Sister's Choice Quilts

Plugging Away at the Sampler Spree Blocks

I had some free time come up unexpectedly last week and did some early morning sewing before it got too warm to be upstairs.

In the photo above you can see I added some variety to my light blue fabric blocks. I got brave and added in some orange for a bit of visual interest. I have been following Lella Boutique's posts and she had done that in a number of her blocks in a specific color. Since I am copying her layout and fabric choices I jumped in and tried it as well. We will see how it looks in the finished quilt top layout.

I applied the same concept to my dark blue blocks and added in some bright yellow.

This week I am going to start working on seven more blocks primarily in that cheery yellow shade. This Sampler Spree sew-along should be winding up pretty soon I think. I have meant to mention again what a great resource Susan Ache's book is. The blocks are a very good assortment, mostly pretty easy, and not patterns that you commonly see. For just over $22 I think it is a good investment.

Hope you all had a terrific weekend. I know it is only the beginning of August, which seems barely halfway through summer. However, in our area, school starts for Eva today, Monday, August 9th. How crazy is that? I have barely had a minute to wrap my head around it, and I am off to a Kick Off the School Year meeting today and will meet with her mentor teacher Wednesday to figure out our home school curriculum for the year. 

I sure have not put a dent in the sewing goals I had set for myself this summer. My hope is that once we get into a daily school schedule I will be able to carve out a designated sewing time each day and make better use of my time. Wish me luck!

Sampler Spree Sew Along 21 Blocks

I haven't been doing much sewing for a couple of reasons. One, it has been super duper hot where I live. It seems as if it gets up over 100 every day lately. My sewing room is upstairs and we have been trying to conserve energy by not using the air conditioner up there. I've tried sewing without it, and it is miserable. The second reason for not sewing much is a couple of health issues that are still bugging me. Between my slow eye surgery recovery and some recent asthma issues, I am happier just sitting quietly listening to an audiobook, to tell you the truth.

I did make a few more blocks in the Sew Sampler Sew Along. I laid them out in the three color groups I have made so far, and think they are so pretty. The blocks above are the pale orange color group.

Here are the darker orange blocks. Isn't that block on the top of the pile stunning? I can't remember what it is called, but I just love it and how the design twists.

And lastly, the blue ones. I have more light blue fabric that I didn't use and think I should make more blocks with those lighter colors.

This diagram is from Lella Boutique. I am copying her layout. The quilt design will be in the shape of a maple leaf. The sampler quilt blocks will be interspersed with solid "Grunge" fabrics designed by Basic Grey that coordinate with their Persimmon and Cider collections, which are the fabrics I am using. As you see from the diagram, the leaf is divided into different color sections. The total number of blocks I will end up with is kind of fluid at this point.

Hope your week is going well!

Week Six Red Sampler Blocks

It has been like pulling teeth, but I managed to finish the Week Six Red Sampler blocks. Aren't the two six-inch blocks adorable? I especially low the one that looks like 4 Xs. I had fun making both the smaller blocks on Sunday afternoon when I got home from my dad's.

Here's a closer look at the two six-inch blocks.

My father is doing great. He doesn't eat much, but since my sisters and I have been looking after him and preparing his meals, he has gained at least 10 pounds. Which means he weighs 150 pounds instead of 140. He is pretty frail, but we are building him up! No matter how full he is, he always can be counted on to enjoy a small dessert. His favorite is one of those Drumstick ice cream cones.

Big week coming up. Drumroll......Miss Eva turns 10 tomorrow! I can't believe how the time has flown. Our girl is double digits. It seems like yesterday that I got a ticket while I was following Sara and Ryan to the hospital. I was so excited to get there, and things kept holding me up. First the darn cop with his ticket, then a stupid cow was standing in the road and I had to stop and wait for it to move. I live out in the country, but that is ridiculous. Can't those farmers keep track of their stock?

I got to spend the night at the hospital waiting for Eva's birth, which didn't happen until around noon the next day. Hurry up and wait, right? As you can see, I only had eyes for Eva. 

Poor Sara, she looks done in. She had a time of it. Eva was born "sunny side up" instead of in the normal head-down position, which makes things difficult for Mama. It sure surprised everyone, even the doctor.

Eva is growing up to be such a lovely young lady.

Sampler Spree Week 4

Oooeee, this block was trickier than I first thought. I love the look of the half-square rectangle units. You hardly ever see those in quilt blocks. The challenge of course was to get all the points to line up. I think it is a cool block. It is from Susan Ache's book "Sampler Spree". It is #11 "Lacy Lattice Work", a name that doesn't make sense to me, but it's a great block.

These are my five orange themed blocks that I made yesterday when I had a couple of free hours. None of my eyeglasses work anymore, so it was kind of a challenge to sew. 

Instagram @samplerspreeqal has tons of great photos of people's blocks. I am doing a maple leaf setting using Cider and Persimmon by Basic Grey. I am pretty much copying Vanessa at Lella Boutique's vision, but I don't always do the same blocks she chooses. 

