Sister's Choice Quilts

Crosshatch Quilt

I have launched myself into making the block units for the American Pie quilt, which I have decided to call Crosshatch.  The photo above shows what the quilt will look like when finished, only of course I chose Jo Morton fabrics in autumnal colors for this version.  I have actually made this quilt once before, years ago, for my daughter Sara.  At that time I used lavender 30's prints.  I rarely, if ever, make a quilt twice, but I think this one might be worth repeating.

This is the book where you can find the pattern:

And here is my progress so far.  Each block is made up of four units, and I decided to mass produce all the units, and then put them into blocks.  It is going to take awhile to press all of those units...

This project has the end result of loads of half square triangles being produced as a by-product of trimming the blocks.  These are really starting to pile up and I have in mind some sort of pinwheel block project to use them up.

The stitching and trimming is pretty mindless, and I am enjoying listening to podcasts and audio books while I putter.  I just finished listening to The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz, which was pretty good.

Hope your week is going splendidly.  We had a terrible rain/wind storm last night which left one of the awnings over our side porch in tatters.  Hope I can find someone to replace it out here in the boonies.  We sure have been having some weather this winter.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

New Project-American Pie

Aren't these fabrics perfect?  Perfect for me anyway.  I've been talking about the new project I have had in mind to get started on, and finally have something to show for it.

I've made a couple of test blocks and am excited to get going on the project.   The pattern is American Pie by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  I will share more details on it in my next post.

For the block units, I need to apply two folded corner squares to each 4 1/2" print square.  My Folded Corner Ruler by Doug Leko is coming in handy for this step.

Usually I don't bother to save the triangle trimmings, but these are nice and big-over 2", so I guess I'd be crazy not to.  I can make a wonderful table runner with the leftover triangles.  In fact, I could probably make another quilt, there are so many of them!  Over 700 if my memory serves me correctly.

The snow is melted, at my elevation anyway, and school is back in session.  A lot of folks are still without power, including my daughter Sara who lives near Yosemite at a higher elevation than me.  Electricity is unlikely to be restored very quickly so they have been playing cards by lantern light and trying to amuse themselves.  She says they know they are going to lose everything in the freezer, so they got started eating the ice cream last night.  She always steps up to the plate in an emergency.  Hee hee.

Something New

As you know, if you regularly read this blog, I have been itching to start a new project.  Now that I have nearly finished a long running string quilt project, I am ready to move on.  I have something all cut out and ready to dive into, but as often happens, I got sidetracked.

It came to my attention that Fatquartershop.com is sponsoring a charity quilt along they call Threadology.  The sew along will ultimately benefit the Make A Wish Foundation.  Full details can be found on the Jolly Jabber (FQS blog).  I am posing a photo of the finished sampler quilt here:

Fatquartershop will post free patterns and also block making tutorial videos each time a new pattern comes out, which is supposed to be every two weeks.  In addition to the setting above, alternate settings will be shared when certain fund raising goals are met.  You are encouraged to donate $5 to Make A Wish for each free pattern you use.  Details here.  Moda Fabrics will match any donations to this worthy cause.

The first block pattern is for the Ohio Star block, with a dark background and light star.  This is such a great block for showing off fabrics you love. 

You make one 12 inch block and four 6 inch blocks each time a pattern is released.  The first fundraising goal of $3500 has already been met, and therefore, an alternate block arrangement was shared.  This was for a table runner, which I really liked.  I had some pretty Fig Tree red prints in my stash and decided spur of the moment to go ahead and make the five blocks, plus the flying geese/square in a square end strips.  I was not able to finish the runner because I didn't have enough of the tone on tone red for the sashing and border for the runner.

Thanks to the trusty Internet however, I was able to order more of the red and with luck, should be able to finish up the runner in the next week or so.  I hate to have to stop when I was on such a roll, but that's life.

Be sure and check out the links to the Threadology quilt along, as people are sharing photos of their blocks and fabric choices, which is always fun and inspiring.  On Instagram, use #threadologyquiltalong.

Happy Dance

I am doing a happy dance here, because as you can see, I have finished all the string blocks for my Signs of String quilt.  This week I will add the setting triangles and get these rows together for a finish.

Those red blocks took awhile, I tell you.  I am glad I took on this challenge, for it was a learning process as well as a lot of work.  I had never tackled a string block project of any size before, and really didn't realize what I was in for.  The result will be a happy bright quilt in colors I don't usually work with.

My overall impression-
Negatives:  very time consuming, a bit boring/repetitive, wasteful of fabric
Positives:  interesting to work with piecing paper, lots of practice using Folded Corner ruler, sense of accomplishment for sticking with it!

I'll keep you all posted with my finish.  I've got my next project all cut out and a couple of test blocks made, which I am excited to share with you all.  This time you can count on the project being more in my color palette/comfort zone!

Hope your team won yesterday in the big game!  And if it didn't, I hope you had a good time anyway.

Red Blocks

Red block quarter units are all stitched.

And trimmed!

This is a huge step towards my finish.  Now to tear off the piecing papers, sew the folded corners and construct nine blocks.

Do you see that light at the end of the tunnel?

Ozzie update:  Thanks so much for your kind words of support and good wishes.  Ozzie is doing just fine.  His wrappings and the cone are off and he just has a tiny scab on the tip of his right ear.  I've been watching him carefully when he is out in the yard to be sure there isn't anything on the other side of the fence where it shouldn't be.  Remy is keeping him company this week.

