Sister's Choice Quilts

A Dozen Sew Alongs You Might Love

This post is going to be full of information.  I will provide lots of links to a plethora of fantastic sew alongs that you could stitch happily along with while you are "sheltering in place".  If we are all stuck at home, we could at least have something to show for it at the end, right?  Also, if you want a distraction from the COVID-19 situation, these projects provide it. 

The first sew along I will tell you about is one I started last week.  I posted that the pattern "Village" is being provided for free at various websites.  This is a great scrap buster and is super fun to work on.  Charm squares work great for this one.  It is a scrappy house block designed by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

This sew along is Moda BlockHeads 3.  It started at the beginning of 2020, but all the weekly patterns are archived on the Moda website.  There are also a number of layout options you can choose for the four block sizes.  Pick one size block or make all four sizes.  There is definitely a Love/Heart theme going on, which is super cute.

This sew along is over, but there has been a book published with all the block patterns and some suggested layouts.  This is Moda BlockHeads 1, which started it all.  This is a sampler block of the week sew along, with designs by a number of well known Moda fabric designers.  I had a blast with this project, and as you see, am in the process of trying to figure out my borders.

This was a block of the week sew along hosted by Primitive Gatherings.  The pattern, "Star Studded Event"  is available on their website.  I signed up for a weekly kit which they sent me (it was kind of pricey), but if you have a large stash of scraps, this could be your answer to reducing it.  It is a great block, and you will get really good at piecing that 2 1/2" center star if you decide to make this block.  The pattern makes a very large quilt, but there is no reason you couldn't stop at any point you like and make something smaller.

This sew along is a mystery quilt hosted by designer Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts.  The pace is pretty intense with this sew along, but you could certainly print out the daily block instructions and go at your own speed.  So far (as I write this) we are on day 6 and I have made 40 blocks!  Edyta also does YouTube video instruction for each block, which is a terrific support, especially for not-so-confident sewers.

Here is a list with links to some other sew alongs that sound amazing.

Summer Moon Sew Along, hosted by Fat Quarter Shop and Carrie Nelson.  This sew along is over with, but there is a book complete with patterns available, plus a slew of YouTube Fatquartershop tutorial videos for the blocks.  The finished quilt is amazing.

Comfort and Blessing Sew Along by Piecing the Past Quilts.  This is a free sew along, but it doesn't start until April 13.  I am so intrigued about this one!  I have a ton of leftover Kansas Troubles fabrics, which would be perfect for this project.

Amber Johnson ( Gigi's Thimble) and Jessica Dayton are hosting a quilt along called The Willow, which looks so beautiful.  I am really interested in doing this quilt at some point.  There are two sample suggestions, one made with Minick & Simpson's Mackinac Island collection and the other a collection of blues.  Gorgeous quilts, both of them.

Sherri McConnell from A Quilting Life is hosting a block of the month sew along, and has released free instructions for three blocks so far.  All of them have been super cute, and have instructions for making two different sizes. 

Gundrun Erla of GE Designs is hosting an Elvira Quarantine Quilt Along.  If you enjoy modern designs, you will love this one.

Pat Sloan is a favorite of quilters everywhere for a good reason.  She has such an engaging personality and is known for her great pattern designs and sew alongs.  She has a free 2020 Wild West sew along going on, which I haven't joined but am t.h.i.s close to signing on for.

If you want to start a Christmas quilt, this is the perfect time for it.  Gather up your red and white fabrics and pick up this little book from Primitive Gatherings.  You can make a different block each week and end up with a fabulous Christmas quilt that will be a family heirloom.   These blocks are challenging, but oh so worth it.

I am sure there are more sew alongs out there, but with any luck, one of these will pique your interest and get you started on a project to fill the empty hours until we can get our lives back to normal!  

If you know of any other sew alongs, please do share in the comments.

Have a great weekend everyone. Stay healthy and engaged in stimulating activities.

Can I Keep Up?

These are the five days of blocks I have made for the Laundry Basket Mystery Sew Along.  36 blocks in five days.  This sew along is intense, I tell you.  Honestly, I am not sure if I will be able to keep up with eight new blocks a day.  And that is ok.  I am homeschooling Eva and have four other sew alongs I am participating in, so it is what it is.  If quilting was all I had to occupy my time, I would have no problem. However, there are just "sew" many hours in the day.  Yesterday's block is on the lower right--pretty cute I'd say.

