Sister's Choice Quilts

Another Year of Schnibbles

Some of you have seen this already, as I finished it and had it quilted a few months ago.  I loved making this little project, "Whit", a "Little Bites" pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company.  I used the Dutchman's Puzzle pattern variation and the fabric collection "Vintage Happy" by RIley Blake.

This was super fun to make, and so cheerful to work on during the warm days of summer.  I loved the result, and am happy with the Baptist Fans quilting design.  It is a perfect table topper size, and I was having so much fun making the blocks I added one extra row and made mine rectangular.

If you haven't heard about the Another Year of Schnibbles program, you must check out Pink Pincushion and A Quilting Life.  Each month SInta and Sherry come up with a new mini sized quilt, from the extensive pattern collection by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  You will enjoy seeing each month's offerings and be inspired by the creations everyone makes.

Antique Stars Done, All 86 of Them

All 86 Antique Stars are done.  They are randomly slapped on the design wall, and are in desperate need of rearranging.  I will play with them today and see what I can come up with.  And if I don't like the result, I will make  more stars!  As I look at the photo, I want more red ones.  The layout is supposed to be random, but it still bugs me when too many of the same color or intensity are in a row.

This is such a pretty block, actually called Ohio Star.  Such a classic.  If you need practice making hour glass blocks, this quilt is for you.  You make them a smidge oversized and trim them down, and the units will go together like a dream.  I am using a ruler by Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts for my trimming.  Perfect little 2 1/2 inch units.  The blocks will finish at 6 inches.

After I get the star blocks sorted out, I have a dark brown lattice that needs to be cut out and sewn on.  After that, the border and I'm done.  This is a fairly large quilt, a pattern by Bonnie Blue/Red Crinoline, which you can still buy on their website.  I used fabrics from my stash, no collection in particular.

My stills smells a bit like Eau de Skunk, but is getting better.  I bought a new Root candle in the scent "Crisp Autumn", which is quite lovely.

Hope you all had a terrific weekend!

 

And the Rest of the Story

And as soon as my house was all cleaned and the fall decorations put out, Ozzie went outside and tried to make friends with a skunk.  That didn't work out so well.  Now, anyone who comes into the house is greeted by, well, the smell of skunk.  Which predominates over anything else one might notice.  So much for my fall decor.  

We've washed him in Dawn, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, tomato juice, all the usual treatments.  I caved in and took him to a new dog groomer for a bath, which actually was fairly successful.  Finally I believe I have found someone who can handle him.  She looks and talks exactly like Dolly Parton (including the big blond wig), which was a huge distraction to him while she was bathing him and clipping his nails.  "Why, did that bad ol' Mr. Skunk spray you Mr. Ozzie?  Did you tell him Auntie Vonna wouldn't like that one bit?  Yes you did, didn't you?"  He was so amazed by her he was immobilized long enough for her to work her magic.

I got out my Antique Stars blocks and started working on them again.  I have 48 out of 86 blocks done.  As I finish them (I am making three at a time), I just slap them up on the design wall.  I can rearrange them when all are finished.  Eventually there will be a dark brown lattice separating the blocks.  It is a good sized quilt, a pattern by Bonnie Blue/Red Crinoline.  Fabrics all from my stash.  

Have a great weekend sewing everyone.  I hope to have a productive one!

Fall Is Here

I thought you might like a little tour around the house and porches.  The decorating fairy has been busy around the place this week.

The front porch.

Outside dining table.

Front entry table.

Living room mantel.

Dining room table.

Sideboard.

Kitchen vignette.

I just have to show you my Spooky Canasta quilt one more time!  Just look at that gorgeous quilting Mary did.

Hope you are having some happy early Fall days too.

Little Fall Place Mat

It is fall, Eva needed a new placemat, so here we are.  I made it with a charm pack of Hello Fall (by Sandy Gervais for Moda) in no time flat.  I pretty much made it up as I went along.  Cut 2 1/2 inch squares to sew on the corners of four charm squares to make a pumpkin shape, make a little stem and surround the pumpkin shape with 2 1/2 inch by 5 inch strips and a few 2 1/2 inch squares.  You could make it bigger and have a table runner, easlly.

I have been watching Leah Day videos on You Tube and have been getting lots of great instruction on stipple quilting.  You should check it out.  I still need more practice though.  My stippling isn't all nice and even like Leah's is, so I didn't want to risk ruining this little place mat with my bad efforts.  I just did the usual stitch in the ditch thing.

Are you now totally in the mood for fall decorating?  Me too!

