Sister's Choice Quilts

The Cute Cuts Ruler Set

I have to share a new trim tool that I discovered recently. This little set of 5 Cute Cuts rulers is just what you need when trimming hourglass units. The sizes in the set range from 2.5 inches up to 6.5 inches. The rulers are sold individually as well, and there is a large selection of sizes to choose from. The rulers all feature a nonskid back to prevent slipping. They are designed by Lori Holt and put out by Riley Blake. 

When I make hourglass units I like to size them bigger and then trim them down to the correct size. Sometimes finding that exact center spot can be challenging, but not with these rulers. You can't miss the center point with that big dot to help you line it up. And the diagonal lines help you get your block seams perfectly square.

And there you go!

Bloc Loc Kite in a Square Tool

As you know I am doing the Sampler Spree Sew Along. One of the blocks I wanted to make this week is this one from Susan Ache's book "Sampler Spree". You can make the block from a template you make yourself or by purchasing a tool made by Bloc Loc. I went for the tool, "Kite in a Square" because Bloc Loc never has failed me and I love the look of this kite unit. It is pricey, but my son gave me a gift certificate to FQS, so there you are...

The tool comes in three pieces: The kite, the background, and the trim tool. 

Here are the three pieces of fabric needed for the unit. Looks kinda like a big moth. Bloc Loc has a great YouTube tutorial on how to sew them together.

Here is my unit, pieces attached and ready to trim.

The unit is all trimmed up and measures exactly 3 1/2" as it is supposed to.

Four units sewn into a 6 1/2" unfinished block. I quite like it.

I do not at all regret purchasing the tool, and I know I will use it anytime I need a 6 1/2" block for a sampler quilt. You will certainly see it in my Red Sampler project.

I used it for another block in the Sampler Spree book. On the lower right is "Tussie Mussie", featuring one of the Kite in a Square units.

I really liked this tool, as I typically do with any Bloc Loc product. If you had a layer cake of a special fabric collection you are not sure what to do with, this tool might give you some ideas!

Thanks for all your good wishes on my first cataract surgery. My vision is still a bit blurry today, but I am noticing how much brighter my world is. Before I was looking through a golden haze, and now everything is shiny white and clear. I am not so wiped out feeling today and think I am on the mend.

Have an excellent weekend!
 

 

Simple Folded Corner Ruler

My big news is that I have only two more vertical rows to sew for my Moda BlockHeads 3 quilt! That quilt is just humongous. King-sized for sure. As I was sewing a row together over the weekend, I noticed one of my twelve-inch blocks was just a mess. I do not know what happened, but when I looked at it close up and personal I was not happy. I decided to replace it with something else and so made my final block for this sew-along. There you have it above. It is called Autumn Star and is from one of Lori Holt's books.

I have been finding that more often than not lately, I have been reaching for Doug Leko's Simple Folded Corner Tool when I have to make those "draw a line diagonally, stitch a quarter inch away, and trim" kind of instructions. There are so many lines to line up the tool on your fabric that you basically cannot go wrong and end up with a wonky block unit. 

I had to make eight of the rectangular units and sew them together into four block segments. Only, I managed to sew them together incorrectly. I did an outstanding job of matching up my points, but unfortunately, this is not how the unit is supposed to look.

This is what the units were supposed to look like. Luckily, thanks to the tool, even after unsewing all the pieces, the final results turned out great.

Do press your seams open for the best results.

In other news, my son-in-law and his new wife celebrated their first year of marriage with a spectacular sushi party in their backyard. Now that most of us have been vaccinated, small gatherings are starting up again. It was so lovely to get together with friends to celebrate something together! The sushi chef is above explaining all the fabulous dishes he will be coming out with over the course of the evening. It was loads of fun, and the food was both unusual and delicious.

Hope you had something to celebrate this weekend!

Sewcialites #32 Bright Block

I am all caught up with my Sewcialites blocks. This one is #32 "Bright Block" by Chelsi Stratton. It features four usually very tricky units called "cat's cradle" units. 

