Sister's Choice Quilts

Sewcialites Catch Up and Great Tip

I grabbed a couple of hours yesterday and got caught up with my Sewcialites blocks. The most recent ones are the two on the bottom. #20 "Honor" by Lisa Bongean is the tan block on the bottom right. Super easy block (which is a surprise from Lisa!), but I still managed to sew the strips on wrong. My trusty Jack the Seam Ripper sorted it out quickly and all was good.  The black block on the bottom left is #21 "Zest" by Brigitte Heitland. This was another one of those complicated blocks that can simplified. 

You may recall the difficulties I had with #19 "Unity" by Lissa Alexander. That is the red block on the top right. I still think the measurements were off on that block. I remade it later with the tip I am about to share and it turned out so much better.

Anyway, back to "Zest". This block called for corner squares rather than the large corner triangles that I put on. It added seams and bulk and fussiness I thought. Just as I was thinking I would swap it out for something else, I saw a FaceBook post by an Australian woman named Tracy Bes. Did you know the Sewcialites sew-along has a FaceBook group? Well, they do, and now and then someone comes up with a very helpful tip for better block construction. The group is "private", but you just need to request to join it. Once you are approved my link to the tip below will work.

Tracy eliminated 12 seams from Block #21, and I am all for that.  Here is a link to her FaceBook post. I highly recommend you take a look at it if you would like to lessen the difficulty of this block and get better results.

Here is a better photo with the wrinkle pressed out.

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

Thrifty Me

I had a lot of leftovers from my recent Red Pineapple finish. Normally, I am not one to fret about using up leftover fabric, but I had an idea for what to do with them.

I have had foundation paper piecing on my mind lately and purchased a couple of the 6" Log Cabin paper pads from Fatquartershop.com. I LOVE these papers. Years ago, you could not have persuaded me to do paper piecing for love or money, and now I am obsessed with it. The accuracy is amazing and each block turns out just like its sisters. I sure wish they came in a 4" size.  I am also working on some 4" log cabin blocks and using a Creative Grids ruler.  It's going ok, but I sure do prefer the papers.

So I used my leftover French General strips and made a super cute Log Cabin table runner.  I am sending it off to be quilted this week. I doubt I'll get it back in time for Valentine's Day, but I may put it out anyway! It will look so good on my dining room table.

The colossal mess pictured above is my sewing table. I was using my little Fiskars cutting mat to trim the seams after each addition. I realized while I was using it that it is really beat up. I have never had to replace a cutting mat in my entire life of sewing, but I did order myself a new one. I have probably had this one for twelve years or so and have used it constantly for trimming small block units. Replacing it is sure cheaper than replacing the bigger mats on my cutting table, so I don't mind. The small size is so handy, so keep it in mind as a way to save your larger mats.

I had a very productive weekend, but we are commencing back to homeschooling today. My plan is to try to carve out a couple of hours of stitching each afternoon when school's out. Fingers crossed!

Square in a Square Blocks

I always think Square in a Square blocks are one of the most difficult block units to make. There are so many ways to go wrong when attaching the triangles around the sides of the square. And when things go wrong, you have a wonky unit with inadequate seam allowance at your points.

I have had the best luck making these square in a square units using a tool designed by Deb Tucker called the Square Squared® ruler. It has marks on it showing the exact size to make your center square for a variety of sized finished units. The tool has the size for cutting your triangles printed on it as well. You end up with a slightly oversized unit, as you see on the right in the photo above. You then use the ruler to precision cut your final unit with the square perfectly positioned and the exact 1/4" seam allowance at all four of your points. My trimmed unit is on the left.

Deb has a great YouTube tutorial that explains way better than I can, just how to use the tool for perfect Square in a Square blocks.

This tool has been in my collection for at least 10 years, but I sometimes forget I have it and always regret it when I do. My Square in a Square blocks never come out as well.

The reason I was using it the other day was that I didn't care for the most recent Sewcialites Sew Along block offering. (Do you see a pattern here?) I made a substitute block that I preferred and my little block units came out so nicely with the Square Squared tool.

