Row by Row Experience

This year we will be participating in a very large shop hop activity!  We haven't done one one of these before, so it will be interesting to see how it works.  
I have heard from shop owners who have participated in it, that it is a lot of fun for all who participate. 
The organizers have a pretty clear set of rules for both the shop owners and for the participants, -(- all the info is below, ). I'll write more posts about it down the road, 

but, today my task is to figure out a pattern to give out at our shop!

I have been keeping this project in my mind for several weeks now, and thinking of various possibilities....  the theme is "water".   so, I got out my pencil crayons and graph paper, and a bunch of blue fabrics... maybe inspiration will strike!

this is the info for the participant copied right from their site, ....

I'm a quilter, how can I participate in the Row by Row Experience?
It's easy! Simply visit any participating quilt shop during the summer and ask for their free pattern for a row in a quilt. The 2015 theme is Row by Row H20, and each shop is working with the water theme in their row. The shops are happy to give you the pattern at no cost, limit one per person, walk-in customers only.
The shops are all over the U. S. and into Canada. How can I get the row patterns from quilt shops that are far away from me?
You can't. The shops are offering the pattern only to customers who walk in the door. Please don't ask them to email or mail their row patterns.
Can I make copies of the patterns I collect?
Absolutely not!! That's a big no-no! The patterns are copyright property of the designers.
So, is this a shop hop?
Kinda. But there are no fees and no passports.
Are there prizes? Can I win something?
Yes! With the Row by Row Experience you win a prize for sewing! Complete a quilt using at least 8 different rows from 8 different 2015 participating shops. Be the first to bring it into a shop and you win a stash of 25 fat quarters. (That's 6-1/4 yards of fabric!) Win a bonus prize for using that store's row in your quilt.
What do you consider "complete" when it comes to my quilt.
Quilted, bound, labeled.
What pattern do I use for my quilt?
You decide. Stack your rows, arrange around a center medallion, make them horizontal, vertical, upside down, on the front, on the back, whatever! You are the designer. Be creative and have fun, but be sure to use 8 different 2015 rows from 8 different 2015 shops.
Can I win in more than one shop?
Sorry, Charlie. One prize per quilter. You can make several quilts and show them off in several shops, but you may only claim one prize. Your quilt will be photographed for Facebook and everyone will see it, so play fair!
How do I know which shops are participating?
Check the website: www.rowbyrowexperience.com. Click the state you are traveling in to see the listing of shops. A Google map and a downloadable list will be available before summer.
Are all of the shops open for the same hours?
No. It would be too difficult to organize this for the whole summer. Be sure to check the shops' websites or call ahead when planning your route to verify their hours.
Can I see pictures of the rows?
Yes! Each area has a Facebook page and the shops will post photos of their rows when they are ready to show. You can "like" your area's page and any you plan to visit, but you don't have to be a member of Facebook to see the photos. The Facebook page links are on the website.
What are the exact dates of the event?
You have from June 21 through September 8, 2015 to collect the free patterns. You have until October 31, 2015 to submit a quilt for a prize.
Anything else I should know?
Lots! Each shop is participating in the Row by Row Experience in their own way. You will be able to buy kits for the rows you love and see demos for new quilting products when you visit many of the shops. Many others are carrying the FabricPlates from Zebra Patterns and the coordinating Row by Row H20 fabrics from Timeless Treasures.

and for the shops, their resposibilities are ....

1. exist as an independent brick and mortar quilt shop and be open for regular summer hours.
2. Design a quilt row following the Row by Row Experience design guidelines and produce a pattern 
for the row.*
3. Email photo of completed row to your area coordinator or post it on your area Facebook page.
4. Provide one copy of the pattern for free to anyone who enters your store and requests it from June 21 through Sept. 8, 2015. Patterns and kits may not be distributed online, by mail, or at venues outside the store during this time period, such as shows or events.
5. Not distribute patterns and kits in any way during quilting challenge period Sept. 9 through Oct. 31, 2015. Patterns and kits may be sold in any way after Oct. 31, 2015.
6. Advertise the Row by Row Experience in your newsletter and other media outlets.
7. Award a bundle of 25 fat quarters to the first customer who brings in a completed (quilted, bound, labeled) row quilt using patterns from at least 8 different shops. Award a bonus prize of your 
choice if the finished quilt includes your row. Challenge expires October 31, 2015.

Stashbuster strips quilt

In the spirit of sewing from my stash, I started a stshbuster quilt, 

i went through my stack of turquoise and greys, and cut a lot of the fabrics into 1-1/2" strips,... 140 of turquoise, and 180 of grey.  They ranged in length from as small as 4 inches up to a full width of fabric, about 43".  A lot of them were about a fat quarter width, about 20 inches.   

then, I proceeded as one would with a "jellyroll race".... that means that I started by sewing all the strips end to end to end to make one long strip...

then you cut the long strip in half lengthwise and sew those two lengths together along the long side and press the seam, then repeat that process over and over...

so now I have two slabs, 

the grey one is of course a bit bigger.   I think that now I will do an off white section, and figure out how to combine the three different colors.   

Its sort of like constructing a new cloth out of scraps.   I really do enjoy this sort of project! 

