The EPP Ball #4 is finished. I am pleased because the baby is due soon. I’ll have the quilt done as well by the time I need to send them off.
EPP Ball #4 Finished
Category: 2024
Lil Sissy Enigma Bag
This is Enigma #5. I do like this pattern! I like the way it looks and how functional it is.
You don’t get to see the all the steps, because I have so much to write about and so much to sew that I am just posting the completed bag now.
Lil Sissy was admiring my Peony Enigma bag when she visited us in Portland. She didn’t ask for one, but I decided to make her one any way. Her birthday was July 26, so I had about a week to make it when I returned. I had a week or so in between everything else – niece’s wedding, YM visiting, etc.
I had to quilt the bottom and I am never happy about quilting, but I am pleased with how this quilting came out.
I used the same fabric I used for the Disco Double Zip pouch and the Percheron Pouch. This is great fabric for my sister as she loves Paris.
I made two of these at the same time. You will see the other one later. Making the same bag multiple times makes them go together faster, but also means I can pay attention to the details. I was able to select which side panel would work for the top and which would be better for the front without a lot of drama. Since I knew what to expect, I could think about the finer details.
I also found a good place for my label and was able to add it in the course of making the inside pocket.
The zipper end was a pain, but ending up coming out well.
Sun Hat Possibility
Some time ago, I talked about making a hat or some hats. I wrote
“I decided to make a hat for a trip we are taking in the summer. That meant going to the web and searching for different hat patterns. One pattern is from Spruce Crafts. It has a very large brim, which I like. Another is from Heather Handmade. This is also a pattern with a large brim. It also shows you how to measure your head and provides a few different sizes of hats. I also found one from Apple Green Cottage. It comes in 5 sizes and it’s free. The pattern says that the brim is just the perfect size for keeping the face from direct sun, however it looks a little small to me. “
The trip was cancelled and I never got around to making the hat(s). I haven’t traveled in the summer in a long time. I prefer to travel in the winter, except for bad roads, or in the Autumn. The crowds are gone and the weather isn’t too hot for my ‘living in the fog’ body. On my recent trip to Portland and back, I could have really used a packable hat – one I can keep in my suitcase for when I need one.
I am determined to use some of the fabric and supplies I bought, so I want to use the yellow Philip Jacobs fabric to try one of the patterns I wrote about. Of course, they may no longer be available, but we will see.
Diagonal 9 Patch #3 Returns
I received 3 quilts back from Colleen the other day including the three Diagonal 9 Patch quilts I sent her.
One was the Diagonal 9 Patch #3, which is the first one I started to bind.
I regretted the binding choice when I saw it on the quilt, but it looks ok once I started to sew down the binding to the back.
This quilt is for a boy baby. It looks a little girly for a boy, but maybe not too much? I am not going to say anything to the parents.
The back is strange. Lemons and chocolates?
Anyway. I am sure they will like it. It will be done soon and ready for the October baby.
Springville Quilt Barn
OMG! I have been to so many quilt shops in the last few weeks! It is really awesome. I don’t have a fabric hangover yet, but I’ll need to sew up a storm.
The Springville Quilt Barn is in the space once occupied by Kim’s Fortuna Fabric and Crafts. I visited the previous shop in 2010, but it only got a brief mention in one of my previous posts. I don’t remember anything about it other than a shop was there.
The Springville shop was crowded with fabric, books, kits, notions and was somewhat disorganized. It was not dirty and was filled with GREAT fabric. I enjoyed the discovery process. Everywhere I turned were colors and patterns I love. Jan Leonardo is the owner and she was very friendly and engaged with us.
The front of the shop gave us a taste of what was to come. As soon as we walked in we saw tons of fabric, books, kits, and notions. They were nicely arranged, in my opinion.
I think Jan had a lot going on. She was creating kits, serving customers, posting to her website and all the other things that go into owning a quilt shop business.
There were quite a few notions and I don’t really think I was able to take in all the fabric that was available. It was, mostly, organized by line and somewhat by designer as well. For example, most of the Tilda fabrics were near each other. I saw Tula, Tilda, some Kaffe (and my man, Phil), but lots of other designers as well.
One thing I noticed is that the shop has older prints from the various designers. For example I saw bolts of Tula Homemade there. Not all are listed on the shop website, so call if you need more of a specific print.
