Sister's Choice Quilts

Corn and Beans

I did make it up to the sewing room yesterday, with the idea that my re-organization would commence.  I started with the dresser and this adorable little kit was in the first drawer I opened.  

How cute is that little Corn and Beans kit?  It measures 17" square when finished and would make the summeriest little candle mat or place to put a vase of flowers.

And just look at the sweet little pouch it was packaged in.

I think I need to make this right away so I can enjoy it over the next few months.

I can see how this re-organization project is going to go, can't you?

Project Inspiration

I may not have done any sewing in September, but I sure did dream about future projects.  While scrolling on Instagram one day while on vacation, I saw a gorgeous Fall/Halloween quilt with the hashtag #pumpkinmazequilt.  If you enjoy Instagram, check out that hashtag, you may like the quilts shown in the results too.

I had to do a bit of detective work to determine the source of the pattern.  That is the problem with Instagram, there is never enough text/information for me to go with the pretty pictures.  I guess that is why I prefer blogging.  Anyway, the pattern is called Pumpkin Maze and is in the new book "Start with Strips" by Susan Ache.  Luckily I had the book (lol, of course I did).  The book is full of terrific patterns that utilize jelly roll strips, and all of them are a step up from the usual too-simple jelly roll patterns.  I got to thinking about my stash and the fabrics I had on hand that would lend themselves to that quilt, and here is what I came up with:

The Boo Crew by Sweetwater.  An older collection, but I have a jelly roll.

Reel Time by Zen Chic.  Another older collection, but I have a good amount on hand, having made a couple of table toppers and had surplus fabric leftover.

Don't those fabric lines go brilliantly with one another?  I thought so.  I'll need some extra cream backgrounds and some greys, but know that I have those on hand in my stash.  September was National Project Jelly Roll month, and even though I missed it, I think I will jump on the bandwagon and make a jelly roll quilt!

Dealing with jet lag, big time.  I was up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4:00 AM, and was ready for bed around noon.  So glad to be home though.  Nothing like my own shower and my own bed.

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.

 

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!

Use It Up

I think my motto for 2018 should be "Use It Up". 

We had a great discussion about saving scraps yesterday, and I thank all of you who weighed in with what size scraps you save. It has really given me something to think about.

Many of us have scrap bins it seems, but not all of us actually dip into that treasure trove of leftover loveliness and make something with those scraps.  Well, how about, we do something to change that?  

I started browsing through some of my quilt books for ideas, and it did not take me long to find a perfect pattern to help me use up that bag full of 2 inch squares I discovered hidden away in a drawer.  This pattern is called "Loose Change" and is in a book by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. (Carrie Nelson) called Miss Rosie's Quilt Collection.  Her pattern calls for 2 1/4" squares and my scraps are all 2".  No matter.  I am making a gazillion nine patch blocks with these 2 inch squares and I will end up with a quilt that looks very much like the one pictured above.  This is going to be one of those quilts that ends up being whatever size it ends up!  

I think in honor of my "Use It Up" theme, this is going to be my first quilt for 2018.

So, did any of you come up with some ideas on how to use up your scraps?  Please share if you did!

Time For a New Project, S'Mores

I've been diligently plugging away at my Triangle Gatherings and Moda BlockHeads Sew Alongs, but truth be told, am getting a teensy bit bored with them.  I only have a handful of blocks left for Triangle Gatherings, and just need to get them made so I can sew the rows together and get the blocks off my design wall.

After seeing a super pretty quilt on Instagram, I was inspired to pull some fabrics and start a new project.  The pattern is called S'Mores, designed by Jo Morton and put out by All People Quilt/American Patchwork and Quilting.  You can order the pdf file for $5.99. The block is a simple square in a square block that finishes at 4 1/2 inches.  I am veering away from the pattern instructions greatly, so for me, the pictured pattern was just an inspirational stepping off point.