I did change out the tan fabric I showed yesterday.  It wasn't yellow enough to "go" with the background, which is a yellowish tan on cream.  Also, the tan prints I was using had no red in them to tie in with the other fabrics in the top.  While I am not 100% thrilled if this tan is going to be a predominant feature in the design of the quilt top, I can live with it now that I found prints that blend in with the others better. They also are slightly different tones, which brings a bit of life to the mix.

On the homeschooling front, we are getting in around four good hours a day.  Math, language arts, reading, science, grammar, and lots of writing practice.  Eva's teacher logs onto Facebook and reads from a book the class had been enjoying.  She is figuring things out day by day, and hopefully, soon everyone in the class will be on board with online learning.  It is not going to be optional, so I hope folks can figure it out.

If I ever wanted proof that this is the Apocolypse, my hairdresser and manicurist both have let me know that they are closed for the duration of the Covid-19 situation.  Let me just say I will now be wearing both a hat and gloves.  Maybe I will bring back a fashion trend?

 

 

 

 

 

Laundry Basket Quilts Mystery Sew Along

Edyta of Laundry Basket Quilts is doing a really fun mystery sew along.  I am usually leary of mystery quilts, but decided to give this one a go.  I am really pleased with the blocks so far, and what I especially like is that she shows you the block layout with each addition.  Now, this sew along is moving along at a very fast clip.  By that I mean, each day there is a new block to make, and you need to make multiples of them.  Day One we made four blocks, Days Two, Three and Four we made eight blocks.  So, in four days of sewing you would have 28 blocks already.  Now, you could certainly take this slower and go at your own pace, but I think her philosophy is that we are all stuck home with nothing to do, so making this number of blocks in a day is achievable.

So far, I should have four corners that are laid out like this:

See?  You can get an idea of where she is going with this.  I hope I don't regret using that tan.  I can always change out that fabric for something else at this point.  That is my main problem with mystery quilts.  If I knew how things were going to be laid out in advance, I could pick my colors better.  At any rate, her quilts are always pretty so I doubt I can go too far wrong.  

It really helps to have a good-sized stash when these sew alongs come up.  I don't buy as much fabric as I used to since I can easily shop at home with the excess fabric I have accumulated over the years.  Once in a while though, I need something.  Since I live in a rural area with no quilt shops, I typically order online and try to buy from small shops that also sell online to supplement their brick and mortar business.  I have also ordered specific fabric I needed from various Etsy sellers with great results.  These people are all small business owners and I am happy to support them.  I have placed a couple of orders recently have been amazed at how quickly I received them.

Hope you are all doing well.  Half the people I know are being laid off their jobs, so that is going to be a problem.  One day at a time, that is all we can do. I understand Amazon and Walmart are hiring thousands of people to help with online orders and deliveries.  Things have gotten very strange in the world.

I  made a mask for Eva yesterday.  When I gave it to her she said, "Now, exactly where am I supposed to wear this?"  I had to laugh.  She's right.  We aren't going anywhere, that is for sure.

Year of the Sew Along

2020 is turning into The Year of the Sew Along for me.  In our current lockdown situation, so many designers, quilt shops, and groups are hosting the most fun sew alongs.  If we are stuck in the house, surrounded by our fabric stashes, why not make the most of it!  I have an all-time high of five, yes FIVE sew alongs going right now (technically one is a UFO, but it WAS a sew along lol), and I am loving it.  I will share the details of them with you this week.

Let me tell you about the one pictured above.  Since we are under orders to "shelter in place" in our homes, working on some cute little house blocks seems just about perfect.  I first heard about it on Instagram #modavillage.   There is a Miss Rosie pattern called Village that features an entire neighborhood of these adorable blocks.  I happened to have the pattern, but it is FREE for downloading on the Sew Lux website.  Lots of people are posting on the Instagram site and it is so much fun to see what they are doing.  There are also helpful tips--for instance, some of the houses have little chimneys which look tricky to construct, and I noticed some kind soul had done a tutorial.

You can use charm packs or scraps to make the blocks, and I am telling you, they are absolutely addicting.  Wouldn't this be a remarkable memento of the time we were all stuck at home but found a way to connect with other quilters?

