Not Forgotten

I am not one to purchase quilts from the past, made by quilters from earlier times.  Mostly because they are out of my price range, especially here on the west coast.  There's just not that many floating around to be found, and if they are, they usually very expensive.

Well, on the Quilt Run 101 last weekend, hubby and I stopped in one junk antique shop, only because it had some pink "Fenton" glass in the window.  We purchases a matching pair of pink hand painted vases, and while the clerk was packing up the vases, I came across a quilt, stuck under some other pieces of linen.  We dickered some, and I was able to pick it up for $35.  I am happy with the amount I paid, but it is almost shameful to get it at this low price considering all the labor, talent, and time that went in to making it.  At least I know that it will be cherished in its new home!

The quilt has nine embroidered butterflies with a type of log cabin framing around each block.

This is a close up of one of the blocks.

The backing is a yummy butter yellow.  The yellow shows off the quilting, which was done by hand on this quilt.

This shows off the butterfly.  The body of each butterfly was done in a satin stitch.  I had to look real close to see it was done by hand, because the embroider who did this, did it so well that it looked like it was done on a machine.

I love how the quilter added a small patch piece to finish out a row, not even bothering to try to match the colors.  

We all in blog land are always trying to achieve perfectiveness, and making things look like it was made in a factory.  But I just love the how this quilter made a wonderful work of art and didn't match the seams, didn't keep her blocks all one size, and filled in spaces with just slivers of fabric.  What character this quilt has, and will have in it's new home.

It does have a few worn places that I will have to do some work on, only because the fabric was loosely woven, and has shredded from age.  

I am by no means and expert in aging quilts, but if I were to guess, I would say the fabrics come from the 40's.  If anyone else who might know fabrics and the times they represent, please let me know if I am off my a century or two.

Warmest...

Just A Small Share

Every year, my husband and I travel the entire length of the Oregon Coast to do what is called, "Quilt Run 101".  Thats because you travel the highway 101 all up and down the coast.  I have posted about this trip each year since I have started this blog.  You can read more about it here.  Every year I try to have a theme or specific project that I will be buying for on this run.  This year, I wanted to get backings for future quilts.  During these type of quilt runs, many if not all the shops put several bolts of fabric at 50% off, and more if you take the whole bolt.  I really scored, I managed to get 12 backings (anywhere from 5 to 12 yards) for as low as $3.00 a yard to $5.00 a yard.   That piece on the front left is Fig Tree by Moda, and I got it for $3.00 a yard.  And the far end piece on the right is French General by Moda and I got it for $3.98 a yard.

Not having the backing fabric for a lot of my finished quilt tops, has kept me from completing the quilting.  With this very reasonable buys, I can now concentrate on getting some more tops quilted and meet my New Year's Resolution of quilting one top a month!

I have worked very hard the entire year of 2014, to lose some weight.  Here I am at my heaviest, on the Quilt Run 101 about three years ago.  The clothes I am wearing are size 3X and 22-24.  Not my proudest moment.

 I remember having my picture taken about two years ago when I visited my favorite quilt shop on the coast, Jane's Quilt Patch.  

The picture on the left was from two years ago, and I had lost about 20 pounds from the picture above, and the picture on the right is from this weekend.  I am now wearing a size large, and 12-14.  I am still not where I want to be, but at least I got my doctor to remove "obese" from my chart!  What is frustrating to me is when looking at the pictures, it doesn't look like I have lost 70 pounds!!!  I have really worked hard and struggled to get thinner, and it really doesn't show.  ARGH!!!  But I will tell you that I feel 100% better, I have so much more energy, my self confidence is stronger than ever, and I have been able to stop taking several medications (like cholesterol, inhalers, and lowered NASIDs).

If you are curious to what I did to lose this weight, I totally cut out white processed flour and sugar.  Serving sizes are no bigger than my fist, and I kept my calories to less then 1000.  Really simple, easy peasy!

