Sister's Choice Quilts

Smile, You're On Camera

I had braces as a kid. For years, it seemed. And when they came off, did I wear my headgear and retainer as directed? No, I did not. And, over the decades, my teeth have crowded forward, making my smile irregular and to me, not very attractive. My teeth are not as bad as they were before orthodontic treatment, but they have tried to return to where they were.

For several years, I have considered going back to an orthodontist and having my teeth straightened again. But other things were prioritized and it never happened. Until this year. 

I have embarked on a teeth-straightening journey with clear teeth aligners. The brand that is probably most well-known is "Invisalign". My dentist prefers a brand called "Clear Correct", which is what I am using. I got my first "trays" today. The "trays" are the plastic molds that you fit over your crooked teeth. You are to wear them 22 hours per day. No, that is not a typo. 22 hours a day. You only take them off to eat and brush and floss. That is it. Every two weeks you get a new set of trays that move your teeth a teeny bit more toward the final goal.

My program is supposed to last 10 months, so that's a lot of hours wearing those things on my teeth. Supposedly my case is straightforward and should proceed well. As a bonus, I fully expect to lose weight on the Clear Correct Diet, since it is such a pain to take the darn things off to eat, then clean your teeth again and return the trays to your mouth. I will probably be tempted to skip meals just to avoid the fuss of cleaning my teeth and the apparatus afterward.

I am super excited to see some results. Have any of you had clear aligners to straighten your teeth? I'd love to know your story. Was it successful? What was hard about the journey? Please share in the comments!

 

Coming Together in Fellowship

 Thanks for bearing with me while I took a short break.  Last week was a rough one for many of us and my outlook on life was not the best.  A few days finding joy in small close things has helped me tremendously. 

Something that occurred in my neighborhood this weekend has made me so happy.  What you see in the photo above is a Truck Concert.  A local musician named Grover Anderson performed songs from his most recent album for friends in our small community.  Folks brought their own chairs out and sat in their driveways while he sang from the back of his truck.  It was unbelievably lovely to come together and see other people after such a long time of staying at home.  I assure you that proper social distancing was observed.

I am still feeling the warm glow that experiencing fellowship, kindness, and friendship gives.

Star Studded Event Sewing and Netflix

I am not quite finished sewing my Laundry Basket Mystery rows together, but hope to tackle that today.  Only about five seams to sew.  I took a break from that project and worked on something where I could just sit and stitch and watch Netflix.

I pulled out my Star Studded Event projects and made quite a few of those blocks.  They are so much fun to make.  I have to laugh, thinking back how intimidated I was about making those 2" center star blocks when I first started the project.  I have definitely improved from my first efforts.  But, those units are tiny!

I am using a Bloc Loc flying geese trim template to trim up those flying geese to their correct size, which will be 1/2" x 1" finished.  I know.  I can hardly believe it myself.  Look at it compared to my fingertip.  Yikes, notice my grown out manicure.  I wonder how much longer it will be until I can get another one?  

How cute are those little star blocks?  2" finished.

What am I watching on Netflix while I sew, you may be wondering.  O.m.g.  Everyone I know is talking about a documentary called Tiger King, which is about the crazy people who breed and keep wild animals, in particular tigers and lions and other large cats.  I was curious about the buzz so I put on the first episode and before I knew it I had binged watched five episodes in one afternoon.  The people featured on it are dreadful, the story is sordid, and it is like some kind of train wreck that I can't stop watching.  I do not dare watch it with my husband, as he would definitely not approve of these ghastly people.  So I watch it in the privacy of my sewing room.  Honestly, I feel as if I should close the door and pull the blinds while it is on and take a shower afterward.

I hope you are all doing well, and are finding better things to do with your time than I am.

Twelve Years

February 12 was the anniversary of my very first blog post.  A kind reader, Pam, pointed it out to me and I thought at first that she must be wrong.  No, it could not be possible that I have been blogging for that long.  Maybe ten years, but certainly not....And then I checked, and sure enough friends, Sister's Choice Quilts was launched on February 12, 2007.

I started this blog for several reasons, mainly because I love to write, and second because I wanted a record of my quilting journey, and third, because I was in the hope of meeting more like minded people with whom I could share my love of quilting.  

The quilt pictured above was featured in my very first post.  It was made on a quilting retreat and I named it Blogging Friendship.  It was my first and last Mystery Quilt! I featured the quilt in a giveaway in 2008, and  Susan from Blackberry Creek Home Arts was the winner.  Susan is still blogging as well, so you should go say hi.  I know she'd love that.