Did any of you experience your glasses being worthless after cataract surgery? I used to wear 2.50 strength "readers" for reading and other close work. The drugstore glasses that just magnify worked fine for me. Now they are way too strong. I have been experimenting with 2.00 and 1.50, but neither one is quite right. I think my eyes still have some healing to do before things settle down. 

I guess I knew I wasn't going to get a dramatic vision correction with this surgery, especially since my vision is not that bad. I do need magnifying lenses to read though, and to do any sort of sewing or other close work. Hoping I have a happy outcome eventually. My world is sure a lot brighter, which is a wonderful result of the surgery. I was looking at life through a golden veil for years. It is a pleasant change to have things looking bright and clean and not dark and dingy.

Serendipity Catch Up

I had some time last week to catch up on the Serendipity Sew Along. You may notice that I didn't play by the rules and substituted different blocks for two of the rows. What on earth gets into me sometimes?...

There is just one last row of blocks to make for this quilt. My motivation is strong to get going on it and wrap the project up. There will be plain white rows separating the larger block rows, and a white border finished with a wider border in the largest grey floral print.

I am using Corey Yoder's collection "Apricot & Ash" and following her progress with this project on her blog.

My second eye surgery is tomorrow and I am excited to get that over with as well. Thanks for all your good wishes and encouragement.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Sewcialites Quilt is Finished

The Sewcialites Quilt Along was a completely free program hosted by Fatquarter Shop and Kimberly Jolly.  A total of 18 designers contributed block patterns each week. There were 36 blocks in all.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on my block each week of the sew-along and am pleased with my quilt top. The blocks were offered in three sizes: 3 inches, 6 inches, and 9 inches. I opted to make the 6-inch size. My finished quilt is approximately 48 inches square. I will probably add a 4 1/2 inch wide solid cream border to finish it off. I'm still considering that.

Kimberly offered weekly YouTube tutorials showing how to construct each block in the various sizes. It was fun to watch her tutorials while I sewed the blocks and I actually picked up a lot of useful tips.

Did you participate in the sew-along? Did you enjoy it? Have you finished your top?

Sorry for my spotty posting this week. I am afraid it will be like that for a while. There is an awful lot going on in my life this summer: my eye surgeries, my husband's illness, caring for my 95-year-old dad each weekend, hanging out with my 9-year-old granddaughter during the week, and my part-time writing job. I will try to post as often as I can, but sometimes I have no content lately! During my three-hour drive to my dad's house on Fridays and Sundays, I have been listening to some great audiobooks, and I will share my favorites with you soon. 

Bloc Loc Kite in a Square Tool

As you know I am doing the Sampler Spree Sew Along. One of the blocks I wanted to make this week is this one from Susan Ache's book "Sampler Spree". You can make the block from a template you make yourself or by purchasing a tool made by Bloc Loc. I went for the tool, "Kite in a Square" because Bloc Loc never has failed me and I love the look of this kite unit. It is pricey, but my son gave me a gift certificate to FQS, so there you are...

The tool comes in three pieces: The kite, the background, and the trim tool. 

Here are the three pieces of fabric needed for the unit. Looks kinda like a big moth. Bloc Loc has a great YouTube tutorial on how to sew them together.

Here is my unit, pieces attached and ready to trim.

The unit is all trimmed up and measures exactly 3 1/2" as it is supposed to.

Four units sewn into a 6 1/2" unfinished block. I quite like it.

I do not at all regret purchasing the tool, and I know I will use it anytime I need a 6 1/2" block for a sampler quilt. You will certainly see it in my Red Sampler project.

I used it for another block in the Sampler Spree book. On the lower right is "Tussie Mussie", featuring one of the Kite in a Square units.

I really liked this tool, as I typically do with any Bloc Loc product. If you had a layer cake of a special fabric collection you are not sure what to do with, this tool might give you some ideas!

Thanks for all your good wishes on my first cataract surgery. My vision is still a bit blurry today, but I am noticing how much brighter my world is. Before I was looking through a golden haze, and now everything is shiny white and clear. I am not so wiped out feeling today and think I am on the mend.

Have an excellent weekend!
 

 

Red Sampler Sew Along Week Four

This Red Sampler Sew Along by Lori Holt is so lovely. I am enjoying the fabrics, and the block patterns are all terrific. The patterns are all from various books she has published over the past few years, so you do need to have them to complete the blocks. I had them already, so that was all fine by me. If I had had to purchase four new books in order to participate in the sew-along, I may have felt differently, just saying. But the books are good, the patterns are well written and easy to follow and my blocks make me happy. So there we are.

The largest block in the photo above is a Granny Square block. They are kind of fussy to make, but the results are wonderful, don't you think?

