Sister's Choice Quilts

Watching Paint Dry

Well, maybe it isn't quite as bad as watching paint dry, but it seems like making these 160 Penny Pincher blocks is taking forever. I made great progress over the weekend and on Monday (one of my days off), and my grand total is now 100 blocks.  I can make 25 in a day, easily, with breaks to go off and do other things.  And if I use my time wisely in the mornings I can get at least four of them made before I go to work.  The end is in sight.

But you know what?  Remember those Magic of Christmas blocks that I have had on my design wall since, um, Christmas?

They are still up there, monopolizing the design wall.  I just have not been able to gear up to order fabric for the lattice, or for that matter, make the lattice.  Lord, how I hate making lattices.  But this quilt seems to call out for it.  However, I must face up to the fact that I am not going to do this task in the next month or so.  I am done with Christmas and need my design wall to lay out my Penny Pincher blocks.

So they are coming down.  Luckily I have photos of my block arrangement and can re-create the layout when the time comes to sew those darn things together.  And I will.  I will.  Just not right now.

In other news, the Bernina 740 is working like a dream.  I do love it and am getting more comfortable with it.  I have ordered a clear acrylic insert to use in my sewing table and just need to get Handyman Bill back out to cut a new hole in my table to fit it, so the machine is recessed and I have a nice continuous flat sewing surface.  I will definitely share photos when then happens.

Hope you all had a good start to your week!  Bye bye January, can you believe it?

Puttering Around Over the Weekend

Hi there.  Hope you all had a brilliant weekend.  Mine was pretty much perfect, in that I stayed home the entire time except for a trip to the grocery store.  I am becoming such a homebody in my old age.  I spent the time, not particularly productively, but puttering around in my sewing room trying out a couple of new things.

The first is a new pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, called Olio.  Olio is a one block pattern made with a template that is included with the pattern.  The quilt is made from lots of charm packs, a dozen if I recall correctly.  It has a wonderfully scrappy look that you could certainly achieve with scraps, rather than charm packs.  

The template is very nice acrylic plastic, and is used to cut the fabric pieces.  You cut your charm squares or scraps to 2 1/4 inches by 4 1/2 inches and the little template fits perfectly on the units.  All you have to do is trim the angles.  There is an A unit, and the template is flipped to cut the mirror image B unit.  I cut two fabrics at a time, that is why you see two different prints.  I wanted to demonstrate how you sew them together to make a "unit".

Sew your A unit pairs together and then sew your B unit pairs together.  These units are assembled in long strips to make the quilt top.

I have a combination of various charm packs and fabric scraps I plan to use for this quilt.  Can you imagine how amazing this would be in all Christmas fabrics, or a red white and blue theme?  Or all your Halloween scraps?  Or all Jo Morton fabrics?  Or how about all Bonnie and Camille or French General?  I am thinking of how dreamy it would look out of all Kate Spain or Tula Pink fabrics.  The sky is the limit.  If you have a favorite designer and have loads of left over scraps, consider this quilt as a wonderful way to combine all those leftover fabrics into an "homage" quilt representing your favorite designer's collections.

I won't be starting this quilt for a while, as I am determined to finish up my Penny Pincher quilt first before moving on to anything else.  But I am very excited to get started on it none the less!

 

Who Doesn't Love Bees?

Who doesn't love fabric with bees?  I sure do.  I just ordered selected pieces in a new collection called Garden Notes by Kathy Schmitz and it arrived yesterday.  This fabric will be perfect in a quilt I have in mind to make for my bedroom for spring and summer.  I am trying to bring more blue into my decorating, and this one has blue and just enough green to work with my green walls.

These blocks look like they will be super easy and fast to make.  Kathy designed the Garden Notes collection for Moda, as well as the Summer Wind pattern shown above.  The background fabrics in the collection are so gorgeous.  These fabrics just say "Spring" to me, and am I ever in the mood for it!  I get such a peaceful feeling from this color palette.  I wanted a block design that was visually interesting, but lets the fabric shine.  I think this pattern will work so well.

Moda is releasing a lot of new collections these past couple of weeks, so you might want to go to Fatquartershop.com or Unitednotions.com (Moda's website) and check them out.

