Sister's Choice Quilts

Halloween Party 2017

Well, we did it again.  We held our family's 29th Annual Halloween Party this past Saturday.  Next year is the Big 30th, so we will have to be sure and go all out.  The costumes this year were pretty darn clever, as usual.  That is my sister Andrea as Esmerelda the Fortune Teller.  I'm not sure I would trust her, but it's only 25 cents.

This is my sister Kate as a seriously dangerous looking biker dude.  Dad looks quite alarmed.

There, Dad is much more at ease with me, a very friendly witch.

I loved this fantastical guy. My nephew Evan dressed up as a reference to a type of music he enjoys.

Are you scared yet?  This is my cousin Claudia.

And her husband, King Paul. Talk about an unlikely couple...

This happy looking family consists of Daddy Eric having a spa day (notice the champagne in his hand), Mommie Trisha as Cookie Monster, and Baby Gwen as a funny monkey.  They are just too cute.

You have to admit, our family gets into it.

This is the best kitty cat makeup I have ever seen.  My niece Lizz somehow fluffed up her eyebrows, which was awesome.  She just found out she is expecting, so maybe it has to do with hormones?

Can you guess what Maddi and Stephanie are?  Well, I was stumped too.  They are Google Maps, destinations A and B.

I didn't get this one either, because I am so out of it.  They all came as characters in the Super Mario game.

My brother in law Greg was such a good sport.  He broke his leg and still managed to attend in costume.

Best of all, the kids.  Eva was a little witch and Johnathan was a character from the latest Star Wars movie.  Poor kid could barely see or walk in the get up, so he only had it on for about five minutes.  They won prizes for Best Boy and Best Girl.  They were the only kids at the party besides Baby Gwen (who won Best Baby), so everyone was happy.

Hope your family Halloween is just as fine as ours was!  Be safe.

 

 

No sewing.  I am not watching paint dry for lack of anything to do, I am watching the tree in my backyard turn red.  Almost the same thing.

My Bernina may be ready by Nov. 4.  Whether I can drive two hours on that day to pick it up remains to be seen, so I may not get it until a later date.  In the mean time,  I am reading my books and making simple flying geese units for Jo Morton's Rhubarb Crisp table topper.

Just wanted to check in to say I am alive.  This Saturday is my family's annual Halloween Party, so with luck, I will have some fun photos to share with you next week!

Hope you are all doing really well!

Rhubarb Crisp

You cannot have too many fall themed table toppers in my opinion.  So I started another one. This is Rhubarb Crisp, a design by Jo Morton.  Over the weekend, before my mechanical problems occurred, I got a grand start on the project.  I got my ten sawtooth stars made, and got a good amount of flying geese made.  I will need well over 100 of them for the table topper.  Sounds like an awful lot doesn't it?

It is an awful lot, because these flying geese finish at 1 x 2".

I actually ordered the Bloc Loc trim tool in this size, and I have to say it was worth the hefty price tag.  Trimming these little guys is going like greased lightening. The grooves in the trim tool lock into the seam allowance, and you trim the top and right side, flip your rotating mat around and trim the bottom and left side.  So fast.

Once I got my temperamental Janome to only sew when I was operating it, things went pretty well.  I thought I must have made way more geese than I needed after a day's sewing, but no such luck.  I am only about half way done with them.  

This little runner is going to be so sweet on my Thanksgiving table.  Keep your fingers crossed that my Bernina gets fixed and back to me quickly, because I need to quilt it myself and the Janome isn't up to that task.

Hope you are all having a great week!  I am thinking this is the last week I have to work extra hours at my job, so that means more sewing time!

 

 

Bernina Blues

What's missing?  Why, that would be my less-than-a-year-old gazillion dollar Bernina 740 sewing machine. On Saturday, I was sewing a straight stitch through two layers of quilting cotton when suddenly my needle broke and the machine stopped working.  I didn't sew over any pins or other objects.  When I changed out the broken needle and tried to sew again, no go.  The needle was now hitting the hook/bobbin holder thing.  Everything was out of alignment.  After an hour of my husband and I tinkering with the machine to see what was the problem, we admitted that the issue was beyond our capabilities.

I posted on the Bernina 700 Series owners Facebook page (which is very helpful, by the way) and a couple of people suggested that I had a "timing issue".  Whatever it is, my husband had to drop my machine off at the dealers, over two hours away from my house.  With any luck, I will get it back by next weekend.  Right?  

So, I turned back to my reliable old Bernina 153.  Which evidently was in a terrible snit about being replaced by the new Bernina 740.  And guess what?  When I attempted to use it, it was making a terrible noise and the tension was all messed up.  I couldn't sew on it.

Not to be foiled, I headed out to the garage where I keep my "traveling sewing machine".  I've never had a lick of trouble with this little Janome Gem in all the years I have had it.  I set it up, determined to sew.  It was acting weird, and the foot pedal would not work.  It turns out there is a "Stop/Start" button on the front of the machine, which somehow had gotten pushed in.  If you use that button, you can sew by manually pushing the button to sew and stop sewing, thus eliminating the foot pedal.  Once I figured out the button had gotten engaged, I was able to sort out that problem.  

