The Sisters Are Together

Our sewing machines have been humming and we have been creating while laughing and enjoying each other at Jodi's home in Colorado for the past 3 days.  


Jackie's daughter is getting married in May so she has been busy thinking about the wedding and deciding on what projects she has to tackle between now and then.  You can bet she will be quilting, sewing, and taste testing her way through the next 7 months.  In between our brainstorming this week, Jackie has put together an "Eye Spy" quilt for her precious granddaughter!! (Pictures to come.)  Jodi has been sewing together the blocks she received from an online "house bee."  The sashing is detailed and has taken a long time.  She also worked on a FRMQG Challenge.  (Pictures to come.)

At a Sew-In last month for the FRMQG, Jodi had some requests for a tutorial of our "SIS binding technique".  So, since we are together, we would like to share this technique with you, our followers!

SIS Binding Technique
Excuse our photos and hand written notes.  We have been so busy sewing that we did not take new photos.  Enjoy!

1.  Prepare your binding by folding your strip in half and pressing. We use a 2 1/8" - 2/14" fabric strip.  Open your binding and fold one corner down to the lower edge.  It will form a triangle.  Press. Refold in half and press.  Sew binding onto the quilt starting around 10" from the triangle end.  You will have a 10" tail that is not sewn down.  Be sure to start on the side of your quilt in the middle.  See picture below.  Stop sewing the binding leaving about 10" of the binding hanging.

2.  We have divided step 2 into two parts.  Pictured above is part one.  Lay both ends flat with the triangle side on top.  Cut the non-triangle tail past the triangle end at least 2" as pictured above.  Pictured below is part 2.

Note the 2" past the end of the triangle.

3.  Put the non-triangle end inside the triangle end.  Make sure to have both bindings laying flat on the quilt making sure there are no puckers.  

4.   Holding both edges, open up the two layered bindings. They will lay flat, having the non-triangle end laying on top of the triangle end.

5.  Reach under the top binding layer and grab the triangle keeping the two layers together.  Right side of fabrics will be together.  Make sure top of triangle binding is even with side of non-triangle binding.  Pin on both sides of the triangle folded line.  Sew on the triangle folded line.  Trim to 1/4" and press.  (***Cut on the RIGHT side of the sewn line.  Do not cut on the left side of the sewn line like we have both done.  If you do this you will be sad!!)  Refold in half and press.  Pin joined binding to your quilt and sew it down.  YOU ARE DONE!  This is the project that we were working on together.

                             

Sadly our quilting time together is coming to an end.  Jackie is heading home tomorrow after we enjoy brunch with our Dad at "The Egg and I".  

Happy Quilting everyone!!

Luv ya,  Jackie & Jodi

If you have any questions about our tutorial, do not hesitate to contact us.  We will be happy to answer your questions.

Is there an end in sight?

I continue to work on my September list of UFOs!!  It is getting smaller but I still have about 3 things I need to finish up.  My Quick Christmas Bee is coming to an end and it is a good thing as we all would like to get our Christmas quilts done before December 2011.  I really want to have mine out to use this year.....oh, and that reminds me ....... I have stockings to make.  I think I will put those on the list for next month.

Manuela lives in Portugal and wanted us to do an appliqued block.  I love  gingerbread people!!

She also wanted us to write a word or two that remind us of the Christmas season.
Jesus loved us so much and because of that we are asked to believe in Him.

Both of my blocks together!!

This was a fun bee as Jackie and I were in it together along with 5 other quilters from different countries.  I have had the privilege of meeting them by way of Skype and they are all great quilters and new friends!!

Luv  ya,  Jodi

    

A walk for Alzheimer's

Last weekend we went on a 5K walk in support of Alzheimer's.  Jackie and I have a sister-in-law who was diagnosed at 49 with "early onset Alzheimer's" and my husband lost his mother to Alzheimer's at the age of 85.  
The day was beautiful, the cause is always on our minds, and the fellowship was fun.  At registration, we were given flowers to represent our relationship to Alzheimer's.  Yellow flowers were given to those of us who have a family member or friend who has the disease.  Blue flowers were given to those who were participating in walk with the awful disease and purple flowers were for people who have lost loved ones to the disease.

Everyone in our group who took the walk

My precious grandson got to ride.  I think he was the lucky one!

Maren was all decked out for her 5K ride!!

Her she comes...and August (her doll) gets to ride in the basket!

Sometimes we held up the pace but no one cared one bit!

Daddy gets to carry the bike and I get to hold her hand and enjoy a great conversation!

I have been sore for 3 days but it was all worth it for me!!

Luv ya,  Jodi

Something new for me!!

It is a 3 X 6 Bee.  In 3 months you make 6 blocks in the colors requested by the other members in the bee.  It was really fun and I enjoyed looking for my block to make and going through my fabrics to find just the right ones.  I even cleaned out my stash and now I can find any fabric I need.  Oh, it feels good.  HA!  These are the blocks that I have made.  I hope the girls in my bee like them!!

Ohhhh, I still have quilting I want to do!!

Luv ya,  Jodi

Have you been wondering...........

I am back to reveal the surprise.  Haven't you wondered what was in all my little "squishies" I received while I was having fun Florida?  Of course there was fabric for blocks that I needed to complete, which I have frantically been working on.  What I want to share today are the great blocks that I received from friends.  They are all beautiful and they definitely made my day when I opened them.  Don't you just love getting mail - the old fashioned kind - the kind we now call "snail mail"?

Block Swap Adventure from Susan

Block Swap Adventure from Kurt

 Do you see a pattern there?  Yes, I am asking for pinwheels from bright fabrics.  I have loved all the different pinwheels that I have received.  Someday I will reveal a finished pinwheel quilt!!

FRMQG Adventure Block Swap from Cat M.

FRMQG Adventure Block Swap from Stephanie R.

My Front Range Modern Quilt Guild is having a block exchange every month.  I chose this pattern, "Spools and Bobbins".  I love love these blocks and think they will make a great quilt for my sewing room!!

Calendar of Houses Bee from Cat in New Zealand

September is the last month for this bee.  I am a little sad as I have received some very special blocks from some very special girlfriends.  A friend and I started this bee a year ago; where has the time gone?  Each month we received a block representing that month.  Many blocks have a special personal touch.  I had asked Cat for a pattern that has Russian Dolls in it.  She sent it to me and I plan on making a quilt for my son and daughter who adopted our precious Asher from Kazakhstan.   When they decided to adopt from there, Shannon gave us all Russian Dolls with the news inside!!  What a perfect quilt and what a great block from Cat!!


Luv ya,  Jodi
GigiQuilts5

I was gone but......now I am back!!

Somewhere around the first of August I took off for Florida to meet my new grandson, Ollie. It is now the 1st of September and I am back!! If you want to read about his name and the family I so enjoyed visiting you can go here for the full explanation. He is so precious and along with his brothers, life is a blessing for Derick & Shannon!!

Oliver Zebulun Wyss

Asher and Theo

Yesterday I got home and am ready to start living "life" again.  Vacations are so much fun and such a time of leisure and blessing but it is time to get back to my many activities and normal routines .......especially my favorite hobby ............ quilting.

Look what was waiting for me!!  I was so excited to open my "squishies".  (as some online friends call them)

I got fabric for some of my bees and I got finished blocks just for me!  I love getting mail and now the fun begins as I work on the blocks to be sent out.  While I was gone I took my machines in for their yearly  - well it has been two years - checkup.  They are all ready to be humming and singing songs of joy as we sew together.

I can't wait to get started.

Luv ya,  Gigi