Sister's Choice Quilts

A Quilt For Her Sister

Several years ago I mentored a young friend for a year.  She was working on her senior project for high school and wanted to learn how to quilt.  She was an apt and eager student, and during the course of year, she completed several baby quilts which were donated to women in need who had infants.  

Once the senior project was finished, my young friend wanted to make a quilt for her older sister.  I gave her a bundle of fabric by Zen Chic called "Juggling Summer" and she chose a pattern she liked.  My friend finished the quilt top and it was greatly admired by everyone, and then tucked away.  Her family moved house, she started college and a job, but the quilt wasn't forgotten.  Five years passed.  The older sister has since married and moved to Georgia and had a baby of her own.  The girls talk often and more often than not, the older sister reminds my friend of the quilt she was supposed to complete and give to her.  It has become a source of sisterly teasing and frequent conversation.  "So, where's my quilt?"

At long last, with some assistance, my young friend was connected with a long arm quilter who was able to machine quilt the quilt top both speedily and brilliantly.  You see, the older sister is coming to California to visit and show off the baby in just a couple of weeks.  Just under the wire, the quilt has been quilted, but still needs to have the binding hand sewn down.   I gave my friend a lesson in hand sewing bindings and all the supplies she needs to complete the task.  She says she is up to it, but if for any reason it looks like she needs help, I am at the ready.  Big sister is going to get her quilt at last!

Sweet Escape Finished!

I am so happy to share this Sweet Escape quilt with you all.  It has been on my design wall for ages,  just waiting for me to sew the rows together.  It wasn't such a hard task after all, and it feels great to have it done.

The Sweet Escape Sew Along was hosted by Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms.  The pattern is hers as well.  Do check out the Instagram site for loads of photos of what other folks have accomplished.  You will be so inspired.  It was a very fun sew along in which to have participated.  I did purchase the pdf version of Camille's pattern, but ended up changing it a bit.  In her version, her blocks are 10.5", and I made mine smaller at 8.5".  The reason for going with a smaller block is because I wanted to use my Creative Grids Log Cabin ruler.  I used the 6 inch ruler, but added one more round of strips and trimmed it with my Precision Trim ruler. My center unit is different as well.  I made a half square triangle rather than use a solid square.

I used mostly Sweet Tea fabric by Sweetwater for Moda.  It seemed fitting to use it for a quilt called Sweet Escape!  I selected the reds, navys and tans from that line.  My taupe fabric in the alternate blocks is something I had in my stash that just happened to go brilliantly with the chosen collection.

I am super pleased with how this project turned out (especially that it is done), and plan to send it off to be quilted as soon as possible.

Hope you are all having a great week!

 

Two Runners Put to Use

The binding is going well.  I've been sitting on the porch with an audio book and stitching for awhile every day.  This Fig Tree runner looks so pretty on my dining table.  I love the toned down colors for summer.

The colors in this one definitely are not toned down, but it is so darn cute.  That quilting design is called Mini Marmalade, and may be one of my favorites ever.  I have this little topper on my kitchen counter at the end of the island, and am really enjoying it.

I took my husband's pocket change and a business card off of it for the picture, but even with the junk it seems to attract, it's cute.

Hope you all had a nice weekend.  We apparently have gone from a rainy Spring directly into Summer, but I am not complaining.  We got our herbs planted this weekend, and I am looking forward to making pasta with them sprinkled throughout.

We bought these raised boxes last year and they definitely solved the issue we were having with gophers!

The flowers are going crazy, including these petunias I thought were goners after the deer ate the tops off all of them.  We just put them in the back yard out of the deers' reach and they grew back better than ever.  I guess that proves the rule that once your flowers have bloomed, cut them back and they will bloom again.

I Am a Slacker

I think one of the reasons I have been avoiding my sewing room is due to all the nearly finished projects that have been piling up over the past year.  I don't know what finally got me up there, but I bit the bullet this weekend and attached the binding to 9 quilts.  Yes 9.  How did that happen?

Above you see my Flag quilt and my Square in a Square quilt.  I love both of them and it is high time they went into rotation around  here.

Next up is my Pinwheel Quilt in Betsy Chutchian fabrics and my Courthouse Steps Quilt in so many of my treasured Jo Morton scraps.

Then we come to the table runners and table toppers.  The Fig Tree "Clover" runner, the  "Fat Quarter Flourish" quilt with Sherri and Chelsi fabrics, and the tiny little candle mat that looks kind of like a game board.