Of course, there were other bolts in that corner as well. I also saw quite a few panels in the same corner and in other parts of the shop. I am seeing more panels lately. Are they more popular or have always been popular and I just haven’t noticed them?
FQ packs were everywhere as well.
I loved the long rows of shelving filled with fabric bolts.
I bought some fabric for gifts, but I also bought a half yard pack of Tilda Bloomsville fabric that I have been admiring. The colors are super cheerful, though there are a few that are a little icky. I hope the colors I like will mitigate any ickiness.
The pack includes the flower prints only not the focus fabrics from that line. I think Jan put the pack together herself as opposed to it being a group assembled by Free Spirit or whichever company distributes Tilda. It was kind of an impulse buy, but I also bought a magazine with a pattern I am going to use for it. Perhaps I’ll start as soon as I get home now that the Green Strips donation quilt is in a good place.
Springville Quilt Barn
2045 S. Main Street
Fortuna, CA 95540
T: 707 496 3433
IG: https://www.instagram.com/springvillequiltbarn/
Happy Pride Month Display
We saw a wide variety of interesting things beyond just quilt shop on my recent trip to Portland. I was pleased and surprised to see quilts celebrating Pride Month at Powell’s Books the day we visited. We visited in July, but the quilts were still on display. Friend Julie wrote about them, too.
The Portland Modern Quilt Guild’s challenge was called Rainbow Quilts. The quilts were displayed in the Basil Hallward Gallery at Powell’s from June 4 to July 30, 2024. As you can imagine, all of the quilts incorporated a rainbow.
I really liked it that Powell’s displayed quilts and that the Portland Modern Quilt Guild organized a challenge.
I am a big fan of rainbows. I love the imagery, but also the merging of colors into one another. Remember my Fabric of the Year quilts?
It was hard to pick my favorite. The plus quilt in the photo, right has a good design. I seem to be interested in curves and circles lately, so the one below it with the rainbow spikes was also a favorite.
You can see that there were quite a few quilts and they were all different sizes. I also saw a lot of different techniques: applique’, Bargello design, curves, mosaic piecing. It was a very interesting collection, which made it even harder to choose the top quilt.
I eventually chose Melinda Miller’s “It’s Time to Use Your Outside Voice”, because I like the quote. I think that it is true for women as well. All of the attempts to curb the rights of women mean that we have some power someone fears.
Be sure to check out the exhibit space at Powell’s when you visit. You will surely see something interesting.
New Pillowcase Project
My youngest nephew graduated from high school in June. He is not going to college right now, so is missing out on some of the experiences his older brother and cousin had.
While I was on vacation, I decided that he needed pillowcases anyway. He wants to travel, so I chose a travel theme. I was able to buy several prints that I will use, but I’ll need to get more to fill out the year.
These pillowcases will be quick wins in terms of fabric usage, too.
Kruusn Quilt Shop & Retreat Center
Kruusn is in Coos Bay and it was one of the only quilt shops we passed that was open on a Sunday. We actually went out of our way to find the shop, but it wasn’t terribly far out of the way and it was totally worth it.
The store looked like a beach house and when we pulled up I was afraid I was walking into someone’s living room. There were family members there living their lives, but it was definitely a quilt shop.
Kruusn was packed with fabric, bag supplies, patterns, tools and panels. I didn’t see many kits, but I also wasn’t looking. You see it all the minute you walk in. I found plenty to buy there.
The people were super friendly once we all warmed up. They didn’t try and hard sell me on anything, though one of the clerk’s extolled the virtues of rope bowls and showed us both the one she made and embellished with the moon and stars fabric we both bought.
There was so much to look at I had to go through the shop twice.
The front room had tons of notions and bag supplies. I had to stop myself from buying notions. They had so many different scissors and rotary cutters and lots of things I had never seen before. I took advantage of the selection to buy some gifts.
I was really interested in how many ByAnnie patterns and supplies the shop had. They had the most complete set of zippers (all the colors??) I have seen. There were other brands as well. I bought some interesting zipper pulls and some bag gifts for SueG.
They also showed us the ‘Glow’ rulers by Carolina Moore. These rulers light up and are rechargeable. They are also very pricey IMO. The 6×6 inch ruler is $58. They also had a 6.5 x 24 inch size that was $91 and 12.5 inch square that is $78. I am sure they are worth it and I will be buying one when my eyesight deteriorates. I didn’t buy one at Kruusn. This is why I like going to different shops. I like seeing all different things.
