Sister's Choice Quilts

Catching Up on Piece and Quilt Blocks and Red Sampler Quilted

I thought it was time to get back to my August Piece and Quilt blocks while it is still August. I am quite happy with these two blocks. The red one is Maple Leaf and the blue and grey one is Texas Puzzle.

I've laid the blocks out as they will be positioned in the quilt top. The top two rows could even be sewn together now. However, I do not care for what is happening on the right-hand side of this top. Too many messy prints all close together. I am going to have to remake all of those with the busy-looking prints. The fabrics that read "solid" are much much better in this project. 

This is a tricky quilt to make because as you make the blocks you have to consider the colors and prints you are using and what they will be next to. I've been mindful in my placement of the red and blue colored blocks, but those busy prints are going to have to go.


In better news, I got my Red Sampler quilt back from my quilter! I love this quilt. She used a design called Ginger Snap, which I have used many times.


Here is a close up of the quilting. I worked on this quilt for many months and I am so happy to have it quilted. Now for the binding. Wonder how long I can put off doing that?

In other news, Sara and I have a new book podcast episode up. Just click on the top Reeding Between the Lines emblem to the right and you will be taken to Apple Podcasts. The episode is called "Dark Academia Books You Just Gotta Read".

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What a Busy Day in the Sewing Room

I got so much done in my sewing room yesterday I can hardly believe it. Wait 'til I show you what all I accomplished.  In the photo above, you can see that I got the lattice pieces all attached to the Summer in the Country quilt. Today I hope to sew the rows together. It also needs an inner border of white and the outer border of floral. It's a pretty basic setting, but I think it works for that assortment of blocks. 


These are the Star of Wonder block two. They are so simple they took no time at all. Block three is going to be a lot more complicated.


Best of all, and this is a biggie for this procrastinator: I got FOUR quilts ready to ship out to quilters! I have two quilts and two table runners.


Finally, my Summer Memories basket quilt from last summer is going to be quilted.


This is last year's Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Halloween project. Good grief, do I let things sit around or what? It will be nice to use this for Halloween.


And Let's Pop Some Corn! I sure would like to have this back sooner rather than later. Hoping for October, but we shall see. I can still use it in November as well.


Finally, and this makes me so happy: do you remember me making this red and cream Primitive Gatherings quilt a year or two ago? I mentioned my brother-in-law hinting heavily that he'd sure like me to make him another quilt and I remembered this one. I did not even recall finishing it, I thought it was still just blocks. I had a rummage and sure enough, I had finished the quilt top and actually had the backing on hand for it. Everything came together and it looks like Greg's going to get his quilt. 

I feel like I put on my hard hat and entered the construction zone yesterday and got things done!

Red Sampler Quilt is a Finish!

My Red Sampler Quilt was truly a labor of love. I feel like I was working on it off and on for a couple of years! This was a sew-along hosted by Lori Holt on her blog Bee In My Bonnet. Each week she posted a detailed tutorial on how she constructed the blocks. You do need her books for the actual block patterns. 

The quilt is a monster, finishing at 90" x 96". It was too big to lay out on the floor so I had to hang it over my front porch balcony. It will be expensive to have it quilted, but quilting isn't an inexpensive hobby and that is the price we pay!

There is just something special about a red and white quilt. Have you ever made one? This isn't the first one I've made, but I never get tired of them.


 

Three Quilts Coming From Quilter

I have three quilts on their way to me from my quilter. This one was done all in greens, from a collection called Lucky Charms from Andover fabrics. This collection is pretty much sold out, but if you like it, a similar collection called Little Clover will be released by Andover soon. It is as pretty or even prettier. 

I had loads of leftovers so I made a quick simple table topper with them.  This will be so adorable on my kitchen peninsula next March with a green candle and a vase of white flowers! That shamrock quilting design is so darn cute. 


I won't have to wait so long to put this little runner into action. It is so cheerful and summery, I will get it bound and on my hall table, or maybe my dining room table as soon as I get home. This will be out all summer long, for sure. I am trying to remember what that block is. I am pretty sure I used the block from the Mini Donuts pattern by Pattern Basket.

My posts have been rather sporadic lately. I have been so busy getting ready for our trip. We leave Saturday morning. I hope to post from Ireland, Scotland and England while I am away. We return May 18. 

I have changed my mind about what I am packing to take with me about four times since I posted what I planned to take. Good grief, have I been over thinking this or what? I am trying to plan for variations in weather and in levels of formality, and since I am trying to get everything into a carryon and a personal item bag, it is very tricky logistically. 

Hope you are all having a great week!

