Sister's Choice Quilts

Spirals Quilting Design Pattern

Sometimes being a blogger has some real advantages. I posted a photo last week of my most recently finished table topper, a pattern by Carried Away called Summer Breeze. The pattern is wonderful, but the design my quilter chose for the quilting really set off the design and was so in keeping with the breezy summery feeling of the quilt itself. Sadly, I didn't have any idea what the name of the quilting design was. My quilter usually sends me some suggestions for quilting options but doesn't always attach a name to them.

Imagine my surprise when I received a comment from the actual designer of the quilting pattern! Denise Schillinger is the creator of this quilting design "Denise's Spirals". It is a pantograph available for sale through Urban Elemenz.

How cool is that?

In other news, it has done nothing but rain here for the past two and half months. My husband is out in the garage building an ark as I write this. Well, maybe not, but this situation is getting dire. If I don't see the sun pretty soon I just don't know how much longer I can cope. 

One fun thing the husband and I have been doing is watching some of the movies that were nominated for the 2023 Oscars. As you read this, the winners will have been announced, but I know we have some favorites. We used to be such movie buffs, going to the cinema a couple of times a month. Since the pandemic, we watch things at home on the TV now, which is ok, but there is something so dynamic about seeing a movie on the big screen. Here is what we've seen (I've linked to the trailers if you are interested):

We watched Elvis, which was incredible. Austin Butler will get the award for Best Actor unless he is robbed.

We saw Banshees of Innishiren, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. The movie was very weird, but quite good. Of course, the story is set on an island off the coast of Ireland, so that's all we needed to be on board. I doubt it will win for Best Picture, but I am very glad to have seen it. The acting was top-notch and made me go from laughing out loud to tearing up in sympathy. It was certainly thought-provoking. You have to know going in that the movie is a metaphor for the Irish Civil War, then things make more sense. 

My husband took himself to the local theater a month or so ago to see Top Gun: Maverick and really enjoyed it. I skipped it due to it not quite being my thing. Very loud and action-packed.

Finally, we saw Women Talking, which is based on the novel by Marian Toews. The plot concerns a sect of Amish women who have been consistently drugged and sexually abused by male members of their community. Now, before you say "Ick" and vow never to see it, hear me out. The cast is amazing: Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth in The Crown), Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand, and Jessie Buckley (one of Ireland's best actresses). As the movie begins, the attackers have been arrested and taken away to a nearby city. The women are left alone on their compound and hold a meeting to decide 1) If they should stay and do nothing, 2) If they should stay and fight, or 3) If they should all pack up and leave. The philosophical dialog was fascinating as the women talk through the various scenarios open to them. Do they forgive, as their religion teaches them? Do they band together and demand equality and power in their sect? Should they leave the miserable so and so's and start up their own colony elsewhere? This was so so good. I'll be thinking about this movie experience for a very long time. Award-winning performances by the whole cast. If you like a movie that makes you think, this is the one. 

Have you seen any of these movies? Or any others you enjoyed? Do share in the comments. 

Well, I have started the week off in a very chatty way, have I not? With any luck, I will have some sewing to share this week and less to blab about!

Machine Binding: Shall We Give It a Try?

I have always had an issue with hand sewing quilt bindings. My problem is that I procrastinate something awful and put off finishing those bindings for a very long time. Years in fact. It isn't that it is difficult, I just find it B.o.r.i.n.g. It is better when I can sit with an audiobook and listen to something entertaining to pass the time. For the past couple of years, my schedule has been so busy that I just don't have time to sit for an hour or so at a time to do this handwork. Many people advise me, "Oh, you should do it in front of the tv in the evening". That just doesn't work for me. I am rubbish at sewing in the evening. The light is never good enough and I drink a couple of glasses of chardonnay every night, which does not lend itself to nice stitching.

