Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

Christmas Gatherings

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It's Christmas in July over here.  I have gotten out all my Christmas Gatherings blocks from the Primitive Gatherings sew along of a couple of years ago, and decided that a few of them needed to be re-made.  I don't think I was so into heavily starching my fabrics back then, and some of the blocks just didn't have that crisp sharp look (or accurate piecing) that starched fabrics gives.  I also needed to make eight more blocks for the setting I have in mind.

The top eight blocks are new blocks and the bottom three are remakes.  I went with some simpler blocks for the new ones.  I don't have all year to do this after all.  The sew along blocks were super fussy and called for some truly microscopic units.  The sew along gave patterns for 25 blocks, and I need 48 for what I have in mind, so I added in a ton of extras.

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I've started in on the 320 flying geese I will need for the setting.  I have 40 done so far, but only ten are trimmed.  You can see I have my work cut out for me.

And you won't believe what I did.  Or maybe you will.  I cut out units to make 100 flying geese out of the red and cream fabric, and had it mixed up which were the "geese" and which were the "sky".  So that was a waste of about two yards of fabric.  You should have heard me up in my sewing room.  The air was blue, as my Grandma Agnes used to say.

It's only fabric, and I have plenty of that.  I won't be getting that wasted time back though…

39 responses to “Christmas Gatherings”

  1. I do admire your energy and plans in making these marvelous blocks “just so”! Also your freedom in not following patterns exactly but substituting blocks you prefer ccasionally!
    Sorry about those flying geese. My Grandma Hall’s first name was Agnes, too!
    Hugs!

  2. I do admire your energy and plans in making these marvelous blocks “just so”! Also your freedom in not following patterns exactly but substituting blocks you prefer ccasionally!
    Sorry about those flying geese. My Grandma Hall’s first name was Agnes, too!
    Hugs!

  3. I do admire your energy and plans in making these marvelous blocks “just so”! Also your freedom in not following patterns exactly but substituting blocks you prefer ccasionally!
    Sorry about those flying geese. My Grandma Hall’s first name was Agnes, too!
    Hugs!

  4. Ugh! All that time for nothing. I am getting more and more paranoid as I age about not “getting it right”. Seems easier to screw up these days for me. The blocks look really nice. Looks like a big project to me. GOod luck !
    Mary

  5. Ugh! All that time for nothing. I am getting more and more paranoid as I age about not “getting it right”. Seems easier to screw up these days for me. The blocks look really nice. Looks like a big project to me. GOod luck !
    Mary

  6. Ugh! All that time for nothing. I am getting more and more paranoid as I age about not “getting it right”. Seems easier to screw up these days for me. The blocks look really nice. Looks like a big project to me. GOod luck !
    Mary

  7. I’ve done that before, too! I consider myself relatively intelligent yet I always have a problem when cutting out the Quilt in a Day method. And yet I love that method because I get a better block when using my Bloc Loc Rulers (I have every size and they are WELL WORTH IT!!!) Have you seen What If You Fly by Carrie Nelson? One of my next projects. I will be joining you in the quest for a plethora of flying geese!

  8. I’ve done that before, too! I consider myself relatively intelligent yet I always have a problem when cutting out the Quilt in a Day method. And yet I love that method because I get a better block when using my Bloc Loc Rulers (I have every size and they are WELL WORTH IT!!!) Have you seen What If You Fly by Carrie Nelson? One of my next projects. I will be joining you in the quest for a plethora of flying geese!

  9. I’ve done that before, too! I consider myself relatively intelligent yet I always have a problem when cutting out the Quilt in a Day method. And yet I love that method because I get a better block when using my Bloc Loc Rulers (I have every size and they are WELL WORTH IT!!!) Have you seen What If You Fly by Carrie Nelson? One of my next projects. I will be joining you in the quest for a plethora of flying geese!

  10. Bummer don’t you hate it when you have spent all that time cutting. Think I need to get one of those bloc loc rulers to do flying geese.

  11. Bummer don’t you hate it when you have spent all that time cutting. Think I need to get one of those bloc loc rulers to do flying geese.

  12. Bummer don’t you hate it when you have spent all that time cutting. Think I need to get one of those bloc loc rulers to do flying geese.