So many things have changed since that first post twelve years ago.  Blogging was in it's heyday back then, and I had been inspired by several bloggers who unfortunately, no longer post.  I had several cyber friends with whom I would exchange long quilt/fabric related emails.  We provided mutual support and also joked that we were "enablers" who caused one another to buy way more fabric than was necessary. We even met up in person on several occasions!  That was such fun.  People do Instagram more now I guess, and blogs seem to be out of fashion.  Quilt shops and quilt shop hops were a big deal in those days as well, and there were many opportunities to shop in person and even get together at shops and sew with friends. Now quilt shops seem to be few and far between, victims of the economy and the ease of internet shopping. The shop that sponsored the retreat where I made the Mystery Quilt is no longer in business. 

When I introduced myself in that first post, I explained that I had named my blog Sister's Choice Quilts in honor of my four sisters.  Now, sadly, I only have three sisters.  I also said in my first post that I hoped to meet more quilters and make some new friends.  That goal has been met in a way that has far exceeded my expectations.  People have come and gone over the years, but I still get comments and appreciate every single one of them.  The greatest blessing in this twelve year adventure has been the interaction I have had with lovely, quilt loving women.

Whether you are a long time follower of this blog, or if you just discovered me by accident recently, I thank you with all my heart for visiting and giving me a chance to express myself.

Things I Have Been Loving This Summer

Happy August!  I thought it was time for another What I've Been Loving post, since the last one I did was back in May.  The items I will tell you about are all over the map this time.  Pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and settle in for a chat!

Corn Salad.  Oh my gosh, I could eat this "side salad" as a meal in itself.  It is so full of all the flavors of summer and is easy to throw together.  Just look at those colors.  I took the picture before adding a cup of halved cherry tomatoes.  The recipe (below) is quite adjustable--leave out the cilantro if you don't like it, just go with half a jalapeno etc--anything goes.  It is great to make with leftover ears of corn, but it's so good, I will cook up the corn just for the salad.

Tap on the picture to enlarge it and make it easier to read.

For over five decades I have fought my curly hair.  As a teenager, at one time I would actually sleep on orange juice cans that I had rolled my hair around in an effort to straighten it.  Over the years I have used hot rollers, flat irons and blow dry sessions that take a half an hour to get my hair to be straight and shiny.  But that isn't my hair's true nature, and this summer I have been letting it have it's way, and I like it!  Do you fight your wavy or curly hair?  I have been using some products by Deva Curl that help your hair keep it's natural curl.  You can get a starter set for $30 at Ulta, which contains their four most basic products.

I have also been loving my shiny silver jewelry.  Do you exclusively only wear silver or only wear yellow gold?  Or do you go ahead and wear either metal depending on your mood or outfit?  My wedding ring is yellow gold, but there is something about shiny silver jewelry that is so summery.

The necklaces all came from JJill, and were very reasonably priced.  I bought them awhile back, but they have things that are similar.  The earrings and cuff bracelet I have had forever.

My house is smelling very summery with these candles from Yankee Candle.  I have been enjoying Mango Peach Salsa and Color Me Happy.  They are seriously yummy.  I have some end of summer/early fall candles lined up that I want to start burning (Harvest and Apple Cider), but these two are taking FOREVER to burn down.  I swear I burn them for hours everyday and the level hardly moves.  I guess they are a good value, since they burn so many hours!  I only buy them when Yankee Candle has a good sale, which seems to be every couple of months.  Do you like to burn candles in your home?  I love the warm ambiance they create.

I've been smelling pretty darn good myself, with the help of this fabulous body creme by Jo Malone.  It is such fun to visit a Jo Malone counter and try out all the lovely fragrances.  It is very hard to pick a favorite.  Their scents are all super simple (just one or two notes), such as the one I chose, Orange Blossom.  When it comes to fragrance, I prefer a perfumed body cream to a spray of cologne.  It lasts longer and is more subtle in my opinion.  And it moisturizes my dry arms and legs.  It is pricey, but lasts me a long long time.

Next up is some make up that has been making my life a lot easier.  Instead of liquid foundation I have been wearing a stick foundation and love the way it looks and stays on in the heat.  There are several excellent stick foundations that I have tried (MakeUpForever, Bobbi Brown), but my favorite is by Lancome, a brand I haven't used for many years.  This stick foundation comes in a gazillion colors (seriously, at least 40) and is so creamy and easy to apply.  You just draw it in stripes on your face, then blend it thoroughly with a dense flat brush.  The finish is so skin like and natural looking, light weight and lasts all day.  The foundation brush I like is by Sigma, but there are lots of good ones out there.  

