Sister's Choice Quilts

Jersey Girl

I managed to finish this month's Another Year of Schnibbles, much to my surprise.  I had pretty much given up on getting this one done, but I had the great luck to come down with my fifth or sixth cold of the season.  I have stopped counting.  Seriously, it has been one after another. This one was a doozy, complete with super watery eyes, snozzly nose, cough and a couple of cold sores.  I look like "Beauty's Egg Bag" as Grandma Higgins used to say.  I have no clue what that means, but it pretty accurately sums up how I look and feel.  Did any of you have Grandmas who had incomprehensible expressions?

So I stayed in my jammies or my sweats and puttered around the sewing room for three days this week.  Even though I felt lousy, the sewing was therapy for me.  This pattern Jersey Girl by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company is such a delight.  When I first saw the pattern I was non-plussed as to what fabric to use for mine.  I had it in my mind that I should do a two color version, similar to what is pictured on the pattern cover.  Carrie used Midwinter Reds by Minick and Simpson for Moda for her version on the pattern cover.  

 

Then, my friend Thelma (Cupcakes 'n' Daisies) shared a photo of her version with me, and my eyes were opened.  Don't you love it when that happens?  I get so many great ideas from other quilters.  Thelma used bright, happy colors and made each of the four quadrants of the block a different color.  You can see Thelma's version on her blog, or on Sinta (Pink Pincushion) or Sherri's (A Quilting Life) blogs when they do the Parade of Schnibbles reveal on Feb 3.  

For my version, I used a layer cake of Eric and Julie Comstock's Honky Tonk for Moda.  My son in Ireland gifted me the layer cake as a Christmas gift (how awesome is that?) and I have been itching to get it made up into a fun project.  I love the autumnal colors of gold, walnut, red, and aqua.  I seem to be so drawn to those shades.  Check out the mustasche print--oh my lord, how cute is that?  Anyway, I had a blast making the quilt, which turned out larger than I imagined (36 x 36), and now I want to make a longer narrower version to use on the dining or hall table.

What is that block anyway?  Is it Bear's Paw or Maple Leaf?  Is there any difference between the two?  I have always wondered.

 

Low Volume

There has been so much talk of late regarding "low volume" quilts.  Low Volume meaning quilts with soft colors and little contrast.  The concept of low volume is definitely nothing new!  The quilt pictured above is my version of a "low volume" quilt, which I made five or six years ago.  At the time I made it, I called it "Blended Neutrals".  It is my favorite quilt done in the low volume style.  I didn't come up with this idea, believe me, I poured over a number of books and conferred with other quilting friends before constructing my own low volume quilts back in 2008.

There was a terrific series of books by In the Beginning (Sharon Yenter) on the subject of "blended quilts", which is precisely what I think of as "low volume"-little contrast, block colors blending into one another so that the block design is often blurred.  I made several quilts from the In the Beginning Books, two of which I gave away, and a couple that I am still enjoying.  Right now I have "Blended Neutrals" on my living room sofa, where the dogs tend to like to nap.  It is like camo for the sofa, it definitely blends right in!  Check out the bottom row of blocks.  They are all the same star block, but some take on a very different look by the use of low contrast colors on the star points.

Here is another low volume example, done in pastels.  This is called "Seaside Rose", after the 3 Sisters Moda collection.  Moda had a free pattern they were giving out at the time the fabric was released.

This last blended quilt is actually done in medium toned fabrics, but the key to the "blended" or "low volume" look is the lack of contrast.

This quilt is called "Poetry" and is the first quilt I ever sold.  The fabric line was Poetry by April Cornell.  The quilt was purchased by the author of the book in which I found the pattern.   Quick and Easy Romantic Quilts by Sandy Berry.  I had put it up on an Etsy site for sale, and she happened to see it and contacted  me.  She was interested in purchasing the quilt, but gently chastised me for not crediting her as the pattern designer on my Etsy site.  See, you learn something every day!  Truly, it had never occured to me.  I have not made that mistake again. 

I digress.  Back to low volume quilts.  I love the look of them, and find them soft and soothing with their fuzzy boundaries and blurry lines.  Can't you just feel your blood pressure dropping?

