Sister's Choice Quilts

Windmills: Change of Plan?

I am back from my little Spring Break with family, and got back into the sewing room for a couple of hours over the weekend.  I had started a new project, "Windmills", before I left, but was not happy with the jumble of prints and patterns.  

This is what the quilt is supposed to look like.  It is a true scrap quilt and the joy of it is the mixture of color and the riot of different prints.

My problem with it is that I really loved the colored prints I was using from Betsy Chutchian's Rachel Remembered.  Upon reflection, I wanted to feature the prints more and eliminate some of the busy-ness that all those pinwheels next to each other creates.

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts.  Should I let the quilt be "free" and have mixed color/print pinwheels all over the place, or be more controlled in the placement of color and eliminate some of the busy-ness of having pinwheels every which way?

Just Checking In For a Chat

Isn't this a beautiful book?  It is a British edition, that I bought from a used book store.  The Brits seem to take so much more care and pride with their editions.  This cover is exquisite, but just look at the inside--

Inside the cover, the book is lines with gorgeous wallpaper like yellow paper.  So pretty.

I wish I could say I am enjoying the substance of the book as much as the outside appearance.  It is ok, but not blowing my socks off.  The book is set in 1893, and tells the story of an amateur naturalist and her son, who have moved to a seaside town in England to try to find the Essex Serpent, a Loch Ness type monster.  Cora, the protagonist, develops an interesting intellectual relationship with a local pastor.  I am about half way through the book, and wishing the end was nearer.  Anyway, the book is beautiful to look at and hold in my hands.  People are raving about how deep this book is, but I must be too dense to appreciate it fully.

My colonoscopy went fine.  The prep was ghastly, but I got through it.  I had to drink something like two gallons of a vile soapy tasting substance in advance to cleanse the colon.  I was cleansed all right.  As horrible as the prep was, I have no recollection whatsoever of the procedure itself.  The last thing I remember was a nice nurse telling me to turn over on my side, and then another nurse waking me up after the procedure.  I slept the rest of the day once I got home.  The doctor discovered three polyps, all removed without issue.

Colonoscopies are essential for early detection of colon cancer, and really need to be done every five to ten years as your doctor orders.   Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers, and is almost preventable with these regular screenings.  I have had someone close to me die of colorectal cancer and would give anything to have had her condition been detected in time to save her life.  If you have been putting off having your test, just do it.  

Nothing particularly quilty to talk about, except that there is another sew along going on called Moda Blockheads, that looks really fun.  There will be 48 block designs over a year's time, all created by Moda designers.  Jo Morton, Lynn Hagemeier, Jan Patek, Lisa Bongean, Carrie Nelson and Betsy Chutchian.  The first block was revealed today, and was very cool.  I am already doing Lisa Bongean's 2017 Triangle Gatherings, but this looks fun too.  It could be a scrap buster, or you could use a fat quarter bundle from your favorite designer.  

I have the day off today, and hope to put it to good use.  I know I want to spend it in my sewing room, but won't promise to produce anything of note.  I have been having too much fun just fooling around, which is probably why these block of the week projects are so appealing to me lately.

Hope your week is going really well!

Just Thinking...

No sewing just yet.  Hand and wrist sprain are healing and I am definitely on the mend.  Hope to try some cutting today and get started on the Viola project.

I did have to go to work yesterday at the shop and just have to share an interaction I experienced with you all. The shop where I work offers cooking classes twice a month, and we had an (obviously) older lady contact us to sign up for one of the class offerings.  She freely shared with us that she was not only signing up for the class but making the occasion a vacation destination for herself.  She planned to stay at a local hotel (actually the one right across the street from the shop!), and attend the class, and explore our little town. After a couple of days she was planning to visit a nearby town and explore its delights for a couple of days as well.  After the class she made reservations with us and with the hotel to return next year.  

The thing of it was, this lady was in her mid seventies, maybe even eighty.  She didn't have a husband.  I somehow surmised that she was a widow, but at any rate, she was determined not to let being alone in the world stop her from having a vacation, experiencing some fun or having an adventure.  She told me she had driven all the way to our town on her own, and planned to make the vacation an annual occurrence.

She thoroughly enjoyed the class, and purchased two cases of our products to experiment with at home when she tried out the class recipes on her own.  

I so admired her for not just throwing in the towel and staying at home in her senior years just because she had no one to share things with anymore.  She was brave and intrepid, and determined not to let age and her single status dictate that she should stay at home and throw in the towel.

She shared with me that she planned to buy some new tee shirts, do some wine tasting, eat out at restaurants and ignore her usual dietary restrictions. She was planning to moderately kick up her heels.  She seemed totally ok to experience all these new things all on her own.

