Sister's Choice Quilts

Wool, My New Love

Here is $900 worth of wool I bought for my new wool working hobby.

I'm kidding, it didn't cost quite that much.  The colors of these hand dyed wools are so gorgeous it is hard not to pick up the little bundles of strips when you see a nice collection.  That Autumn mix collection was $12, and the twine tied bundle to the right of it was $28.  And these are just little bitty pieces.  About 4" x 8" for each piece in the Autumn collection.  Whew.

What on earth possessed you, Nicole?, you may be asking.  Well, these little patterns for table toppers did.

These are patterns designed by Stacy of Buttermilk Basin.  Due to time constraints, Thelma and I could not sign up for Stacy's class, but we saw her presentation at the "Meet and Greet" and could overhear a good part of her instruction to her class, as she was adjacent to the class we were in.  She appears to be an awesome instructor, and favors a technique using fusibles to adhere her wool to her background.  I am so intrigued to try that.

Do you see the two patterns at the top of the photo?  Those little toppers consist of a patchwork block made from quilting cotton, and a second block made from wool applique.  I have to make them both.  And if I am still financially solvent after that, I will procede to make more of Stacy's patterns.

I am so grateful that we have done away with Debtor's Prison.

 

 

A New Area of Study

Are any of you out there wool workers?  Before this trip to the Buggy Barn, I had no idea what wool work was all about.  What an eye opening experience.  I am in love.  The photo above is my class project, which was entirely constructed to the point as shown in the few hours of class time we had.  The bunny and the "muff" on the left hand edge will be positioned in the main scene and whip stitched down soon.  The prep takes longer than the actual stitching!  There is a lot of cutting out, positioning and pinning in place before you can sew, but the actual sewing goes at the speed of light.

I mean, seriously.  Have you ever seen anything so cute?  Who knew?  This process is so darn easy, you could teach your kids to do it.  All that is required is careful cutting skills, and the know how to do a whip stitch.  Piece of cake.  Oh, and one more thing.  A Donald Trump sized budget.

Man, these supplies are pricey.  Jeez Louise.  Before Thelma and I even had our first day of instruction we were in at least $50 for wool supplies for future projects we thought we'd like to make.  The teensiest piece of felted wool costs a pretty penny.  Up to $20 for a collection of four or five little eight inch squares.

For those of you who are novices, as Thelma and I were, felted wool is regular wool that has been washed and shrunk, so it thickens up and will not ravel.  This makes it ideal for whip stitching on a background, and using as a table mat or other decorative piece.

Our instructor was Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night, master wool worker.  She has years of experience, a couple of books out, and loads of patterns.  She comes from a talented family--her sister is Kathy Schmidt, a fabric designer for Moda.  Here are some photos of Bonnie's work:

Just look how she placed the plaid for her bee hive.  She did the same thing for the individual bees, which you can probably see if you zoom in on the photo.  Amazing

Even though the supplies are pricey, the technique to applique the wool pieces onto a background could not be easier.  A simple whip stitch in thread that matches your wool just disappears into the background.  And man, is it ever fast!  Honestly, you can finish up a project in no time flat, and have a vintage looking decoration on your table for the holidays.

You do not need fancy threads.  I brought embroidery floss, but perle cotton or just regular old sewing thread works just fine.  A lady in the class had brought her entire stash of threads (which was enormous) and was happlily sharing what she had with the rest of us.  You need embroidery needles, pins, and some sort of fabric glue.  Oh, and see that little pile of scraps on the right?  You never ever throw anything away when you work with wool.  It is like gold.  Not to be wasted, ever.

This class was a real eye opener and I am grateful to Thelma for suggesting we try it, and to Bonnie Sullivan for introducing me to a lovely new craft.

The Projects, Part One

Thelma and I signed up for three classes in the four day week of course offerings the Buggy Barn provided.  Initially, we intended only to sign up for the two quilt classes offered by Paula Barnes of Red Crinoline Quilts (formerly Bonnie Blue Quilts).  Both of us are crazy for Civil War reproduction fabrics and patterns, and had been fans of Paula's forever.  We knew we could not possibly go wrong with that choice and we were right.  Ultimately, we chose an additional class in an area in which neither of us had any experience, but that's anotherpost!

