The Shop Hunt

 Dear Readers,

Last Spring I found out about an All Texas Shop Hop, and convinced my friend Lauren we needed to go.  There were 105 quilt shops in Texas participating.  Each shop gives you a souvenir fabric square to use in a pillow or quilt.   They also offer official shop hop fabric.  I was sure we could get most of two regions and all of one region done.  While on the trip we were planning to stop in College Station, Austin, San Antonio, and Waco and the Area North of Dallas.  We planned to walk the river walk, see the Alamo, The Silo's, the food trucks in Austin, eat good food and go to the shops on the along the way.  Lauren and I hit about 20 something shops and had a great time.  We ended by stopping at Will's and doing a few shops near his place in McKinney.  We had a great time and did find some great food along the way.  We bought fabric and tools.  I had made a list of tools and things I wanted to upgrade or add to my sewing studio.  That way I would buy things I need - kind of.  Need might be too strong of a word.  Early on Lauren and I bought reusable shopping bags at one of the shops.  Then we would put our purchases in our respective bags so not to get them mixed up.   

A couple of weeks after getting home, I decided to go back and finish a couple of more regions.  So I called Lauren to see if she wanted in and Will and asked if I could come back.  Lauren declined but he graciously agreed.  This time I came in via Texarkana and picked up a couple of shops that were in the Dallas region that were near there.  I got there on Wednesday and did the rest of the shops in the North region on Thursday.  The next day Will had the day off so he chauffeured me around Fort Worth region and we just barely finished it by closing time!  That left one region not complete.  So the next morning he took me to Waco and the northern outskirts of Austin and we finished that region!  We stopped at the Texas ranger museum on the way home and had a good time there.   So between what Lauren and I had done, and what Will and I had done, I finished 4 regions.   For each region you finish they send you a souvenier block and I wanted 4 so I could use them in corners of the borders.  I visited 63 quilt shops in total.  I skipped the pan handle region, the far west region, the far south region and the Houston region.  

Many of the shops had a quilt made with the souvenir blocks and I got inspiration for my quilt from one of those.  

I also bought a lot of the Texas fabric with no plan in mind and in looking at it when I got home, it did not seem to go together well.  So I decided to use it on the back, even if they didn't coordinate nicely.  

This year there are 131 shops on the tour.  So it should be epic.  Not sure I am going to do it again, but who knows.  This company does shop hops in other states too.  They did the All Florida Shop Hop, The All Carolina Shop Hop and others.  So maybe one of the others will be in my future.  

Sew on,

Terry

The Shogun

 Dear Readers,

So this is second quilt for Jennifer's step-children.  This is for a young man who loves Japanese things.  So I went through my stash and found these fabrics I bought in Japan in the 1990's.  

This is the first time I have used a panel for a center.  Since it was long and narrow I made some of the vertical strips wider and I put 9 patches on the sides and 4 patches on the horizontal.  I fussy cut up a piece of fabric that had a bunch of Japanese symbols on it and used those for the outside border.  I found the Japanese origami crane pattern on line and downloaded it and paper pieced the cranes.  

I pulled the black piece and it was not big enough so I found a long piece of maroon that I cut off of the last cowbell quilt and used it.  It made it just the right size, but I decided to put the white in for fun.  

Welcome Joey to the family,

Sew on,

Terry

Illustrator

Dear Readers,

In the Spring my former niece, Jennifer, remarried a man with two children.  So since I have made all the other nieces and nephews quilts I decided to make those two children a quilt. 

So in the Spring, I signed up to take a class from Dorinda Evans at the June MQA meeting on using the Stripology rulers to make a pattern by Gudrun Erla out of her Stripology Mixology 3 book called Kimberly.  BTW Gudrun names most of her patterns with girls name.  

I chose to make this one out of various Tula Pink fabrics as Tula is at her core an illustrator.  So I found out Julie, the new step-daughter, loves to draw and do crafts.  So I thought Tula's fabrics would make the best quilt for her.  For the background I found a wide back in Tennessee that I thought look like doodles.  I thought that would be perfect for a girl who likes to draw.  

It should arrive New York tomorrow.  I hope that she will love it.  Welcome to the family Julie!