That pinwheel block on the upper right is really a cool block, and I think it would be a terrific block for a One Block quilt. The construction of the pinwheel is a little bit different, and I really do love the look of it. It was fun to make too.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in your lives. I am off this morning to spend a few days with mine. Goodness, I feel so blessed that he has been with us for so many years! 96 of them come November. Amazing. And he is a total love. He is so considerate. He forgot my birthday (at 95 I forgive him) and when it was brought to his attention, he called me to apologize and wish me the best on my special day.  Like I said, he is a dear.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sampler Spree Sew Along- and, Let's Talk About Sew Alongs

If you love sew-alongs, a new one started up this week that looks like it will be a lot of fun, and a skill-builder too. It is the Sampler Spree Sew-Along, based on the book Sampler Spree by Susan Ache. A lot of great designers are participating in this one, everyone doing their own thing as far as colors, etc, but all the 6" block patterns come from Susan's new book. There are 100 quilt block patterns in the book, so it is a nice resource.

Here is a link to Moda's website introduction to the project. And here is a link to Lella Boutique's website. I am going to use Vanessa's layout (which is a big maple leaf), and even copy her on the fabric collection she is using. I have fat quarter bundles of both Persimmon and Cider by Basic Grey, which I have been hanging on to for the perfect project for a fall quilt. I plan to make five blocks a week and just start on page one of the book and dive in. Lots of people are posting their blocks on Instagram #samplerspreeqal which are fun to see.

This is Vanessa's planned layout for her blocks.

Now that the Sewcialites Sew Along is a wrap-up, there may be room in my life for another sew-along. I know I have been rather impulsive in jumping into every sew-along that starts up lately, so I thought I would give you an update on the status of the ones I have joined.

Moda BlockHeads 3:  all but finished. One final vertical row to assemble and attach. Then off to the quilter.
365 Little Blocks: these paper-pieced blocks are too much, and besides I have no idea how in the world I would use them in a finished project. This one has been shelved indefinitely.
Sewcialites: all but finished. I have sewn all the rows and just need to sew those rows together. Then off to the quilter.
Heartfelt: I have shelved this one for the time being. I may get back to it, but no guilt.
Serendipity: still enjoying this one. I have a couple of rows to complete, then will sew the rows together for a finish. The colors are quite springy, so I don't feel a big rush to get it done right now. Once I decide to wrap it up, it won't take long.
Red Sampler with Lori Holt: loving this one and have completed three of the ten weeks released so far. I don't feel a rush with this one. The red and white color scheme works well for the holidays, so I'll keep plugging away at it.

So out of six sew-alongs, I have just about finished two, have shelved two, have one that I am in no rush to finish, and one that I am actively working on. So, I have decided to jump into Sampler Spree. I just can't resist. I realize that the idea of juggling so many sew-alongs can be extremely over-whelming. I am going to be concentrating primarily on two of them (The Red Sampler and Sampler Spree). My goal is to complete MBH3 and Sewcialites and get them quilted and off my conscience this next week.

Are any of you as impulsive about joining in on these sew-alongs as I have been? I would like to be a bit more discriminating and not join so many of them. The thing that I love about sew-alongs is the structure of the weekly block making, and the camaraderie of so many other quilters working on the same project. At this point in my life, I don't NEED any more quilts, but still enjoy the process of getting into my sewing room and working on something. The drawn-out schedule of these sew-alongs suits my needs right now, and I find I can still learn new techniques and skills as I participate. 

What are your thoughts?

 

 

 

Doggie Dementia

Have any of you heard of canine dementia? I am curious. I know a bit about dementia in humans, having had friends and relatives succumb to it. There is a symptom that is particularly interesting that is called "Sundowner Syndrome" which apparently affects not only us humans with dementia, but dogs as well.

This little guy is my daughter's dog Remy. He is a West Highland Terrier who is going on 14 years of age in December. He has some issues with arthritis in his hips, (or some other deteriorating condition of his hip joints). Other than that, he has seemed to carry on fairly well with his aging issues. Recently, however, in the late afternoon and early evening, he has started behaving strangely. He paces around in circles, seems anxious, has his tongue hanging out, and appears not at all comfortable or happy. It is as if he feels something needs to happen, but he isn't sure what that might be or how it will affect him.

It turns out that in both humans and dogs, the approach of sundown can trigger emotional, cognitive, and behavioral changes. In both humans and canines with dementia, the approach of darkness can trigger fears that they need to be somewhere (go home), or do something to wind up the day. He definitely appears to be anxious and insecure at that time.

I found that getting Remy snuggled into a warm comfortable spot seems to help. He likes being on the couch, surrounded by pillows or with me at his side cuddling up to him. It is as if he is getting the signal that we are done with our day, we are in a cozy spot, and can settle in. Most of the time it works, but at other times he just can't settle in and continues to pace around anxiously.

Here the poor little guy is. We try to hold him and comfort him, but he trembles and shakes and seems terrified. Ozzie sits at my husband's feet, worrying about his buddy. You can see out the window that it is just at sunset.

Have any of you experienced this strange symptom in your loved ones? Human or canine? Have you come up with any techniques to manage it?