Also in the picture above is a cream blush by Bobbi Brown that I love.  It looks way dark, but goes on pale pink and looks so natural.  I guess that is why they call it Pale Pink Pot Rouge.  The trick to using these cream products is the brush.  It needs to be soft, but very dense.  I dab the little Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques in the pot and apply just the tiniest bit to the apples of my cheeks, then blend super well with the brush.  It really looks very fresh and natural.  The brush is only $5.99 at Target!  And you could definitely use it with a stick foundation as well, since it has the denseness required.

I also adore cream eye shadow sticks.  I have found several brands to be amazing, with a great selection of colors (Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Nars).  I recently discovered that good old Lancome has them as well, and for a bit less in price.  The thing with cream eye shadow sticks is that you just swipe them on, blend with your finger or a brush and you are done.  One and done.  And their staying power is better than powders any day.  They are particularly nice in the summer, in the heat or at the pool, but I love them all year long.

Last make up item, these Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shines are available at your drugstore, Target, Kmart for under $9.  They come in a ton of colors and keep your lips looking glossy and tinted (but not sticky).  They are very hydrating and I like them so much I have nearly every color.  They do go on much lighter and more sheer than the color you see in the tube.  You can use them alone or as a gloss over your regular lipstick.

I can't do a favorites post and not mention a book.  Or books.  Ever since we started watching the Harry Bosch series on Amazon Video, I have been hooked on the books by Michael Connelly.  Harry Bosch is a detective, and there must be two dozen police procedural books that Connelly has written featuring him.  Every now and then I get obsessed about an author and if they are prolific, my life is taken over while I try to plow through all their books.

I was getting very tired of spending $9.99 for a new Kindle book every week, so I ventured out and discovered my county library.  Who knew it would be such a great library?  The one in our town is dismal, but if we just drive 16 miles to the county seat the facility is awesome and they have all the Harry Bosch books I could ever want.  Do you use the library?  It is such a money saver and you don't have to have the books cluttering up your shelves when you are finished with your book choice.

So there you have it, my favorites this summer!  Tell us what products or things that you have been enjoying!  It is always so much fun when folks share in the comments.

 

 

1000 Pyramids Quilt Has Unexpected Adventure

Many of you were asking how Ahren liked his quilt, which we were delivering to him in person.  It turns out there is a bit of a story concerning that.  

We chose a non-stop flight going straight from San Francisco to Dublin.  We love non-stop flights.  it is easier not to have to make any connecting flights, the trip isn't as long, and there is no chance for your luggage to get lost.  Hah.

We carefully chose a larger suitcase for my husband to use, and the quilt was wrapped and lovingly packed in it, along with his clothing.  We got to the airport early, and checked our two pieces of baggage without incident.  We had plenty of time to wander around in the international duty free area of the San Francisco airport, and even enjoy a cup of coffee and a muffin before the flight.

The flight was ok, nothing unusual, except it seems like the amount of leg room and size of the seats is shrinking every time I go anywhere.  My husband needed a lot more room to extend the leg he recently had the knee replaced on.  However, we got through the 11 hours, and may have even slept a bit.

When you arrive at the Dublin airport, there is quite a long walk from one's flight, through the passport checking area, then on to baggage.  I call it the Hall of Doom, because it seems like it goes on forever.  And if a lot of flights come in at once, you will stand in a line that forms along the entire mile long (it seems) corridor.  However, there wasn't much of a line until we got to the passport check in section, but we patiently waited our turn.  It was so funny to see all the foreigners tapping away on their cell phones, right under huge signs with pictures of cell phones with big red lines through them.

But I digress.  We got through the passport area, no problem, and were on our merry way to baggage to collect our suitcases and meet up with Ahren.  We found my suitcase without delay and then stood and stood and stood, along with a big crowd of other passengers who were all waiting for their bags, which hadn't come off the flight yet.  Soon a representative from Aer Lingus turned up with a sad announcement.  Back in San Francisco, there had been a massive breakdown of the main baggage carrying apparatus, affecting thousands of flights out of SFO, including 50 passengers on our flight.  The apparatus must have broken just after my bag was loaded on the flight!

My husband's suitcase was still in San Francisco, mixed up with so many other pieces of luggage it boggles the mind.

