Sister's Choice Quilts

Block 2 From the Sew Along I Am Not Doing

Since this is the year I won't be doing any sew-alongs, I thought I would share the second block I am not making. This sew-along is the annual Riley Blake Designs Challenge. They host it every year and the blocks are all designed by their in-house designers. As a matter of fact, all the free patterns from their past annual RBD Challenges are still available on their website. It's a great resource.

The first block in the 2025 Challenge was by Lori Holt and this second block is by Bev McCullough. The instructions are perfect and both these blocks came out dead on 10 1/2" square. The other nice thing about this sew-along is that they show you the final setting they have in mind for the blocks, which isn't all that common. Usually, these types of sew-alongs are mysteries, which are not everyone's cup of tea.  I personally like to see what the final result is so I don't waste time and fabric on a project I won't love at the end. (FQS Designer Mystery 2024 I am talking to you).

Do you have a ton of fabric on hand in your stash from a favorite designer?  Most of the time, you will find that the fabric from various collections by the same designer coordinates perfectly and makes fabulous scrap quilts. I have a bin full of Lori Holt fabric, and I swear I am not buying anymore of her stuff until I make a dent in what I already have. 

There is a great FaceBook site where folks who are doing the sew-along share photos of their blocks. People are all over the place with the colors and fabrics they are using, so it is fun to see what is going on. There is also a weekly YouTube tutorial on how to construct the blocks, with loads of helpful tips. 

So, if you are interested in not participating in another sew-along, this might be a great option for you...

Christmas at Granny's Block 4 and a Wonderful Update

This sweet little block is #4 in the Christmas at Granny's sew-along. It did have a lot of fussy tiny pieces. I ended up making that star section twice because the first one came out wonky.

I have a fantastic update regarding my husband's recovery! Yesterday he was able to stand up from sitting in his wheelchair, hold onto a walker, and take steps! Quite a few steps actually. His therapist followed behind him with the wheelchair and he did have to rest a couple of times, but eventually, he was able to walk completely across the room!    

    You just would not believe how happy he was! We certainly do have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

Christmas at Granny's Block 3 and a Food Chopper

How cute is this little stocking? This is block 3 in the Christmas at Granny's quilt-along. This block didn't give me too many issues, as the piecing of the stocking was pretty simple. The next block features an ornament with a teensy little star in the center, which I expect will be more challenging.

Next, I wanted to share with you a gadget I just bought on Amazon. This could be a great gift idea for the cook who has everything, or maybe something you want to try out for yourself.

This thing is called the Fullstar 4 in 1 Chopper. I know it's a gimmick, but I saw a cook on YouTube using it and it just looked so slick I had to try it. It consists of a plastic box with a lid that contains a grid made of sharp metal that chops veggies when you whack the lid down.


So here I have half an onion laid on the square grid of sharp metal. The lid is up in position for me to whack it down on the onion, forcing it to be cut into tiny dice. 
And I am telling you, I whacked the heck out of that thing and at first did not make a dent in that onion. Finally, and it took some muscle power, I was able to smack the lid down hard enough to force the onion through the sharp metal grid.
Now, this would be an excellent task for a husband, or even better, a strong teenage boy if you have one around the house. I bet they'd love to show off their strength and give you a hand.


As you can see the results are an excellently and evenly diced onion.


Next, I tried the apparatus with a red pepper. The gadget comes with two different-sized sharp metal grids, and I used the larger one for the pepper because I wanted a larger chop rather than the small dice. I had to cut the pepper into four flattish sections for the cutting. It was easier to cut the pepper than it was the thicker onion. 

I will say that I like the 4 in 1 Chopper because of the nice uniform cuts it makes. I will use it with mushrooms next and see how that goes. Once I figured out what I needed to do, the process was super fast.

What do you think? Would you rather just use a knife and a cutting board, or would you give a gadget like this a try?

Added later:  The thing was kind of a pain to clean. The red pepper smooshed up into the grid that presses the food down into the metal blades and it was not easy to get out. The gadget comes with little picks and brushes to help with the process. The onion didn't make a mess, so maybe it is worth it just for dicing onions.

 

 

Oops and a Fix

In my last post I proudly showed you my present block, which was block #2 in the Christmas at Granny's sew along. Oops. I totally cut it out wrong. How come nobody told me? No worries, there is more fabric where that came from. I remade the block and cut it properly this time, on the diagonal. The bow came out better the second time I made the block, so that's good too. 

My gosh, these blocks take a lot of fabric. I guess that is the nature of these granny square type blocks. Here is my present block, all surrounded by the granny squares, ready to be trimmed down. The finished block is supposed to be 14 1/2", and both of mine were 15" exactly. I don't guess it really matters, I can work with that.   

