Sister's Choice Quilts

Two Quilts From Moda BlockHeads 3!

I haven't been so excited about a sewing project in some time! Well, that's a lie, I am excited about all the sewing projects, but this one is special. Can you believe it? I got TWO quilts out of Moda BlockHeads 3! 

In my opinion, that sew-along went way too long, an entire year, which is a long time commitment to one project. I ended up with over 80 blocks in four different sizes, and had the unrealistic notion that I could combine them all into one gigantic quilt. It wasn't a quilt, it was a tent, and I ended up taking all those blocks apart. The lint situation was dire, I am telling you. What a mess. I sure wish I had planned ahead better.

So, the quilt in the photo above (the one on the floor) is the quilt I ended up making from the 30 8" blocks. It is a generous lap-sized. I do plan to put a border around the outside. I found a navy, red, and cream paisley pattern from a recent 3 Sisters collection (the fabrics I used in the quilt are mostly from older 3 Sisters) ranges. Alternatively, I could put a rather narrow border of the background fabric around the border. I doubt it would be more than 4 inches wide. You guys are great with advising me: do you think a navy print would contain the blocks and look good? Or are the blocks busy enough, and a cream background border (even a narrow one) would be a better choice?

This beauty is my second MBH 3 quilt. It is comprised of 12" blocks and 6" blocks. It is more bed-sized at around 72" square. Sheri McConnell of A Quilting Life used this setting for her quilt, and I loved it. It is similar to what I was envisioning for my original circus tent quilt, but smaller, better organized, and less overwhelming. I still need to sew the blocks together, but I am pretty happy with the arrangement.

Thank you to all you amazing readers who advised me to use the "not like the others" half square triangle block by Lisa Bongean in the middle! It works very well there, and even though the color, style, and configuration of that block differs from the others, it works well as a center point. Besides, darn, all those half-square triangle points came out great, I need to show them off. I rearranged a few other blocks and remade the one in the upper left-hand corner (with a lighter background fabric), and now I am happy with the result.

What a relief that those blocks didn't go to waste and that I ended up with two quilts for my trouble! Thanks to you all for weighing in with your suggestions, they were brilliant!

Now I am ready to move on to Moda BlockHeads 6 and other projects! Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Moda BlockHeads 3 Second Quilt Setting Decided!

I have found my second setting for the Moda BlockHeads 3 quilt blocks. I've nearly got the 8-inch blocks assembled into another quilt top, which I will share with you in the next day or so. In this setting, I have combined the 12-inch blocks and most of the 6-inch blocks into the top you see above. I have yet to actually sew the blocks together and will rearrange some of them before the final sewing. I see some that need other placement for sure.

There is one block that stands out like a sore thumb. Which one does not belong? Can you spot it?

It is the 12 " block on the lower right with the dozens of half-square triangles. It was a Lisa Bongean block and to my eye, it does not work in this quilt at all. So say bye-bye, because it will be replaced with something lighter and more balanced with the other blocks. 

To give credit where credit is due: I have been stealing getting inspiration from Sheri McConnell at A Quilting Life a lot lately. I did some research and found her setting for Moda BlockHeads 3, which you see above. It is similar to the massive setting that I recently picked apart, but contains about two dozen fewer blocks! 

The quilt will be close to 72 inches square, which is a favorite size for me. At this point, I have no ideas as to how to border the quilt, but I'll take things a step at a time.

For all the unsewing, I have to say, the results of this take-apart venture have been a much better outcome than what I had previously.

Wednesday, May 28 (yesterday) was the first day of the Moda BlockHeads 6 sew-along. I have vowed to finish these Moda BH 3 tops before I dive into the new project, but that will be happening soon!

Eva's Graduation Quilt Back From the Quilter

Eva's graduation quilt came back from the quilter just in time for her graduation next week. I still have to sew on the binding, but I thought I would share the finished quilt. 

For those of you who are new, this quilt was inspired by the calendar year, and all the activities Eva and I have done over all the years she has been in elementary and middle school.

The idea for the quilt came from Sheri over at A Quilting Life. Sheri does a yearly quilt-along, and her blocks of the month for this year are surrounded by a log cabin design. I took Sheri's concept and put my own featured block in the center, commemorating an activity or theme for each month. 