Tracey's 2nd Hand Clothes

Remember a week or so ago I was talking about how I wanted to make a Bonnie Blue pattern called Second Hand Clothes?  I have a kit and everything, have had it lanquishing on the shelf for years.  I just haven't gotten around ot making it, but rediscovered it recently and made a promise to myself to get it done.

Well, a reader named Tracey contacted me and said she had the same pattern, and as a matter of fact had also had hers sitting around for at least two years, and decided to take the plunge and make it up.  In no time at all, she was emailing me photos of her progress, and yes indeed, she was getting it done!

Tracey used a fat quarter bundle of Barbara Brackman's Metropolitan Fair, one of the nicest collections of 2013.  I had great success using that collection (along with scraps from my stash) in my Hill Country Baskets quilt (also a Bonnie Blue pattern).

Seriously, you could make this quilt in any fabrics, not just Civil War reproductions.  Imagine it in Bonnie and Camille's April Showers collection, anything by Fig Tree, or a seasonal collection like the fall groups Sandy Gervais comes out with every year. 

Here are some photos of Tracey's progress:

Arranging her blocks.

Putting it all together.

It makes me so excited to see someone get excited about a project, jump in, and do what it takes to get a quilt top done in no time at all.  Tracey, you did an awesome job, and this will be a quilt you will treasure forever!  Now you have got me inspired to get mine done!

To get the pattern: 

The pattern was originally by Bonnie Blue Quilts, but they changed their name for some confusing reason, to Red Crinoline Quilts.   Here is the link to their site:  http://www.redcrinolinequilts.com/ 

Go to "patterns" and it is on the second page.

 

 

What's Up Next...

I had a perfect day yesterday.  A day all to myself, not another soul in the entire house, a day to do whatever in the world I felt like.  It was heavenly.  Eva was off with her other grandparents, and my daughter and husband went off to the ballet for the day.  No one to answer to but myself.  Goodness, those days are few and far between!

What I chose to do was to start up the latest Schnibble project, "Jersey Girl", a pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and a sew along hosted by Sherri and Sinta.

My day was perfect, I sewed for hours--around eight hours I think.  I cut out a layer cake of Honky Tonk by Eric and Julie Comstock for Moda, and started stitching away on my half square triangle units and four patches.  There are four color ways in this collection:  gold, brown, aqua and red.  Each unit in the block features a "maple leaf" or "bear paw" made from each of the four colors.  I chose to do my quilt top that way rather than make it randomly scrappy.  This collection really makes me happy.  It has a country music vibe in the design and the colors are just so cheerful.

I've still got more to do in order to finish by Friday, but there is a good chance I will make it!

 

Half Square Triangle Exercise Almost Done

I didn't finish my Half Square Triangle Exercise quilt top by my self-imposed deadline, but I am nearly there.  I have one more block to make!  I need to make this quilt as large as possible, so I am going with a diagonal set and alternate plain blocks.  I can see I will be doing some rearranging of those plain squares today.  My plan is to put on a black print border, maybe something from Pam Buda's American Gothic line.  Those prints are right in keeping with the various ones I used in my blocks.

I am leaning towards this one, with its large tan flowers.

This quilt will have 840 pieces when completed.  400 half square triangle units.  My blocks are 8" finished.  Not sure what the size will be when I am finished, but my design wall is 72" square, so once I sew it all together and add on the border, I am guessing it should measure around 72" square.  Nice size for the back of the couch, which is where I am envisioning the recipient might use this.

Know which block was the hardest?  Third block in row four, with the straight line design.  Oh man, did I ever have to sew and un-sew those intersecting points to get the overall design to look straight.  I swear, if I was off a thread, the line looked all wobbly from a distance.  Those blacks against the cream/tan are completely unforgiving.

I think I see something wrong with the second block in row five.  Right?  Whoops.  That always happens doesn't it?  Oh well, it's an easy fix.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Playing Catch Up While the Dogs Nap

Just a quick post while the dogs take it easy.  I seem to be playing catch up today, trying to make up for not being home since Saturday.  Between working, going to the Fancy Food Show and attending my aunt's memorial services, I just feel wrung out and like the house is falling apart.

I guess Ozzie and Remy must feel wrung out too, since they have each found cozy spots in which to curl up and nap.  Heaven forbid they should help me with anything.  At least they aren't pestering me to death.

