Sister's Choice Quilts

Fabric Bin Organization

Just a quick post to let you all know I am still alive.  The weather cooled down to the high 80s over the weekend, so I took advantage of the cooler temps and went out to the garage to organize my fabric storage.  We picked up some new bins at Walmart and I was able to put away the surplus fabric that had been piling up in my sewing room over the past year.  I have so much fabric from my favorite designers that is left over from projects.  I don't want to discard it, as it usually goes great with future collections these designers release.  Honestly, with each new project, I can be found rummaging in these bins to find things that coordinate with whatever new fabric line I am working with.

My organization method is somewhat haphazard.  Feel free to enlarge the photos to see my labels.   Some bins are for specific designers, if I have substantial leftovers to warrant a separate bin in their name.  Other bins are just fabrics by color:  reds, light greens, yellow & gold etc.  And then we have smaller bins for abandoned postponed projects.  I know i will get back to that Moda Blockheads quilt one of these days.  And those birds I wanted to make from leftover Fig Tree fabric... 

All in good time.  And meanwhile, in these labeled bins, there is a chance I can find those projects again when I am ready.

Temperatures are supposed to be between 102-105 the next few days, so I will be inside with a fan aimed at me.

Birthday Goodies

Some recent birthday shopping has been happening.

My birthday was earlier this month and I was fortunate to receive some gift certificate bounty for Fatquartershop.com from various loving relatives.  I put the gift certificates to good use (they are probably still smoking) and ordered two fat quarter collections.  The one in the two photos above is the Temecula Treasures collection.  Lots of clear toned small Reproduction prints in this one.

And this one is Riviera Rose by Renee Nanneman.

Reds and blacks and tan, with one amazing large scale black and red print that ties it all together.

I was thinking the reds and blacks could be very interesting in this Laundry Basket Kelley pattern.

Not much sewing going on here so far this summer, but I can always dream of the future, right?

I wonder if I could set up my Featherweight poolside?

Chateau Rouge Cutting

Didn't we have great comments yesterday to my complaints of not feeling inspired to sew lately?  My gosh, so many of you weighed in with ideas for projects that were exciting to you.  The enthusiasm just leapt off the page.   If that wasn't a shot in the arm, I don't know what would be!

I got my red French General strips all cut out and a fair number of strip sets sewn together and cut out.  I think this project is going to go quickly, which is just what I need right now.  Instant gratification.  In spite of pre-washing my fabrics, I am getting the required eight triangles cut out of each pieced strip set.

I am using a 60 degree equilateral triangle ruler by Creative Grids.  My triangles are being measured on the 8 inch line near the bottom of the ruler.

Do you see how the bottom three strips are off-set by about an inch?  That is to be sure you get every smidgen of use out of your strip set and get your eight triangles from the WOF.

I need 108 of the pieced triangles.

Hope your week got off to a good start.  Thanks for all the encouragement and suggestions yesterday.

Starting Something

Well, this weekend I started something.  And it's been awhile since that has happened.  Honestly, I just have not been excited about any new projects lately.  None of the latest collections, or patterns or color schemes have appealed to me much.  I don't recall ever being in such a creative slump.  All the designs by my favorite designers have seemed to be much of the same as that which they have produced in previous seasons.  Nothing has grabbed me, or sparked that excitement of new possibilities.  

It is making me wonder if my taste in Reproduction fabrics and classic quilt designs has become passé?  Barbara Brackman stated on her blog Civil War Quilts, that the number of reproduction fabric collections at Quilt Market this past weekend was very sparse. 

From the photos I have seen from Spring Market, apparently there is a big trend towards all grey or black, grey and white quilts.  No color.  I am not completely opposed to this concept, it is just going to take me a bit of time to come to terms with the idea.  I crave something new and innovative, but am not sure if that is the direction I want to go.

At any rate, I have been browsing various online sites for glimpses of upcoming kits, collections and patterns.  I found one by 3 Sisters that appealed to me.

3 Sisters has a collection called Cinnaberry that is all red and cream fabrics.  I love the look of this simple design, called Holly Berries, made up entirely of triangles.  I was so close to ordering it when I remembered I had a collection of French General fabrics called Chateau Rouge.  I have hoarded this fabric for years, because it was just too pretty to cut up.  The Chateau Rouge collection came with a free pattern of the same name, and guess what?  It is made up entirely of triangles.