Here are my first two blocks, cute as can be. I have to say I really like how they came out!

Check out the sew-along at My Sew Quilty Life and on the Instagram page.

My husband continues to do just a bit better each day. He is sounding more like himself again, not so hoarse and puny. They sure do have fabulous equipment at the acute rehab facility and his therapists are really putting him through his paces. Well, not paces, since he can't walk yet, but you know what I mean. And, it seems that he will be home for Thanksgiving if all goes well. Still in a wheelchair, but we can handle that.

Have a great weekend everyone.

A Bit of Sewing and Husband Update

I am happy to say I was able to do a bit of sewing over the weekend. I started the Christmas at Granny's Quilt Along hosted by My Sew Quilty Life, and really like the first block. My fabrics are mostly reds and greens and backgrounds from Lori Holt's Hometown Holiday collection. There is a great Instagram group at #christmasatrannysqal where you can see other people's blocks. 

The blocks are pretty large, at 14 1/2" square. However, those center units are small and fussy, finishing at
6 1/2".

The second block features this cute little present. Gosh, those pieces were tiny. I decided to stop torturing the bow part of the block and leave it be. You can't tell my workmanship leaves something to be desired unless you look at it under a magnifying glass. I think it's pretty cute.

My husband has been transferred to an acute rehabilitation center about an hour away from us. They say they will give him three hours of physical and occupational therapy each day. I wonder if he will be home by Thanksgiving? He can scoot himself from sitting on the edge of the bed onto a wheelchair, but still can't stand or walk. He has more dexterity in his hands and fingers and can lift his legs up much better. I don't think I can manage him on my own if he can't at least stand and hang onto a walker and take a step or two. Each day brings a small improvement so I am hopeful.

I plan to go visit him today, so probably won't post tomorrow. But look for me on Thursday!

The tree in my backyard really outdid itself this year. The colors were gorgeous and the leaves seemed to stay on the tree a bit longer than usual. We had a bit of rain yesterday and about half the leaves found their way onto the lawn. I sure do enjoy that tree.

Christmas at Granny's QAL

I've been a bit distracted lately, so I missed the start-up information on this fun holiday sew-along that Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life is doing. You can read all about it on Heather's blog. The basic block is a traditional Granny block, with an adorable center-pieced unit that has a Christmas theme. As you can see, the first block features a Christmas Tree, and each week there is a new center: a present, a hat, a stocking, etc.

The Quilt Along began in August, so as I said, I am very late to this party. You can still join in though, never fear. Heather is selling the entire pattern on her website. Link here. I paid and joined up yesterday. The patterns are supposed to be released to participants by email each Monday. I do not know if I will get 8 blocks all at once, or if they will be doled out to me one week at a time. Guess I'll find out this morning. I am anxious to get started, so I hope all the weeks I have missed will come at once! Check out Heather's Instagram feed for pictures of what blocks have been released so far. They are seriously cute.

Oh, and guess what? Each week you get a cookie recipe too.

There is an Instagram group #christmasatgrannysqal, where people are posing photos of their blocks that you must check out. Folks are using their stash or various Christmas fabric collections, so it is super fun to take a look and get inspired. 

This will be a lovely project to work on during the holiday season, and with only 9 blocks, the project should not be overwhelming. The finished size of the quilt is around 62" square, and is fat quarter friendly. You do need some extra yardage for the sashing and borders etc. It is the perfect size for over the sofa or to drape over your balcony railing as I like to do. 

Let me know in the comments if you are doing this quilt along, or if you think it could be a fun project!

Husband health update: wish I had better news. He is still in a lot of pain, and his surgery date has been pushed out to Oct. 23. I went out and bought him a gazillion-dollar power recliner which he claims is saving his life. He can recline it and take some pressure off the discs that are causing him so much agony. He is barely able to walk even with the walker. It's been a situation over here, I tell you. We will get through it. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words, wishes, and prayers.

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!

New Project: Halloween Memories, Moonlight

Well, I don't know what I was thinking. I have a lot of works in progress and UFOs at the moment, so starting in on a complicated new project doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I even had to purchase a bunch of fabric for this one, which is even more impulsive. But, here I am, and you can watch me sink or swim.

The new project is from Susan Ache and Lissa Alexander's new book "Halloween Memories". The quilt is called "Moonlight". Fat Quarter Shop says they will be blogging about it on the shop's Jolly Jabber blog, and there was a post yesterday morning.

This quilt calls for a heck of a lot of fabric. It is a one block quilt and the idea is to have the colorful star and the dark lattice all be scrappy and in a gazillion different fabrics. The block background fabrics are supposed to be all different as well. Since there are 32 blocks in this quilt, I thought having 32 different colored blocks, 32 different blacks for the lattices, and 32 different backgrounds was just nuts. I have a great stash to pull from, but even for me, that's excessive. 

