For 19 years we have spent our winter vacation and most recently our winters in retirement at our south Texas oasis.  We call it “Manana” because tomorrow is always a day to start or finish another project—whether my sewing and quilting or my husband’s acreage improvement.  The one plus acres was a field of tall grass with a well when purchased in January of 2007. In 2010 we added a park model home to replace the camper we traveled south with for many years.  In 2012-13 we (mostly my husband) built a sewing room to accommodate my love of sewing and quilting. In 2017 we were fortunate to survive Hurricane Harvey losing many trees, the carport and rv port (most of the metal parts ended up in the neighbor’s pond) but the house and sewing room survived. We are now leaving it, regretfully, for a smaller lot with a whole lot less maintenance in the same tropical area. While a small, vacation type home we still have accumulated many things to occupy the 4-5 months we have spent here each winter for 19 years. By end of December, 2025, we have completed (mostly!!) our move and are working to have Manana ready for the enjoyment of someone else.  Oh, yes, the new home comes with an additional building that will house hubby’s shop and my sewing room but no lawn to care for and a perfect area for housing all the cacti that will be moved to the new home.  Here’s to 2026 and all that it may bring in my quilting world.

Recently I have been sewing quilted projects with neckties and vintage textiles.  It does require some different techniques for sewing and quilting with the non-traditional  fabrics.    The bottom line for sewing with silk and silk-like tie fabrics is that it depends on what your quilted end project is going to be.

Before any sewing can begin with neckties it is imperative to assess the cleanliness.   If they are from an unknown source (estate sales, thrift stores, etc), I wash by hand in warm soapy water as soon as I acquire them.  I do not remove the interfacing when washing by hand if there is no apparent staining because they tend to have fewer wrinkles as they dry.  If there are stains, I usually take the time to remove interfacing so I can better address the stain. Silk ties have a tendency to bleed regardless of their color but polyester ties are usually colorfast. I let drip dry or sometimes air dry in the dryer with no heat.  Agitation and tumbling are likely to result in a twisted mass of fabric so I do not machine wash.  If you have a mesh bag for fragile or delicate items that could be useful for machine washing. When dry deconstruct the tie saving the label as they make great accents for projects.  Both silk and silk-like fabrics can be ironed on the appropriate setting for fiber content.

Ties are cut on the bias of the fabric so are very stretchy as you work with them.  I like to stabilize using either Sheer Weight Fusible Pellon or Touch O Gold fusible by HTC.  Both of these products maintain the drapability of the silk but keep it from stretching.  I can then use the fabric as I would quilters cotton for cutting and sewing (the purple half Dresden).  Another alternative I like if I am going to cut shapes for machine applique is to use a paperbacked fusible, Trans-Web.  It stabilizes and also helps to prevent raveling while handling.

All the quilted projects with arcs have been treated with paper backed fusible and applied to the background.  When doing applique by machine I use a blanket stitch.  When ready to quilt I use a walking foot to outline quilt but there is a precaution. Some ties have a very loose weave that can be snagged by the walking foot action.  I put a piece of tissue paper over the tie fabric next to, not on top of, the stitching line.

Watch for a pattern spring 2026 designed especially for using ties.

The sugar sacks were very thin fabric so after gently washing I backed them with a sheer, lightweight interfacing.  The lace tablecloth also needed to be stabilized so I used a paper-backed fusible to adhere it to the right side of a blue fabric.  The embroidered kitchen towel needed actual glasses so a light blue silk dupioni from an old dress was sacrificed.  Some vintage lace gave the appearance of shelves.  The phrase “Bon Vivant” generally refers to one who lives well, enjoying good food. It was done using paint and hand made stencil. Since the maid was serving dessert, it seemed appropriate to have a pie and rolling pin. Throw in some eggs to fill in space, add a bouquet of bright blue flowers and I’m ready to move on to another character.  Will it be Miss Scarlet or maybe Colonel Mustard?  The ideas are percolating (why didn’t I use a coffee pot for the vase of flowers)!

Update: May 30 workshop changed to May 29 due to river bridge closure to all traffic.

Color By Design Workshop
June 12 or 13, 2025 / 9:30am – 3:30pm / $75
Limit: 6 students per session

Check out the fabric dyeing workshop I offer at my home (Hannibal, Missouri) on your choice of two different days, June 12 or 13, 2025. This is an educational workshop where you will learn three different methods of dyeing with fiber reactive dyes (which result in colorfast and washfast finished fabric/textiles). Please register via email of your intent to participate and to arrange payment by June 5, 2025.

Workshop Flyer
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Dye Party
May 30, 2025 / 9:30 – 11:30am or 1:30 – 3:30pm / $30

If you just want to have a little fun with ice dyeing cotton and cellulose fibers, I am also offering a two-hour Dye Party! Your registration fee includes 1/2 yard of PFD fabric, dye, and materials. You may also bring an additional 1/2 yard of your choice to dye during the workshop. Please register via email of your intent to participate and arrange payment by May 25.
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What will you do to celebrate the spring greens?

Banded geese is my way of giving a new twist to the traditional Flying Geese block.  I did see another version on the internet and tried the method suggested. Having made a lot of FG blocks in the traditional way I knew there was a different (and for me, easier) way to get the same result. I share the process I use here and ask that, if you choose to use this method, you honor the work done to write instructions and share my website so that others may enjoy the various quilt projects that I’ll be sharing as I develop more size options.  I would love to see what you choose to make as well.