I sewed for a few minutes using the foot pedal, and got up to trim some blocks across the room at my cutting table.  Across the room.  While I stood trimming flying geese units at the cutting table six feet away, suddenly, the Janome started sewing.  Fast.  Like a deranged and possessed sewing machine.  With no one operating it.

By this time, I was ready to concede to whatever poltergeists were taking over my sewing room.  Reason prevailed though, and I thought to pull the plug on the Janome, which thank heaven's stopped sewing on its own.  I have never heard of such a thing, have you?

Wish me luck this week.  This could work in my favor.  Maybe I will come home from work and find all those flying geese sewn up.

Thankful and Do-Over Day

We got some bad news yesterday that has been partially taken back today.  That is Eva getting a smooch on the cheek from our Remy. (She was eating a cupcake and he had designs on those crumbs on her lips).   Poor little guy has been limping lately, and his right thigh muscles have gotten noticeably smaller (atrophy).  We got him into the vet yesterday and were told that he had injured himself awhile back and probably would need surgery to put a pin in his knee.  Oh, and there was a fuzzy area on the x-ray that might be cancer.

That is such a bad word, and certainly has terrible associations in my family.  But, today the lab results came back and our Rem does not have cancer.  (We are all doing a happy dance).  He just needs to have an expensive operation to repair his injury.  Ok, we will all deal with that.  Honestly, he is such a good dog, it pains me to think of not having him around forever.  He is technically Sara and Ryan's dog, but he spends a lot of time with us.  He and Ozzie are practically brothers.  (Think Devil/Angel).  Whew.  I just want to have Remy around for the foreseeable future.

Yesterday was my day off (and man, did I ever need a break from work).  I just spent it puttering around in my sewing room, and ended up doing a few blocks over again.  Do you ever do that?  You just aren't 100% satisfied with your first effort and cannot let it go. You finally succumb to the impulse to just make the thing over.  

My first do-over was the Triangle Gatherings block, above.  I just wasn't loving the block on the left.  That type of block is so tricky to do right.  If you are even a HAIR off in your seams, those lines will not line up perfectly.  It came out ok, it was just my least favorite block in the sew along.  Lisa Bongean (Primitive Gatherings) is still cranking out these variations of blocks you can make with sixteen half square triangles, and she published Block 76 recently, and I liked it so much I had to have it in my quilt.  It is pinwheels, how cute is that?  So I did a re-do and replaced the block on the left with the block on the right.

Ok, that was a successful Re-do.

Next up was my ModaBlockheads block of the week.  My first effort is on the left.  I like the contrast of the fabrics, as the block design is showcased really well, but the block came out so wonky, it was hardly square.  That bugged me no end.  So I remade the block with fabrics that had less of a contrast.  The block came out perfectly square and was executed well.  But I dunno, what do you think?  Which block is better?

Harrumph.  Not all Re-dos are an improvement.  I wanted to re-do my pumpkin/bird block on the left because I thought my appliqué wasn't so great.  I didn't use matching thread on the bobbin and it kind of showed through and bugged me.  So I thought I would re-make the block.  When the second block on the right was finished, the appliqué job was clearly better.  But the pumpkin shape is awful!  I had forgotten that I customized the appliqué pattern when I made it and did a nice fat symmetrical pumpkin.  Ugh.   This re-do was a fail.  My first bird is better too.

So, weigh in friends.  Is it worth it to spend the time re-making blocks that you are not 100% loving?  Or should you just leave well enough alone?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Be Kind

Just a short, to the point message today.

Be kind.

Do you have someone in your life who needs to be reminded of that?  Right.  Me too.  However, it is doubtful that person will ever "get it".  So I will apply the maxim to myself and share it with all of you.  Even if it is just for today:

Be kind whenever possible.  It is always possible.

ModaBlockheads Progress and Wild Geese

This is just a quick update on my ModaBLockheads progress.  I have completed blocks 30, 31 and 32.  I have more blocks than that in total however, because there have been some alternate blocks put out and I have made some of them as well.  The most recent block patterns have seemed kind of simple to me, but I understand the designers are getting ready for Quilt Market, so it is reasonable that their focus is more on that.  In the entirety of the quilt top, amongst more complex blocks and the appliqué blocks, I think these will be just fine.  They can't all be Wild Goose Chase blocks made with 3/4 inch triangles, right?

Speaking of Wild Goose Chase blocks, here is a quilt that is on my TBM (To Be Made) list:

I found this picture on Pinterest and someone named Dawna is cited as the maker.  There apparently was a Flickr site where the quilt was featured.  (Does anyone do Flickr anymore)?  I wish I could give a more precise link to a website or blog, but I just can't find the information, other than the quilt was made in 2007 and used over 30 fabrics.  If anyone can provide a more informative link, it would be much appreciated.

Anyway, it is just my kind of quilt.  Lots of flying geese units and beautiful autumnal colors.  It is so bright and joyful. Give me russet, gold, burgundy, dark brown and some sage green and we will be friends forever.  I really want this quilt in my life. 