We just looked at each other and said at the same time, "The Quilt".  The fact that my poor husband had no clothes, shoes or toiletries was a secondary issue.  So we stood in  more lines to fill out lost luggage paperwork, and then finally met Ahren with our sad story.

After filling out the paperwork, all communication is electronic, so there was no way to talk to a real person to see what the status was.  Two days later, Ahren received a text message that the suitcase had arrived at the Dublin airport and was out for delivery.  So we stayed home and waited for it instead of going sightseeing.  But it didn't come.  The following day, Ahren received another text message saying the bag really was out for delivery.  Sure enough, a nice man drove up to the house around noon and delivered the suitcase.

We opened it right up and right as rain, there was Ahren's 1000 Pyramids Quilt, just as we had packed it.  He loved it of course, and said it was just as he had envisioned.  After admiring it sufficiently, he ran upstairs with it to his room and spread it out on his bed.  The quilt is quite large, and I was happy to see that there was plenty of overhang on both sides of the bed.  It was a great fit.  He wouldn't let me take a picture of the entire messy bedroom, but allowed a shot of just the quilt in its final resting place on the bed itself.

So I guess this is an example of the old adage "All's well that ends well".  Our quilt had a bit of an exciting start to its Irish life, but ultimately made it unscathed and is happily settling in it's new home.

The Perils of Bias Binding

I don't typically make all my bindings on the bias, so when I do choose to do that, I pretty much have to re-invent the wheel.  There many ways to go wrong with the technique for making bias bindings, and it is a wonderful opportunity for me to be all kinds of stupid.

The directions are kind of confusing, at least to my feeble brain.  I have done it a number of times before, and if I prevail and use the brain cells I have left after decades of chardonnay consumption, I can usually do it again.  Basically, you take a square of fabric and cut it in half on the diagonal.  Then things get tricky.  You sew a tooth shaped thing, which you open up and draw lines on.  You make a tube like shape, but be sure to off-set the drawn lines and sew another seam.  If you get this step wrong, you will end up with 20 circles of binding.  Don't ask me how I know this.  if you get it correct, when you cut on the lines, you will have a nice long strip of continuous bias binding.  Works great if you can wrap your mind around the instructions.  

My first set came out nicely.  But it wasn't enough in length to go around the quilt.  So I had to make another set.  Only somehow I got the stripe going in the opposite direction with my second try.

What?  No, are you kidding me?  That is not the effect I am going for.  I got it right on my third attempt, and managed to use more fabric making binding for one quilt than has ever been achieved in the history of quilting.

Lesson Learned

 

Oh dear.  I have been down for the count the past couple of days for sure.  Are any of you familiar with the objects pictured above?  They are commonly prescribed asthma drugs.  The round one on the left is called Advair.  There are no generic versions available (there used to be, but the FDA took away their approval).  It costs $300 a  month.  Yes, you read that right.  The object on the right is called Proventil (or albuterol). It costs around $100 a  month.  Most insurance companies will cover the Proventil, which is "an emergency inhaler".  Meaning you take it when you are wheezing and can't get a breath.  My co-pay is around $40 once I hit my deductible.  Which takes a long time to hit.

The Advair is a powdery steroid that keeps the lungs and bronchial tubes dialated so you can breathe.  You are supposed to take it twice a day.  Without fail.  It keeps the tubes open, the air flowing and it helps keep the asthma attacks down to a minimum.  Most insurance companies do not cover this drug.  If you find one that does, the co-pay is around $100.  Better, but whew, still kinda steep.

Do you see where I am going with this? 

I have a hard time paying $400 for asthma meds every month.   I used to have a great insurance plan that covered everything.  No more.  I have insurance, of course, but it is a stretch to meet that deductible and pay full price for those meds until I do.  I hate spending my limited discretionary funds on medicine.

So, I haven't been taking the $300 Advair.  You may recall I chose to buy around $250 worth of happy fabrics this month with my disposable income.  Umm hmm.  I know.

And I ended up in the hospital emergency room yesterday morning with one of the worst asthma attacks I have ever had.  I couldn't breathe, thought I was going to pass out, could not talk, was clutching my chest, wheezing so loud I could be heard three rooms away.  Very dramatic.  The staff in the ER was quite impressed.

I try to keep things somewhat real here on this blog, and this is obviously bordering on Too Much Information.  I am very human and occasionally make errors in judgment.  This was one of those errors.  Don't lecture me, I get it.  I'm an idiot.  Don't be like me.

