Winner! Laura Birch Enchancement Fabric from Clothworks

The night I returned from our trip I clicked to enter a drawing of wonderful Laura Birch fabrics on the Clothworks site.

I was one of four people picked!
https://blog.clothworks.com/2016/06/28/winners-announced-clothworks-fabric-giveaway-enchantment-by-laurel-burch/

Such nice bright fabrics!

: )

Thank you Clothworks!

Stash Bee 2016 Hive 8 - June Block

This month we had a treat, our queen bee sent us fabric to use in the block!  A beautiful pale blue.

The directions were very clear.  Katrin used a tutorial by Missouri Quilt Company to help us, but she customized those directions so the pieces were larger, and there is a wonderful wonky triangle insert that we add before sewing the subunits together so more of her wonderful blue shows!

My first version of the block was made while at a friend's in Rhode Island. I had left my fabric behind, but because Katrin had told us, I knew the fabric she had mailed each of us was Kona Cotton  ‘Periwinkle Blue’ so it was easy to get more background fabric and to proceed.

Once I returned home I made another block using the actual fabric that had been mailed to me...

Then I made my block that I am keeping out of polka dot material and neutrals...  It looks very different with these random fabrics. The orange got caught in the machine so the triangle had to be extra big in the center - oh well...

I added some steps when I was preparing the block:

Here is one I had to unstitch and redo!

• Drew a line to show where to stitch the squares that were sewn down then trimmed.
• Sewed on the inside of the line so the fit of flap that would remain wasn't tight.
• Before trimming any of the angles, pressed them flat then back and double checked to be sure the background was covered.  If it wasn't then the stitches were removed and resewed.
• Only after I double checked and press did I put the piece face down on the cutting board and if needed trimmed the fabric to match the shape of the background.

By sewing on the inside of the center line, the flap covered the background shape.

   

I used the ruler as the guide for shaping the triangle, this way I was sure to have a 90 degree angle.

This is a really nice block and was pretty easy to sew up.  It will make a dramatic quilt.  

I hope to make a quilt filled with these blocks someday!

To see the other blocks the hive has made for Katrin, click here! Then scroll down to the June 2016 entries.

----------

Here are a few May 2016 photos showing the area in Rhode Island where we were staying.  The photos aren't in a particular order.  Of course I have many more, but these caught my eye and thought I'd share here.

RSC16: June Aqua with a Dash of Green - Sea Colors

I'm back home!  After a few days of rest and getting used to the time zone I made my list of projects to work on:

• RSC16 - June Block
• Stashbee - my polka dot version of the June Block - then make either an extra block or pieces toward a second block
• Play with Me - June Block - Ludo Game Block
• Finalize testing and write up of my July Stashbee Block
• Play with Me - May Block - Make into a pillow!
• I'd also like to share some photos from my trip.... 

(I'll cross them out here when they are done!)

There are only 30 days in June so I have a lot of sewing to do! I should have started with the projects with deadlines (Stashbee and Play with Me), but instead I started with the Rainbow Stash Challenge as my block is very free form, improv, liberated.  It's fun to sew that way!

The fabric I picked for the lime green accent didn't stand out as much as I wanted as the cherries took over the block, but it will be a good addition to my other monthly RSC16 blocks!

The geometric fabric, sea coral fabric and the stuff with the little black lines were in a little stack of fabric I found from my mom.  The cherries were retrieved from the discard pile at a class I took.  The batik I believe came from the tour I took at Robert Koffman? in Orange County.  The little lime green flower was fabric I bought when I was loving making the half log cabin quilt so long ago. I have lots of fabric still from that project and will forever I think!  : )

Click to see what others have done!
 http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/2016/06/scraphappy-saturday-soothing-sea-colors.html

Thank you if you have written comments on my posts while I was on my trip.  I think I'd better keep to sewing for now, but know I have read and do appreciate them!

A Return Visit: Arlington Fabric Corner

Went back to Fabric Corner in Arlington.  Picked out another set of fabrics...

I really need to sew and stop buying fabric.  But my friend is getting interested in quilting and this store has such a nice selection I'm having trouble stopping myself.  Perhaps I will use this purple in the stash bee block for the month instead of the purple I got a few days ago.  The circle design is more pronounced in this purple as there are only two colors.