They involve small triangles and often come out wonky and with points cut off. That wasn't going to happen to me, because I have the Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tool. With it, you can make the cat's cradle units in six different sizes with squares and rectangles instead of triangles. You also cut your pieces a bit larger than you need and trim them down to the perfect size. 

I set the ruler on a piece of white fabric so the markings can be seen more easily. The sizes to cut your pieces for the block are printed on the ruler. How brilliant is that? I was making the 2 inch finished size.

I cut out two white squares and 2 gold rectangles and sewed them together.

Next, you use the tool to line up your stitching lines and mark them with a pen. Layer your rectangle/square unit on top of a larger rectangle, right sides together, and sew on the line. Cut down the middle between the sewing lines. Then you will trim the seam allowance to 1/4" for each of your two pieces.

Flip open your unit and press toward the large triangle. Position the trim tool with the lines along the seams of the small square, and the diagonal line exactly on the seam of the finished size you are making. In my case that is 2" for both alignments. Trim the top and left-hand sides of the unit.

Keeping the unit in place, flip the tool around so the diagonal line is on the finished size you are making and the square on the tool is "kissing" the point of the small square of the unit. Trim the right side and the bottom.

And here are my four perfect Cat's Cradle units. Each one measures 2 1/2" unfinished or 2" finished. This tool turned what would have been a frustrating, fussy block into a perfect and fun one. I highly recommend this trim tool by Creative Grids.

 

 

 

Serendipity Flying Geese Row

What a busy day we had yesterday!  Eva had her swim class at 11 to 12 and I had my second COVID shot at 1. I felt like I was in a big rush to get places only to have to wait once I arrived. At least I got to read my book while Eva swam and while I waited my turn for my vaccine.

What was interesting is that the folks who were administering the vaccine and corralling the people were all the way from Florida! One lady told me she had been traveling for the Center for Disease Control doing COVID related jobs since August! They were all quite jolly and efficient. Shanika gave me my injection so perfectly I was barely aware of the needle. So far so good. My arm isn't even sore.

Once I got home I told Eva we were done with school for the day. Homeschoolers get minimum days too, right? I went upstairs to sew and made 40 flying geese for the second row of the Serendipity sew-along. I like to make mine larger and trim them down with the BlocLoc ruler. Perfect every time.

While I sew I like to watch Kimberly Jolly's Fatquartershop YouTube videos that are basically tutorials for making the blocks for the sew-along. She was very chatty and described various ways to make flying geese. She is trying to promote her Triangles on a Roll papers because she bought the company, but said she likes the Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day flying geese ruler very much as well. Have any of you tried it?  There is an old YouTube video from 2014 where Kimberly demonstrates it, which I watched. I am not sure I am willing to switch from my beloved BlocLoc trim rulers, but am curious if any of you have used that Quilt in a Day trim tool? How about Kimberly's Triangles on a Roll papers?

Needle Test Run

I got so many great suggestions to my recent post where I asked about what needles you all prefer for hand sewing bindings. Carol raved about these Black Gold needles by Clover and swore they go through multiple layers of fabric "like buttah". 

I have decided that I do prefer a shorter needle when I sew bindings, so I was interested in trying these. I ordered a pack from Amazon, and you know them, the delivery came a couple of days later. So here is what I think:

First of all, you only get 6 of them in the pack, and at $7.00, that is more than $1.00 per needle. "Hmmm", I thought. "They better be worth it". You only see five above because I had removed one to try it.

Here is a size comparison. The Clover Black Gold #9 Sharp is the upper one, and the Primitive Gatherings Binding Needle is below it. I found the PG needle way too long for my liking, so the size of the Clover looked very good to me.

Carol had warned that they were ridiculously difficult to thread, due to the very small eye. I can't thread a needle with a large eye on my best day, and always depend on needle threaders to get the job done. I was afraid that my needle threader might not fit through the teensy eye on the Black Gold needle, but after a few tries, it went through! So far, great.

The verdict? I have never sewn with a better needle. They do glide effortlessly through layers of fabric and are a pleasure to sew with. I highly recommend them. Carol, thank you so much for your excellent suggestion! I think a lot of people will benefit from it. I love them for bindings, but you gals who enjoy hand applique will be over the moon.