Goodbye January.  Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Let's Just Get This Done

I am determined to get this quilt top together this week!  The blocks are taking me forever to make, as there are umpteen steps involved in the construction.  I have nine red blocks to make (18 strip sets and 36 smaller block units).  My strip sets are done.  Today I will press the strip sets and cut out the triangles for the block units.  Would you believe I only get 4 triangles out of one strip set?  That is enough for two quarter block units.

Here is one strip set.

This is what you get from one strip set.  Four triangle units.  You need two of the to make a block unit, and  eight of them to make one full block.

This is what you get from one strip set.  Half of a block. About that same amount of fabric went into the trash.  And don't forget you still need to sew a flip and fold corner to each of these units.

I guess you can see how much is involved in making one block.    I can see why a lot of strip pieced quilts are small! If I ever do another one, it is going to be a candle mat.

It is a bit repetitive to say the least.  I am wishing for a sampler project or a Block of the Month about now for some variety!  But the end is in sight and the quilt will be adorable when it's finished.

Speaking of things that are going on f.o.r.e.v.e.r, is anyone else glad to see the end of January?

String Along Blue Blocks

Yellow blocks:  done.
Green blocks:  done.
Blue blocks:  done.
Red blocks: coming up!

My assembly line process is going great.  I am not so focused on making one block at a time.  I make my strip sets and cut them into triangles.  I paper piece the triangles onto my quarter block units.  I attach my sew and flip squares and put the four block units together to make the complete block.  It is going much faster to do it this way.  

I am going to try to finish up those red blocks in the next couple of days and get this top together.  I am so ready to move on to a new project.

The Moda String Along has been a very fun project and was a challenge to me as I had not worked much with foundation papers before.  The colorful fabrics are very cheerful, but not quite my usual colors.  I am itching to get started on a Jo Morton quilt, with those fall colors that are my favorites!

Update on the audio book I am listening to:  Clock Dance by Anne Tyler.  Sigh.  I have spent about seven hours (so far) with the most annoying and tiresome characters.  The protagonist is such a wimpy milktoast of a woman that I want to pinch her.  My sympathies are starting to lie with her totally obnoxious and condescending husband, who in real life I would put up with for about five minutes before I showed him the door.  Honestly, there is not one single character in this book who is not irritating.  This is not Anne Tyler's best effort in my opinion.

Hope you are all having a grand week.

Tools on Tuesday

I had posted a few photos of my string blocks on Instagram, and my daughter was asking me to post a photo that would show the size of the block.  The blocks are made up of four 5 inch smaller blocks, that when sewn together, finish at one 10 inch block.

I have thrown myself into making the blue blocks and wanted to show you a ruler I have been using that I really like.

This is the Simple Folded Corner ruler by Doug Leko.  I purchased it in a larger size when it first came out, but honestly when I make folded corner squares, they are usually tiny.  When this smaller version of the ruler came out I bought one and use it more than the larger size.

I was getting so tired of drawing lines on those darn little squares, when I remembered "Oh right.  I have that ruler..."

This is what it looks like, and here is how you use it:

Take one block unit and one folded corner square.

Place your folded corner square precisely on the corner of the block unit.

Position the ruler on top of the corner square, lining every edge up with the marks on the rulers.  Notice the dark solid diagonal line on the ruler, a quarter inch in from the edge of the ruler?  That solid line is going to be your stitching line, but nothing needs to be marked.  It is an exact quarter inch from the edge.

Cut on that outside edge of the ruler.  Say "Thank you for coming" to the little yellow triangle you just cut off and throw it away.

Sew as usual, using your quarter inch presser foot.

And there you go.  Now for the "folded corner" thing.

Fold it over and press.

That took longer to explain than to actually do.  I have to say, I get more accurate results with the ruler than I do with drawing those darn lines and stitching on them.

Hope your week got off to a good start!

String Along Green Blocks

Just a quick update that my green string blocks are all done.  This is how the blocks will be arranged in the quilt top.  A center red block with surrounds of yellow blocks, then green blocks, then blue blocks, then more red blocks.

I am well into finishing the blue blocks and then will start on the mammoth task of making all the red ones.  I am getting just a teensy bit bored with this project, so I want to continue on and get it all wrapped up.  It is a good project for listening to an engrossing audio book, I will say that.

I have been listening to Anne Tyler's Clock Dance.

The story is Anne Tyler's typical style.  A private glimpse into a person's domestic life, warts and all.  So far, Willa, the main character seems to be sleep walking through her life despite some significant dramas.  I am pretty sure any minute now something significant must happen to wake her up....

Hope you all enjoyed a nice weekend.  It is a three day holiday for us here in the US, as we honor Martin Luther King's birthday.

Another Approach

I was complaining yesterday about how long it is taking me to make these string blocks.  Each full block consists of four quarter block units.

 

You need four of these to make one full block as shown in the photo below:

So I decided not to be so block focused and instead work on the block elements in an assembly line style.  Yesterday I started in on the 16 green strip sets I need to make my 32 green block quarter units.  After pressing my strip sets, I got my 64 green strip set triangles all cut out.

Once the green units were ready to go, I started in on the 24 blue strip sets I need for my 48 blue quarter block units.

After that is the massive red strip set job.  I need 34 red strip sets to make 68 red quarter block units.  

Once all the strip sets are cut up into triangle units I will get going on actually making blocks.  I think with this quilt, a systematic approach is the only way I won't feel overwhelmed. 

I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how this is working for me!

I also wanted to make a correction:  The name of the pattern I am using is "Signs of String".  I kept thinking it was called "String Along", but that was wrong.