Sister's Choice Quilts

Hoping for Some Better News

Sorry for the long silence. I have been in the Bay Area sitting by my husband's side at the hospital, without a computer or other way to blog.

Things have not gone in the way we had hoped. My husband has been in a lot of pain for the past month due to several badly compressed discs in his lower back. He had surgery scheduled, but while he was waiting for the surgery date to arrive his condition started to deteriorate dramatically. In about three weeks time he went from walking on his own (although in pain), to walking with a cane, then walking with two canes, then needing a walker, and then last Monday (one day before his surgery), he could not walk at all.

I had to rush out to our local CVS and purchase a wheelchair, then call my winemaker son in law to come help me get him into the car as I could not manage on my own. I drove down to the Bay Area straight to the doctor's office, where we were directed to go immediately to the emergency room. There, he was admitted to the hospital to wait until his surgery.

The surgery went as desired, with the compressed discs being corrected. They had been bulging and rubbing up against the bones in his spinal cord, which damaged the nerves there. As a result, he lost the ability to walk. At this point, going on a week post-surgery he is still unable to stand or walk. 

The doctor and other professionals (occupational and physical therapists) are optimistic that he will walk again, after intensive acute rehabilitation therapy. This could take as long as a month. Nerves heal slowly and he is essentially going to have to relearn how to walk. 

You can imagine how frightening and depressing this situation is. You have all been so generous in sending your good wishes, positive thoughts and prayers. I am enormously grateful for that. Don't stop now, lol. 

We are hoping that early next week a bed will open up in an acute rehab center about an hour away from us. There, as an inpatient, he will have three hours of intensive therapy a day, which we pray will get him on his feet again. 

Archie has been super stressed and confused. He did not do well at all at the boarding kennel and had to be sedated he was so agitated. Fortunately, I have found a local woman who does doggie care in her home, both overnight and as a day care service. Next week as we get Dennis settled into the rehab place Archie may have to stay with her a couple of nights. It's a much less stressful environment, in that it is in a home and he will have other dogs to play with. After that, if I visit my husband a couple of times a week, he can stay with her on a daycare only basis. 

In other news, my house is painted and has a new roof. I had to come home Friday afternoon to pay the workmen and get Archie out of jail, and had a very restful Saturday puttering around the house putting things to rights. We left in such a hurry to go to the hospital I left everything topsy turvy.

I am going back to the hospital Sunday afternoon and hope that we are able to transfer my husband to the new place Monday or Tuesday. 

Thanks for bearing with me, and I will try to keep you updated.

Packing For Two Weeks in Europe

I've been trying to figure out what to pack for my upcoming two-week trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England. A couple of people have asked what I plan to pack so I thought I'd share my choices. On the journey from San Francisco to Dublin I will check the 21" bag in the photo above. Fingers crossed the bag makes it on the plane and arrives in Dublin when I do. The smaller cabin bag will be my carry-on, in which I will have packed one extra set of clothes and undies, meds, makeup and other can't-live-without essentials. Just in case... When I go to Edinburgh and London for six days, I will only take the cabin bag as a carry-on. My bags are by Briggs & Riley.

I have come up with a capsule wardrobe of 12 pieces that will be the foundation of my travel look. I am going with a neutral black-and-white color palette, with a couple of splashes of color. Every single item mixes and matches with every other, so I have tons of different outfit combinations. 

The main color statement I am adding is in my "outer" pieces, the sweater jackets or toppers that add that "third piece" that completes an outfit and provides extra warmth. The temperature will be in the high 50s most of the time, so keeping the chill at bay is important to me. I always seem to be cold these days.

I have three sweater jackets. One a black blazer-style sweater, a royal blue Chanel-style sweater jacket, and a red-orange zip sweater jacket. I think they are the right mix of casual and dressed up. The black one is from JJill which I got ages ago, and the blue and orange ones are from Ann Taylor. They will work great as my outer layer if it isn't raining. If it is rainy, I have a lightweight black raincoat to throw over all.