Kruusn had a nice selection of V&Co ombre fabrics. You can see them on the back wall of the photo, left.
Friend Julie spent a lot of time in there. I had to go find her at one point as I hadn’t seen her. It turns out she was checking the requirements for a quilt she wants to make and needed a specific ombre.
You can also see how every surface held something interesting. There were lots of charm packs and fat quarter/half yard packs all around the shop.
The other side of the ombre room held batiks and marbly looking fabrics, including some of the Tonga Treats. There were also A LOT of Kimberbell products.
There were a lot of blanks I have never seen, such as zipper pouch blanks. I also aprons, a variety – a wide variety – of interfacing.
There were things I rarely see in quilt shops such as Art Bin totes and pillow forms. It makes me wonder if they are one of the few shops in the area. If so, they are full service.
They had a respectable amount of everything, but not tons. The shop was full of a lot of different things. It is clear that they are supplying materials for pre-cut projects as well as the pre-cuts themselves.
First they have pre-cuts, as we have mentioned, but then they supplied books for using pre-cuts and a variety of projects that use pre-cuts.
I saw a couple of projects using Bosal as well as patterns for a wide variety of small projects – bags, baskets and other gifts.
If you need a ‘Gnome for the Holidays’ quilt kit, this is your store!
This room also had a lot of pet fabrics. On the wall, left, is a fun dog quilt.
Next to the pets is a ‘soft book library’ with kits to make the books underneath. Also, they had a supply of Cutterpillar products, which I have discussed in a recent V&S post.
One of the most interesting things was a modern Necchi. I have never seen one of these before. I have also never heard of one. It turns out Kruusn is a Necchi dealer. That is novel! Seeing the machine immediately catapulted me back to the Necchi I own. As you know it was my great grandmother’s machine. I got it repaired a long time ago, but don’t use it for sewing.
The shop was worth visiting. They had a lot of fabric, charm packs, mini charm packs as well as an excellent section of tools and supplies. They have a rewards program where customers can earn a $10 gift card for each $200 purchased.
Kruusn Quilt Designs, Quilt Shop & Retreat Center
92772 Cape Arago Hwy
Coos Bay, OR 97420
T: 541-808-9972
E: lindamason@kruusn.com
Quilter’s Cove
We stopped in Newport, Oregon to see a BAM friend who moved there a few years ago. I have been wanting to drive down the coast and seeing her was a good excuse.
We spent the whole day on Saturday out and about including visiting Quilter’s Cove quilt shop.
This shop has a coastal theme, as do many of the shops along the coast of Oregon. I probably said that when I talked about the quilt shops I visiting back in 2015 such as Quilter’s Corner (still in business, but was closed when we went by Port Orford). The shop had a lot of batiks in blues and greens.
I was also super impressed with the number of Laura Heine patterns Quilter’s Cove had in the shop. If you want to see a Laura Heine pattern made up, this is the shop for you. I don’t know how many patterns are available but there were a lot of them.
I thought about making the Fish pattern as a gift, but I decided to hold off. I’d like to know how the process works. Also, I am not that interested in recreating something someone else designed.
I was impressed with the notions the shop had. They has a wide variety of tools. They had a wide variety of machine and hand needles. I also saw several versions of the Magic Pins**, and a whole line of rotary cutters. I didn’t see a lot of rulers, though they had quite a few Add-a-Quarter rulers**.
The most interesting thing was that they had Martelli’s rotary blade replacements. I never thought of where I would get Martelli blades if I decided to buy one of their rotary cutters. I have only seen them sold at quilt shows. I have no idea whether or not an Olfa replacement blade, for example, would work in a Martelli rotary cutter.
They displayed the fabrics in a way that was a cross between House of Fabrics and a quilt shop. It was an easy way to see what the fabrics looked like.
Quilter’s Cove
27 N Coast Hwy
Newport, OR 97365-3122
T:(541) 265-2591
W: https://www.facebook.com/QuiltersCove/
E: quilterscove@gmail.com
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
Travel Around Oregon
I had a bug in my ear to drive down the Oregon Coast. I have had it for awhile, but this trip provided me with the opportunity. After Portland, we headed over to the coast. It was a good thing, because the temperature in Portland was soaring. We didn’t get much relief until we got over to the coast.
