Community Service=Design Ideas

One thing leads to another when you start playing with quilt design.  I think this is especially true when making do.  The first quilt here is one made from a bag of salesmen sample fabric pieces from the Valley Quilt Guild.  I like to use every inch of fabric provided, which was the 30's prints and some backing flannel.  So I decided to cut the pieces 6 1/2" x 12 1/2", and even piece a few as needed--the samples were a irregular in length, though they were the same width.  Then I went to my box of old solid scraps, used up a few (yeay!), and added a 3 1/2"x 6 1/2" piece to each end of the rectangles.  With a little math ahead of time, I figured this would all come out fairly close to a throw size.  30 blocks, 18"x6" finished, laid out 3x10--and here we have a 54"x60" quilt.  I added a scrap of flannel I had from back trimmings, and added a racing stripe to make the donated lavendar flannel big enough for the back.  And it was all finished with binding scraps.  Win-Win-Win--I used all of the donated fabric, used up some of my scraps, and have a new design idea.

So I took this design idea, and used it with my 5"x9" slices.  The idea here was that I wanted to make a quilt top to fit a piece of guild batting that was leftover--how frugal can you get?  Here I have 30 5"x9", and I cut 20  5"x9" down to a total of 60 3"x9" of a different color.  Same plan, adding the little pieces to the ends and sewing these blocks into the same 3x10 layout, so it finished 41"x45".  I like the effect of what looks like 4 patches going down in columns.  It was fun and fast again,  and I used up some 5"x9" slices, and some Grandma Pam back and binding fabric--and the leftover piece of batting, of course.

So what's next?--let me see how this design works using 10" squares or Fat Quarters......

The Quilt Asylum

Catching up on my Fall travels....

If you are in the Dallas area, you must stop at the The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, at 153 S. Central Expressway--right off Highway 75.  Fun begins here.  Warden Susan Allen has assembled crazy, amazing collections of fabrics and samples to feed your addictions.

They feature a large selection of the Kaffe Collective, bountiful batiks, and contemporary collections from Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Sandi Henderson, and more.  The photos below show only part of the batiks and Kaffe Collective displays.  Plus they still have room for reproductions and basics, having recently moved to a bigger store.

Bright, fresh samples are everywhere, along with crazy fun shopping displays.   They fat quarter almost all of the fabric, which I find really great for choosing projects.   If you check out the online store and newsletter, you can see all of the fabulous events they have planned.  Wish I were there.












This is just one of the bundles I bought.  They make custom rolls--20  10 1/2" x22""--perfect for many of the RoseCard designs--another reason I bonded with this store.

And I love the way they put together fabrics for their kits.  This combination of Kaffe and batiks is stunningly rich.

My meager photos here don't begin to capture the amount of eye candy.  You just have to go see for yourself!

Modesto Quilt Show

Country Crossroads Quilters--Heart of the Valley Quilt Show was wonderful.  It was very special for me to see all of the people with whom I spent over 25 years--we have such a history through our time quilting together.  

The show is always a class act--a great way to kick off the new year.  A professional venue at the Convention Center run by a group of quilters who have it down to a science with their art.  Vendor chairs Linda and Sue are pros, and we were treated so well with lunch at set-up, snacks and drinks during the show.  And help hauling from Carolyn's crew at Seams So Nice--wow, what a difference that made!

I had a blast.  My colorful products were well received.  Great neighbors--Linda at Quilter's Quarters took home RoseCards for her shop in Hanford--if you're in the neighborhood be sure to check her out.  Missing a Few Buttons, on the other side, had fabulous pretties to play with.  Caught up with Bernice at Cloth and Quilts.  Cloth and Quilts bought fabric inventory from a retired shop --they are having a $5 a yard sale of that merchandise next weekend,  Jan 21-23.  Details are on their website--clothandquilts.com--Events page.

Quilt 6

I left Pat Sloan's UFO party at Quilt 6.  I met new people, including Julie Ann, who lives in Anoka MN, near Evan.  She also told me about a new quilt shop Millie P's that I missed when I was there last year--won't miss it on the next trip.

It took most of the day to assemble the top, quilt and bind. I did get back to cutting kits for the Pine Tree Quilt Guild--I would like to hand them out tomorrow night (and get them out of my sewing room).

Quilt 5 Top 6 UFO 7

Quilt 5 was finished last night--and listed for sale.   Top 6 took a little more time to finish, but it is done this morning.  Looks good with a border--fewer blocks than the DOUBLE DELIGHT pattern, so a bit faster.  I cut the spacers the wrong length, so now I will have to make a quilt with the miscuts and leftover 5x9 slices.

UFO 7 is a PTQG closet fabric project again.  I had started these blocks to test a coloring variation for the ICED TEA block.  The center was an odd shaped scrap, and I have cut frame fabrics as I go through the fabric baskets--anything that has those colors.  We'll see if this color theory works.

Quilt 4 Top 5 UFO 6

Quilt 4 was made from 3  5" strips.  3 different strip sets--1,2,3  2,3,1  3,1,2.  Sub-cut into 6 6 1/2" sections.  Then made into 6 Blocks.  Nifty little formula.  Used the fabric efficiently.  Not a bad baby/lap size 36"x41", and could easily be bordered.  I'm thinking it might even work for 6 Fat Quarters--will have to test it out.

Top 5 was the layout gone amuk.  Great to have it reworked, and now loaded on the quilter. 

UFO 6 was mock-up blocks for DOUBLE DELIGHT.  This type of pile tends to get put aside when working on the real thing, so it is good to do something with it.  Just old scraps, it will become a CS quilt.

Quilt 3 Top 4 UFO 5

Quilt 3 is done.  In the basket ready to take to the Valley Quilt Guild meeting later this month.  Even squeezed the binding out of the back trimmings, so I had to look no further and no more scraps. 

Top 4 is on the quilter.  UFO 5 is on the worktable.  This is an original mock-up for RED ROSE made with Zoo Babies fabric given to me by Windham Fabrics for 5" strip designing.  I put it together in my usual casual layout--and didn't like the balance of color.  So I ripped, and have a little more to rip out.  I never rip--I'd rather remake, but this is all I have and can't throw it away.