My source for this substitute block pattern was a little "book" of blocks called "The Quick and Easy Block Tool".  It is a funny little thing that reminds me of a book of fabric swatches or wallpaper samples. It is full of great quilt blocks in numerous sizes. I like the small size of it, and find it easy to follow. However, I don't think the book comes in this format anymore.  I found something similar that is an actual book on Amazon.

Hope you all had a great weekend and managed to squeeze some sewing in amidst all the holiday hoopla and preparations.

Sewcialites Binder

Are any of you doing the Fatquartershop's Sewcialites sew-along? I have been enjoying making the blocks and watching the Friday Behind the Seams videos with Kimberly Jolly on YouTube.

Recently, Kimberly announced that her shop had created a binder to corral all the pattern instruction sheets for the project. Being an organization nut, I ordered the binder. Of course, any binder would do, but this one is labeled with the name of the project and is pretty cute.

I picked up some sheet protectors and got everything all assembled. It will be a nice reference for block patterns when the project is finished. Now I want to do this with all my past and current sew-along patterns!

These are my Sewcialites blocks so far. I didn't like one of the week's blocks and substituted the Martha Washington Star block (the purple one) for it.

There are bound to be more blocks I don't care for, so I made another extra one in the Ohio Star pattern. Keep this in mind when you are participating in these sew-alongs. You do you. Don't worry about following along exactly with the crowd. If you don't care for something, swap it out, make it your own.

 

Great Tip for Jelly Rolls and Honey Buns: Lint Control

We are all familiar with Jelly Rolls and Honeybuns, right? If you are not, both are popular pre-cuts offered by fabric companies.  They are super convenient, and there are loads of books and patterns out there with wonderful ideas on how to use them. Pre-cuts are fabrics that are part of a complete designer collection that are cut into specific shapes.  If you buy a pre-cut, you get every piece in the collection, in a particular size package.  Charm packs are 5 inch squares.  Layer cakes are 10 inch squares. Jelly rolls are 2 1/2 inch by 42 inch strips.  Honeybuns are 1 1/2 inch by 42 inch strips.  The edges are pinked, not straight cut.

Which leads us to the main problem with pre-cuts:  the lint issue. Once you take them out of their protective plastic wrapping, the lint from the pinked edges gets everywhere. Every.Where.

I am a big fan of the Moda Fabrics website/blogsite.  You will find great ideas, sew-alongs, free patterns and tons more.  If you don't know it, you really should check it out. One of the more recent ideas shared on their blog was a tip from Moda designer Betsy Chutchian.  Here is her technique for reducing the lint issue. It is in an article about whether or not to pre-wash jelly rolls and honeybuns (no, don't do it, is what I say).

What she does is unwrap the roll and toss it in the clothes dryer on high for about 8 minutes. Stop the dryer, clean out the lint filter and do it again two more times, stopping after 8 minutes and cleaning the lint filter.  There will be a lot of lint.

You would think they would come out in a snarly tangled mess (which they would if you actually washed them). The dryer just kind of fluffs them up and they are not tangled at all.  And the lint has come off.

I got this amount of lint, three times, once for each 8 minute drying cycle.

This is what you are left with.  The heat of the dryer shrinks the length of the strip a tiny bit, maybe a half-inch or so.  But the 1 1/2" width was not affected at all. The lint is gone.  There is a frayed thread or two along the strip, but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the annoyance of that lint getting everywhere.

And do you know what?  I didn't even need to iron them!  They came out smooth and wrinkle-free.  Now, I wouldn't leave them sit in the dryer after the cycle ended.  I removed them immediately when the dryer stopped.

I think it's a great tip and will do it again when I use jelly rolls and honeybuns!

Creative Grids Mask Template

I tried a new mask-making technique and found it so much better than the rectangular ones I had been making. The template is by Creative Grids, and as usual with their tools, it is fantastic.  This mask is more fitted than the rectangular style and scoops out slightly under the eyes so your glasses don't fog up.  Three sizes are included on the template:  child's, women's, and men's.  (S-M-L).  I found it faster and less fussy to make, and much preferred the results to the other style.

