Summer fun

Have you heard of the Row by Row Experience yet?  It is the fun reason that quilters are taking to the road this summer.  It is the easiest Shop Hop yet.  It is addictive and I confess, I am hooked!

Quilt shops across the United States of America and Canada too (and possibly other countries too?) have designed their own unique 9" x 36" pattern for a row in a quilt with a theme of "water" -- this is Row by Row in a nutshell.  Shoppers are invited to step foot into the participating quilt shops (over 2,000 this summer) to pick up their free pattern directions.  Many of the quilt shops are also selling fabric kits as well as pins and fabric labels featuring a unique license plate. 

When I first heard of this, I thought oh how cute but was not really interested in joining this craze.  Although I did pick up my first pattern and kit when I popped into CJ's Quilt Shop on my first visit to this shop.  On the family road trip, I convinced my crew to stop at two shops in Greensboro, North Carolina and I picked up two more rows (and one more kit).

Here is my progress on these first three rows.  Top down they are from "Calla Lily Quilts" in Greensboro, NC, CJ's Quilt Shop in Richmond, TX and my favorite (and the only one totally complete as I post this) is from Studio Stitch also in Greensboro, NC and also a Bernina store.
The frog row was their kit with the pieces all precision cut with iron-on adhesive already on each piece.  The  three little ducks are fussy cut and framed by a blue check then appliqued on the waterdrops background (two umbrellas are being stitched on).  I did alter this a bit.  Then the bottom rows of batik fish was made from all my fabrics and was the most fun to stitch.

It's official.  I am hooked!  Since returning home from our road trip, I have since collected more patterns by visiting a few of the local shops .... and I'm recruiting family and friends to visit quilt shops near them to collect the patterns for me.  And I browse the Facebook pages for the various states (here's the Texas FB page) and the Row by Row Experience website, http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/,  and images shared on InstaGram.  I am having fun!

Here are a few more favorite rows and finished quilts ... just to share the fun!

 

These bottles are an original design by Johanna Masko for a quilt shop, "The Workroom" in Toronto, Canada (on InstaGram as "_theworkroom").  Follow Johanna on her blog: johannamaskoquilts.blogspot.ca or in IG as "jmaskoquilts."

 

The above quilt is made with the rows by the five Pacific Fabric stores, each store has one of the rows available to their shoppers who visit each location in person.  I love it - don't you?  The stores from the top-down are: SODO, Bellevue, Everett, Bremerton and Northgate.

This photo from Instagram shows the two choices for rows that the Quilt Company in Aalison Park, PA designed for the 2015 Row by Row Experience.  I think the watercolors are my favorite, though the watermelon slices are also appealing. 

These four Sunbonnet Sues make up the row offered by A Great Notion Sewing Supply Ltd. in Canada.  Their kit includes 44 different fabrics - oh my!

This is one of my favorite completed quilts. It is by Loide Wasmund (IG: lwasmund),  a Texas quilter.  My favorite row is the four quilty-friends -- something different is reflected back from their sunglasses!  I also am tickled by the five bowl of fish!  I'm busy figuring out where each of these rows originated and whether I can get there during the Row-by-Row times .... or if I should just try drafting my own version of the rows I like.  Once I started thinking about drafting my own patterns, I then started thinking "why keep the stores in a long-skinny format, 9"x39"?  why not alter that size too?"  Stay tuned as I try to figure out what I am going to do and watch as I do it!

I love that the theme of "Water" has inspired so many in such different ways.  I want to collect and make more of these rows (or draft my version of the row).  Clearly this is my newest addiction!  What's yours?

New to Thangles

Here is a quick peek at new patterns seen in the Thangles booth during the International Quilt Festival earlier this year, well a last fall....

Thangle Maple Leaf is the quilt on the left.  This pattern uses Thangles and teaches how to piece the leaf block using fewer seams.  It uses 2 1/2" strips of fabric, perfect for using with Jelly Rolls, Bali Pops or such.  Click here to learn more and order your Thangle Maple Leaf Project Pack.
  
Mod Triangles is the quilt on the right and is a new best seller for Thangles.  It uses the popular 5" charms (40 charms for the lap size, or 91 for the queen size quilt).  Click here to order your Mod Triangles Project Pack which comes with the pattern and enough Thangles to make the queen size.


 Here are two more classic patterns created by and with Thangles.

The left and center quilts are a simple pattern that is hard to find (I don't see it on the website at the moment, but email and ask for it).  I love it.  It is called Memories of Mondrian.  Like the Thangle Maple Leaf quilt above, this quilt pattern uses 2 1/5" strips and gives directions for several sizes.  I envision making an alternate version where some of the blocks are nested inside others -- but then that would be a different look, and thus a different pattern, wouldn't it?

The quilt on the right is a best-selling Thangles pattern called Orion Star.  It pieces together easily that looks like the Hunters Star in the finished quilt.  However this pattern does not require any of the difficult "y-seams" during the stitching. Click here to learn more about this pattern, which happens to be high on my "Quilts-to-Stitch Bucket List".

Do you have your own "Quilts-to-Stitch Bucket List" too?  If so (if sew?), which quilt patterns are on your bucket list?

Soutache in Chicago

One morning during my visit to Chicago, my friend Sara Hochhauser took me on a wonderful fiber tour of the city.

Our first stop was at a charming little shop called Soutache which carries a diverse collection of ribbons, trims, buttons and bows.

The ribbon wall is a true rainbow of luscious colors .... I wanted a snippet of every single hue!

This small corner features my favorite display of buttons and more elegant embellishments - perfect for bridal events, perhaps.

