Sister's Choice Quilts

Down to the Wire

It is all done except for a bit of wrapping and a lot of cooking.  I love it when I can just sit back and enjoy my tree, listen to schmaltzy Christmas music and peruse my cookbooks for new holiday recipes.

It has been pretty quiet this week in Blogland; you all must be as busy as I am!  Just don't go and get sick.  That happened to me one Christmas when I was a newlywed.  I had big plans to make my parents, my grand parents and my in-laws all bathrobes.  Quite a lot of bathrobes.  Out of velour and terry cloth.  Terry cloth that left little lint balls all over everything.  I got through making three zip front velour robes for the women, and then came down with the flu.  A really bad flu.  I had two terry cloth robes to make, plus a smoking jacket (for my dad who has never smoked--don't ask me why I thought that was something he would like). 

I was down for the count.  I could not raise my head from my pillow for about a week.  The week before Christmas.  Somehow, just as I thought I might be going to live, I dragged myself out of bed to the dining room table, which was Sewing Central.  I managed to complete two white terry robes with green contrasting lapels and a really dreadful velvet brocade smoking jacket for my dad.  Gosh, that was an awful looking thing.  At least the robes were functional.

What was I thinking?  This smoking jacket would have fit a dapper little Fred Astaire sized guy.  And my dad was more sporty and substantial.  Definitely not the velvet brocade smoking jacket type.  Especially when it was two sizes too small for him to fit into.  But I finished it and gave it to him.  Can't say he ever wore it, but it did live in his closet for a few years before Mom discreetly disposed of it.  She probably gave it to the gardener, who gave it to his trash pick up man, who gave it to ......That 30 year old smoking jacket is probably still making the rounds out there as a White Elephant gift.

Making My Lists and Checking Them Twice

In the name of all of us who left things until the last minute, I would like to say "Thank God for Amazon.com". 

Don't know exactly how it happened, but Christmas kind of snuck up on me this year.  The shopping part anyway.  I am happy to say however, that the shopping got done in a whirlwind day on Saturday, and now my husband and I are Deep Into Wrapping.

I am a ribbon saver.  I love that fancy ribbon with the wire in it because it makes the most perfect bows.  It saves beautifully, and you can smooth all the kinks and wrinkles out of it and use it again the next year or even two.  See the patterned red and white ribbon on the far right of the picture above?  The one who looks to be hanging out of the box?  Sophie had just grabbed hold of the end and had unrolled about three feet of it as I took the picture.  She is such a helper.

On our whirlwind shopping trip Saturday, my husband and I were also playing Santa, by delivering wine to some of our favorite retailer friends in Carmel.  (That says something about us doesn't it?  The friends we have made here, we met through buying things at their establishments).  Our first delivery was to John and Marty who own a darling home decorating shop.  We chatted a bit, made plans to have them over for New Year's Eve, as long as they promised not to stay until mid-night (which they readily agreed to).  I had a look around their shop and look what I found!

 

An unusual peppermint stripe Santa for my Santa collection! 

And most fabulous of all---a new tree topper angel!

 

Now this is what I'm talking about.  An angel that is elegant.  An angel that does not light up and flap her wings.  I haven't figured out how to get her to mount on the top of the tree, because she isn't strictly a tree top angel.  I think I can make a sort of closed end tube to sew on the back of her dress that will fit over the top branch of the tree.  Stay tuned on that.

Now that the shopping is all done, I can sit back with my lists and make sure no one has been left out, or short changed on the number of gifts.  When you have kids, you have to keep it equal.  In my head I do at least.  Even if they are grown up now, I want everyone to have the same number of gifts.  And they could probably care less!

Oh, and the food lists have begun.  What to have on Christmas Eve, what to have for Christmas Day breakfast, what to make for Christmas dinner.....  I guess there will be one more shopping trip in the near future:  the grocery store!

And more wrapping when that Amazon box is delivered!  It wouldn't be fun if all I had to do was sit back and look at the tree!  I have to keep busy until the last possible minute!

AnnieO

AnnieO of Annie's Quilt Orts won the Yuletide Blessings blocks!  Congratulations Annie!  I hope you will turn them into something wonderful.

Alas, the visit from Ahren's lovely Irish friend has come to an end.  They got up before dawn to make the drive to San Francisco International and to say their goodbyes.  It has been a complete pleasure to get to know Mary Ann, and I am very hopeful that she will be making a return visit, perhaps this summer. 

As a fabulous surprise, Ahren's sister Sara showed up last night to meet his friend and share dinner with us.  We spent some time looking at the photographs Mary Ann had taken of her vacation here in California.  I know she will enjoy sharing them with her family when she gets home.

Have a lovely day Friends.  Thank you for all the kind comments lately!