No nap for me!  I have been trying to work on my black and cream half square triangle blocks because I wanted to have something to show the person I am gifting the quilt with today.  I don't think the blocks will all be done, but hopefully I can get enough up on the design wall so he can get an idea of what I am making.  And you will too, when I share some pictures with you tomorrow.

What I am doing today, besides laundry and scouring the kitchen, is making a fun birthday dinner for a family member (the person who is to receive the black and cream half square triangle quilt).  This dinner involves fresh home made pasta with porcini mushrooms, leeks and Parma ham.  A Jamie Oliver recipe, which I have altered by making my own fresh pasta.

I've got the pasta dough all made.  Now to roll it out and cut it into pappardelle strips!  I will let you know how that works out for me.

Added later:

This was such fun!  You add a lump of your pasta dough to the pasta machine, which is set on a wide setting.

Keep adding the ribbon of pasta, on increasingly narrow settings until you get the thickness you want.

Take a knife and cut the ribbon of pasta to the width you want.  Mine is "pappardelle:, about half the width of a lasagna noodle.

Dry it on something--my laundry drying rack was just right.  However, the dogs suddenly came to life, so I had to put it on my kitchen counter.  Imagine if I came out to the kitchen and found my pasta ribbons had mysteriously disappeared...

 

Fancy Food Show

My weekend was interesting to say the least.  I was sent to the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco as part of my job.  Part of my part time job.  Anyway, the boss thought I should go, so I travelled to the City and had quite the experience.  I thought I'd share some of the photos with you of the incredible array of foods and products that were on display.  Oh, and you can eat it all.  Acres of olives, cheeses, cakes, candies, ice cream, pasta, drinks, prepared frozen foods.  By the time I had been there two hours it was pretty much a given that I won't be eating again until maybe Friday.

Hope you enjoy the photos!  They were taken with my camera, but came out pretty good.

The photo above is of marinated peppers, mushrooms and some beans.

Here we have assorted olives.

These are packages of cheese.  Not in plastic, which doesn't allow the cheese to breathe, but in another material that is preferable for preserving the flavor of the cheese.

This is a tray of rice and seeds that have been arranged like one of those sand paintings you see in the Southwest.  Beautiful, no??

A braided mozzarella.  I wondered "Why?"  I guess because they can!

One booth had the most incredible arrangements of produce, including these bouquets of enoki mushrooms.

This is a platter of various exotic onions and carrots, plus roses made out of beets and turnips and other root vegetables.  Wouldn't this make a cool centerpiece?

This may not look impressive at first, but check out the weird thing on the lower right of the photo.  It is a fruit called "The Hand of Buddha", and is a citrus of some kind.  It is used to flavor Citron Vodka.

Check this out.  $200,000 worth of saffron.  And no armed guard in sight.  If you didn't know, saffron is a spice made from the stigmas of teensy little crocus flowers.  It takes gazillions of them to make the tiniest amount of saffron spice, hence the tremendous expense.

By the time I got to the dessert section I was pretty much done with the entire experience, and was wandering around in a food coma, so no pictures.  But when I saw this mosaic of Mickey and Minnie made entirely out of Jelly Belly jelly beans, I had to snap a picture for Eva, who is a huge fan.

I was very happy to head for home over the new Bay Bridge.  Back to chicken broth and mineral water for the next week.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, it was quite an experience to attend this event.

Half Square Triangle Exercise

Woo hoo, I finally snagged an afternoon where I could spend a few hours sewing, and I was able to make a few more of my half square triangle blocks.  I have been having so much fun with this project, inspired by Thelma and Carrie's Christmas Vacation Sew Along, where they made quilts using half square triangles based on Camille Roskelley's experiment using only half square triangles, arranged different ways to make a quilt top with no block repeated.

I must have dozed off for a minute though, because I see I have indeed repeated a block, the zig zaggy one.  I am thinking maybe if I turn one of them on its side, it could be a different block.  lol

You may recall that I happen to have an entire basket of 2 1/2 inch half square triangle units on hand, left over from my disasterous mistake of making hundreds of them the wrong size for a project I was working on.  Waste not, want not.  Here they are right when I need them and I can just start sewing.

Camille has come out with a printable version of the 25 different blocks she made, which is so convenient.

