A Slice of Summer...

Thank goodness I finished this quilt off while there is still a SLICE of Summer left!

SEW...What do you think? CUTE?!

I ended up breaking up the green and red border with a wee red checked flange, for a pop of colour!

 This quilt REALLY reminds me of my Grade One days...I often did a
Welcome Back to School Bulletin Board where the kids made watermelon slice booklets (they would draw a picture of their favourite Slice of Summer under the watermelon cover flap..and maybe print a few words...:) and of course they had to include the ants...and sing the 'Ants Go Marching' song....ahhh yes, the good ol'days! haha

 I love this sweet quilt...I did improv slices so each slice is just a bit different... and those ants...just out and out...adorable!

 Did this bad boy Ant just use my quilt for a bathroom? haha (I know, I know...my audience has changed! BUT my Grade Ones would have LOVED that comment!)

 Oh well...Life's a Picnic...even in Grade One!

I hope your Slice of Summer is sweet and delicious...AND the good news is... there is still plenty of it left, so get out there and enjoy it!!

Thanks for marching by...keep on stitching!~P

Five BAGS Full...July's Excursion!

Time is flies!!  A couple of weeks ago, I met up with the other four bags from our 'Five Bags Full Woolie Group' and we had the pleasure of visiting the Cloth Castle in Victoria!  It's always a treat going here!  There were lots of new quilts and projects on display...Go ahead...check them out...

...Like this sweet pillow with Halloween Hexies!  Wouldn't it be fun to make a hexie pillow using fabric depicting each Season or celebration...As soon as Halloween is over, you would change it for Remembrance Day (wee poppies and crosses on each hexie) and then Christmas...and then Winter...Valentine's Day....Do you see where I am going here...?

 There were tons of modern quilts hanging...

 BUT...this visit, it was the ROW BY ROW that stopped me in my track!  I haven't been caught up in the Row by Row experience... I have to tell you, this one was dang sweet!  It was designed by Natasha, a talented local quilt designer who happens to work/teach at the Cloth Castle!  Loved it!  Can't you see it made up with wool applique?  OR even at the top of a quilt in the border...or going around a whole quilt~!  Yowzers, we have a WINNER here!  You could even put it on place- mats...the car and tree on one, the houses on others!  Love this ROW BY ROW!

                                     

 Here are some close-ups...

 Natasha appliqued each fabric piece using raw edge machine stitching, which just adds to the total charm of this runner!

 I think Natasha and crew are going to have to photocopy a whole bunch more patterns...quilters from around the world will be storming the shop wanting a copy! You've been warned!!  :o))  It's just too darn cute to pass up!  AND they have kits!!

Natasha also designed this car quilt to display their quilter's licence plate....SWEET!

Ok...on with the tour of the shop....we got a little side-tracked... but in a good way!

                                         
 Wouldn't this 'Forest Friends' be a fun one to make...or you could just pick one animal and make a whole quilt of that block!  It's called 'Forest Friends' and was designed by Elizabeth Hartman.  Yup...it would make the sweetest quilt for a child or baby....

 I also loved their display of Farm Girl Vintage blocks...sew cute!

Tons of eye candy in this local shop...which is open SEVEN days a week...and did I mention the room upstairs has fabric ON SALE all the time!

 This would be a great one to hang in any seaside cabin...

 This Berry Sweet pattern followed me home...along with a few other sweet treats!

It's always fun to get together with THE BAGS and even more so when we go on a field trip!  Thanks, Cloth Castle for providing us with a fun morning out...now it was onto lunch!  Yes, we have this "quilters' thing" down pat...shop and then eat...and then later we can check out our loot!
 WHAT..you mean we have to sew?! :o}}

Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Stitching!~P

Gathering Fabric...

Hey, it's a good day to have a GOOD DAY...and I can't think of a better way to start it off then by providing you with some eye candy!  While in Seattle I was ecstatic to go to a QUILT SHOP and what a nice shop it was! It's called 'Gathering Fabric' and was located in wine country...which means you can drop hubby off to sample the vine, while you make a bee-line...right to this shop!  

 Lots to see at 'Gathering Fabric'....go ahead poke around...(they are open SEVEN DAYS a week and are very friendly and accommodating!)

 YES!!  They had the Blackbird Quilt Kits by Blackbird!!  LOVE this quilt...but it was too much for this Canadian girl...BUT it didn't stop me from drooling all over the packages!

 Lots of Fat Quarters cut and ready to take home!

 My pictures of this Dresden do not do this quilt justice!  It was STUNNING!

I also loved this umbrella quilt!  I know that Edyta Sitar has an umbrella quilt put out by Accquilt GO! but I didn't check to see if this was it...Seeing it in 'real life' has inspired me to want to make this one!

Whenever I see a 'Farm Girl Vintage Quilt' it makes me happy to know that I own this book!  I love so many of these blocks...like the cherries and the lamb and the chick and the spools...

 They had this quilt made up in big and small sizes and I loved them both!
                                         

 Look at those PEARS!!  And the wee jars!  Yes, I pretty much love all of these blocks!  Ohhh...the strawberries and look at the milk can!

This would be a wonderful quilt to make too!

There were a couple of sales happening...these two tables were half price tables...

I managed to find a couple of low volume FQs to take home...

                                         

This shop is part of the 'ROW BY ROW' program that so many shops are offering now. The whale row was last years ROW and the tulips are this years.

So did I walk away with bags and bags of 'stuff'...nope!  I hate to say it but we Canadians have to add at least 25% onto every purchase (our dollar is still low...sigh...) and with fabric at $13.99-$17.00 I could buy it WAY cheaper in Canada!  I was frankly floored that their fabric was so much!  Threads and notions, charm packs and FQ were the same price as what our shops sell them for.  No deals to be had...but I did buy a couple of patterns and it's ALWAYS fun to look!  

I hope you liked the eye candy this morning!  'Gathering Fabric' is a wonderful shop and well worth the drive out...There are lots of lovely shops in this area with plenty to keep hubby/kids busy... The area is called Woodinville (Washington) which was a short drive from Seattle and is located in the beautiful Sammamish Valley!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and Happy Stitching!~P