Retail Therapy and Experiments

I sure don't buy much fabric anymore. I made a calculated decision about 4 years ago that I needed shop my stash and I have done a reasonably good job of that. When I do buy, it is to get a backing or a piece to complete a project that most was already coming from the stash. I also allow myself to shop sales. When I'm given a gift certificate to my local quilt shop, I then splurge on some pretty new stuff - and Lord knows there's plenty to choose from!

On Friday morning I attended the Circleville Quilt Show, and while I mostly wanted to see the quilts and check out how the new venue worked for them, I knew there would be a chance for shopping. Wanna' see what I got?

I have no explanation as to why these three fabrics from Primitive Gathering appealed to me, but they did, so I bought them. I also picked up a hexagon ruler with several sizes marked on it. I think I will be able to make good use of it. The business card is from the shop that these items came from. Pumpkin Ridge Quilt Shop is located near McArthur, OH, which is on the way to Athens where my DD2 lives. I think I will make it a point to find this store.

Another shop I stopped at, but alas, did not make any purchases was The City Stitcher out of Centerville, OH. She does not have an actual shop, but sells her items at shows. She also is affiliated with Quilter's Warehouse as a pattern designer. I was fascinated by this vendor because she had a huge array of blocks made up for quilters to buy. So, if I wanted a bunch of 9-patch blocks for a project, but didn't want to take the time to make them, I could get them from her, and then just work on completing a quilt top. Janet, the shop owner, says she has really good success with the sale of these blocks and she offers many colorways and other blocks, too, like churn dash, in several sizes.  

I thought the Primitive Gathering fabric would be all I went home with, but on my way out I remembered the "Sale Room" - a great place to find unique treasures. Members of the guild bring items from their sewing rooms that they no longer want to sell for others to use.

The last table I looked at had these feedsack fabrics, and I just knew I had to have them. I was so excited! I have seen so many great quilts made from  vintage fabrics, and I really think I will have fun coming up with ideas and seeing them turned into quilts.

The feedsack fabric did stay on my mind all through the weekend. I searched the internet, Pinterest, Instagram and various blogs for ideas. One that really appealed was a 9-patch with a white center. So I tried it. If I go with this, each 9-patch will be separated with white sashing strips. Go here to see my inspiration.

Two things make me reluctant to proceed with this 9-patch plan, however. First, I have only 6 fabrics, and I feel like this plan would require more variety. Second, the 2.5" squares are so small, and I think they lose some of their impact when placed side by side like this.

 The other idea that I really wanted to try was a Great Granny square. I have a nice big tub of solid fabrics from my grandmother. I rarely use them, and this seemed perfect. I used the 2.5" squares and laid out this design first.

Again, I thought both of these options really do not focus enough on the feedsack fabric. The solids were too dominant. So I tried one more option and I really like this one.

Removing that solid in the center and replacing it with the floral is exactly what the block needed.

I stitched it up and am very likely going to go with this design for a full-size quilt. I don't know when I will get back to this, but it will not be put off too long, I hope.

How much auditioning do you do before you come up with a design that you like? I probably should do more, and this experiment was worth the time I took to come up with the results that really pleased me.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

International Quilt Show

We sure did have fun in Cincinnati at the International Quilt Show on Wednesday and Thursday. All 5 of us Frankfort quilters went together and had a great time. Here are some pictures highlighting things.

The thing we have learned to do it to go on Preview night and then again on the next day. The first picture is upon walking into the show venue. No crowds!! That is the beauty of Preview night. I managed to get through every vendor aisle and actually see things, get into the booths and have vendors actually talk to me and assist me, if needed. I sewed on several longarm machines, I had a foot massage, and bought a few goodies.
The top right photo is Nancy Amidon, my new quilt hero. She demonstrates her method of hand applique. I am so excited to try this. I think I can do it!! I watched her make stems as narrow as 1/8th of an inch!! It was amazing. I also watched her make a tiny berry, not a half-inch in diameter, and she says she makes them even smaller. Then there were the tricks she showed us for handling inner curves, both wide and narrow. Very cool. And last, but not least, she showed how she builds up her applique block by gluing all the parts together, and then taking the entire piece to her background, glue-basting it down, and then applique-stitch in place. So very cool and I am so very excited to give it a try.
On the bottom left, you see just one of the many quilts on display in the show. This one really resonated with me, but I have pictures of many others, too, a few of which I will share  in the coming days. This one is called Blooming in Chintz by Rahna Summerlin of Florida. She collects floral fabrics and blended over 100 of them from her stash to make this beauty. In reading about her quilt, she says she pieced one block at a time in order to be sure the fabrics coordinated to please her. She says this is her first king size quilt, and she took over 80 hours to machine quilt it.
Finally, the most amazing thing I saw at the show was that piece of red paisley fabric in the bottom right photo, which was draped over the entrance to a booth. It was gorgeous, and with my first quick glance at the sign beneath it, I thought it was marked at $2/yard. Oh, was I ever wrong about that!!! Can you imagine paying $200/yard for fabric?? Well, that is what the price of this piece was. I was astounded. It is a 6-yard piece of 1850s Turkey Red Paisley Print Challis, 38" wide. The sign said it is from the Vale of Levin, Paisley, Scotland. The minimum cut is 1-yard, and the woman in the booth said that collectors will pay that, as she has sold some. My question next was how do they cut it and use it? She said that mostly they don't. They keep the fabric whole and preserve it as is. The woman was very nice to spend time talking to me. She said while she hopes that she can sell the fabric, she almost hates to do so, because it makes such a great "curtain" for the top of her booth, she would have to find something else to use there, and, of course, nothing else would ever compare.
Added later: I thought I should add links to this post. The amazing appliqué quilter, Nancy Amidon, can be reached by clicking here. The gal with the antique fabrics has a store called Legacy Quilts, but there is no website listed on her card. She operates out of Indiana.
So, that is a summing up of my experience at the quilt show. I will share more of my pics and purchases in later posts, so come on back, y'all!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Happy Quilting, Friends!