Sunday Stash

Creative Stitches in Abbotsford has come and gone. My fabulous guild had an awesome display of modern quilts and we did a little stage show and demo... all you ever needed to know about Modern Quilting.  It was a lot of fun.  I did a little shopping too.  A lovely large cone of Aurifil and some fat quarters including some great linen.  Who doesn't need a sewing goat on fabric?  And did you notice the wee charms!

Here is a link to some of the quilts that were on display... Robert Kaufman Challenge!

De-Stash is the best!

Every January, The Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild holds a de-stash event.  It is so much fun.  I got rid of a ton stuff but controlled the urge to bring home bags and bags of other people's scraps.  Other people's scraps just seem so much more interesting.  Anyway, the guild members did not disappoint.  There was so much stuff we pretty much filled a room.  I did find some scraps.  I think Cynthia may have brought some of them.  They were already organized by colour.  Total bonus.  Then I found some other goodies.  

I was very controlled.  There was so much stuff left but the members pitched in and lots of volunteers carted stuff off to various thrift stores and charities.  Other people's junk is someone else's treasure for sure!

Shop Hoppin' with the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild

I had this idea.  What if I invited a bunch the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild to go on a shop hop with me?  What if I said I would drive?  How many quilters could I fit in my van????  And how many others would join us?  Lots!  I think there were 9 of us altogether.  We started at the Spool of Thread in Vancouver.  That was fun!  Forgive the phone pic!

I added some low volume fabrics to the stash and some Liberty.  YUM!

Then we were off to lunch at Canteen Mitra for lunch!  Seriously yummy!  Thanks Cynthia for the great idea!



Fabricana in Coquitlam was the next stop.  Sales!  Lots of them.  We spent some quality time at Fabricana before heading off to Surrey to Save On Fabrics.  Save on Fabrics is a discount fabric store.  You never know what will be there.  They stock quilting fabric, lots of garment fabrics (excellent selection of wool melton cloth) and all sorts of other stuff!  I scored some Anna Maria Horner fabric along with a seaside print that is so wrong it is right!  I have been feeling buyers regret for a year at not buying any of it and was delighted to find a vast quantity this time on a giant roll.  I also found some monkeys, a ditsy floral print and a great black on white dot because I am really trying to build up the low volume options.



I checked in with husband at this point because it was starting to get dark.  I told him we were still on the road.  He decided the whole adventure was like bar hopping for quilters.  Totally.  I then learned we were close to Wineberries.   Why not?  And what a nice shop that was!  I picked up some American Jane rulers.  The first few of us in the door scored the last bit of that until Cynthia unearthed a fat quarter.  The ladies in the shop were delighted to meet Cynthia because they had her entire Christmas line and were almost sold out.  Oh, that was fun!



So here is the rest of what followed me on home.  The sales were great.  I am sure this will be an annual event! And I was so tired when I finally got home!!!!!

This is what happens when a bunch of quilting ladies make a quilt...

This is our guild quilt on the barn after Cynthia quilted it and then I did the binding.  It looks so awesome!  We were inspired by Denyse Schmidt's anyway you slice it pattern.  The colours are all those found in our guild colours.  Lots of Kona solids and supplemented with bits from our stashes to make it sing.  There is even a little bit of Cynthia's Kona Modern Quilts fabric.  And wouldn't you know it?  I forgot to take a picture of the back which was equally awesome!  Cynthia quilted it in wavy lines in Aurifil 50wt in orange.  It is fabulous.  And can you see down below how she did some writing in the quilting????  Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild British Columbia Canada 2013 runs up one side.

The quilt will be on its way to Portland for the Northwest Guild meet up.  Representing us well, I would say!

On Saturday I....

On Saturday I got together with a bunch of my guild to make a guild quilt.  We needed one and we didn't have much time.  Several of the guild members are off to Portland in August for a guild meet up and we are supposed to have a guild quilt that sort of represents us.  SO... here it is in process.  We used Denyse Schmidt's Anyway You Slice it as inspiration.  Lots of Kona solids in our "guild logo' colours and a bunch of things from our respective stashes.  Seriously!  It came to together like nobody's business!  That is Cynthia and Christine making design decisions.  And then below, Lysa is being the walking quilted model.  Nice feet! I have to say that this was such a wonderful fun collaboration with people cutting, other people stitching, people pressing and people putting up the blocks.  So much fun!

Here is the back.  The back took longer than the front!  How funny is that????  The quilt is now with Cynthia who will quilt it on her new Juki (so exciting) and then I will do the binding.  Quilt in a day.  Almost.

Then Cynthia played with the block trimmings and in no time flat had this...

Squeal!  Love it!

and we were left with this...pin cushion stuffing!