No fair!

I hope you all had a fun weekend. I was off of work yesterday for Memorial Day, which was a lovely treat. There was grilling, sorbet-making (dude, make this recipe post-haste!!), socializing, and sewing!

Saturday, my sister Jill came over to sew with me. She's sewn just a tiny bit before, including one previous visit last year where she made a coaster. This time, though, she had her game face on.

She raided my stash, and proceeded to make two lovely Jane Market Bags. Seriously?

I want to steal the jaguar bag. She used some lovelies from the stash, including that coveted Jaguar Echino print. Luckily, I distracted her long enough to keep some for my own version. I fully intend to copy her choices. I'm out of the lining print she used, which was this Dear Stella print. Expect to see another version of this soon. The Heath fabric really goes with everything! The straps are from Ellen Luckett Baker's Quilt Blocks.

Jill is giving this aqua and pink bag to her boyfriend's aunt, when they visit her in Alaska next month!

Fabrics used in the second bag: Echo (outside aqua), Paula Prass Flights of Fancy Pink Cobblestone (pockets), Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow Herringbone (straps), Jay McCarroll Habitat (lining)

Moral of the story?
Stop hoarding fabrics and use them instead, or you might regret it!
Also, I fully admit that the title of this post is childish. I will always be a big sister.

I have some finished quilt blocks and a very-close-to-finished improv quilt to share soon!!

Wordless Wiksten Wednesday

Fabric used: Urban Cowgirls Lace in Mud, Kona Glacier for trim
Pattern here

Trying to get it right

After the HMQG retreat, I stumbled upon a sewing machine foot I didn't know I owned. A guild member mentioned her 1/4" foot, and said it came with the quilting foot she'd purchased for her Janome. Since I had a Janome and a quilting foot, I realized I most likely had the same foot.
Eureka! I found it, and immediately thought about how much easier it would make my life.
I attached it and went to town on sewing my second block for BaMS.

I finished, and put it with my first block to mail, when I realized that the new block was most definitely smaller than the first.

How could this be? The 1/4" foot should have made me more precise, and I was stumped.

Then I remembered that the needle position should have been adjusted to 4.0 (vs. the default 3.5) before proceeding.

OOPS.

This week, I made a third postage stamp block, and now I can send Aylin her blocks.

And now I'll remember to adjust the needle each time I turn on the machine.

The too small block will go in my scrap bin. I'm sure I'll find a fun use for it!

I started a Wiksten tank this weekend, and almost finished. I'll share it soon!