Future Flowers

In the last post I referenced a bit of retail therapy that resulted in some bright florals which would be suitable for more hexie flowers. I thought you might like to see what will soon be in the works.

This group of blues/greens/yellows was purchased with the purpose of making some colorful throw pillows for our sofa and/or loveseat. I will make those pillows and then with the leftovers make hexies.

This colorful palate is intended for pillow shams in the guest room. Again, once this is finished, the remnants will become hexies for flowers.

I just set my sewing machine back up yesterday, since our company has moved on. The guest room has returned to being a sewing room! YAY! I have reacquainted myself with Smoked Cheddar by pressing open a whopping stack of HSTs and trimming dogears.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

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!

 

Pulling Fabric

The very thought of making quilts with the fabrics I am sharing today is akin to a kid looking forward to Christmas. It's no secret that I love beginning new projects, and ideas just swirl all the time.

Late last month I put together some fabric groupings which I feel will definitely become quilts very similar to the inspiration quilts I shared in the previous post.

Four fabrics, three of which read solid and that pretty little green and gold print. I could very easily see this becoming a 9-patch.

This grouping has just three components - blue solid, grey solid and the print. I do not recall buying the print, so it could be very old stuff from Grandma's stash.

In addition to these recent pulls, I have some pulls from years past that have not yet been used, so I could return to them and come up with something.
 

Several years ago, I had the idea of making a fall quilt with some or all of these. It still appeals to me, and any of those quilts from the last post would work with these.

This grouping of three fabrics is growing on me. I really had no good ideas for the pink/burgundy print on the bottom, so since it almost reads solid, I put it with two other fabrics that also read solid and came up with this. I think it works. What do you think?

When I last straightened up my fabric tubs which are organized by color, I took these prints above out of the red tub. I just thought they really did not work as red, even though not counting the backgrounds, the main color is in the red family. I know that vivid red plaid doesn't play well with the others, but I can sorta' see a quilt coming together with the rest.

The grouping above all contain that odd color in the wine/burgundy/purple range. I would definitely like this stack made into something. Would you use some or all of it? Does a neutral need to be added? Which inspiration quilt from my previous post do you think would work?

This is my red tub from the last straightening up, and for the most part, it looks the same still. My blue tub, my green tub, and so on look very similar. I need to work at using these rather than storing these. And definitely use these as opposed to buying more!

Here's a nice red grouping that could work nicely as a 9-patch made with the top 4 fabrics; the large floral on the bottom could be the setting blocks. Ooh, yes, yes, yes.

The dreaming continues. And, for DH and I, the vacation continues. Yesterday, we visited a quilt shop in Crystal River. I will share more about it soon. I am not getting nearly as much stitching done as I thought I would. I have worked on that printed cross stitch baby quilt, but only minimally.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

My Very Own Wintry Mix

 Around these parts - well, around the entire country, it seems - we are having winter in a very pronounced way. A veritable wintry mix wherever one looks! Snow and frigid temps from Texas to the Atlantic! We Ohioans were blanketed by about 8 inches of snow last week, 3 or 4 more inches added this past weekend, and then Monday  it was all topped off with a layer of ice. Nice wintry mix if ever I saw one!

In the sewing room, my attention span is as random as the weather. I flit from one project to another to another. 

For handwork, I reach for Lake Effect. I finished the vine I wrote about in the last post. Next up is to prepare for leaves. 

I have promised myself to work on the commission t-shirt quilt, and I have been. Today I finished construction on the center portion. Next up is a narrow inner border, followed by an outer border that will incorporate more t-shirt parts.

While I was pretty well focused Tuesday,  I enjoyed my own sewing room version of a wintry mix on Monday. I must have dabbled in a dozen different directions. I wanted to write a blog post, but my brain simply would not focus on a topic. I gave that up, at last, and spent time in the sewing room, making numerous efforts to settle on a task with absolutely no success. Instead, I did 'parts' of things.

