Sister's Choice Quilts

Catching Up on Piece and Quilt Blocks and Red Sampler Quilted

I thought it was time to get back to my August Piece and Quilt blocks while it is still August. I am quite happy with these two blocks. The red one is Maple Leaf and the blue and grey one is Texas Puzzle.

I've laid the blocks out as they will be positioned in the quilt top. The top two rows could even be sewn together now. However, I do not care for what is happening on the right-hand side of this top. Too many messy prints all close together. I am going to have to remake all of those with the busy-looking prints. The fabrics that read "solid" are much much better in this project. 

This is a tricky quilt to make because as you make the blocks you have to consider the colors and prints you are using and what they will be next to. I've been mindful in my placement of the red and blue colored blocks, but those busy prints are going to have to go.


In better news, I got my Red Sampler quilt back from my quilter! I love this quilt. She used a design called Ginger Snap, which I have used many times.


Here is a close up of the quilting. I worked on this quilt for many months and I am so happy to have it quilted. Now for the binding. Wonder how long I can put off doing that?

In other news, Sara and I have a new book podcast episode up. Just click on the top Reeding Between the Lines emblem to the right and you will be taken to Apple Podcasts. The episode is called "Dark Academia Books You Just Gotta Read".

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Spooky and Sweet Witchy Little Ghost

Isn't she cute? This is the first block in the Spooky and Sweet Halloween Mystery sew along Fat Quarter Shop did a month or so ago. I like to know how my mystery projects end up before I plunge in and I thought this was a pretty fun Halloween project. 

I have to tell you though, I made this little block a heck of a lot harder than the FQS version. In their block, the head is a square, the shoulders aren't rounded, the eyes are plain rectangles and there are no pink cheeks. To achieve the effect I did, which I think is way cuter, you have to add flip and sew squares (really tiny ones) to the head, shoulders, eyes, mouth and cheeks. It was very fiddly, and took a l.o.n.g time. 

Plus when I thought I was finished I realized I hadn't added the little orange fingers or the shoulders. So I had to take it apart and add those. It took me hours. 

The idea to soften up those sharp angles wasn't mine. I got it from an Instagrammer Lisa @LUV2quilt4U
The fabric is Hey Boo by Lella Boutique, probably the most adorable Halloween fabric ever. I bought a lot of it, so you will be seeing at least one other project where I use it. That will be a one block quilt from Susan Ache's new book Halloween Memories. They are calling it Moonlight Quilt. More info is on the Fat Quarter Shop.

It was a day for puttering yesterday. I am on a roll with the Designer Mystery 2012 blocks and got Block 3 made. These blocks aren't hard and the pieces are big, so they go together fast. How funny is this? My friend Lisa said she just bought the kit from a friend who had never started it and she will be working on the blocks too. Twelve years later and Lisa and I still are on the same wave length! I have no idea how I'll set my blocks, so I will be following her closely.


You must admit those colors are gorgeous. Oh my gosh, that red. 

Hope your week got off to a great start!

 

 

Designer Mystery 2023 Finished---On To Something Else!

Designer Mystery 2023 is finished. Honestly, it took hours to get all the borders on this quilt, and I felt like I was wrestling with a circus tent the whole time, but I got it done. I think those large blue areas will be pretty when they are quilted. I have the quilt turned sideways so there is more of an overhang on the sides, which works best in my opinion. 

Now I just want to put it away and not think about it for a while. I am so happy to move on to some other project! Definitely not one this big!

I am thinking of making the Fat Quarter Shop Spooky and Sweet Halloween mystery wall hanging/table topper. My fabric is all starched and ready to go. I plan on making a few modifications to the pattern, which I will share as I get to them. I actually may need your advice on how to go about them. I want to round out the shape of the characters' eyes and heads, which I should be able to do with easy flip and sew corners, right?


This weekend I was on a step stool rummaging in a closet and found a tub with the Designer Mystery block of the month quilt from 2012 if you can believe it. I had made two blocks, but that was back in the day when I didn't starch my fabric, so the blocks seem flimsy and floppy and not very well made.  Being a FQS project, there is plenty of fabric to remake the blocks, so I remade one of them. If I do make these 12 blocks, I will set them simply (I didn't buy the finishing kit apparently), so the quilt shouldn't be too large. 

The fabric is an ancient Bonnie and Camille collection called Vintage Modern. The blocks are sweet and very cheerful. I can't believe all the money I have spent on these block-of-the-month kits which I have not finished. It is pretty ridiculous, really. I aspire to do better. 

Blocks one and two. I remade #2.

Hope you all had a a great weekend!