I had a fat eighth bundle of Lella Boutique's Hey Boo. I bought one background for the whole quilt, and additional fabric for an alternate hourglass block, and a couple of borders. A lot of fabric for a quilt that is 63' X 77". A lot of fabric.

I made a test block and as you can see, it is pretty darn cute. Those dark lattice strips are only 1" wide, so that is kind of a pain, but the final look is cool. I would not say this is a quilt for a beginner. Each block is made up of four half-square triangles, four flying geese, a square in a square block, and the lattice strips and posts. The pieces are not large, and you do have to really pay attention to your quarter-inch seam allowance on those lattices. 

In my opinion, the only way I can see making this quilt is to cut everything out in advance, put the pieces for each block in a sandwich baggie to have ready when you have time to sew a block. So, cutting and organizing is what I did yesterday. And I did not finish. It's a lot of cutting and a lot of prep work.

I managed to put together 9 packets (out of 16 total), each will make two blocks of the same fabric. I made my half-square triangle papers ahead, but didn't trim them. I have my square in a square papers in the baggie along with the fabric to make them. I also want to do 4 at a time flying geese, and have the squares all cut out for that. Basically when I sit down to make a block or two, everything is ready to go in those little sandwich bags. 

This is actually a great project for a quilting retreat. If you plan ahead like this for your sewing, once at the retreat you don't have to think. Just pull out your baggie and keep on visiting with your quilting pals while you sew. 

There are a lot of Instagrammers who are participating in this sew-along, and Fat Quarter Shop lists them and their Instagram names so you can follow along. Are any of you making this project?

Designer Mystery 2023 Back on the Design Wall

My next Finish It project is the Designer Mystery 2023 block of the month sew-along. At first, I wasn't sure I loved the dark blue background in the setting, but I have to admit, now I think it is pretty spectacular. The setting really sets off those blocks and is so different from what you typically see.

The only way to go with this project is to work on the setting as you make the blocks. I think I would feel completely overwhelmed if I finished the blocks and still had this complicated setting to construct. 

When I unpacked the tub this project was in, I was happy to discover that I had cut out and even made many of the flying geese and half square triangle units needed for the setting. That saved me a ton of work right off the bat. I had made five blocks and got busy making the sixth one. My first row of three blocks and their setting was already assembled and it wasn't much work to finish up the second row. 

I am excited to keep working on this project and get it wrapped up. It will look amazing on the bed in our primary bedroom. There are a total of four rows of three (twelve main blocks), the block surrounds which form that star pattern, a lattice between the rows, and a couple of pieced borders which add to and complete the design. 

I actually think this is going to go pretty quickly! While sewing yesterday I watched more YouTube videos of one particular quilter who was also making this quilt project. She is Canary Quilts (sorry I don't know her actual name) and she seems to work on a lot of popular sew alongs that I am interested in. Her commentary and instruction are good and she doesn't have any annoying mannerisms to distract me. If you like to watch tv while sewing check her out, you may enjoy her too. 

Let's Pop Some Corn is Finished!

I am so excited to have finished this little table runner. I'd give the pattern a grade of C-, but with the help of my internet friend Carol, I zipped through it with no frustration. Her time-saving tips were priceless. This is going to be so darn cute on my dining table. I did shorten the length of the runner by one block.


I could not be happier with how this turned out. 

I am so excited for a couple more smaller projects that I have in mind to make. I mentioned Spooky and Sweet and Star of Wonder in my post yesterday, which I will start when the fabric I ordered arrives. But I just heard about another project that is coming up hosted by Fat Quarter Shop (again). It is a full-sized quilt in shades of pink and peach that will support breast cancer awareness. The sew-along is called the Woven Hearts sew-along and features new foundation papers for the "woven star" block. 


Isn't that pretty? I will not be making the quilt as shown. I will make another table runner using the Woven Star blocks and will probably use Christmas-themed/colored fabrics. I love foundation paper piecing; this block will be fun.

Doesn't that look like it would be fun to piece? You could use a new collection or dig into your scrap bin. The pattern is supposed to be charm pack friendly, so I have in mind that I will order one or two charm packs of the new Kitty Christmas collection.


Making a table runner of this block will be a fun way to play with a new fabric collection without spending a ton of money.

At any rate, there are a number of really fun-looking sew-alongs that have recently been done or are coming up that don't have to be for full-sized quilts. You can participate to the degree you are comfortable with, have fun, learn something new, and end up with a terrific smaller project. 

How about you? Are you up for making a smaller-sized project?