Aunt Betty Strikes Again!

Have you heard of my Aunt Betty?

Professor Pincushion made this great video that you should totally check out!

Let's just say that I have my very own Aunt Betty.  She loves to give me fabric, books, sewing machines, thread, and other things that she no longer needs, wants or has room for.  Sometimes I find new homes for these things, sometimes I fill my shelves with books and fabric.  I will not discourage my Aunt Betty.  She supports my habit as surely as she supports her own.  Last week I received these two bags of unwanted fabric.

To be completely honest, this fabric came from a completely new Aunt Betty.  It seems I'm beginning to gain a certain reputation in my local community.  All of these wonderful fabrics came to me from a friend that is trying to clean out things so she can work more efficiently.  I totally understand how having too much fabric can be overwhelming.  That's why I try to make it into things and send it out the door as quickly as possible.  

I won't be hoarding this fabric.  I've already got plans for some of it.  I want as much of it to go to good homes as possible.  Stay tuned to learn more about where some of this fabric is headed.

Do you have an Aunt Betty?

Quilters Quest - Fourth Day, Final Shop - The Scrappy Apple

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

On the fourth day of shop hopping I grabbed my quilting buddy and we headed out to Virginia.  The last stop on my 2014 Quilters Quest Shop Hop was The Scrappy Apple in Winchester, VA.  This shop is way off the beaten path for me (about two hours from home) but I love how friendly and open Kelly is when I stop in.  Sometimes I can even get Darling Husband to take me because there is a Camping World nearby. 

Kelly had some really amazing quilts hanging up in the shop.  I snapped a few pictures with my phone.  I love the swoon block.  I really should make one at some point.

I'm pretty sure this one is Night Sky by Jaybird Quilts on a white background.  I will have to make one of these someday.

This is the Quilters Quest quilt from the Scrappy Apply.  This is the quilt I've decided to make so this is where I finished quest.

Here is my Quest finishing bag!  Doesn't it look great filled with the last of my loot?

There were some little treats inside.  I also picked up some fat quarters, a postcard pattern and some of the "bolt of the day" fabric.  The last thing on that list is the yards and yards of gray fabric that will become the background for my Quilters Quest quilt.  I'm looking forward to this one!  I think I've stocked up for the long winter months.

Did you participate in a shop hop this year?  Did you find new shops to visit and meet more quilters?

Quilters Quest - Third Day, Third Shop - Capital Quilts

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

Last Quilter's Quest was the first time I'd been to Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg, MD.  Such a great shop filled with fabric, machines and helpful people.  

This year the Quest quilt is just as stunning as it was last year.  Last year I made their quest quilt and I couldn't be happier with it.  Now, if I could just remember to take it with me one of these times I go down that way!

I was so excited when I found the Super Sidekick by Jaybird Quilts.  As you know I have a bit of a ruler problem.  I have many and I want more.  I used the Sidekick for a mini quilt and had a great experience.  The Super Sidekick was a natural fit.  I also found some more fun fruit and vegetable fabrics to add to my growing pile.  I should come up with a pattern for those soon.

Quilters Quest - Third Day, Second Shop - Jinny Beyer Studio

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

Our second stop of the day was Jinny Beyer Studio.

Jinny's quilts are just amazing.  They play with color intensity in a way that has a finished look that can be breathtaking.  This is the quest quilt.  The applique is beautiful and I know that even if I managed to make the lone star design I would never finish the applique.  The colors are beautiful!

I was overwhelmed and had trouble deciding on the few things I did pick up.  I added some beautifully bright batiks to my stash along with the quest strips and pattern.

Quilters Quest - Third Day, First Shop - Kelly Ann's Quilting

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

The third day I met my quilting buddy and we headed out to Kelly Ann's Quilting in Warrenton, VA.

Look at this huge selection Halloween and Ghastlies fabric!

I really need to pull out all my Halloween fabrics and make something.  Otherwise I'll just seem like a hoarder.

In the far back room they have so many fun and playful quilts hanging.  I had to snap a couple pictures.

Kelly Ann's had a really good-size collection of American Made Brand solids so I picked eight colors and got a 1/2 yard of each.  I see a solids quilt in my future.  Why is that Wonder Woman fabric in there?  Because sometimes you can send a text and your friend will cry out "buy me a yard!" from a hundred miles away.