  13. I’m sorry to hear about the mix up. I hope you can save the fabric you cut for another project!

  14. I’m sorry to hear about the mix up. I hope you can save the fabric you cut for another project!

  15. I’m sorry to hear about the mix up. I hope you can save the fabric you cut for another project!

  16. Oh how I feel for you with the flying geese mistake! That is certainly something that would happen to me. I forgot a border on one side of a quilt once and the quilter didn’t catch it either. I was devastated since it was a beautiful shabby chic quilt but my daughter loved it anyway. I cannot believe how much you get done! 😊

  17. Oh how I feel for you with the flying geese mistake! That is certainly something that would happen to me. I forgot a border on one side of a quilt once and the quilter didn’t catch it either. I was devastated since it was a beautiful shabby chic quilt but my daughter loved it anyway. I cannot believe how much you get done! 😊

  18. Oh how I feel for you with the flying geese mistake! That is certainly something that would happen to me. I forgot a border on one side of a quilt once and the quilter didn’t catch it either. I was devastated since it was a beautiful shabby chic quilt but my daughter loved it anyway. I cannot believe how much you get done! 😊

  19. Oh no, so sorry about the mix up, I feel your pain. I had never heard that “air is blue” saying but it made my day. This quilt is going to be amazing.

  20. Oh no, so sorry about the mix up, I feel your pain. I had never heard that “air is blue” saying but it made my day. This quilt is going to be amazing.

  21. Oh no, so sorry about the mix up, I feel your pain. I had never heard that “air is blue” saying but it made my day. This quilt is going to be amazing.

  22. Ugh, too difficult when we blissfully stitch along doing the “wrong block!” Sally forth Nicole. You will laugh this off once your beautiful quilt is together.

  23. Ugh, too difficult when we blissfully stitch along doing the “wrong block!” Sally forth Nicole. You will laugh this off once your beautiful quilt is together.

  24. Ugh, too difficult when we blissfully stitch along doing the “wrong block!” Sally forth Nicole. You will laugh this off once your beautiful quilt is together.

  25. I agree “it’s just fabric” but that lost time would infuriate me–“turn the air blue”!! Just remember quilting is supposed to be fun & move on! Have a great week!

  26. I agree “it’s just fabric” but that lost time would infuriate me–“turn the air blue”!! Just remember quilting is supposed to be fun & move on! Have a great week!

  27. I agree “it’s just fabric” but that lost time would infuriate me–“turn the air blue”!! Just remember quilting is supposed to be fun & move on! Have a great week!

  28. Oh sorry, to hear abut your mess up. But perhaps you could use your ‘wrong’ flying geese for some of the blocks? Or use them in a table runner.

  29. Oh sorry, to hear abut your mess up. But perhaps you could use your ‘wrong’ flying geese for some of the blocks? Or use them in a table runner.

  30. Oh sorry, to hear abut your mess up. But perhaps you could use your ‘wrong’ flying geese for some of the blocks? Or use them in a table runner.

  31. i’ve done that, too. 🙁 use the messed up geese in a pieced back for this quilt or just use them for a table topper or two. ;p

  32. i’ve done that, too. 🙁 use the messed up geese in a pieced back for this quilt or just use them for a table topper or two. ;p

  33. i’ve done that, too. 🙁 use the messed up geese in a pieced back for this quilt or just use them for a table topper or two. ;p

  34. The end result will be beautiful. Those ‘mistakes’ can be put to good use sometime in the future. In the meantime, in the spirit of the season, just ho, ho, ho and carry on.

  35. The end result will be beautiful. Those ‘mistakes’ can be put to good use sometime in the future. In the meantime, in the spirit of the season, just ho, ho, ho and carry on.

  36. The end result will be beautiful. Those ‘mistakes’ can be put to good use sometime in the future. In the meantime, in the spirit of the season, just ho, ho, ho and carry on.

  37. What a bummer! Good thing you had extra fabric! You can probably use the geese for something else, maybe even in the blocks. Can’t wait to see how you lay it out.

  38. What a bummer! Good thing you had extra fabric! You can probably use the geese for something else, maybe even in the blocks. Can’t wait to see how you lay it out.

  39. What a bummer! Good thing you had extra fabric! You can probably use the geese for something else, maybe even in the blocks. Can’t wait to see how you lay it out.