Time to stop working – the sun has moved behind the house and its getting a bit cloudy… no more glorious sunlight filtering in through my picture window. I really need to get some better lighting in my studio. Tomorrow, I suppose I’ll just have to get started earlier to finish this quilting class sample. You can see by the picture its a bit dark in here. Shadows are starting to grow…
Well, at least they are new to me!
The first two are quilt shops, of course. In Dover, Delaware, there is Chick’s-n-Stitches, a quaint little store just up the road from the Dover Air Force Base. This store has been on Lebanon Road for two years now and has an interesting array of fabrics. In the back of the store on the sale bolts, several rows of fabric going for $5 a yard. Unfortunately, they do not have a website yet.
Next, I finally went to the Lil’ Country Shoppe and it was gorgeous! Its a huge store right off rt. 896 in Middletown, Delaware, surrounded by farmland. I’m told they even have an Backyard Quilt Show every September.
And lastly, I found this amazing decorative fabric store full of bolts and bolts of decor fabric, trims and tassels! The Interior Alternative located off of rt. 896 in Newark, Delaware. I spent a couple of hours in there just gazing lustfully at all the bolts!
After gallivanting around Delaware, not only did I come home refreshed, renewed and inspired but had a few yards of fabric in tow as well!
I’ve been working on my WIPs (Works in Progress – a much more encouraging label than UFO) and have slowly come to discover why my WIPs became WIPs in the first place. As I opened project box after project box and tried to decipher where I left off, I soon discovered that I didn’t have what I needed for the next step, whether it was the right color thread, steam-a-seam, blue fabric, you get my drift. Also to my dismay, I have discovered that I now live absolutely no where near a quilt store or even a Joann’s. Its a bit of a trek up the road and possible even a toll to pay, depending on my route and destination of choice.
Needless to say, I settled on this WIP, went out and bought what I needed to keep on moving forward with the quilt top and am back in business – as long as the sun is shining, that is. Lighting is at a premium in my new studio and I rely heavily on the picture window to illuminate my busy hands. Track lighting is on the list of things to acquire but has been way behind other things like a new water treatment system, a dry basement and rehearsal dinners. Slowly but surely it is getting closer to the top of the priority list. Meanwhile, if it gets cloudy or the sun sets, I can always pull out another WIP that is just waiting for its binding to be sewn down and retreat to the den with a good lamp and a big TV!
The wedding was beautiful – the weather held up nicely! No time for any quilting and shop-hopping and I didn’t even realize it until we were leaving.
Our son is getting married in North Carolina this weekend and so we’re heading south today. I have not made a decision on my Block-of-the-Month (hand vs machine) applique so its not making the trip with me. I am, of course, not at a loss for other projects and perhaps will get to work on one of them if I have any free time this weekend where I’m not wander around the quaint town of Beaufort or lounging sea side at the beach. The wedding is outside – cross your fingers for good weather!
One student brought in freshly baked cookies!! Peanut butter and chocolate chips! Delicious! Oh and the class was great too! Lots of colors variations in the Diamond Star – very soft pastels in pinks and greens, country blues and tans, raspberries, purples to greens in batiks and a beautiful creams to browns – (that one I am of course partial to). Someone suggested the pattern would be perfect in Christmas colors. I’ve yet to see that color combination yet but can imagine that it would be quite striking.
I’ve caught up on my pieced blocks and have the pictures to Prove it! I am contemplating taking the applique block with me to NC next week as we are traveling down for my son’s wedding and a mini-vacation. The contemplating part is all about hand applique vs machine applique – if I take it with me, its hand applique. If not, its machine applique later on but either way it won’t get finished any time soon!!
The new block is the Variable Star. Click on this link to get the pattern. Starr BOM variable Star I’ve always assumed it was called that because you can vary the fabric behind the star points – I’m sure there’s another reason but that’s mine. Its is very easily pieced. With this quick piecing method in the block pattern, I used a scant 1/4″ seam when sewing next to the drawn diagonal line. This gives me a little slack if my peiced blocks don’t want to turn out the right size – at least then I can trim them down. REMEMBER to check your pieced star points for accurate size before you put the entire block together.
Enjoy! And send me pictures!
Above is last month’s Friendly Star and below is this month’s Variable Star.
I am diligently following a pantograph on my long-arm when I feel something skittering down my neck! Now – I immediately recognize this horrific sensation as a spider with webbing in tow but am cruising across my quilt at 70 stitches a second. I rapidly assess my dilemma with all its ramifications. How can I stop sewing quickly enough yet gracefully enough to not require ripping out stitches before I start to flinch and twitch and get totally freaked out and loose the spider somewhere between me and my clothes?! One could say it is truly strength of character that kept me going long enough to stop sewing at a perfect point, swipe and swat at my neck and head until I spotted the interloper dangling from my hair. It was quickly swooshed to the floor and stomped upon. I took just a few more seconds to shake out my hair and then the machine was up and running again! I would say that make me pretty true to my art!
Below are pictures from the last three classes I’ve taught but haven’t had access to the internet to post pictures. The first several are from the PHATKATs class at Seminole Sampler in Catonsville. We had a young novice sewer in there that really impressed us all, including her grandmother who brought her to the class. The second class is MACHINE QUILTING 101, also at Seminole. We did this 6 hour class in two 3 hour sessions hence no one looks too exhausted! And lastly, the TESSELLATING TREES at Sew-n-Save in Aberdeen. This class moved along quite nicely but would have gotten much more completed if they hadn’t spent so much time buying up all that $5 a yard fabric! Yes – its true. $5 a yard! Sew-n-Save is closing the store soon and selling all of its fabric for $5 a yard. I understand the Christmas fabric was $3 a yard but is long gone!!! But don’t dispare. Look for it to re-open in August or September under new ownership.
We have arrived!! Well, we arrived a few weeks ago but have been waiting for internet service! Apparently, this house hasn’t had cable in a decade or more and needed all new wiring. Actually, this house hasn’t had a lot of things in the last decade but we knew we were getting into a fixer-upper so I have no room to complain. As you can see in the picture, I’ve got my studio (formally known as the living room) functional albeit not completely unpacked and definitely smaller than my other set-up. The room is sorely in need of good lighting as the beautiful picture window only works well when the sun is shining. But I have found my sewing machines and spent yesterday afternoon sewing so all is right with the world – even if I am tripping over boxes to find the right threads and fabrics. Stay tuned over the next few days as I upload pictures from all the recent classes.
