26 quilters gathered with their totes full of 2.5” strips and squares --- ready to SEW SEW SEW!
There are some workshops that are so intense that only a handful of units go home with the students.
And then there are Quilt Day Camp days where we really throw ourselves into a project designed to help us use up that fabric that has been lingering way too long in the stash!
This is a great one to get you started on developing your own Scrap Users System…..cut for this quilt, and then the left overs from cutting can simply be sliced down into useable strip widths for OTHER future projects ---several of our ladies are talking about doing Queen to King quilts just to move the fabric OUT and get the scraps under control!
Someone brought a design wall that was SO handy --- I’ve got several shots of the blocks that were placed on the design wall – a whole community’s worth. They moved around and were auditioned next to other blocks…it was so interesting to see the different effects of the color and value placement. The blocks can look so different depending on where you put the fabric!
I’m traveling home today! And it’s a good thing since I ran out of 2” cheddar squares that I’ve been using for my leader/ender bow-ties. I planned this just about right, and only ran out of them late last evening ---time to cut some more when I get home!
I’ll be home for almost 2 weeks ---oh, is that ever going to be nice. At this moment, I think I’d be perfectly happy to not leave the house for at least a week ---being a hermit sounds right up my alley right now, no matter how fun this trip has been…my batteries are on empty and I need a relax and recharge.
Thank you, Columbus Ohio for such a wonderful time! We’ll be seeing you again in 2016!
I’ve sewn as far as I can tonight --- I’m out of my pre-cut cheddar squares for my leader/ender bow-ties and it’s a good time to slow it down, pack it up, and get things ready for heading home tomorrow!
I wanted to pass this freebie on to you since so many quilters who are in love with civil war era quilts, also love reading civil war based books……and I’m one of those quilters too! I love history ---and this one is right up my alley.
They Met at Shiloh by Phillip Bryant has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 10 customer reviews. I received an email from the author saying this book would be free through May 24th.
Category: Historical Fiction
Book Description:
Pittsburg Landing was a place at peace—one that never expected to be the site for one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Peace is shattered as Confederate and Federal troops meet on the fields and farms surrounding a tiny Methodist church. In the midst of death and destruction, friendships form as four soldiers struggle to survive the battle.
Forced to leave his position as minister, Phillip Pearson knows his life is in danger, but not just from the Confederates. The Harper family, incensed at Pearson’s refusal to bury a philandering son, has a vendetta against him that is played out on the battlefield.
Demoted from his command by a West Point graduate, Capt.Michael Greirson is forced to choose between ambition and duty.
When a bumbling youth becomes his shadow, Private Robert Mitchell gains an unlikely friend—something that has been missing from his life. Afraid to trust, he is forced to confront those fears and depend on others in the heat of battle.
War is an adventure to Private Stephen Murdoch and his best friend, William Banks. For months they dream of the glory of war before volunteering together. On the eve of battle, they sense something momentous is about to happen. Their idealistic views fade in the blood of their fallen comrades.
As we celebrate the 150th anniversary in April 2012, Phillip Bryant provides a fresh look at the battle from the personal perspective of four men among the armies of panicked soldiers who marched and faced off against one another, ill-suited for infantry combat at close range but forced by fate and necessity at the Battle of Shiloh.
I just downloaded my copy and it was still free ---but double check before purchasing to be sure it still is for you – who knows how long these will be available for free before they start to charge.
Night, Everyone!
All through this trip I’ve been posting about huge gigantic quilt shops with 7000 bolts or more, huge floor spaces, carrying everything under the sun --
Oh, and I love them --- it’s fabric and inspiration overload ---
Yesterday I had a sweet experience at a different kind of quilt shop ---it was like going from “Big Box Store” to “Adorable Boutique” ----and it made me want to linger!
There is a cute little shop in a little old strip mall called “Sew to Speak.” I knew upon entering that this was a different kind of place. Their by-line is “A do it yourself style shoppe for creating aparel and home décor”
Of course, that includes quilts too ---
And if I didn’t know better --- that Vespa out front could have been an extension of the style inside --- it was trendy yet vintage, and it made me want to touch EVERYTHING!
From the red floor, to the red top of the display table ---it felt artsy and quaint, yet inviting. It reminded me of the smaller sizes of shops I’d encountered when visiting Germany, France or the Netherlands --
The fabrics were special, and things I don’t see every day ---simply displayed on wood shelves. Lots of patterns for apparel and bags --- and it was fun to see the different colorful rolls of oil cloth and all that can be done with that – it reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen with the oil cloth table cloth ----great memories!
Modern style quilts hung from racks and draped over a sofa. You just want to touch every stitch! I loved how some of them, while machine quilted, were accented with big stitch quilting by hand in colorful pearle cotton – almost as an afterthought. FUN!
LOVED this modern uptake of an old traditional favorite – 1000 pyramids!
Here some “chalk board” oil cloth was being cut for a customer with a very busy toddler – it’s going to become an art wall for her kids. VERY COOL. We didn’t have this stuf when I was raising my boys ---
Visiting this little shop just made me so happy --- you know bigger is not always better – it’s just MORE.
I couldn’t resist two bundles of polka dots…polka dots always make me happy too!
If you get a chance while driving through Columbus, stop and see Sew to Speak – it’s a treat!
