Sister's Choice Quilts

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!

Summer in the Country- Final Block and Setting Plans

Our final block for the Summer in the Country sew-along is Farmhouse Star, designed by Susan Vaughan. What a beautiful block to conclude our sewing together! The block may look complicated, but we are going to take it step by step and you will love the results.

I didn't follow the pattern instructions much for this block. I can see we need to make some flying geese, so I used my current favorite 4-at-a-time method and trimmed them down to size with two different flying geese rulers.


The first trim tool I used was my 1.5 x 3" finished BlocLoc ruler.


For the larger red flying geese I used an older trim tool called Fit to be Geese designed by Monique Dillard. This tool can trim larger-sized geese (in several sizes), which these were at 3 x 6" finished.


When I have to make multiple four-patch units I prefer to strip-piece rather than sew little squares together. I cut 2 1/4" strips of my blue plaid and white background and sewed them together, and pressed to the blue fabric.  I used another BlocLoc trim tool for lopping off my 2-inch segments for the four-patches.

Next, I made my little pinwheel unit for the middle of the center star. I followed the pattern for the pinwheel, which involved making four half-square triangles and sewing them together.

Now let's take a look at all our units to put together this Farmhouse Star block.

We've got four large flying geese, four smaller flying geese, four four-patch units, and a pinwheel unit for the center. And four 2-inch white background squares (not shown).


Now we need to assemble the center star unit, which we will build around to complete the block. Lay out your pieces and sew them together. 


As always, I recommend checking your unit for accuracy. This should measure 6 1/2".


Now to build around that center star and finish up our block. Lay out your remaining block units around the center star and sew them together. Be sure your four-patches are oriented properly as shown. 

And there you are, our final block in this sew-along! I ended up with 17 blocks because I made an extra. I've selected my least favorite block and will probably use in on the back of my quilt. I only need 16 blocks for my setting, which is going to be pretty simple.


This is the basic idea for my setting. I will use white lattice strips between the blocks and cornerstones of
3 1/2" sawtooth stars. I plan an inner border of white and an outer border of the large red daisy print. I'll work on it over the weekend and show you my progress next week.

Thanks so much for sewing along with me, and especially to Patt, Nancy, and Joy for sharing photos of their progress along the way. In particular, I thank Moda Bakeshop and all their great designers, for hosting this sew-along back in 2020.

 

 

Summer in the Country Block 15- Star Flower

Every time I make a new block I feel as if I have a new favorite. This cutie is Star Flower, designed by Christine Weld of thequarterinch.blogspot.com for the Moda Bakeshop Summer in the Country sew along of a few years back.

Construction was pretty simple, but I do recommend going slowly and making sure that you pin when assembling the units as there are a lot of intersections where you want your seams to line up just right.

The first unit I made was the center square in a square piece. I never have good luck making those units unless I use foundation piecing. The Fat Quarter Shop has these papers in many sizes. The ones needed for this unit are the 3" finished papers.


Next up, I tackled the rectangular red units with the sew and flip corners. There are so many names for this method. What do you call it when you sew a square on the diagonal, trim 1/4" from your stitching line, then flip the corner over and press? Easy corners? Sew and flip corners?

Anyway, just mark your squares carefully and stitch slowly and you will be fine. I still like to measure my units when finished to get the best accuracy. I pressed the corner square seams outward.


These units should measure 3 1/2" x 5".


Mine were pretty accurate but as you see, I still managed to trim some bits off.


Now we need to sew some squares onto our square units.


Measure these units and trim to 3 1/2". Notice I pressed these corner square seams inward so they will nest together with adjoining units when I sew the block together. Now attach the white strips to these squares as the pattern directs.


Ok, let's take a look at what we have made for this block: one square in a square unit, four rectangular units with corner squares, and four square units with corner squares and border strips.


Lay out your block units as shown and stitch them together. What a great block this is! I will definitely be making it again sometime in the future.

Hope you all had a great weekend. It is hot again in my neck of the woods and expected to stay above 100 most of the week. A very special girl is turning 13 next Saturday, so we have lots of celebrating to do.