I decided this time that I would shop at home, and make up this quilt that I have been thinking about for years.  The red triangles are actually made up of red strips, which give the quilt top so much texture and dimension.  It is a simple design, but taken just that one step further.

So with Eva and Ozzie's help, I got my fabrics washed and starched over the weekend.  I hope to start cutting today and am keeping my fingers crossed that this will get me out of my quilting doldrums.

How about you?  Am I alone in not relating to a lot of the new trends and collections that have been on offer the past year or so?  What is new and exciting to you?  Please share what you are drawn to lately.  I know I can't be the only one wishing for some inspiration.

This and That

I had my tiny little table topper quilted, and it came out so cute!  It is the perfect size for a candle or vase of flowers.  Still need to do the binding, but at least I have the fabric and know where to find it.

I needed more fabric for my Sweet Escape blocks, and good old Fabric Shack came through, as I knew they would, so I am ready to finish up those blocks.  I am seriously considering a scrappy companion piece in a log cabin design, featuring a layer cake of an older Minick and Simpson collection that has red, light blue, navy and cream.  I can see those two quilts out on my front porch on those nights during the summer when we want to sit outside and stargaze.  Red white and blue seems like such a summer color scheme, doesn't it?

In Instant Pot news, I am still completely smitten.  So smitten that I ordered the larger 6 quart size in addition to the mini 3 quart size I started out with.  This appliance is a complete game changer, I tell you.  Over the weekend, I made a Tomato Beef Curry that was perfect for entertaining.  Monday night I made Chicken Paprikash, which was so good I was talking to myself while I was eating it.  "Mmm, so good.  Wow, this is fabulous.  Mmmm.  Yum."   Seriously, this was the best $70 I have spent in, well I don't know, ever?  I love how you can saute the onions in the pot, then brown your chicken (in the same pot), then toss the noodles in the same pot, switch to Pressure Cook and in 4 minutes you have the most delicious dinner imaginable. And only one pan to wash.

I made home made mac and cheese for Eva in about 10 minutes, and she gave it her thumbs up sign of approval.  I took a bite, and even though mac and cheese is not something I typically crave, I decided then and there maybe I needed to have a small bowl of it. And it was good.   I have a cookbook called The Instant Pot Bible, which is great, but I also have gotten a ton of recipes and tips from two YouTube sites:  Pressure Luck and Six Sisters Stuff.

Hope your week got off to a good start!  Mine sure did.  I now have a fridge full of mac and cheese and chicken paprikash to eat all week long!

Spice It Up

Can you believe how gorgeous this fabric collection is?  It is Spice It Up by Jo Morton, designed for Moda.  The colors are my favorite warm autumn tones, and I can think of so many projects that this fabric would be perfect for.  If you are a collector of Jo's fabrics, you know that her new collections always "play" beautifully with her past ones.  You can achieve an amazing scrappy look by combining Jo fabrics from your stash.

Check out your local quilt shop, they may have it in stock.  If not, there are loads of places you can order it from on line.

Hope you all had a good weekend.  Mine was great, spent with family.  I am not seeing so much of my husband now that he has been persuaded to come out of retirement to work in the city.  We made the most of our Saturday and of our Sunday morning.  We even went out for lunch and had a cocktail.

A Zombie.  Yes, it was blue.  And had a brain floating in it.  But you know what?  It was actually pretty good.  Really.

That's Just Swell

I had to do it.  This is the Swell Christmas kit by Urban Chiks.  Do you know Moda is sold out of these already?  Fatquartershop is as well and won't be getting anymore.  I found one on Etsy for a great price and snapped it up.  Whew.  I would have been so disappointed to miss out on this little kit.  I think it will be so sweet on Eva's bed during the Christmas season.  

When you open up the box, the presentation is so darling.  You have your instructions, the glorious fabrics and the Retro Santa appliqué.  I have not read the instructions yet, but to look at it, that must be what it is.