Quilters Quest - Second Day, Third Shop - Cottonseed Glory Quilt Shop

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

The last stop on the second day was Cottonseed Glory Quilt Shop in Annapolis, MD.  This shop is close enough to home that I visit much more often than some of the other shops.

Cottonseed Glory always has the special "buy 10 fat quarters and get one free."  I never walk out of there will fewer than 11 fat quarters.  This time I picked up some more solids.  How can I call myself a modern quilter if I don't have very many solids?

Quilters Quest - Second Day, Second Shop - Material Girls Quilt Boutique

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

I love this family-owned business.  They are so welcoming and I wish I lived close enough to take classes with them.  Their classroom is great!

The second shop my DH took me to was Material Girls Quilt Boutique.  I'm tickled when I pop and and they say "Welcome back!"  This quilt is hanging in the classroom.  It is the Moda Modern Building Blocks quilt.  I really like it and was hoping to get the block instructions but it seems this only comes as a kit.  I have enough fabric (can you hear The Bitchy Stitcher laughing at me?) so I didn't want to get the kit.  I may have to play with some of my scraps to put together something similar. 

Again I failed to take many pictures.  This one is from the notions wall.  A friend of mine was looking for this ruler and I wanted to let her know where she could find it. Creative Grids rulers are my new favorite for general cutting.  I have two and when I find another I can't live without it will be coming home with me.  This is the 6.5" by 12.5" which is a great size for trimming and smaller cutting.  I also have the 6.5" by 24.5" for cutting width-of-fabric pieces and strips and the 4.5" by 12.5" for smaller cutting.  

Here is my collection of mad loot from Material Girls.  I picked up a small pile of American Made Brand of cotton solids.  This is a nice alternative to Kona Cottons if you want a fabric that is made in the United States from cotton seed to fabric.  I don't have confirmation of this but I've heard from quilting educators that Kona Cotton greige fabrics are created in at least seven different countries.  That can create a great deal of differences in quality of fabric, shrinkage rates and quality of dye and color-fastness.  American Made Brand only has 62 colors to compete with the 303 colors that Robert Kaufman offers but I think supporting U.S. industry is important to my country's economy.

Quilters Quest - Second Day, First Shop - The Crazy Cousin

On the second day of the Quilters Quest Shop Hop I managed to convince Darling Husband to take me to a few shops.  We made a date of it and set out on an adventure.  The first stop was The Crazy Cousin in Fredericksburg, VA.  The Crazy Cousin is the newest addition to the Quilters Quest.

I picked up some more Riley Blake Zombie Apocalypse fabric to go with some fat quarters I picked up ages ago.  Some more fat quarters to go into the growing pile of fabrics for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt and another license plate from the Row-by-Row Experience to add to my collection.  I really do need to figure out what to make with those plates.  I love all of them.

Quilters Quest - First Day, Third Shop - Bear's Paw Fabrics

Next was at Bear's Paw Fabrics in Towson, MD.

This is my mad loot from the last stop of the day.  The strips that are part of the shop hop are light and pretty.  The pattern is great and I'm already planning to make it using my growing pile of batik fabrics.  The rest of the fabrics, all fat quarters, are destined for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt that starts the day after Thanksgiving.

I'm so very sorry that I didn't take a bunch of pictures this year.  I took pictures of the shops last year because so many of them are new to me.  This year I was so excited about the shopping that I forgot my camera in the care more times than I remembered it.

Quilters Quest - First Day, Second Shop - Patches Quilting and Sewing

The story of my adventures on the Quilters Quest Shop Hop continues:

On Saturday my quilting buddy and I traveled back towards home by way of Patches Quilting and Sewing in Mt. Airy, MD.  

This shop is packed with fabric and embroidery and more fabric.  

I picked up these great fabrics and the fun pattern for the shop hop.  Look at those sparkling stars!  The paper piecing is taunting me again.  I think I know which pattern I'm going to go with this year when I go to use the strips that are part of the fun shop hop.

This is part of my stocking up for the cold, dark winter months.

Quilters Quest - First Day, First Shop - Traditions at the White Swan

Last year I had a blast joining my very first shop hop.  I was surprised how many quilt shops were hiding out there in the Maryland/Northern Virginia area.  This year the Quilters Quest promises to be as much fun as last year.