Here she is, living her best life this summer, swimming in a mountain stream near Yosemite. She will be in eighth grade in a few weeks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer in the Country Block 14- Summer Kites

Here we are with Block 14 in the Summer in the Country sew-along. Not much more to go! This Summer Kites block was an easy one designed by Lisa Jo Girodat. 

I changed up the instructions a bit and used my Creative Grids Cat's Cradle ruler to make the two units with the large floral triangle. I always get such great results when I use that tool. I have it in two sizes, regular and large. I needed the large one for this block, as the units finish at 6 1/2".

I've got some light blue half-square triangles and squares, some red half-square triangles and squares, and my two Cat's Cradle units.

Sew into four quadrants and stitch the block as shown and your block is done!

Here is my wall of finished blocks so far. I still haven't decided what to do about the block I made with templates, that turned out 3/4" too large. (Second block in the second row). It is too big to fudge, and if I trim it down to size I will lose my points. I am considering trimming down the templates and trying to remake the block. It turns out that I have plenty of fabric. The block is one of the more interesting ones in the quilt top and I'd hate to leave it out. 

Hope your week is going well! Our heat wave is over and temperatures have been so much more bearable. 

 

Summer in the Country- Block 13 Picnic Star

This pretty block is Picnic Star, designed for the Summer in the Country sew-along by Susan Vaughan @thefeltedpear. It really could not have been easier to make, and I think it makes a very nice effect.

I followed the pattern instructions for this block, which do call for making these triangle units larger and trimming them down to 4 1/2". I used my Cute Cuts ruler for trimming and they all came out just right.


Here are the block units: four triangle units and five four-patch units.


All laid out and ready to stitch.

Not too many more blocks to make. Now I need to figure out my setting! A couple of quilters have sent me photos of their progress with this sew-along, which I am excited to share.


This is Joy's quilt, all ready for its borders. I love a diagonal setting! Her blocks really stand out against that white background. 


And here is Patt's beautiful quilt. I really like her use of the navy in her quilt. Notice that flag block on the left? I love that! It totally fits in the Americana feel of this quilt. Patt, if you can, tell us in the comments where you found the pattern for that block, it is just great. 

Do check out Nancy's blocks on her Instagram account as well.

Thanks for much for sharing Joy and Patt!

 

 

 

 

 

Summer in the Country- Block 12 Blue Ribbon

"Blue Ribbon", designed by Anne Wiens, wins the prize for the cutest block in the Summer in the Country sew-along in my opinion! I adore this block.

It wasn't hard to piece, but I do have a tip or two for you.

We need to make some hourglass units for this block. The instructions say to cut your squares 3 1/4", then cut diagonally twice. Don't do that. Cut your squares 3 1/2". Whenever I make hourglass units, I cut my squares a full INCH larger than the finished size of the sewn hourglass block. You will be so glad you made these units oversized and can trim them down to the perfect size. 

Once your unit is all stitched together, press those seams open. You will achieve a nice flat block that way.


I like to use my Cute Cuts trim tool to cut my units down to the 2.5" size. Those diagonal lines make centering the unit so easy.


You will have a nice generous amount of trimmings and your block will be precisely the correct size.


Layout your hourglass units and the rest of the fabric pieces needed for the block. I followed the pattern instructions from here on, but you may find my photograph of the finished quadrants helpful.


This is the upper left quadrant.


These are the four quadrants you need to assemble for the Blue Ribbon block. Just go slowly and refer to the photograph or the pattern diagram for reference. Notice the quadrants will be sewn together in two vertical sections.

I am super happy with the way this block came out!

In other news, the heat wave continues:


Seriously?

 

 

 

 

Summer in the Country- Block 11 Ice Cream Churn

The Ice Cream Churn block was actually kind of fun to make. There were elements to it that reminded me of putting together a puzzle. The block was designed for the Summer in the Country sew-along by Lisa Jo Giradot.

I found the pattern instructions for this block somewhat confusing. The pattern diagrams were not oriented the same way as the block photograph on the Moda website, which muddled me. I had better luck keeping that photo up on my laptop and following that instead of the pattern diagrams. It helped me better visualize my color placements.