Don't you  love the display cases?  Beautifully finished accessories and hard-to-find 'hardware' to make your own pieces are tucked inside the different drawers.  The flower blossom pins made from exquisite bias silk (on top of the round table) look simple to make, if one has the right ribbon.... so I had to buy a small bit (which now lingers in my growing ribbon collection ...).

Another absolute favorite item to browse through are the many many many buttons.  How does one select which to buy?  Button jars fill this window, and more button containers, baskets and bins fill cabinets and line the walls.  I narrowed it down to a few buttons, now tucked into my wee bag of delightful treasures, sweet petite items to remind me of this delicious shop.

If you are going to be in the Chicago area, be sure to pop by Soutache located on Damen Avenue.  They have a Facebook page (doesn't everyone?) and are rebuilding their website at this time.  You will "Step into the Magic"  when you visit this fine establishment filled with lovely embellishments, believe me!

Texas Quilt Museum

An enjoyable day-trip from Houston (or Austin or San Antonio or other locales in-between) is to La Grange, Texas.  Why, you might wonder?

 To visit the best little quilt museum in Texas, of course!

Texas Quilt Museum, La Grange, Texas

This museum opened in 2012 and is located in the heart of La Grange in a beautifully restored 1890s building (originally a furniture store).  It is simply wonderful.  I visited for the first time recently and now am wondering what took me so long. 

The exhibit I saw with my friend is the third installment of "Texas Quilts Today" featuring quilts from Lone Stars III.  I wish now that I had not missed the first two exhibits of the quilts from this book. I may have to go back to see this exhibit again before it closes on September 30, 2012.  For more information, the museum's website is http://www.texasquiltmuseum.org

After soaking up the visual eye candy of these wonderful quilts, you may be hungry for lunch. My favorite lunch spot in La Grange is Weikel's Bakery.   I love their sandwiches and always take home a loaf of fresh bread (or two)!

As you head for home, you may enjoy a stop at All Around the Block Quilt Shop in Giddings (they have a fabulous fabric selection and patterns and notions too) or Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top (they have "a delightful collection of decorative and functional crafts, all handmade by Texas artisans").

I hope you enjoy your day-trip as much as I did.  I'm already planning a return trip .... soon!

Old Oaks Ranch

Does it look like this alpaca is laughing? He is! (or is she a "she"?) The smile is because ...
my, oh my, much to my surprise, I have no photos of the luscious yarns inside the Old Oaks Ranch in Wimberley. I do have these ....


Looking past the resting alpacas, you can see the building housing the Fiber Arts Center at Old Oaks Ranch. This building holds the wonderful fibers, the looms, and the huge variety of accessories for fiber art of all kinds which I raved about in yesterday's post. You will just have to take my word for it.

Now for some of the sculptures .... eye candy of a very different sort ...

First, the Jack Rabbit, a common critter of the Texas countryside. This one tickled my fancy and was the reason I got out my camera ... once you take one photo, it is easy to take more ....
Is this a buzzard or a wild turkey? The draught in this part of Texas has the wild turkeys seeking water and food from the country homes. Every time I visit my friends here, I am greeted by at least one or three or more turkeys as I pull into their drive!
We were fortunate to meet Joseph Waldschmidt of Waterscape Design, who is building a new water feature here. It's not much to see now, but will feature a koi pond with a natural stone structure over it. Anticipated finish date: next month! I look forward to seeing this on my next visit.
This hermit crab will have a new home, after the waterscape is complete.


Don't you wonder what she is pondering? Or is she simply enjoying a quiet moment on a lazy summer's day?

There are abstract sculptures too -- and many that are kinetic, moving in the wind. I love this dusty cactus next to the abstract art form.

OK, the dust is from a truck that just rumbled by -- but I love the look it adds.

These three bears are my absolute favorite. They look as if they are sharing a great joke. The water cooler is a funny touch (it belongs to Joseph and his crew building the waterscape, not this bear trio).

I couldn't resist sharing my friend Emily -- wonder what joke she and the bear are giggling over? Emily will be taking classes here at Old Oaks Ranch. Isn't she lucky?

Here is the front door to 'Cella's Fabric Shoppe, the quilt shop for the Wimberley area residents. We could see some neat fabrics visible through the windows, but the lights were off and the door was locked ....
Looking at each of the signs on the door, I spied the "Everything on sale 35% off" (yea! my lucky day!) when Emily read aloud ...

"Need a short vacation.... I'll be CLOSED Friday and Saturday ... ". So we left without ever stepping inside .... I guess I was hungry for lunch anyway.
'Cella, I will be back to meet you some day ....

My wander in Wimberley

Have you ever wandered through a small town to discover a great little shop full of eye candy? Such was my delight today, thanks to my good friend, Susan Agee. On our way to the quilt shop in Wimberley, we popped into the Old Oaks Ranch -- a small fiber art mecca just outside of town. I do not exaggerate. This small yarn shop and fiber art studio is filled to the brim with luscious yarns (some spun from their own alpacas), as well as supplies for the entire gamut of fiber art explorations.

Beyond the yarn, the looms and all the fiber art supplies, the Old Oaks Ranch also has alpacas and a wonderful Sculpture Garden, with a new water feature currently under construction. Unfortunately you must wait for photos until I find my gizmo to download the few shots I took. ..... more to come .... promise.

Oh, about the quilt shop, 'Cella's Fabric Shoppe ... it was closed today (rats!). I guess even quilt shop owners deserve a little vacation now and then. Not to worry, I will be back in Wimberley one day and promise to visit Cella's then.