Lastly my green pineapple runner and my scrappy Christmas tree runner.

I can't believe I have been sitting on these for so long, but it's a great feeling to get those bindings attached at last.  Now to do the hand sewing and stitch them down.

I have some other UFOs that are making me feel guilty and those are going to be what I tackle next.  Those are a couple of large projects that I have got to complete.  It is hard to justify buying anything new when I have such a long list of things to finish.

Hope you all had a great weekend.  It was Memorial Day weekend here in the US, and we celebrated by having my sister and her husband overnight, and by visiting my daughter and son in law's restaurant.  My other son in law cooked ribs Monday night, and I was so happy to join in for those.  I never cook them for just us, so it was a real treat.  Now if it would just stop raining and the sun would come out...

Stringalong Quilt Finished!

I am so happy with this finish!  Putting the blocks together was a project and a half, and I admit to getting bogged down when it came to sewing them together.  The blocks have been on my design wall for weeks and weeks.  The pattern is Signs of String by Clark Street Quilts and the fabric is from two lines by Moda Designer Linzee McCray, Red Rover and True Blue. The blocks took a ton of fabric, and seemed like an eternity to complete, but the result is pretty spectacular.  I wonder what this project would have looked like in Jo Morton or Kansas Troubles fabrics?  Just a thought.

In other news, I have been having a great time working on my Sweet Escapes Variation project, and look forward to showing you my progress on that front.  I can tell you this:  my project will look nothing like the pattern!  That is to say, when you look at the pattern, you will think, "Oh right, that's cool", but in actual fact, the way I am plotting out the placement of the colors is going to give it a completely different look.  I am excited about that.

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Ours involved a corned beef dinner courtesy of my son in law.  I have plans for a major shopping excursion today with a friend who has lost a ton of weight, who needs new jeans and new bras.  I have planned the trip with myself as sort of a shopping guide, so we will see how that goes!  I'll keep you posted.  Chicos and Soma are on our hit list.

 

It's a Red and White Christmas

It's a red and white Christmas at my house.  My quilter sent home my red and white quilt just in time for the holidays.  It still needs its bindings, but that can happen during the next few days.  I photographed it outside my sewing room, next to my upstairs tree, where it looks very Christmassy indeed.  It will be terrific to have this heirloom to pull out during the holidays.

This quilt was made over a couple of years time.  The inspiration was Primitive Gatherings "The Magic of Christmas" sew along.  I made most of the sew along blocks, but added in other blocks that I liked as well as lots of basket blocks.  Basket blocks have always been a favorite of mine, and I thought they fit right in with the holiday theme.

This poor quilt has developed quite a lot from its original concept, which was to have the blocks set on the diagonal, and use both red and green blocks.  I changed my mind about using the green blocks and will use them in another project some day.  

I also tossed many of the original blocks because I thought my piecing could be improved upon.  The final blocks sat in a drawer for a long time, because I could not come up with a setting I loved.  Carrie Nelson came through with an imaginative setting that I shamelessly copied.  In her setting, the blocks were set in quadrants of four blocks each, which were then surrounded by flying geese.  Lots of geese.

All in all, it was worth the wait, and I am pretty satisfied.  It's a wrap!

Red and White Quilt Finally a Finish

 

It is with a rather large feeling of relief that I tell you that my red and white quilt is finally a finish.  The blocks started out as a Christmas sew along sponsored by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings.  The sew along was just a jumping off point for me, as I made a lot of additions that made the quilt my own.  I would say that about half the blocks in my quilt are from the sew along, and the rest are from various quilting books I had on hand.  I had the idea that I wanted to add in some basket blocks as well.

The blocks sat in a drawer for about a year, as I could not decide upon a setting.  Ultimately, I saw a photo of a quilt setting designed by Carrie Nelson for a completely different sew along.  Her setting involved surrounding groups of four blocks with lattices of flying geese. Hundreds of flying geese.

When I finally pulled the quilt blocks out of hiding from in the dresser, I was dismayed to see that quite a few of them just were not up to my present standards of excellence.  You see, at the time I had made them, I had not yet discovered the joys of starching.  Now that I starch my fabrics before cutting and sewing, my piecing is so much better.  With so many blocks not measuring up to the correct block size, or unsatisfactory due to other inaccuracies, I ended up remaking over a dozen of them.

