.  Whatever will we do when the year is up?  Oh no.  Can't we keep going?  It's too much fun to stop!!!

Confession.  Carrie suggests cutting some strips for the lattice 1 1/2 inches wide, and sewing two narrower pieces together to form a 2 1/2 inch piece.  She liked the scrappiness that provided, and even thought it would be fun to angle the stitching lines to make the lattice look a bit wonky and "string pieced".  Oh dear.  That made me so uncomfortable.  All those wonky little pieces just drove me crazy.  It was supposed to be charming, but my effort looked so amateurish.  I left them in, but oh how I wish I had sewn straight. 

However, the woman is brilliant (love you Carrie), and this idea of cutting up the strips to be smaller stuck in my mind and I have adapted it with huge success (I t hink) to another project.  More on that tomorrow.

 

 

Spools Sew Along Update for the Week

Here are my Spools strip sets all ready to go.  I love getting them up on my design wall, because one or two always stand out as not playing well with the others.  I see you, and no, you can't be in my quilt.

The next step for me is to get the white background strips attached to the sides of each "thread" unit.  I am doing this all assembly line style, and find the process goes quite quickly.  Do any of you have progress updates you would like to send me?  I'd love to share your pictures on my blog!  Thelma had an email and photo from Annette at Sunshine Yellow of Annette's finished Spools quilt.  Check it out.

This week has provided very little opportunity for sewing.  The family has been very immersed in birthday related activities for the baby, and the baby's mom has had to work extra hours to prepare for a big event at work, so that means Nana needs to put in more time babysitting.  Add in the hours I care for Grandpa (who is doing great by the way) and keep up my own house, there just has not been a spare minute.  My book club is meeting at my house Friday morning, and you all know there is nothing like having a bunch of women over to your house to make you look at things with a very critical eye.  How did those blinds ever get so dusty?  What is with the streaky mirrors?  Ozzie!  Did you do that?

I do have a little project I managed to put a couple of hours in on while Baby E napped this week.  Turns out Sinta at Pink Pincushion is working on the exact same thing.  I can tell.  But it's a secret for a few more days.  Betcha can't guess...

New Acquisition

One of my readers recently reminded me that eBay is a great source for layer cakes, jelly rolls and charm packs that have not been released to the general public.  I got right on it, and found six collections I have been coveting.  Technically, only two of them are scarce as hens' teeth, and I am pleased as I can be to have gotten a jump on acquiring them.  The two scarce ones are what I got through eBay.

The charm packs I think you can get pretty easily if you go to a source such as Quiltshops.com, and google the name of the collection, such as "Together" by Brannock and Patek.  You will get a list of all the online shops that have the item in stock.   Green Fairy is also often a great source for precuts at a discounted price.   I ordered my charm packs from two different sources (both through Quiltshops.com).  They are Together by Brannock and Patek, Little Black Dress by Basic Grey, Late Bloomers by Sandy Gervais, and Etchings by 3 Sisters.  All of these charm packs are designated in my mind to become Schnibbles.  Love the fabric lines, but don't necessarily need an entire bed sized quilt out of them.  Don't you love the options these pre-cuts have given us?  We can have it all, and not commit to spending a fortune.  It also takes a heck of a lot less time to make a small Schnibble, than it does a full size quilt.  Plus, you can practice machine quilting it yourself!

One of the two items I was able to purchase on eBay is the Cinnamon Spice layer cake you see in the picture.  That is an upcoming group by Blackbird Designs, who reliably are one of my favorite designers.  That layer cake must have arrived within a couple of days of me ordering it, as did the charm packs.  The other layer cake I ordered through eBay seems to be missing in action.  That would be the new collection by French General, called Chateau Rouge.  Oh my goodness, is it ever gorgeous.  I think I will end up getting an entire bundle of that when it is available!  I am really anxious to see this in person, so I hope I get it this week.

Such a busy week this week.  All I want to do is sew, and I seem to be foiled on every side.  I have such irons in the fire, I tell you!

Spools Sew Along and a Little Sappiness

So, are you going to play along with us?  Thelma, Lisa and I are going to make this wonderful Spools quilt from Camille Roskelley's new pattern "Spools".  Don't you think every one of us needs to have a version of this quilt hanging in our sewing rooms?  It will be like a Flag of Sisterhood.  We Quilt and We Are Awesome.

In honor of Camille's spectacular pattern, which is going to take the quilting world by storm (if you don't have yours yet, you better order it!), Lisa and Thelma and I are all using Camille's upcoming fabric collection "Marmalade" which she designed with her fabulous mother Bonnie (of Cotton Way).  I won't tell you how we three girls scored the Marmalade fabric before its release, but let's just say, it is sometimes helpful to know people who are "connected".  Even though we three are sewing with Marmalade, as Camille did, you all KNOW that whatever fabric you choose to make your versions is going to be dynamite!  I cannot wait to see what you do!