I thought it was fitting to use a couple of fabric collections by Sheri and Chelsi since I was basically using her block idea! The colorful and cheerful fabrics are perfect for a quilt for a 14-year-old girl. 

I love this quilting design, which is called Mod Circles. I think it is exactly right for this quilt.

Now, to get that binding on. Hope she loves it!

 

Moda BlockHeads 3 Version One

I am still working on taking apart my setting for Moda BlockHeads 3. These are all the 8-inch blocks. I decided to make several quilts out of the 80-some odd blocks I made for that quilt-along. I really cannot believe I made over 80 blocks in four different sizes and thought I could put them all into one quilt. No. That did not work. 

I've been obsessed with this project and it has taken over the sewing room for now. I want to get at least one BlockHeads quilt top done before I start on BlockHeads 6 next week!

Taking all those blocks apart is a chore, but I think will be worth it in the end. I loved the fabrics I used, which were two red, blue and cream collections by 3 Sisters. Holly Woods and Snowberry. Who wouldn't want three different quilts out of that pretty fabric?  lol

My setting  for these 8 inch blocks is 5 x 6 blocks: 30 blocks. I had enough of the background I was using to make a lattice to go between the blocks, which I think sets them off nicely. It is a simple setting, but at this point it's fine.

Have you ever had the patience to take apart a quilt top that wasn't working for you and turn it into something else? I've definitely never done this before!

I am determined to make another quilt or two from the 12-inch blocks and the 6-inch blocks. The 4-inch blocks may well end up as a table topper!

Hope you all had a lovely long weekend, as I did! We had a garage sale, which just about did me in. Never again is what I say about doing any more garage sales. 

Sara and I have a new Reeding Between the Lines podcast up. You can listen wherever you like to hear your podcasts, or watch us in the flesh on YouTube. Our topic is "What Makes a Great Summer Read?" We have loads of suggestions for wonderful books to read on your summer vacation, so don't miss it!

My Happy Place

I love to quilt, but bookstores are truly my Happy Place. This picture was taken a year ago when we visited our son in Ireland. We had traveled to Cork by train and spent an entire day exploring that city. Highlights were a local farmers' market and this bookstore. I think it may have been a really nice Waterstone's, but I don't remember for sure. 

I just remember seeing familiar books, new books, fabulous book accessories, and wanting to take it all home with me. I spent a couple of hours in there and finally left when I noticed my husband and son standing outside waiting for me. 

I grew up reading. When I was four years old, I recall being able to read my little Golden books. I don't know if it was the memory of having the books read to me, or if I really could make out the sentences, but I felt as if I could read. And I've never stopped. I was always astonishing my teachers by what I could read and had read at a precocious age. 

I recall being a kid, having sick days when I couldn't go to school, where I lay in my bed reading for hours. It was the best escape from not feeling great. As time went on, I certainly didn't need to be sick to appreciate the escape from the real world that books provided. 

When it came time to declare a major in college, I had no idea what to do. I had a vague idea that it might be nice to teach, but all I really wanted to do was read. Major in English Literature? That could work. Whatever would I do with a degree in that subject? Didn't matter. I just wanted to read my way through college. 

Like many girls of my era, I ended up getting married and having a kid, so what I studied in college didn't really matter. Except that I loved reading to my children and ended up raising two readers. 

As the old lady I am now, I could have regrets that I didn't pursue a career that allowed me to capitalize on my passion for reading. I could have been a librarian, a teacher, a book editor, a bookstore owner, a literary agent, a book reviewer, or maybe even an author. Do I have regrets? Maybe a little.

I think at this point in my life, I must content myself with continuing to be a reader and by sharing my love of books with others as best I can. You can read my book reviews here, listen to the book review podcast I do with my daughter, Sara, or check me out on Goodreads. I'll never stop reading and feeling gratified by sharing my book experiences with others. 