On Saturday, I grabbed a quilting buddy and we headed out to the first stop on my list for the day:  Traditions at the White Swan.  Since the shop hop is ten shops in ten days I didn't want to rush it so we decided to take it easy.  I only planned to hit three shops.  Traditions at the White Swan is over an hour from my house so we started that way and planned to stop at the other two shops on the way back.

This shop was filled with fat quarters, kits and some amazing people doing demos and talking about tools, books and techniques.

I filled my little basket with fat quarters that I intend to use on Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt.  More about that as the Quest continues and I pick up more fabrics.  I'm going off-script with colors but I'm pretty excited about it.

While there I met a really fun and creative lady that is Cabin in the Woods Quilters.  Penni Domikis was great to meet and I really like her ideas on how to use up scraps with the tools we already have around the studio.  She shared stories about going to Quilt Market, a thing I hear about but will probably never get to go to.  If you are an Instagram user you should check out Penni's feed.  Loads of fun pictures to share.

Projects more than half done...

In January I joined a PHD group on Facebook.  Basically, the wonderful Kelly at Kelly Ann's Quilting asked for a list of six PHDs (Projects Half Done) from everyone who wanted to join in.  I sent in my list and on the 15th of the month, Kelly picks a number and we all dig out that one and work on it for the month.  On March 15th she picked #1.

This is that PHD. I looked to see when I made this top.  I remember buying the fabric in Virginia.  Other than that, I have no idea when I picked it up.  That isn't important.  What is important is getting this from a PHD top to a real quilt.  I pieced a backing from four yards of batik that I had picked up for... something.  That isn't important, either.  I pressed it all and loaded the long arm.  

I spent some time with my marker and the paper from my batting trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  I thought these big flower-like shapes around swirl base would be good, along with some simple loops for the background/filler.  This isn't how I figure out all my quilting designs, but I think it really helped me get the plan in my head before I committed thread to quilt.  You can see where I tried out little swirls and a simple meander for the filler.

I used Superior Threads Fantastico for my top thread and Omni for my bobbin thread.  Since I had used similar weight threads on a previous quilt, this made for very little fiddling with tension and I got started with the stitching. 

I love how this design really brings another dimension to the quilt top.  A jelly-roll race quilt isn't the most exciting top, but I think it moved from mundane to something amazing with the quilting.

After about four hours of quilting, I finished up and could take a picture of the quilt off the frame.  Sorry about the shadows from the doors; the sun had gotten pretty low by the time I took these last couple pictures.  The flowers don't overwhelm the surface of the quilt, but they are rather large.  The strips are 2" and some of the flowers take up four or more strips.

The back of the quilt hides most of the quilting, too.  Sometimes, I like the backing to really hide the bobbin thread.  Other times... I am sad when I can't see the detail of the stitching equally on both sides of the quilt.  Now, I just need to finish the binding and add a label to move this from PHD to the hands of a loved one.

Tropical Waves and Computerized Quilting

A friend pieced this quilt top for Quilts for Kids. Today I set out to learn more about QBOT, the computerized driver for my Pfaff Mega Quilter.   

I'm still practicing to get the designs lined up and charity quilts is the way to do it. I managed to get two loads of laundry done while this was stitching. I also answered a bunch of email, so the time was well-spent all around.

Monday Finish: Charity Quilt

I finished the binding on this one on Monday night. I have run out of finished tops for Quilts for Kids.  I'll have to change my focus to other unfinished projects.  I think some scrap-busting is in order!

More Feather Practice

This is the last finished top I have for a charity quilt. I quilted it up with a sea of little swirls. I couldn't resist adding in some other little things.

This blue section asked for a feather and I had to oblige.  That little pink section also wanted something different. I love being able to just stitch as I like.

Cute stars in the border. Some of those stars are better than others but the quilting is doing its job and holding everything together.

Quilts for Kids: A Jelly Roll Race

The truth is, this quilt wasn't made with a jelly roll.  Same idea, but not from a jelly roll.  I grabbed a bunch of my 2.5" strips, did some simple math and stitched up this fun and scrappy quilt.  

The quilting is based very loosely on a design from Leah Day called Ocean Current.  The binding on this one was finished by machine, too.  I'm making huge steps in accepting this method of attaching binding.  I think I have finally perfected my technique and am getting consistent results.