Sister's Choice Quilts

Sewing Setting Units Moda Blockheads 4

Yesterday I sewed quarter square triangles and began the process of trimming them. My goodness, this is going to take a while. I am using a five-and-a-half-inch square ruler to trim them down to 5 inches square. The center point of the unit has to hit right at the 2 1/2-inch mark on the ruler, and the diagonal line must line up with the seam.

Also, and this is interesting, if you press the seams a certain way, the seams will nest when you sew the units together, making for a more accurate block. Corey Yoder, the designer of this layout, has a YouTube video in which she goes into detail about what you need to do to achieve this accuracy. Sure wish I had known this when I made previous projects!

I only had the stamina to complete half of the quarter-square triangle trimming. I listened to some book review podcasts while I trimmed, which helped make the time pass in a more entertaining way.

Hope your week got off to a great start. 

Moda Blockheads 4 Layout

It felt wonderful to squeeze in some sewing on Sunday afternoon. Not much, just an hour or so, but I really needed the escape. I will be making a lot of flying geese units and quarter square triangle units for the setting layout for my Moda Blockheads 4 quilt. I am pretty excited about it because it is unlike anything I have ever done. For one thing, I am using grey fabric!

I will be making a lot of these two particular setting units, which will surround each block. I think the effect of the grey and white is going to really set off the blocks in the quilt top. The setting is Corey Yoder's of Coriander Quilts . Here is a link with the information: LINK

Here is a sneak peek of what it will look like. I'm pretty jazzed about it. Hope to show you a lot more this week!

I had a rather challenging weekend. My father is deteriorating, and we have numerous wonderful helpers coming in on a daily basis to assist with his care. These individuals are kind, gentle, respectful, skilled, and truly worth their weight in gold. Which is pretty much what we are paying the agency that sends them.  It is absolutely worth it though, as it keeps Dad at home where he wants to be and helps us out enormously.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, with all the sewing your hearts desire. Get outside if you can and appreciate all the blessings of fall.

 

Well, This is Progress

It isn't finished, but it's nearly there. I got all the rows put together for the red, cream, and blue quilt I have been working on this summer.

It is a BOM from Piecing the Past called Peace and Healing. At least that's what I think it is called. All their BOMs have names that sound alike, so I can't keep them straight. They have a new one starting up in September with a name so similar I had to email the organizer and ask if it was a repeat of one they had done before! She emailed back and said it was "a new one". LOL The sew-alongs they offer have names like Rest and Refreshing, Comfort and Blessing, Peace and Healing, Comfort and Healing. It makes me dizzy.

Hmmm, I did some checking, and the sew-along Piecing the Past is offering in September looks to me to be an absolute repeat of the Comfort and Blessing one they did summer of 2020. Same name, all the same blocks. So, not new.

I had some major issues sewing the lattices on this thing. Nothing wrong with the pattern, just lots of different-sized setting triangles that I managed to sew on wrong or omit completely so nothing fit right. I finally put my concentration cap on and studied the layout diagram and eventually sorted it out.

I still have to sew on some large corner triangles and get the borders on it. Not sure when that will happen, but it sure won't take as long as me fussing with those lattices did! 

Working with these fabrics and making the blocks each week was very enjoyable this summer. It will be great to have the quilt on my bed next year.

 

Just Get It Done

I have two gorgeous quilts that I got back from my quilter, two, maybe three years ago. And I haven't used them. Why? Because I am too d%*n lazy to hand sew the binding down. 

I have been making mug rugs for friends and family this year, and have gotten lots of practice machine sewing bindings on those little things. Yesterday I decided to apply the technique to two much larger pieces. I got out two unbound quilts and pinned the binding in place, then machine sewed it. It took about an hour to do two quilts.

And you know something? They turned out just great. I stitched in the ditch and only had to go over two or three spots where the binding didn't get caught on the underside. If I were entering the quilts in a quilt show, maybe I'd sew the binding by hand. But seriously, the machine stitching looks unobtrusive and is probably stronger than hand stitching. Darn, I think it looks pretty good.

The only downside is that you do have to wrestle with a big old quilt, and your fingers get pricked a lot with the pins. But done is a good thing, right?  I am so happy to be able to use these pretty quilts. 

Hope you had a nice 4th of July, if you are in the States. We ended up staying home after all. I had a big allergy attack and after a couple of benedryls, I was good for nothing but jammies and my slippers. 

I think a lot of sewing is going to happen at my house this week.  WooHoo!

Christmas Among the Stars Again Quilt Finished!

Woohoo!  I am doing a happy dance over here because I finished a full-sized quilt! It is Christmas Among the Stars Again, which was a Block of the Month project from a Just Sew Emma book published by Fat Quarter Shop. As a matter of fact, if you think you want to make this fun and easy quilt, FQS has an entire kit available, which is on sale right now for $144, a heck of a price. 