The Bowl

I forgot to show you a picture of The Bowl.  I stopped at Pottery Barn on the way home from work yesterday and picked up some do dads to put in it.  I love the simplicity and shape of this bowl so much.  Seriously, this bowl must weigh over five pounds!  And Mary Ann carried it on the airplane and schlepped it all over the place until she could place it in my hands.

I love the gift, but I love the gesture even more!

Tree Quilt

This quilt was so much fun to make.  Bev Stookey, who I mentioned in a previous post, used to teach this class at Eddie's Quilting Bee.  I am guessing that I put the top together about 12-15 years ago!  And, nope, it isn't finished!  You see, I decided to hand quilt it myself.

Mista--a--a--a--ke.

For one thing my hand quilting skill level is low.  I will say this though, if you keep at it, your stitches do get smaller and more even.  My problem was, I kept putting the quilt away and when I picked it up again months or years later, I had to start all over again building up my quilting dexterity.  It feels so clumsy and awkward when you first start up.

I've heard many people say that they "don't like tree quilts", but I think this one is kinda cute.  I love the way each tree block has its own black containment border.  It was also a kick to collect all the different fabrics for the trees.  And I remember how the women in the class all laughed and joked and had such a good time.

The texture of this quilt is so different from a machine quilted one.  It is much much softer.  So inviting to snuggle under for a bit of a nap.

When I started searching for this quilt to post on it, it was literally on the very bottom of a stack of quilts in my bedroom closet, way high up on a shelf.  I had to drag out the ladder and climb up to wrestle it down without disturbing the rest of the piles.  Imagine me looking up thinking "Oh, man, how am I going to get that down?"

 

Now that I have it in hand, I am thinking that I need to finish this one.  Who cares if my quilting is less than perfect?  There is something appealing about making the effort.

 

Yuletide Blessings

My next (and probably last) UFO giveaway is pictured above.

This fabric collection is called Yuletide Blessings.  The only Christmassy collection Fig Tree has done for Moda.  I made 68 blocks for a quilt called Fall Frolic in the Evelyn Sloppy book 40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts.  It is one of those patterns that call out for a simple all over quilting design.  It could be super cute.

I do not know what happened here with these blocks that caused me to stop construction.  The fabric is great, I have a ton of blocks---who knows?  For whatever reason I lost the love.

Nevertheless, these blocks will make up into a good sized holiday quilt for someone out there in Blogland, who would like to make them into a quilt.  If you think that could be you, leave a comment here and I will announce the winner on Thursday.

I just have to say, I am a bit distracted as I write this.  My son is home for Christmas break, and his long time "pen pal" from Ireland has come out for a visit to get to know him in person, so to speak.  She is lovely.  Just lovely.  And he is so happy.  I have the next three days to get to know her better, and must say, I am really liking what I see.  She brought me a gift.  A gorgeous Waterford bowl that she had to hand carry all the way from Galway,  on the air plane, and all over San Francisco, until she was able to present it to me this evening.  Oh my goodness.  I love it.  What a thoughtful, amazing present.  I will fill it with something suitable and take a picture of it to share.  

I made the right decision to put the family Christmas quilt on the bed in the guest room.  Yes I did.

Mary Kastner

Hi there, Mary Kastner, you won my snowman UFO!  Now that I have found the pattern (thanks Karen and Rebecca), my plan is to get the borders on it and send it to you as a complete top.  Send me your address and give me a week or so and it will be on its way to its new home.

Yesterday the family made its annual excursion to the Dicken's Faire in San Francisco.  In the photo above you see Jacob Marley confronting Ebeneezer Scrooge.  See the fear in Mr. Scrooge's eyes?  He is beginning to doubt some of the choices he has made in his life.

This pretty lass is a live mannequin in the window of Dark Gardens, a Victorian lingerie shop.  Pretty underthings are for everyone, no matter what your size.

Or gender.

It's San Francisco, people.

Every now and then, there would be a parade through the "streets" with Father Christmas leading the way.  Here are some of the people I was able to snap as they passed by.

 

One of the Three Blind Mice.

 

The Queen of Hearts.

Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of the chimney sweep who offered to "clean my stacks".

Happy Holidays Friends!  I will be back tomorrow with another UFO giveaway!

Unfinished Christmas Quilts

Have you ever thought you could read your pet's mind?  Sophie seems to be telling me "You blog too much.  You sew too much.  You fool around too much when you could be playing with me.  I don't know what you do with your time, but it could be far better spent".  Here she is, all sacked out on my latest stack of quilt flimsies.  Silly girl.

I have been doing a lot of blogging about Christmas quilts that I have made and enjoy in my home during the holidays.  I thought you might be interested to know that there are other Christmas quilts in my possession that are not finished.  There are a lot of reasons for not finishing a holiday quilt--usually I have house guests and have a reason to totally clean up my sewing room so I can use the bed in there for someone.  Things get put away and I start up with a new project, and there you are.  Sad.

I have an idea though.  How about if I show you a couple of my unfinished holiday quilt tops over the next few days and give the unfinished projects away in a giveaway?   Hmmm?