On the way, we stopped at Boersma’s, as mentioned, which is a GREAT shop. Friend Julie has posted about it as well. The drive was long because it was a holiday weekend and everyone seemed to be getting out of town. I am a somewhat impatient driver. I like to keep moving so the stop and go traffic, similar to Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz in the summer, was maddening. Friend Julie did a good job keeping me sane and we finally made it to Newport.
We stopped in Newport to visit a BAM friend who moved up there for her job. The area is beautiful as is the town. It is a working fishing port and we saw evidence of boats going out and catching fish and other sea creatures while we were there. We met Cheryl and her family for dinner on the first night. We went to a Thai place in downtown Newport. The food was excellent. I had more Pad See Eww and I don’t feel like I overindulged in that dish, though I ate it at least 4 times.
On Saturday, we first went to the Farmer’s Market. There were a lot of artisan items for purchase. Julie bought some jams and I looked at some Friends of Bree dolls that I thought were unique and interesting.
I like these dolls because they are different than other dolls. They look a bit edgy, but not really scary.
The Secret Keeper model has a zipper for a mouth, which I think is a brilliant detail. Traci also makes some of the dolls without the zipper mouth. She has bats and cats on her Etsy shop, too.
Each doll was $53 (prices are different on Etsy), which I thought was a deal. It seems like a lot, but you have to consider the work that goes into the doll after the idea was formed. Also, if you have ever stuffed a toy, you will appreciate the excellent work done on these dolls.
After the farmer’s market we visited the quilt shop, Quilter’s Cove,, which I discussed yesterday.
The Lincoln County Fair was on in Newport, so we went there next. Normally, the Fair is an all day activity. This Fair was REALLY different from the San Mateo County Fair. First of all, there was no paid parking and admission was FREE!! It was also tiny, but much more intimate as well.
The first building we visited was the commercial building and I liked it a lot better than the San Mateo County Fair commercial building. Like everything else, people were friendly and willing to talk without the high pressure of a sales pitch. There were government entities including several dealing with food – bees, growing food, alternatives to pesticides, etc.
We also found the local quilt guild in this building. They had, what seemed like, a double wide booth. The quilts were interesting and the ladies hosting the booth were super friendly. They had a lot of cool t-shirts, jackets and other things with their logos for sale, too. Their meetings aren’t super convenient for working people, but they do have some evening meetings and our friend Cheryl might join.
The ‘Home Arts’ section was in one corner of a barn (shed?) that included food entries, flowers and woodworking as well as sewing, crochet, quilts and knitting. I also saw table settings, a favorite of mine at the San Mateo County Fair.
There was a small selection of entries from various kinds of crafts, including a very popular miniatures category that I found fascinating. There were a few entries that used books. I don’t know if that was a specific category or just a convenient media. I loved miniatures as a kid and would have loved a special dollhouse (still would, maybe).
We also visited the animals. Outside the animal barn was a pen with camels. A person could pay $15 and get a ride. I was kicked by a camel once, so I am not a fan. Still, it was interesting enough to take a photo. None of our party wanted a ride this time.
The animal barn was also a completely different experience than the San Mateo County Fair. The owners/breeders were in the stalls with the animals and were happy to talk to us. The barn was hot so many people were spraying their animals with spray bottles or hoses to keep them cool. We saw one poor chicken that looked too hot. The baby goats were adorable.
On our way out, we bought some Aqua Frescas. I had Pineapple flavor and I LOVED it. The drink was very refreshing and not too sweet. It was not like drinking a Jarritos.
Next stop was the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The day was gorgeous and I was able to take some beautiful pictures of the lighthouse. We were also able to take in some gorgeous views. Do you sense a theme?
We took a look at the visitor center first, which is slightly out of date according to Cheryl, who is a biologist, but not terrible.
One of the fascinating exhibits was the one about the lighthouse keepers and their families. The exhibit talked about their duties and what they did for fun as well as things they did to keep busy. This frame is one of the examples of crafts in which someone engaged. It looks like a form of macrame and is really amazing work.
We also visited a New Age type shop somewhere around Newport. The salesperson was super friendly and vivacious, but none of us really liked the vibe of the shop.We did see a Mother Earth statue that was large and intricate. Julie and I visited Humbolt Herbals when we were in Eureka and liked that place a lot better.