 

Let's Talk About One Block Quilts

I admit it, for the past few years I have been a huge fan of sampler quilts. I've made quite a few of them, and really enjoy the challenge that comes with tackling a variety of blocks with different levels of difficulty. A sampler quilt features multiple different quilt block designs within a single quilt top. They are a great way for quilters to practice and showcase their skills with a variety of piecing and quilting techniques. 

I've enjoyed the fact that sampler quilts offer a dynamic and versatile canvas for exploring different quilting styles and design possibilities. That being said, I think I have forgotten the joy that a simple one-block quilt can bring. A one-block quilt is made up of repeated instances of a single-block design. There is plenty of creativity to be had with a one-block quilt in that quilters can experiment with color choices and block layouts to create a wide range of visual effects. 

There are so many blocks that lend themselves beautifully to a one-block theme. Square in a Square, Log Cabin, Churn Dash, Bear Paw, Ohio Star, and so many more. Arranging the blocks to create a secondary pattern presents endless possibilities for creativity and expression.

I've made my share of one block quilts in the past, and when reviewing some of them, I am thinking it is time to make one again. I will share some photos of past one-block quilts I've made, and I'd love to hear from you what some of your favorite one-block quilt projects have been.

Crumbler 

Jacob's Ladder

Paganini

Steam Punk

Blue and Yellow Study

Into the Wind

Viola

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween 1904 A Blast From the Past

This is nuts, but I am really terrible about taking the final step to have my quilt tops quilted. It is expensive for one thing, and I (used to at least) make a lot of quilts. This quilt is called Halloween 1904 and was a pattern put out by Blackbird Designs in 2012 I think. Here is a link to the occasion when I was first exposed to it and fell in love. 

So, I made the quilt back then, but never sent it out to be quilted. Now that is a shame. The time has come to send this beast out and get it done. It is a huge quilt. At least 90 inches square, maybe more with the piano key border. I did have a great time making it, even after realizing that I had made hundreds (hundreds, did you get that?) of half square triangles all the wrong size. 

But here we go. My backing fabric is coming tomorrow and I will take it to the post office and send it off to my quilter, who says she will get it back to me by Halloween. 

Here are some close-ups of the big applique blocks. I did raw edge machine applique with a satin stitch as I recall. It turned out ok. I've had over ten years since making this to perfect my skills, and I think it looks all right.

How fun will this be to have on our bed in October?

I'm not disappointed in the applique work.

The applique work reminds me of Jan Patek's style. Kind of primitive and simple.

We got through the weekend, with Eva's other grandfather's memorial service, which we all attended. 

It was a very heartfelt and emotional event, and Eva handled it pretty well. Lots of tears were shed, by her, as well as the rest of us. Her other grandpa was a remarkable man and loved by many. Interestingly enough, Eva had an episode of sleepwalking Sunday night, which was very disturbing to her. She woke up and thought she was on her way to the bathroom but ended up trying to exit the front door of the house. Her family was still up, and woke her, which caused her some distress. I have heard that stressful events can trigger sleepwalking episodes. Do you think that is true?

Summer Memories, Finished!

I am so proud of this quilt! Summer Memories, a pattern by Susan Ache, is finished. The sew-along was sponsored by Fat Quartershop, based on a quilt pattern from the book by Susan Ache called Summer Memories.  The quilt pattern itself is called Picnic, I believe. 

Honestly, I found it rather tedious to make. All those half-square triangles and basket blocks got old after a while. But the finished results are spectacular and I could not be more pleased with the look of the quilt top. It is also one of the flattest tops I have ever made. It really came out so well.

I have a couple of quilt tops that are near the finishing stage that I hope to pull together in the time that is left of this summer. Also, I got three tops back from my quilter that need bindings. I look forward to sharing those with you.

Do any of you have a go-to source for 108-inch quilt backings? I really hate piecing quilt backs and love to get the 108 wide pieces when I can. Fat Quarter Shop really doesn't have that great a selection right now, so I am open to any and all suggestions. 

Hope that those of you in the US had a great 4th of July! We live in a golf course community and each year our neighbors go all out and decorate their golf carts and have a parade. It was so much fun to sit curbside and wait for the parade to pass by. Some folks went all out, dressing up as Uncle Sam or an eagle, with golf carts decorated with banners and balloons, and inflatable decorations. It was folksy and fun. My son-in-law invited us over for a shrimp boil for dinner and it was so good. We got home before dark and settled in before the craziness of the fireworks began. 

Antique Reproduction Quilt

I got a quilt back from the quilter last week. It sometimes takes me a while to finish things, and this quilt has been waiting for going on 10 years to be quilted. It is such a beautiful quilt and I am so glad I finally sent it out. It is a monster, 91" square, so I probably delayed because I thought it would cost a fortune to get it quilted. To my surprise, the cost was quite reasonable and I am sorry I waited so long.