Earlier we each got a Sashiko panel, it's been hard to thread the needles so got this gizmo to help.  I have several from my mom of the version with smaller loop.  I think this larger loop will make it easier to get the thread after it's pushed thru the needle.

I took photos of the ends of bolts of fat quarter fabric I purchased on trip to Daly City.

Fabric Corner is really a wonderful shop.  Again I forgot to take photos to show it to you.  They do not have lessons there - it's all fabric.  Beautiful selections of batiks, novelties, and new fabrics that I see on all the blogs.  And such wonderful prices.  It's a great welcoming shop, I have enjoyed shopping here each time I visit the Boston area.  There are many nice little shops to go in around Fabric Corner too and places to eat.  A lovely area.  When you visit Boston area, this is a wonderful place to spend a day!

Gosh I need to get going on finalizing my block for the July stash bee too!  I'm thinking I'd like my block to include some rich yellows - tone on tone or slight variations of yellows and mustards. Originally I was thinking of it being all scrappy or black and white but since there have been so many specific requests for colors guess I can ask for what I really lust after too!

I really like having a new challenge each month, and seems so much fun to get to be the leader and have others work on something I request - and then receive them in the mail.  Perhaps though my stash was not as extensive as it should have been as I seem to be buying fabric every month to meet the requests of the monthly leaders.  So I'm not sure I will do again next year.

I am really liking the Play with Me challenges - the idea of making them into pillows has been very nice.  I'm pretty good now with putting in zippers and finishing the corners of the pillows too.  It's fun to see the ones I have finished lined up together on the sofa.

The Play with Me game board this month is set up for five different colors - and since I am doing in denim that will be difficult to do while away from my extensive denim stash at home.  My husband won't let me cut his jeans up on this trip - and I only have two pairs of with me so can't even get started on that now.

My friends sewing stuff is not where I am staying now.  But really I need to draft things out again for my July block since I didn't bring what I had started in San Diego.

But first I need to do Katrin's block so I can even be considered to have my July month as queen...

Expenses: Cambridge Gather Here

We finally got to Cambridge to walk around and enjoy memories of our previous time there.  Gosh, I really was made to live in this area....

We went for dinner at S&S.  No trip is complete without that.  Looking out the window I was reminded that Gather Here had moved, and the new location was right here!  It's in what was a tired old little grocery store ------ but that makes a huge quilting craft store!

First my purchases:

Two fabrics picked by my husband - the colored and white on white constellations.  They had them in different varieties of colors and there was a version with only the stars and lines and one with the figures filled in too.

I picked the fat quarter of the beautiful yellow gold with the crosses.  I am one of those disorganized or open people where my favorite place is where I am, my favorite food is what I'm eating, and my favorite color is what I'm seeing - but I think I do like different shades of yellow and white on what for fabrics....

Here are some shots of the inside of the store.  I chatted a bit with the lady at the front asking about when the new location had opened while my husband went down the shelves of fabric.  Within a minute he had found the constellation fabric.  So now that will be added to the UFO fabric he picked out from another store...!

I don't knit yet but can appreciate the selection.

A sashiko class was finishing up in this area - I got to see their progress and learned the teacher starts the class by having people roll the thread up - much easier that trying to work with it the way it comes.  The ladies all were working on white background and some had different colors, others just used one color.  They had done a lot and were very happy with the class.

This new location is much more accessible and welcoming that their first store.  The classes aren't inexpensive but the ladies in the three different classes I saw were clearly enjoying their projects and being together. 

The prices for the tools I had recently seen other places were the same or a bit lower than other places.

 Great price for Sashiko panels.

 Good price for thread, great selection of colors!

New to me are these Haptic Lab embroidery projects.  Available for many maps of cities, USA, world and the constellations!  The ladies at the store were working on a Boston map that will be fun to see - hopefully they will share in the store and/or online!  They do not have yet on their online site but Gather Here has a large selection in the case near the cash register.

Gather Here also has the largest selection I have seen of different ways to mark patterns on fabrics.

When you visit this area, it's shop to devote some time in!