The day was packed! We ended it with a charcuterie dinner at a restaurant called Myril. You have to visit! I love charcuterie dinners. I never feel super full, but I feel like I have eaten enough. This restaurant had amazing cheeses and super delicious meats. They also had good cocktails. We went with Cheryl and her husband and had a great time.
The next day we headed out to start driving home. I wanted to look at the Oregon Coast views and we did that. I always forget how long it takes to drive down the Oregon Coast. We were starting to get antsy about getting home, so we spent a lot of time in the car.
We stopped at the Sea Lion Caves. Julie had been there before and she thought it was worth the stop. I thought it was, even though it was a bit stinky.
The Sea Lion Caves is a 12 or 13 story caves that sea lions use as a resting spot (or nursery?) during certain times of the year. You go in to a well stocked gift shop (yes, I bought postcards) and buy tickets. They tell you how many sea lions are in residence and you go down to the elevator.
The elevator is outside, though in a little hut. You have to go outside to get to it, but that was great, because I got to look at the amazing water.
The lighthouse in the photo is the one they built using a lens from England. It is called Heceta Head Lighthouse. See the fog? I was starting to feel at home and the temperature was a lot cooler.
You can find the Sea Lion Caves at 91560 Hwy. 101 N. Florence, OR 97439. MILEPOST 179.
The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. We stopped at various quilt shops and stayed at a hotel with a fantastic hot tub we forgot to use. In Gold Beach we ended up in a tavern type bar/restaurant that was slightly scary. The food was excellent, however. We drove back to the hotel and watched the sunset from our balcony, which was gorgeous.
As an aside, Friend Julie wrote a great post about our visit to the Rose Garden. Take a look since I barely mentioned it in my previous post.
Boersma’s Fabric
Portland was getting too hot and I was starting to feel the itch to get home. Not seriously, because I love driving down the Oregon coast and looking at the ocean. It is such a beautiful color and the scenery is amazing.
We stopped in McMinnville after I saw the sign and told Friend Julie about Boersma’s. I remember it from when Amanda and I visited back in the beforetimes. Back then I thought the shop was awesome. It was even better this time.
AND they have a super cool sign. That windmill was moving when I took the photo.
The shop is housed in an old department store space. The store was three stories. The third story was an apartment. There were also classrooms, offices and staff areas on the second story. We didn’t go up there. The basement floor was all sale fabric. They had quite a lot and I found a good canvas for a bag there.
The street level floor was full of fabric, sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. The aisles were narrow and full, but the place was scrupulously clean and did not seem disorganized. I could have bought a lot more than I did, but I made quite a dent in their stock. They had a wide selection of fabric styles – from Tilde and Tula to Pacific Northwest forest and tree fabrics. I didn’t see many, if any, Civil War, etc repros. I wasn’t looking for those, so they may have been somewhere and I didn’t see them.
They have upgraded their technology and have a cool kiosk you can sign up to be on their mailing list and get rewards. Rewards are accumulated through online and in person sales.
The online shop is good. I love their ‘What’s New’ section. It is called ‘What’s New Woo Hoo’! Isn’t that fun and hilarious? I am glad they have a sense of humor.
You know I love notions. I think I escaped this trip with no new rulers, but I did do a good survey of various notions selections in the shops. This shop had a nice selection including a lot of zippers.
This time I found the interfacings nook. I didn’t buy any interfacing, but they had a good selection.
This trip I seemed to be looking at ‘good ideas in quilt shops’. I am not sure why. Perhaps I will win the lottery and open the ideal quilt shop?
Boersma’s had patterns hanging in the aisles with fabrics. These seemed to be the free patterns that were released with the fabrics by the fabric company. I thought that was a great idea.
They had new sales and repair sections for both sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. I did not look at the vacuum cleaners, though I did see a long line of them in the basement. Perhaps they were repairs?
In the sewing machine department, I just took a quick look. Julie said they sold Janomes. Julie liked the chairs they had, which were also available for sale.
This shop is definitely worth a visit. It isn’t that far out of Portland, though it is a trek and you would need a car. If you are only able to visit one quilt shop, this should be it.
There is a McMeniman’s nearby where you can eat lunch, which would be a good break.
