Row By Row H2O

Did you take part in the Row By Row experience last summer? If yes, it is coming back even bigger next summer.  If no, great ready for some summer fun.
Check out the website to see all the provinces and states taking part.  2014 included 26 states and Ontario with over 1500 participating quilt shops.  See the winning quilts on Facebook.  Each area has its own Facebook page and you don't have to have an account or page to view the results.
Here is how it works:

1.  Starting on June 21 and until September 8, 2015, whenever you travel look for the participating quilt shops.
2.  Each shop you visit will give you a free pattern for a row based on the theme of water.  The row must be 36" long finished and no more than 9" high.
3.  If you want to take part in the contest, collect a minimum of 8 patterns from 2015 participating shops.  Go home, make a quilt with the 8 rows.  You are free to choose fabrics and settings for your quilt.  Piece it, quilt it, bind it and label it.  Be the first person to bring a quilt through the door of any participating shop and win a 25 fat quarter bundle. The Shop you will at may add a bonus prize if you include its row.

That's it.  Travel, visit and have fun.  Start planning with your guild friends and quilt buddies.
Here is a sneak peek at the logo and fabrics by Timeless Treasures for 2015.  One of the license plates on the last fabric is from a shop in Ontario!

Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool

I love log cabin quilts.  I love making them, using and seeing how others make them.  I love the traditional log cabin blocks and courthouse step blocks.  I have made a Colorado Star log cabin, once and never again.  I do not enjoy paper piecing.  I do not do well with complicated piecing in shapes with angles that do not make a square.
So I never imagined I could make pineapple log cabin quilt blocks.  This year I have made 2!!  One I made in the spring with Lynette Anderson fabrics.  I was asked to demonstrate the tool at a guild meeting so made the quilt with the demo blocks.

Last month I was asked to teach how to use the tool at a different guild so I made a second quilt with Lynette's 'Starry Night' Christmas fabric line.

Both are made with the Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool.  The centre starts with a 2 1/2" square.  Logs are cut a minimum of 1 5/8" wide and long enough to cover the side of the log before.  After a round of logs is added they are trimmed to the required length and width with the tool.  There are some tricks to making accurate blocks but it is much easier than templates or paper piecing. 
I see more pineapples in my future!

Playing Cards from C&T Publishing

Here is a great gift idea for your quilting friends who like a break from stitching.  Take them to a retreat, impress your non-quilty friends with colourful cards and enjoy.

30 Years of Kona Cotton

This year Robert Kaufman added 33 new colours to the line of Kona cotton.  That makes a total of 303 colours to choose from.  At Quilt Market there was lots to see and enjoy at the Kaufman booth.

Check out the Robert Kaufman website for the Lookbook.  The 30 quilts are some you may recognize, some you are planning to make, some you might like to make or some to enjoy for the mere pleasure of seeing what can be done.

On their Facebook page there are links to the 30 quilts blog hop.

 A quilt made from solids gives you the opportunity to experiment with free motion quilting designs or some straight line modern designs.  

We have as many Kona cottons as we can fit in the one area of the store.  Some days there are more than can fit and we still order more.  I wish there were room for all 303 but we have a colour chart and can order!!

Roll & Go

'Among Brenda's Quilts & Bags'.... that Brenda is at it again.  She needed a way to use some Canadian flag fabric in a unique project so she created a quilt to take wherever you go. 

The quilt is made in 12 large blocks which are joined in a 'quilt-as-you-go' method on the back.  There is Velcro in the middle top of the back.  Follow the direction to fold and roll the quilt before adding the carrier.  Store your bits and valuables in the zippered pocket of the carrier and head out.

Make a picnic version, sleepover version or a version is support of your favourite sport.  Someone suggested making one to take to hospital treatments.  The store sample has football on the front, soccer on the back and team colours for the carrier.  This is a good time to start collecting and sewing so everyone gets their own version for next Christmas!

Gift Certificates

Whoosh!  That was me running past the computer in a hurry today!  So here is a short idea to give as a gift for Christmas.

Gift Certificate

The gift of shopping for fabric, patterns, notions and other creative bits and bobs for quilting.  It will be worth 30% more at the Inventory Clear Out sale after Christmas.

December 27 to 31
10 am to 5 pm
30% 0ff all regular priced inventory!!

Off and running......

'Threads of Time' Block of the Month from Windham Fabrics

We are doing this Windham Fabrics block of the month starting in January.  The shop kit is here and we have started working on the store sample so drop in after December 14 to see how it is coming.  I hope to have many of the flying geese done and to be working on the 9 sets of 4 blocks for each month.  The quilt is a double size but can be made larger by adding borders.  We haven't received the first shipment of fabrics so the cost isn't set yet.  But here are some details:

This is a 10 month program to make the blocks and flying geese.  For each of nine months you receive fabric and the pattern to make 4 blocks of one design and 40 flying geese.  In the tenth month you receive the fabric for the borders and binding.
The cost is divided into 10 months and includes all the fabric for the top and binding, the patterns each month and a class if you wish to learn as you go.  I can send the kits by Canada Post if you want to participate and live to far away.  Postage is at cost.

It seems the block of the month programs we have done and are planning to do have a 1800s reproduction look to them.  The store was built in 1869 so I guess there is a theme to them.

I will post more information as it becomes available.