 

Designer Mystery 2023-All But Borders

It's great to see this quilt taking shape on the design wall. I have made the lattices that separate the rows but haven't attached them all yet. I have the units for the pieced sides, top and bottom borders all made and ready to piece and attach. After that, the last step is to attach solid borders all around in the primary blue fabric.

The quilt is kind of a weird shape, being so long compared to the width. I will get around that by placing it crossways on my bed. I'd rather have the side overhang than extra room at the head and foot of the bed anyway. 

I think I should finish this up today!

How do you all feel about "mystery" quilts? I would actually rather know what I am getting into from the start. This one wasn't much of a mystery because you were encouraged to start the finishing kit and make the block surrounds each month so as not to have a monumental job of finishing the quilt after making all the blocks. I have to say, that worked really well for me. 

Can you imagine making 12 blocks and then getting the finishing kit? Surprise, now you have twice as much work to do to finish the quilt top.  How do you like that mystery? No thanks. 

Designer Mystery 2023 Coming Together

I've got to say I'm not mad about how this is coming together. Nine blocks done, and the end is in sight. I easily finished three blocks including the block surrounds yesterday. If the stars align, I hope to repeat that again today and get all twelve of these blocks done.

Having the units ready for the block surrounds was a game changer. Make the block, add the surrounding units and sew your row together. Boom. 

Isn't the coral/pink in this quilt beautiful? I think it catches your eye and makes your vision kind of dance over the quilt top. Oh foo, my dancing eyes just spotted a boo boo in the lower left block. One of the hsts is turned wrong. Oh well, serves me right for being smug about how cute this top is. 

So, three more blocks, four lattice rows, an easy pieced inner border, and a plain outer border. This is going to be finished by this weekend!


Here's the cutest girl in 8th grade heading off for her first day of school. She's not only the cutest, she's possibly the nicest as well. She's mostly over her cold/virus and was very excited to see her friends and teachers again. Here's hoping it's a great year!

Designer Mystery 2023 Back on the Design Wall

My next Finish It project is the Designer Mystery 2023 block of the month sew-along. At first, I wasn't sure I loved the dark blue background in the setting, but I have to admit, now I think it is pretty spectacular. The setting really sets off those blocks and is so different from what you typically see.

The only way to go with this project is to work on the setting as you make the blocks. I think I would feel completely overwhelmed if I finished the blocks and still had this complicated setting to construct. 

When I unpacked the tub this project was in, I was happy to discover that I had cut out and even made many of the flying geese and half square triangle units needed for the setting. That saved me a ton of work right off the bat. I had made five blocks and got busy making the sixth one. My first row of three blocks and their setting was already assembled and it wasn't much work to finish up the second row. 

I am excited to keep working on this project and get it wrapped up. It will look amazing on the bed in our primary bedroom. There are a total of four rows of three (twelve main blocks), the block surrounds which form that star pattern, a lattice between the rows, and a couple of pieced borders which add to and complete the design. 

I actually think this is going to go pretty quickly! While sewing yesterday I watched more YouTube videos of one particular quilter who was also making this quilt project. She is Canary Quilts (sorry I don't know her actual name) and she seems to work on a lot of popular sew alongs that I am interested in. Her commentary and instruction are good and she doesn't have any annoying mannerisms to distract me. If you like to watch tv while sewing check her out, you may enjoy her too. 

Designer Mystery Quilt 2024- Block 2

This is the second block of Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery 2024 sew-along. I think this block is stunning. I will definitely use it in future quilts that call for a 12" block. The block doesn't include the surrounding border strips or the roof. The block is just the flower shape against the white background.

Stacy Iest Hsu designed this beautiful block. Isn't the fabric line by Bunny Hill exquisite? Each month has been a very happy surprise, with the fabrics just lovely each time. They aren't my typical color palette, but I am really enjoying the change.


Here are the first two blocks, side by side. I hope the future months will feature blocks as complex and interesting as this one!


I have an outstanding summer pasta recipe for you. It is from allrecipes.com, Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Corn. With tomatoes and corn at their best this time of year, there is no better time to make this. I used fresh tomatoes and fresh corn on the cob. If I'd had fresh basil, that would have been a perfect addition. 


I ended up serving this at room temperature, but I had the leftovers for lunch the next day, cold out of the fridge, and it was still delicious. You make a vinaigrette in which you toss fresh tomatoes, cooked corn kernels, green onions, and other seasonings. Add the cooked pasta and stir together. Serve right away or let it sit on the counter until you are ready. Or stick it in the fridge and serve it chilled.

All the best tastes of summer in one bowl!