I had a box of American Jane (Sandy Klop) scraps which got me started.  I wanted the happiest, most cheerful fabric I could get my hands on and this fit the bill.  If you have leftovers from Bonnie and Camille, Fig Tree or any of your favorite designers, they will work perfectly for this quilt.  Or just use any random scraps.  Whatever you choose, it seems to work.  Thelma (Cupcakes 'n' Daisies) made one with scraps from every quilt she made in 2016.

How are you all getting along?  Every day seems to bring more bad news, doesn't it?  We will get through this eventually.  In the meantime, I will try to post positive thoughts each weekday.  If you are alone, feel free to email me or comment on my blog.  I will be happy to answer you and be at least one person you interacted with in a day!

 

Almost There

Oh gosh, I am almost finished with my Moda BlockHeads 1 sew-along quilt and I am sorry to see it come to an end.  As you see, I have completed the central appliqued block and have about two-thirds of the rows sewn together with lattices.  I am thinking the quilt needs a border, and am trying to find some of Kansas Troubles larger prints to audition.  Kansas troubles mostly does small prints though, so my choices are kind of limited. 

I also have some flying geese cruising around in the back of my mind that could figure in somewhere.  Clearly this is going to need more thought.  Maybe I am not so close to being finished as I first imagined....

All in all, so far, I am pretty pleased with the results.

 

Long Weekend Puttering

It is a long weekend here in the US, which means that I get extra time to play in the sewing room.  I made another 12 inch block for the current Moda BlockHeads sew along.  This block is Barrister's Puzzle. I don't have that many 12 inch blocks to make for the layout I am doing, and I want them to have an impact.  I have always liked that block.

I also re-did my house block and got rid of that darn gingham.  And I am much happier.  I realize I reversed the position of the door, but I think I like it better on the left.  Ok, I am done fiddling around with that silly block.

I went through my fabric stash to find more reds and blues for the quilt blocks and really hit the jackpot.  I have so many fabrics to work with now.  Lots of choices and no worries about running out of anything.  Just about everything I pulled was a Moda fabric, from various designers and collections.  Moda has a certain red that I think of as "Moda red", which is such a perfect shade.   And the company is very consistent with using it amongst several different designers.  Minick and Simpson, 3 Sisters, Jan Patek, Chez Moi--I found pieces from all those designers in my stash and the reds are all the same.  I love Moda.

If you are enjoying a three day weekend, hope it is going well for you!

Moda Blockheads 3, Week 2

I am so darned excited about this sew along, only two weeks into it.  I like the block designs that have been posted, but I especially love my fabric choice.  I have cracked into my fat eighth bundle of 3 Sisters Holly Berry collection, but I have other coordinating collections on hand that I can dip into as the sew along progresses.  I may have to redecorate my house and use more blue.  Everything I am interested in sewing lately has blue in it!

Check out this link to the Instagram post of a block that Becky Marzano put up showing her block for this week.  Is that not amazing?  Some people really think outside the box.

I have remade four of the Blockheads 1 blocks, and am so happy with how they came out.  It is so satisfying for me to have accurate blocks.

Sara and Eva came over when I was in the middle of trying to come up with an easier way to make the block on the lower right.  The method called for just was not working for me.  Those are a lot of very tiny pieces in a 6 inch quilt block, and my block was so wonky.  I was stewing over trying to come up with another method that would work better for me, but I set it aside when the girls came over and literally had nightmares last night about it.  I dreamt I was at a quilt retreat and left my sewing spot to go get some lunch.  When I came back, some terrible hoodlum women had moved my machine aside to take over my space, and my block pieces were all missing.  Now, that was a quilting nightmare for sure.  I woke up in a sweat with my heart pounding, ready to do battle with these nervy women.  Would you believe the first thing I did when I got up in the morning was to go up to my sewing room and go back to putting that block together?  So silly to be so obsessed.

By the way, the secret to me getting a better block was to skip the weird triangle pieces and use 1 1/2" half square triangles in the outer round of units.  Would you believe this block has 61 pieces!!!!!!!!!  This was an alternate block that Lisa Bongean submitted one week when the designated designer's block involved applique.  I ended up making both the applique block and the alternate and I am glad I did.  Didn't I say that the Blockheads sew alongs improve your skills?  They really do.