Boersma’s Sewing Center Inc
203 NE 3rd Street
McMinnville , OR 97128
Main: (503) 472-4611
Toll Free: (800) 822-7397
Fax: (503) 472-1831
info@boersmas.com
26 Projects 2024 #7
Finished 2024 Quilt Projects
- Cha Cha Cha table runner #2
- Colorblocks #3
- Metro Twist
- Scrappy Celebration
Finished (for me!) Donation Quilts
As you know, I don’t quilt much. I really enjoy the collaborative effort of making a top and allowing someone else to quilt it. Thus, the quilts below are mostly tops, but I will include a finished quilt once someone else finishes it for the group.
- Black Strip #2 donation top – January 2024
- Brown Strip donation top AKA Marty C Brown quilt – January 2024
- Green Strip #2 donation top – June 2024
- Grey Strip donation top – January 2024
- Pink & Black QST #3 donation top – February 2024
- QST #4 : Blue donation top – March 2024
Finished Bags and Small Projects
This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.
- 2-in-1 Case #4
- Bluestem pouch
- Bracelet (finishing only)
- Enigma Bags
- Pink Enigma #4
- Hemingways
- I Spy pouches
- Little Pyramid Pouches
- Palomino Pouch
- Butterfly Palomino Pouch
- Pink Palomino Pouch
- Petunia Pouch
- Piebald Pouch
- Cal Piebald (#4)
- Piebald #2: Flea Market Fancy
- Piebald #3: Flea Market Fancy
- Retreat Bag
- Sweetbay Crossbody
- Woodland Capelet Scarf
Ready for Quilting / In the Quilting Process
- Half Hexie Star
- Who Am I?
- Baby 2 Jacobs Diagonal 9 Patch quilt
- Diagonal 9 patch #3
- Green & Grey Diagonal 9 Patch
In the Finishing Process
Nothing at the moment
WIPs
WIPs are projects on which I am working. This means that I am past the cutting out of pieces stage, some sewing has taken place.
- La Passacaglia – I am working on the border, but need to work more and harder.
Cut Out & Stopped
- EPPic Bag – I need to make a cover/ main exterior piece for this bag. I was thinking of a Pineapple block, but haven’t gotten back to it yet. I am also kind of scared of this pattern. I know what to expect from Sew sweetness patterns, but this is a new designer to me.
- Hildegarde Notions Trunk – I just cut it out, but will wait a bit before I start working on it
Still UFOs
I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
I am annoyed that some of these are still UFOs. I have to give myself credit for completing some of them last year.
- Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
- Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started. I did pull the fabric, supplies and found a photo I plan to use as inspiration that others posted, so I am one step closer.
- Handbag Sampler – I found the blocks! I found them in a bin I thought I had thoroughly searched! I also found the fabrics carefully stored together. Hooray!!
- Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. After a brief burst of inspiration, I am stalled on this again. As one of my oldest (I am pretty sure) UFOs, I put it on my blog and out into the Twitterverse and Diane suggested that I not consider this as a self portrait. I think that strategy is a great idea. I am now trying to think of a new persona for her.
- Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
- Fabric of the Year 2020
- Fabric of the Year 2021 – I may combine 2020 and 2021 into a COVID edition.
- Fabric of the Year 2022 – yes, I added this one to the list, but this is the last one I plan to do.
Various & Sundry 2024 #6
I saw this image at Kruusn Quilt Shop. It was a sticker from Moda they had displayed near the cash register. Look for a review of that shop in a few days.
Admin
When I look at my website stats, the Finishing the Tuffet post is always at the top, even after 9 years. So strange!
Of course, I updated the Minikins page.
Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials
When I was in Portland, I sat chatting with my Mom and sister and working on the EPP Ball. My sister finally realized what I was doing and was amazed that I had gotten so much done while sitting there talking. She suggested I make a ball that kids could grab. I imagined as an Orange Peel ball. They are also called Montessori puzzle balls. I finally found a pattern. I found some other options at Timothy Jerrin.com. There might be something wrong with the site as the formatting looks weird in some places, but it could just be translated. This site gives me some ideas about translating one of the patterns to EPP. I don’t want to make these balls on the machine.
Julie talked about a Summer Olympics block series (sampler project?). You can sign up on Jessica Steele’s site.
Ruby Star has a big bow pattern. Remember the 1980s?
Bonnie Hunter has a new Leader and Ender Challenge.
If you want a faux piping tutorial, check out the Kruusn quilt site. There are a few other tutorials on that site as well.