What do we need to get started with this block? We need some half-square triangles. I made them according to the pattern directions, but found when I trimmed them up they didn't give you much room for error. I was literally just trimming fabric dust when I trimmed them to size with my BlocLoc ruler. If you are not an experienced sewer, you may want to use triangle paper or make your units oversized and trim them down.


Carefully following the color photo on the Moda website (or my photo below), arrange your block units into quadrants before sewing. Double-check your fabric placement.


Sew the quadrants together and press. For this block I didn't think pressing open was necessary because only a couple of seams intersected. I tried to anticipate that and pressed those seams in opposing directions.


Woo hoo!  Look at us. We are making such great progress with these blocks. Patt is ahead of me and completed most of her blocks as you can see in the photo below. She needs 4 extra blocks for the quilt she has in mind. She said she made one block twice by accident. I had to really search to find it. Isn't her work beautiful?


Nancy has been posting her blocks on her Instagram account and is doing great work too. 

 

 

 

Summer in the Country Block 10 Firefly

This is probably the easiest block in the Summer in the Country sew-along. Block 10 is Firefly, designed by Michele Kuhns of Crayon Box Studio. This block took me less than 30 minutes to make, including cutting. The fact that it was 102 degrees and I did not want to spend one extra minute up in my sewing room may have had something to do with the speed in which I finished it.

I also used some shortcut techniques which I will share with you. First up we need to make 4 half square triangle squares that will finish at 4".

I used one of my Thangles half square triangle papers to get the job done in no time.

There we are.

Next we are supposed to cut a bunch of 2 1/2" squares for our four patch units. Nuts to that. If you cut strips instead, the process is much faster. Cut a strip of each of your fabrics. About 24" long should be plenty long enough.

Press flat and sew right sides together.

Cut the strip into 2 1/2" sections. I used my BlocLoc strip ruler, but any ruler works.

You will need ten of these units to make your four patch blocks.

You will need five four patch units.


I like to spin that seam at the center of the four-patch unit so it lies really flat.


Lay out your 9 block units and make sure everything is oriented properly. Sew together and put with your other completed blocks!


I really need to move these to my large design wall!

Happy 4th of July to all my US readers! It's going to be so hot here that most activities have been canceled. 108° is the projected temperature for the 4th. There is no relief in sight for two weeks. Our biggest concern is fire danger, but we also worry that we might lose our electrical power. We have a generator on standby to power our extra fridge and our sump pump, but this is going to be a challenge. If my posting is spotty, it could be that I do not have electricity or internet.

 

 

Summer in the Country- Block 7- Summer Basket

This week's Summer in the Country block is a beauty, and certainly a challenge. It is called Summer Basket and was designed by Nicola Dodd of Cakestand Quilts. It may be my favorite so far and I think it will be a gorgeous addition to the quilt.

Be that as it may, I have to tell you that the instructions for this block are not great. A whole step involving the units for the basket section was left out. Never fear my friends, I've got you. Follow along with me step by step and you will end up with a fabulous block.

I did not make this block exactly as the pattern recommended. I have certain methods of construction that work for me that I substitute in when I can. Here we go. Hang on to your hats, there are many photos ahead and this will be a long post. 

The pattern tells us to first construct the stem unit for our flower. I followed the pattern instructions for this unit with good results.

Now we do a stitch and flip triangle to attach the stem to the base of the basket.

Draw a diagonal line as shown above, stitch, trim, and flip.


Next, we need 8 flying geese units that measure 2 x 3 1/2" unfinished. I prefer to make my flying geese four at a time, slightly oversized, and trim them down. There are many tutorials online for making them this way. Or use your own tried and true favorite method. Or follow the pattern...

Lines drawn and ready to stitch.

I used my BlocLoc trim tool to trim the oversized flying geese down to size. I made eight.

Our next unit is a 3 inch finished square in a square unit. I get the best results when I use Fat Quarter Shop's square in a square paper, so that is what I chose to do. 

Isn't it lovely? I made one.


