I Went Shopping

Even though I promise myself that I mustn't buy more fabric, I do - on occasion - fall off  the wagon. It makes sense to stumble when a 20% discount is available, wouldn't you agree? This is one of my rules for further fabric purchasing -  when possible, take advantage of sales. 

Two other rules that I try to follow: have a specific quilt selected requiring the new purchase or for completing a quilt already under construction. Now if a sale falls in line with either of these goals, then you can bet I am taking advantage of it. *grin*

The fabrics shown above DO meet the rules/requirements. In the last post or two, I mentioned that I bought more background for the fall leaves I was making. Thatched (Robin Pickens) is on the bottom of the stack, and I now have plenty to complete the quilt. (And I will probably have some left over.)

The four (4) fabrics on top are all 1-yard precuts, and I plan to use them in yet another 9-patch quilt I want to make. I'm thinking of a specific inspiration pattern that I will imitate with modifications, and while it might not see action for awhile -  it will definitely see action at some point. I figured it made sense to get them when I could take advantage of a 20%  discount.

That 'paint-spattered' print does not meet my buying requirements, but gosh, it looks like it would work with so many things. It just seemed suited to having around for future planning. I finished the bolt, getting roughly 2-3 yards.

The floral print in this photo was absolutely screaming to be bought. Instead, I left it behind. Yep. Walked away from it. Later I heard Becky (one of our retreat gals) gushing over this very same line of fabric - Sienna by Max and Louise for Andover Fabrics. We made a second trip to the fabric store the next day and I got 4 yards. The folded 1-yard cut I'd gotten the first day without even knowing that it was a Sienna piece. Seems like it was meant to be. You can be sure I am searching for just the right pattern in which to use this floral.

The final piece I got is for a new category of fabric purchasing  - clothes or quilts for Cate. Yes, since having a baby granddaughter to sew for, I am always on the lookout for pretty prints to make her little dresses and rompers. The mauve, pink, orange and maroon colors seem perfect for a little girl's dress. I have a new pattern and will get going on it ASAP.

And just look at our little angel in a dress made by me from the stash. Even for her, if I have enough of a suitable stash fabric, I will use it rather than buy more. This pic was taken Sunday while she and her parents visited Mom, Cate's great-grandmother. *smiles*

So, where exactly do I stand on the whole notion of curbing my fabric buying? Well, some might say it's a draw, but truly, I am buying much less than I once did. The stash I have accumulated for 40 years needs to be whittled down, and I am really working on doing that. My purchases are more carefully considered and carefully weighed before pulling out my wallet. 

Truly.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Did Someone Say Retail Therapy??

On Thursday, I joined Terry along with Sheryll and Becky - all of Frankfort Girls group - for a trip across eastern Ohio to the little river town of Belpre. The sunshine was a welcome companion and temperatures were far above normal for early January.

The purpose for the trip was for Terry to pick up a quilt that had been custom quilted by a long-armer over in that area. We made a full day of the trip by visiting three quilt shops - two in Belpre and one on our way home in McArthur.

Neff's is a combination quilt shop and home decor shop. Owner Beverly attends lots of quilt shows and is pretty well known by many quilters here in central Ohio. After I wandered through the fabric several times, I meandered around the rest of the space, checking out decorating ideas. Her main "look" is farmhouse primitive/early American. My fabric stash did grow a bit here at Neff's, but I refrained from making any home dec purchases.

From Neff's, we drove over to Sew Happy Quilting Traditions, a small shop tucked away on a busy downtown Belpre street. Isn't that red and white Ohio Star a welcome sight? Believe me, I noticed it! (See previous post.) Owner Rachelle has a small shop, but she has it packed full of pretty, popular lines of fabric. I managed to find several pieces to come home with me. *wink*

We located a very nice local restaurant for lunch - The Bellaire. We had many options, made yummy selections, lingered and relaxed before heading back to Ross County.

Driving home on Rt. 50 we stopped at the McArthur Quilt Shop. This is the shop that I went to twice back in November while I was trying to get my long-arm going. I was happy to see Terry, the man who fixed things for me, and to tell him that I was getting along just great. And, believe it or not, I found some fabric here, as well, to bring home with me! Amazing.

So, my stash is enhanced. I found fabric for two baby quilts that will be needed in the next month or two. Mostly, I bought fabrics to go in quilts that I sorta' have planned in the near future.

And that makes me think that I have not really set my 2020 goals down on paper yet, so that is something I need to get cracking on. Focus, woman, focus!!

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!

Stash Enhancement

I mentioned earlier in the week that I'd spent a lovely day with my dear friends Sharon and Dee, and that we shopped a couple of local quilt shops. I hadn't gotten around to taking pics of my new purchases. Until now, that is.

