More Amish Country purchases

Seriously you didn't really think all I bought was the two pieces of Minky Cuddle and the lake quilt beach-themed fabrics?  I had just short of $200 mad money from covering extra yoga classes this summer while other instructors were ill or on vacation, and I spent every dime of it. :-)

The fabrics below are going into a quilt a wee bit further down on my list of quilts to make.  Again, I had not planned to shop for this quilt, but you know how it goes, they percolate on the back burner of your quilt inventory in your head.  Well, mine do anyhow.  The bottom green I just liked, thought it might go in this quilt; didn't realize until closer inspection that it says "meow" or "mrow" on it amongst the yarn.  Darned if that nice grey isn't the same line, 'Purrsnickitty' - great name, very clever.

Most of the feature fabric is hidden, as the person for whom this is destined reads this blog--mysterious, I know.  It's background reads black here but it is a delicious deep navy.

Sunday Stash from Amish Country

Not Sunday Stretch for Sewers...Sewists...as I'd planned...hmm might have to switch that so we think happy fabric thoughts and not be thrown off by unpleasant smells thoughts...

Any-who.  In the previous post where I let you know why I'd not blogged for a week, and showed off two more bags I'd made, you learned that I'd spent a couple of days in Amish Country in Ohio.  I helped support a couple of several businesses there of course, amongst them cheese, wine, Amish foods, and of course, fabric.

Loved this.  Squealed in disbelief at the first few, never did lose the shine of seeing this:

I took a couple more of various buggies, on the road, parked, a team of four horses across raking in a field, but then I read that they do not appreciate being photographed, and so, in respect of that, I will only post this fairly anonymous shot.

I felt like I'd stepped back in time.

This is Miller's Dry Goods, two stores side by side, this one in a barn on what was the farm where the owner grew up.  There are two houses in back, now set up for (drum roll) quilt retreats(!) or family reunions.

This is Julie's favourite shop, and I can totally see why.

So!  On with the purchases.

May I just say a big fat, "EEEEP!"  This is Minky Cuddle from Shannon Fabrics.  The good stuff.  It is the only full price fabric I bought.  When I saw the footballs, well, done and done.  Brady.  Cost does not factor into the equation where my beloved grandson is concerned.  My dad, penny pincher extraordinaire, was like that with his grandchildren.  He bought Brianne her first pair of baby shoes:  excellent support, leather, expensive from an expensive specialty shoe shop in Windsor, he was with me and waved away my wallet, saying, "Grandpa is paying." They cost more money than he probably ever paid for a pair for himself...or his own kids, lol.

Brady loves football.  Loves.  Cannot wait to start playing.  Last November he "ordered" a Halloween quilt from a picture he saw in my American Patchwork & Quilting magazine.  This is going onto the back.  Fall and Football, Halloween.  It works.

The gorgeous, plush, oh-my-god-should-I?-I-should, sculptured ivory Minky is for me!  Probably for the back of Wings.  These are 60" wide so 2 yards costs $35, not too shabby for a quilt backing, I'd say.  And what a backing.  You think petting cotton fabric is good for the soul?  This will massage your spirit, your senses, your soul, your inner mmmrrrroooowww of a feline rolling around in ecstasy.  You get the picture.  I'll stop before I feel the need to run downstairs and touch these two pieces again!

Two winters of collecting lake-themed fabrics

The top two in the run under the feature fabric are from my stash.  I show you this, because I did not know I was going to shop for some other pieces to go with this collection.  Look what I got:

I am not sure whether I will use the Moda wood grain (think dock) fabric, but it does work.  The sea glass, sea foam batik was bought with my Sea Glass quilt in mind, although I don't need any more fabrics for it... (pattern purchased on Craftsy- if you click through the Craftsy link on my sidebar and purchase this pattern, by an Alberta designer, cool, I will get a few cents, merci beaucoup)  However, it works, maybe, in this quilt.  It's not the exact green in the feature fabric, but is great with the wavy water fabric and the 'lake' peppered cotton on the bottom. The batik was $8/yard at Zinck's, the wood grain in the basement sale fabric for $6/yard. 