It is the exact same block as Miss Rosie's Into the Wind pattern, but with a simpler layout.  My Into the Wind blocks are still waiting for me to add the remaining setting squares.  I folded it up while I waited for the extra fabric I needed to arrive, and it still isn't finished.  Poor thing, it looks like a quilt monster has taken a few bites out of it.

Dawna's Wild Goose Chase quilt is also rather similar to one of my all time favorite quilts, Shiloh, which I made in 2012 or so from a Bonnie Blue pattern of the same name.  Something about flying geese just makes me think of fall.  My goodness, I love that quilt.  I need to get it out right this minute!

Blocks Finished!! Triangle Gatherings

I finally got myself in gear and finished up those Triangle Gatherings blocks!  I am stopping with 61 blocks.  My blocks have 4 1/2 inch triangle square centers and star points that make the blocks finish at 8 inches.  I have my fabric for the setting triangles all prepped and ready to cut, and the quilt top assembly will commence this week.  I have no plans to put a border on this quilt and figure that it will finish at around 70 inches square, a great size.  Once I get the blocks sewn together I will post a better picture of the top straight on instead of at an angle.

My fabrics were from my stash, and the background fabric is from Primitive Gatherings.  I used a 2 x 4 inch Bloc Loc ruler to trim the flying geese for the star units and 1 inch finished triangle square papers to make the half square triangles.

This has been a fun project over the past number of months and I thank Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings for designing the blocks and publishing a few blocks each week.  

Hope you all had a great weekend!  I've been busy working extra hours at work, so I will post when I can this week.

Boo

Good old Instagram.  I was having my morning coffee on my day off Tuesday and was flipping through Instagram when I saw a skull pillow posted by debralynntaylor.  If you don't follow her on Instagram, you might want to.  She provided a link to the pattern, designed by Kirsty, which is free on Bonjour Quilts website:  Skull block tutorial

You can print it out and be good to go, just like I was.  I pulled some nice grayish cream and a black polka dot fabrics and started following her simple directions.  I didn't need a pillow, but thought it would be a great center block for a small table topper.

Easy peasy lemon squeezey as Eva says.  You sew some squares to some rectangles and do  four folded corner squares.  I used my Folded Corner ruler, but you can just draw a diagonal line and stitch on it.  Honestly, it takes no time at all to make this block and I was chuckling to myself the entire time because it was so stinkin' cute.

I added some silvery grey fabric for an outer border to set off the black background and did the machine quilting myself.  Pat on back. This was the best machine stitch in the ditch quilting I have ever done.

I will give this one to Ryan, who was hopping with excitement when he saw it on Facebook.  I will make one just like it for Sara, who wants one too.  I may make one more for me, maybe using orange for the skull or the outer border.  The more I look at this little quilt the more it looks like an Oakland Raiders table topper.  Rick?  Let me know...One could be yours.  Just think, a perfect place to put your beer and snack on Game Day.  Not that it goes with Andrea's decorating esthetic, but hey, it's only out for a few hours, right?

I have more of a Dia de los Muertos vibe in mind for my little skull quilt.

Autumn Cooking

I discovered this book on my bookshelf this week while I was trying to make room on the shelves for some new books before the housecleaners arrived.  Do you do that?  Scramble around trying to madly tidy up your living space just before the cleaners arrive?  I swear, I spend two hours putting things away before the house cleaners come, just to clear my space of clutter.  In this case, I pulled a couple of books off the shelf, thinking i hadn't used them in years, and could donate them and make space on the shelves for some new purchases.

But.  But then... I took a look at the books I had pulled and had a change of heart.  Autumn Gatherings?  What was I thinking? I can't get rid of that.  Why, it's autumn for heaven's sake.  There could be some good recipes in there.

And there were.

As I browsed through this forgotten and neglected book, I realized I had on hand a real gem of inspiration for some lovely autumnal meals.  Of course I didn't toss it.  I had to keep it.  This weekend, to justify my decision, I made one of Rick Rodgers' fall recipes.  Chicken Cacciatore Ragu served over Creamy Polenta.  My husband is still sighing deeply, saying, "Wow, that chicken dish was so good".

Autumn Gatherings by Rick Rodgers is available on Amazon.  I won't give the recipe here because I want to encourage you to check out the book.  The book is only $11 and is full of terrific fall inspired recipes involving chicken, pork, butternut squash, apples, pumpkin and turkey.  Truly, it is worth a purchase.

The recipe was pretty basic.  I chopped up some onions and mushrooms while I waited for some cut up boneless chicken thighs to brown up.  I added some canned diced tomatoes and red wine.  It simmered contentedly on the range while I stirred up some Parmesan and butter laced polenta.  It was pretty divine.

So, what have you been cooking up lately?  Anything autumnal?  I also made some pumpkin bread this past weekend, which was yummy, but needs to be tweaked.  I baked it a skosh too long, and honestly, the addition of some mini chocolate chips might be a stroke of brilliance...