Paula Barnes is a soft spoken, and extremely gracious Southern lady, who was also a very effective teacher.  The first day of class the project was one of her Bonnie Blue patterns called Hill Country Baskets.  This pattern would be ideal for a stash reduction project, but because of time contraints and simplicity, a kit was offered as part of the class price.  Just take a look at the photo above, every Civil War scrap in your stash would work together in this quilt.  The thing that holds it all together is the lattice--a border stripe print.  TIP:  when you see a border print fabric in colors that you often use, just buy it.  Don't even think twice.  Of course you can use it as an outer border, but doesn't it add the coolest effect in the lattice?  We commonly pass right by these border prints, but come on, let's use our imaginations.  These fabrics are fabulous when used well.

The fabric you choose for the setting triangles and the border are going to set the over all look of this quilt.  My opinion?  Why not wait until you lay out your blocks and lattice and see what "speaks" to you?  Sometimes after you finish your blocks, all will be revealed and you will know in just what direction to proceed.  If you make this project, you may have a preponderance of greens or blues or browns in your stash (and your finished blocks), and those colors might be more effective in your setting triangles and borders.  Just wait and see is my advice.

Aren't these blocks adorable?  Another TIP:  buy fat quarters or half yards of good background fabrics constantly.  If you are on a shop hop, don't come home without some good backgrounds.  Every stash benefits from a good and plentiful assortment of these.  Scrappy backgrounds are wonderful, and are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.  Our quilting predecessors used multiple scraps of what they had on hand, and it makes for a much more authentic Civil War reproduction project.

So here is another TIP, this time from Paula.  She likes to lay out her block units on a tray and assembly line sew them together in sets of five or six blocks.  She was telling us that she recently purchased a baker's rack (you know--you've seen them a million times--it's a metal rack with very narrow slots for holding baking sheets that contain rolls or other baked goods).  She organizes her block units on rimmed baking sheets and pulls a tray out and sews her units whenever she gets a chance.  Brilliant, huh?

Most of us either don't have access to a baker's rack, or the room to squeeze it into our sewing rooms, but one little tray could achieve the same purpose.  I kind of like how my units to be sewn are all organized and together there.

I will be posting all week and probably into next week on this marvelous trip and all that we learned.  I have another vacation coming up, and will set some posts to publish while I am away.  This time I will be organized, and also have enough blog fodder to keep you all entertained while I am off.

Where am I going next?  Ireland!!   I am going to visit my son and his fiancee Mary Ann, and cannot wait!

 

Fabulous Vacation

Oh, gracious, did I ever have a fantastic week!  I travelled to Spokane, Washington to meet up with my dear friend Thelma of Cupcakes 'n' Daisies, and to take classes at the incomparable Buggy Barn Quilt Shop!  Later in the week, our pal Lisa from Stashmaster joined us, and I cannot even begin to describe the laughter and fun we shared. 

I am pooped today, having just gotten home, but will share a few pictures of the eastern Washington landscape in the Spokane area.  We were pretty much out in the middle of a million miles of wheat fields, amber waves of grain and all that, but man, was it ever beautiful.  Made me proud to be an Amurican.  Lovely people, and some of the most gorgeous quilts I have ever seen.  And we are going to be making some of them, oh yes we are.

The shop itself is no bigger than a minute, but crammed to the gills with quilts of every description.

Seriously, this shop is out in the middle of nothing but wheat as far as the eye could see.

I will devote this week to telling you about our trip, our classes, the shopping we did and more.  For now, here is a little teaser--a picture of one of our class projects:

Victory Star, designed by Paula Barnes of Red Crinoline Quilts (formerly Bonnie Blue Quilts).

 

Time for a Change

I have to admit, I am getting a bit weary of summer.  Yes, I know, it is sacrilege to say so.  We wait for summer with such great anticipation and dream for months of ripe tomatoes and corn, roses, barbeques, swim parties...  But it is June we have in mind, not mid August.

It's the heat that has finally worn me down.  The grass has gigantic brown patches, the flowers have given up, and the only time it is pleasant to be outside is around 9:00 at night.  Day after day of 100 degree temps and I am throwing in the towel.  Bring on Fall.