I am so excited to get this quilted and use it on my bed this Christmas. It's been a while since I made a new Christmas quilt, so I can't wait. 

Here is another angle that shows off the border better. 

I will say that being quarantined and waiting for Covid symptoms that never showed up had some advantages.  I stayed home all last week and sewed like I was possessed. There are a lot of projects to share with you this coming week, so stay tuned!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Among the Stars Again Border

I finished the border units for the Among the Stars Again quilt. The piecing was kind of repetitive, but once it is on the quilt, I can tell it is going to be striking. The colors in the quilt are kind of subtle for a Christmas quilt, and this red and white border will really make a statement.

I have been also meaning to share the book holder I purchased from Fat Quarter Shop. It is designed by Lori Holt and is perfect for holding a quilting book or pattern instructions. I've been using it non-stop and can't imagine how I got along without it all these years. The bright yellow color is so cheerful and fun too. 

In a burst of energy, I also got the quilting done on my 5 mug rugs for June. If my health holds up (and I don't get COVID) I will attempt to sew the bindings on today.

Every time I make a new Mug Rug of the Month, I think it is my favorite so far. But this one is so cute and summery, it may be in first place. Pattern is Strawberry Social by the Pattern Basket.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It Took Me Eleven Years, But It's Done

Finally. It's been on the shelf for a long time, but it is finally ready to be quilted. This is the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery Quilt from 2011. The patterns for the blocks and for the finishing kit are still available on their website. You should know that I did not follow the directions for finishing the kit, but instead swapped out the finishing instructions for Designer Mystery 2020 instead.

My quilt finished at 90 inches square. It is as big as a circus tent, I swear. I added a 6-inch floral border in the aqua print, which gives the quilt a great drop on my queen-sized bed.

I really struggled with pressing the whole gigantic thing perfectly, but I know it will look great once it is quilted.

And I did piece the backing!

That turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. I haven't worked with such large pieces of fabric as this quilt top and the backing in a l.o.n.g. time. I won't lie, it was a struggle. And my next large quilt is going to have 108 inch backing for sure. I did not enjoy wrestling with all that yardage. 

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement! Glad to check this UFO off as a "finish"!

Can You See Where I Am Going With This?

Like I said, baby steps. I only snagged an hour or so to sew yesterday, but I got two of the big corner pieces made. They are just pinned on the design wall, but I think you get the idea of where I am headed with this.

I really like how the star points pick up the aqua in the quilt blocks. I am liking this quilt top so much better now that I ditched the flower motif.

Eva and I made applesauce muffins yesterday, which were delicious. It was another Taste of Home recipe. They are so reliable. Here is a link, if you want to try them. That recipe is a keeper!

Just a quickie post today. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a quilt top to show you!

One More Border

This week's sewing is going to be in baby steps I think. I did manage to get another border on the center medallion of my Designer Mystery 2011 quilt. The next step will be to frame the four outside blocks that are not on the diagonal. After that, there is kind of a giant Cat's Cradle unit that will form a star around the center medallion. I won't be using my Creative Grids tool for that, so wish me luck.

I am enjoying the direction away from the pattern that has evolved with this quilt. I will be emphasizing the aqua colors in the remaining construction of the quilt, which I think will play well with the quilt blocks. In the finishing kit, the border fabric is a tan background floral print. The tan fabric coloration features only a couple of times in the blocks and only in the smallest ways. I am perplexed why they chose it for the border fabric. You can spy a touch of the tan in the top-most center flower in the center medallion. Seems kind of random, right?

I happened to have a good amount of the coordinating large aqua floral print in my stash (!), and I am making use of it in the star and in the border.  The large piece of tan floral in the finishing kit will go on the back of the quilt. I am not wasting anything! I have no recollection of where or why I bought a few yards of the aqua print, but yay me. I barely remember why I did something last week, much less back in 2011.

Hope you all enjoyed yesterday's book reviews. I was asked if "A Place to Hang the Moon" was a juvenile book, and I would categorize it as "middle grade". Suitable for young teens, but would be very much enjoyed by adults.

Hope your week got off to a great start! Our weather here is warming up and I am thinking of getting a pedicure....

Going In a New Direction

I am taking my Designer Mystery Quilt 2011 in a different direction. I decided I didn't really care for the flower stems. Too "cutesy" for my taste. I spent a lot of time looking over the past Designer Mystery settings and liked the look of the one from 2020. 

As you can see it has nine blocks set on the diagonal as a center medallion. There are a couple of narrow borders that will frame it, as you can see in the diagram below. 

It finishes with a star design and the four remaining blocks on each corner. I have enough fabric for a floral outer border, so that will increase the size of the top for me.

This quilt has the look of a girl's quilt I think. And I know a special girl who is turning 11 in July that might like it. And look what I can use on the back:

Thanks so much to those of you who made setting suggestions yesterday. It really made me rethink the pattern directions that came with the quilt blocks!