At the rate my summer sewing is plodding along, I had better crank up the pace a bit to get this done and quilted by November.

There are still some kits available if you search Etsy and quiltshops.com.  If you think you want one, don't wait too long.

Hope you all had a great weekend, and that the father's in your lives did as well.  On special occasions, my dad often asks me to make him tomato aspic, a dish he enjoys, but no one else in the family will touch.  I have come to like it actually.  Talk about something retro.  It is made with V8 juice, Knox gelatin, diced celery, red pepper, avocado, and tiny cocktail shrimp.  Lots of tangy flavor from vinegar and Worchestershire sauce.  My mom used to make it for him when she was with us, and it always brings back happy memories.

 

Squishy Packages

Oh gosh, I may not be sewing up a storm, but some serious shopping has been going on.  The gorgeous stack of blues in the photo above is from the Regency Blues by Christopher Wilson-Tate collection by Moda.  Oh my goodness, is this fabric ever lovely.  I have a plan to make a Laundry Basket design that involves a lot of blue stars...  Seriously, if you like blues, check this collection out.

Various backgrounds and backings.  A necessary expense, so be sure and check the Sale section on your favorite online fabric sites.  Bargains do occasionally come up, and you will be very happy to score something good.

Another fun opportunity to score something for a bargain price is on the Fatquatershop's daily Flash Sales.  Check it out, this "Jolly Bar" (the equivalent of two charm packs) was offered at a steal a week ago.  American Jane is one of my favorite designers (Sandy Klop), so I couldn't resist. Every day they offer something at a price slashed deal, and it might be to your taste now and then.  Just get on the FQS email list and you will get daily notices of what they are practically giving away.

Maybe next time I post I will have something to share that I have actually shown.  Or maybe not...

 

Pinwheels and Hourglass Blocks

Just revel in these gorgeous fabrics for a moment.  Ahhhh.  Aren't they just the best?  The darker fabrics are mostly Rachel Remembered by Betsy Chutchian, and the lighter ones are from my stash.  I absolutely love those blues and golds. And of course the reds and browns.  But those golds....

It's an old Bonnie Blue pattern I have had around for years.  Windmills.  The blocks are alternating pinwheels and hourglass blocks, with flying geese for the borders.  The blocks are only 4" finished, so the quilt made as the pattern directs is only 56 inches square.  Sorry, that is just not a terribly useful size imho.

So I need to make more blocks.  Heaven knows I have plenty of fabric.  I have pulled at least 75 prints so far. I just love the colorful, festive look of this quilt.  There is something very joyful about it.

Hope you all have had a good week. I appreciate the comments I received regarding my favorite notions.  It's funny isn't it? We think we have seen it all, but every year there are new things that make our quilting journey easier or at least more fun.

Have a terrific weekend everyone!

Tootsie Pops

I have been dreaming about spring table runners.  I knew I didn't want anything too pastel, but definitely wanted fresh greens and maybe some lavender.  No pattern or fabric collection stood out for me.  That is until a couple of days ago when I was browsing through Instagram and saw the perfect spring table runner.

Linda Hrcka of The Quilted Pineapple (machine quilter extraordinaire) showed a lovely picture of a runner she had made with a fabric collection by Jan Patek, and a pattern by Fig Tree called Tootsie Pops.  Exactly what I have been wanting to make.

So, I went to the stash closet and got up on a step stool so I could really see what was on that higher shelf.  I had a fat bundle of Brannock and Patek fabric called Lilac Hill, from TEN years ago that I have been saving for something really special.  I know.  It is insane to hoard a fabric bundle that long, but it isn't like it is going to go bad, right?  A few years ago I had made a quilt with another Brannock and Patek collection called Audra's Iris Garden that has many of the same colors.  I put together a stack of prints fro both groups and loved how they look together.  The fabrics have the green and lavender I was going for, and some beautiful reds.  Have to include the reds.

I downloaded the pattern from the Fig Tree website and was good to go.  Don't you love it when things come together?

I got started and cut out my fabric-a two and half inch strip of each of the colors shown in the photo at the top of the post.  So, I still have enough of this fabric left over to make about 50 more table runners, or even a full sized quilt.  Or I can keep on hoarding it.