Fabric and Fiber Friday - Quilting Again!

 I haven't had the sewing machine out for a little over 2 years now. One, because I didn't have room while living with Savvy and, two, been a bit busy and felt like I didn't have the 'proper set-up' in my new home.

Then it finally dawned on me.

It's just me here! Well, 4 cats and a dog, but it's just me. And if I have the kitchen table covered with my machine and all the other necessary 'stuff', who cares! Plus, by setting up on the kitchen table, I can see the TV and I can be easily monitored.

I had to put down one of Slider's covers next to the table so he can keep watch. And Reggie, the cat, she is in charge of monitoring Slider. Actually Slider gets tired of watching me in the kitchen and after a bit he will retire to his 'dog cave' under my desk in my bedroom.

The sewing started when I decided last week to finally start checking out some of the quilt stores in my area. And came home with some fabric. Enough to make this quilt.

The top is finished and I need to actually quilt it. However, I am thinking I want to take a certification class to use a long-arm quilting machine at one of the nearby stores and will save it for that. Maybe. I have a lot of quilt tops I need to finish up.

Once that quilt top was complete, I pulled out a top which has been lingering for years now. In fact, it was one of the quilts I started when I moved to Montana in 2013. I have done a little bit on it over the years and put it up and restarted several times. Now I am committed to finishing it. 

When I moved to Montana and was in proximity to a couple of great quilting stores, I discovered Judy Niemeyer quilts. I have finished one of her more simple quilts, but I love Mariner's Compasses and this was right up my alley. The one I am doing will be a queen size, so it will have the additional borders, as in the box on the bottom left.

One thing about her quilts though is the complexity and you really, really have to be organized and go step-by-step. It's also foundation piecing, which means you sew the parts onto part for accuracy and to achieve those really sharp points.

There is a lot of work involved and a lot of quilters will run away if asked to do one of her quilts. In fact, if you ever take a class using one of her patterns, it will have to be taught by a 'certified' instructor who is trained in her technique.

But I love it. I get into the flow of fold, trim, sew, press, repeat. Although, with this top I really didn't go through and plan out my fabrics as well as I should have and there has been a lot of hit and miss on that step.

So far, I am on starting on Booklet 3 of 8. And this is what the sections I have done look like so far.

The long 'spikes' will be black with alternating green and yellow ones. The remainder of the spikes will be green. So basically I have a black, green and yellow color palette for the queen size quilt.

I am slowly getting my upstairs 'organized' and am unpacking fabric and seeing what I have. Unfortunately, this means I have a lot of ideas for future quilts and can't sew fast enough!

Also, I discovered coming up in September and October there will be an 'All Carolinas Quilt Shop Hop'!

There are 82 quilt stores participating in the shop hop. Basically, the idea is to visit the shops. When you do, there is a 'passport' which gets stamped. Plus each store will give you a small square of fabric from that shop. The more stores you visit, the more 'prizes' you are eligible to win. 

I have several day trips planned for my days off now in September and October!

Once I got the magazine with the list of stores, I sat down and figured out the best way to maximize my road trips. 

The stores are in 'regions' which makes it easy to plan my trips. I'll pack up snacks and lunch and water and head out at least one day on my days off. There are some in my immediate area which I can do after work. The funny thing is it looks like it will be easier to visit all the stores in South Carolina (there are less) than it will be to visit the stores in Eastern North Carolina. 

I can't wait! Quilt stores here I come!