Sister's Choice Quilts

Acorn Mug Rug

I was in the mood for a new mug rug yesterday, so using one of the cute block patterns from Lori Holt's Farmhouse Vintage book, I made up this little acorn block. Now that I've made it, I think it would be cuter if I had framed it in a fabric other than that background print. It is too much light fabric and I think the acorn design would stand out more if it were framed.

I may have to try out another version of this today and see what happens.

This is where the magic happens. My little desk with my new mug rug ready for a cup of tea (or a glass of wine, depending on the time of day). My nephew works at a garden center and gave me that philodendron plant for Christmas. It was a great specimen back then and has gotten even better over time. The leaves are so green and shiny. And how cute is my lamp? I got it around 15 years ago at a little boutique shop. It is really one of a kind and I never get tired of it.

Even though it is over 90° here in Northern California where I live, I have been in a fall frame of mind. I made a great recipe for our dinner last night, from the Half Baked Harvest website. Here's a link to Cider Braised Chicken with Carmelized Onions and Mushrooms. It was truly outstanding and had all the fall vibes. I will definitely be making it again.

This is the recipe author's (Tieghan Gerard) photo, not mine. But I have to say, that looks pretty much how mine turned out. I served it on a bed of a wild rice/white rice blend. I also cut the recipe amount in half and I still have enough to feed my husband and me for two nights. Tieghan has several cookbooks out, and if you follow her on Instagram, she puts out great recipes almost daily.

I hope your week is going well.

 

January Mug Rugs

Since I was excited about the idea of the Mug Rug of the Month Club, I got cracking on the January offering. I had a tub full of Primitive Gatherings Snowman Gatherings fabrics that are perfect for that month. I had a couple of false starts, but ended up with four mug rugs that are acceptable. 

I have to say, I am done with this octagonal shape. I find it impossible to have them turn out symmetrical and even, no matter how careful I am to sew and trim. And sewing on the binding is a colossal pain.  After this month, I am going back to rectangular designs.

If anyone has a great idea for cute patterns for mug rugs, let me know.

We are gearing up for our son to arrive from Ireland on Friday. I cannot express how excited we all are. We have been decorating, and baking, and cleaning the house to get ready for his visit. I know we are going to be busy over the next couple of weeks, but I'll sure try to post as often as I can!

Best One Yet

I squeezed in an hour up in my sewing room yesterday and made the best mug rug yet. Technically anyway. It went together without any glitches or hitches and the machine binding went perfectly. What a great discovery that technique was! A timesaver for sure.

And I also got my pieces cut out for the first block in the Among the Stars Again Christmas version. 

Sorry for the poor-quality photo. It was late in the day when I took it. These are the pieces I cut out for the first two blocks.

I have to say, when you join in a Fatquartershop Block of the Month program where they supply the fabric, they are incredibly generous. This has always been the case, going back ten years or more. After cutting out the pieces for the blocks, I had enough fabric left over to repeat the process for another two more blocks!

This is what I had leftover. If you want to starch, or if you make a mistake, or just need extra, they provide it in their generous cuts. I am sure once this project is done, I will have more than enough to make a table runner or some other small project. It is a good value for the cost.

Hope everyone had a good week. I am off to take care of my dad this weekend. One of my sisters reported that Dad wanted to walk down the block for some exercise yesterday. He pushed his wheelchair and made it down three or four houses from his house. I am glad to see he had an interest in doing that. He is so frail and seems very weak and fragile to me.

I'll try to post Friday. If not, have a great weekend everyone! Bye-bye September!

 

More Fall Mug Rugs

These photos aren't the greatest, but how cute are these mug rugs? They are around 8 1/2 inches wide. I have to admit I have made six of them and only four are worthy of gifting to people. A couple of the earliest ones came out really wonky. I have improved my trimming method and am better at lining things up so it comes out symmetrical. The fabric I used above is absolutely the cutest, and I may have to stick to it for future efforts. It is Kitty Corn by Urban Chiks. It is selling out fast, so if you want any, you had better act now. Eva quickly claimed that one as hers.