So, I am mending my ways, doing the sensible thing, paying the piper and taking those darn asthma meds as prescribed.

Self Tanning

Ok.  So I haven't done a post on grooming since, I guess, my home waxing debacle.  We are not going to talk about that little incident.  But I had something so astonishing happen in regard to my self tanning product, that I just have to share.  Maybe over share.

St. Tropez is a very high quality self tanning product.  The item in the photo above is a mousse that goes on like a dream, and has a very low error margin.  The color works great for someone fair skinned, such as I am, and I have loved the results from using it.  It is VERY pricey.  $30 at Sephora for the little canister you see above.  You can get it for a bit less if you order it from QVC, but you have to pay for a weird mitt that comes with it that you don't get when you buy it at a beauty supply store.

Well, the can above is from last spring.  I barely used a third of the product, and was optimistically thinking I could keep on using it this season.

Here is what I got when I sprayed it into my palm---

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  It is a nice puff of green foam.  May I say "Ick"?  And maybe "Ick" again?  Can you imagine if the lights in the bathroom were dim, I wasn't wearing my glasses, and just slathered this stuff all over?

And this is my palm fifteen seconds later, with a semi permanent olive green oval--

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day folks.  Anyone want my can of St. Tropez self tanner?

I'm Still Alive

I have started to get concerned emails from readers inquiring "are you all right?".  Yes I am fine.  Just super amazingly busy.  It is hard to be a caregiver and accomplish all the other things your family normally expects as de rigueur holiday happenings.

What exactly have I been doing?  Caring for Grandpa, caring for Eva, mentoring my student, working part time at the shop in town, decorating my house...  Could I please maybe have six more hours in my day?

Grandpa wants to order Christmas gifts he has picked out in catalogs for the family for Christmas.  I am planning a to have a session with him and go through all that and make it happen. It is so sweet, really.  Here he is, 91 years old, and he still cares that his loved ones have gifts under the tree that are from him.  How lucky I am to be blessed caring for such a sweet old fellow.  I am getting him a new US Navy Veteran's cap for Christmas, as he has just about worn his old one out.  He is so proud of his service to our country--even more than his professional accomplishments after the War.

My student is so excited about learning to sew.  This is really a wonderful thing I have gotten myself into.  I am truly enjoying every session we spend together.  We have taken a bit of a break from making charity baby quilts, as she is making Christmas gifts for her mom, her Nana and her sister.  She is so proud to be giving something so personal.  I am honored to be a part of the process.

She is making an eyeglass case for her grandmother.  She's got the panels all prepped and ready to be zippered.   Is this not adorable or what?  Who wouldn't be thrilled to get anything made out of this super cute fabric?  Next week when we get together she is going to learn about zippers.  You want to know something hilarious?  You know what aspect of sewing freaks this girl out the most?  Ironing!  She obviously has never had any sort of experience with an iron in her life.  Is this what the world is coming to?  Tell me no!  She burns her fingers every time and is scared to death to use the darn iron!  Honestly, we have been close to running for ice cubes, Neosporin and Bandaids.  She is trying to be tough and so far has declined medical treatment.

I have managed to do a few things myself in the past couple of days.  I am finishing up the borders for my Halloween 1904 quilt, hurray! 

I have also worked on the Row Along  project, which I have blogged about a few times.

I  am seriously considering stopping the Row Along right now and making a fun Fallish table runner with the rows I have done so far.  If I decide to keep going, I may make another runner utilizing the mitten row, and the hot cocoa mug rows to do a Winter themed runner.  Maybe using blue and white fabrics?  Wouldn't that be cute?  Not sure if I really want an entire quilt out of this project.  I think the rows are super cute, but an entire quilt may not fit into my design esthetic.

And the method for constructing the Flying Geese row?  omg.  Let me just say five words.  Fit To Be Geese Ruler.  By Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts.  That is the only way to go when you are making flying geese.  Trust me.  Every one of these made according to the Row Along instructions was a different size, and probably only three out of four was useable.  You can clearly see in the photo above how different in size mine were.  It may be my poor sewing and construction, but really, if you are making Flying Geese, make them larger, use the Fit To Be Geese ruler and trim them down to size.  Every one will be perfect.  No offense to anyone, but there is only way I seem to be able to make decent Flying Geese, and I need my ruler!

Hope you are all having a super week.  Enjoy your decorations, enjoy your family.