WiP Wednesday - String Blocks for the Queen

It's WiP Wednesday and this week I'm recovering from vacation by catching up with my Twilters bee blocks for June. Nothing like the last minute, right?

This month is Carmit's turn to be queen, and she requested these cute string blocks and even wrote up a tutorial for how to make them. These are perfect for using up strings and strips leftover from binding or when you square up a quilt. 

I started pulling all of the different colors together to see what I had. This is when Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System really comes in handy. It felt great to get this 1 1/2" strip bin cleaned out.

I had fun making these, but it's got me thinking. My turn to be queen is in October, and I have no idea what block to request. Any suggestions for a good scrappy swap block? So many of my favorite ideas have been taken. There's no rule that I can't pick an "encore," but I'd like to do something different.

My design wall is a little stagnant. Once the Machine Quilting Blog Hop is done next week I can get back to The Pit Boss's Turning Fifty quilt. Speaking of the hop, have you entered the drawing to win a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting? The Rafflecopter widget is in the post right before this one. Be sure to visit Kristin, Vicki, and HollyAnne for more chances to win.

What are you working on this week?

#MachineQuiltingBlogHop Week 9 - Migration

Welcome to Week 9 of the Machine Quilting Blog Hop!

Today we are working on Chapter 10 of The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting by Angela Walters and Christa Watson, Migration.

Once again I pulled out an orphan block from the Modern Blocks hop. Line Up by Angela Yosten is one that I always liked, but wasn't sure how to use. 

For this block, I decided to use a heavier weight thread so that the quilting would really show. I had this perfect pale pink 12 weight spool that I won at QuiltCon in the Aurifil booth. 

I learned a couple of things about this thread. First, it really does make the quilting stand out. In this case, I think it's a good thing, but you would have to be really careful and rip out any mistakes. 

Before you think I am somehow magical and managed to keep my stitch length perfect all by myself, let me tell you the second thing I learned. Free motion quilting with this thread is not really a thing. I tried but could not get it to work. It's really meant for sashiko and embellishment.

I ended up doing the whole block with my walking foot. This took longer and would have been nearly impossible on a larger piece, but since it is just a 12" block I made it work.

I'm so glad I did because I love how this turned out. My square spirals never look right when I use FMQ, but these created a texture that makes me so happy!

Getting the tension right was tricky. I think I'm going to make this into a small pillow so you don't see the back. Sneaky!

I hope you're hopping along with us and improving your machine quilting. Just in case you don't already have the book, Martingale has generously donated a copy of the book for each of us to give away. You can enter in the Rafflecopter widget below. Be sure to visit Vicki, Kristin, and HollyAnne to see what they did this week and enter their giveaways as well.

Next week is the last week of the hop when we will revisit Chapter 4, which is whole cloth FMQ. I have some ideas but haven't started quilting yet, and I'm trying not to be too anxious about it. You'll have to check back next week and see how it all turns out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Quilt Shop Visit - Keepsake Quilting

Y'all, there are lots of good men out there. There are kind, funny, handsome, smart men in the world and I know you hang out with some of them. But me? I've got the best one!

Can I just tell you about it? He planned this beautiful, amazing trip to Boston and Cape Cod for our 25th anniversary. He found two quilt shops on the Cape to visit while we were there. And then, when the rain made our plans for the last day in Boston a little less appealing he said, "You know, New Hampshire is only another two hours from here. I've never been to New Hampshire." 

Then he proceeded to drive me to Keepsake Quilting. Sign me up for another 25 years!

When you walk in and see this place that you've only imagined from the pictures, it's completely overwhelming. There is so much fabric! But not in a bargain bin, sort-through-the-old-stuff-to-find-a-rare-gem kind of way. No, it's like a very nice quilt shop only WAY BIGGER. 

This is just one shelf in the batiks room.
I couldn't get a decent picture to show all of them.

The rooms keep going and going, with fabrics mostly sorted by color but with some special groupings. There is a whole room of batiks and several walls of their famous kits. 

At one point I was just wandering and couldn't even decide where to start. The Pit Boss said, "I didn't drive all this way for you to not buy anything, so get busy." See what I mean?

And then there's a sale room! Which literally had more fabric than some small quilt shops I've been in. 

I do want to squash one little rumor I heard. Someone told me that Keepsake Quilting was going to close their store and go to online sales only. I asked the woman who helped me and she said this rumor goes around every so often, but the store is a destination and there are no plans to close it. Judging from what I saw, it really is just a rumor.