 

Here is a small quilt that is nearly finished.  Aren't the snowmen whimsical?   Aren't the colors cheerful?  Wouldn't this be a fun cuddle quilt for a child during the holidays?  Or even a fun wall hanging?  The fabrics are some Sandy Gervais group that came out a few years ago.  Don't ask me the name, I can't remember.  Added later:  Bundle Up is the name of the fabric.

Does anyone know what book this pattern is in?  I packed the top away, unfinished, and have no clue what book the pattern is in so I can finish it. (Does anyone see a trend here with my memory?) 

ADDED LATER:

The Internet is truly amazing.  Karen, in Australia, has told me where the pattern is for this quilt.  You will not believe this, but it is in the exact same Fons and Porter Nov/Dec 2002 issue that my Stars and Trees Christmas quilt is in.  Duh.  How could I not know that?  I had to get the magazine out to tell you all where I got the pattern for Stars and Trees.  Any way, huge hugs to Karen!  My Australian friends are really coming through for me lately!

Added even later: 

This is even more incredible,  Rebecca emailed meto say that the pattern for this quilt is also in a book called Clever Quilts Encore by Susan Teegarden Dissmore.  I dragged out the book, and sure enough, there is the pattern "Birds of a Feather", complete with black containment border and piano key border.  I think my inspiration to use the snowmen came from the Fons and Porter magazine, and the inspiration for the black border and piano key border came from the book.  Weird!

I have all sorts of stuff in the project box--I see the black strips for the containment border-- some strip sets for what, a piano key border?  Help! If anyone recognizes this pattern, please let me know so I can try to make a bit more progress with it.  Before I send it to the person who is randomly selected to receive it in my giveaway!

See?  I have loads of left over fabric here in the project box.  The strip sets are on the right, the containment border is all cut out, this quilt is almost a done deal!  If you would like me to send you this unfinished quilt top, please leave a comment on this post and I will announce the winner on Monday.

Save a quilt.   Make a comment!  I will announce the winner on Monday.

Family Christmas Quilt

This may be my simplest Christmas quilt, but it is the one I would grab if the house was on fire.  The pattern is common as dirt and the fabrics are just all the Christmas fabrics that were available at the time I made the quilt top--about ten years ago. 

At the time I made the quilt I was sewing regularly with a group that met one Sunday a month.  "Banish the UFOs" was the name of the group.  It still meets regularly, but alas, I now live to far away to attend.  The leader of the group is Bev Stookey, a wonderful red head that has been teaching quilting for decades.  "You can get it done with Bev" is how her group is advertised by the shop that sponsors it.  I loved this sewing group.  I felt like I had really "arrived" when I walked in the door.  "Nicole!  How ARE you?" or "Kate!  What's new?" or "Irene!  Is that the bag you made?"  the women would chorus.  And they were really interested to catch up on everyone's latest news.  Gosh I miss them.

When anyone showed up who wasn't a "regular" it was usually because they had some quilting project that had gotten bogged down, and they needed the help of Bev (the expert) to get it finished.  No matter how wonderful or how terrible the quilting projects were, they were received with equal praise and encouragement.  The young mother who had started a baby quilt four years earlier, and now wanted to finish the quilt for her third child.  The Indian woman who made at least 10 Attic Windows quilts, one after the other.  The woman who did the incredible applique quilt seven years ago who just couldn't decide on a border.  The grandmother who was working on a very complicated piecing project, who had lost her pattern instructions.  Even the woman who was working on a ghastly purple and pink Hawaiian applique quilt.  She was using a crummy cheap sheet to back the quilt and always just wadded up the project into a tote bag at the end of the session.  No respect for her art or her materials.  But she was welcomed, asked how she could be helped, and encouraged in her project.

Yes, I loved sewing with those gals.  Bev, the instructor, always made sure that each newcomer was included in all conversations, participated in "Sew and Tell" and was roundly complimented on her fabric choice, workmanship, creativity, or persistence.  Her gracious spirit rubbed off on the rest of the class, and we all followed her example.

I made a lot of quilts while I was a regular in that group.  But this one stands out for a number of reasons.

One, several of the gals in the group were making the same quilt, only using different types of fabrics.  One did hers in all florals, and another did a version in a gazillion different fall leaf prints.  And I did mine in Christmas fabrics.  No matter what fabric was used, each quilt turned out gorgeous and was completely unique.

Two, Bev taught this quilt in a class, but was always happy to help us out even if we hadn't signed up for her class.  Shhhh, don't tell.  She was super generous with her time and her help.

Three, Bev had a small quilting business on the side, and she was the one who quilted this for me.