The lower fabric was at Zinck's for, as you see, $3.99/yard.  Score!  Backing for the lake quilt.  I bought 4 yards.  It's going to be a throw for the bench in the front entryway.
The other two shell and rope fabrics were from Miller's Dry Goods, $6/yard.  They might go into this quilt, might not.  They might grow up into a cushion for said bench.  The blue stripe will be the binding for the quilt!  $6/yard (I bought 1/2 yard).  Love that basement.  Bolts and bolts of fabric.  Current.  Amy Butler. Riley Blake.  Moda.  Quilt shop quality.  Prices for my budget.  Sorry Canada.  Can't do it.   This translates to about $7.50-8 per metre, which Sew Sisters does do on their site, and they do have a pretty good selection.  I've yet to see a quilt shop around here with this kind of sale prices.  And cough, $4/yard?  $5? like this shop does, as does my beloved Alma Sue's Quilts in Sarasota, smack dap in the Amish and Mennonite section of town, and my new favourite in North Port, Expert Sewing Center.  Facebook page here.  Online store here.  Rarely if ever, have I found $4-$5/metre fabric here in Canada, of the quilt shop quality.

If you are still with me, I have to share this "wee-ooh, wee-ooh" cue Twilight Zone music,  moment (there were a few, but this one--!) that happened in Miller's Dry Goods.  I had told Julie about the Amish and Mennonite ladies who hand quilt quilts at Alma Sue's for so much per yard of thread.  How I wanted, one day, to take a quilt down to Florida with me and get it hand-quilted by these ladies who come from Ohio and Pennsylvania and spend the winter in this entire section of Amish around the shop.  We walked into Miller's and a tiny Amish lady greeted us.  I did a double-take.  It couldn't be.  Come on, Sandra, with the dark blue dresses and white caps, they tend to look the same.  Look closer.  Name tag.  Mary.  No freaking WAY!

me:  Do you work at Alma Sue's in Sarasota in the winter time?
Mary: I sure do.
me:  (picking my jaw off the floor) I shop there while we are in Florida! I thought I recognized you!
Julie: What??? You know her??!!
me: You've cut fabric for me!
Julie:  She's (meaning me) visiting from Canada!
Mary: (who doesn't seem amazed in the least) We get a lot of Canadians at Alma Sue's.
Julie and Sandra: (laughing and exclaiming in amazement to each other) I don't believe it! Really?!  No way! This is crazy! etc. etc.

What are the chances, though,  that of all the quilt shops and all of the various counties where the Amish and Mennonite live, this particular store would be the one that Julie takes me to, first time visitor to the area, where Mary would happen to be working that day, and that Alma Sue's is the store I frequent while in Florida... Small world.

Linking this lengthy post up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash #139.

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

It's been 8 days since my last post (ha, that has Catholic confessional overtones!) and here's why.  First, you know about the Folk Fest last weekend from Friday to Sunday, which was just over the top amazing.  If you ever get a chance to see Natalie MacMaster with her husband, Donnell Leahy, go for it.  Same goes for Pavlo, a beautiful, mesmerizing Flamenco guitarist.  Ashley MacIsaac did not disappoint either, WOW, electric fiddling.  Second, cue the choir, or perhaps the fiddle, I met up with Julie of Pink Doxies!!!!  Pinch me!

"pd meets mmm" Julie's Instagram caption!

She took me to Amish Country, (pinch me hard again!) where we did so many things, amongst them, visited and helped keep in business two awesome fabric stores, and ate at an Amish restaurant where I had the best homemade lunch: grilled cheese on homemade whole wheat bread, with locally made Swiss cheese, and the best pecan pie and ice cream, both homemade, I have ever tasted and most likely ever will taste in my life....