I have lost the weight slow enough, that the excess skin has had a chance to stretch back so I don't have the sagginess that often comes with massive weight loss.  I kept my loss to 2 3 pounds  a week.  By losing it this slowly, it also helps in keeping it off, and not yo-yo ing up and down.  I kept a journal, recording my weight weekly, and planned out meals a month in advance, and stuck to that menu, which also helped me stay on track with losing the weight.  I don't consider this a diet, but a life style change, and will continue to work on losing some more weight, and staying healthy too!

Warmest...

New Favorite Book

When I first started quilting, I bought almost every quilt book that came out on the market I had in mind of creating a huge quilt library, that I could go to at anytime and find a specific pattern. Well, all that did was begin to take up a lot of space, cost was getting to be a factor, and it wasn't as easy to go back and find that "pattern" I wanted at a later date as I once thought it would be.  So I slowed down my book buying about eight years ago, and in the last couple of years I only get me one or two a year.  Most of the time, If I really want a book, I wait until it is a couple of years old, and buy it second hand on Ebay.

But.  While I was on the quilt run this year, I spotted this book and looked through it, and liked it, but put it back and went around the store looking at other things.  While checking out, I thought I should take another look at the book, as I hadn't seen it anywhere else along the trip.

Looking at it again, I realized it had 40 patterns in the book. Most books don't have more than 7 - 10. And each pattern is so different from the others, and again, many of the books today have a pattern, and then different approaches for that one pattern and counting it as a separate pattern.

I also looked at getting this book, because I have so many scraps left from every BOM I have ever done, and want some various patterns to begin to use them up.  The Title caught my eye, as it says projects for 5" scraps.

This this the cover of the book.  Even the cover project is a good mix of scraps, but balanced nicely with a light to give the quilt some class.  Most scrappy quilts can look a little trashy to me.

Here is what one of the patterns look like when you open the book, with easy to read instructions and material lists.

If you expand this picture, it shows what the pattern would look like in different sizes.
This is done for every pattern in the book.

All in all, I really like this book.  I already have a couple of patterns in mind to use soon.  After looking through the whole book, I found I liked more than 90% of the patterns.

Warmest...

Yuwa

I have been absent for the past three days, as I went on the annual "Quilt Run 101" here in the Pacific Northwest.  You can read about how it works here, where I have written about it before.

Today, I am sharing my most favorite find.  This piece is by Yuwa, which is a Japanese manufacture of much sought after, buttery soft cotton available on the market.  This piece is called, Inspirations, and is a hodge podge of yummy rose prints, and all kinds of vintage sewing pictures.  My favorite part is the "R" monogram in a yellow square.  The shop did not have any of the other pieces that go with this, so I paired it up with a panel print of rose inspired hankies.  I'm thinking of making me a new I pad cover using this fabric.  Tomorrow I be back with a fantastic book I found on the trip.

Warmest...

Quilt Run Purchase

Boy, the pictures does not do the colors justice! This is a new line out from an emerging fabric company called Dear Stella, http://dearstelladesign.com/ (man I gotta learn how to do links). This line is called Mimosa, with a few pieces from Yard Sale. They have some really new and fresh free patterns. This young company from what I can gather started in 2011, their blog started in October 2011.

I picked it up on our Quilt Run 101 this year at Creative Fabrics in Wheeler, OR. When I saw it on display, I just had to have a half yard of each. The website has a free pattern out of this line and I think I will make it, as it is quick and stunning.

Next Birdie Stitches

This is block three.

This is block four.


I took these on the quilt run and while riding in the car, I managed to get two more blocks done of the project Birdie Stitches.

DayTwo

We got to these shops before 1:00 pm today. DH wanted to get all the rest of the shops done today, so we were a little rushed because the shops only stayed open until 5:30 pm each day of the quilt run.