Please check out the Summer 2025 issue of Love of Quilting magazine when it is available in May for the instructions/pattern on a finished table runner using this process.  A pattern for a table topper will be available on my Etsy site soon (etsy.com/shop/posielanelinens)

Banded Geese My Way

Sharon Wasteney, Something Stitched

Finished block size 3” x 6”

Photo Steps to make banded flying geese blocks using the 4-at-a-time method:

(1) 7 ½” square main fabric, (2) 2” x 13” strips of accent and (4) 4” squares background for each block.

Also need Deb Tucker’s Wing Clipper ruler and a 7 1/2″ square ruler (I use Creative Grids)

Cut in half diagonally; insert accent strip; cut in half diagonally; insert second strip.

Tip: Sew with accent strip on top so you are sewing with the straight grain rather than bias edge.

I use a 7 1/2” square ruler (Creative Grids) to center and square up the inserted block.  If using a different size ruler, I suggest masking off a 7 ½” square to ensure the square is centered from the center of the accent inserts.

Proceed to make the 4-at-a-time flying geese using the 4” squares. Using this set of measurements means the blocks need to be trimmed to a cut finish of 3 ½” x 6 ½”. (I use the Deb Tucker Wing Clipper tool to make accurate blocks.)

Join geese as needed for project design.

Get those creative juices going for an actual quilt.  I will be developing the featured design into a pattern soon.

I hope you enjoy making Banded Geese My Way

Sharon

I designed a quilt that is featured in the Texas Shop Hop 2025 magazine.  I titled it Texas Treasure after one of the two blocks used in the quilt.  Texas Treasure quilt block that I chose to use was identified by Nancy Page in the Birmingham News, June 21, 1938.  There are a couple of other blocks labeled Texas Treasure as presented in Jinny Beyer’s book, The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns (2009) but this one had great appeal for use as the center medallion.

The second block used in the quilt is labeled Battle of Alamo and was created by a Texas woman in 1836 according to an article by Nancy Cabot in the Chicago Tribune, March 26, 1933.

The photo included is a computer version of the quilt, designed on EQ 8.

A kit for the quilt will be available at Touch of Patience Quilt Shop in Taft, Texas on the official start date.

There is an error in the instructions on page 106.  In the Battle of Alamo block construction, step #8 it should read Bluebonnet Navy rather than Bluebonnet Blue.

I set out to make a simple pinwheel quilt so grabbed the specialty ruler and began cutting triangles from the colorful fabric I had selected.  I sewed block after block to make the triangle into a square to be pieced.  Ready to piece some sample blocks I made a dozen before realizing   I had rectangles rather than the intended square blocks.  Where did I go wrong?? Oh, grabbed the wrong triangle ruler. Since I was at a retreat I switched to another project (don’t we all have more than one project in our retreat packing). A day went by and it was really bothering me that I couldn’t work on the pinwheel type project.  I hate it when a plan doesn’t work but I also know that there is always another solution. The light bulb came on.  Cut it up, what could I lose?  Rather than cut into halves or quarters I decided to try thirds.  An interesting block emerged and it was square when finished.  I like rectangle blocks but I had square blocks in my mind.

I moved forward with sewing the rest of the triangles into the rectangle blocks and am ready to start cutting and sewing again.  A new block means thinking of a new arrangement and there are so many possibilities.  Until I get all the blocks cut and sewn into the new block I’ll continue to reflect on the possibilities.

Quilting mistakes, a challenge and an opportunity.

For many years I collected shot cotton stripes with most from the Kaffe Fasset Collective.  One rainy spring day when I couldn’t plant my outside flower pots an idea came to me.  I had been cutting small tumbler pieces from scrap fabrics and decided a larger template would be more to my liking for the flower pots I envisioned using those lovely stripes.

A template is not needed for this simple shape. Start with a 10” precut or cut your own.

On the bottom edge measure in 2” from either side and make a diagonal cut to the upper corner on the same side. If using stripes you may wish to alternate the stripes from vertical to horizontal for more interest.  (KFC florals would make great pots also.)

Make as many pots as you wish. I have 5 in each row and 5 rows.

Edge pieces are simply the template as shown above cut in half vertically.  I add the edge pieces to each row before completing row construction.

The easiest way to make the flowers for your pots (before you sew rows together) is to fussy cut from florals in your stash. I keep a shoe box of possibilities already fused with paperbacked fusible to choose from. Leaves were free form cut, stems were from some leftover bias binding and are about 6.5 inches long. Many more flowers could be added as desired.  Plant your pots as you choose. It would also be a fun table runner with flower pots at each end of the runner.

Arrange your pots in rows and proceed to finish the project as with any quilt.

In the early spring a printed/PDF pattern will be available in my Etsy shop that will give you a variation and more creative ideas for your own Patio Pots. If you will subscribe to my website you will receive notification each time I post which is, unfortunately, not real frequent but does keep you in the loop for my patterns and designs.

Enjoy!!

The pieces pictured here are a result of my love of collecting and dyeing vintage linens as well as fabrics. Often I dye the fabric and then select the linens to coordinate but this time I was dyeing a large collection of “gifts” from friends and liked the result so much that I repeated with the yardage (several yards).  I had an idea because the colors reminded me of summer sunsets.  From idea to design and now in the cutting stage and ready to start sewing.  Don’t hold your breath for the finished quilt as I have some other self-imposed deadlines but a top will be

finished soon.