These fabrics will join other similar prints already in my stash, and I promise - I vow! - I swear! - I am going to create something gorgeous with them - maybe several somethings.

At Dabble and Stitch, I found the pieces you see above. All were precut. The five pieces down front are fat quarters; the other 4 are 1-yard cuts, if memory serves. That gray at the very top is fabric, yes. It has a wood-grain look to it.

At Sew to Speak, the same colors and styles were on my mind, so below are my fat-quarter treasures found there.

In addition to the individual FQs above, I found a FQpack that called - screamed! - to me, so I grabbed it up as well. Sometimes, we just have weak moments, you know. It might be like an addiction, only in a much healthier form. (Yes??)

AGF (Art Gallery Fabrics) fabrics are very appealing, and the depth of the colors is amazing. I do love fabric from all the various companies and designers, but there is an unmistakable quality to the colors and designs of AGF.

Ahhh, new fabric. I am satisfied with this addition to my stash, although heaven knows the stash was substantial enough without it. I have plans - big plans! - for stash reduction this year. I guess I ought to explain that in a future post! *wink*

Happy Weekend, Peeps!
And Happy Quilting!

Road Trip!

Back in high school and college, when someone hollered "road trip" and now today, when a quilt group suggests "road trip" I find that I have the same excited reaction - "Come on, let's go!!" I rarely refuse an excuse to hit up some fabric shops, and on Friday we visited five. I left my house at 7am and returned a full 12 hours later - totally exhausted, but very satisfied with our outing.

I bought a little something in every shop - one has to boost local economy, right? Above you can see my haul. I was actually shopping for only a couple of things - those needles and the thread. All the fabric and the book were purely impulse purchases. *smh*

Here are the shops we visited. All are in southeastern Ohio with the exception of Bolts and Quarters, which is just across the Ohio River in West Virginia.

All seven of the Frankfort Girls made this day fun; we needed two cars for traveling and Terry and Jan were kind enough to take on that additional responsibility of chauffeuring us. I can't think of a more wonderful group with whom to shop and sew; we share so many ideas and learn so much from one another.

Now by the looks of things, I have a propensity for precuts, and I had best be ramping up my sewing this summer to make something of all these pretties!

Hope you have a great day!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Shopping In Ashland

Tuesday's big trip to Ashland for the quilt guild engagement allowed me an ideal chance to connect with Dee, a dear friend from my early teaching career. We very likely were hired as English teachers at the same board meeting in August of 1979. While my career kept me at the same school for my entire career, Dee's veered off into several other districts and even into another career path as a librarian.

Dee has recently retired and is getting more deeply into quilting, particularly baby quilts as, like me, friends of our children are having babies. Above Dee is pictured holding one of those babes on the receiving end of one of those quilts.

When this speaking engagement came up, Dee was more than willing to take on the task of entertaining me with fun places to shop and eat. Our lunch stop was a beautiful restaurant called Bella Bleu's, situated on a lovely lakeside property. We relaxed and talked nonstop, catching up with each other. We managed to cover lots of topics - books, quilts, travels, children.

Our shopping excursion took us to the nearby village of Shiloh, location of Country Fabrics. The area is heavily populated by Amish and Mennonite communities. The quilt shop is a renovated barn, moved from another location to this, massive in size, and filled with fabrics and a wide assortment of dry-goods and home-goods items. There was even a shelf of beautiful Polish Pottery for sale.

The photos above are just a random sampling of pictures taken while shopping at Country Fabrics. You can see the immensity of the barn in the top picture, which shows that magnificent ceiling. Displays and class quilts enticed shoppers and the staff was super helpful. Ruth is shown in the bottom picture cutting one of my selections the old-fashioned way - with sharp scissors.

And here is what I bought. The Charm Packs of Larkspur by 3 Sisters/Moda will join the small collection of Larkspur that I already have, so this will enhance. I found some solid yellow which I hope to use in finishing off my Village quilt. The Judy Rothermel fabric will be put to use on Lunch Box Social, a Kim Diehl pattern I plan to start soon. Those tiny calico prints just appealed to me in the moment. I have begun collecting similar pieces of late, so these three half-yard cuts will join those and await some future quilting inspiration.

Spending the day with Dee was absolutely delightful. All of us, I hope, have certain friends with whom, after months or years of infrequent contact, without missing a beat, can pick right back up as if no time at all has passed since last visiting. This is the nature of our friendship. We had hoped to include Sharon P. in the day's activities, but circumstances for her did not permit it. We do, however, plan to make that happen before the summer's end. A day similar to this would be perfection.

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Retail Therapy

On Saturday when I attended the seminar featuring Carrie Nelson, I also did some shopping. Old Town Fabric Shop offers a discount when a class is going on, and I knew of a couple of things I wanted to get. No absolute necessities, but some little bits of stash enhancers.