I've been working like a demon on my Penny Pincher blocks.

It seemed like my fabric units for the blocks were dwindling and my block pile growing.

I have 160 blocks to make.  I figured I was half way there.  Um, nope.  I have made 64 blocks so far.  I had better put my nose to the grindstone this weekend or I will be making these blocks for the next six months. And as I said above, I have some other projects I want to start!

Thanks for your anniversary wishes on my ten years blogging and 2000 posts!  I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it...and you all too! 

A Much Better Day and an Anniversary

I was so happy to receive so many encouraging comments from you dear readers yesterday.  I spent a good amount of time checking out links that were recommended, as well as watching YouTube videos on how to use the Bernina 740.  I learned a lot, and decided I just need to jump in and start sewing.  

What better excuse than Valentine's Day fast approaching and me needing a new seasonal table topper?  I recalled that I had some Valentine's fabric from a couple of older Sandy Gervais collections, and sure enough, I rummaged around until I found it.

I am really enjoying making square in a square blocks lately.  My Penny Pincher project is going well, and I thought I would make some small Square in a Square blocks and turn them into a Valentine's table topper.

My blocks were 4 3/4" unfinished, kind of a weird size, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.  Here is my arrangement prior to sewing the blocks together.

Nine square in a square blocks surrounded by red fabric, and four cute square in a square blocks with a Valentine envelope motif surrounded by white fabric.  Setting squares in a white background red heart print, a narrow border, and done.  I did the straight line machine quilting a half inch apart diagonally across the top.

And best of all---I did it all on my new Bernina 740. That machine sews like a dream.  I used the 1/4" presser foot, the dual feed feature and a single hole throat plate that is supposed to make your stitching more even.  It was all easy, all good.  The machine has an automatic thread cutting feature that I absolutely love.

Thanks again for all your suggestions, links to educational websites and encouragement.  You all are the best.  I appreciate you more than I can say!

Would you all believe this is my 2000th post?  I can hardly believe it myself. I started the Sister's Choice quilting blog in February 2007.  Ten years later and I am still here.  2000 times I have shared my life and sewing projects with you and it has been a great experience all the way around.  Thanks for sticking with me!

Triangle Challenge, Block 5

I have been having fun with Lisa Bongean's Triangle Challenge.  Each week she comes out with a new block or two using sixteen half square triangles.  I've been making two of each block to give myself more options when it comes time to put a quilt top together.  It sure is amazing how many ways you can arrange half square triangles to make a quilt block!  The two blocks at the top of the photo are the latest block, #5.

I had a fat quarter bundle of Primitive Gathering's Snowman Gatherings that was gathering dust, so I was happy to pull it out for this project.  Some of you may recall a similar project I made a couple of years ago.  I made the quilt below for my son in law, we call it "Madness" after one of his wines that he makes.

The blocks for Lisa's Triangle Challenge are quite a bit smaller than those for my son law's quilt.  I have no idea what sort of setting I may use for this new half square triangle quilt!  I have to tell you, I had a hard time coming up with 24 different block designs for the black and cream quilt.  I am wondering how many blocks Lisa will come up with and if they will be different from the ones in my first quilt. It is fun watching it unfold.

That Wasn't What I Expected

How about that?  My husband gave me a new Bernina!  It is the 740 model, and I have to admit, I am a bit intimidated by all the fancy computerized settings.  I have had it for a while, and have been waiting for the shop where we purchased it to offer a four hour long class on how to use it.  The class for December was cancelled, and finally the January class date rolled around.  The class was some distance from where we live, a two hour drive one way.  My husband came with me, thank goodness, and helped me get set up in the classroom.  I had been told to bring the machine and all the accessories that had come with it.

Oh boy, was I excited.  I was going to learn all about my new machine and go home full of enthusiasm to start using it.

Not what happened at all.

The instructor rolled in late, saying it was raining and it slowed her up.  ?  I'm sorry, I drove two hours in the rain to get there and managed to arrive on time.  Not a good beginning.  And things deteriorated from there.  It was clear from the outset that the instructor had no plan what so ever.  There were no hand outs, no introductions, no nothing.  She had us get out our little container of oil and she showed us how to oil the machine.  She said we should do this after using two bobbins worth of thread, which seemed excessive to me.  But what do I know?