But most important, after I got this quilt home, I decided it was going to be the Reed Family Christmas Quilt.   I did not make this decision right away, but just started using the quilt on my bed during the holidays.  After I got my Brain Flash to make it a family treasure,  I sewed a huge label on the back where each person who slept under the quilt during their holiday visits to my house could sign their name and date it.  When this label fills up, I will add another one.  Hopefully the quilt will get passed down through the generations like a family bible and be a true treasure.

Hey, I think I just answered my question as to which quilt should go on the bed in the guest room this year.  That could be really good luck.  Keep your fingers crossed.

 

The Full Monty

My husband was determined that we out do ourselves this year with our holiday decorations.  Every so often I plead, "Maybe we could only put some of it out this year?"  And his disappointment is so complete, that I cave in and we drag down all twelve boxes of stuff and take two full days to get it all put out.  I did persuade him not to get a humongous tree this year--you may recall the photo of him putting up our tree last year:

No, the tree this year is just right.  We even have room for our living room furniture to stay in the room this year.

I am still searching for the right top ornament for the tree.  We bought an angel last year (on sale) that looked really good in the box.  That is her on the top of last year's tree, before we found out her true nature.  Turned out she was a fiber optic floozy that turned all sorts of colors while her wings flapped.  Perfect for Graceland, but for me, not so much.

Here is a little tour around the place.  The Birdcage.  The most pointless piece of furniture ever, but it gives me a chance to display all my seasonal do dads.

Here is a close up of this funny snowman family.  They all look like they have been hitting the holiday grog pretty hard.  Or is it glog?

I have a thing for snowmen.

 

This collection looks like it was made by a kindergarten class, but they are really collectibles by an artist named Debbee Thibault.

These snowmen are just odds and ends that I have accumulated over the years.  I have two niches in my entry way and they ended up there so the dogs can't get at them.  My gosh, do my dogs ever want to get hold of these new toys.

 

I love seeing everyone else's holiday decorations.  What do you collect?

Back tomorrow with another Christmas quilt and story!

Return to Sender

 

I gave a letter to the postman,
he put it his sack.
But in early next morning,
he brought my letter back.

She wrote upon it:
Return to sender, address unknown.
No such number, no such zone.
We had a quarrel, a lover's spat
I write I'm sorry but my letter keeps coming back.

Poor Elvis.  Sad, huh?  Why would anyone want to avoid him?  Silly girl.

Nothing sad about my quilt above.  This quilt is all about friendship.  The pattern is one by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company called Return to Sender.  It is made up of one repeating block  called "Envelope".  The fabric I used is April Cornell's Christmas Presence collection for Moda.  I threw in some Hollywood and Vines plaids as well, because everyone knows plaids add interest.

I began this quilt at an Open Sewing group at my favorite quilt shop, Prairiequeen's, in San Jose, CA.  What a totally different experience than the one I described in Friday's post.  I was welcomed by one and all, the leader of the group was thoughtful and funny, and I made a wonderful friend, Isabel.  I brought my blocks to the group each week and worked on them while I chatted and visited and got to know the other gals in the group.  This is the camaraderie I am talking about--the magic that can happen when a group of supportive, friendly women get together to share their passion for quilting.

All that is wonderful, but the real story of this quilt is what happened when I began to put the blocks together.  I didn't think I liked the blocks with low contrast.  I had plenty of fabric on hand, and ended up making 30 extra blocks to get the look that I wanted for my quilt.  So what to do with the orphan blocks that were left over?  They were great blocks, someone should use them.  Have a giveaway!  That's what I did.

The winner of my giveaway was Mary from Australia.  Originally from Scotland, grandmother to a gazillion children (31), newlywed (!), and frequent commenter on my blog.  I sent my leftover blocks off to Australia, and what do you suppose happened?

Mary, a new quilter, turned them into a lovely quilt!  Seldom has anything I have experienced through blogging given me such a sense of pride and pleasure.  Mary has a blog of her own now, Scottish Nanna. She just decorated her house for Christmas, and maybe this quilt will be tossed over the back of a chair somewhere in her house.  Go on over and wish her a Happy Christmas Down Under.  

Think you can't make friends through blogging?  Think again!  I hear from Mary often, and she even remembers my birthday.  That's Friendship.

 

Stars and Trees

Thank you Susan, who suggested that my camera problem was probably a memory card issue.   I took the memory card out of my camera and re-inserted it.  That did the trick. It just needed to stretch or get a breath of fresh air or something.

Also, my goodness, what a lot of comments I got in response to my post about cliques in quilt classes or guilds.  Some of them were very very sad.  I am going to be ever more vigilent to befriend newcomers, wherever I am.  And those of you who are teachers...be on the watch for clique-y-ness in your classes and squash it like a nasty bug. 

A number of people asked about the Christmas Cactus quilt pattern.  It is still available through Elisa's Backporch Design  http://www.backporchdesign.com  The correct name of the pattern is Color Bridge.  It was a great pattern and I would even make it again in a different color combination. 

