300!!

I haven't been blogging too much because all I do is make 9-patch blocks. From scraps. Endless, it seems!

What you see here is 300 blocks, all made with 1.5" scraps in a little tub I brought with me for sewing in Florida. I also brought 2" scraps and 2.5" scraps, but I have taken this entire time (5+ weeks) making these 300 blocks. Those other scraps might just go back to Ohio untouched. I guess I just wanted to be prepared.

I stack 10 blocks and then pin them together. This prevents me from losing count, and from having to repeatedly count and recount.

What do you think of this pale pink background? I am considering using it as my setting blocks for the eventual quilt I'll be making with these 9-patches. You'll see better pictures of it in these next pictures.

I will set the blocks on point and use this pale pink floral for the alternating blocks. I have 4 yards of it, so I think it will do.

On Tuesday, DH and I drove down to Dade City to shop at Quilted Twins. I'd been there twice before, but never felt as though I could spend a long time looking carefully at all the variety - gazillions of bolts in about a dozen rooms, organized by theme or color or design. I went to consider options for a background for these 9-patches, and this pink is my choice. 

I do see the end of the proverbial tunnel on these 1.5" squares and the 9-patches I'm making with them. I can probably make at least 100 more, and then I plan to use whatever remains in some bigger blocks - either 16-patches or 25-patches. Everything left over is a total hodge-podge, so those larger blocks will be just the ticket for using every last one.

I have to tell you what we did yesterday. It quite possibly is the most active day I've had in years. We rode the recumbent bikes to Inverness (5.5 miles), then we played 3 games of shuffleboard, rode bikes home from Inverness (5.5 miles), fixed supper for us and 2 guests, played 2 games of spades with those 2 guests, then walked 3 laps around our block (.8 miles). Whew! I sure slept well last night!

Happy Quilting, Friends! 

Quilted Twins

 Thanks to a comment from a reader local to Inverness and Citrus County, Florida, (thank you, Mama Llama!) DH and I took a little drive a few days ago to Dade City to visit Quilted Twins. I had no reason to expect that it was anything other than a typical local quilting shop. 

Gosh, was I in for a surprise!

Quilted Twins is a fabric warehouse and to suggest that I was surrounded by bolts of fabric would be to understate things. This shop consisted of many rooms packed with ceiling-to-floor shelves stuffed with bolts of fabric. It was truly overwhelming. I will let these pictures show the volume of quilting fabric stuffed into this place.

Mostly, the fabrics were separated by color which makes sense. Then, there were specialty sections or rooms, such as a batik room, a juvenile print section, a holiday or special occasion section, and a humongous area devoted to panels of every imaginable subject. Much of the fabric is closeout, but they do carry some current fabrics, too. It was quite an eclectic blend of old, new, modern, 30s, reproduction, solids, and more. So much more.

Fat quarters.

Cutting tables.

Standing at the check-out desk.

Now, I don't believe I ever revealed that I'd privately made a personal vow that I would NOT buy fabric this year - call it a 2023 New Year's resolution. Well, you guessed it. I bought 2 yards. 

However, I think I can talk myself into referring to this as a souvenir purchase rather than a fabric one. Or perhaps I will add the parameter that I can only buy sale fabric. Whichever way I look at it, two more yards of fabric will be entering the quilting room when we get home.  

And I'm not mad about it.

Happy Quilting, Friends!