Sister's Choice Quilts

Found Treasure

Oh my gosh, look what I found yesterday. Way up high on a closet shelf there was a project box labeled "Granny Blocks".  When I pulled it down I was blown away to discover these quilt blocks made from a
Pam Kitty Morning collection for LakeHouse Fabrics. I must have made these seven years ago. I vaguely recall making them and I may have even sewn some together for a baby quilt for a niece some years ago. 

Presently though, I have no idea what to do with them! I could make more blocks, but at this point, I have no idea what the white outer fabric was, so it might not match exactly. Not that big a deal I don't think. I can get pretty close with a current Bella Solid. But what should I do with the blocks?  I do not know of anyone who is expecting a baby girl right now. I suppose I could make a baby quilt and keep it on hand for that happy occurrence. Eventually, someone I know will have a baby girl, right?

I wonder why on earth Lakehouse stopped making Pam Kitty Morning fabrics? I recall they were hugely popular, and seriously are way cuter than a lot of other fabrics of this type. Pam has a terrific blog. She has tutorials for fabulous projects and is fun to read. She starts out some of her posts with a photo of a cup of coffee in her garden and saying "It's a PamKittyMorning". She is upbeat and friendly and seems super nice too.

I have a question for you all. Do you think I should separate the blocks with a white lattice? Or do you like the idea of the blocks all looking "connected"?

So, this was a lucky day for me, finding a treasure trove of pretty blocks in gorgeous fabrics. Hope your day was as fortunate!

Extreme Happy Mail

Normally I dislike it when bloggers post all about all the fabric they are buying and rarely about what they make with it, but I just have to share this. You know I have confessed that I have been on a bit of a buying spree lately. My latest purchase arrived yesterday and I am feeling quite excited. 

Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet is doing a red sampler sew along, that is just so darn cute. I know I said no more red quilts for a long while, but this one is irresistible. Check it out, see if you don't feel the same. This is her fat quarter bundle of reds to get you started on the sew along.

And then. And then I got this Moda kit to make a red white and blue flag quilt by Primitive Gatherings.

This Flag Stands For Freedom is a Moda kit that features fat quarters from the new American Gatherings collection by Primitive Gatherings. There is a ton of fabric in the kit. Fatquarters of the entire collection plus some extra yardage. Moda kits are so attractively packaged, and you have to love the box.

I have a couple of projects I have been saving for summer, and this will be one of them!

New Layer Cakes

This fabric collection was so big last summer. I didn't jump on the bandwagon unfortunately and came to regret it. Luckily you can still purchase precuts and yardage of this super cute group on Etsy and some online fabric shops. Back Porch by Me and My SIster for Moda. Did you follow along with the free pattern sew-along on Moda Bake Shop Last Summer? There is one block that is a canning jar that is the cutest thing ever.

This is probably going to be this summer's most popular fabric collection. Strawberries and Rhubarb by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda. It has all of the perfect colors you would expect from Fig Tree. I believe Fatquartershop.com is featuring it in their Designer Mystery Quilt sew-along for 2021.

I have no idea what I will make with either of these fabric groups at this point in time, but i know I wanted to have some on hand. I ended up purchasing layer cakes of each just to have it and give me some options. Do you ever do that? Buy a smaller pre-cut of a collection just so you don't miss out entirely on it?

I didn't feel like committing to a full fat quarter bundle of each but felt comfortable springing for the lower-priced layer cake option. 

I sure hope you all had a great weekend. I visited my dad, who claims to be "in the pink". We had Safeway soup and salad one night and Marie Callendar Chicken Pot Pie the other and he swore it was the best food ever. I have given up cooking anything fancy for him. He eats two tablespoons and says he can't take another bite. However, when I give him a bowl of soup, he eats it all.

I stopped at a Target on the way and picked up some fun new summer things for Eva. We had fun discussing on the phone which bikini was the cutest.

I preferred the orange one but was outvoted. The blue came home with me.

Bella Solids Lights De-mystified

When it comes to the Moda Bella Solids that are so prevalently used as background fabrics, have you been confused? Have you wondered which of the cream or white fabrics is a perfect match for the fabric collection you are working with?

Well, I have kinda sorta figured it out. One thing that may help is that you can buy a fat quarter collection of Bella Solids Lights from Fatquartershop.com.