I did finally pick out a few things (left to right):

• Black and white print from Timeless Treasures
• Cream on cream polka dot called Spot On by Robert Kaufman Fabrics in meringue 
• Red and white ticking stripe from the Little House on the Prairie line by Andover Fabrics
• A blue and white gingham check from the sale room with absolutely no information - there's no selvedge. If you know what this is, please let me know! 

One more thing: if any of you live in New Hampshire and can answer this for TPB, please do. He's dying of curiosity. How does New Hampshire have no sales tax and no state income tax? How do they pay for anything? Inquiring minds want to know.

Quilt Shop Visit - Tumbleweed Quilts

As I mentioned in my Sunday Stash Report, The Pit Boss and I visited a couple of quilt shops on our anniversary trip. The first one we went to was Tumbleweed Quilts in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, which is on Cape Cod. 

When you pull up, it looks like a little cottage. It's deceptively small. I wish I had taken a picture of the outside so you could see how amazing the inside is! 

Once you go inside, though, the rooms just keep going! All the way in the back was a classroom area where a group of women were sewing and chatting. I don't know if it was a class or a bee group or what, but they seemed to be having a lovely time. There are samples hanging all around, with some ocean/Cape Cod types of things (I love the sea horses above) but plenty of "regular" quilts as well.

I went from room to room, trying to narrow down the choices. There were whole sections grouped by color. This was a glimpse down the aisle with greens on the right, neutrals on the left, and pinks in the distance. 

There were so many awesome groupings of fabric, including this gorgeous wall of polka dots. Don't you love the fish hanging out on top of the shelf? 

And there was a whole room full of solids. I really wish this shop were closer to me for when I'm looking for something specific. They have so much!

Eventually I settled on four cuts (top to bottom):

• Beach - Crabs fabric from David Walker Studios for Free Spirit Designs for Westminster Fabrics
• Black and white states print called Freedom by Sweetwater for Moda
• A geometric print called Tinsel from the Merry Merry line by Kate Spain for Moda
• Blue text print from Dear Stella's All Hands on Deck line by Jack and Lulu with fun maritime sayings like "thar she blows!" and "land-ho!"

I have no idea what I'll do with any of it, but it will be a fun reminder of our trip to Cape Cod! 

Tumbleweed Quilts is worth the drive if you are in the area, especially if you are on the hunt for a specific color or type of print. 

#MachineQuiltingBlogHop Week 8 - U-Turns

Welcome to Week 7 of the Machine Quilting Blog Hop!

Today we are working on Chapter 8 of The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting by Angela Walters and Christa Watson, U-Turns.

For this chapter I went back to the Halloween/Autumn UFO that I worked on in Week 6. A lot of the designs in this chapter are ones I've already done, just in different types of spaces. I hadn't really tried ribbon loops yet, and thought they would be perfect for the outer border of this little quilt.

True confessions: I didn't do a lot this week because The Pit Boss and I just returned from our 25th anniversary trip. Also, I dropped my machine off for service before we left and just got her back. Sorry for the lack of quilting!

The book is available for purchase at the Martingale site, and we have some exciting news coming up at the end of the hop. Only two more weeks!  Don't forget to visit Vicki, Kristin, and HollyAnne to see how they handled the designs in this chapter. 

Please jump in and join us on your favorite social media channel using the hashtag #machinequiltingbloghop and post pictures of your progress. No blog required! 

Sunday Stash - I Get Around

Note: This is part two of Sunday Stash. Click here for Part 1.

The Pit Boss and I just returned from an amazing 25th anniversary trip to Boston and Cape Cod, where I ate a crazy amount of seafood and walked a ridiculous amount of steps. Probably not enough steps to offset the food, but still a lot.

I dropped my machine off for service a few days before we left, so no fabric was used this week.

However, since I married the most amazing man ever twenty-five years ago, I did take in quite a bit on our trip. I also managed to fit it all into my suitcase despite fears that I would have to ship it home.

I'll write more about each shop this week, but we visited two quilt shops on our trip, and tried another one that is closed on Mondays. 

First we visited Tumbleweed Quilts in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. This is a shop that looks smallish but keeps going on and on! I got lost in there for about 30 minutes before deciding on these mementos of our trip. This added 4 yards to my stash.

Then, on Friday when the rain came in, The Pit Boss suggested a drive to New Hampshire to visit the Mecca of quilt shops, Keepsake Quilting. Is he the best or what? I picked up about 7 more yards of fabric there.

