That's (Quilt) Show Biz

Hello everyone! Hopefully there are lots of new people reading this blog, because Around the Block was a vendor at the Jubilee Quilt Show in Dewey, Oklahoma this past weekend. We had a wonderful time and met lots of new people. It was also good to see my fellow quilt shop owners, catch up with them, and talk about the joys and sorrows of owning your own shop. We don't get the chance to visit very often!

Besides the people, it was a lovely show. Lots to see, for sure. Here are a few of the quilts that caught my eye.




We (the DH and I) rewarded ourselves after the show on Saturday by going to the movie theater to see the new Harry Potter movie. I hate having preconcieved notions (good or bad) about a movie, so I'll just say this: If you liked the others, go and see this one. I'm not going to give anything else away. With that said, I am highly anticipating the release of the 7th and final book (which now that I think about it might be today?). I've read all the others, but it's been so long that I'm going back and re-reading books 5 and 6. I tend to read very late into the night which I've discovered is not good for retention.

It was a very fun but very exhausting weekend. It was topped off by our air conditioner quitting on us. So I've been doing very little at home - I even broke a sweat unloading the dishwater. My dear hubby is on the case though, so we're hoping it will be fixed by this evening when we get off work. Otherwise, I may be spending quite a bit more time at the shop!

Our "magical" week

We're back from vacation and diving headfirst back into quilty endeavors. But before I tell you about that, let's recap the vacation, shall we?

Our first full day in Florida, we went to Daytona Beach. I'll spare you those pictures. I will say I was suprised by the extreme lack of attractive people. Afterall, it's Daytona Beach. You expect bleached-blonde, slender girls and muscular guys to be as abundant as seashells. Not the case. On the bright side, I didn't see anyone in a Speedo.

Not too far from Dayton Beach is the Ponce Inlet, where the Ponce de Leon lighthouse is located. Since we were all pretty sunburned by 2:00, we left the beach and stopped at the lighthouse to look around.

Views from the top of the lighthouse, which you access by climbing a very curvy, very steep, very tall set of stairs.

Imagine my excitement when I discovered quilts at the lighthouse! These pictures are from the caretaker's residence. I had to take pictures through the glass since the house wasn't open to the public.


After we left the lighthouse, we headed for Orlando. The next morning we began our Disney parks marathon. Three parks in three days. In July. My husband did a little research and informed everyone that we were visiting Disney World on the third busiest week of the year. The busiest week is Christmas, and the second busiest is spring break. I still think I would take either of those weeks over the one we chose simply because of the heat. It reminded me of physics class. When the temperature rises, particles start moving faster and bounce off of each other. That's how I felt - like a particle, uncontrollably bumping into people as we trekked through the parks.

Not to say we didn't have fun and see some really neat stuff. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. My husband and I thought it was hilarious that the tram drivers and ticket takers would say, "Welcome to _______. Have a magical day." So it sort of became an inside joke to describe everything as "magical."

The first day we went to Epcot. My favorite part of Epcot is the "countries." Epcot has a lake surrounded by a street. Other streets offshoot from the lake like sunbeams. Each offshoot represents a different country, where the buildings, restaurants, and people area all meant to make you feel like you are in that particular country. We visited them all, but my favorites were Germany, China, and the UK. Here is a picture of one of the gardens in France.

We ate in Morocco. It wasn't the best food I've ever tasted, but it was interesting. We had some hummus, which I had seen on tv on the food network but had never tried before. I'm glad I tried it. I would have preferred Japan or China (I really wanted my husband to try some sushi), but some other members of our group didn't want "that stuff," so Morocco was a good compromise. My husband's cousin had a margarita in Mexico. She said it was good, but it was way too hot for a cocktail for me.

The next day we visited MGM (which I highly recommend, especially if you like movies), and our last day we went to Magical Kingdom. Having learned our lesson from the previous two days, we opted to wait until the late afternoon to go to the park. We arrived at the parking lot a little before 4:00. The first tram we got on caught on fire. It wasn't engulfed in flames or anything, just a small electrical fire. By the time a 2nd tram arrived and we took the ferry to the entry gates, it was about 4:15. I doubt the Magic Kingdom was any less crowded at 4:15 than it was earlier in the day, but it was certainly cooler. We rode some rides, and I got my face painted with a Tinkerbell inspired look. I was probably the only 20-something gal in the park with a painted face (except for the employees), but it made me happy so I didn't care.

We were killing time, taking a tour of Mickey's and Minnie's houses, when we came across this room in Minnie's house.

Who knew Minnie Mouse was a quilter? I never really was a big Minnie fan, but I have a whole new respect for her now. Her quilt hanging on the wall even has a blue ribbon.

We took the obligatory picture in front of Cinderella's castle. We stayed late for the fireworks, which were definitely the best I've ever seen. After manuevering through the traffic jam that ensued after the fireworks and picking up a few souvenirs, we headed home.

I would definitely go back, just not in July. For now, I'm ready to get back to quilting for awhile.