I admired her, but at the same time, my heart went out to her.  I kept imagining her going back to her hotel room all alone with her little shopping bag, her bottle of wine ( to be consumed alone),  and her solitary plan for the next day.  I kept thinking she needed someone to not just share things with her, but look after her.  What if she fell?  What if someone took advantage of her?  What if she encountered car trouble or some other unforeseen bad luck?

Do any of you know any single ladies of advanced age who are in a similar situation?  Are any of you readers  in the same boat?  How do you feel about doing things on your own?  Do you think you can't go on vacation, to concerts, to new destinations, because you do not have  a partner?  Do any of you have suggestions on how to make our senior years just as full of fun and new experiences as our younger years?  Even if we are now on our own?

Little Distractions

First of all, a heartfelt thank you to all of you who sent me emails and messages of condolence.  Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated, not just by me, but by everyone in my family.  This loss was terrible for all of us, and your encouragement and comfort just means the world.

I have found myself strangely numb this past week.  Nothing seems interesting or fun.  Normal activities are burdensome and difficult.  I can't concentrate on reading, I sit in front of tv and couldn't tell you what I was watching five minutes later.  Forget about sewing.  The effort just seems like it is too much.

So, the strangest thing managed to capture my interest.  I was mindlessly surfing the internet and came across a few blog posts by people who keep personal planners (or organizers).   I have always liked the low tech approach to personal organization, and am a list maker.  One particular planner stood out:  the Erin Condren Life Planner.  They aren't cheap, but I went ahead and ordered one anyway.

When you lose a loved one, life seems pretty out of control   I guess starting a new organization system was appealing because it gives me the feeling that on some level I can manage my life in an orderly and methodical fashion.  Psychologically, it seems obvious why controlling anything at the moment would be important.

The package was delivered by Fed Ex three days later.  That is the actual mailing container pictured above.  How pretty is that?

 When I opened the box, this is how the items were presented.  You know how I am about pretty presentations.  This really lifted my spirits.

Here's my new planner, along with a box of colored markers the company tossed in for free.  I thought the title on the cover was quite apt.  "And the adventure begins".  A positive message for a fresh start.  I spent a few hours trying to figure out how I was going to organize the planner, and got out some pretty and fun stickers which I used to decorate the upcoming weeks pages.

This may seem like a fairly mindless pursuit, but honestly, it is all I am good for.  And those blank sections are full of possibilities.  I will get through this week.

New Year's Resolutions?

New Year's Resolutions?  Nah.  I don't think so.  Not this year.  Oh, maybe I do have one.  I will make an effort not to use so many exclamation points when I write.

However, the New Year does make me start thinking of all the quilt projects I would like to tackle.  My head is full of ideas.  I want to start collecting more American Jane fabrics, designed by Sandy Klop.  I love those primary colors she uses and recently saw a gorgeous quilt made up of hundreds of nine patch blocks using her fabrics.  I just finished putting the binding on the quilt below, which uses many American Jane fabrics.

I want to do a bed sized quilt using the new Primitive Gatherings collection, Lakeside,Gatherings which is all yellows, greys, blacks and creams.  Navys too, but I am not going to use those.  I have something in mind with loads of half square triangles for that group. 

I also want to do more curved piecing and also more blocks that use templates to create unusual designs.I would like to do a log cabin style quilt in 2015.  And for sure I want to do something that will use all those Denyse Schmidt fabrics I have been collecting.  Maybe I will get to it all this year, maybe not.  But it sure is fun to dream about it. (Whew, I wanted to use an exclamation point at the end of that sentence, but I restrained myself).

I can tell you what I won't be doing.  No more Block of the Month projects.  I swear I have three or four incompleted BOMs sitting in  project boxes out in the garage, and they are never going to be finished.  I did join the Kim Diehl Simple What Nots Club through Fat Quarter Shop and will receive a little mini kit each month to make a small quilt, but I am not going to feel pressured to actually do it in the month I receieve it.  No stress to meet a deadline, that sounds appealing.  

I am definitely open to doing some sew alongs though, and am looking forward to what might pop up this year on the internet.  

How about you?  Do you have any sewing plans rattling around in your head?

 

 

 

"Do You Make Blankets?"

I got the dreaded "Do you make blankets?" question yesterday from a woman I work with.  Ack.  Don't you hate that?  You know in your heart what is coming next.  They are going to ask you to make a king sized quilt for their daughter's wedding in a duck head and deer antler fabric, or a tee shirt quilt with every ratty tee shirt their son ever collected since fourth grade.  Nooooooooooooooo.

What do you do when you get that question?  