 

Binding Needles

As usual, I have a gazillion bindings to sew down. I have been struggling in the past few years with what the best needle to use for sewing bindings might be. I need your help.

I'd love your input. What needles do you find best for hand sewing down quilt bindings?

I am having the hardest time finding a binding needle that is the right length, goes through the fabric "like buttah", and is a joy to work with.

I recently bought these highly recommended binding needles by Primitive Gatherings, but they are not going to work fo me. They are thin and easy to thread, but they are way too long for me.

Can you all recommend to me what you think the best needles are for sewing down quilt bindings? I surely would appreciate it. For me, the main qualities of a good binding needle would be that it is thin, goes through fabric easily, and isn't too long. Short is fine.

Please share what you use and why you like it!

Perfect for February

How beautiful is this fabric collection? It is Roselyn by Minick and Simpson. I am sure it was meant to come out in February for Valentine's projects, but due to COVID-related shipping delays, it hasn't come out yet. I bought this little fat 8th bundle from an Etsy seller. No idea how she managed to get it ahead of schedule. I am planning a red/pink/cream project which I will tell you more about soon. I still need a background and probably some additional yardage, but I will have to wait.

Did you all see that Fatquartershop has been closed for a few days due to the terrible weather in Texas? Their employees couldn't even get to work apparently. I hope all our friends in Texas are recovering from that ordeal. 

Have I mentioned these Olfa Endurance rotary blades to you before? They are pretty amazing. The package claims they last twice as long as the normal Olfa cutting blades, but I think they are being modest. In my experience, they last WAY longer than the normal blades. Maybe even three or four times as long. Of course, they are more expensive, but I think they are so worth it. The ones pictured above I bought on Amazon for under $10 apiece. I know that is a lot for a single rotary cutter blade, but these are so good. 

Now you will have to excuse me. I have a bundle of fabric to fondle and a rotary blade to change.

Hope your week got off to a good start.

Square in a Square Foundation Paper

The most recent foundation paper piecing patterns offered by Fatquarter Shop are these Square in a Square papers in three sizes: 4", 3", and 2". I think this is so handy for those times when you are working on a sampler quilt and have one block with a center square with this unit. Particularly those itty bitty 2" units that are so hard to get right.

I haven't used mine yet, but I am mulling over some ideas. Now, if only I had more time to work on new projects up in my sewing room!

I think I have mentioned that my daughter's husband has a barbecue restaurant. Sometimes they have extras leftover at the end of the day. A few days ago they gave us a prime quality barbecued tri-tip roast. With just my husband and I, it was a lot of meat for us to use up. I had to come up with something to do with the leftovers. I couldn't think of anything better than an old fashioned beef pot pie.

The recipe was so easy, I ended up making it twice! Here is the recipe for Fast and Easy Beef Pie if you ever have leftover beef roast and wonder how to use it.

I am off to care for my father over the weekend. Hope you all have a good one!

 

The Quilter's Clapper

Have we talked about The Clapper? For the life of me I could not recall if I had mentioned it before, so forgive me if I have. It is such a great tool, it bears talking about again.

The device is a wooden block made from hardwood, such as maple. It is technically called a tailor's clapper and is used for flattening seams on garments. The way it works is, you press your seams, then lay the block on top of them. The wooden block absorbs the heat of the iron from the fabric and the pressing surface. What happens is, your seam gets pressed on both sides. The wood really heats up and continues to press the fabric after you have removed the iron. It is very gentle and works amazingly well to flatten seams. You do not need to leave it on your seam for long to achieve the results. Just a minute or so.

You will have the flattest blocks ever when you use this thing. Combined with the wool pressing mat, which also retains heat, the results are incredible. I bought mine from fatquartershop.com. They are currently out of stock but have them on order. Many people make their own by having a piece of hardwood cut, and then sanding it. It comes in two sizes, 7" and 12". I got the 7" and will be ordering the larger one when it comes into stock. This particular clapper is made by Riley Blake, but I think Steady Betty may also make one.

Highly recommend this product.