 

Sleeping Bag for Ooh Ooh Ah Ah

While I was vacationing in August, my friend Lisa and I had the occasion to do a little shopping.  I discovered this cute Teri Atkinson pattern and knew I had to have it.  My grand daughter Eva has a special Lovey toy, a monkey she calls Ooh Ooh Ah Ah, that she sleeps with, carries around all over, and would take him everywhere if we'd let her.  I knew she would love a sleeping bag for the little guy.

I made it in less than two hours, for sure.  I wasn't timing myself, but I easily got it done during Eva's naptime.  The size I made you can make with two fat quarters, a scrap of batting and a zipper.  Teri's instructions (especially where zippers are concerned) are great.  If you are wondering about the pig head in the photo, that is Boo Boo Pig, a first aid device we keep in the freezer.  Not sure how he got in my sewing room, but he does go well with the project fabric, so I let him photo bomb the picture.

Here is Ooh Ooh Ah Ah, all snugged up in his new sleeping bag.  The bandage on his nose is the result of injuries incurred by too many kisses.  I know.  It is a bit disturbing.

Lucy

Lucy is completed!  This pretty quilt took no time at all to make.  In fact, after all the curved piecing and ruler drama I have had lately, this quilt was the perfect answer for me.  I put a couple of audio books on the iPod and stitched away happily engrossed in both the books and the sewing.  FYI, the audio books I listened to were Doll Baby by Laura Lane McNeil and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity.  Doll Baby was entertaining, but totally implausible and somewhat irritating, and Big Little LIes is so engrossing and is making me laugh out loud.  Anything by Australian author Liane Moriarity is terrific.  I love all her stuff.  This gal's sense of humor is off the charts.  You either want to kill or be best friends with her characters.

But I digress.

The pattern is Lucy by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and the fabric is a kit that Carrie Nelson (of the same company) put together with a selection of black, grey and orange fabrics.  This quilt is sensational as a Halloween or fall themed quilt, but would be awesome as a scrap buster quilt in multi colors.  It finishes at 74 inches square.

My photo looks a bit rumpled, even though I pressed it carefully during and after the sewing process.  I just cannot lay a quilt top on the floor to take a photo without a certain three year old child and two curious dogs lolling all over it.  I'd like to have it quilted with a spider web motif, as Carrie did with her sample.

Hope you had a great weekend!  Mine was full of sewing--just wait til you see what I made!

 

Lucy Is a Very Big Girl

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.  I had no idea you were going to be so large.  I guess I have been working with such small projects lately, your size kind of surprised me.  Don't worry though, we are going to get along fine.  If I can get you put together.  Your bottom rows are going to be on the floor at this rate, since you don't fit on my design wall!

Making the blocks for this project has been quite soothing.  I put an audiobook in my iPod and have been stitching happily away this week.  The 25 patch blocks go together with easy strip piecing.  If you press according to Carrie's directions, all the seams abut perfectly and you don't have to pin.  The snowball blocks practically make themselves in just a couple of hours.

All the time i have been sewing, it keeps crossing my mind that this is the best scrap buster pattern I have seen in ages.  Just imagine what this would look like in multi colors.  I need to revisit my scrap bins and cut some 1 3/4 inch strips with making another of these quilts in mind.

My goal this weekend is to sew the blocks together, so maybe this big girl will be finished by Monday!

Laundry Day and Kit for Sale

Another Kim Diehl project, Laundry Day.  This little kit came to me from Fatquartershop.com, shortly after I joined the Simple What Nots Club, featuring monthly kits from Kim's patterns and fabric lines.  It took no time at all to cut it out.  The whole thing is just over 20" square, and will be a perfect topper to put a candle or a lamp on.  Cute!  

It didn't take too long to sew together, but I have to say, those little half square triangle units were tiny!

Speaking of the Simple What Nots Club, I just received my Month 3 kit, and since I have already made this project, I am offering it up for sale to anyone who might like making just that project, but who doesn't want to join the six month long club commitment.

The kit is for Idaho Lily, which you can see, I have already made.  Don't think I need two of them!  It cost me $49 through Fatquartershop, and I will sell it for $45, including postage. Domestic only, no international.

Spooky Canasta, Quilted

Wow.  Remember this little Schnibbles?  I call it Spooky Canasta.  It is a pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. that I finished just about a year ago.  My quilter (Mary of Quilt Hollow) just sent me this picture, and I tell you, she transformed this little quilt.  I never cease to be amazed by the imagination of long arm quilters.

She took it from this

to this.

 

I will be so excited to start using this in my fall decorating!