Quilting in Michigan!  been collecting the row by row experience quilt patterns from stores across Michigan. I appreciate the work that went into this summer travel shop hop....I finished my first row by row quilt and took it to Quilted Memories in Montague.   Quilted Memories is in a log cabin building and run by Jill.  She has a nice variety of material and quilting supplies in her shop.

Now I am collecting and starting on a second row by row quilt top.  There are more wonderful patterns to collect and make into quilts.

The priority task for today:   finish the binding on the jelly roll quilt so I can take the top to my daughter's home.  This was a simple top to make out of a jelly roll of bright colors and cute insects.    I picked this roll up on sale at Walmart in Sault Ste. Marie.  They were closing  their sewing department.  Gave me an opportunity to try a jelly roll quilt.   This is also one of our firsts on the long arm machine.  A good one to quilt for practice and to learn the skills of long arm quilting.

National Quilt Day, March 15

Amazing what happens when folks find out your are a quilter.  I received a manila envelope today with two patterns and about 300 2"squares....what a pleasant surprise.

Saturday is National Quilt Day.  I hope you all have plans to enjoy the day and celebrate the wonderful art of quilting.  I am off to a one day retreat sponsored by our guild.  Have two projects to take with me...my leader/ender and a kit I purchased in October, that should go together quickly in 2-3 days.

Happy Quilting.

too busy to blog?

Oh, goodness.  I have been too busy...now need to get back into the routine of blogging about quilting. Been learning and figuring out new long arm machine.  This has been a wonderful addtion to my sewing machines! Takes quite a bit of space but we are enjoying learning this new skill.  I am going to do one more practice sampler on long arm, then will start with the tops that are ready to be quilted. 

I have been working and enjoying "15 Minutes of Play" each day in sewing room.  This is a great way to have fun with material.  It was exciting to see Victoria Findley Wolfe on the Quilt Show broadcast this month.  I had just picked up her book and was grabbing my scraps to play with.  A friend called to tell me she was on the Quilt Show broadcast.  What fun to have the computer running as I stitched and listened.

Been busy sewing and creating.  Took part of my time to re-organize the room where all my material, projects and the cutting table are located.  On Monday, we put up wonderful shelves on one wall.  I will post before picture and after picture, showing the change.  What a difference this has made in getting work done!  This has helped me work easier and to bust the stash!  

I found small piles and containers of material that are now cut into workable pieces for future or current scrappy quilts.   I have two scrappy quilts in progress.  One is a string quilt and the other is a leader-ender that will become Scrappy Irish Chain, from Bonnie Hunter's book, Adventures with Leader and Enders, make more quilts in less time!

In addition to quick access and more space, I now have a quick view of all my WIP's, or Projects in Plastic.  Two years ago I made a list of all the quilts in progress.  I have been working to finish these or move the material to other projects.  The list is of 104 projects in some shape or form, either started or material gathered, or project others have given to me.  I am working to complete! Problem is that some new quilts pop up and get started.

A recent "pop up" quilt that got started was a Halloween quilt.  I had the material on my shelf.  I bought it in the past when it was on sale thinking it would make a nice fun quilt for my new son-in-law.    My American Patchwork and Quilting magazine arrived.  There was my Halloween quilt pattern just smiling at me on the front cover.

I must get back to sewing.    I am off to take picture of newly organized wall one in sewing room.  I hope it inspires others to take a look at your work areas to gain some space and clear your brain!

Scraps in the Sewing Room

Wow, spent the last three days in my sewing area.  I took a picture from each corner of the room.  When I looked at the four pictures I realized the room is a mess.  So now the goal is to organize, put things away and "fling" items out of the space to make area easier to use!

Part of the sewing area re-organization was prompted by a "gift" of material.  I have just sorted a "trash bag" of beautiful materials to sort and cut so they are usable!  It was a wonderful selection of fat quarters, 1/8 yard cuts and some 1 yard cuts.  What treasures!  Materials I would not usually purchase so this will be a good challenge to use.    In the materials were flower designs small, medium and large.  Material I would not buy, so now need pattern to use with large flower prints.  Found a pattern in my notebook.  The Muskegon Guild had Jan Krueger and Linda Marcou present a trunk show.  They shared handouts on several quilts in the trunk show.  Simplified Railroad Crossing is a Mary Ellen Hopkins patten they shared.  This is the pattern I am going to try.   Their presentation was great.  Quilts were gorgeous.  They explained a challenge they made between each other to use up their stash by not adding to stash, using each others stash and completing tops.  Their enthusiasm was wonderful.  The quilts they shared were great.  I will post a sample block of new quilt in process as soon as it gets completed. 

july quilting!

Wow!  So many finishes.   Two queen size quilts are done.  Wall hangings are done including labels.  Doug finished quilt number 3 and gave it to his sister.  He's working to quilt and finish number two.  He is going to number his quilts and not name!

Two more mug rugs for my brother and sister-in-law are completed and going in the mail with the 99 cents baby quilt she picked up at thrift shop.   We offered to fix 'er up and then mail it back to her.  We thought it was just a binding adjustment, as batting was showing through due to unevenness and mismatched edge.  So pulled binding off.  Then realized a little more tender care was needed.  So fixed some edges and squared up and then Doug did the quilting.  Re-applied binding and it is ready to be used!  Someone had fun putting this four patch together.  

Now I am preparing for Collaboration Celebration!  A mini vacation trip to North Carolina and a class with Bonnie Hunter, www.quiltville.com  and Mickey Dupre, http://mdquilts.com/   We are both so excited.  Doug is not going to quilt but I will be doing the class.

So need to gather materials from my stash to take for Collaboration Celebration!
Here are a couple of finishes!

sewing along, some distractions!

How do I distract myself?  I start sewing and putting pieces together and then distract myself.  Yesterday focused on my mini-wall quilt.  It is moving along, today's task was to add flowers, stems and basket.  This where I distract myself by working on organizing my scraps.  That leds to sewing some scraps together for WHIMM's (Works Hidden in my mind)! Fun but now I need to get back to wall quilt!   So here is where my progress is on the wall quilt.   Looks so empty without any anything in the basket!  but the scraps strips were a fun challenge to sew together.  I am sewing them and then dropping into a basket to design with later!