So, my quilts pile up. They are quilted, the binding is partially sewn on, it just needs to be sewn down by hand. And I do not do it. I am not kidding, I must have ten quilts sitting around waiting for me to finish the binding. Hang on a minute, I am going to go count them. Be right back.

Eight.

Better than I thought. But still. I just sent five table toppers to be quilted, which will bring my total up to 13, so there.

This brings me to the point of this blog post. I discovered a tutorial by one of my favorite quilt designers, Vanessa at Lella Boutique. On Instagram and on her blog, Vanessa demonstrates her method for stitching quilt bindings by machine. The process involves Elmer's School Glue, believe it or not. Her Instagram post is a video, and her blog post goes into great detail with photos as to her binding method and machine stitching process.

So, what do you think? Do you want to take a look at her method and give it a try with me?

I won't have a chance to sew again until Sunday, but with luck, maybe I can have one or two bindings done to share on Monday? If any of you try it as well, please report back to us and let us know how it went, ok?

 

 

Centerpiece Tablemat Pattern is a Real Winner

I've got something cute for you today. A new mug rug pattern that would be an adorable Christmas gift. I think I may make a batch of them and give them to some of my besties for Fall/Halloween season. Who wouldn't love a seasonal mug rug?

The pattern is "Centerpiece Tablemats" designed by Terri Staats for Sweet Treasures. I saw it on Instagram, and there is a whole #centerpiecetablemat link you can follow to see what others are doing. Check it out. They are so darn cute, you won't be able to resist. The small mug rug size is around 9" and the largest could be turned into a Christmas tree skirt.

It took me about an hour and a half from start to finish. I started a little after 4 PM and finished just before 6 PM. You should check out the Halloween ones made with Kitty Corn, and the Christmas ones made with Swell Christmas. So adorable!

I was really wishing for a tutorial because I am such a visual learner. If I can't find one, maybe I will dive in and try to make one!

Hope you are all having a great week.

New Fall Table Decoration

I was inspired this weekend to create a new table decoration for fall. My inspiration came from a YouTube video by Jennifer Decorates. Jennifer Davenport is a professional designer from Tennessee who creates the most beautiful decor. Her channel has loads of DIY ideas. She made her table decoration from items she recently purchased at Hobby Lobby. I couldn't get to Hobby Lobby, so I went to a Michaels store near my dad's house. I found just about everything at Michaels, including the cornucopia basket. Her things from Hobby Lobby were cuter than what I got at Michaels, but it isn't that noticeable. Honestly, I think Hobby Lobby would have been cheaper too. 

The main idea I copied from her is that I wanted a neutral fall color palette, with no strong oranges in sight. I think my cornucopia works on the batik leaves table runner I finished last fall. The runner does have stronger colors than the table arrangement, but I like the overall paler look.

I encourage you to take a look at Jennifer's YouTube channel for some great ideas. I promise you will pick up a tip or two you didn't know. 

The runner is from the Maple Leaf pattern by the Pattern Basket. I made it just a year ago, and of course I changed things up. Here is a link to my post where I shared about making it. Interestingly enough, California was on fire then too. This is becoming the new normal. The situation in Lake Tahoe sounds dire right now. Lines of cars are trying to evacuate and get to Nevada and away from the Caldor Fire, which has gotten away from the firefighters. Prayers for everyone affected.

Hartman

Today's post is a tribute to a lovely man I knew decades ago when I was a young woman.  Many years ago I worked at a major university which was trying to attract minority students to achieve more diversity in its graduate programs.  I was a lowly administrative assistant in the Department of Graduate Studies, and my duties were to support three Associate Deans who represented three minority groups.  My bosses were all totally inspiring.  They were an African-American woman, a Chicano man, and a Native American man.  The man pictured above became my particular mentor, and I hope I can say, friend.  His name was Hartman Lomawaima, a brilliant man with a PhD in Education from Stanford (undergrad degree from Harvard!), who was also a member of the Bear Clan, in the Hopi village of Sipaulovi, Second Mesa, Arizona.