In other news, Grandpa is back in the hospital, another UTI (urinary tract infection).  Tomorrow he gets transferred to rehab for a month or so.  We have come to the realization that, as much as we want to, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to care for him, and to provide in home care for him.  We are on the look out for an assisted care facility that can take care of all his needs.  His dementia seems to be increasing, and he repeatedly asks me "When can you take me to see Mother?"  In my experience, when the elderly start seeing or asking to see departed loved ones and family members the end isn't too far off.

I remember my Grandma Agnes coming out of her bedroom in her night gown, pocket book on her arm.  "Grandma, where on earth are you going?"  "Grandpa's waiting for me outside in the Oldsmobile, so I must go".  Grandpa had been dead for eight years....Grandma Agnes died a few months later, and in the days before she passed away she swore Grandpa was standing at the foot of her bed.

Kenneshaw Mountain

Several of my friends have been experimenting with brighter color palettes lately with great success.  I have to admit, I do enjoy the colorful quilts they have been coming out with.  It is the case however that I still have a strong affinity for Civil War Reproduction fabrics:  I love the way they honor our past and maybe more importantly, how they fit so well into my more traditional decorating style.  Bright and colorful doesn't necessarily have to equate with contemporary, I have decided upon some reflection.

Examine the picture above.  It is Kenneshaw Mountain, a pattern by Red Crinoline (Bonnie Blue), and is one of their remakes in a fabric collection called Hampton Ridge, designed by Paula Barnes for Marcus Brothers.  Look at that cheddar yellow, the turkey red, and that really awesome shade of not-at-all-boring blue.  All told, that comes together to form a pretty bold look and I really like it.  Really really like it.

I am pretty sure that a quilt with these brighter fabrics is in my line up!

Gloria, Gwenette, I am still waiting to hear from you with your mailing addresses.  You were both winners of my 1500th blog post.  I'd love to send a prize your way!

 

 

A Death In the Family

I had a death in my family last week.

The person who passed away was a favorite aunt.  The younger sister of my mother, a woman who was known for her thoughtfulness, generosity, and love of family.   Pretty much the same attributes my mom was known and beloved for.  My mom was this favorite aunt's older sister. 

This aunt had traveled thousands of miles in the past to attend weddings, funerals and other occasions of import that involved my family, so there was no way I was going to pass on attending her services, even if they were going to be held near Detroit in the month of January, during the worst winter temperatures the nation has seen in decades.

I was asked to speak at her memorial services, something that honored me, as well as alarmed me.  Well, maybe alarmed is too strong a word.  Being a previous kindergarten teacher, speaking in front of others has never been much of an issue for me. In fact, be very hopeful that if I am to speak in front of your group, that I don't launch into a rousing rendition of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".  It could happen.  My inhibition level is a bit lower than the general population.

I was at a bit of a loss as to just how to address the congregation at the memorial services.  Specifically, my goal was to prepare some remarks that would comfort my cousins, who sat bereft in the front row at the funeral home.  The afternoon before the services, I wandered off on my own, trying to collect my thoughts, remembering  the common thread that brought both my mother and my recently departed aunt together.  Both women grew up to value their families above all else.  My own mom started a tradition of having a Sunday dinner for the immediate family. This Sunday dinner went on for decades, and believe me, if you were a regular and had to miss, let's just say  a doctor's letter excusing you for a missed meal was just a starting point for setting things right with  my mom.  Mom died in 2004, and we still gather around that Sunday dinner table every week. 

Losing my mother was certainly one of the most difficult things my family has yet to experience.  One thing that has given me comfort since that dark day of her passing, that I wanted to share with my bereaved cousins, is that I have never felt that my mother has completely left us.  Certainly, she visits me often in my memories and dreams.  But I continue to see her constantly in my sisters, my nieces, my daughter, and in a new generation of grandchildren. Certainly, she is not gone, and this is a great comfort to me.   A certain toss of the head, a quick smile or laugh, the way they cross their legs or tell a story- I see her in my family members regularly.  She is in all of us still, and is plain to see in every minute of every day.  My belief is that if my cousins carry on my aunt's love of family, cherished traditions and the deep affection she felt for each and every member of her family, that they will feel her love and influence as long as they all shall live.