I would have bet Eva would have chosen this one for herself, but nope, her tastes have evolved it seems. I could see she was hesitating over it, but in the end chose the one from the Kitty Corn collection. This one was made from bits and bobs in my scrap bin.

This last one seems a bit dull after the fun Halloween ones, but it is a nice one for fall I guess. The fabrics are from an ancient collection by Brannock and Patek called Four Seasons. I am guessing it is ten years old. Anyone know when it came out?

I have more mug rugs lined up to make, but I have the busiest week ever planned for this week. Every day I have work assignments or places to be or homeschooling projects to do with Eva. No idea how I will get it all done. Burning some midnight oil is in my future I think. Please stick with me if my posting is spotty.

Hope you all had a great weekend. My dad is doing great. I fed him fish two nights in a row over the weekend, so he was a happy camper. And best of all, my husband's oncologist called to tell him that his latest test results were excellent and he shows no sign of prostate cancer right now. Now that is a cause for celebration.

Talk soon!

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.

Year of the Sew Along

2020 is turning into The Year of the Sew Along for me.  In our current lockdown situation, so many designers, quilt shops, and groups are hosting the most fun sew alongs.  If we are stuck in the house, surrounded by our fabric stashes, why not make the most of it!  I have an all-time high of five, yes FIVE sew alongs going right now (technically one is a UFO, but it WAS a sew along lol), and I am loving it.  I will share the details of them with you this week.

Let me tell you about the one pictured above.  Since we are under orders to "shelter in place" in our homes, working on some cute little house blocks seems just about perfect.  I first heard about it on Instagram #modavillage.   There is a Miss Rosie pattern called Village that features an entire neighborhood of these adorable blocks.  I happened to have the pattern, but it is FREE for downloading on the Sew Lux website.  Lots of people are posting on the Instagram site and it is so much fun to see what they are doing.  There are also helpful tips--for instance, some of the houses have little chimneys which look tricky to construct, and I noticed some kind soul had done a tutorial.

You can use charm packs or scraps to make the blocks, and I am telling you, they are absolutely addicting.  Wouldn't this be a remarkable memento of the time we were all stuck at home but found a way to connect with other quilters?

I had a box of American Jane (Sandy Klop) scraps which got me started.  I wanted the happiest, most cheerful fabric I could get my hands on and this fit the bill.  If you have leftovers from Bonnie and Camille, Fig Tree or any of your favorite designers, they will work perfectly for this quilt.  Or just use any random scraps.  Whatever you choose, it seems to work.  Thelma (Cupcakes 'n' Daisies) made one with scraps from every quilt she made in 2016.

How are you all getting along?  Every day seems to bring more bad news, doesn't it?  We will get through this eventually.  In the meantime, I will try to post positive thoughts each weekday.  If you are alone, feel free to email me or comment on my blog.  I will be happy to answer you and be at least one person you interacted with in a day!

 

Let's Discuss Affordable Skin Care

I have decided to give my skin a break during this quarantine situation.  Why should I put on makeup just to sit around the house?  This is a great opportunity to baby my skin a bit and give it some TLC.  I want to tell you about a skincare line that is dermatologist recommended, extremely affordable and which is available at your local drug store or through Amazon (so you don't have to go out).  I have tried many high-end skincare lines (some of which have been excellent) but I keep going back to CeraVe.   I have aging dry skin, so I look for products aimed at those issues.

The products pictured above are available at drugstores, Amazon, Target and Walmart.  They are by a company called CeraVe, and are quite reasonably priced and effective.  They contain many dermatologist-recommended ingredients found in much pricier lines.  They do not have any odor, so if you are sensitive to that in your products, you may like these.

The Hydrating Facial Cleanser is so refreshing and easy on your skin.  It removes makeup, hydrates, softens and restores skin's protective barriers.  It contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid, which dermatologists recommend for anti-aging.  These ingredients are found in high-end products costing four times the price.  It has won Allure's Best of Beauty Award in 2019. $11.

The Skin Renewing Day Cream with Retinol and SPF 30 is a good choice if you like an SPF in your face cream.  It is so important to use a sunscreen, and this moisturizer has it built right in.  This product is also designed to treat fine lines and texture.  It also has ceramides and retinol for anti-aging.  (Retinol is Vitamin A and is an ingredient so good for your skin).  It is hypoallergenic and great for sensitive skin.  $15.