She wandered around the room, stopping briefly at each of the six student's table to see what model of Bernina they had.  She inquired, "So how do you all like that automatic needle threader?"  Um, I am not sure, since I have no idea how to use it.  Could you show us perhaps?  

After an hour of this, one of the shop clerks came into the class room dragging a gigantic box.  It turns out, one of the students in the class had purchased an elaborate embroidery machine.  The next hour was spent unboxing it, setting it up, and introducing the woman to her new machine.  The five of us other students sat with our hands in our laps not having a clue what we were supposed to be doing.  

After two hours of absolutely no value, I packed up my machine and walked out of the class room without a word.  No one seemed to notice.  I got in the car and we drove two hours home.  I was nearly in tears.

I was so disappointed and upset.  The class was described as a "Learn How To Use Your New Bernina".  In the small print it promised instruction on the computer features, how to use all the different presser feet, how to make button holes, etc etc.  It was a complete lie.  I think I can get better instruction from YouTube videos and tutorials.  

The worst of the whole wretched experience was not so much the lack of instruction and colossal waste of our time, but that my husband, who had been so excited to provide me with this expensive piece of equipment, was so disappointed for me.  I felt so bad for him that he had to witness this shabby experience and see how upset I was.

The day wasn't a total waste however.  We stopped at a Staples office supply store and my husband bought me a new chair to use at my sewing table.  I can adjust it to sit nice and high and think I will be much more comfortable.

Notice the new chair is positioned in front of my old Bernina.  I guess it will be awhile longer before I can actually use the new machine.

Two Blue and White January Table Toppers---Done!

I am ridiculously excited that I finished these two blue and white table toppers while it is still January.   The part I am excited about is that I did the quilting myself on the machine and it turned out decent!  Can't wait to tell you about the process.

I got so many really useful tips from you wonderful readers.  One of them that I jumped on right away was to look into the machine quilting classes that are offered on Craftsy. Craftsy.com   What a great resource!  I have used Craftsy in the past, but had kind of forgotten about it.  I purchased Jacqui Gehring's class called "Creative Quilting with your Walking Foot".  I loved the sound of that.  Free Motion quilting and I have not exactly hit it off as of yet.

Jacqui is a terrific instructor, and I felt as if I was sitting right across from her in a proper class.  Her main message is:  use your walking foot, go slowly and sew straight.  She likes to sew half inch grids or half inch straight lines.  I had never sewn lines so close together before, usually choosing to sew about an inch apart.  She said if you sew wide lines the attention will go to the lines.  If you sew lines close together, the focus isn't so much on the lines as it is on the texture the quilting gives to the quilt top.

She was dead on right.  The close quilting is a wonderful look and I don't think I have ever been this satisfied with anything I have machine quilted.  I finished the first topper and was well pleased, then tackled the second one and had the same great results.

Using her method, I did not have to mark my quilt top at all.  I used a piece of painter's tape laid diagonally on my quilt top and stitched my first line on the edge of the tape.  After that, you discard the tape and use the guide bar on the walking foot to follow along the first stitch line, making parallel rows across the surface of your top.

I am so glad I purchased this class.  I have used my walking foot and guide bar in the past with decent results, but you won't believe this:  I had the guide bar positioned completely on the wrong side of the walking foot.  Duh.  Nothing like a visual to set a person straight. 

Any way, if you don't "get" free motion quilting, but have a walking foot and think you can sew in a straight line with guidance, try this Craftsy class.  I found it worth the $24.99 and learned so much.  Plus, now that I own it, I can refer to it any time I like.  Jacqui offers additional more advanced tips as well, and I am looking forward to playing around with my machine. 

Have a great weekend everyone.  And thanks again for all the encouragement and tips regarding machine quilting.  I don't get to sew with friends anymore, so I love the feeling I get when reading all your comments.  It is like being on a retreat with you all!