I made five of them in no time flat.  The fit is vastly superior to the baggy pleated rectangular style.

There are good instructions that come with the template, but there is also a YouTube tutorial created by Creative Grids that explains things even better.  Shabby Fabrics also has a tutorial that I watched that is very good as well.  Shabby's tutorial is quite long, however.  I made three masks while I watched it.  lol

I purchased my Creative Grids Mask Template on Etsy.com.  I received it in about a week.  There are other acrylic face mask templates out there, but make sure you order the one by Creative Grids.  It has their trademark grippy strips on the underside so the template doesn't slip during cutting.

One tip:  when cutting your mask fabric out using the template, your 45mm rotary cutter works fine on the convex curve.  On the concave curve, I recommend using a smaller 28mm rotary cutter.

Our 4th of July celebration was terrific.  My son in law grilled tri-tip and I brought along a big bowl of potato salad.  His next-door neighbor had really enjoyed the "back of the truck" concert Ryan hosted after his recent wedding, so the neighbor hired the musician to come back and play for the neighborhood again.  We all observed social distancing and placed folding chairs far apart right out in the cul de sac.  It was such fun!

And there's Grover Anderson, singing his heart out from the back of his truck!  We old folks sat and sipped wine, younger couples sipped beer or sodas and all the little kids danced around us while we listened to the music.  It seemed like such a nice community thing for everyone to share.  I hope your weekend was wonderful as well!

ModaBlockheads Block 6

I managed to put my book down and go sew last week's Block 6 of the ModaBlockheads Sew Along.  This one was designed by Lisa Bongean, who is known for her multitudes of teeny tiny pieces in her blocks.  I decided to go with the 8 1/2 inch size for this one, which I hoped might be a bit more forgiving.  The half square triangles in this block finish at 1 inch.  I did use triangle papers to help with the accuracy.

I had some issues with my block coming together perfectly in the center, but you can't really see it due to the busy medium value fabric in the pinwheel.  I can live with it.

I do have a tip regarding triangle papers to share with you.  

Some of you may avoid using triangle papers because it is such a pain to rip those darn papers off.  It is so annoying to rip away and still be left with bits of paper stuck in the threads that you have to take the time to pick away at.  I learned this great idea from Carrie Nelson in either a YouTube video or one of her Moda blog posts, I can't recall which.  At any rate, here is what you can do to make the paper ripping process a breeze. Instructions are for right-handed people.  Just reverse if you are a lefty.

First off, when you stitch through your triangle paper, do shorten up your stitch length.  This makes the tear away process easier as well as the following technique.

Hold your triangle as shown, with your left thumbnail pinching along the seam line (through all layers), your right thumb and fingers holding just the paper.  Notice thumb/finger placement is in the middle of the triangle, not on the ends. Grippping firmly with your left thumb and fingers, pull the paper sharply away with your right hand.  It will come cleanly away along the stitched line.  That remaining strip of paper under your left thumb comes away easily.  No fussy paper bits left behind to pick off.

Again, you are not ripping the paper from top to bottom, you are giving it one sharp tug right from the middle.

Do try this.  It makes tearing those papers away pretty painless.

Hope your week is off to a good start.  Husband, daughter, son in law, grandchild all recovering well from the flu, albeit with lingering coughs.  I am still standing and symptom-free.

 

 

 

Quick Home Made Gift Idea- Microwave Bowl Cozies

This, for those of you who might not know, is a Bowl Cozy.  Specifically, a padded bowl surround that can be used in the microwave while heating up leftovers in a bowl.  You know how when you heat up your soup in a bowl in the microwave, it is too hot to handle when you take it out?  Well, this little item solves that problem.  Everyone loves them.

To make them, all you need is two 10 inch layer cake squares and two 10 inch squares of batting.  Be sure to use only 100% cotton fabric, batting and thread.  I have done a tutorial on how I make mine, and therein have linked to another tutorial I think is really good.  

I have been in full production mode, and made eight of them in a couple of hours earlier this week.  They make great teacher gifts, gifts for work buddies, and are quite perfect for your grown nieces and nephews who are setting up first apartments or dorm rooms.  You know they eat something from the microwave every day, so these are just what they need.  For couples, I like to give two in matching or coordinating fabrics.