 

 

 

 

I May Have Signed Up For Another Designer Mystery Sew-Along...

I wasn't going to do it. Not another block-of-the-month sew-along. Then I heard the Fat Quarter Shop had sold out of the finishing kits and the sign-ups were closed. Then it was announced that they had been able to produce more finishing kits and sign-ups were open again. Have you heard of FOMO? Fear Of Missing Out? I had it big time, and in a moment of weakness, I signed up for the Designer Mystery Sew-Along 2024.

This is the beautifully packaged Fat Quarter Shop Finishing Kit.

Well, at least it isn't in blues and greens which the last two years have been. I think I am done with that color combination for a while. The fabric for this sew-along is super cute, featuring reds, aqua, and pink. The collection is called Summer House by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs.

The way the sew-along works is that you get one block each month from the Fat Quarter Shop. You can just make the blocks and figure out what to do with them, or purchase the FQS finishing kit, which I think is the way to go. This finishing kit indicates that each quilt block will be surrounded by units that form a large house block. 

I just love any kit Fat Quarter Shop puts together. You can absolutely count on getting very generous amounts of fabric to make your blocks. As a matter of fact, many people end up having enough fabric left over to make an additional smaller quilt! The instructions are always clear with fantastic color diagrams. I've got my pieces all ready to sew for Block One. 


And here she is, Block One! I'm not thrilled with how my roof pieces fit together in this first block, but in all the other roof units, I have figured out how to put the pieces together more seamlessly so there isn't a weird cut-up house floating in the middle of the roof. 


In fact, I decided to really be organized this time around. I got all the pieces for the finishing kit cut out, and plan to get all the roof units made up ahead of time. 

I've discovered that I really enjoy having multiple projects going on at one time and a block-of-the-month program is a fun way to do that without feeling a lot of pressure. Besides, I have been wrapping up my UFOs at a great clip lately, so why not join another sew-along?  lol I'll have one more finish to show you, hopefully this week. I am waiting on a fabric for an inner border to arrive and then I will get it finished. 

I hope you are all having a great week. We are having the worst heat wave we've ever experienced. 108° two days in a row this week and the temperature is only coming down one degree each of the next few days. It's brutal.

 

 

 

 

Halloween Figs Sampler Progress

I've been pulling out my Halloween Figs block of the month kits and working on it again. I can't tell you what month this is though!  I got mixed up when I set the applique blocks aside. What I do know is that it is called "Goose in the Pond". I do love how striking this block is. And it's a big one! 

I am so pleased with how this block turned out too. Matching up those points for the black fabric was no joke. I may have used my seam ripper a bit, but I think I conquered it. This block is called "Carpenter's Wheel". Love it.

My sewing room is absolutely stuffed with projects in progress, but I couldn't bear to put these pretty blocks away just yet. This is going to be a great quilt!

I told you I had a lot going on in there!! If you look behind my iron, you can get a sneak peek at the next Summer in the Country block. It is an extra bonus block I found that was not on the FAQ sheet. Here is a link to the pattern "Grandma".

But you know me, I made it slightly different. Check back on Thursday for all the details.


This girl just got back from a vacation to Alaska, and the first thing she wanted to do was bake. She made a chocolate cake! I missed her and am so glad she's back in my clutches again.

 

Starch Method of Applique-Not for me

I don't know what I was thinking. I have tried the starch method of applique before and failed totally. For some reason, I thought if Joanna Figueroa made it look so easy ("It's the only method of applique I do", she said) I thought ok, I can do it too. Not. What a mess. I wasted lots of freezer paper, burned my fingers trying to turn the edges over and completely failed. It was a disaster.

The only method of applique that has worked for me in the past is fusible machine applique. So, I started over. I traced my shapes onto fusible applique material and ironed it onto my fabric. Then I cut out my pieces exactly to size.

There is no turning edges over, no burning fingers. You just iron the fusible onto your fabric, cut it out to the exact shape, and then when the time comes, remove the paper and iron it onto your background fabric and applique on the raw edge. I got all my pieces prepped and ready to blanket stitch onto the background squares.

Only, I realized that my BerninA 740 is still in being serviced. My back up machine doesn't have the blanket stitch I need for this applique process. So, I packed everything up into little baggies to be appliqued properly when I retrieve my sewing machine from the repair guy.

So, I moved on to Month 7 of the Halloween Figs Block of the Month.

So there we are. We do what we can. The first block of month 7 is done!  I'll finish those applique blocks from month 6 when I get my Bernina 740 back. For now, I will move ahead and do what I can.

Hope you all will have a great weekend!