You might remember that I made a few of the Retreat Bags, a free Emmaline Designs pattern. I saw an enlarged version with handles, which I thought was a great idea. I went looking for some additional information, but couldn’t find the IG post of which I was thinking. The free pattern has a link to a YouTube tutorial, but my friend Lynette found an even better one from Juju Creations.
Check out the chart of Pellon stabilizers. One helpful aspect is that it tells you best uses for the different stabilizers. I’d love to find one with equivalents in other brands. I know I have looked before.
Need some quilt math cheat Sheets? Check out the version from the Crazy Quilter’s Guild. There are a lot of different sheets that may be helpful.
Carrie and I have been talking a lot about using templates to make bags. I am not talking about the Sew Sweetness templates, which are designed to help with rotary cutting, but templates that are used like origami instructions to make bags. Moni.malene on IG. The fabric piece created by the templates turn into one bag or pouch. It is so hard to explain. Carrie made a couple of examples (+notebook and pen).
Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic has a travel sewing case featured in a blog post. It isn’t free. It is from Rosie Taylor Crafts and is called the Rosie Sewing Case. The really good thing about it is all the vinyl pockets. I think that Aneela Hoey has some similar cases in her book, Stitched Sewing Organizers**. This is the book I used to make the 2-in-1 Cases. Regardless of whether you buy the pattern the idea is good. You could modify the 2-in-1 case to include a few of the features highlighted in the blog post. Just buy the pattern and support an independent designer if you can’t be bothered. 😉
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
If you need some Tula Homemade, check out Springville Quilt Barn. She also has a little bit of Zuma. Look for my review for them in a week or so
Cheryl told me about Klum House bags. She uses heavier duty materials than I normally use and has kits that include everything to make a bag. They also have classes.
I heard about Quilt Ink as I was downloading the Summer Games QAL blocks. It is a site where designers can post patterns and users can color in various designs. I haven’t tried it, but it looks interesting.
Other Artists
Ruth McDowell passed away. A former quilt group member of mine wrote a remembrance of her on the C&T blog. This is such sad news. If you want to be able to piece anything, get her book, Piecing, and work through it. I took four classes from her and am much better at piecing than I would be otherwise. Do I always want to piece inverted Vs? No, I don’t, but if I want to achieve an effect, I know how to do it. Her book is out of print, so you will have to get an e-version (not ideal IMO, because you can’t make notes), or a used copy. The Quilter’s Hall of Fame posted a remembrance as did the Visions Museum of Textile Art.
Shows & Exhibits
I finally have a quilt that I want to enter, and feel is good enough to enter, into Quilt National.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe has an exhibit at the International Quilt Museum. Thanks to SueG for sending the link along. This is an example of what I love about quiltmaking. Virtually the same block (or chunk) rearranged in different ways to make something different.
NQR
At home I have my computer attached to a large screen. If I am having trouble seeing something, then I move it to the large screen and I can usually see what I need to. However, on vacation, I only had my laptop and I could not really see the images I was loading into the ‘waiting to process for the blog’ folder. Finally, when I returned home I was having the same problem. I fiddled with the display and, amazingly, the brightness was at near ZERO!! I moved it up and I can see the laptop so much better. It saves me, because I was considering replacing my large screen with an even larger screen.
Did you know that condensed tomato soup is used as an ingredient in cake? No joke. I read it in a book and then had to look it up. Check out the recipe. There are a bunch including one on the Campbell’s Soup Company site using a spice cake mix. The history was probably done by a librarian.
July 2024 Donation Blocks
I spent half the month out of town, so my output wasn’t good.
I am working on sashing more green strips donation blocks.
A Little PIQF
I spent Friday with Friend Julie at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. In years past, I have spent a few days, stayed overnight at a hotel, taken hundreds of photos and taken classes. I think those days are in my past. I might do that if I travel to another state, but I don’t want to stay overnight for PIQF any more. If there were some great classes, then I might change my mind. For me, this was a quick visit.
The best part? Spending time with Julie! No contest.
The second best part? New vendors. Yes, I bought a couple of things, but not much. I either didn’t see anything I had to have or I wasn’t in the mood. There a couple of packs of fabric I am kind of regretting not buying, but I have tons of fabric and will rummage around my fabric closet for what I need/ want to use.
