Sister Projects
Posted on October 26, 2022 by prairiemoonquilts in Handstitching, Quilt-Alongs & Bees, QuiltsMy sister and I occasionally take on “Sister Projects” together. It’s seriously fun to have a sister close who quilts! She didn’t start quilting in earnest until 2001, but it’s as if she’s been quilting with me all along. I used to quilt with our grandmother, and Katy took up quilting a few months after we lost Grandma, so now I can quilt with her. It keeps us connected quite nicely!
The “Sister Project” is usually an annual thing, coinciding with our annual pilgrimage to Paducah to the AQS Show, but for the last 3 years, I haven’t gone. Katy went for a one-day whirlwind trip through the show this past April, and picked out a Sister Project for us while she was there. We’re doing “Martha Washington’s Finest”, a pattern by Lori Smith of From My Heart to Your Hands.
We decided we would start this one on July 1st, so I did. I got seven blocks done before elbow surgery, and that’s where it still sits. But they are cute and fun, and I’m anxious to get back at them.
Meanwhile, we also decided we wanted to do a Block-of-the-Month quilt together, but not the same BOM as each other. But we did choose the same designer! We both chose designs by Sue Garman. We decided we would begin these on August 1st.
Katy chose this one. It’s called Chain Gang. It’s very Katy, all full of great color! There are actually 3 blocks each month, each of them using a different technique, and so far she’s all caught up.
And I chose this one — Ladies of the Sea:
I’ve had my eye on this pattern for a long time, and this seemed like the perfect time to start it, as a Sister Project.
The problem became that I did not get my background fabric cut before elbow surgery, and when August 1st rolled around, I was unable to rotary cut, so I couldn’t start. But guess what I did today?
I broke it all out and got my background fabrics cut — only 3 months late! I’m ready to prep the first two blocks for appliqué, and I’ll see if I can catch up (pfft!). I chose this marbled light blue for my background. I hope I like it!
I’ll keep you posted on my progress. There are two highly detailed appliqué blocks each month, or a border appliqué section with a corner compass block, so it’ll be intense! I’m reasonably certain that I’ll just get more behind than caught up, but hopefully, I can work steadily on it.
Oh my gosh all those projects want me to start one!! I do love to immerse myself in an intense project like these and just go, go, go. I used to do one like that every other year or so. Just to get it out of my system I think, then fill in with quicker makes in between. During the pandemic that changed. I seem to jump in and do quite a few quicker sew alongs at the same time. I need a big one. I pulled for Dear Jane. I hope your elbow is healing as it should
Oh!!! I am so impressed by the projects you both chose and can’t wait to see how they come out. You gals are very ambitious!
Michele
All of that sounds so much fun! I wish I wasn’t an only child so I could have someone to do something like this with! I can’t wait to see your progress!
Oh my! Both of those are intense! I’m not into appliqué but am tempted with that other sampler one.
I must not start anything new…I must not start anything new…I must not!!!
I absolutely love Sue Garman’s patterns and work. I made Afternoon Delight in 2015, had it LA Quilted in 2016. I was lucky enough to have some ribbons on it. I saw the original Ladies of the Sea at the New England Quilt Museum in 2019 at a special exhibit of Sue Garman’s quilts. (Afternoon Delight was also there.) She was a phenomenal designer, appliquér, hand quilter and Longarm Quilter. I think her blogs are still online. She may have tips for both your quilts.