Next I needed to make two 3 1/2" finished half square triangle units for the side flowers. I followed the pattern instructions for those.

Now I was ready to tackle making the basket and basket base. The pattern did have instructions for making the smaller base unit on the right.

But then the pattern instructions let me down. I was ready to cut out and construct the pieces needed for the other side of the basket base, but that information was left out. 

What size is the "A" fabric piece in the lower right corner supposed to be? What size is the "D" fabric unit that is attached to it supposed to be? 


To make that left hand basket base, you need a background square 3 1/2 x 5" and a blue square 3 1/2". Draw a diagonal line on the back of the blue square and sew it to the background.



Flip that blue triangle over and press. And there is your unit.

So, let's see what we need to assemble our block.


Two 3 1/2" half square triangles, one 3 1/2" square in a square unit, eight 2 x 3 1/2" flying geese, and five 2 inch background squares. (Only four are pictured above, but you will need 5).


Two 3 1/2" background squares, our 3 1/2" stem unit, two 2 x 5" rectangles, and the two base units for our basket. The one on the left measures 2 x 3 1/2", and the one on the right measures 3 1/2 x 5".

We are going to assemble our block in four quadrants. 


This is the top left quadrant. I sewed the sections in two "rows".


Top left quadrant sewn. I pressed my seams open.


These are the pieces we need for the top right quadrant.


I sewed the flower pieces together and then attached the background rectangle. 


I pressed my seams open, except I pressed the white rectangle away from the flower.


These are the pieces we need for our lower left quadrant. I sewed the pieces in "rows" top to bottom.


I pressed my seams open except for that white rectangle. I pressed that away from the flower.


Finally, our final quadrant, the lower right basket section. Here are all the pieces ready to go.


You know what to do. Press open.

Now let's sew those four quadrants together!


This is a beautiful block. I think it was worth all the fiddly steps.


I think you will be happier with the final results of your block if you press open. Everything comes out so much flatter.


My blocks so far. How are yours coming along?

Honestly, it took longer to write this post than it did to make the block!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Block 2 in Summer in the Country Sew Along- Moonlight

Block 2 in the Summer in the Country sew-along is Moonlight, designed by Michele Kuhns of Crayon Box Studio. I warned you that I might veer from the pattern instructions from time to time and this is a good example of me doing just that. I have two significant changes in the method used for making this block.

Change number one: When I look at the block, I can see that the center is made up of four "Cat's Cradle" units. You can make them just as the pattern instructs, but I get the best accuracy (and sharp points) when I use my Creative Grids Cat's Cradle tool.

Using the instructions that came with the Cat's Cradle trim tool, I cut my pieces and marked them according to the finished 4" size. Once I sewed on the lines and cut the pieces apart I had four Cat's Cradle units. 

Before I cut the sections apart, I flipped back the fabric to check my point. It was dead on perfect.

Once you cut your units apart and press them, there is one more trimming step. Use the trim tool to line up your seam along the correct dotted line and trim your unit down to 4 1/2". Don't you just love a perfect unit where all the points are sharp?

Change number two: The pattern instructions call for making this block using a lot of half-square triangles. HSTs are ok, but if I can avoid the extra seams by making flying geese instead I am going to do it. See the red triangles that frame the center Cat's Cradle units? Instead of making all those half square triangles, I am going to make 8 flying geese.

There is one very important thing you need to take note of. That is that you make four flying geese as shown on the left, then make four flying geese with the opposite color placement as shown on the right.  If you mess this placement up, your block won't turn out right. Don't ask me how I know this...

Here are my block components all laid out. 4 blue dot corner squares, 8 flying geese and 4 Cat's Cradle units.


I opted to sew my block together in quadrants as shown above. Sew one flying geese unit to the appropriate side of the Cat's Cradle piece, sew your corner square to the other flying geese unit, then connect the two pieces to form the quadrant.

I am super pleased with how this block turned out. I am even more pleased that I found a shop in England that still had some of that blue polka dot fabric! It cost more to ship it to me than I paid for the piece of fabric, but I need more of this blue dot for other blocks coming up.