The quilt in the picture above was made 7 years ago from a pattern in Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine.  The November 2002 issue.   Gail Dunn was the designer and the pattern is called "Cozy Christmas".   I had a total blast making this quilt.  I fussy cut red cardinals for the center of the star blocks, and used every piece of Christmas fabric I could get my hands on.  I did one major change with this quilt's layout.  I oriented the blocks sideways so my quilt would be wider than it was long, so I could use it on the top of my queen sized bed.  It measures 68" by 82".

Whew, I am glad to say there is a happy story associated with this quilt.   My husband and I had decided to start a new life down in the Monterey Bay area of California in the summer of 2002.  We had sold our house in Palo Alto while the real estate market was hot, and got a good price for our home.  But, we weren't ready to buy a new place yet, as we wanted to explore the area around Monterey and make the best possible/unhasty choice for our new home. 

A wonderful business associate of my husband, who was a real estate developer, had just finished construction on five darling row houses in Mountain View, a town near Palo Alto.  He allowed us to move into a brand new house at a ridiculously low rent while we conducted our leisurely house hunt down in Monterey.  His generosity was incredible.  The house was two story, with a sweet little garden area (all landscaped).  The bathrooms were state of the art, and I had a huge walk in closet.   Best of all, the house had a front porch, where I set up a little table for two.  My son and I used to sit out there in the warm evenings and chat.

I set up a sewing room in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and began work on this quilt.  The fun thing was that when I wanted to lay out the pieces to get a feel for the look of the quilt, I would lay things out on the floor in the foyer, then run up the stairs and look down from the balcony.  I have never had such a wonderful vantage point for really being able to get back and have a look at my quilts in progress!

While I stitched this quilt, my head was full of dreams for my future home and the Christmases I would spend in it with my family.  We lived in that little house for  just a year, and only celebrated the one Christmas in it.  It was a happy year.  My memories associated with this quilt are very happy ones too.  I should have named this quilt Optimism, because that was my predominent mood while I worked on it.  We did find our "dream house" in the Monterey Bay area, and moved into it the following September, 2003.  And this Cozy Christmas Quilt was on my bed for our first Christmas in it. 

Christmas Baskets

   

I love this Christmas quilt.  The pattern is an early Fig Tree called Simple Baskets.  I have always been fond of basket blocks, and this was my first attempt at one.  The fabrics are mostly from 3 Sisters for Moda.  I can't recall the names of the groups I used, but there may have been two from 3 Sisters, and others from old Robyn Pandolf collections.  I used what I had on hand in the stash that pleased me.  The thing I learned when making this quilt is that black in a quilt makes things "sparkle".  Your eyes dance over the quilt searching for the black.  When you can, toss in a bit of black.

Also, this quilt involved applique, which had made me rather nervous in the past.  16 appliqued basket handles.  Could I manage that?   Evidently!   I finished the quilt, and it has remained one of my favorite Christmas quilts, and as a matter of fact, I keep it out all year long!

Now for the story.  There used to be a quilt shop in Cupertino called Whiffle Tree.  It was a bit far out for me in terms of distance, but I used to go there fairly regularly.  Their inventory wasn't as large as some other stores, but they offered dynamite classes.  They had terrific teachers, and a very loyal customer following.  This shop too has folded and is no longer in business, and their clientele scattered to the two remaining shops in the vicinity.

I discovered that there was a class offered for this particular quilt, and I signed up because the teacher was known to be very good and because I thought I might get some instruction on hand applique, which obviously, I needed.  Also, I was in the hope that I might meet some new quilting friends, and perhaps join in a sewing group that met regularly.  There is nothing so lovely as getting into a nice group of quilters.  That particular joy and camaraderie is incomparable.   This class met three times, so there would be an opportunity to get to know the other people in the class.

I turned up for the class and nearly every spot in the classroom was taken.  Most of the women seemed to know each other, and sat together.  I set up my machine and introduced myself to the women sitting nearest to me.  There was an Indian woman who didn't speak much English and seemed very shy, and me, and this passel of gals who were all buddies.

The teacher turned out to be great,  and I learned some good applique techniques.  For example, did you know when you make a bias strip, the strip wants to bend in one direction or the other?  It doesn't want to bend the same in both directions, it prefers one way of the other.  So, when you curve your bias strip, try to get it to go the way of least resistance.  It appeared to be true when I tried it.

My fantasy of making friends and joining in a quilting group?  Not so successful.  That clique of women was SO not interested in getting to know me, or the other newcomer in the group.  At.  All.  Despite many many efforts on my part to join in their conversations, make little jokes, share pleasantries---nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  I could have been a traffic cone setting in one section of the table.  I was totally ignored.  And the poor non-English speaking woman?  She fared worse than I did.  Have you ever introduced yourself to a group, telling them your name, and in all subsequent gatherings, never hear them speak it to you?  They didn't care if I was Nicole or Noel or Michelle--they just didn't care.

