Family Sewing Day...2016

We like to have a sewing day over the holidays while my sister Nancy is visiting from Canada. She and Deb are social sewers and only sew with us. Deb finished her jelly roll race quilt that she started last winter this year when we met by making and sewing on the binding. She is so excited to have it finished!

 Nancy was working hard to finish the quilt she only works on during her visits here...she began it in Jan. 2011. She came to one of my sampler clubs the night after she got in so she could get started and worked all day on sewing day. She finished it a few days before she left. It's gorgeous!

Dec. sewing day

 She left it here so I'm going to take it to be quilted and she will finish by binding it next year.

Finished...yea!

 Sharon worked on a Summit Pack. She had it all cut out before she came and got most of it finished before she left.

She finished it a few days later and made another one! I love them both!

 Wendy did some beading projects and Mom visited. She recently finished her sewing day quilt from a few years ago and just got it back from the quilter. She will be binding it soon!

I worked on the hanging sleeve for my Quilters Quilt the Blues Challenge quilt and helped the others. My challenge quilt was chosen as a finalist, so I've sent it off to be judged. Hope to hear back soon!

 Dad was around for moral support and opinions...can't do it without him! My nieces had to work, so weren't able to join us....next time!

I've been trying to get caught up and want to start writing the patterns for the new Sampler, Optical Illusions.

Another fun family sewing day!

I went to Earling yesterday for another family sewing day. We didn't have as many sewers this time as 2 of my nieces had to work, but we still had fun and got lots accomplished. 

 Mom's quilt was started a few years ago. She got the pattern from my sister and the fabric from me for Christmas. She had it sewn into rows when she came yesterday, and got busy pinning them and sewing the rows together. As you can see, it's a quilt center now!

 Hmmm...now to figure out the borders!

My niece, Ashley, has worked on cutting and prepping her T-shirt blocks the past couple of sewing days. After prepping a few last minute additions, she was ready to decide on a layout and cut sashings. Her large Ashley block still needs some fabric added to it lengthwise to make it fit in with the other blocks, but we decided to start sashing to help figure out what color/ type of fabric to use. She has leftover t-shirt backs she could use. Or maybe a cute fabric. So we put that on hold for the time being.

Finally! she was sewing!Once she got started, she couldn't stop! 

Her sashing fabric is a charcoal with black dots.

Unfortunately, she was introduced to our friend, the seam ripper, for the first time. She learned how to use a new tool yesterday, too!

When I left about 4:00, she had many of the sashings sewn in between the blocks. She stayed and sewed with Sharon for a few hours after that and finished sewing the sashings in between the blocks and sewed a sashing row as well. She really seems to enjoy it, especially when she actually got to sew! She is going over during her son's nap today and Sharon will help her add to the Ashley block to make it fit in. I can't wait to see it!

Ashley brought her son along and he played happily all day. So it was sort of a 4 generation sewing day, even though he didn't sew. Maybe next time!

Since Sharon had started her Modern Cathedral Windows Pillow over the weekend, she had one pillow top finished and another one about half finished when I got there. She quickly finished it and decided to put a narrow background border around each one to help the outer ring of circles stand out. 

She made envelope backs for both pillows. (here is one ready to sew together. 

 They both turned out so pretty and match the jelly roll race quilt she made on the last sewing day. It's tied and bound and ready to snuggle with.

 Last time we got together, I showed her how to make the Quilted Boxy Corner Pouch, and she has been making them ever since. Here are a few she has made.

 I forgot to take a picture of all of them. She gave each of us one. She spent the rest of the afternoon making more of them....until....

I had taken my copy of the Cultural Fusion Quilts book to show everyone and Sharon immediately wanted to try out a Peppermint Pinwheels block from the book. She cut one out before I left and later sent me this picture. Yea, she's my sister.

 You might remember Deb's Jelly Roll Race quilt from the last sewing day. Since her previous quilt took about 5 years, this one is moving right along. She chose two fabrics for her borders, cut both, sewed the strips together and got the first one sewn on and pressed.

Deb learning the value of pinning borders! 

 Her teal border is ready to sew on now and it will be a finished top. She told us yesterday that she wants to make pillows next. We all know that you are definitely a quilter when you are planning your next project while working on one.

In between helping them, I got the pockets made and pinned in a working model of the Super Tote I started before I taught the class. I want to get it finished now.

We also celebrated my birthday...Sharon made a yummy Cinnamon cake and Deb and Ashley made a delicious fruit pizza. It was really a fun day. We are going to try to get together again in February. 

What? My daughter...sewing?

 You might think that with my love of fabric, sewing and quilting, that at least one of my 3 daughters would like to sew. As it turns out, they love fabric and have even been known to buy some, but haven't really done a lot of sewing. My middle daughter, Wendy, did make a rail fence quilt a long time ago, and has hemmed some curtains, but that is about it. So imagine my surprise when we were shopping at Big Lots one day and she found fabric. Jelly rolls to be exact. She really liked the fabrics and kept asking me what people make with them.  More specifically, what could she make with them.

So I suggested a Jelly Roll Race quilt...quick and easy for a beginner. She got her jelly rolls and we made plans to get together and work on it. She came over last night and I showed her how to sew her strips together with a 45* angle. We both like that join better than the straight seam. 

 Isn't that a pretty pile?

 Resident quilting expert Smokey came along to give her opinion about the quilt too.

 She got them all sewn together and had started pressing them when she realized that she had sewn some of them together right side to wrong side, so she cut them apart and redid them. Then we noticed a few other problem seams, so she spent some more time fixing them.

 Finally she was ready to begin sewing the two ends together. We think it took her about an hour to get that first 800" seam sewn.

I explained how to do the next step, so she is going to try it at home. I will keep you posted on how it goes!