Funeral & Florida

My, my, how time flies. It's been over a week since I've blogged. Things are very busy around here. My grandfather passed away last week (hence, the shop was closed yesterday for his funeral) (thank you, by the way, for all of your kind words - it's always good to know people are thinking about you at a time like that), and we are getting ready to go on vacation, so there is lots to finish up in the next couple of days.


Mostly a lot of this... (yes, that's a seam ripper in the picture)

Remember this quilt? Well, I finally got it all assembled and snuck it on the quilt machine thinking I would get it done pretty fast. I should have known better. It's been on the machine for the better part of a week, and it has to come off so I can quilt a couple of things before I leave.


On a brighter note (for me, anyway), a brief google search uncovered no less than seven quilt shops in the orlando, fl, area. Would I sacrifice a day in Disney hell with the in-laws to go quilt shop hopping, you might ask? Absolutely.


The shop will be closed Monday, July 2 through Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. But never fear, my fellow quilters, we will re-open on Thursday, July 5 with Christmas goodies to share with you!

In the mean time, here are a few tempting new books that just arrived:














From the Laps from Fats book, I'm really liking this quilt:

You may just see a sample of this one in the shop, Christmas in July or not, because I don't know how long I'm going to be able to stay away from this one. I'm a sucker for samplers... what can I say.

Have a lovely holiday, everyone! We'll see you next week!

Toothbrush Rugs - Beyond Oval

Don't get me wrong, I still love the oval toothbrush rug. It's classic - simple utility at its best. But with so many other patterns available, who can resist using this technique for other rug shapes and projects.

The baskets are, well, they're just darned cute. And unlike the rugs, you only need 2 yards of fabric for these. Now, if you don't have 2 yards of fabric laying around, you can hardly call yourself a quilter. I probably know a few people who have more fabric than that shoved in the glovebox of their car.


Once again, Cindy's busy and capable hands made the baskets. She's starting early on Christmas gifts (don't you wish you were her friend or family member) and plans to fill the baskets with the recipients' favorites (chocolate, girly lotions, you get the picture).

This is the beginning of the dog bone- shaped toothbrush rug. I think this is a very clever idea.
1) It's made of muslin, so you're not spending a bunch of money on fabric for the dog's rug.
2) My dog weighs somewhere around forty pounds and can be a very eager eater, sloshing water and dropping food all over my floor. So this rug is going under her dog bowls.
3)Plus, it will just look cute under there.

We had a nice Father's Day yesterday. We made the drive to my father-in-law's house and had lunch. That side of the family is pretty big (as in lots of people, not physically), so any time we get together there is plenty of food and conversation. Other than a brief muggy spell, the weather was cooperative. We sat under the tree in their back yard and watched our dogs frolic and the boys toss a football around. The football landed in the tomato plants a couple of times causing my father-in-law's blood pressure to momentarily rise (which made the rest of us laugh). It was a pretty nice Sunday afternoon.

My dad is travelling for work right now. He's on the east coast, and I totally forgot when I called him after 9:00 p.m. that it was after 10:00 there. I got his voicemail, so I assumed he was already asleep. Mom's with him, so she probably wore him out shopping all day. I'll try again this evening. Until then, Happy Father's Day, Daddy! You're the best!

Up the wall

I like wall hangings. They're another good way (besides this) to make a quilt without...well without actually making a quilt.

This, naturally, is one of my favorites. I got my degree at K-State, and this flag lets me show my quilt-y and purple pride at the same time. The powercat is a licensed logo, and it's a big no-no to reproduce it without permission. If you're ever in Manhattan, KS, you'll see lots of powercats displayed backwards (facing left instead of right) in an attempt to get away with copying the design. So when I found this pattern about two years ago in Wichita, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Now we have these patterns in the shop, so you can feel just as lucky as I did! Oh yeah, and if you're a fan of that other school in Kansas, there are flag and quilt patterns with their mascot also.

Here is another wall hanging I did right after I opened the shop.

Right now it hangs in the entryway to the shop. It's done in blue and brown 1800's reproductions with reproduction shirting prints for the white. Each piece is just 1" wide. It took longer than I thought it would b/c of the small pieces, but it still went pretty quickly by using strip piecing. The pattern is called "Martin's Pennies." It's a good way to use up scraps in case you're one of those people that has extra fabric lying around =)

Flora-gorgeous

Okay, I know I said I was going to be working on the quilt machine for the next couple of days, but who can quilt when the UPS man brings this fabric!

It's the new Floragraphix line by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning Fabrics. There is an accompanying book of patterns that uses the fabrics, so of course I immediately started cutting. Never mind that I have (let me think....1...2...3.......I think that's it) at least 3 WIPs already started. (Wait, I just thought of a fourth).

This particular piece of fabric looks like it's made of big four patches, but you can also cut a 4-X block without actually having to piece one. The quilt pattern I'm going to start with is called Chocolate Decadence, so I'm having lots of fun with this and trying to keep my drool off of the fabric while I work.