I felt that my Village quilt needed more variety, and so I bought two more Corey Yoder charm packs from a line I didn't have. These Flower Mill packs will mesh nicely with the two Sundrops packs and the two Lulu Lane packs that I already had. Now I have a total of 6 charm packs to work with on the Village quilt, and I think that variety will be fun to mix and match. Should I become bored with these, I happen to know that a new line called Pepper and Flax will be appearing very soon, so I might even add more. Since I have done no more on Village since Saturday, I am fairly certain it will still be a WIP for several more months.

Then I picked up a bit of neutral yardage in a 3 Sisters line called Larkspur. I have collected bits of this line for about a year or so with no particular quilt in mind. I just know I love the fabric and something will make itself know to me as the perfect choice. For now, I am happy to simply gaze at the pretty fabric and dream of what to make with it. (Weird. I know. Oh well.)

Finally, I can never resist the basket of half-yard cuts that Old Town Fabrics keeps filled just to entice quilters. It's sorta' like at the ice cream parlor when they offer you a taste of any flavor you want - well this allows me a bit of fabric in any color I want for no particular reason other than it appealed to me on this particular day. They always offer these at a discount, and many of these have entered my stash over the years. It's a nice way to enhance the stash without going totally crazy.

Now, remember this was the day with Carrie Nelson? Well, we goofed off a lot throughout the day, and I pulled together some pictures into a collage to capture the fun. Because it was St. Patrick's Day, I wore some sparkly green glasses which were a big hit. Carrie agreed to be photographed if she could wear my glasses in one pic. Cool! So here's a peek at the silliness.

I am going to sew some more houses for Village, I think. Either that, or I am going to start those 9-patches needed next for Prairie Vine. I just know I need to get busy!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Indiana Purchases

Oh gosh. I bought stuff. And I am so far behind on what I should be finishing, I can't honestly say what possessed me to buy more! However, I think it is all just as yummy as can be, and even after four days, I can confidently say I have absolutely no buyer's remorse. *smile*

These are my somewhat restrained purchases at Pohlars. I have admired Rachel Remembered by Betsy Chutchian for quite awhile, so I just decided to get 4 charm packs and make some as yet undetermined magic with them. The random fat quarters are mostly just whims, however the green and blue are possibly going to be added to that waterfall elongated hexie project I began.  I'd seen the Thimble Pads highly recommended by someone on Instagram, so when I saw them, I picked them up for testing out at some point. I don't currently have a hand quilting project on my radar, but surely I will come fall.

By the time we got to Back Door, I was a bit less restrained, and have this haul to show for my afternoon. Madam Rouge by French General was a no-brainer; I have had an ongoing love affair with FG from the very beginning. One jelly roll - I have no plan, but am confident I can come up with something. The polka dot and the blue floral are both by Joanna Figueroa/Moda - it's called Farmhouse. I will throw in those two solid yellows and make some pretty something-or-other out of them. The little print on the white background is by Corey Yoder (remember I went to see her at a trunk show - seminar in Chillicothe awhile back?) This is from the LuLu Lane collection, and will go with the precuts I bought in March.

Both the little scissors and the little Swoon pattern are  "just because" or "oh-why-not" purchases. I don't have any great desire to make a little Swoon right away, but have enjoyed seeing all the variations that quilters were making with the smaller sizes, so I am ready when the mood strikes.

I did okay, didn't I?  I satisfied a long-suffering dry spell in fabric purchasing, but didn't go too far off the rails. Just what I needed, I guess!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Day Trip to Indiana - Part 2

The first part of this quilter's journey appeared on Saturday's post, which you can read by clicking here. Today, I will share the second part of our trip - the store in Greenwood, Indiana, called Back Door Quilts. We'd planned to go back in the winter time, but were snowed out, so Friday was our reschedule date, and what fun we had! Five of us went to see what mischief we could find, and bargains, too.

Back Door Quilts did not disappoint. We had to make several u-turns to find them, but we made it and were well-rewarded with eye candy all over the store. Never have I seen so many samples made up and displayed as I have in this shop. It was a quilter's heaven, for sure. I saw in one of the display cabinets a certificate identifying them as a featured quilt in APQ's Quilt Sampler. I am going to dig in my stack of issues to see if I have it. Stay tuned for that.

I took a ton of pictures, so I won't waste your time with my talky-talk. Instead, I will just let you enjoy the same eye candy that we all enjoyed on Friday afternoon. Just look all those samples on display. It was really great seeing so many and it definitely gave us all ideas for projects we just had to have. You know how it is, I trust.

Can you guess that I also did my part in boosting the local economy here, as well as in Liberty? I have a nice little stack of new stuff all set to share with you tomorrow. I hope you'll come on back to have a peek.

Happy Quilting, Friends!