The different fat quarters are labeled with the name and SKU number of the Bella Solid. The bundle costs $35, but I cut strips of each fabric and stapled its label onto it, and sewed them all together in a sample collection. There were a couple of lights that I use that weren't in the bundle, but it was easy to add them on.  Fig Tree Cream and Kona Snow were the two I added. The leftover fabric from the $35 bundle won't go to waste. I will use it in something.

When you sew with certain designer's collections, you also come to know which Bella lights work with their collections. They are pretty consistent over time from collection to collection. For instance, Minick and Simpson and 3 Sisters both use Bella Porcelain 9900-182. Corey Yoder of Coriander quilts uses Bella 9900-200 "Off-White". Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms uses "Off-White" a lot as well. Lella Boutique seems to favor Bella Solid 9900-97 "Bleached White". The designer will often provide the coordinating Bella Solid information on their blog. Occasionally, but by no means consistently Moda fabrics will include the information on the fabric collection "Fabric Download" page. I have also had good luck doing a Google search when all else fails. If I am getting nowhere, I will email or call the Fatquarter Shop and ask their customer service team if they can offer a suggestion of the best match and have always been extremely helpful. I have a feeling you could email the designer and most would answer you as well.

I hope this information is helpful to you!

 

 

 

 

 

Roselyn Fabric Collection

This new collection called Roselyn by Minick and Simpson finally has arrived in fabric shops. Poor Moda is a month or more backed up in its release schedule due to shipping delays and issues with the weather in Texas.

I have been waiting for this one for a while and am so glad to get it into my hands. I know I said no more red quilts, but I can't seem to help myself.

FYI, the collection has some outstanding backgrounds that are worth a second look.

There are some beautiful pinks in the line and I will absolutely be making some kind of Valentine's runner out of whatever is left over after I use most of it for a quilt.

Hope you all had a great weekend! It is really starting to feel like spring here. I stopped at a garden center in the more populated area where my dad lives and got some really unusual plants I am excited to plant in pots on my porch. I can never find anything this unique where I live. I can tell you that garden center is going to be a regular stop for me every Sunday on my way home.

Bacopa, calibrochoa, and some kind of amazing sedum at the bottom. I think that color combination is so striking.

Supertunia and more calibrochoa.

Osteospermum.

Fancy Summer Breeze

Isn't this pull of fabric happy? It is a combination of Lori Holt's "Prim" and "Flea Market", Corey Yoder's "Spring Brook", and Lily Ashbury's "Fancy". I think Lily Ashbury was ahead of her time with those fun bright-hued fabrics. They are hugely popular now with designers such as Lori Holt and April Rosenthal putting out two or more collections a year.

My Lily Ashbury fabrics are several years old and were pulled out of my "Happy Fabrics" bin for a new project I have in mind. 

How cute is this pattern "Summer Breeze" by Carried Away? That border is wonderful. It is a mini quilt, only 26" square. I have enough fabric to make six of these quilts, I swear. I will just be dipping my toe into it. I sure do love shopping from home!

Here is my first little test pinwheel block. I think I love it.

What prompted this new project, when I have six UFOs in process?

Well, I was trying to get out some springy table toppers/runners to decorate for Easter, and was sorely disappointed in my lack of them. I had plenty of fall decor, but not much cheerful, light and appropriate for this time of year and going forward. These rich, color-saturated colors are perfect.

Please somebody tell me I have enough fall-colored quilts. And for heaven's sake, if I start yet another red and white quilt, somebody call the quilt police.

Heartfelt Sew Along

This is the first block in another sew-along hosted by Gay Bomers at Sentimental Stitches. This one is called Heartfelt and is a block of the week program. The cost is $30, and since the program lasts for 30 weeks, it breaks down to $1 per block/week, which seems like a great deal when you consider the effort that went into planning it.

This sew-along works so nicely as a two-color quilt. I am doing mine in red, white, and pink, but it would be stunning in blues. The fabric I am using is Roselyn by Minick and Simpson. It is due in stores any day now, but has been delayed by the usual COVID excuses. Laundry Basket also has a collection of reds, pinks and whites that is available now. It is called Sweet Sixteen and is super pretty. As a matter of fact, the two collections would probably look great together.

Yesterday was a nice balmy day, perfect for starching and dryng fabrics, so that is what I did. I swear they were dry and ready to use in a couple of hours. The Roselyn prints are really just gorgeous. Take a look at this one piece with a morning glory motif.

Hope your week is going well.

