Sister's Choice Quilts

Lots of Red Sampler Progress

I am really coming along with the Red Sampler blocks this week. Not too many more to go. I realized last week that each of those blocks needs to be framed with strips of background fabric. Luckily several Etsy sellers had the fabric, so I have been ordering it. Those Etsy vendors typically are super fast at mailing things out. 

I am really relaxed this week. Eva is at science camp. It is windy and rainy, so I hope she isn't going to be washed out poor thing. She was so excited to go. Lots of hiking and campfires and so on. And the whole staying in a cabin with your friends is too fun.

She is so grown up. I do not know how that happened so fast.

This is an audiobook I finished the other day. Have any of you read it? It is being heavily hyped on Instagram and other places. The author was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her last book, so everyone has been waiting with bated breath for this one. And I thought it was kind of badly done.

Basic plot summary: former alum returns to her high school boarding school to teach a couple of classes as an adult. When she was at this school as a kid, her roommate was murdered and a man was convicted of the crime. Our main character suspects a miscarriage of justice and is determined to have the right guy convicted, even if it's been over 20 years. 

My issues were that one, the book was far too long. Like 75 pages too long. Two, there were too many characters to keep track of. Then there was a side-story romance of the main character and some guy that added zero to the story and could easily have been left out. Next, the ending was a real letdown. And worst of all, the narrator of the audiobook kept mispronouncing the name of one of the important characters. The last name Daugherty is NOT pronounced "Dog-er-tee". The G is silent for heaven's sake. It is "Door-tee". She said it wrong about a hundred times. Ok, my rant is over. 

Did you read this? What did you think?

Which of These Blocks Is Better?

Which of these blocks looks better? I already know because I did a little experiment for you dear readers. I wanted to show you what a difference contrast and value can make. The block on the left looks sharp and clear and the block on the right is a muddy hodgepodge that your eye can't make sense of.

Large prints, although beautiful, can be very tricky to work with. And prints that have fussy details or that just read "busy" are difficult to incorporate into quilt blocks. 

The block on the right is not successful mainly because the rust floral print of the pinwheel is too large and has too much going on in it. What is the dominant color? Is it rust, is it gold, is it pink? It is difficult to read. The rust used in the block on the left reads almost as a tone on tone, and that darker value of the rust fabric really makes the pinwheel stand out.

(Good contrast)

The green dot in the right-hand block isn't bad, but when you compare it to the green used in the block on the left, it seems a bit wishy-washy. The green in the lefthand block reads more solid and contrasts more sharply with the rust fabric used in the pinwheel.

The gold print in the right-hand block seems like a fussy afterthought. The small taupe print for the inner pinwheel in the left-hand block is subtle and doesn't fight with the other fabrics. I think it is possible that the gold could have actually worked in place of the taupe in the left-hand block, but I think it would tend to steal the thunder of the rust pinwheel, which is the element we want to stand out. The lighter tonal value of the taupe works better.

(Poor contrast)

When I am quiltmaking, I am leaning more and more towards small prints that read as solids. How about you? Do you ever regret your fabric combinations? Do you enjoy using large-scale prints in your piecing?

March UFO, and Probably April and May too

Now that my green Don't Fence Me In quilt is a finish, I thought I had better stick to my goals and pick a UFO to work on for March. As I went through my bins of UFOs, I came to a halt when I saw my red blocks from the Lori Holt/Bee In My Bonnet Red Sampler Quilt Sew Along. That was it, for sure. I checked my notes and figured I was on Week Nine. I got out my fabrics and stitched away happily on the three blocks for that week. 

Then I thought it would be nice to lay all the blocks I'd made so far out on the design wall and enjoy them all together in their red wonderfulness.

Oops. So, not on Week Nine. Yes, friends, this is what happens when you set aside a project for a year or more. You get all mixed up and don't know where you are. Darn it. Clearly, I need to go through all the blocks I have made so far and figure out where I am. 

I did make this little guy though, and he is as cute as can be. I was supposed to have made him for an earlier week, but as I recall I was having trouble finding the instructions. Lori said the center block was from her Granny Square book, but she made it in a different size and then added star points so everything finished at a 6 inch block. Ok. That took some research and watching her YouTube tutorial and figuring out that she was using 1 1/2 inch pieces instead of the 2" ones in her book, and I needed 2 x 3 1/2" flying geese...You see what I mean. It came out great in the end though. If any of you are confused as I was as to how the heck to make this block, email me and I will tell you the measurements of all the pieces. 