I have told a few people, as well as said it here on the blog, about the wonderful, like-minded souls I have met through blogging, women I consider very good friends, and for whom I am so very thankful.  I've heard, and got "the look" that these aren't real friends.  Well, they most certainly are.  Meeting Julie, hugging in person, as opposed to the virtual ones, although those mean a lot too, just cemented this sentiment. :-)

Of course I had to make her a Pyramid Pouch.  (a little bag...get the double entendre in the title of this post?) These are all Art Gallery fabrics, a fat quarter bundle of 16 that I picked up from Fat Quarter Shop in March with a quilt for my niece in mind.  I used them to start Cheryl's Sea Star pattern for my niece, and have a little bit of each one left over...perfect!  Julie loves pink, in case you didn't know...

I just LOVE this print.  I saved it because I only needed 15 fat quarters for Cheryl's pattern.  It's a perfect lining... However, I'd love an entire backing or a border out of this fabric!

I was making two pouches at a time, one for Julie, and one for my oldest daughter, Brianne, who also loves all things pink, has done since she was born, no lie.  Brianne's didn't quite get finished before we left, so I finished it up this morning.  Now each daughter has a rendition of my first published pattern, made by moi! Dayna's was in purple, her favourite colour, and was the prototype for the Moda Bakeshop pattern.

Exact same 32 triangles per side as Julie's, just arranged differently

Brianne's has a hot pink zipper, as opposed to the paler pink one in Julie's, as well as a hot pink lining fabric.  The zippers are from that pack I purchased last winter from Zipit. (no affiliation, but they are great: great service, and great prices too.)

The lining is leftover fabric from Brianne's pinks and oranges quilt I made her in 2007.  It's a gorgeous one, Color Connections by Free Spirit, and has a similar hand to the smooth Art Gallery fabrics.  I didn't put a pull handle on Brianne's, thought I'd see how it works without one.

Both pouches were quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer metallic thread in fuchsia - love it - tried to catch the shimmer here in the sunlight

My impatiens plants do not disappoint this year once again.  They are spectacular.

My husband's banana plants are also spectacular

The banana plants are 2 and 3 years old, and, up until this Spring, were in pots which we hauled by dolly in for the winter.  They are now in the ground.  I can't bear to think of seeing these gorgeous things die, but he says they are just too big now.  :-(  The elephant ears are finally starting to take off with the past couple weeks of warm and humid weather; we have had such a below average temperatures summer here that they haven't burst forth like they normally do.

Bag Stats
Pattern:  original design
Size: 6.5" high X 11.5" wide at the top
Fabric:  Art Gallery scraps; Free Spirit Color Connections scrap for lining from my stash
Batting: Warm 'n Natural
Quilted: on my Bernina
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer
Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday.  Too funny: both of today's posts feature a baby quilt made by Sarah and by Amanda Jean respectively. Each one is very different.

I am also linking up with TGIFF held this week at Quilt Matters.

I will also probably link this post up with Cynthia's Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  No way.  Cynthia's post for today is also about a baby quilt she made!  Talk about the stars aligning.

Wings - Flimsy

Thanks to all of you who gave me your input into which setting you preferred for Wings.  The majority went with B and that was my first choice, once I played around after making A, which was the first first choice!  Here it is:

The wind yesterday did not permit a great outdoor shot, so I took this in the inside front entrance.  Yay for a retracting screen door so that I can get great light on quilt here!  I still tweaked two blocks.  I didn't like the two "non" colours, brown and black, to be both in the same row, so I brought some "light" into the bottom row and moved the brown beside the orange to help make it sing a little more, since the brown tones are a bit rusty or orangey.

Hard to believe it started here:

Had to haul the bench over to reach the top row! Forgot to take it away...

I love those circles; you never know, another one may just evolve into being yet.  Somehow the scrap boxes and ziploc bags do not seem to have reduced in bulk , even though there are over 500 logs in this quilt.  528 to be exact.  Amazing.  Also amazing that just turning two blocks a quarter turn resulted in the wings layout.