Hartman used to regale us with stories of his family.  We rarely left the office at lunchtime, and several of us spent the time playing backgammon together.  I was a novice, but after playing with Hartman for several months, I got pretty good at it.  We would often share stories of our lives while we sat and played.  He had a grandfather whom he adored who was a renowned silversmith in Arizona.  I still have a few pieces of his beautiful work that I was able to purchase.  

One of my favorite stories that Harman shared with us was how his family got their surname "Lomawaima".  In the time of his ancestors, the Hopi people experienced a terrible drought.  The crops failed, the animals died and the people suffered.  Hartman's ancestor decided to make a spiritual journey that lasted many many days.  After walking alone for a long time, meditating on his people's troubles, he finally turned for home.  As he walked home to his village, the rains began and the drought was relieved and the people and their land prospered again.  His ancestor was given the name Lomawaima, which Hartman told us means "Good Walking".

While I was employed in this position, I became pregnant with my daughter Sara.  I worked throughout the pregnancy, only going on leave a week or so before her birth.  Sara was born at the university hospital that was associated with the institution where I worked.  She was born in the early afternoon, and a few hours later (after my husband had gone home to be with our son), my very first visitor was my boss, my friend, Hartman Lomawaima.  He took the time out of his day to walk over to the hospital to offer his respects.  I remember him sitting at the foot of my bed smiling, no, Beaming at me.  He barely spoke, just sat and smiled at me, with the expression much as he has in the photo at the top of my post.  I was a bit dazed from the birthing experience, so I didn't have much to contribute, so we just sat together smiling at one another.  It was actually kind of a spiritual experience, just having him sit with me after all the excitement and hubbub and joy of my daughter's birth.  I could feel his silent good wishes and blessings for me and my daughter so strongly. I won't ever forget it. 

He was a great listener, a kind person, and a wonderful inspiration to me.  He was a fine man who anyone would be wise to emulate.  In later years he went on to become the first Native American Director of the Arizona State Museum.  Hartman dedicated his life to fostering educational causes such as serving on the Boards of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund; National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian; American Association of Museums; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

I recently learned that he passed away in 2008, and all the sweet memories of this lovely man came back to me.  If I had half his kindness, his inner peace, his empathy--I would be a finer person.

That day we sat together silently occurred exactly 40 years ago today.  Happy birthday Sara. 

Stocking Stuffers for Men

Better late than never, right?  I had forgotten that I had said I would post some Christmas stocking stuffer ideas for the men on your list.  Hopefully this won't come too late to be useful.  Most of the items are easily found and not very expensive.  Some of these things may not seem very exciting, but honestly the men I know find them practical and useful.

Your first stop for men's stocking stuffers is your local drug store or big box store.  I like to give lots of little items that every man can use, such as lip balm, a new toothbrush, hand sanitizer, an eyeglass repair kit.  You could also do deodorant, body wash, and other personal care notions.

Vitamins are another good stocking filler.  

So are any sorts of over the counter medications that the man in your life may not have the foresight to have on hand when needed.  Our son lives in Ireland, and believe it or not, products like cold medications are not available without a prescription.  He always gets boxes of cold and flu meds in his stocking!

Next, a trip to the local hardware store.  Those places are chock full of mysterious gadgets that men find fascinating.   If you can find a helpful hardware employee to give you a few suggestions you will be doing great.  If not, browse around and see what you come up with on your own.  I found these little shims for making things sit straight.  Better than a folded up piece of cardboard, right?  

Other favorites are flashlights, batteries in all sizes and these little sticky pads that go on chair legs.  I have no idea what they are called, but they are my husband's favorite thing in the entire world.  If you stick them on the bottom of chair legs they make the chair move smoothly without scratching the floor.  They also eliminate that sound of elephants trumpeting when the chair is moved.

More bumper things-these are for drawers I think.  A stud finder.  Nails in assorted sizes, a new nozzle for the hose.