Here's what they call the "beauty shot". Look at all those pretty blocks. After seeing how cute they are, if you are inspired to make this quilt, the instructions are on Lori Holt's Bee In My Bonnet website, all organized and everything, week by week. You do need at least three of her books to make the blocks though. 

She also has YouTube videos showing her progress. And Fat Quarter Shop has a fat quarter bundle of Lori's reds to get you started. It seems like a good deal for $65.

So there you are. I will get myself up to speed on this project and look forward to sharing my progress with you. It is a sixteen-week sew-along (you make several blocks a week in 12" and 6" sizes) and I figure I am at least half way done. 

Sewcialites Block 17

This is "Simplicity", Sewcialites Block 17, designed by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique. That is her photo above of the two blocks she made using her gorgeous Love Note fabrics.

I didn't think this block would work in the style of quilt I am planning, so I decided to skip it. I was going to leave it out of my quilt until I saw a couple of variations, which got me thinking about ways I could "lighten up" this block.

I made four hourglass blocks instead of three and made the corner blocks half-square triangles rather than solid squares. My center square is a fussy-cut floral. I am quite happy with my variation and think it will go better with my other blocks, which all have the white background fabric I have used throughout. It just goes to show you that you can use your imagination and make a tweak or two and turn a quilt block into something that suits your taste or needs better. I am grateful to the FaceBook posters in the Sewcialites Lounge group who posted pictures of their variations on this block, which inspired mine.

I hope your weekend was splendid. Our weather was super cold (in the 30s) and we had a lot of sleet/rain/snow at our elevation (1350 feet). It was the perfect weekend to stay inside. I spent Saturday finishing all my Don't Fence Me In blocks (yay!), and Sunday just puttering around looking up recipes and reading book reviews. I hope to have my February book reviews out for you this coming week. 

 

Sewcialites Blocks 14, 15, and 16

 I let myself fall behind in the Sewcialites sew along and played catch up this past Saturday. Blocks 14 and 15 were the easiest ever, but 16 took some time. I am happy with how it turned out in spite of all the pieces and points to match up.

Surprisingly, it was the easier block, number 14 that I am not happy with. I was sure I cut that text fabric straight, but apparently not. 

Now, that's going to bug me. At least it is an easy do-over. 

I hope your week is going well. My sisters and I worked at our father's house this weekend and sorted through old check statements and other documents our parents had saved since 1980. That was fun. Not. Next we are going to try to get rid of their furniture to clear out the house so some repairs can be made and it can be "staged". 

I am continuing to listen to celebrity memoirs, having decided Matthew Perry's train wreck life story "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" wasn't worth finishing. I moved on to Gabrielle Union's "We're Going To Need More Wine". I am not real familiar with her work, but she grew up in a town near Palo Alto, so I was intrigued. She is a feisty one, but her story is interesting. She does a lot of work with victims of sexual assault which is admirable. 

Some recommendations for worthwhile celebrity memoirs I have gotten from readers are "The Boys" by Ron Howard,"Becoming" by Michelle Obama", "Waiting to Be Heard by Amanda Knox, "How To Stitch An American Dream" by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilts. Let us know in the comments if you have any favorite memoirs.

Designer Mystery 2022 Alternate Block #1

Yesterday I got started making one of the alternate setting blocks for the Designer Mystery 2022 Sew Along sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop. The setting for this quilt is gorgeous, featuring alternate blocks such as the Ohio Star above, and some darker Log Cabin blocks. This quilt will be a stunner when it's done.

This block was the eighth in the series. Four more to go. I thought I'd get a jump on those alternate blocks rather than saving them all up for the end. Each block has a frame around it as well, so that's another task I could tackle.

Thanks to Sandy KN for the suggestions of quilt shops to visit in the Tuscon area. If anyone else wants to weigh in, my friend hasn't left for her trip yet, so there's still time. It's been a while since I have been to a brick-and-mortar quilt shop, how about you?

Have a great weekend everyone.

Sewcialites 2 Progress

These are the first 12 blocks I've made in the Sewcialites 2 sew-along. I think I swapped out one block I didn't like with a different 9-inch quilt block pattern. Middle row, last on the right I think. I am using the Flower Pot collection by Lella Boutique for Moda. The navy blue colorway in the line didn't make sense to me, so I left it out. I plan to use it in another project, so it won't go to waste.

Now that I have cleared off my large design wall I can lay them out and get a feel for how I am distributing my colors throughout the blocks. I also want to get started on making my setting blocks for the finished quilt top, and seeing them all in one fell swoop gives me a feel for placement. 

I am going with this layout. There are 24 blocks in the sew-along, but don't you think those four red corner stars are begging for a block to be inserted in the center? Me too. Guess I need to get busy and make four more blocks.

