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 - 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.

Scrap Busting

I have bins full of scraps. Not too many, but still multiple bins.  I will put some of the smallest bits into the bins to make scrappy blocks with. I've been saving and stitching leftover blocks together for years. I have a stack of 12.5" squares that will become a new quilt for my bed. When I have enough blocks.  This won't be the first scrappy quilt made with the leftovers, nor the last.

Over the last few days, I've been stitching my scraps into smaller, 4.5" squares.  These will easily stitch up into 12.5" squares to add to the bin.  Well, that's the plan.

This is one possible layout. Somewhat like a churn dash block. I think I might find another center square for it, though.  Do you use your scraps?  Do you have bins full of scraps waiting for something to happen?