I replied that I do make quilts, but that my time is so limited I barely have time to make my own projects, much less take on projects from other people.  "Well, I'd PAY you", she said.  Right.  If I charged $15 per hour and the project took me 20 hours, that would be $300.  Add in another $150 for quilting, and $40 for the time to hand sew the binding, we are at $490, not including the price of fabric or backing, which would be what, $150 or more?  Sure, I'll do it for $640.  Are you sure you still want me to make that duck head quilt for you?

There is also something demoralizing about working with fabrics or a pattern that is not your own choosing.  Of course sometimes it works out and you are given pretty fabric and a good pattern, but not always.  If I were to make a quilt for someone I would want to have a hand in picking out the fabric and pattern so at least that part of things was gratifying.  When I worked with my student last year,  I had a lot of influence in guiding her when it came to picking out fabric for her projects.  Her taste was different from mine, but she had a good eye for picking out bright colors that at least went together well.  That was actually quite fun, and her joy in her accomplishment was fabulous.  But that was different.  I was supervising her making her first quilts, not making them for her.

I know many of you may make quilts for other people, and I applaud you for your fortitude and generosity.  I just don't have it in me, except for rare exceptions.  I also admire long arm quilters who quilt for others--good heavens the things they see and sometimes have to fix before they can even begin to quilt the project!  

Recently, I discovered a hilarious website called "Ugly Quilt Gallery" with lots of photos of terrible looking quilts.  No one was made fun of, so don't worry.  All photos of the ugly quilts were cheerfully submitted by their makers for the gallery.  The names of the quilts are a laugh too.  There is one called "Autumn Fell On Its Face" for instance.  The quilt above is from that gallery, and was made from all the leftover flannel fabrics the maker had in her stash.  She was so optimistic it would be a success, and good humoredly shared the unfortunate results.  

Just so you know I am not immune to making an ugly quilt myself, I must share this photo with you:

Uh huh.  Those blocks are kind of cute, but man oh man, why a purple lattice?
 

 

Let's Have Some Color

Hey there.  Hope you all had a good weekend.  Mine was pretty good, with great springtime weather, some family time, and some sewing thrown in for good measure.  I got the center section of Victory Stars all sewn together, and am going to set that project aside for a bit.  I will be adding a beautiful border of stars all around the center section, but not for a few months. 

I love this project, I really do, but am craving some brighter colors right now. I've got a couple of projects in mind, and will be sharing my plan as soon as I formulate it a bit better.

Have you heard of Hyacinth Quilt Designs?  Cindy Lammon is the designer and blog writter, and does some truly beautiful work using more modern fabrics and designs.  I am quite smitten with her most recent quilt, Kaleidoscope.  You have to go take a look.  She has used a palette of orchids and greens from a Heather Bailey collection, and the Kaleidoscope quilt block makes the most interesting visual pattern.  This quilt just screams SPRING. 

Have any of you made the Kaleidoscope block?  I have been looking up construction techniques and there are a number of options.  The block can be paper pieced, or you can use templates for cutting, or special rulers.  I am stymied as to how to proceed, but know I must make this quilt!

And It Made All the Difference

A fat eighth bundle of Barbara Brackman's Metropolitan Fair fell into my lap this week.  I was so pleased to receive it and not just a little bit blown away by how gorgeous the colors in that line are.  There are soft reds, mellow pinks, medium tone blues, yellowish greens, cocoa browns, silvery greys...These colors are inspirational, I am telling you.

I have a project that is hanging over my head from a wonderful class I took this summer at Buggy Barn.  The pattern is by Red Crinoline Quilts, and is called Hill Country Baskets.  The block is actually called "Cactus Basket" I think.  Anyway, the class was awesome, the instructor inspirational, the project wonderful, and the kit that was included in the class price...not my cuppa tea.

I tried, people, really.  I tried to embrace those burgundys, navys, forest greens and blackish browns.  I tried.  The fabrics are perfectly fine.  Very fine.  I've used them before, and I will use them again.  But not right now.  Just not what I am in the mood for these days.

Years ago, I had a quilting mentor who commented that I had been using a very dark palette over the past months.  Was everything ok at home? she asked.  What?  Why?   Turns out she had a theory that when a person immerses themselves in very dark  murky colors it is indicative of their internal mood/state of mind. Dark colors = a dark mood.

Don't you just hate that when someone sees right through you?  By golly, she was dead on.  I was in a funk and wallowing in it, and had been for some time.

At this time in my life, I am struggling to make the best of several situations and am finding that I am so drawn to more cheerful, brighter colors in my surroundings, clothing, and quilting projects.  My Hill Country Basket project has been weighing me down, and making me feel dreary, and I think it is because of the somber colors of the fabric.