I am using my new Creative Grids Square on Square 8" Trim Tool.  Obviously I am not making my blocks the full 8 inches, but stopping at 4 1/2".  And I will be making a LOT of blocks.  Somewhere between 150-200.

I pulled pretty browns, reds and creams for my blocks, and got my fabric cut out last weekend.  The Creative Grids Square on Square trim tool is wonderful to work with, and those tricky square in a square blocks are coming out great.  When you are trimming your block down, you need to cut your pieces a skosh bigger than the pattern calls for.  For my blocks  I cut my center square 2 1/2", then the first round of cream fabric is two 3" squares cut in half once diagonally.  My second round of dark fabric is two 3 1/2" squares cut in half once diagonally.  As you see in the photo below, you trim the block down after each round of triangles is sewn on and end up with exactly the right size to make the block.

The trim tool has squares marked on it so you can line your center square up with the lines to trim after each round.

Perfect.  Sew your next round of triangles on, line your block up with the next larger square, and trim again.

I am loving this ruler and my blocks are as cute as can be.  I have always found the Square in Square block to be problematic.  It never comes out right unless you make it larger and trim it down.  I love the block, but it can be fiddly to make.  This ruler is the answer to my prayers.  

This is second Square in Square quilt I have made this year.  I finished Penny Pincher back in February, some of you may recall.

I had fun making Penny Pincher, but was struggling with two different trim rulers in an effort to get the blocks to come out right.  They did in the end, but gosh, I sure wish I had had the Creative Grids Square on Square trim tool back then!  Things would have gone a lot faster.  The ruler comes in the 8 inch size, as well as a 6 inch.  Depending on how many rounds you put around the center square, you can make a lot of different sized blocks.  I recommend it!

 

DIY Fabric Boxes

I can't tell you what my inspiration was for these little fabric boxes, but I got a notion that I wanted to make some storage boxes out of fabric, and started playing around on Pinterest.  Hours later, I had a list of tutorials and was totally jazzed to get started making something.

The first one I tried was a tutorial from a site called Seaside Stitches:  link below--

http://seaside-stitches.blogspot.com/2013/03/fabric-box-tutorial.html

This is a tiny little fabric box, and is perfect for so many uses, as well as a wonderful gift idea.  This may be my Christmas gift for 2017.  You can make it with two 10 inch layer cake squares, a ten inch square of batting and four buttons.  Seriously, that is it.  Who doesn't have a drawer full of layer cakes gathering dust that could be used for this adorable project?

The tutorial is excellent, and I jumped right in and made a number of these little boxes in various sizes and designs.  The one in the photo above is perfect for sewing notions.  There are little flaps that you tack down on the inside of the basket that are great for holding scissors, pens, and other small notions.

Or, you can scale the basket larger and make the little flaps on the outside of the container, and use them for your notions.

 I have a colleague who is expecting a baby, and I plan to make a larger version of this and fill it with pacifiers, diaper rash ointment,  a thermometer, baby wipes, a baby rattle,  and who knows what all else.  Isn't that a good idea for a new mom?

How cute would these be for the gals in your sewing circle?  You could add little items such as tiny scissors, packs of needles, seam rippers etc.

Your friends don't sew?  No problem, fill the little basket with tea bags or seasonal candy and you have an adorable gift for anyone.

This is possibly my favorite.  For your daughter or daughter in law---fill it with an assortment of fun beauty projects, either drugstore or high end.  Don't forget to add in the Sephora gift card!  You have an adorable container for organizing things on the vanity.  Now that would be a nice gift!

After you make the first one and you "get it", you can turn one out in 30 minutes.  Make a couple a month and you will have all the people on your holiday gift list covered.

 

 

Crop Circles

You might have to enlarge the photo a bit to see it all, but all the clues are there.  My next project!  