Let me show you a little pictorial of some of the varied 'parts' accomplished. 

 First, I made 20 more 9-patch blocks for the sew-along we will be starting here with Sharon and Dee come March 1st. I now have a total of 50 completed. I felt the need to have a bit of this done in advance so that I'd have photos ready for when we officially begin.

Next, I thought about some additional pictures I could use for the sew-along, so I made some extra blocks. Then I thought about sashing for those extra blocks, so I did a bit on that, as well. These extra sample blocks are much scrappier than those I've made for my actual quilt.

After making the scrappier sample blocks, I added sashing. I have a few opinions about this little sample, and as we get into the sew-along, I will expound on all that. 

The sew-along was definitely my most-focused on project, but I was all over the place with my efforts. After working with the sample, I tried to figure out sizes. I didn't bother taking a picture of that attempt of diagrams, numbers, dimensions, and eraser crumbs on 2 smudged graph paper pages. What a mess.

Another part of the sew-along I pondered was sashing fabric for my quilt. My original thought was to use a polka dot, and I found 2 with potential. I have added a third option that is not dots. In the photo below, I've stretched the 3 contenders across my strips to see which one I like best.

While I was digging in the fabric stash, I began thinking about a quilt on my goals list - a red and white quilt. I have an inspiration picture in mind, so I also pulled some fabrics for that future effort. I've stored it and labeled it; you'll have to wait to see the array of reds I've selected.

Had enough of my wintry mix? It took me all day to finally get busy working on the one thing I ought to have been doing all day - the t-shirt quilt. After supper, I headed back upstairs and forced myself to cut the sashing strips and cornerstones. That little bit of effort put me in the mood to stitch some rows together. I stopped around 11pm with two rows finished.

Thankfully, the ability to focus returned on Tuesday, and like I said up top, I finished the center section of the t-shirt quilt. I'm so glad! The sooner I get this quilt finished, the sooner I can get going on that sew-along quilt and then that red and white quilt, and a whole bunch of others that I have lined up.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Retail Therapy

On Saturday I had a chance to zip in to Old Town Fabric Shop in Chillicothe. It had been ages since I'd been there. Using from my stash has been good for me, and I really have not  minded a bit.

However, I have this gift certificate....

So here is what I came home with - 10 fat quarters of a variety of reproduction-style fabrics in an array of colors. Makes me happy!

It's not much but it does give me something fresh which causes me to continue ever dreaming about the next beauty I intend to create!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Weekend Happenings

I make it sound like I'm all super-crazy-busy with exciting happenings at every turn.

Nah, not so much. However, I do feel like some days run at a fairly phrenetic pace.

(Betcha' didn't think I could throw a word like 'phrenetic' into the post, right?)

Friday, DH and I took a drive to Lake Hope; located near McArthur in Vinton County, OH. The days was largely overcast, but the remote, secluded surroundings of that lake and lodge and campgrounds was beautiful, regardless. DH remembered his parents taking a family vacation there when he was about 8 or 10 years old. He thinks one of the cabins below was the one they camped in so many years ago. How could he remember that???

On Saturday I had History Day, which was the subject of my last post. When that was over, I packed up all my stuff and headed out for a birthday bash in Wilmington. My mom's and my neices' birthdays are one week apart. Mother turned 82 on Thursday, and this week the twins will turn 11.

Intersperse those things with a van that needed to be retrieved from the mechanic's shop, the Buckeyes playing, as well as the Indians and the Browns, and a ga-zillion essays to read and critique, I have been a busy - mostly non-sewing - gal.

(Oh, and laundry. I had three loads. Ugh.)

One quilt-related pic I can include here from my fun weekend - I got to buy some fabric on the way to Lake Hope. There is a sweet quilt shop in McArthur, and I found some perfect baby quilt fabrics. I must get busy on these. Those babies sure don't wait, do they?