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 21.5 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 11 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 38.5 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: -17 yards used
Used for Charity Year to Date: 2.5 yards
Percentage Used for Charity: 12%

I'm linking up with QuiltPaintCreate to track my Sunday Stash Reports. Visit the blog and link up so we can keep the link party going!

#MachineQuiltingBlogHop Week 7 - Exploding Star

Welcome to Week 7 of the Machine Quilting Blog Hop!

Today we are working on Chapter 7 of The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting by Angela Walters and Christa Watson, Exploding Star.

I learned Christa's technique for quilting a continuous spiral in the class I took with her back in February, and I've been looking for an opportunity to practice it again. I thought this Turnaround star block from the Modern Blocks Hop would be just the thing to show it off.

An Aurifil spool is about the perfect size to start this, and my Clover white pen shows up on the deep blue.

I chose a variegated blue thread, which I think gives the design some interesting movement. The only downside is that the wobbles are more pronounced, but I just keep reminding myself that this is practice. I didn't finish because my bobbin ran out, but you get the idea. I really do love the effect of this design, and it's not hard, although you do have to take your time and go slowly.

This book has been so helpful for me to see different ways to quilt specific areas and shapes, and it's still on sale at the Martingale site. Don't forget to visit Vicki, Kristin, and HollyAnne for their take on Exploding Star.

Please jump in and join us on your favorite social media channel using the hashtag #machinequiltingbloghop and post pictures of your progress. No blog required! 

Sunday Stash - City Square Quilts and The Longarm Network

Note: this was supposed to be last week's Sunday Stash, but I didn't get it done before The Pit Boss and I left on our 25th anniversary trip. This is the first of two parts.

I took Wednesday off to run some errands, and quickly sent my stash numbers deep into the red. Since I had to go get my passport, and since the post offices near me are booked for the foreseeable future, I made an appointment in Winder, Georgia. Of course I did a quick search to find a nearby quilt shop, and luckily found City Square Quilts just about fifteen minutes away in Hoschton. 

This is a nice little shop in a small historic main street area. There's a pizza parlor called Sliced on one side and a yarn store called Yarn Junkees on the other. Unfortunately both were closed while I was there.

It was a beautiful morning and the door was open to let the fresh air and quilters inside. The woman working that day showed me a new ruler and mat collection from Alex Anderson called Quilters Select. I didn't get a good photo, but the rulers have a great nonskid back. The mat is reversible and is a lighter color on one side to make it easier to see when you're cutting dark fabrics. Let me know what you think if you've tried these.

City Square Quilts has some great collections, including the beginning of a gorgeous shelf of batiks. They will get ten new prints every week (month? I can't remember!) until the collection is filled out. I just had to buy that green and purple one! 

After my passport appointment, I headed up the road to Greenville, South Carolina so I could finally swap out the saddle I bought at QuiltCon. I don't if I ever mentioned that, once I got it home, it was too tall for my table. I mean, just barely too tall, but enough that I was not going to be comfortable. I didn't even realize my table was so low.

Luckily, when I called the shop, they told me they would happily swap it out. We promised to keep in touch, and if they were in Atlanta for a show they would call me. I could have shipped it back and paid for shipping the new one, but that seemed like a giant waste since Greenville is just a few hours away. This was my chance!

The Longarm Network was easy to find and not far off I-85. They have a great selection of supplies and classes. I'm thinking of making a day trip up there to take a class. I was so excited to pick this gorgeous blue for my new saddle. 

Even if you don't have a longarm, this is worth a stop. They have the best selection of extra wide backs I think I've ever seen. I love the selection and that they aren't all off white, babyish or too feminine. 

The selection of threads made me laugh thinking of Angela Walters's frequent refrain, "Quilting is my therapy and threads are my meds!" 

I loved seeing some great quilting designs on the wall. I couldn't wait to come home and try some of these!

I made it out of The Longarm Network with just my saddle, but at City Square Quilts I bought 1 1/2 yards of this Choice Fabrics Supreme Solids lavender and a yard of Bella Solids baby yellow for my Strippers Knot quilt, a couple of pretty fat quarters, and the batik just because it really wanted to come home with me. Sadly no fabric used last week, so I'm deep in the red again!

• Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
• Fabric Used year to Date: 21.5 yards
• Fabric Added this Week: 4 yards
• Fabric Added Year to Date: 27.5 yards
• Net Fabric for 2017: -6 yards used
• Used for Charity Year to Date: 2.5 yards
• Percentage Used for Charity: 12%

I'm linking up with QuiltPaintCreate to track my Sunday Stash Reports. Visit the blog and link up so we can keep the link party going!