It may not have been realistic of me to expect instant friendship, but it certainly did open my eyes to how I treat new people who join a group.  Would it have killed them to ask me questions, compliment my fabric choice, share applique tips?  Didn't they have any curiosity to get to know someone outside their little circle?  Had they never had the experience of being new and uncertain in a situation?  Good grief, it reminded me of high school and having the new kid move to town in the middle of the semester.  All the friends were all ready taken.  What nonsense.

So, next time your sewing group, book club, or bible study class meets, think about my little story.  If there is a newcomer, bend over backwards to engage them.  Use their name when you speak to them.  They have an accent?  Get over it.  Try to talk to them anyway.  If all you do is gesture and smile, you will make the occasion meaningful and memorable to them.  And you know what?  You might even make a friend for life.

Today is my dear departed mother's birthday.  She was the most open-hearted woman ever.  When she met someone new to town, before they knew it, they were sitting at her dining room table having beef stroganoff and sharing life stories.  I can hardly remember a holiday where we didn't have some stranger at dinner who was far from home and had no place to go.  Trust me, we kids met a lot of interesting people while we were growing up!  I dedicate this post to Mom and the fact that she made many many friends in her rich life, mostly due to her making the first move.  So go out there and make a new friend today.  You won't regret it.

Is Mars in Retrograde?

I looked it up, and actually, it isn't.  However, when it is, people tend to have problems with mechanical devices.  Which I am.  So I wondered.  My camera is telling me that I have a memory disc error.  I have no clue what that means, and hope my goose isn't cooked.  I love my camera.  Just before it quit on me, I managed to take a couple of pictures of two of my Christmas quilts.  My plan was to give you a Christmas quilt or two each day until I run out of Christmas quilts to share.  There is a story that goes with each quilt, and I want to share those with you too.

This quilt is called Christmas Cactus.  I loved the fabrics, which I picked up in Wisconsin while visiting my sister Mary.  There was a shop in the little town of Fitchburg, right near her house, that was adorable.  I can't remember the name of the shop, but the owner was a nice lady named Wendy Apple.  Any one out there know how Wendy is doing?  I know that, sadly, the shop did go out of business and that it is sorely missed.  I remember how helpful the staff was in helping me locate the particular polka dot background fabric I HAD to have to finish the quilt.  They bent over backwards.

This quilt reminds me of the terrific visit I had with my sister and her lovely husband Doug.  When I go out to Wisconsin, I always hit the local quilt shops (which are amazing), and picked up the pattern and most of the fabric to make the Christmas Cactus quilt on this particular visit.  It was Thanksgiving, and my sister was hosting her first Thanksgiving dinner with her husband's relatives.  Typically, this event was always held at another relative's home.  Mary was nervous, not so much about the cooking, but about the decorating.  The two of us went out shopping at Pier One and we came home with an entire set of dishes and table linens, plus a centerpiece decoration.  We had so much fun making the house look nice.  

The relatives arrived, and were so happy to have their holiday celebration be in a different place.  You see, one family had tragically lost their 17 year old son that summer, and this was their first Thanksgiving without him.  When you experience such a profound loss, I think it is common to want to break away from your usual traditions and in the hope that it will somewhat lessen the pain of missing your loved one at the holiday.  Ergo, that's why everyone was coming to my sister's instead of the usual place.  I recall that we lighted a memory candle for the young man, which burned throughout the meal and into the evening.  We shared a prayer for him and some fond memories, but it wasn't a terribly maudlin affair at all.   There were plenty of smiles around that table.   After the meal, we gathered in the living room in front of the fireplace and played some sort of family game---I have no idea what it was, except that everyone was laughing, young and old alike.  The house looked great, our tummies were full, and we were sharing the best sort of fellowship.  It was one of the nicest Thanksgiving memories I have.

So that is the memory, now about the quilt.

As nice as the quilt is, I made a horrendous error, the kind of error we don't like to talk about.  Sssssshhhhh.  One of the blocks is turned around wrong and no one noticed it, not even the quilter.  I had the quilt over the back of a chair and was admiring it from across the room when something struck me all wrong.  Sure enough, there it was, a huge boo boo, standing out like a sore thumb.  Now when I look at the quilt it is right where my eye goes.  

I still love the quilt, despite its flaw.  We all have them, right?  And besides, it is the association I make with this quilt and my memories that make it so special.  The hole in the pattern of the quilt design makes me think of the hole in the heart of that family that lost their son.  Love goes on despite loss, and a quilt can provide warmth and beauty even when imperfect.

The First Christmas Quilt of the Season

If you have been trying to finish up a holiday quilt in time for Christmas, by all means do it!  It is such a joy to surround myself with quilts that express the festivity and happiness I feel at this time of the year. I love the concept of having a Christmas quilt on every bed in the house!

