Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

I drove up to Sisters Oregon for the quilt show the whole town puts on every July.  I came up with two dear friends, Debbie and Marlyn.  We spent our first night in Redding, CA on our way up, and arrived in Bend the afternoon before the show.  We visited a couple of quilt shops in Bend, then returned to the hotel.  I was very good and didn't buy any fabric.

After a relaxing evening, we woke early and drove to Sisters at 5:30 am.  We had an early breakfast at the Ski Inn in Sisters, then relaxed in the car a bit while they hung the quilts around town.  Finally we walked up and down the main street, Cascade Ave.  I separated from them for a bit to walk to the town library to meet up with other Stashbusters.  That was wonderful to put faces to names and meet all the lovely ladies.  We had a nice chat, took a group photo, then split up again to view more quilts.  I met up with my friends for lunch at the Agave Grill.  Lunch was yummy and we drove to the other end of town to visit the quilt store, which had been too crowded to get into in the morning.  The Stitchin' Post was a very nice quilt shop with a lot of cute things, but I was very good and didn't buy anything except a tote bag with the logo of the Sisters Quilt Show on it.

We decided we were tuckered out and headed back to our hotel in Bend.  On the way, Debbie spotted a sign that read 'Quilter's Sale' on the side of the road.  We decided to check it out and found a lovely and sweet lady who was selling off her collection of kits and fabrics and machines and miscellany from the B&B from which she used to run quilt retreats.  I made my first real purchases of the trip - a kit to make a dragon quilt and a couple of pieces of fabric, all at great savings.

We got back on the road to Bend, visited Bend's third, and final, quilt shop before returning to our hotel.  We've been watching movies and relaxing, since then, recovering from the long walk this morning. 

Tomorrow we visit the Quilt Expo in Redmond, Or, a new show the same weekend as the Sisters show, except it is an indoor show with vendors.  We'll spend one more night in Bend before heading home, again stopping in Redding, CA on the way.

I love the Marriott in Redding because they have a hotel cat named Jack, who makes me feel more at home and miss my own kitties a little less.

I have been having a glorious time, traveling and chatting with my friends along the way, and we have been great support for each other not buying unnecessary things, though I did buy a little gift for my secret pal in one of the cute little gift shops in Sisters.  At least I haven't bought a bunch of unnecessary fabric... and believe me when I say there was a lot of fabric that we saw that I REALLY wanted!!!  I was strong and resisted...  Hopefully I will be as strong when we hit the vendor's booths tomorrow at the show in Redmond!

Love that Aurifil Thread!!! part 2

So, someone asked for pics of all that Aurifil thread.  I couldn't even fit all 6 drawers of thread into a single picture, but I did take a couple of pics of the box and the drawers.

 This is the box, all closed up and waiting to be opened... and used!!!

I opened up all three drawers to reveal as much thread as I could get in a single picture. 

I wanted to lay all 6 drawers out and take a picture of all the spools, but my husband said he couldn't get them all in one picture.  Oh well... we took the pictures we could.   The thread is wonderful stuff and I can't wait to get started using it.  I have that appliqued block I posted a picture of in my last post, and that is the one I will be doing the machine stitching on next.  I will probably get around to actually sewing it and getting into the thread when I return from my trip to Sisters, OR on the 15th. 

Yes, I am going to the quilt show in Sisters, my first trip there.  I've heard it's a wonderful show, and there is a show the following day not far away, and my friends and I will be attending that show as well... I look forward to them both! 

And when I return, I will get to sew sew sew with my new Aurifil thread!!!

New Finishes...

Two quilts are 'almost done'.  They just need binding, but I don't have the right colors in my stash to bind them with - so it's off to the quilt store for me (oh horrors, whatever shall I do?  lol). 

This quilt is called 'Paris Cats' because the focus fabric has cats in Paris on it.  The whole quilt is a little too pink for my tastes, so perhaps I will gift it to someone who likes cats AND pink.  It will make a nice table-topper for someone with a large round or square table (mine is rectangular, unfortunately),  

'Pumpkin Hill' was designed by Bunny Hill Designs, and has squirrels on it, so I HAD to do it (I just love squirrels - almost as much as I love cats).  Anyway, I made this quilt and it's now ready for binding... Hopefully it will be done in time to get it into the County Fair this year.

Love that Aurifil Thread!!!

So I've been buying Aurifil 50 wt thread one spool at a time for my applique - often waiting days for a spool to be delivered so I can complete some bit of applique top stitching.  I decided I was wasting a ton of money on shipping and such.  I discovered that Aurifil has this awesome treasure Chest of Drawers... Filled with their small spools of every color thread they make!!! 

I simply HAD to order it right away.  It arrived about a week ago.  It's WONDERFul, but it has no handles to carry it to classes/retreats/and the like.

I learned there is a wonderful place in Australia that was offering a pattern for a carrier bag to fit the chest of drawers if you ordered from them.  Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the shipping from Oz to the US, but I contacted the shop in Australia anyway, and they very sweetly sent me the pattern anyway.  They are called Always Quilting and I highly recommend them, not only as a wonderful and well-stocked online shop, but as wonderful people too.

I made the bag for my thread and it fits perfectly, though I did have to do a little finagling to convert from metric to inches, it still sewed up quick and easy and with no problems, even though I am a novice at making bags.