I brought out my late summer/early fall quilts this morning.  I was up at the crack of dawn cleaning my house (before it got to hot to move of course), and when everything was vacumed and dusted and wiped off, I thought it was time for a change of decor.

I love this quilt made of April Cornell fabrics.  Whatever happened to her anyway?  She closed all her stores a number of years ago, but had been designing for Moda.  She came out with four or five collections and that was it.  I haven't seen a bit of her stuff in ages.

Here us a close up. 

I made this quilt a few years ago when Pat Sloan was having a sew along called the OP Project.  OP stands for Orange Pile.  It was so much fun to sew along with folks online for an entire weekend.  I even ate an orange lunch one of the days (tomato soup and crackers) to stay in the mood.

Speaking of sew alongs, you may be wondering what is up with my Spools project.  Well, that would be nothing at the moment.  I hope that is a relief to the rest of you laggers who aren't done with yours either!  Thelma posted her finished project today and it is adorable!  Please take a look if you haven't already.

Well, I said there weren't any deadlines, didn't I?  lol  The point is to have fun, sew when you can, and end up with a darling quilt to decorate your sewing space.

My excuse is that I have been trying to get ready for a little vacation (one of two I have planned), along with the usual chasing after Grandpa and tending to Eva.  No, I have that mixed up.  You know what I mean.  I will be away all next week, and won't have my computer with me, so no posts til I get back.  But I will have PLENTY of quilty goodness to share with you then!

Maybe I will even finish one of my Spools quilts before I take off on the next trip.

Busy Busy and a Cautionary Tale

I am really off my posting schedule this week.  It might have something to do with how much I need to get done before I leave on my trip!

My little zippy bags sell well at my son in law's wine tasting shop, and it was time for a new color line more in keeping with the season.  I have been stitching away in an effort to get the new inventory into the shop before I leave for my vacations.

This collection is a Sandy Gervais group--Everything you see above was made from one jelly roll, and I have enough strips left to make at least six more bags.  I adore Sandy Gervais designs, as they are so seasonal, whimsical, colorful and fun.

When you go on a trip, do you "audition" your clothes before packing?  This is one of the most fun things about going anywhere, this preview of outfits and imagining where you might be wearing them and if they will be appropriate for the weather and the occasions.

I have outfits on display all over my bedroom.  My goal is to pare back and try to get everything into the smallest possible suitcase.  Have you ever traveled somewhere and found that you can barely lift the luggage you packed?  That can be a real disaster!  It has happened to me.  On one occasion, I found myself in the airport disposing of my travel iron, cosmetics and anything else that was heavy.  Once I lightened my load, I found I could actually carry my bag.  I do miss that travel iron....

On this trip, I will be carrying on my sewing machine, so I really need to practice my moves with that.  I need to be able to lift it over my head and place it in the overhead compartment.  In the past I have had to rely on the kindness of others to help me accomplish that task.  I've decided to take my little Janome, which weighs around ten pounds.  Add on the cord, foot pedal and the weight of the bag, any projects I can squeeze in, and I am looking at at least 25 pounds.

Speaking of carry ons, I read a terrible story on Bonnie Hunter's blog recently.  Bonnie is a well known quilting teacher who travels extensively all over the country.  She always takes a sewing machine with her for class demos.  This trip, she had with her a little Featherweight that she was planning to carry on the plane.  When she boarded, the steward informed her that the overhead bins were all full and that her carry on (the Featherweight and also her laptop) would have to be checked as luggage.  Reluctantly, she allowed her machine and laptop to be taken from her and placed underneath the plane along with all the other baggage.  You can probably see where this is going.

When she arrived, her lap top was smashed and her vintage 1938 Featherweight was in three pieces.  Pictures are on her blog.

United did give her replacement value for her damaged property, but still.  Oh dear.  I would be so unhappy if that happened to me!

Summer Book Recommendations

I know a lot of you are avid readers, as am I.  Since I haven't done a book recommendation post in awhile, I thought it was time I share a few books that I have enjoyed recently with you all.