One of the projects I forced myself to finish this last long weekend was to get the binding on my most recent Christmas quilt.  The pattern I used was Opening Day by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, and the fabric line was Roman Holiday by 3 Sisters for Moda.  Delightful pattern, gorgeous fabric.  A sure fire combination for a dynamite quilt.  Don't you love how the flying geese perfectly surround the rectangular dimensions of my queen size mattress?  Now that is the sign of a pattern designer who is thinking things through.

I don't have any other decorations out yet, but this is my first step towards full blown holiday regalia.  My son has invited his long time pen pal to visit this holiday season.  She is coming all the way from Ireland, and I want to make a good impression.  More on this delicate subject very soon.  I am hoping that next weekend we will get a tree and get started with the usual holiday hoopla.  I will be getting out all the Christmas quilts and making the important decision as to which quilt goes on the bed in the guest room.  I should have a regular Sew and Tell and have you help me decide.  A lot could be riding on this.  Good idea, Nicole. 

As I was trying to write this post, my trusty side kick made an appearance.  She sure does know how to get in a person's face.  "Hello Mama!  Let's get going, shall we?  Enough of this computer nonsense.  Let's go for a walk!"  Those would be my knees she is sticking her head between and the lap top is just above her head on the desk.  Ok ok.

A Weekend Full of Finishes

A fellow quilting blogger recently asked the question "At what point in your quilt construction do you get bogged down?"  There were plenty of different answers.  Some folks let their quilts sit for months before they get the bindings sewn on.  Others love making the blocks, but hate the lay out and row construction. 

I have been guilty of many delaying tactics, but I have to say, my issue is borders.  I love getting those quilt tops together, and then I set them aside for a little rest.  Borders are boring.  Or they can be, I suppose.  I had a bit of a look around the sewing room last week and discovered I had a fair number of borderless quilt tops still waiting for that final step before they go off to the quilters.  I had my work cut out for me, but I made the most of this wonderful four day weekend.  Aside from Thanksgiving Day, I barely left my Bernina.

Here is my completed blue and white quilt.  Please don't tell me you see a block turned the wrong way around.  It would be cruel at this point.  My gosh, I had trouble with this lay out.  I think it might have been easier if I had used blues all in the same tone.  I still like the effect though.

This is Birdseye, with its final border.  I will be so happy to get this one back from the quilter so I can start using it.  This quilt just says "Autumn" like no other.

Remember Prairie Paisley?  This poor thing has been waiting so long for its borders.  Once I get this one back from the quilter, I will display it from Memorial Day to Fourth of July.

And finally, Woo Hoo!  I am so proud of this one.  Flowers for Clara, complete with machine appliqued borders!  This is one huge quilt.  I couldn't get back far enough to fit it all into my camera lens!  I practically had to go outside and take the picture looking in the window.

 

I made it just as the pattern showed, but am thinking it would be cool to put the applique motif in all four corners, and not just two of them.  Besides, I was having myself a good time once I got into the applique thing.  Now, I can't stop!  I am going to be putting appliques on everything.

 

If you have not done much machine applique, please reconsider.  Start small, with dish towels to give as holiday gifts, or baby bibs, or aprons.  Once you start with applique you will love it.   Applique adds such a special touch to a quilt, I hope you will give it a try.  I felt like a little girl again, cutting out paper dolls.  My teachers always did say I had good scissor skills...

I kept referring to Barbara Brandeburg's wonderful tutorial, and it made all the difference.  She shows you how to trace the shapes onto fusible interfacing, how to iron them onto the applique pieces, and what stitches to use to sew them down.  Her pictures are great and she makes it look easy.  Shoot, it WAS easy!  I only goofed up once and ironed my interfacing to the right side of the fabric instead of the wrong side, but it was ok, I had extra fabric.

So now that I have four quilts finally off my "Finish It" list, I can buckle down on my Red and White Snowball quilt.  What a good feeling to get these done!

The Day After

Good morning.  This is my sleepy self saying, "Hope you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving".   Mine was lovely, and I seem to be operating in low gear today.  Probably the effects of too much turkey (and mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie).  Seriously, it is a known fact that turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan, a component that in large amounts makes people sleepy.  I think you would have to eat a truckload of turkey to achieve that effect, but in combination with all carbs one eats at Thanksgiving dinner, I for one, always feel like curling up on the couch and sleeping until next Thanksgiving.

The picture above is of the pretty Japanese maples my mother planted in the garden at her house in Palo Alto.  They are always at their full glory on Thanksgiving.  They always remind me of my mother, as if she is still with us through their beauty.

We had a big crowd of family at the table, and since everyone in attendance brought a dish or two or three, there was enough food for the entire neighborhood.  It wouldn't even all fit on the table.  My sister Kate brought her special gold and white holiday dishes, so the table was truly festive.  The guests ranged in age from 16 to 84.

We brought both the dogs with us to the party.  Sophie did not get car sick, for the first time in her life.  Now that is really something to be thankful for.  The dogs did not get into a fight and embarrass us to death.  Another item for the gratitude list.