Once the process of getting all 48 blocks up to snuff was completed, I started in on the over 300 flying geese.  I have to say, I definitely stalled out on this project.  I found myself avoiding even going into my sewing room, as the sight of that unfinished red and white quilt on the design wall just sucked the joy out of my mood.  I am glad I persevered however, as I know this quilt represents a ton of work and will be a great addition to my collection.  During the holidays we will all enjoy it hanging from our upstairs balcony where it can be seen so well from below.

I am quite ready to move on to some new project, and have a couple of things in mind.  There is some fabric starching to do, and I am waiting for some background fabric to arrive.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my pattern giveaway earlier in the week.  I hope the three winners will enjoy the patterns and perhaps pass some on to others.

Holiday Quilt Countdown

Here is a little sideways view of my almost completed red and white Christmas quilt.  I have been getting up into the sewing room sporadically and making the rest of the flying geese.  Only three more strips of ten geese to go, then I will assemble the sections.  The final step will be to add the outer border which I think is just going to be the Eggshell white that I have used for the flying geese and lattice squares.

I like the simplicity of that sort of border treatment, since the blocks are so different from one another.

The end is finally in sight with these darn flying geese.

I'd really like to finish this quilt up and get it to the quilter.  She is so good at getting things back to me pretty quickly, that I have a chance at having it in use by Christmas.

I need a new project to get excited about.  I may get out my Swell Christmas kit, as that would be fun to work on in November.  I'd love to get this done for Eva's bed for the holidays.  Thelma (Cupcakes 'n' Daisies) made it not too long ago and had some great tips for constructing the top.  I highly recommend you check out the link to her blog if you are thinking of making this quilt.

Four Bindings, Done!

I'm proud to say I applied myself to the task and completed the bindings on four quilts over the weekend.  Three of them were table runners, but they are done and I am enjoying them as part of the Fall decor.  That's my dining table above.  The runner is my own creation.  Inspired by a quilt I saw on Pinterest, but ending up nothing what so ever like it. 

My hall table.  Inspired by a quilt I saw on Pinterest.  There are variations of this block to be found in lots of places including in the book Moda All Stars Mini Marvels.

My coffee table.  This quilt is an adaptation of a larger quilt from a book called Maple Leaf Quilts.

The upstairs railing overlooking the foyer.  Halloween Bounce, a Miss Rosie pattern.

This quilt has been finished for years, but I thought I'd share What's On My Bed with you all.  Birdseye, another Miss Rosie pattern.

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.  My fingers are sore from the hand sewing, but I am so happy to get these quilts into circulation for the season.  

If you have not done it, you might want to read the comments from my previous post on how folks organize their bindings.  I sure got some great ideas and tips from those comments and know I will benefit from them in the future. 

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Glorious fall weather here.

A Profusion of Bindings

Well, I have somehow nodded off and woken up to ten quilts needing bindings.  How did that even happen?

This one has been sitting on the back of the couch in the library for a month, waiting for me to hand sew it down.

Five more unbound quilts are lined up on the upstairs railing.  One is sitting on a quilt rack in the guest room, and my quilter tells me three more are scheduled to be delivered today.

I am in big trouble.  Lesson learned?  Don't wait so darn long to cut and apply the binding.  The hand sewing is a chore, but at least if the bindings are machine stitched on, you can't lose them, right?  I am really annoyed because for at least two of the quilts that need bindings, I can't find the fabric I am pretty sure I set aside somewhere.  A year or so ago.  Ahem, no wonder it's gone missing.

I read somewhere about a quilter who always, always cuts her binding when she finishes her quilt top.  She has a designated basket for bindings and as soon as she gets the quilted top back, she applies that pre-cut binding.  I want to be her.  I have been very lackadaisical about my binding fabric practices and now I am paying the price.  

My biggest problem is that I really do not enjoy sewing bindings.  It seems the least creative part of the quilting process and I find it so boring.  Right about now I am sure wishing I had taken a bit more care to plan out the bindings for these quilts.  For heaven's sake, the binding I put on the quilt that is sitting on the back of the couch doesn't even go with the quilt top.  Ugh.  I really need to get better light in the sewing room.

From now on, I vow to plan the binding fabric at the same time I am making the quilt, and cut it out and have it ready to sew on the minute I get a quilt back from the quilter.

Do you plan your bindings in advance?  What methods do you all employ to be sure your binding fabric doesn't get separated from its intended quilt?