Here are some pics of my new bag:

Here's the bag just standing up looking all spiffy with the box of thread inside.  I used a prequilted fabric because I was too lazy to quilt my own, lol... though I'm sure it would have been better to use up some stash.  I saw this green and purple and cream print, and I just LOVE green and purple together and I had to use it.

Here's the bag laying down with the box of thread inside.  You can JUST make out the Aurifil logo on the right side of the box.

Here's a view showing the inside of the bag, more green and purple fabric... *love it!* but I wanted the stripe on the outside, I thought it would be more interesting.

I posted some pictures of the actual box of thread and the drawers here.


Anyway, that's what I've been doing with my quilting time.  Not very productive of late, but I am gearing up for my trip to Sisters, OR for the quilt show there, and haven't been doing a lot of quilting.  I did make another Woodland Creatures block, but I haven't done the edge stitching or embroidery on the block yet.

The new block is a bluejay, with some flowers, leaves and praying mantis... that little brown blob at the bottom left is a beetle, which will have legs and antennae after I do the hand embroidery.  Right now, it's just a brown blob though, lol...

Anyway, that's my quilting journey of late... Hope yours is alive and well.

The Joy of Little Quilts

So I've become a bit obsessed with those little card holders and now I've made four of them, with a few more ready to cut and sew.  I just can't seem to stop.  I haven't decided yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing. 

It's keeping me somewhat busy - though not too much, since they are SO quick to make - but I really only had use for three - one for me and one each for friends having birthdays soon.  I suppose I can save them for other gifts or something... but really, how many do I REALLY need to make???

I suppose I could find something else to do - like layer and start quilting on a couple of raw edge applique quilts that I have backs all ready for, but that sounds like too much work - having to cut the batting!  Woe is me.   Actually, I'm just being overdramatic - it's not that big a deal to cut the batting for them, I'm being lazy though. 

I have lots of quilts that need backs made too, but that DOES sound like a lot of work to me.  I simply detest making backs... I usually piece them out of scraps, so my backs are as pieced as my fronts sometimes.  But I also have large pieces for making single-fabric backs, so the piecing is not an excuse... I just really hate working with that much fabric at once.   I guess that's one of the reasons I love making blocks, but hate putting them together.  Also one of the reasons I've stopped making huge (like King and Queen sized) quilts.

I notice a definite trend on my part lately to make wall-hangings or lap quilts.  I think I'm just 'over' bed quilts.  I hate wrestling with that much fabric - and I don't mean just for the quilting process, I mean for piecing too.  I like little quilts.  They are fun.  They are fast. 

Hope you are having a quilty day.

Cutest thing ever

So I saw this ADORABLE little quickie project on another blog and HAD to share... I won't steal it, but I will share it - check out this link for this great little project to make a fabric business card holder.

I just had to make one of these great little card holders for myself.  Here's mine:

Enjoy and I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Flower Power

I designed and made this quilt for my guild to use the 2 1/2" strips of floral fabrics we exchanged among members.  I know it's not a 'new design', but normally it's made with squares and 9-patches, and I designed a method of piecing it using the strips.  Probably not entirely original there either, but really, not much is anymore.... I did my best. 

Anyway, I called it 'Flower Garden' and it was very popular among the guild, I saw a lot of them made up after the exchange and they were each unique and very beautiful.  This is the first quilt I've ever made with floral fabrics, and probably my last.  I am not a big fan and don't collect florals, so here is my one and only floral quilt:

I finally got it bound on Wednesday, and it's ready to go to its new home, which is probably with the daughter of a friend, who just graduated high school.  I will wait to give it to her until after she's moved, which will be coming soon - why give her something else she's just going to have to pack and move.  She doesn't know she's getting it, so it will just be a late graduation present.  It's not her colors really - like me she's into black and dark things, but I hope she'll like it anyway.

Tonight I'm going to see a production of California Suite, which I haven't seen in years, so it should be fun.  Next week begins the Southern California Quilt Run, more fun!  Mid-July, I'm going to Sisters, OR for their annual one-day quilt show.... and I'm off to San Francisco for the Japan Film Festival at the end of July.  In August begins a rush of Anniversary and Birthdays... I'm going to be busy busy for the next several weeks.

To top all this off, my doctor wants me to have some surgery and I have NO idea how I'm going to fit it all in.  Sigh. 

And when, in all this, am I going to have time to SEW???  I will just have to make time.  I am working on another UFO (only the binding left).  I have two quilts at Stovers that will need binding when they come back, and a pile of tops I have no idea what I'm going to do with... Gah!!!

I'm glad my two BOM projects are both applique - they go pretty quick and no hand sewing so I can trace and fuse and cut and press in odd times and hours when I have a few minutes here and there.  Just the edge stitching requires some time at the machine, but I'm sure I'll be able to work that in sometime... 

I'm glad my husband has a hobby of his own (amateur radio) to keep him busy, so at least I have time when I am home, I'm not catering to his whims all the time... I highly encourage hobbies in husbands for quilters.  I know too many ladies whose husbands take up so much of their time, they can barely work in some quilting time.  OTOH, there are times when I wish we spent more time together, so I can see both sides of that equation too...   I guess there is no real solution, eh?

I hope if you're reading this, that you have enough time for quilting and everything else in your life!