Taking Apart Moda BlockHeads 3

Moda BlockHeads 3 was probably my favorite BlockHeads sew-along ever. And yet, I never finished it. The sew-along involved block choices in four sizes, and I randomly made them, without a plan for a setting. I had 12-inch blocks, 8-inch blocks, 6-inch blocks, and 4-inch blocks. It was actually kind of ridiculous. I would just randomly make a block in whatever size struck me and had no clue what I would do with them at the end. Honestly, I don't think there was enough direction at the beginning of the sew-along. Also, it went on too long ( a year), and one ended up with too many blocks to make a cohesive quilt.

Obviously, it turned out that I didn't have a workable plan. Also, the sew-along lasted an entire year, and I ended up with so many blocks, it was impossible to incorporate them into one quilt. I had 25 eight-inch blocks, a dozen 12-inch blocks, 30 six-inch blocks, and I have no idea how many 4-inch blocks. I seem to recall there were over 80 blocks in various sizes!  I valiantly applied myself to the task of assembling them into a quilt top.

Not surprisingly, the quilt top was as big as a circus tent and had no cohesive design whatsoever. The quilt top I put together was so huge, so unwieldy, so awkward, that it just wasn't ever going to work. I loved all those blocks, but there were so many of them, and they were in all those different sizes that did not work together. I folded the circus tent up and put it in the closet. I have to admit, I thought of some of those blocks often, imagining how awesome they would look in a quilt. There were some absolutely wonderful blocks: a bee hive, a bird house, hearts, and some really challenging and unusual blocks. They mustn't go to waste!

I was lamenting about this situation recently, and one of my readers suggested taking the blocks apart and starting over with a new setting. Lightbulb moment. Of course, that is what I needed to do. Take the blocks apart and make two or even three quilts from all those pretty blocks. 

So that is what I am doing. I am ripping apart all the blocks from Moda BlockHeads 3 and stacking them up in piles according to size. I have about a dozen 12" blocks, 25 8" blocks, 30 6" blocks, and a dozen or more 4" blocks. 


The lint/thread situation is ridiculous. However, I am so glad I am taking this mess apart and salvaging these amazing blocks for a couple of other projects. I loved the 3 Sisters fabrics I used, and the block designs were incredible. The sew-along went on way too long, there were too many choices of block sizes, and not enough direction for the finish. That being said, there is a lot of value in this collection of blocks, and I know I can turn them into something wonderful. Stick with me and see what I come up with!

 

 

Are You Feeling Halloweeny Yet?

Are you looking forward to Halloween yet? I know, I know, it is still Spring, why would anyone be thinking of Fall holidays? Well, if you have a quilt top and have a hope of having it quilted by then, you need to be planning ahead. I have a Halloween quilt top that has been languishing in the closet for a long time. Since 2014, as a matter of fact. I may not get things done in a timely manner, but I do circle back to my projects eventually. 

This is a fun, scrappy quilt that I thoroughly enjoyed making, but am just now getting around to having quilted. Oh well, it happens. This pattern is called Lucy, and is an older one by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. You can still purchase the pdf download pattern on Fat Quarter Shop. 

The fun thing about this pattern is that it is just two blocks, and it is totally 100% scrappy. It calls for fat 8th scraps (or smaller) of oranges and blacks. I think some low-volume prints (with an orange or black motif) work well in the mix as well. If you have been making Halloween quilts for years, I would bet you have a fair stash of leftover fabrics. Why not put them to use in this scrappy quilt? Shop at home, use it up. 

The alternate block in this quilt would lend itself so well to custom quilting. A pumpkin or other Fall design would go so well in that big light space. I am not going to spring for custom quilting, but I bet my quilter will have an idea for a design that will be appropriate and show up well in that large light space. 

I know I make a lot of sampler style quilts, but I have to admit there is something really special about a simple quilt with one focal block that is repeated. And I go for scrappy every time!

 

 

Cali & Co Block 5

So, here's a good thing. I have kept up with the Cali & Co sew-along, hosted by Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts. The blocks are all composed of squares and half-square triangles. They are easy, colorful, and fun. What else do you need for a summer sew-along? Just look at how cheerful those blocks are in the photo above. I am using my stash of Coriander Quilts fabrics as well as my Sherri & Chelsi stash, which go remarkably well together. I really like how the blocks are playing with one another.

