Blue February block

 

My current projects: 1. Hand quilting my vintage style quilt 2. Making monthly rainbow scrap challenge blocks (above), feb is blue 3. Still making triangular blocks for my Thousand Pyramids quilt. 

I decided to do a very large Bear Paw block for this year’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I really love these blocks. It’s going to be scraps of Kaffe or Amy Butler or whatever brighter pretty scraps are hanging around, then a coordinating solid. The background fabric is one I found as I cleaned and unpacked my sewing room. It was supposed to go with an animal quilt that I decided not to make. So I have plenty. These are 18” blocks, so I figure I can make one a month for 2025 and I’ll have a bright top for quilting in the winter of 2026.

I’m trying to make a few blocks a day for the pyramid quilt. It’s really fun digging through old fabrics to find 3 that look good together and work with the quilt. Some of these fabrics are REALLY old like that Wamsutta in the photo… might be 90s? There’s also a bunch of shirtings thrown in plus text fabrics, Kaffe stripes, and even Jinny Beyer. Of course it’s mostly Judie Rothermel and Paula Barnes, my favorites!

And this is what I’m hand quilting… I’m not the best at it but it works for me. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be so I’ll be happy just to have it done. I’m taking it on my trip to Florida when I go. It’ll give me a nice project to work on if we have any rainy days.

Found a new little quilt shop

Al and I went up to Suttons Bay today to shop and found a new shop had opened this year....my favorite kind of store, a quilt shop called Cherry Country Quilts! I met the owner and her husband...both very nice people. She has a nice variety of fabrics...some 30's reproductions,some batiks, a nice assortment of modern fabrics, some Kaffe and some civil war. I bought some of the Kaffe for a border on my Kaffe log cabin. I have 28 more blocks to make and then I'll start the borders.

Shopping in naples florida

Getting my fabric fix today at a great shop on Pine Ridge in Naples called Flash Quilt and Sew. really enjoyed my time there... Nice people, great fabric choices. 

Here's Al patiently waiting for me to get my purchases rung up...they need a club for all these wonderful husbands of quilters.

This is some of the fabrics I bought at the first shop.... The Kaffe was 1/2 off! Got enough for a back. The gray is a batik....hard to find really light batik backgrounds and then in a nice gray plus a good design. Thrilled with this!

Found some pretty blue and white, some little 30's pieces, a little Minick and Simson on clearance and finally a snap bag kit with more Minick and Simpson...half off! Also bought some paper piecing hexies....forgot my hand sewing at home. I've been going through withdrawals for the past week. This will give me some hand sewing to do on our way home to Michigan.

Tomorrow we start the trip home. I'm excited to get back to my sewing room but not to the snow and cold. It's 80+ degrees here... and about 8 at home....brrrrrr.