For bottoms I am sticking with black. I toyed with the idea of adding light-wash jeans or ivory denim jeans but decided in the end that black was the more appropriate and versatile choice. I have two pairs of black denim jeans and a pair of dressy slim Ponte knit pants. The Ponte pants are old, the jeans are Talbots Slim Ankle Jeans and Chicos Girlfriend Jeans. Love the fit of both of these brands. 

Lightweight sweaters are also a choice I included since they can be worn alone if the temperature is warmer, or under one of the sweater jackets for extra warmth. I have a black and ivory cashmere striped sweater, a grey cardigan with black stars, and a dressy beige cashmere cardigan with sparkly buttons. We are going to the theater in London one night, so that might look nice with the dressy black Ponte pants. The striped sweater is from Quince, the beige cardigan is from Talbots (no longer available), and the grey cardi is one I bought at Marks and Spencer in Oxford two years ago. 

Next, I have an underlayer to provide extra warmth. They are so thin I can wear them as an undershirt if the day is super chilly. These pieces could also be worn alone as a tee shirt if through some miracle the temperatures soar high enough to allow for bare arms.  

My great discovery is Unbound Merino wool tee shirts. I know it sounds weird, but these pricey tees are silky and thin, yet provide warmth if needed and are sweat "wicking" if the day is warm. They can be worn multiple times before you need to wash them, and are really beautiful garments. I think they were worth the steep price tag. The solid ivory and solid black ones are the Merino wool. The black and ivory striped tee is a cotton/linen blend from J. Crew. 

That's it for my 12-piece capsule wardrobe. I will also pack a cotton nightshirt, a couple of bras, a couple of thin shaper camis, and underwear. 

My shoes are black Skechers that I swear by for trips where lots of walking is involved. They are made from stretchy fabric and have Memory Foam soles, which conform to my feet and make walking on them a dream. Also, they aren't too clunky looking, which allows me to wear them for dressier occasions. 

I'll also have three bags for sundries. One bag for my liquids, one for meds and other non-liquid toiletry items (deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc), and one last one with makeup that is non-liquid. 

I'll also take a journal, my Kindle, my iPhone, cozy slipper socks, and a battery charger pack with cords. Oh, and a lightweight raincoat (not shown) that packs down to nothing and a small folding umbrella.

It sounds like a lot, but it all fits just fine in my two bags. Keep in mind, I will be wearing one pair of pants, a tee, an outer sweater, and my raincoat. 

Here's the secret to how all these clothes fit into these small suitcases. Compression packing cubes. This is what a small-sized one looks like before I fill it with a lightweight sweater, a night shirt, bra, cami, four pair of undies and a pair of leggings.

The secret is a second zipper that takes out all the air and compresses the contents down to a flat little pancake which takes up way way less room in your bag. 

So there you have it. Everything that I am packing for my vacation!

 

 

 

 

A Productive and Fun Weekend

I am still is production mode with these striped cushions. I warned you I'd be at it for a while. I have a few more to go, but the end is in sight. I am getting better and better at it. I can get one done in about 20 minutes at this point. And look at those stripes. Whew. 

As I finish them, I hand them over to my son-in-law and he puts them right to use in the outside area of his wine-tasting room in Murphys. Stop by La Folia Wine Bar on Main Street, taste some of his wine, and sit on my cushions!

It wasn't all cushion-making this past weekend. Archie had a playdate! Winston, the tasting room puppy came over to play and the two of them really hit it off. Well, they chased each other around the yard until they were both in a state of exhaustion.

Winston is a Westie, and seems like a real sweetheart. It will be so good for Archie to have a friend. 

In other fun news, I went to a fashion show and saw some really pretty spring clothes and some stylish ladies. When I came home, my husband had ordered pizza and we watched the Academy Awards. We've been binge-watching the nominated movies this past week and were keen to see who won. I think our favorite was a French movie called Anatomy of a Fall, about a woman who is accused of pushing her obnoxious husband out of a window. There is a trial, which was a real eye-opener into the French legal system. My goodness, they sure do allow a lot of speculative testimony that would never be allowed in our court system. It was thought-provoking and very interesting. We liked Oppenheimer as well, but gosh it was long. Killers of a Flower Moon was so long it should be a crime, and I lost the thread so many times it was ridiculous. We really liked The Holdovers too, with Paul Giamatti.