Are you doing this sew-along? What fabric are you using?

Not Much Sewing, Some Reading

I don't have much to share this week, sadly. My work assignments have been taking up all my time, so there hasn't been much sewing. I did finish a Designer Mystery block, but that is all I've managed.

I am listening to an excellent audiobook. Dominicana by Angie Cruz is a backlist title from 2019 that I've been meaning to get to. My reading resolution this year was to read the books on my shelves. The title is free with Kindle Unlimited right now. The book was shortlisted for the American Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020.

This book is Ana's story, which takes place in the Dominican Republic and New York City in the mid '60s. In a transactional arrangement, Ana is married off at the age of 15 to a man more than twice her age who moves her to New York City. You can't help but root for Ana as she tries to figure out life in a new country where she doesn't speak the language and is confused by just about everything she sees. As Ana's matures, her greatest desire is to be independent. She wants to go to school, she wants to make money, she wants to get out of the house and away from her domineering husband. Her life is anything but the American Dream, but she has big plans to change that. The book is charmingly written, but the deeper subject matter of the harsh realities of the immigration experience and how it affects the personal desires and opportunities of the individual will make you think.

Have a great weekend everyone. Hope to be back on Monday morning with some sewing to show you!

Crazy Weather and Some Sewing

Rain? We've got rain. Wind? We've got wind. Flooding? So many roads in our area are closed. Power? Luckily yes. Internet? Finally back on.

Rain hitting sewing room window.

Whew, my area of California is sure getting hit with some weather. We had no internet all of yesterday and many neighbors did not have power due to downed power lines. So many roads are closed due to mud/rock slides and flooding. My main route to the Bay Area will be closed for several weeks due to flooding. On my way home from taking Ahren to the airport last weekend, I had to turn around and take another route (way out of my way) because the road I was on was flooded. Guess I'll be staying home for a while.

Since we did have electricity yesterday I made the latest block in the Sewcialites sew along. This one is by Lori Holt. I really like the way it turned out. Then I sat myself down to finish the square in a square blocks for the Family Reunion quilt.

There seem to be around 900 of them for that quilt. I am exaggerating, but the truth is I am thoroughly sick of making them. Over 60 in all I think. I must have ten or so to go. This quilt has turned into a very tedious project once the center medallion was completed. 

Light at the end of the tunnel. 

Hope you had a cozy weekend.

Sampler Spree Quilt Along

During the past couple of weeks, I have had an opportunity to putter around in my sewing room and take a look at the many projects I have started over the past couple of years and have not finished. Sharing the care of my father was a privilege, but it definitely prevented me from keeping up with my sewing activities. One of the projects I rediscovered was the Sampler Spree Sew Along blocks I had started back in 2021. 

This sew-along is based on a book called Sampler Spree by Susan Ache. It was a pretty ambitious sew-along and looking back, I am surprised I even considered participating. The idea was, each week you were to make 10 sampler blocks in a specific colorway. Yes, 10 blocks in one week. In ten weeks you would have 100 or so blocks to put together in a quilt top. Oh well, when has anything totally impossible prevented me from joining a sew-along?

I only completed 28 blocks and was totally scattered on my approach, just working my way through the book rather than following the list of weekly blocks provided by Moda in the sew-along instructions. The result being, that I have 28 blocks in navy, teal, light blue, dark orange, light orange, gold, and brown. 

 
Actually, I never got to the brown blocks! These are the ones I finished, organized into plastic bags by color.

To tell you the truth, I hadn't made any gold blocks either, but I made a start on those this week. These are my two favorite gold ones from the book. 

If you'd like to see a photo of a finished Sample Spree quilt, check out Thelma Cupcake on Instagram. 

I don't think it is realistic for me to even dream of making 10 or more blocks a week on this project, but it is fun, and will make a great looking quilt. So my plan is to pick it up when I can and make a few blocks. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Thanks so much for all your great feedback on my recent book recommendations! It is such a pleasure for me to share the books I have read and loved with you all. And it is an even bigger thrill that so many of you read them and love them too! Several people asked me where I find all the books I read. It's pretty simple really. I listen to several book podcasts where books are reviewed and recommended. My favorites are Currently Reading, Sarah's Bookshelves, and From the Front Porch. Also, I follow a long list of book reviewers, book shops, and publishers on Instagram. I check online book recommendations from librarians and other literary sources. Also, there are book clubs sponsored by Good Morning America, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, and Jenna Bush, which all have great suggestions for monthly read-alongs. There is so much information out there if you know where to look! Wishing you loads of great reading in 2023.