I have also finished my First Flake quilt top and can't wait to show it to you tomorrow.  

Let's Get Back in the Sewing Room, Shall We?

It's been a minute since I have done in sewing, but after a few days without power, I thought I should be more grateful for my electricity and actually use it.  I got up to the sewing room yesterday and brought out an unlabeled project that I started back in May.  Five months ago.

When I opened the box, I literally thought "What on earth was I making?"  I had to look up my blog posts to refresh my memory.  Honestly, if that isn't a good reason to have a blog, I can't think of another one.  It turns out, this is the Temecula Quilt Company's Sew Along that they did on "One Block Wednesdays".  The instructions can be found here.

I have been so lacking any quilting mojo for months, mainly due to the fact that I have way way way too many bed sized quilts.  I think in the future, I need to make more smaller projects, and maybe work on one or two large quilts per year.  This will be a big one, but I have to say it is fun and kind of mindless stitching.  I listened to some book podcasts while I sewed and spent a nice couple of hours.  

Happy Halloween!

One Block Progress

I've got a couple dozen of these blocks done so far, and am pleased with the ease at which they can be turned out.  I have put my iron right next to my sewing machine so I can avoid getting up to the pressing station, which saves time and steps.

I have been cutting out a couple dozen strips of fabric at a time, so I have a nice variety of combinations to choose from.  My goal is not to have more than two blocks with the same fabrics.  If I mess up and put the same fabrics together more than once I will live with it, but I am trying not to.

It is still hot as blazes here.  Another 100 degree day.  Eva's daddy took her to swim practice yesterday so I was spared.  Whew.  But it's up to me again today, so I am going to be prepared.  I have a chair, an umbrella, a gigantic hat, and a big container for ice water.  This time I am going to try not to get sunstroke.

A few of you expressed surprise that there is no covering to provide shade.  Well, here's my take on it--the swim practices are held at the local high school.  It is all very bare bones.  There is a huge pool and a big area of concrete surrounding it.  I think the powers that be designed it so that the kids who are swimming are in the pool doing their laps, and if you aren't one of them, you probably don't have any business being there.  They sure didn't make any accommodation for observers!  That's fine if you have a 16 year old, but a lot of parents of 8 year olds want to stay and watch.  If the practices were held at the local country club, there would be picnic tables, umbrellas and overhangs. 

As I recall, when I was a teenager, my high school was open to the public for swimming in the summer and there wasn't a speck of shade.  Just hot concrete that we baked on.  It's a wonder we don't all have skin damage.  We were pretty casual about using sun screen back in the day too.  Baby oil with a few drops of iodine to stain our skin was all the rage.  Do any of you remember Bain de Soleil?  It was a gel like sun screen with an SPF of about 8, that was kind of bronze colored when you smeared it on.  It made my lily white legs look like they were tan already.  I loved that stuff and had no idea that it wasn't doing a bit of good to protect my skin.  Now we spray on the SPF 50, but it's too late for my freckled and spotty old body.

Sweet Escape Finished!

I am so happy to share this Sweet Escape quilt with you all.  It has been on my design wall for ages,  just waiting for me to sew the rows together.  It wasn't such a hard task after all, and it feels great to have it done.

The Sweet Escape Sew Along was hosted by Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms.  The pattern is hers as well.  Do check out the Instagram site for loads of photos of what other folks have accomplished.  You will be so inspired.  It was a very fun sew along in which to have participated.  I did purchase the pdf version of Camille's pattern, but ended up changing it a bit.  In her version, her blocks are 10.5", and I made mine smaller at 8.5".  The reason for going with a smaller block is because I wanted to use my Creative Grids Log Cabin ruler.  I used the 6 inch ruler, but added one more round of strips and trimmed it with my Precision Trim ruler. My center unit is different as well.  I made a half square triangle rather than use a solid square.

I used mostly Sweet Tea fabric by Sweetwater for Moda.  It seemed fitting to use it for a quilt called Sweet Escape!  I selected the reds, navys and tans from that line.  My taupe fabric in the alternate blocks is something I had in my stash that just happened to go brilliantly with the chosen collection.

I am super pleased with how this project turned out (especially that it is done), and plan to send it off to be quilted as soon as possible.

Hope you are all having a great week!