Sew on,

Terry

 

Cornerstone

 Dear Readers,

I had another finish.  Will and I named it Cornerstone.  Jackson Quilters asks that each quilter create one quilt for charity or quilts of valor each year.  Our last meeting of the year is in less than two weeks and I finally got around to finishing my charity quilt.  I made one last year out of some 6 inch squares I had gotten in a civil war fabric block exchange years ago, but had forgotten about.  I had a bunch more of those left, so I decided to make another one out of those blocks.  I did them like a disappearing 9 patch but then decided to do a straight block setting.  So I made a finishing row of sashing and blocks for the top and bottom added a border and was done.  I did a simple swirl for the quilting.  I originally made some binding out of the cornerstone block fabric, but I hated it with the backings so I took it off and made a brown binding.  

Jackson Quilters donates a lot of charity and Quilts of Valor quilts.  They give to the children's hospital  

and other goups in the Jackson area. 

Sew on, 

Terry

van Dyke's Joyful, Joyful

 Hey Readers,

Another finish!!  This is the third one, it is for the minister of music.  The pattern is called Piano Quilt by WANAQLT I just want to Quilt!  Here is a link to her Etsy store.  My quilt is  62 x 70 because I added a border.  This quilt is for James and he loves a toe tapping tune so I thought the Name van Dyke's Joyful Joyful was the perfect name.  Decided on Psalms 100:2.  Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!  

I was using mostly blacks and if I could find it blacks with music prints.  Did the same with the lights.  I loved the look of it.  I really struggled with the quilting.  It was really hard to do a pantagraph with a long straight line.  Feel like it looks like it was done by a kindergartner!  

The back I used some of my leftover wide strips to go on either side of the signing bar.  Still have a lot left.  I am going to give some to Dorinda who tries to put a bit of music fabric in each of her quilts.  

Now to try to get everyone to sign them without the pastors finding out!!

Sew on,

Terry

Tool Tote

 Hey Readers,

Just before I went to my last quilt retreat, I made a tool tote.  I have decided I wanted to fix a bag, with all the tools I need at retreat, so I wouldn't get without something and then have to try to buy that tool.  

So I got out my basket of Tula Pink fabrics and picked out of them to make this bag.  

I made the seam at the top a little to tight to get the stays in, so I loaded it up and went on with it like that, but now that I am home, I removed that row of stitching and put in one at the appropriate distance and inserted the stays, once they were in, I added the tabs at the ends of the zippers to finish it off.  

Here is the finished tote.  It is designed by Penny Sturges and is published by Quilts Illustrated.  I purchased the pattern at Tennessee Quilts in Jonesborourgh, TN but it was a year ago, so I am not sure if they still have them.  

Here are the finished photos.

Sew on,

Terry

Ring True

 Hey Readers,

Hope all are well and particularly my readers that were in the path of Helene.  We are praying for you, I was in Augusta when the storm hit and the devastation is wide and heavy.  It will be a long recovery period.  I haven't been able to reach my brother, his wife or their (grown) kids.  Please pray that they are all OK.   

So, back to quilting...I made another cowbell quilt. Naming this one Ring True.  This is the second of the three I am making for our ministers.   I took Lauren's suggestion and made it with a khaki colored background.  I like it too.  Not sure which I like better.  

This one is for Charlie and Nancy Parkerson, as he is our youth minister.  That being said he has changed my life too.  He used to be the principal at Winona High and gave me a job, when I was ready to walk away from education.  I really enjoyed my 10 years at Winona High.  He was a wonderful principal.  He loved his students and staff.  I always felt supported and backed with Charlie in charge.  After his career in education he was called to be a youth minister.  He has been knocking it out of the park on that too.  He and Nancy are always opening their home to the kids and taking them on lots of trips.  They have definitely made a big impact on the students lives.  Charlie also took the old folks under his wing and has driven us to plays, luncheons and hosts an exercise group twice a week.  Also leads a bible study for adults to read the bible through in a year.  

I am going to have the youth the and church members sign the back.  The scripture is going to be Pslams 33:4 For the word of Lord is right and true, his faithful in all he does. I was going to put a second verse to that is 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For you know how, like a father with his children, And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it.  

I quilted it with a baptist fan pattern, I thought that was fun to use for a baptist minister!

If you are interested in reading about how to make one these for yourself check out the instructions I wrote on the first one I made... it is called More Cowbells and was published August 2023.  Here is a link to that post.  

Be safe out there.

Sew on,

Terry