If your guys are not as much into the hardware store scene, here are a few more ideas.

A good quality masculine soap.  I got these Dr. Squatch soaps on Amazon.  They come in various scents, such as cedar citrus, bay rum and something called pine tar that looks very odd, but men seem to like.  Nothing flowery or feminine about pine tar.

Do you have a techie?

How about a microfiber cleaner?

A cell phone stand.

A funny flash drive.

Or perhaps you have some men in your life who like to cook?  Any stop at a cooking supply shop will give you a gazillion ideas for stocking stuffers.

These wine bottle stoppers are my favorites.  A bottle opener is a good idea too- for beer or wine.

Does he like to cook?  A good set of barbeque tools is kind of a cliche, but it could be that this is the year for an update.  I chose a spatula and an herb stripping tool for one of the guys on my list.

And this is just funny.  They are little rubber sheep that you can put on the side of a boiling pot to keep the lid ajar.

Any type of spices are good.  Flavored pepper, bottles of hot sauce, etc.  So many guys like things hot and spicy when they cook.

Do you have any bachelors or students to buy for?  I thought these dried soup mixes that serve two people (or one hungry guy) made great stocking stuffers.

And to finish off, just a few miscellaneous items that may work for you.

These are really good cushiony dress socks for the guy who does a lot of walking in the city.  Both my son and husband commute into big cities and a padded sock really saves their feet.

A novelty infuser for the tea drinker.  It makes me smile.

Incense for the hippy in your life.

Nuts for the nut in the family.

Hope this post gave you some good ideas!

 

More is More

Are you wondering what to give along with your Microwave Bowl Cozies?  You know, to round out the gift?  

Well, you could give a bowl.  Seriously, why not?   I got these nice heavy white ones at Crate and Barrel.  They are on clearance right now for $2.97!  You can find comparable bowls at lots of places, Target, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma etc.

Or how about some gourmet dried soup or stew mixes?  These are usually between $5-7.  You can find them at gourmet food shops, and I bet places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods would have them too.

And don't forget a label, explaining what the heck the cozy is for.  Heaven forbid they think it is a cap for the dog or something.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Two more weekends until Christmas...

Do You Bullet Journal?

Have you been caught up in the Bullet Journal craze?  In a nutshell, bullet journalling is all about tracking your habits, making lists, planning for the future, and writing down anything that is important to you.  It is a combination of keeping a journal or diary, plus a calendar of your activities.  It combines creativity, mindfulness and organization.  You can read all about it here, or just go to YouTube and type in "bullet journal" and be prepared to be overwhelmed with ideas.

You can set up your bullet journal in any sort of a notebook, but one of the most popular is the Leuchtturm journal, available online and at some stationary stores.  The pages of the model I chose have little dots in a grid pattern, which makes drawing lines and boxes easier.

You can keep it simple and basic, or add little stickers, drawings or other decorations to make your pages fun.  It is totally up to you.  Click on any of my photos to enlarge and see more detail.  The photo above is my monthly overview for July.  My month starts out pretty bare bones, but it will get filled in and messy by the end of the month.  I do enjoy decorating a little, just for fun.  I have a couple of sticker books I got at Michaels and have a good time using them if it seems appropriate.  Some folks go completely nuts with the stickers etc, but I am fairly restrained.  If you have any artistic talent, you can add little doodles that will give your journal so much personality.

I do weekly spreads as well, to have more room for daily lists and appointments.  I fill this in as I go.  If you enlarge the picture, you can see I have a couple of appointments set up, and a lot of room to jot down my daily "to do's".

This part of the monthly spread is my favorite.  I can set down my goals for the month, keep track of new recipes I try, books that I am reading, tv shows we are watching etc.  I find I actually do go back and look at what I have done or noted down.  