I know I didn't feed Ozzie and Sophie any turkey, but somebody must have.  They are pretty much sacked out and good for nothing today.

 

Ozzie making himself small.

 

Sophie making herself large.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am pretty sure that this lovely pilgrim girl is going to decorate her Thanksgiving table with those greens, and that they won't be showing up as a side dish.  Things were tough back in those days, so you never know.

It is my heartfelt wish that all of you will be spending a safe Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones.  This year has definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all, we have so much to be grateful for.  I plan to think on it and express my love to one and all, including You, my Blogging Friends.

Thank You Dee

The best thing about having a quilting blog?  The kindness of other bloggers!  You can share your work, see what others are making, exchange tips, join challenges and generally offer support and friendship to others who share your passion.  Today I have a big reason to celebrate blogging.

Yesterday I posted a picture of my partially assembled blue and white quilt.  I was pretty happy with it, and indeed got a lot of positive comments.

One of the comments was from the lovely Dee, who pointed out gently that I had a block turned wrong.  She said she knew I would see it myself any second, but wanted to point it out just in case.

Gasp.  Dee was right.  This is the sort of mistake that would just ruin this quilt.  It is so important for the strong visual effect of this quilt not to make any sorts of errors of this kind.

 

There were in fact, two blocks turned wrong.  See the difference in the pattern?  You would think it would be impossible to mess us a strong design like this, but you would be surprised.

Thank you Dee.

Here is another reason to celebrate blogging.  Welcoming new bloggers to our midst!  Go on over and say hello to Laurey in Oz.  She just started a blog and would love to make some new friends.  She is working on a Jane Austen reproduction quilt she is making for her parents 25th anniversary.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

I know, I know, I am supposed to be working on my Red and White Snowball Challenge quilt.  And I am, really.  However, working on this red and white two color quilt got me thinking about a project I started about two years ago.

I adore two color quilts, and back in June 2008 I started a blue and white quilt from an old Marsha McCloskey book called On To Square Two.  The inspiration for the quilt was an amazing project completed by Patti of Quilting is My Passion.  Here is a picture of the quilt Patti made that so inspired me:

Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?  I just had to have one, and since I owned the book and had a hefty stash of blue and white fabrics, I got going and started my own version in blue.  And stopped after making 16 blocks.  Why?  Because the author, a very well known quilting guru, who I respect and admire, favors the most regrettable method of constructing half square triangle and hour glass blocks known to man.  She does something called Bias Squares, which involves cutting strips of fabric on the bias and trimming them up into half square triangles.  It is a method I find tedious in the extreme.

So, I shelved the project, but it has haunted me and called to me for the past 15 months. 

"Niiiii-cooooooollle, we waaaaannnnnnt yoou to fiiiiiiiiniiiiiiisssssh us". Great.  Now I am hearing voices.

So, as I said, the Red and White Snowball thing got me thinking about this potentially fabulous UFO.  I got the project box down out of the closet, blew the dust off it, and got to thinking about a different approach.  I did the math and figured out that to make the  3 1/2 inch hour glass blocks, I needed 4 1/4 inch squares.  Great.  To get the  3 1/2 inch half square triangles, I used my trusty Easy Angle tool.  All I needed to do was take my fat quarters and cut one 4 1/4 inch strip and one 3/12 inch strip.  And, I got two blocks out of each strip combination!  Instead of butchering my lovely fat quarters with Marsha's method.  Sorry, but I think my way is better.

 

Before I could say "Bob's your uncle", I had made 42 blocks.  The block,  by the way,  is an old classic called Massachusetts Cross and Crown.  But I was far from finished.

The quilt calls for a complicated pieced lattice.  There are a lot of ways to go wrong with the lattice, which involves 2 1/2 inch light strips and dark strips paired with half square triangles that must be positioned just so.  One way for the light strips and another way for the dark strips.  Would you think that Marsha would have included a diagram to help out with the placement of the lattice strips?  Me too, but she didn't.  She does include a black and graph thing that you could color in with your own colored pencils, but please.  Just give me a diagram, is that too much to ask?   Woeful directions.  So that took another hour to figure out. 

Then the lay out.  Aye yi yi.  This is one tricky so and so.  Not for sissies. Do not drink any chardonnay while working this out.

My version of the quilt is not so large as Patti's but larger than Marsha's.  Patti made 64 blocks to get the design she chose.  Marsha made 30 blocks to get the quilt pictured in her book.  I believe in quilts that actually fit a bed, so I decided on 42 blocks, a 6 x 7 layout.  This block and lattice are conducive to just about any log cabin type layout you can imagine.   I liked the sort of off kilter design featured in the book, but just needed it to be a scosh bigger.

 

I'm at the half way point, and I know this is going to be great, but stay tuned! Back to the Red and White Snowball Challenge in a minute.