And now, I am off. More fun at OUC today! We are writing 'Argument Essays,' and the first rough drafts have just been submitted. Lots to cover, believe me.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Stash Enhancement

I know. We quilters can justify just about any fabric purchase, can't we? I stopped by Old Town Fabric Shop yesterday, just to look around, maybe buy a couple of spools of thread, but definitely not to buy fabric. 

But then I saw this.

Can you see the savings? From $71.99 down to $38?!?! I had to snatch it up. I have some Morris fabric remnants in my stash; combining them with this will result in quite a  nice quilt, I do believe.

Yes, I did indulge. And even though I can't  yet say exactly what quilt will come from this pack of gorgeous fabrics, I know I will use it eventually. Here's a picture of the first quilt I made with Morris fabrics (Barbara Brackman, designer; Moda). It's hanging in my closet, still in flimsy stage.

Short and sweet today. Hope your day has been productive!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Recent Retail Therapy

It comes as no surprise to you regular readers that I rarely shop for fabric anymore. At some point in the last 7 years, I had this epiphany about the stash I have already amassed, and that continuing to add to it was senseless. I will never sew all of this fabric. Couple that realization with the increasing cost of fabric, it just became crystal clear that I needed to curb my buying. 

But I have not stopped entirely. Case in point, in the past month or so, I have splurged on some fat quarters. Wanna' see?

The fabric group above came from Old Town Fabric Shop in Chillicothe. I needed to go in for something - needles, I think. Anyway, I allowed myself to select a handful of pretty stuff based on a picture Emma and I had been looking at back when we were discussing a wall-hanging for her apartment. (I still need to get on that!) Anyway, this grouping struck me as pretty, in addition to being out of the norm for the type of fabric I usually go for. Branching out, you know? 

Last Friday, I met Sharon P. and Dee (you met her last fall) in Columbus for a lovely lunch at Marcella's at Polaris. It is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant which is synonymous for delicious food, in this case Italian. What a fabulous meal to linger over with friends. 

Then we hopped over to Quilt Beginnings on Sawmill Road for shopping. I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Again, I shopped for fabrics that aren't typically 'me.' 

That first group I found appealing based on the colors - intense and saturated. Dee and Sharon suggested that they'd make great-looking zipper bags or a purse, and I agree. I bought an extra fat quarter of 2 fabrics, just for that purpose.

The next group makes me think of the fresh, spring-y quilts from my youth. Those prints look like vintage '60s to me, and the green accents all three. I might do some great granny squares with these. 

So far, I have done a lot of petting and fondling, unfolding and refolding. I sometimes hesitate to cut into pretty fabric, so I hope I can get on these soon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Terry's Fabric Storage

Don't you find it fascinating to see how other quilters organize their sewing spaces and the items in those spaces? I sure do. I am curious about what works for my fellow quilters, and I wonder if I can find a few ideas that I might also use.

A few weeks back I had occasion to visit Terry's sewing room. She was thrilled about the cleaning and organizing she had been doing, and was more than happy to show off her newly straightened fabric closet.

Her closet has lots of shelves of varying widths. She organizes her fabrics in several different ways. Up top, in the area that you can barely see, she has all her homespun fabrics.

Then, under the homespun, she begins organizing quilting fabrics by ROYGBIV colors. So neatly folded and easy to see. Look at those yummy stacks of neutrals. And blues. And reds and greens.*Sigh.*

This shot shows the lower portion of the closet. There are tubs in various spots. Those tubs over on the right are project tubs. On the hangers are bags of kits Terry has purchased.

I did not take a picture of another closet across the room, but it is filled with nothing but Civil War reproduction fabrics. Oh, my gosh, is that something to see! I should have gotten a picture of it;  maybe I was awestruck. Do you think??

Well, this gets me to thinking. How do you store your fabric stash? I will take some pics of my own stash and share that with you in the coming days.

Happy Quilting, Friends!