I would like to share just a bit about the two wonderful women with whom I am doing this sew along.  I started blogging in 2007, after "lurking" for some time and making the occasional comment on a number of quilting blogs.  Lisa of Stashmaster and I shared a common aesthetic and love of similar fabrics and quilting styles.  She was so kind to me whenever I commented on one of her posts and a chatty dialog soon ensued.  In no time, she became my blogging BFF, and with her encouragement, I started my own blog.  We actually met in person in 2008 when we agreed to sign up to take a couple of classes from our favorite designer, Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.  We had a fantastic time, became acquainted with our rock star quilting guru, and the rest is history.  In 2009, a lovely woman named Thelma began to comment on my blog, and had a lot of questions about maybe starting her own quilting blog.  She and I developed a dialog as well, and Thelma's blog Cupcakes 'n' Daisies has become an amazing hit in the quilting blog world.  In 2010, Thelma and Lisa and I were able to get together to take more classes from our favorite designer, Carrie Nelson, and have remained fast friends ever since.  I tell you with all sincerity, my life has been immeasurably enriched by my friendship with Lisa and Thelma.

So, this sew along not only honors Camille Roskelley for her outstanding pattern and fabric, but celebrates the friendship three quilters have forged through blogging!

So, all you Girlfriends out there in blog land, how about sewing along with us and making this easy, fun, Spools quilt?  No rules, no deadlines, let's just sew together and have fun.

As you can see from the pattern picture, each Spools block is made up of three strips of fabric from the same color family.  I have decided to break my construction into parts, and the assembly of these strip units is my first step.  I am going to post weekly, on Fridays most likely, on my progress.  This is going to be a fast easy quilt and I am hoping to get mine done by the end of this summer.  Lisa and Thelma have already posted on their progress, and I am inspired to get going and catch up with them!

We really hope you will join us and send up pictures of your progress.  You can pick Lisa, Thelma or me to send your progress pics to and we will post them on our blogs.  Thelma's got a Pinterest board for posting pictures of your finished quilts.  There will even be prizes as we sew along.  Come on, join us on this fun journey to celebrate our common friendships based on quilting!  Let's SEW girls!

 

 

 

Besame Mucho

Besame mucho means Kiss Me A Lot.  And lots of kissing is what I feel like doing now that this adorable quilt is finished!

Pattern is Kiss Me by Fig Tree Quilts, fabric is Strawberry Fields, also by Fig Tree for Moda.  Joanna Figueroa is the designer.  Aside from some tricky cutting (made easier if you use the proper ruler), and needing to  change up the method for making the flying geese units, this was a wonderful pattern.  Everything went together like a dream.

Love these summery fabrics, and cheerful colors.  The only thing I would change is the use of the polka dot fabric in the inner border.  I think I'd like the overall look better if I had just used the cream background I used in the blocks.  I do enjoy a fancy border on my quilts, and the flying geese add just the right touch.  To make the geese units, I used Monique Dillard's Fit To Be Geese ruler, which calls for making the units a scosh larger and trimming them down to the perfect size.  Let me tell you, that flying geese border fit *perfectly* with no need for any fiddling or faddling.  Thank you Monique for a brilliant tool.

Has anyone else made this quilt?  If so, send me a photo and I would love to share a picture of it on my blog.

Also, be sure to come by tomorrow, as I will be talking about our Spools Sew Along.

Memory, A Finish

I am so excited to show you a proper finish!  This is a pattern called "Memory" by Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts.  Back in March I participated in a book launch for her latest book Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts:  11 Traditional Quilt Projects from Open Gate Quilts.  We were all asked to choose a pattern from the book and make it, or our own variation of it, for the book launch.  I had a fabulous collection of fat quarters from the Cocheco Mills II group in my stash, that I thought would lend themselves perfectly to this pattern.

Here it is, finally finished, and draped over my blue garden bench outside the studio.

With one thing and another going on, I never got around to attaching the borders on this pretty quilt.  Until this past Sunday, when I put in a marathon day of sewing.

Now, this tradtional style red, white, and blue quilt is ready for quilting!

Gosh I love it when I get something done.

Terrific, Awesome Tool for Machine Quilting

Through the suggestion of one of my extremely brilliant readers (Grandma Goose/no blog), I have discovered a new tool that has completely changed machine quilting for me.

My sewing machine is a Bernina, and I have loved it for probably 15 years now.  It is a great machine, and when I buy another one, it will be another Bernina.  It came with a walking foot attachment that has two sole plates.  One is a closed toe foot and the other one is an open toe foot.  The open toe foot is at the top of the picture, the standard closed toe foot is in the middle.  On the bottom is the new tool I am so crazy for.