I have been raving about Jen Kingwell, and her new fabric Gardenvale was just released.  Her fabric reminds me somewhat of Denyse Schmidt's designs, in that the style is a bit 1940's retro, and the colors are modern and playful.  These fabrics are so fun, I am telling you.  In particular, there are several pieces that are more like panels, in that they have multi colored stripes or polka dots.  You can see one of the stripes laid out at the top of the photo--it has a turquoise section, a lime section and a red section.  How perfect for bindings, don't you think?

The pattern I am going to use for these gorgeous fabrics is Crop Circles by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, a Carrie Nelson design.  Carrie recently started her dream job, working for Moda, and her new patterns have not been released quite yet, so this project is going to give me my Miss Rosie fix and tide me over until I can get my hands on her new designs.  

The most fun news is that this project is going to be a sew along!  My friend Sinta from Pink Pincushion (and Another Year of Schnibbles) is going to be making this same project right along with me.  You are invited to play too, and definitely let Sinta or me know if you would like to sew along, using the Gardenvale fabric or a Jen Kingwell pattern.  There are some great ones out there, so the sky is the limit.

Check back tomorrow, and I will share with you how I am prepping my fabrics.

Bet You Can't Make Just One...

 

 

 

 

I thought, "Let's just make one of these Steam Punk blocks and see how it goes".

As you can see, it is going very well indeed.  Have you ever seen such fun block?  It's different, the level of difficulty is somewhat challenging, and the results are awesome.  I was having so much fun making these that hours went by before I realized it.  They are most addicting.

Jenn Kingwell.  I want you to remember that name.  She is an Australian designer and you are going to be hearing a lot more about her in the months to come.  She started out making patterns, of which Steam Punk is one.   She has a bunch of other designs that are equally interesting, you might want to check them out.  Moda persuaded her to design a line of fabric for them, which is due out this month.  It is called Gardenvale, and I am pretty sure you will want some.  

Her patterns are innovative, her fabric designs are fresh and different.  She said in a Fatquarter Shop interview that she believes, as does the well known quilter Freddy Moran, that 10 fabrics are not scrappy enough--110 are better.  I love the way she thinks!  She is the Queen of Scrappy.

I am using a bin of black and white fabrics from my stash as well as my collection of Denyse Schmidt designs for this quilt--Hope Valley, Ansonia, Flea Market Fancy, Florence, Chicopee, Hadley and more .  I have been saving her fabric forever and decided It Is Time To Use It.  Those nine blocks in the photo took the better part of one day to make, and used 38 different fabrics.  I know I will have to repeat some of the backgrounds, but I have stacks of colorful prints to add into this mix.

I haven't been so excited about a new project in ages, and that is saying something, because I love just about everything I work on.  This one is special.

Help! Hot Mess Here.

I have a lot to learn about color placement and value it turns out.  I spent yesterday afternoon playing with fabric and a new ruler tool a friend sent me.  I have been wanting to make a Kaleidoscope quilt ever since I saw Cindy's at Hyacinth Designs.  The colors, the alternate circular design that appears, I just love all of it!

This is Cindy Lammon's gorgeous quilt.  She has been super nice to share her pictures of her project on her blog, Hyacinth Quilt Designs, and her technique to make the blocks as well.  She graciously gave me permission to show her quilt on my blog. I love the circular motion and the happy colors (that's a given!).

What I am realizing as I embark on making one of these Kaleidoscope quilts of my own is how important color placement and value are.  I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon playing with fabrics.  Choosing some of my new bright/modern fabrics was pretty easy.  I decided to go with greys, oranges, and golds from an assortment of fabric collections including Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy, Florence, and Zen Chic's Comma.

My first attempts at putting some blocks together was an epic fail.  So awful, I don't even want to show you.  Making the blocks is easy and fun, but it just wasn't coming together color wise like Cindy's quilt does. There truly is an art to picking fabrics that blend well together.  You have to be very selective on where you position your lights and darks.  Notice how Cindy has featured her darks in particular in the photo above.  The balance is so pleasing to the eye.

I have a lot of work to do!  Believe me, I will keep you posted.  This is a work in progress for sure.