These are the last shops and they completed our run. You know, shop owners are some of the nicest people. We cut it really close, too close, with the last two shops. The second to the last shop owner said for us to go to the last shop, and she would wait for us to come back! Now is that sweet or what?

Purchases - way too much.
Traveled - over 500 miles.
Having fun and doing what I love - PRICELESS!!!!!!!

PS - sorry for the poorer than usual pics, but it was heavy overcast and raining. DH held an umbrella over me while I took the pics.

Day One

These are the four quilt shops we got to today. We didn't get to very many, as we have to travel about 5 hours before we can get to the first shop. We are hoping to get through the rest of the 8 shops tomorrow.

This is so much fun!!!!

Second "Birdie Stitches" Block

Well I'm on track so far in getting this project from last year done. I'm committed to get at least one block done a month, and so this second one is done for February. Aren't the two love birds just too cute!

I am planning on working on future blocks on our quilt run. We'll see how far I get!

Oregon's "Quilt Run 101"

Once a year here in Oregon, they have a shop hop called the Quilt Run 101. It travels from one state border to the other state border traveling on Highway 101 following the Pacific Ocean. There are 14 shops participating, I have listed below.

In Oregon on the 101 there is a city about every 25 miles. I once asked about this, and I learned that they started out being outposts for the Pony Express, because that was the distance a horse could travel in a day. I thought this was an interesting tidbit of history.

What I found even more interesting, is that there is are 14 quilt shops along the coast. It lasts for two weeks, spanning over two full weekends, Valentines Day, and Presidents Day. We always go over the second weekend because we have Presidents Day off and the crowds have thinned out. My DH looks forward to it as much as I do, which is really nice. He does all the driving and the ladies along the way make over him like he is some kinda special. (but, I have to agree with them, as he is some kinda special!) this will be our sixth year we have done this shop hop, and we follow the same path each year, starting in the southernmost city in Brookings and finishing up in Astoria. We spend three days and two nights, spending the night in Coos Bay and Tillamok (yes the same place the cheese is made).

I will post pictures and daily purchases during the trip starting Friday. Stayed tuned......


Participating Shops:

Homespun Quilts
108 10th Street
Astoria, OR 97103        
503-625-3300                           www.homespunquilt.com

Custom Threads
1282 Commercial Street
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-7780                           eda.marie@gmail.com

Center Diamond
PO Box 997
1065 S Hemlock St
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
503-436-0833                             www.centerdiamond.com


Creative Fabric
PO Box 303   
475 Hwy 101
Wheeler, OR 97147
503-368-5900                           www.quiltingwithdoris.com

Jane's Fabric Patch
1110 Main Ave.
Tillamook, OR 97141
503-842-9392                            www.janesfabricpatch.com

BJ's Fabrics & Quilts
PO Box 215
38105 Hwy 101 S
2 Miles south of Cloverdale
Cloverdale, OR 97112
877-690-5267                            www.bjsfabricsquilts.com

Quilter's Cove
644 SW Hwy 101 B
Newport, OR 97365
866-437-8458                            www.quilterscove.net 

Ruth's Family Fabrics
365 Hwy 34
Waldport, OR 97394
541-563-3064                            www.familyfabrics.com

Wenz-Daze Quilter's Emporium
5045 Hwy 101 N
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-3293                            www.wenz-dazequiltingfabric.com


Joy of Quilting
2970 Highway 101
Florence, OR 97439
541-902-8863                            www.joyofquilting.net  

Threads That Bind
120 Central
Coos Bay, OR 97420
541-267-0749                            www.threadsthatbind.net


Forget-Me-Knots llc
PO Box 1547
640 2nd Street SE (Hwy 101)
Bandon, OR 97411
800-347-9021                            www.forget-me-knots.net 

Quilter's Corner
PO Box 69
335 W 7th
Port Orford, OR 97465
541-332-0502                          quilterscorner@carrollsweb.com

Country Keepsakes
PO Box 4012
802 Chetco Ave
Brookings, OR 97415
541-469-6117