Sister's Choice Quilts

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?

End of the Week Progress Report

Time for a little progress update.  I have been doing things, I swear.  I got this last minute little table runner on the table on July 4.  Actually, I have had it a couple of weeks but only finished the binding on Wednesday.  I love the little stars and swirl quilting design.

You can see I am making progress on my Aurora stars quilt.  Not too much more to do.  Just a couple of short rows.  Here is a different angle where you can sort of see how I am putting it together:

Lastly, I have resurrected my Primitive Gatherings Christmas blocks from the sew along that I did a couple of years ago.  I saw an awesome setting for the Moda BlockHeads quilt, and decided it would work perfectly for the Christmas blocks.

This quilt is not mine (darn), and was made by Judy Losey.  I saw this photo on the Moda Facebook page.  It is pretty spectacular, right?  The setting idea was created by Carrie Nelson, and you all know how much I love her designs.  Isn't it an awesome setting for a lot of different sampler blocks?  It really ties them together.  Apparently I will be making a gazillion flying geese in my spare time...

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Time To Be Quilted

My little Patriotic quilts are stacking up.  I think it's time for them to go off and be quilted!  I was considering quilting the smaller ones myself, but I am so much happier with the results when I send them out to be done professionally.  

This one, "Faithful", may be my favorite.  It turned out nice and narrow (18"), and will fit perfectly on my front hall table.  I sure had to wait for that border fabric, but got it eventually.  I have to say that I sure do appreciate it when shops cut and send you your order within a couple of days.  I keep a mental list of those who drag their heels and take forever, and think twice about reordering from them unless I am desperate.

Another red, cream and blue table topper. "Recess".  I used lots of scraps for this one, so I feel like it was a "free" quilt.  That's what I am telling myself anyway.

Thanks for all the moral support yesterday.  The vast majority of comments I get are friendly and positive.  Every now and then though, I get one that makes me scratch my head and think "Some people...."  Truthfully, I think the issue is miscommunication.  A few individuals just do not read carefully or completely and jump to all sorts of wrong conclusions.  I enjoy my interactions with all of you way too much to stop blogging!

Liberty Road is a Finish

This pattern is an oldie but a goodie.  It is Liberty Road by Minick and Simpson.  I have wanted to make it for quite some time, and finally got around to it.  It doesn't have an outer border, although you could add one on if you wanted to.  I think the pattern is supposed to be all about the flags.  You could also make it smaller, using three or four blocks and make yourself a terrific looking table topper.  Don't you want one for Fourth of July?  I plan on draping mine over my stair rail where it will be a focal point I can enjoy it all summer long.

The quilt goes together very easily and is fun to make.  I love the addition of the machine appliqued stars, which were a cinch to do.  The pattern is on Minick and Simpson's Etsy site and is $9.00.  I actually purchased a kit of fabric from them along with the pattern.  The fabric was mostly a collection of theirs called Charlevoix, but I was able to add in some pieces from Ann's Arbor (another one of their designs) for lots of variety.

When I was a girl, I was born in Ann Arbor, MI (where Minick and Simpson are from).  I grew up in a little town nearby called Belleville, where I lived until I was 11.  Liberty Road is a main street in the Belleville/Ann Arbor area and my family used it frequently.  Minick and Simpson often name their fabric collections or patterns after Michigan sites and landmarks, and it always brings back memories for me of my childhood.

I am getting back into the swing of things after several weeks of not doing much sewing.  I have spent some time Monday afternoon starching some beautiful new fabric for my next project.  More about that tomorrow!

This Is Going to Take a While.

Hope this photo doesn't make anybody dizzy.  I have all the blocks made for the Jo Morton S'mores quilt--I believe there are 113 square in a square blocks and 28 pieced setting triangles, and 4 pieced corner triangles.

I think I am going to love this quilt when I get it put together, but the next step is attaching all the lattice pieces, which as I said, is going to take a while.  It is hard to see against the light background of the design wall, but I have begun the process of sewing on the 128 short lattice pieces.  I hate to say it, but lattices are so fussy.  Especially the long ones, where you have to pin like crazy to make everything line up.

That is what I will be doing today, so wish me luck.  And tomorrow I hope I can show you a photo that isn't all wavy like the one above!