It's a mystery quilt, so we don't know what the setting will be, but I like the way the blocks form an interesting pattern where they intersect. It is a year-long project, so I assume there will be 12 blocks. 

Since our son was visiting for the past couple of weeks, I haven't really had a chance to get up into my sewing room. Now that he has travelled safely home, I plan to spend a lot more time up there on my own. It is such a stress reliever for me to just sit in silence and sew. Sometimes I listen to an audiobook or podcast, but mostly, I work in quiet contemplation.

Here's a recommendation for you: Archie insisted I tell you about his new car seat. I ordered a Pelsbarn doggie car seat for him, all the way from Norway. It was pricey, but it came pretty quickly and had a lot of positive reviews, from dogs as well as their owners. It is all furry and cozy as you can see, and he likes cuddling up in it. Archie and the seat are both tethered umpteen ways, so it is safe, comfortable, and dog-friendly.


Our drive to take Ahren to the San Francisco airport and return home took 7 1/2 hours. Archie was content to rest in his new car seat/bed the entire time, with only one potty break!

Hope your week got off to a great start!

 

Neutral Granny Finished

I was super productive on Sunday and made a dent in my mile-long quilting To Do list. At the top of the list was the Neutral Granny table runner for my sister. I don't know why, but I was over-thinking that project from start to finish. Should I go with more lights, or add in more darks, how long should it be? In spite of all my dithering, it turned out very well I think.

Ahren has left us and gone back to Ireland. Sob. We miss him already and wish he were still here. He made it home safely, with three packed boxes as extra luggage. Here's a tip: if you are traveling, packing a medium-sized moving box with up to 50 pounds of whatever costs around $60 as extra "Checked luggage", which is tons cheaper than shipping the items overseas. He took three boxes this time. I do not have any idea how he managed them, but he had one of those airport carts and piled it all on. He even took a kite with him (packed in a carrying case). It didn't fit in any of the boxes, as it was the size of an umbrella. He asked the first-class flight attendant if there was room in the coat closet for it, and they accommodated him cheerfully without any charge.


Another very positive thing that I attribute to Ahren's visit is that Dennis made a tremendous effort to be more mobile. He has given up the wheelchair entirely and uses the walker less than half the time. Mostly, he is getting around with two canes. (I need to get him two matching ones!). He saw his neurologist last week and she was blown away by the change she saw in him. He has gone from being paralyzed in October to what you see in the photo above. He is still a fall risk, has serious balance issues, and can't move fast or with a lot of coordination, but he is getting there. We are even talking about traveling to Europe again!

We had a busy weekend, but now things are going to settle down a bit. I hope all is well with all of you!

 

The County Fair

This handsome guy, as many of you may recognize, is my winemaker son-in-law, Ryan. Proud winner of a DOUBLE GOLD award for his wine at our county fair!

His winery is called La Folia, and this prize-winning wine is his Il Pazzo line, and is called The King. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Graziano, and Zinfandel grapes. The judges evidently loved it and awarded him gold medals in two different categories. 

Our county fair is this week, and the entire community takes time off to participate. The schools and businesses are closed, and everyone seems to have an entry or someone in their family who is participating. Flower arranging, art, winemaking, quilts, livestock of every description and lots more are all in evidence.

Eva had an art piece on display that she had made of hammered copper and colored pencil.

I am thinking I need to enter a quilt or two next year and make it a total family affair. 

Mark Twain stayed in our county for a few months during his life and wrote a story about the Angels Camp Jumping Frogs. Our town has grabbed onto that sliver of notoriety and taken it about as far as possible. Mark Twain references are everywhere, and the Jumping Frog Contest is a serious event. You can even rent a frog and go up on the stage and see how it does, and maybe win your 5 minutes of fame and a plaque on Main Street's sidewalks. That is Eva in the picture above with her nephew Rowan and Mark Twain.  They did not have a frog to enter into the competition.

Ahren went and, honestly? I think it was the highlight of his trip here! He had an absolute blast. It was Hometown good fun at its best.

This is last summer's Summer in the Country quilt, which seems like it would fit right in at the Fair!