One of the best parts about bullet journaling are the lists you can create.  You can jot down your "I Want To Make This" ideas for new quilts, track books you have read, gifts you have given or received, work outs at the gym, a weight loss journey or savings plan--anything and everything goes.  Some people track their moods, or habits such as taking their daily vitamins or how many glasses of water they drink.

I love tracking the books I have read in a given year.  I am a voracious reader, and would forget half of what I have read if I didn't write it down.  This is going to be a big reading year for me, just saying.  I didn't quite make it to 100 books last year, but I think this year I am going to hit it.  By the way, if you are interested in following along with what I read, consider following me on Goodreads.  My books are listed, plus a review of one to five stars for those I have completed.  FYI, I am a tough reviewer.  Most books get a three star rating (meaning it was entertaining and ok for me), books I really enjoyed get four, books that blew me away get five.  I rarely give one or two stars unless the book is dreadful.

So that is how I bullet journal.  Do any of you enjoy this process too?  If so, what sorts of things do you note in your journal?

Great Mail Day

Yesterday was a great mail day.  I had ordered several items and wouldn't you know, they all showed up on the same day.  

I am excited to share with you my new notebook (above), which I ordered from Erin Condren.  This company is best known for their great planners/calendars, which I have enjoyed the past few years.  I had a coupon which helped me decide to take the plunge and order the notebook.  It has the high quality paper I have come to expect from Erin Condren.  I also love the care in which they package things.  You know me, presentation is everything.  This is what the box looked like when I opened it:

Who wouldn't get excited to see what was under that purple tissue paper.  You can personalize your notebook anyway you like.  There are loads of cover designs from which to select, and you can even make up your own if you choose.  I have a million ideas for quilts rattling around in my head, and I need to start writing them down before I forget them.  Hopefully this notebook will hold my thoughts better than my brain does!

I also finally received my fat quarter bundle of New Hope by Jo Morton.  Gosh, this is even more beautiful in person than in pictures!

Reds, golds, blacks, sage greens--all my favorites in one collection.

In other news, I have been working away on my Courthouse Steps blocks, and have decided I need 81 blocks for a 9 x 9 setting.  So far, I have made 55.  Wow, only 26 to go.  The end is in sight.  I am just making the blocks and slapping them up on the design wall, so there will be some major rearranging when it comes time to sew the blocks together.  This is a fun scrap busting project.  I bought nothing for it, and am just using scraps from my stash.  Use It Up, that's my plan for 2018!

In other mail related news, a week or so ago, some nice girl from Harry and David's called and got my husband on the phone.  She managed to talk him into making a purchase, and he ordered so much of their Moose Munch Popcorn, it had to be dropped off on the porch in a special USPS box.  I tell you, if you want to sell something or need a contribution, just talk to my husband. He can't say no.

Rhubarb Crisp

You cannot have too many fall themed table toppers in my opinion.  So I started another one. This is Rhubarb Crisp, a design by Jo Morton.  Over the weekend, before my mechanical problems occurred, I got a grand start on the project.  I got my ten sawtooth stars made, and got a good amount of flying geese made.  I will need well over 100 of them for the table topper.  Sounds like an awful lot doesn't it?

It is an awful lot, because these flying geese finish at 1 x 2".

I actually ordered the Bloc Loc trim tool in this size, and I have to say it was worth the hefty price tag.  Trimming these little guys is going like greased lightening. The grooves in the trim tool lock into the seam allowance, and you trim the top and right side, flip your rotating mat around and trim the bottom and left side.  So fast.

Once I got my temperamental Janome to only sew when I was operating it, things went pretty well.  I thought I must have made way more geese than I needed after a day's sewing, but no such luck.  I am only about half way done with them.  

This little runner is going to be so sweet on my Thanksgiving table.  Keep your fingers crossed that my Bernina gets fixed and back to me quickly, because I need to quilt it myself and the Janome isn't up to that task.

Hope you are all having a great week!  I am thinking this is the last week I have to work extra hours at my job, so that means more sewing time!