Quick outside shot before the breeze took it!

I love the dappled light on that one so had to include it.  I put this as my August ALYoF goal, to have a finished quilt.  It is Cynthia's 16th Scrap-a-Palooza quilt at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

I won't be doing much quilting this weekend.

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy! Pinch me!

I am volunteering once again this year at Kingsville's second folk fest.  It is held at Lakeside Park, half a block from my house which is SO exciting, and once again, they have a terrific lineup.  Last night was the volunteer appreciation soirée, cool to see so many familiar faces back, share pizza and drinks from a local winery, Cooper's Hawk Vineyards, and brewery, Walkerville Brewery.  :-)  With a name like that, their beer must be awesome, right?! And yes, it is Hiram Walker himself, not just a whiskey connoisseur, no relation, but I wish he was! As for Donnell Leahy, I saw him perform several years ago with his entire family, Leahy, in Edmonton.  I took my parents, because he was playing Don Messer's violin for the tour.  I was just a little girl, but I remember that show...and that dates me.  I haven't seen Natalie MacMaster yet, but I've been a fan of hers for years.  Ashley MacIsaac, J.P. Cormier, and Guy Davis are also here, all of whom I have seen, all terrific.

I was thinking yesterday how much music is a part of my life, something I have written about before.  I am not one who can 'watch' TV while quilting; I once tried to watch "Frozen", thinking I wouldn't really need or have the desire to pay attention to the screen...uh, yes I did.  I only missed about 10 minutes of that great movie.  Therefore, I listen to music ALL the time when I sew.  I love all kinds of music, except for country (2 songs and I'm ready to stick a fork in my eye), crazy jazz (same fork feeling), and, sorry dear brother, intense opera for prolonged periods of soprano singing...I can handle maybe 3 arias.... However, I love light opera, "Carmen", "The Barber of Seville", "The Magic Flute"... I digress.  With the rise of groups like Mumford and Sons, and Of Monsters and Men, I've rediscovered folk music.  If it is anything like last year, this year's folk fest will be a blast.

This morning--eeeep!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

A? B? or C? Layout Decisions

I decided what shape I am making with my offset log cabin blocks.  Yay.  Today I got all 12 blocks sewn together.  Now I need to figure out a layout.  I know which one I'm leaning towards; if you want to weigh in, do so in the comments!  The quilt is named Wings.
A.

Here the wings go from dark to light, sort of ROYGBIV but not really

B.

I flipped some of the darks to the opposite ends to balance it

C.

Totally random, winging it, ha

For that last one, I took all my freshly ironed blocks, threw them in a Rubbermaid container that holds batting, closed the lid, and pulled out random ones without looking.  Put them up in order starting at the top left.  I only ignored this total randomness on the second draw when the dark green came out right after the first pale green block. I just put it in the second spot but the second row as opposed to the first.

I could not believe how not one of the low volume strips touches an identical strip in all 3 layouts.  I did not plan to have so many different final 8.5 and 9.5" strips.  That's why it's good to have LOTS of scraps, right?!

As suggested by Judy, I edited a photo to tonal to see the values.

Interesting how you see the more even distribution of lights and darks in black and white.

I'm thinking that this is going to be my August goal for ALYoF at Sew Bittersweet Designs.  I had no idea I was going to make this quilt, no idea how it would turn out, or that I would even be near to a flimsy a few days into August, so why not see if I can't get it quilted by the end of the month?

So which do you prefer?  Let me know, and why.  If you haven't seen this before, it is Cynthia's Scrap-a-Palooza quilt #16 found here.  Sixteen.  I have made nine of them so far, I think...and my scrap bins have not gone down much at all...

I actually have an idea for a scrap quilt of my own to be used as another wheelchair quilt for seniors.  My guild has decided that as the charity event for our Christmas party this year, they want members to make one to donate to one of several seniors' residences in Essex County.  I get to do the demo at the September meeting.  Eeek.  Since I already gave away the two I made using Scrap-a-Palooza patterns, I will have to make another.  Oh darn.

