Quilters Helping Quilters

Over the years that I've been keeping this blog, I have had interactions with others that would not have been possible had it not been for this platform. Just in these past few weeks, I have had another encounter I would like to share.

Just after we got home from our road trip out west, my email inbox contained a message from a woman who in her closing identified herself as a "quilter in distress." Here is an excerpt from her message:

• For the last 10+ years I’ve been working on a hexagon quilt using reproduction fabrics that I have been collecting for years. I have finally got all the Hexie-rosettes placed and realized I’ve run out of a key fabric!
  
  In desperation I turned to google for the hunt. I found a blog of yours from Wed. 11-Jul-2018 that had this fabric in your stash. Do you have any of this fabric left that I can purchase from you?

Here's the post to which she referred. I was working on Blockheads 2 at the time. I never got very far in the BH2 sew-along, but here of late have entertained the notion of going back to it.

But I digress. As far as Lynn from Canada is concerned (that's how I have referred to her in my head), let me finish the story. She sent a picture of the fabric she needed.

We had a few back-and-forth emails; I did find said fabric and had a good bit of it available. I looked over my BH2 progress to see if I would miss this fabric if I sent it away. I had used it a couple of times, so it would not be missed; I sent what I had to Lynn. Having been a "quilter in distress" myself a few times over the years, I couldn't NOT help her out. I couldn't even imagine telling her no.

And now let me share the happy ending to this story. Lynn has received the fabric; she sent these pictures.

Meet Lynn! In one hand she is holding the tiny bit that she had left of her fabric. In the other hand is the bit I sent to her. Yay! I am so glad to have helped her out. I know all too well the feeling of needing a certain fabric and not having any way of getting more. I'm sure many of you can relate, right?

This photo shows Lynn's hexie project; the rosettes using this particular P&B Textile fabric are located in the outer row. This is so pretty! What a labor of love! Here is an excerpt from Lynn in Wednesday's email:

• Fabric received!  With this I have enough fabric to fussy-cut the remaining hexies.  In total I need 20 rosettes.  I attached a couple of pics. Holding in my left hand the remains of my own fabric, right hand your contribution. Also included is a pic of the quilt corner where the fabric is used. I can’t give you an overall pic of the quilt because I want to enter it in a competition... in about 2 years. All done be hand.

Lynn, I am glad to have been able to help out a fellow quilter. Good luck in your competition! You are creating a beautiful quilt; it's already a winner in my book. If you can remember two years from now, let me know how your quilt fared and send along a full-on picture.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

About P&B Textiles

I have become a big fan of P&B Textiles after a recent exchange I had with them. I had fabric strewn out everywhere when I was planning for the start of Blockheads 2.

In that auditioning process, I came out with a fat quarter pack of an old fabric group that I've had for years. Here is a picture of the fabrics; I wish I'd taken one while it was all still in tact, but I had them separated before I thought about it.

I couldn't remember anything regarding my history of buying and owning this fabric. I just knew it seemed like I'd had it for a really long time. I went to the google-machine to see if I could learn anything about it, and that really didn't yield much information, either. Since I couldn't even close in on a decade for when I purchased this, the search turned up a whole lot of nothing.

That's when I decided to search for the company - P&B Textiles. I figure that these fabric companies have an archive of all their fabrics and the dates each were released. So I began a new search. Wow. That proved interesting. I gave up on the internet search and opted for the Facebook search. I was sure they would have a business page. And I was right. You can click here to see it.

On June 15, I sent a private message to the company: 

I want to know the year of release on a fabric pack I own. It’s called Treasures of the York County Heritage Trust presented by Roberta Benvin and Joan Hamme. Can you provide the year? Thanks. 

On June 19, I received this response:

  I put a post up about the release date and someone came back with 2007 based on a post she found about a York County Heritage Trust release party.

 Interestingly, as this representative spent time searching the internet for the requested information, he came across my blog! How nice for him to mention it! Soon, he sent a pdf of a pattern that was released when the fabric came out.

I was blown away by the prompt attention to my query, and I am now a brand new fan of P&B Textiles. Here is another look at the fabrics in the pack.

 They are quite a vivid group of prints. I really am curious how my BH2 will look in this stack of fabrics. You will see it all as I move on along through the quilt-along.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Entering the Land of Blockheads 2

During the past year and a half, I faithfully printed off every single pattern in the Blockheads 1 series, the popular sew-along sponsored by Moda fabrics and several top-name designers and authors. I made exactly 2 blocks, but did not have the time to make them all.

Fans of Blockheads 1 have been patiently waiting for Blockheads 2 and we are in the second week of this new sew-along. More designers are involved, blocks are not all 6" blocks as they were in the first go-around. Now we have 12" blocks, too.

And you guessed it -- I am going to try to keep up with this one. We shall see. I have a long record of falling off the sew-along wagons I have previously attempted. What I begin with good intentions eventually becomes burdensome, and I quit. Hmmm. Hopefully not this time.

I spent the first week of the sew-along auditioning fabrics. This room is a mess with boxes, tubs, and drawers spilling out all my options. Here is a sampling of what I tried and rejected.

Most of this fabric is quite old; the floral set on the right is the newest - the Lecien fabric I bought earlier this spring.

But even older than any of those shown in the first photo, I pulled out one of the oldest fat quarter packs in my stash - Treasures of York County Heritage Trust by P&B Textiles. How old is this? I have been looking around on the interwebs to see if I can discover its age; currently I have found a Facebook page and have submitted a question. Maybe I will get an answer. Anyway, here's what I am using.

This fabric group is both pretty and garish. I suppose that might be why I have avoided using it for all these years. So, since my foray into the Blockheads world is an experiment, I might as well experiment with the fabric, too.

I have the first two blocks finished, and at this early point in the game, *gasp!* I am caught up. My goal will be to do each block as released - every Wednesday. Plans. Crossing my fingers. Hope I can do it.

Block 1 - 12"

Block 2 - 6"

Side-by-side comparison

So, there it is. My newest endeavor. I have two hopes: one, that I can keep up each week; and two, that this won't be totally hideous when I'm finished.

Happy Quilting, Friends!