Millefiore Progress

I have been chipping away at Rosette 2 of the New Hexagon Millefiori Quilt along, and I have only to sew on some more of the outer round,

If you are doing the project as well, you will probably notice that I have wandered away from the pattern in a couple of details...

At some point I decided to add another row of hexagons to the top and bottom of the design to make it rectangular instead of square,

This is the plan I made to keep things sort of organized.

Also, I changed the configuration of a couple of the rosettes.  This happened when I was doing Rosette 2 and I decided that I wanted to see more of the pattern that was forming in the outer ring.  You know how one thing leads to another...

The other thing that happened was that i decided to sub-piece some of the larger diamonds.  

My rosette needed a bit of an accent so i changed a plain diamond to contain a smaller diamond of adeep  color accent,

 Also, when I chose gold for those diamonds that make up Block 6, the print became too busy, and the solid was too boring, so I decided to use them both,

Now it is March, and the instructions for Rosette 3 are available!   So of course I have started to get things moving on it,  .... 

getting all my paper pieces ready for it..... I just photocopy a halfinch equilateral triangle graph paper on to cardstock and cut out the needed shapes,  which is quite a relaxing activity in itself.  

These are my first two rosettes!

Simple Unlined Totebag Tutorial

This is a simple bag that is perfect made out of a cotton linen blend. The fabric is just heavy enough for the bag to be light, yet sturdy enough to use for books.  If you made it in a quilting cotton, it would be good to use as a reuseable shopping bag.

 This is a picture of the bag turned inside out:

 

To make the bag, you will need the following amounts: the fabrics can all be different, or they can be all the same fabric

.5m      Outer bag: cut one rectangle 18" x 34"
.1m      Facing for upper edge of bag, : cut one rectangle 3" x 34"
.15m    Handles, 1 rectangle, 5" x 42"

Step One: prepare the handles— both handles are made from one long strip, which is cut in half after it is stitched.Press the long 5" x 42" rectangle in half lengthwise, with right sides facing out.  Then press each raw edge toward the center pressed line.  You will end up with a long piece that is 4 thicknesses, and has the right side of the fabrics facing out. Stitch close to each side of  the folded edges and then again 1/4" from the first line of stitching.  Cut the long piece into two equal lengths,

 Step Two: Make the body of the bag.  Fold the large rectangle in half, right sides together and stitch around two of the raw edge sides, backstitching at the top edge:

 Zig-zag the raw edges to prevent future fraying while using the bag.               

 Mark a 2-1/2" square on each lower corner of the bag, measuring from the seam line, as shown on the diagram:    Cut away the squares on the marked lines.  

this show the corner that has a side seam:

this shows the corner where the side is folded fabric, which you would measure the 2-1/2" from, since the fold takes the place of the seam, 

Sew the “boxed bottom” corners of the bag— turn the cut edges so that the bottom seam meets up with the side seam of the bag, and then sew along the raw edges.  Zig zag this edge.

Turn the unit right sides out,

 Step Three: Prepare the upper facing

Press under 1/4" or ½" on one long edge of the 3" x 34" rectangle.  Fold in half and sew the short side seam.  Press open the seam,  

 Pin the facing to the top edge of the body of the tote, right sides together, and lining up the side seam.  

Place the unit flat and insert the  straps in between right sides of fabric on each side about two to  three  inches from the side edge.  Make sure that each end is pulled through the same distance so that the straps will match in length.  I like to pull about an inch through, this will help make the handles sturdier. 

Sew around the top edge of the tote, using a ½" seam.

Turn the facing to the inside of the bag and press, Now the handles will be right sides up.

Top-stitch close to the top edge, and then again about ½" away from the first line of topstitching.  This will help anchor the handles.  Stitch around the pressed edge at the bottom of the facing as well. 

Press the whole bag, making creases on each edge that you want to emphasize.

 I like to add a line of stitching along the bottom side edges close to the fold to give the bag a bit more shaping. 

.... Three bags were sewn in the course of writing this tutorial....

Once you have sewn a bag or two. it isn't hard to see how you can sew many variations on it.  You could experiment by

varying the size, just keep the width of the facing and the bag equal,  (34" in the bag above)

-- making the handle longer

-- sew the body of the bag from a combination of fabrics, 

-- make a little pocket to insert in between the lower edge of the facing and the body of the bag.  It will be sewn in when you topstitch the lower edge of the facing,

..... 

Medallion

I sewed a medallion to use as the center of my Saturday Surprise Sampler for this year, using the Jo Morton fabrics.

The fabrics are in the style of 1800's fabrics, and that was a time when Medallion quilts were popular, so it seemed only fitting to use the blocks this year for that style of quilt.

I had made a medallion quilt about ten years ago that I pulled out and laid the blocks around to get an idea of how it might look, and liked it well enough to repeat,

so this is how it looks so far, 

If you are interested in using this as the center for your quilt, if you are doing the blocks this year, I have written the pattern for it, and we have even cut some kits for it, 

the kits came out at a regular price of $55.50, as they contain just over three meters of fabric and the pattern.  If you have purchased at least ten of the block kits, you can have a 30% discount on the kit, which works out to $38.85.   Just let us know if you would like to get one, and we can either set one aside for you To pick up, or we can mail it to you, 

however you decide to sew your blocks together, I am sure this year will see some gorgeous quilts!