So, when this bundle of Metropolitan Fair fabric arrived on my doorstep, I was energized.  Super charged.  I could see right away that this was what my Hill Country Basket quilt project needed.   A shot in the arm.  No.  A complete overhaul!

I got up at dawn the next morning and started cutting into that gorgeous fabric bundle.  I eliminated the dark forest greens, navy blues and blackish browns.  I replaced them with the lighter silvery toned colors in the Metropolitan Fair collection and everything has changed.  I can still use my backgrounds, my lattice fabric, and I believe even my setting triangle fabric and border from the original kit.  But that addition of those lighter colors has changed everything.  And for the better.

Hope to show you a couple of Hill Country Basket blocks next week.  I am sweating over my Halloween 1904 project.  Focusing, don't you know.  But I may just have to multi-task and make a couple of basket blocks using my gorgeous new fabric!

Focus

I am in full production mode over here.  Even burning the midnight oil, which I never do.  I am not a night owl by any stretch of the imagination, but if any sewing is going to get done, it is going to happen after dark.

Yesterday I took Grandpa to the doctor, and then out to lunch.  He was so grateful to get out of the house, and have some attention.  We went to Applebee's after his appointment and he was so excited to have a lunch date.  As we were going into the restaurant he said "You take such good care of me".  Aw.  Don't you hope that when you are 91 years old you are still loved and appreciated?  I sure do.   And I am honored to be part of Grandpa's life.

So, while I was waiting in the doctor's office, I was texting my friend back and forth.  She is working on Halloween 1904 and has been sending me some pictures of her progress.  I am so excited about this project and as you know, I began mine last week too.  And I worked on Shiloh.  And I got very jazzed about receiving Metropolitan Fair and completely changed up yet another project to incorporate it.  That is three projects that are vying for my attention.

As we chatted about Halloween 1904 my friend asked, "Can you focus?"

Silence. 

Focus?  On what?  Oh, my Halloween 1904 project?

Um.  Well.  Yeah.  Maybe I should do that.  One thing at a time.  Focus.  Right.  I can do that.

You know how at the begining of the year, a lot of bloggers pick a word and try to set that as their goal for the upcoming year?  Shoot, I never did that.  Why would I want to do that?  But now maybe I have a word for something I should aspire to.

Focus.

Is It Them, Or Is It Us?

Have you all been following the debate on Humble Quilts?  On her blog this week, Lori posted a thoughtful comment on how in her opinion, quilting magazines have not been all that exciting lately.  In fact, she feels the quality is so lacking that she is letting her subscriptions go (even to American Patchwork & Quilting!).

You should go read the comments she got.  Fascinating.  So many people completely agreed with her and said they were going to let their subscriptions lapse, or stop buying the magazines at the store.  I even left a comment saying I got more excited about the patterns in my old issues than I do for the ones in recent issues.  I will still buy, but the thrill is less than it used to be.

One of her readers sent a link to Lori's post to the editor of AP&Q, and Elizabeth Beese, Senior Editor, sent her a personal response.  Elizabeth's reply was so gracious and full of questions on what could be done to make the magazine better.  Her sincerity showed through her words, to me anyhow.  What designers interest us?  What sorts of patterns?  Would we like more primitive designs?  What could they do to improve?

The really interesting part of the whole post was the comments from readers, who were really forthcoming in what they felt.  Last I looked there were over a hundred comments to Lori's two posts on the subject, and most of them were in agreement that the quality of quilting magazines is less than it used to be.  I really recommend that if you haven't been following it, you might want to check it out at Humble Quilts.

The most recent issue of AP&Q that I could lay my hands on quickly was the April issue.  I had breezed through it right when I brought it home from the store, but hadn't looked at it again.  And I am a person who used to sit for hours studying the latest issue and sticking Post-It notes on the projects that interested me.  So,  I picked up the April issue and gave it another look.

I don't know exactly why I wasn't that inspired.  There was a great quilt by Homestead Hearth in Civil War pink fabrics, and a lovely patchwork and applique quilt by Kim Diehl.  Over all a nice mix of advanced patterns and a few that would be ok for a beginner.  There was a balance of projects using modern fabrics and traditional fabrics.  A very good article about Kaari Meng of French General.  There should have been something in that issue for everyone. 

I just do not know why I wasn't bowled over, as I may have been in the past.  Am I getting jaded and it is going to take a real stunner to wow me?  Am I like a teenager who plays too much violent video games and gets immune to violence?  You know, how it takes more and more to thrill them?  God forbid, are we like prescription pain pill addicts who need more and more to get that good feeling?

The whole debate made me wonder if it is the magazines that have changed or if it is we consumers.