Sister's Choice Quilts

New Arrangement and Perfect Machine Binding

I took apart a couple of old fall arrangements and created a new one. I didn't have to spend a dime. I quite like how it looks with my new table topper.

That bird is so well camouflaged. Can you even see him? I am enjoying the colors in the little table topper. You wouldn't think aqua would work in a fall color scheme, but it works well.

I attached the binding on by machine and could not be happier with how it turned out! This technique is perfect to use with smaller projects where you never even see the underside of the piece.

Honestly, with thread that matches perfectly, you cannot even see those stitches. If you haven't tried machine binding, I urge you to give it a try. What a time saver. Check out Vanessa's tutorial.

Not To Worry

Another table topper back from my quilter. I used Sandy Gervais fabrics for this one. I loved it when she designed for Moda. Her colors are so rich and saturated. I know she is still designing, but I am not sure for whom. Does anyone know? I miss her collections. I don't think I used an actual pattern for this quilt. I believe I used triangle papers. Each block is made up of two large half-square triangles in a color family, and two units made up of four smaller half-square triangles in the same color family.

I saw my doctor yesterday about my black-out issue on Monday while eating a sandwich. Some food I was eating got stuck partway down my esophagus and when I stood up to go get some water I keeled over in a faint. He explained to me that the esophagus is a very sensitive area controlled in part by the autonomic nervous system. If something is going wrong there (like food being stuck), blood will leave your brain and go to the affected area. When blood suddenly leaves your brain, you black out. That is exactly what happened. He is positive my fainting was directly related to that specific incident and not anything more dire. Of course, if it ever happens again I am going to be having a boatload of tests. 

Hope you all have a terrific weekend. October has definitely left the party and we are suddenly in gloomy grey November. I am really in the mood to sew, but I am at my father's so that will not be in the cards. Maybe this coming week if I have time I will cut out a few easy things I could stitch on my Featherweight at his house.

Oooops. I Am Too Old For This.

This week, I'm sharing some of the little table toppers I just got back from my quilter. This little quilt is about 24" square. It has a nice fall/winter feel to it.

I had the strangest thing happen yesterday. I was eating a sandwich at the counter with Eva and felt like it was kind of sticking in my throat. I wasn't choking, but wanted some water to try to "wash it down". I got up to fill a cup with water, and the next thing I knew I was lying on the floor. I had fainted apparently. As a result of the fall, I have really done a number on my right hip and my back muscles on the right side. I can barely move now and sitting down is so uncomfortable. Honestly, I am too old to fall down. And of course, when you black out, it is so sudden that you don't have time to ease yourself down gently. You just go down like a ton of bricks. Luckily I didn't hit my head on the counter or break a tooth or anything.

Eva was cool as a cucumber. She didn't panic, just came over to my side and said "Are you ok?" I was so discombobulated and shocked I just wanted to lie on the floor for awhile until I figured out what the heck had just happened. It was very odd. I seem to be fine now, just sore as the dickens. I sure do hope that doesn't happen again. I see my doctor this week for another matter, so we shall see what he says.

My plans for the afternoon went out the window. I just sat on the couch playing solitare until Eva's daddy picked her up. 

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.

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.

Carried Away Buffalo Check Table Topper Finished

It's done and it's cute. It was fast and fun to make too. Here is a link to the pattern if you think you need to make one.

I still want to make the Christmas version, which is little presents instead of pumpkins. I need a little break though. I had forgotten that I really do not care to work with solid fabrics. Is anyone with me on this? It seems like they show any easing in the seam allowance and tend more towards pleating and irregularities. It is probably operator error, but I never seem to have those issues with print fabrics. And if you don't line up your seam intersections to the thread, it stands out like a beacon.

When it's quilted it won't be an issue, but it bugs me anyway.

Anyway, this little table topper is around 30 inches square. It has a cute farmhouse vibe to it that will look adorable on my dining room table. There's no reason you couldn't play around with the size of this and make it a long rectangular runner, or even a thicker rectangular runner.

Now to get it sent out for quilting if I am to have a prayer of getting it back in October. 

 

Baby Steps

I snagged an hour yesterday and scooted up to the sewing room and got my fabric cut out for the Buffalo Check Halloween Table Topper by Carried Away.

Easy to follow instructions and I had a sense of accomplishment that I even achieved that much! 

I completed the first four checkerboard rows. The difference in shading between the white and the "light" fabric is subtle, but you can definitely see the difference. Next up are the star blocks, which will feature that crosshatch fabric in my first photo.

This project should go quickly, so that achievement will do wonders for my sewing morale!

Eva and I are getting through the second week of homeschooling just great. Today our fun project was to make a pink pom pom pig. She was sure pleased with how it turned out! Not sure what in the world she will do with it, but she sure had fun making it.

Thanks for all the reminders of great retro cookie recipes in the comments to yesterday's posts. I will be making molasses cookies for my husband soon. I sure wish Eva liked peanut butter cookies, they are my favorites, but I never make them. Remember "Ranger Cookies"? I think that was the name. They had everything in them: coconut, oatmeal, walnuts, m & s. Gosh they were good.

New Fall Project in the Planning Stages

Just look at this adorable table topper by Carried Away. It is two patterns in one, and I want to make both of them. The first one I plan to tackle is the Halloween/Pumpkin version. I have all the fabrics on hand, which are mostly scrap-sized. When I bought the pattern, I noticed that the exact Moda Solids you need for the checkered design were listed on the back of the pattern instructions, so I went ahead and ordered a couple of yards of the light grey and the darker grey.

FYI, you need 98 Bleached White, 178 Etchings Stone, and 128 Stone. The other fabrics are from a layer cake of last year's Fig Tree Halloween collection. They have a new one out now that would also work great.

I was itching to get started right away, but I caved in and did my starching first. It is so darn hot here, that my fabric was dry in about 20 minutes, I swear. Look how hazy the air is from the drift smoke from the fires. The air quality has been "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" which is me, with my asthma.

I am quite excited to start a small manageable project like this little table topper. I am overwhelmed with all my bigger ongoing projects, so will switch gears for a while. It is getting me down not to have finished anything in so long. When I finish this little project, maybe I will start on the second one, which is little Christmas presents instead of pumpkins. Then I will have two little quilts to send out for quilting. I love having a new seasonal project to display.

Hope your week got off to a terrific start!

 

Summer Breeze Finished

This is my finished Summer Breeze mini quilt. How cute is that ribbon border? It was an easy and fun pattern. The only thing you have to get right is a dark and a light green so you have the contrast of light and dark for the ribbon border. 

Carried Away patterns are really nicely done. I highly recommend them. I am so pleased with this one.

Thanks for yesterday's dialog about flying geese techniques. I was totally remiss for not mentioning Monique Dillard's "Fit to be Geese" rulers. They are a great price and you get multiple sizes in one ruler.  I prefer the Mini size. I actually ordered some Triangles on a Roll papers to try them out. I have been using Star Singles triangle papers that I get from Shabby Fabrics, for the times that I want to use papers. They were introduced to me when I took a class from Paula Barnes from Red Crinoline Quilts years ago.  They are just fine, but it will be interesting to see how they compare to the ones on a roll.

Eva went to class in person yesterday at her charter school. She was so excited to go and see her teacher and her five classmates in real life. It appears she will continue to go on Wednesdays until school ends for the year.

As to my COVID vaccine reaction....I had none. Nada. Not even a sore arm when I woke up Wednesday. 

The weekend is in sight!