Hope you had a terrific weekend. Warmer weather is predicted for us next week. Temperatures in the 70s have been mentioned, so I do hope I won't be disappointed. 

 

Six Chair Cushions Done, and a Fun New Quilt Kit

Well, I got six cushion covers made and stuffed with foam. I am waiting on more foam squares before I make any more. If the thickness is different from the ones I have made so far, I will have to recalculate my measurements. I figured it was better to wait rather than make more covers that would fit poorly.

My stripes lined up pretty well. I was off a bit on one or two, but I have a fail-proof system in place now. The cushions will be scattered around an outside seating area and for the most part will be under a table or someone's fanny, so it doesn't really matter. 

How adorable is this little quilt kit? When I saw it on Fat Quarter Shop I just had to have it. If I ever get out from under all these seat cushions I can't wait to make it. It is a table runner called Hatchery Hack. I went for the whole kit, but you can just get the pattern if you want. 

Once I get up the nerve to open that pretty box I will show you the fabric. I can't bring myself to mess it up just yet. Once you take the printed cover off you can't put it back.

And here is one more thing I just couldn't resist. It is called a needle minder. It is magnetic and will attach to the throat plate of your sewing machine. As you sew and remove your pins you can scoot them onto this little plate and deal with them when you finish your seam or whatever you are sewing. They come in a ton of adorable designs. You can get a pumpkin one for fall, a Christmassy one for the holidays or just generally cute sewing-themed ones. A collection of them could be really fun. I dare you to go down the needle minder rabbit hole at fatquartershop.com.

Ok, maybe someone can help me out here. This past week, THREE different people have asked me if patterns I had used for my projects were still available for purchase. From me. Like I am in the business of selling patterns. Is there anything about this blog site that gives the impression that I am selling anything? If so, I need to correct it, because to be very clear, everything I use in my projects I have purchased with my own money and is for my own personal use. I certainly don't sell anything new or that I have used. 

It was just weird to get three requests in one week. Let me know if you can imagine why people would get that idea.

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Cushions and More Cushions

My son-in-law asked me to make 16 cushions for the outside area of his wine tasting room. He bought the fabric ages ago, and I used some of it to recover the cushions on his own home patio. I have been putting off making the tasting room cushions because the weather has been too lousy for anyone to sit outside. But it is March now and I need to get this project done.

Like many projects that I don't do often there is a learning curve to get up to speed. I needed to figure out how to cut two-inch foam pads the size needed. I needed to refresh my memory on how to calculate the size of the gusset/box corners. And I needed to figure out how to do a zipper that wraps around the top two corners of the cushion covers for easy removal. 

I spent half the day watching YouTube videos. Most of the instructions for making your own box cushions were horrible. One woman had her long hair hanging over the pieces she was demonstrating, so what she was doing was completely obscured. Not too useful. A couple of professional upholsterers recommended basting your seam allowance closed and sewing your zipper over it. Then removing your basting stitches, revealing the zipper, but leaving a gazillion little threads to pick off. No thanks, that sounds like extra work. 

The most useful and easy to follow YouTube video was Steh Hiesher's DIY Easy One Piece Box Cushion Cover Tutorial. I highly recommend it if you have any cushion covers to make. Her method of making the boxed corners and the wrap around zipper were both great. 

How about that zipper? It is a nice feature to have it wrap around the sides of the cushion. It makes it a lot less of a struggle to get the foam pad in and out for laundering. 

Now this might surprise you. The foam cushions I am working with are two inches thick. My good Gingher scissors weren't right for the job, and the rotary cutter wouldn't work at all. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, the item that was recommended most often for cutting foam was an electric knife. My dad used to have one he used for carving the Thanksgiving turkey. I didn't want to touch it for fear of cutting off my fingers, but my husband is experienced with using one and he cut the first cushion for me. 

One down and 15 to go! I tell you after making four cushion covers I am done for. Ryan has 16 seats he needs cushions for, so that is what I will be working on for the foreseeable future. I've got a system going now, so my pace should pick up!

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.