I had it quilted in an all-over feather design, which I like to use on quilts that look like antiques.

Here are the particulars about the quilt. I made it totally using scraps from my stash, with the exception of the light-colored fabric used in the blocks and dark brown for the lattices and border. I did buy yardage for that. There are 86 six-inch star blocks, which took forever to make. There are 344 hourglass block units, each of which had to be trimmed down to the accurate size needed. It was a real labor of love and a time commitment. I still can't believe I left it so long to be quilted. It really is magnificent.

When it arrived back from the quilter, I laid the quilt out on the bed to examine it. I was trying to figure out the pattern I used for laying out the blocks. Was it every other one a dark background? After studying it, it turns out the block layout seems to be completely random. Typically that sort of thing would bug me, but the randomness of the layout seems to work. 

The pattern is called Antique Star by Bonnie Blue Quilts, who have changed their name to Red Crinoline Quilts. I cannot find the pattern on their website at all. All I can tell you is that it requires 86 6 1/2" (unfinished) Ohio Star blocks. The blocks are set on the diagonal with setting triangles. The lattices are about 1 1/2" finished and the border could be whatever width you like. 

I am in the process of binding the quilt, which is also going to take a fair amount of time. I have already watched hours of cooking shows on TV while sewing on it, and the thing isn't half done.

(Can you find any eggs?)

Hope you had a great Easter weekend. Our Easter was lovely, starting with an Easter Egg Hunt (organized by Eva, her sister, and her stepmom) at a nearby winery where her dad works. After the egg hunt, a local friend made a huge batch of paella for sharing with all the guests. In the afternoon my husband and I went to the neighborhood golf club restaurant and had bloody marys on the terrace overlooking the course. The grand finale was dinner with family at Eva's daddy's house. I made strawberry pie! The weather was perfect and it made for a great day.

 

 

Star Studded Event Quilt: Finished!

I am happy to tell you that I finished my second UFO of 2023! This is the Star-Studded Event quilt, started in the summer of 2018. This was a block-of-the-week kit/program sponsored by Primitive Gatherings. The pattern is now available on their website. 

It's a great scrap quilt project, and once you get those center 2-inch stars completed, the rest of the piecing is easy. I really like this quilt, especially its generous size! It ended up being 84 inches square, which as you can see, fits great on a queen size bed. 

I did remove the dark pink blocks but left in the light blocks that had some pink in them. In the grand scheme of things, the pink isn't particularly noticeable in the lighter-toned blocks. I made some additional lighter "dark" blocks in pale blue, sage green, and light brown. Before I did that the quilt had a somber tone to it, as one reader mentioned. I much prefer it now that it has been lightened up. I have lots of leftover blocks. About 10 pink ones, and some navy, black and dark brown. I will probably end up making a table runner out of the pink ones. For next year's Valentine's Day.

I am totally happy with the finished quilt top, as well as being thoroughly sick of working on it. I'll send it to the quilter as soon as my backing fabric arrives. Once I get it back from her it will go right on my bed. 

Hope your week is going well. Eva has been staying with us this week because her daddy has come down with the flu. She's been lots of fun, and as always, keeps us on our toes. I forgot to tell you that we finally got our new oven. It works great. Baking is now fun rather than a frustrating exercise in adjusting the temperature up or down depending on how it is working.  We have made chocolate chip cookies, a quiche, and various snacks for Super Bowl with great success.

A Well Loved Quilt

Well, this quilt has been well-loved. I made it for my nephew probably 20 years ago and he has definitely used it. 

We were at my father's house this past weekend to go through closets, books, and other possessions for donation, and the subject of quilts I had given to the family came up. My brother-in-law was telling me that his dogs had damaged a quilt I had made for my sister. She loved the quilt and it had been on their bed for years. Since she has passed away, the quilt had special meaning to him. It has been so long that I couldn't recall which quilt it was that he was talking about. (That is a sign of making a lot of quilts over the years!) I asked him to text me a photo of the quilt in question and that I would try to replicate it for him.

Then my nephew brought out the quilt in the photo above. I encourage you to enlarge the photo to get the full scope of the condition.

Sometimes we quilters complain that the people we give our quilts to don't appreciate them enough, or the effort that went into making them. I'd say the lack of verbal appreciation is offset by what your eyes tell you when you see one of your quilts loved to smithereens. 

I have to say, it's kind of fascinating to see the anatomy of a quilt after all this time. 

Anyway, it looks like I have some new quilting assignments coming up in the near future.