I have never read anything quite like this book.  The first words in one of the Amazon reviews I looked at says "Marriage can be a real killer".  Um yes it can if you have a relationship like Nick and Amy Dunn, two of the most disfunctional literary characters I have ever encountered.  Talk about a page turner!  Things flip back and forth in this book so fast you won't know what hit you.  This is probably my big hit of the summer, and the reviewers on Amazon think so too.  Over 1200 reviews!

"Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control."  (copied off of amazon.com)

This book was a combination of a legal thriller and a family drama--the courtroom scenes were well done and the characters are very masterfully drawn.  You will be caught up in this story!

For me, this book was literary fiction at its best.  The author writes about glamorous New York City in 1938, with a cast of characters impossibly fascinating and flawed.  The writing style reminded me a bit of F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as Henry James.  You will feel like you know these people by the end of the book and think of them often in the days to come, wistfully wondering why on earth they made the decisions they did.  I just immersed myself in the author's writing and lost hours at a time.  I enjoyed this book as an audio book, and the narration was supurbly done.

This author, Tana French, has been my discovery of the summer!  I started with her first book, In the Woods, and haven't stopped.   Her novels are police procedurals, set in Dublin, Ireland.  This woman knows how to create atmosphere and characters, that is for sure.  "With Tana French, you can expect humour, pathos and well-observed social commentary, but above all, a cracking story that keeps you guessing until the end".  The writing style is so well done, and believe me, you will be hooked from the get go.  Like Elizabeth George, the point of view of the main character shifts from book to book.  Someone who is a minor character in one book turns out to be the protagonist in a subsequent book.  Her books contain humor, dead on social commentary, and crystal clear characterization.  I have really enjoyed this series of books and cannot wait for the next one.

The subject of this non-fiction book is a troubled young woman who decides the only way to get a grip on her messed up life is to take off on a solo hiking trip on the Pacific Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington State.  No experience hiking, her pack is over stuffed and weighs 70 pounds, her boots are too small--the list goes on.  Somehow despite it all, she succeeds in her journey, both the physical and spiritual.  I would have enjoyed this book more if the author had not been so totally self absorbed and annoying.

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Hope you enjoyed my book recommendations!  Happy reading!

 

Travelin'

Can you guess what I am up to?  Cutting, that's what.  Got my instructions, my zip lock baggies for my pieces, my iced tea--I am good for a marathon cutting session.

I am cutting out not one, but two kits for gorgeous Civil War quilts.  I am going to be traveling next week to meet up with a dear blogging friend, and take a few classes. 

Sometimes when one orders kits, the fabrics are a disappointment, have you noticed?  Not this time.  I would say I approved of 80% of the fabrics in the first kit, and nearly 100% of the fabrics in the second.  I am fortunate to have a nice stash of Civil War fabrics (mostly acquired the last time I took a quilting related trip to Illinois and Wisconsin), so I was able to easily swap out the fabrics I didn't love with some from my stash.

I have a couple of trips planned for the next few weeks, so my blogging will be sporadic.   In the meanwhile, enjoy this fun picture of my darling Baby E.  She is into absolutely everything lately, and I cannot take my eyes off of her for a second.  Today, while I was auditioning outfits for my first trip, she climbed into the bathtub and proceded to play with her bath toys.  The fact that she was completely clothed and that there was no water in the tub didn't phase her in the slightest.  The tub was a play pen of sorts, so I just left her in it while I puttered around in my dressing room!

This was her trick last week.  She opened the big drawer at the bottom of my tv console and climbed into it to read a book.

Have I mentioned recently how much I love her?

Thanks

                                 

 

That was fun!  Thanks so much for attending my Stash Sale and helping me spread out the fabric love.

I Won Something

I was a very lucky winner of a fat eighth bundle of gorgeous fabric last week.  Sinta and Sherri are hosting a fun sew along called "Another Year of Schnibbles", and have several sponsors who provide prizes to the participants of the sew along at the end of each month.  My name was drawn and this is my fabulous prize, provided by Judi of Green Fairy Quilts.   Thanks Sinta, Sherri and Judi!!

The fabric collection is "Independence Trail" by Minick and Simpson for Moda.  M & S are known for their lovely patriotic color ranges, and this collection is no exception.  I love the additon of the tan to the range of other colors in this group.