If you don't care for having an SPF in your facial moisturizer, or just want something simple, CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream is great.  This can be used on the face or body (and comes in a gigantic container as well).  It has lots of emollient ingredients that will nourish and hydrate your skin.  It doesn't clog pores and is great for sensitive skin. $6.

CeraVe calls this a PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, but I use it during the day as well.  I love the way it glides on and sinks right into my thirsty skin. Not a bit greasy, it is so hydrating and lightweight.  It not only moisturizes, but it also calms your skin as well.  When I do use makeup over it, there are no issues. Probably my favorite CeraVe product. This is such a treat.  $12.

At bedtime, I sometimes like to give my skin an oil treatment if I have been feeling especially dry.  CeraVe Skin Renewing Gel Oil will give your tired dry skin a boost of radiance and absorb almost immediately.  I like to use it at night before a night cream or lotion.  It has several ceramides and sunflower oil.  Your skin will thank you. $19.

The CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream is great to use before bedtime with or without the oil mentioned above.  It soaks right in and in the morning you will feel as if you have been to a spa during the night!  $14

Skincare doesn't have to be overwhelming or expensive. If I were going to get started with a CeraVe skincare regime, I would buy three products:  The Hydrating Facial Cleanser, The PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion (and use it day and night), and the Skin Renewing Night Cream. I think a facial exfoliator is a good idea too (to get rid of all those dead skin cells).  Cetaphil makes a good one for $8

I hope that was helpful!  Just so you know, I am not sponsored in any way to promote these products.  I buy them with my own money, have used them over a year, my dermatologist recommended them, and I think my skin is happier from my using them.
 

 

 

Triangle Zipper Pouches

These two funny looking things are triangle zipper pouches.  I watched a couple of YouTube videos to get the basic instructions.  They went together easily, with a few trial and error mishaps.  I sewed those D ring tabs on wrong about four times but got it right in the end.  I will provide more details in my next post.

For now, as it is late, as I write this, I will say, the smaller size was the more successful.

You can whip these up in no time, I will say that.  More tomorrow.

Perfect "Thanks for Having Me" Gift

Eva has been invited to a sleepover on the occasion of one of her friend's birthday.  The mom requested "no gifts", but you know how that goes.  You feel as though you need to mark the occasion with something.  I thought it would be fun, and not "too much" to give a little pencil case.  It is the start of the school year after all, and you can't just show up at an event without a hostess gift, right?  So I made one of Terri Atkinson's little zipper pouches.  

The pattern I used is Teri Atkinson's "Cash and Carry" pattern.  I have made this many times and it is just perfect for an eyeglasses case.  For a pencil case, I recommend making it one or two inches longer to be able to actually accommodate pencils.  I wasn't really thinking, just assumed pencils would fit in it, but I was wrong.

Here is what I was able to fit in the bag as a fun "Start of School, Thanks for Having Me" token gift.  A Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer, a Lip Smacker lip balm, and six mechanical pencils in a fun kid-friendly design.  The mechanical pencils were way shorter than regular pencils and were perfect for this slightly too short pencil case.

So Happy Birthday Zoey, and best of luck for a fabulous year in Fourth Grade!!

Book Winner

Yes I really did buy two of the same book.  Luckily my random number generator picked commenter number 17,
Nancy Watkins, to take one of them off my hands!  Congratulations Nancy.  Send me an email with your address and I will get one of these in the mail to you right away!  Thanks to everyone who participated.

In other news, we had a great weekend.  I was able to sew my free little gold half square triangles into rows.  Just waiting for some gold fabric to come in the mail for my setting triangles, backing and binding.  Love this little table runner for late summer/early fall.  It is so wonderfully scrappy.

Best of all, my Eva is home from a week at camp!  We celebrated a great week of adventures in the forest and a grateful safe homecoming by going to Jamba Juice for smoothies.  One more week of summer vacation and then it is back to school (3rd grade!) for Miss Eva.

Hope your week is getting off to a splendid start.