They are a great way to use up those layer cake squares you have sitting around.  These cost me nothing, as I made them with materials I had on hand. I bet you have the makings for a slew of them too.  I like to choose fabric combinations that suit the individual.  The guys on my list are getting grey and black ones and the girls are getting girlier prints.  They are completely washable, so when you slop your soup over the side, it's no problem to wash it off.

So what are you waiting for?  You know someone who needs these.

 

 

S'Mores Update

This week I have been focusing on my S'Mores quilt.  S'Mores is a design by Jo Morton, which I first saw on Instagram.  I am switching up my version however.  I am making 4 inch finished square in a square blocks, and will separate them with a tan lattice.  My blocks are all red and brown, with scrappy cream and tan accents.  I will do plain setting triangles from the tan lattice material.

In the photo above, I was experimenting with some lattice fabric, which I really liked, but don't think I have enough of.  Fatquartershop to the rescue, and I am waiting on something pretty darn similar to arrive in the mail.

My blocks are turning out so perfectly, which I credit to the Square in a Square ruler by Creative Grids.

You make your triangles slightly larger than you need and trim after each round.  The ruler has marked squares that you line up with the units in your block before trimming down.  Honestly, they are all coming out great.  I have made 81 blocks so far, and think I will need about twice that.  151 I think.   Since the blocks are 4" finished, but will be set on the diagonal with a 1 1/2" finished lattice, the math is too much for me.  I'd like to end up with a quilt around 76" square.  I will get it up on the larger design wall in a week or so and get it figured out.

I made 40 blocks on Wednesday, which wasn't too bad actually.  Do you notice the little binding clips I have holding some of the blocks together?  I have ten blocks in each clip.  It makes it easy to eyeball how many blocks I have in each color, without having to stop and count the darn things all the time.

 I got that tip from Jayne at Jayne's Quilting Room blog.  Jayne has many very cool projects.  If you don't follow her blog, you might want to stop by, say hi and have a look.  She recently made a blue and white quilt she is calling Snow Shoo, which is awesome.  Two simple alternating blocks (Snowball and Shoo Fly) and you end up with such a beautiful pattern.  I've added it to my TBM (to be made) list.

Did you all have a good Valentine's Day?  We celebrated by having our carpets and sofas cleaned.  lol  So romantic, right?

 

Sewing on the Featherweight

Hope you all had a great weekend!  We launched our Christmas shopping and got a fair amount accomplished.  No waiting until the last minute this year.  

I started a new project on the Featherweight, and I have really been enjoying getting reacquainted with that little machine.  There are a few tips that I am discovering along the way that are giving my piecing much better results.

As you see in the photo above, I am holding onto the top and bobbin threads as I begin to sew.  I also will put the needle in the down position for that first stitch, and I am not getting any scrambled threads or having the needle become unthreaded as I start my stitching.  A reader mentioned a week or so ago that she learned that tip in Home Ec class ages ago, and I agree, it is a golden nugget of advice.  Hold those threads just when you start stitching.

I am making some little log cabin blocks (more on that tomorrow), and my first block came out a bit oversized.  I have a tip that I got from Kim Diehl, which is making all the difference.  Do you see in the photo above that my last pin is horizontal?  The is preventing the strip from flaring out or fishtailing.  It is holding the little strip exactly where it needs to be.  Pinning.  I love to pin.

A second thing I have been experimenting with is the seam allowance.  I was just going by the quarter inch foot on the Featherweight, and my strips were always just a skosh too short, which meant fudging with that bottom layer.  I didn't like that.  I tried making my seam allowance just a hair (and I do mean a hair) wider than the presser foot.  My goodness, once I did that consistently, each strip fit perfectly.  So check your seam allowance if your piecing isn't coming out perfectly accurate.  A tiny adjustment could make all the difference.

Here is a close up of the stitching I am getting on the Featherweight.  I think it is pretty darn good.  No skipped stitches ever since I put in a Singer brand needle.

See you tomorrow!