 

Perfect for February

How beautiful is this fabric collection? It is Roselyn by Minick and Simpson. I am sure it was meant to come out in February for Valentine's projects, but due to COVID-related shipping delays, it hasn't come out yet. I bought this little fat 8th bundle from an Etsy seller. No idea how she managed to get it ahead of schedule. I am planning a red/pink/cream project which I will tell you more about soon. I still need a background and probably some additional yardage, but I will have to wait.

Did you all see that Fatquartershop has been closed for a few days due to the terrible weather in Texas? Their employees couldn't even get to work apparently. I hope all our friends in Texas are recovering from that ordeal. 

Have I mentioned these Olfa Endurance rotary blades to you before? They are pretty amazing. The package claims they last twice as long as the normal Olfa cutting blades, but I think they are being modest. In my experience, they last WAY longer than the normal blades. Maybe even three or four times as long. Of course, they are more expensive, but I think they are so worth it. The ones pictured above I bought on Amazon for under $10 apiece. I know that is a lot for a single rotary cutter blade, but these are so good. 

Now you will have to excuse me. I have a bundle of fabric to fondle and a rotary blade to change.

Hope your week got off to a good start.

A Few New Purchases

Like RIp Van Winkle, I recently woke up and realized I had missed out on some great fabric collections. I made a valiant effort to acquire some pieces of these fabrics, and this is what I managed. I could not get my hands on the precise cuts that I wanted, but that is what happens when you are asleep at the switch when fabrics are released and you do not purchase them in a timely manner.

The first collection above, is Harvest Road by Lella Boutique. Beautiful blues and greens and tans, in the most innovative and lovely prints. I managed to score a layer cake, a honey bun, and some green print fabric I could use for a backing or border. I really wish I could have found some of the navy print shown on the top of the layer cake, but alas, it seems to be all gone. 

This is half of a Bonnie and Camille collection called "At Home". The Camille part of it is beautiful prints in a navy and green colorway. I managed to get a honey bun and some green border fabric. I am challenged to figure out how to use a honey bun, but this fabric is so pretty, I can't wait to come up with something.

And this is Bonnie's version of the same "At Home" collection. This is all done in reds and greens and will make the most delectable Christmas project. I cannot wait to make some kind of table runner or table topper with this group. I was so happy I scored some of the main red print for a border. Again, all I could get was a honey bun, so there is that. 

And this is the latest block for the Sewcialites sew-along. I have to say, it completly broke me. I tried for hours to get this block to turn out and I failed. Totally. I suspect there is some problem with the dimensions of that first square in a square unit. I think it is a smidge too big. I could not get the quarter inch seam allowance I needed to attach the outer units. My block was just off and I don't know why. I could not get a final 6.5" block. Believe me, I re-did it umpteen times. I spent hours on it. Nope. Couldn't do it. On FaceBook, people kept saying "you have to do a scant quarter inch seam", but really? I think I will have to come up with another block to substitute in its place. Seriously, I am done with this one.

Hope you all had a nice weekend. I spent mine with my father, and I am so grateful for the time we had together. As I write this, it is Valentine's evening, and my husband and I have had a lovely dinner.  Looking foward to a night sleeping in my own bed!

French General Explosion

I was very lucky to be the recipient of a lot of French General fabric at Christmas. My son in Ireland, who completely understands my love of fabric sent me a vast amount of it as a Christmas gift. He purchased it from a shop in England and had it mailed to him in Dublin, then sent it to me in California.  It got waylaid back in England, staying at Heathrow airport for over two weeks, but finally arrived.  Covid-19 is wreaking havoc with mail delivery in the UK as well as the US.

He had ordered half meter cuts of a variety of pinks and reds. What you see in the photo above is just what I have starched so far.  I cut it all into fat quarters and am only using half of what he sent for now.

So I have around 30 fat quarters of this delicious fabric to use in a project, and about the same amount to stash away for the future.

And I am quite excited about it. It's kind of crazy, since I just finished an enormous project using all French General fabrics. That would be my red pineapple quilt. But you know what? I am not really tired of this designer's fabric!

My new project is going to be a very large bed sized quilt in a basket design. I have always loved basket blocks and this should satisfy that itch.

I'll tell you more about the pattern later, but there are a lot of baskets blocks in this quilt, and a lot of half square triangles in each basket block. I made a test block and like it. But it took a while. I can see I will have to pace myself with this project. It could take another eight years. Just kidding I think.

My week got crazy busy unexpectedly, with a big work assignment from the company I write for. Plus, my dad isn't doing well, so my sisters and I are taking turns staying with him. My shift is Thursday through Sunday. Not sure how much I will be able to blog, but I'll try!