A number of longtime vendors weren’t there. I don’t know why, but am guessing that the change of date (July vs. October) or the post-pandemic lower attendance. Obviously, I do not have attendance records, but I did not see the crowds waiting to buy an entrance ticket or the crowds looking at quilts. I saw many fewer women with strollers and I seem to remember many of them attended on Friday. I appreciate the list of vendors on the Mancuso website and in the program.
UPDATE 28 July 2024: Someone said that ByHands was a Korean company and implied that I had said it was a Japanese company. I wanted to be clear that I thought the handbag and general bag patterns looked like the Japanese bags I have seen in books and online. I did not mean to imply that they were Japanese designs.
A favorite vendor was byhands Purse Making Supply. They sold Japanese looking bag patterns and kits. If you have read my posts where I extol the virtues of Japanese looking bags, then you will know a couple of the reasons I liked this vendor.
I haven’t written a lot about Japanese looking bags but I talk about them all the time. I like their shapes. I like their decoration. I do not like their colors. The good thing about this vendor was that they had samples of various bags. For each bag sample there was a pattern only and a kit. If you didn’t want to use the fabric in the kit, you could buy the various parts and the pattern and add your own fabric. I liked the hardware sold by ByHands. There were lots of different leather straps, purse frames, cinch straps (new one on me) and others from which to choose. I was really interested int he various hardware that already has leather tabs attached. No more swiveling D-rings!
I think my favorite pattern was the Travel Bag. I restrained myself from buying another pattern, but I know about it now. A guild friend bought the Macaroon clutch, which is super cute. I’ll talk about Japanese looking bags sometime later.
The women at Material Girlfriends, which is driveable for me, were really fun. They had a super cute booth as well. Few depressing colors. They were giving away fans, which was perfect for our age group. Julie bought a fun Fibonacci type quilt pattern there. I was sort of interested in their Color Therapy pattern, but I didn’t buy it. I think I was more interested in the idea of it and that icky yellow-brown turned me off. Yes, I could change it, but it was so prominently in the upper left of the pattern. I think Stay Tuned, which I bought a few years ago is similar. I should make that one first.
I also enjoyed Sewing 101 and am on the fence about whether I should have bought the Tilda dots. I am thinking NO!, but a little voice inside of me is not in agreement. They had a lot of Tilda and knew their Tilda. I showed them the Tilda fabrics I bought at Springville Quilt Barn and they knew them right away (Bloomsville).
Of course, there was a Kaffe booth, All About Color Quilting. It was super colorful and had all the large flower prints I like. They have a Kaffe New SKU Club. NO! I am not joining. I came very close to buying the mosaics bundle. I thought about all the fabric I bought on vacation and walked away. Another possible regret. I love the Kaffe dots and almost bought a pack of them as well. I really like sets of things and both of these bundles satisfied that love in me.
There were some good quilts, too. I enjoyed the “Inspired by the Nation’s Capital” quilts, which depicted places and buildings in Washington DC in a small format. The exhibit is described on the PIQF Special Exhibits page as “To celebrate our Nation’s Capital, fiber artists from across the country have portrayed key places and events in the Washington DC area. This collection of over 100 original 24” x 24” quilts showcases historic buildings, monuments, landmarks, museums and recreation areas. The collection is a fabric travelogue, enabling viewers the opportunity to see a wide variety of sites from the very familiar to the lesser known that feature the heart of the city, from the most serious locations to the more playful. Techniques, materials, and fiber art skills are as varied as the subjects of the quilts. ” I think this is a book** I might want.
I liked the Mixed Box quilt by Karen Bolan, which was included in the New Quilts of California exhibit.
There was a lot of transparency work at the show and this was one of them. I saw the block and thought it would be a good one to use for the rest of the silks I have. I still have a lot after Colorblocks 3. This is the first block I have seen that had the right look. Another project for the list.
I thought a number of the quilts seemed really intricate and I wondered if people were finishing up those complicated quilts they started during the pandemic.
Of course, I can’t finish without mentioning the FOUR quilts Julie entered in the show.
This is her Safe at Home quilt, a BOM or Row by Row quilt that came out during the pandemic. Yay! A finish!.
Her other three quilts were part of special exhibits and I got distracted and didn’t take photos.
We saw friends and a lot of good quilts and fun vendors. My feet hurt a lot at the end of the day, but visiting a quilt show was worth it.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.