This afternoon:  since there was no cushion on the footstool, Rocco decided to take advantage of the cushion on the patio chair I had just vacated! He is such a funny boy.

He had a big day today: we walked to the library, where he got to go inside with me, a first for him, to pick up a book I had on hold (the second in Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, Young Adult books, the first one was excellent, inspired by actual, very odd, old black and white photographs).

He walked sedately beside me up to the desk and, much to the delight of the two librarians, promptly hopped up on his hind legs, front paws on the counter, as if to say, hi!  We then trotted a few blocks over to the bank, where we went just inside the vestibule to the Instant Teller, been there, done that, although he pulled to go all the way inside to the real tellers!  Figured he'd been allowed inside the library, why not inside here too?!

Linking up with WIP at Freshly Pieced.

Log Cabin Tip

This may seem pretty obvious, but it really helped me when making log cabin blocks in the past, and I rediscovered it this past month while making offset log cabin blocks.

It gets confusing (or it could be just me, there's a thought) as to which side to sew each subsequent strip on.  At first, I thought it's a no-brainer:  sew the coloured strips to the coloured sides and the low volume strips to the low volume side.  However, there are two coloured sides and two low volume; which one do you sew the strip to first?  Does it matter?

Yes it does.

You can see in the lower block about to be assembled that I could sew the green plaid strip to either the green swirl or to the darker green dot fabric; it fits on both sides.  So how do I know it goes here?  Each round of colour has one slightly longer strip.  For example, round 2 had a 3.5" and a 5.5" strip.  The longer strips should all be on the same side.  Seems easy, yet I still managed to sew the first strip in a round on the wrong side.  More than once.

Here's the tip:  always have your block with the last strip sewn on at the bottom.  Look at the above photo.  The top block had the green on last, so it is at the bottom.  The lower block had the light grey floral sewn on last.  I can tell simply by seeing it is the only round where the seam goes straight across.  So simple, and so effective.

One other tip:  chain piece, as we all do.  AND...see the middle block below?  I love that green leaf print but didn't have a wide enough strip.  Well, it's a scrap quilt!  So I found another small piece, pieced the two together to get a wide enough strip!  Isn't that how quilting originated?  Making do.

I have my next quilt on the longarm, practising in preparation for all the quilting that will be done on Dayna's quilt.  This is Over and Under, a quilt from the Fall 2011 Quilt Sampler.  I've named mine Parisville Weave.

You can see influence from Angela Walters, Christina Cameli, and Kathleen in the above photo.  I'm loving it so far.

Speaking of loving it, I loved the New Bloggers Hop that recently completed its fourth round and is now ended.  I've met some great new people, read some great new blogs, learned all kinds of new things, and have added to my blogging friends list.

But the learning and fun is not quite over!  Our four intrepid leaders have teamed up with Fabri-Quilt and have created a New Quilt Block Blog Hop beginning at the end of this month.

60 of us have said, "Yes!" to creating a new block that measures 12 1/2" in size.  We are using a palette of six of their new Watermelon Summer solids.

This is a wonderful way to challenge ourselves, and I'm excited to be a part of it!  The hop runs from August 31 - September 3.

Linking up with my hive mama, Stephanie, of Late Night Quilter for her Tips and Tutorials Tuesday.

Barn Quilts in Essex County

I don't think there's a one amongst us who doesn't love spotting barn quilts; even non-quilters get a kick out of seeing a quilt block on a beautiful old barn.  There are several in Essex County.  Here are just three I grabbed a photo of this month.

I looked through two of my quilt block books, one by Nancy J. Martin and Judy Hopkins, and another by Marsha McCloskey, for a total of 221 blocks, and I cannot find this one.  This block is just barely out of town, kitty corner to the Kingsville Arena and Sports Complex, where our guild meetings are held.  Do any of you recognize this? Sans pig, obviously, I find that central rectangle intriguing!