My Morning Minutes

I don't know about you, but I find I waste an awful lot of time first thing in the morning on my computer.  I check my email, read blog comments, see what the blogs I follow have posted, and check out YouTube for quilting tutorials or book reviews.  By the time I get around to checking the weather for the day, an hour or more has elapsed.  Pretty much a wasted hour of productivity.  On the weekends, it is even more time wasted.

So, I have been experimenting with something.  I get up around 6:00 most days.  I make my coffee and sit down at the computer.  I have decided to set a timer for 30 minutes to allow myself to read any blog comments that may have come in, and possibly check out some of the blogs that I follow.  Only 30 minutes.  

With my new experimental plan, I then go up to my sewing room, set the timer again for 60 minutes this time, and sew for an hour.  I get as much into that hour as I can.  By the time the timer goes off it is only 7:30 and I have an entire hour to get ready for work.

It is pretty amazing, how over a week's time, you can accomplish as good amount of productivity, even if the rest of each day is so busy you can't even think of getting any sewing done.

I have been working on these little 6 inch Triangle Challenge blocks (Lisa Bongean's Sew Along).  One morning I might get 32 half square triangles made and trimmed.  The next day I might construct a couple of blocks.  My new system is working great for me and I no longer feel any guilt about how I am spending my morning time.

Oh, and all those YouTube tutorials and book reviews I enjoy?  I have been watching those for an hour in the evening after my day is done.  I have never been good for much in the evenings after a glass of chardonnay, so that is a much better use of time for me!

Do you have a schedule for sewing?  How do you manage to squeeze in a few minutes of sewing when you can?

By the way, thanks to those of you who gave such encouraging suggestions regarding machine quilting to yesterday's post.  Read the comments if you haven't already.  There were some wonderful tips.

Reveille Table Toppers

What is better than one little blue and white Schnibbles table topper?  Why two of them of course.

My border fabric arrived in no time flat, and I was able to get the tops finished this past weekend.  Now I have to machine quilt them myself, which I am dreading.  I got out a couple of machine quilting books and practiced free hand quilting--loops and stippling and so on.  It all just looked so uneven and amateurish.  I suppose I will go back to my trusty stitch in the ditch or cross hatch straight line quilting and just get it done.  Believe me, I have half a mind to do hand quilting!  These little quilts measure about 25" square, so it would not take me too long.

I would give anything to be able to machine quilt these little projects myself and do a really good job.  Do any of you have any advice or book recommendations to help a novice machine quilter get up to speed so they can quilt their own small projects and be proud of the results?  

I have a feeling the answer is hours and hours of practice!

More Rain, More Sewing

Give me a day off, in particular a rainy day off, and if I have my way, I will spend it sewing.  That is just what I did yesterday and was wildly productive.   I finished a dozen more Penny Pincher blocks.  I have no room on my design wall at the moment, so I just spread them out on the cutting mat to take a photo.

Next up were two more blocks in Lisa Bongean's 2017 Triangle Challenge.  I was going to make this quilt totally scrappy, but after some thought, have decided to us the Primitive Snowman Gatherings  collection by Primitive Gatherings.  I don't usually do blue and white quilts, but have made up my mind to toss that practice out the window.   It is great fun to make a wintery/January quilt in blues and whites.  I think I get so much pleasure using fabrics that are "in season".  No reason to deny myself, right?  I will redecorate the guest room in blue and white, that is what I shall do.

Speaking of blue and white quilts, I have had two requests for blue and white table toppers from different loved ones, and got cracking on that task.

This was a fun project.  I used the Reveille Scnibbles pattern by Miss Rosie and modified it to the size I wanted.  I used just the blues from a fat eighth bundle called Figures by Zen Chic, plus some white fabric for the nine patches.  I easily got these two toppers out of those ten or eleven fat 8ths, and could probably have squeezed out a third if I had planned a bit better.  I have the border fabric on order, and when I get the borders on and the tops machine quilted I will show you the finished toppers.  The blocks finished at 6 3/4" and the size of the tops without the borders is around 21 1/2".  The will be around 25 inches square with the borders I plan to add on.

With luck I can squeeze in some more sewing this long weekend!  Hope you all have a good one.