It is a "stitch in the ditch" foot!

Here it is, attached to my walking foot.  See the screw on the side of the walking foot?  You just loosen the screw and then you can interchange any of the sole plates to the walking foot.   I know.  Who knew?

What you get when you order the stitch in the ditch attachment is just the sole plate with the blade.  It costs around $31 and is worth every cent.  Your Bernina dealer probably has them in stock, and if not, can order one for you.  Attaching it to the walking foot is super easy, and after you are finished quilting, you can replace it with the standard or open toe plate to use your walking foot for other purposes.

Here is a view from the opposite side of the walking foot.  See the blade on the lower right below?

That blade fits right into the "ditch" in your seam intersections and sews a perfect, unwobbling line of stitching exactly where you want it.

I am using my seam ripper to point out where the blade will fit as it glides along the ditch.

Here I am, happily stitching along.

And here you see my perfect stitches right smack in the ditch where they belong.  Look Ma, no wobbles.  This little gizmo has revolutionized machine quilting for me! 

Here is a YouTube video that you must watch to see how it is used.  Great instructions and visuals.

Now, I realize lots of you may not have a Bernina sewing machine, and are scratching your heads, saying, "But I want one too".  Janome, Brother and Viking all make a version of this foot!  Check it out, maybe there is one available for your sewing machine.

 

 

BOM Rehab Monday

I finished Block 4 of the 2011 Designer Mystery BOM.  Thanks so much to Sinta for hosting this BOM Rehab Monday!  I am getting so many things done thanks to this program.

In fact, this should be a week full of good posts from me, as I had an extremely productive weekend.  It is amazing what one can accomplish with 8 uninterupted hours of sewing.  I started at 8:00 AM Sunday morning, and finished up at 5:00 PM.  I did take one break and ran to the store, came home and made Avocado Cucumber soup for dinner, which we will have with a grilled pork tenderloin.  The bakery in Murphys makes this soup, and I tried to duplicate it.  It is served cold, and has a yogurt base.  Avocado, cucumber, shallot, yogurt, vegetable broth and seasonings.  It is so refreshing, I swear I could live on it in this hot weather.  After Gazpacho and Vichyssoise, this is my favorite chilled soup.  Do any of you have a cold soup you love?

In addition to the block shown above, on Sunday I finished two quilts and tried out a new tool.  I can't wait to share the tool with you tomorrow, as it is the best thing I have discovered in ages.  One of my readers suggested it and I am so grateful!  Come back tomorrow and I will share.

Hope you all had a splendid weekend.  I was happy as can be since the temperatures have cooled down.  98 instead of 104!  Woo hoo.

 

 

Squeezin' In A Little Sewing

You probably can't tell, but these are fall themed zippy eyeglass cases.  I am trying to get a jump on my next "color story" for my little bags that my son in law sells in his wine tasting room.  Love these fun fabrics by Sandy Gervais.  It was a fall collection she came out with last year I believe.  You can always rely on her coming out with something seasonal and fabulous.  I had a jelly roll on hand that works perfectly for these eyeglass cases.  The strips are cut 2 1/2 inches and 1 1/4 inches to make the panel that forms the case.

Who would buy a fall themed eyeglasses case?  lol  I have no idea!  But the colors are fun.

My patriotic themed mug rugs were a total failure.  Not one set sold!  I was dumbfounded, seriously.  I thought those would blow out of his shop immediately, but they are still sitting there and the 4th of July is long gone.   My SIL persuaded me to raise the price on them, and that may have been the kiss of death.  Guess there was a lesson in that.

Here is something I have been enjoying, in these high temperatures we have had this week.  104 in the shade of my deck yesterday!  These cheerful flowers are called rudbeckia and have been blooming their little heart out.

Ooooh.  Friday the 13th today.  Hope it is lucky for you and that the weekend brings sunshine and fun to you and your families.

Kiss Me Update

Before I start on my new Spools project, I definitely need to clean up things in my sewing studio.  Which means moving this Kiss Me project along.  Yesterday was my day off, and  I sewed the blocks together and attached the first border.

Now I am making 48 flying geese, which will be the second border.  I am using Monique Dillard's Fit to be Geese ruler to make the flying geese units, rather than following the standard method given in the pattern.  I just find using this tool produces the most perfect flying geese ever.

 It has to be my favorite tool.  If you don't have one....well, you should.

Aw.  Arent' they cute? Just look at them flying along in their cute grey floralness.  Perfect little points, perfect little quarter inch seam allowance.  All due to the ruler.

So, today and tomorrow, I have the baby, but hope to finish the remaining geese and get this top put together.  Is anyone else out there working on this Kiss Me project?  Send me pics if you are, I would love to post them.