I was going back through the old posts, and I can't believe I've never shown you this before! It uses the elusive Day Z fabric by Lakehouse. The pattern is called Daised and Amused by Tammy Tadd Designs. Those flying geese aren't for the faint of heart, but she does show you a quick-piecing method for them in the pattern. Other than that, it's not as complicated as it looks - as with anything related to quilting, accurate piecing and matching (or at least pretty close) points make all the difference.

Well, I must say I'm very proud of myself for posting three days in a row. However, I can't make any promises for the weekend as I usually accomplish almost nothing during those two days. One part lazy plus two parts beautiful spring weather = no time in front of the computer for me. Although, quilting in my wonderfully sunny sewing room is definitely on the agenda!

Happy weekend!

Table Runner Thursday

I've got lots to show you, but since I'm primarily just going to be machine quilting for the next few days and not piecing (and Cindy's out of town and not going to have anything to show you either) I'm going to try to spread out the pictures so I won't have another blogging dry spell.


Here's a closer look at the fabrics...


This table runner has been immensely popular. It's called Cornerstone, and this picture really doesn't do it justice. The fabrics are from last year's Christmas collection by Judie Rothermel, of which we still have a little bit in stock. Lots of bias edges on this one, but definitely worth it in the end if you can tackle them.

And this is our patriotic version of the Waffletime runner by Atkinson Designs. This pattern, on the other hand, is very simple and quick to piece. Cindy did some simple cross-hatch and in-the-ditch quilting on the sewing machine. I love how the print on the binding fabric makes it sort of look like bias binding even though it's not.

On a totally unrelated note, I have rediscovered my love for root beer, and after a bit of a grocery store debacle, I am enjoying one right now. To make a long story short, I went to the grocery store last week to buy root beer, paid for it (along with some other groceries), and accidentally left it there. Has this ever happened to you? Did you go back? I didn't realize my mistake until several hours later, so I elected not to go back. Plus I had already thrown away my receipt and some other things on top of it and was not about to go digging through the trash. So this morning I stopped in to get some Febreze (don't ask), and bought my beloved root beer. It's totally making my afternoon.


Lots of new things coming in the next few weeks....I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Back

I took a bit of an unplanned blogging break the past couple of weeks, but I'm back with lots to show you. So just what have we been up to at Around the Block the past few weeks? Let's see...


Cindy has been busy piecing this Triple Treat quilt top from the new Atkinson Designs book, Happy Hour, in Cottage Bloom fabrics by Clothworks.

I've been doing quite a bit of machine quilting, most of which has run out the door before I can snap a picture. I managed to get this one before its owner came and whisked it away.

And some machine quilting on this one... with just a touch of machine embroidery (see top of photo). Isnt' the fabric adorable! That Debbie Mumm. She's just too clever.

This is also the first time of done binding completely by machine. I wouldn't recommend it on most quilts, but on baby quilts or donation quilts it works great! I just stitched the binding to the front of the quilt as usual and folded it over to the back, using pins to hold it in place. Then I stitched in the ditch on the top of the quilt next to my binding seam, catching the binding on the back in the stitch line. Not too bad for my first time, if I don't say so myself!

And these two magazines just arrived...

I just LOVE this issue of McCall's. There are at least 3 projects in there that I want to try. The cover quilt is very eye catching, there is a really awesome patriotic/1800s reproduction quilt by Judie Rothermal herself that is going on my "must complete someday" list, and an easy-peasy one that features the Peas and Carrots fabric by Moda.

Sadly, I'll probably never actually get all of these done...so if you do, be a pal and bring them by the shop or send me a pic so I can live vicariously through your quilting, okay?

Claim to fame

Have you ever known anyone who has some small claim to fame, like being on the Today show or an extra in a movie or something? Well, here's mine!

I'm in the latest issue of Quilter's Home! Okay, it's not a feature story or anything, but it's something! I'm in the "What they're reading" section on page 19, just in case you have your copy handy or are rushing out to buy one now that you know I'm in it. The editor, Mark Lipinksi, called me about it a couple of months ago, but I hadn't told anyone because I didn't know when or if it would actually happen. I realize that 99% of the world doesn't think this is a big deal, but I know all of you quilters out there (along with my mom) understand my excitement!

Showing signs of improvement

My photography is showing definite signs of improvement.



I am fortunate enough to have this rosebush in my backyard. It came with the house, so I can take no credit whatsoever. And despite our best efforts to starve and prune it to death, it comes back every spring with these gorgeous roses. As far as the color goes, it's not my favorite color of rose, but it does make a very striking photo. I imagine it's pretty hard to screw up a picture of such pretty flowers though. I've discovered that lighting has quite a lot to do with taking a good picture, so I made a point yesterday to bring the camera home so I could take these this morning (ya know, during the daylight...something that's usually finished by the time I make it home for the day).

This is the latest sample Cindy has completed. The fabric is called America the Beautiful by Marcus Brothers. I like how there are really only a couple of pieced blocks in this quilt, but it still has a very "quilty" feeling. Now I just have to actually quilt it. I am catching up on my machine quilting though, so maybe this one will hit the machine in the next week or so. Maybe =)