AQS In Grand Rapids

Last Friday my friend, Judith and I drove to Grand Rapids to attend the AQS quilt show.  

We drove right there and we got there just as it was opening. 

We had a fabulous half day at the show.  

We met up with my friend Windy and she is always fun to hang out with.

 In addition, I got to meet one of the founders of the national Modern Quilt Guild, Latifah Saafir!!  What a sweetheart!  I did take some photos but not too many.  

First were some of the guild challenge quilts. 

 I tried to catch the tag with the info on it as to who the artist was.

I loved this one called When Raven Dreams, by Stacy Hurt. 

I have seen a photo of these bees before but they were even cuter in person.  

I believe this peacock quilt won best in show.  It was hand quilted and gorgeous!

Close up of those birds!

This one had peacocks too!

This Storm at Sea was pretty sweet.

 This quilt was simple but the quilting was just stunning!  

I really loved the way it looked like plants in the background too.  

After we looked at the quilts we hit the venders.  

I have to say that I was disappointed in the fabric selection at the show.  

Almost no modern designer fabrics. 

 Also, Bloc Loc rulers (which I love) always sells out of their show specials and 

this weekend was no exception.  

That was disappointing.

There was a cool new Creative Grid ruler called Stripology that you can use to cut strips and squares with and both Judith and Windy bought one.  

I was sorely tempted! 

 I did buy a pattern to make this beauty.  

Designer Laura Heine (Fiberworks) had the BEST booth at the show.  I love her patterns!

We left the show and drove to the Westsider for lunch. 

 I seriously love that place!  

Windy rode with us so we brought her back to the downtown and headed out to Stitched Studio.  

One of the best modern fabric shops. 

 You can see Judith buying some fabric here.  

I picked up some Tula voile and a little bit of her True Colors line.

One of the fabrics that we had been on the hunt for the entire trip 

is this Zinnia in lime, by Kaffe Fassett.  

We made one stop on the way home at the quilt shop in Holt, as I wanted their Row By Row pattern.  We were shopping and when Judith looked down, there was a bolt of this!!!  

Unfortunately she was still 3 yards short (it is for the back of a quilt she is making). 

 I found the additional 3 yards on ETSY this weekend!

We arrived safely back at Judith's house, looked at her garden (so jealous), had a cocktail, did some consultation on her latest 2 quilts talked for awhile then headed home.  

All in all it was a fabulous outing.

I worked on the Bee Positive quilt all weekend and got the top put together, 

embroidered the label and put the back together. 

I dropped it off with Kathy at lunch and asked her to work her magic.  

I even got the binding all set for when I comes back!  

How was your weekend??

~XOP~

Bee Blocks

I kicked off the weekend with dinner out with my son.  

He actually texted me to see if I wanted to go out for dinner.  

How nice right?

I am still waiting for a few more cross blocks for my Bee Positive quilt.  

I decided that I would take time to actually do some cleaning around my house before my husband returned home from his week long adventure to Canada.  

I spent all day on Saturday cleaning!  UGH, but doesn't it feel so good when everything is clean? 

 He arrived home in the evening so no sewing for me on Saturday at all.

Sunday was my middle daughter's birthday.  

I wish we could have been with her to celebrate but sometimes that is just not in the cards.  

She is such a wonderful person and we are so very proud of her!  

I also decided that since I am still waiting for a few more blocks, 

I would get my other August commitments out of the way. 

That meant getting my bee blocks done and working on the Round and Round quilt blocks. 

 I got my August Bee blocks finished and ready to put in the mail.  

They are from a pattern on the Modern Quilt Guild's site 

so if you are a member you can find the pattern here. 

 The quilt is called Use Your Illusion and is by Cheryl Brickey.

This is my round and Round progress. 

 For some reason this block just went together with so much difficulty! 

 I can't even tell you how many times I ripped it apart!  

I have all the rows for the last block (that I have to make) 

finished so hope to sew them into a block tonight!  

Progress is being made!!!  

The secret wedding quilt is ready for pick up at the quilters today.  I can't wait to see it. 

 None of us can remember what happened to the binding so (and I didn't tell anyone) 

I am going to just remake it from the cut offs of the edges of the backing of the quilt when I get it. 

 I think I remember what we did so will do my best to recreate it.  

I just want it DONE!  

Done is better than perfect right? 

RIGHT?

So that was my weekend.  What did you do?  Anything fun?

~XOP~

Charity Quilts

I have collected up the charity quilts from the AAMQG and 

dropped them off at Mott Children's Hospital this week.  

They are always so thankful for the quilts for the NICU babies!

I finished one with the help of another friend, who did the quilting and the binding. 

 Do you remember when I was making this one?  

I used all the cut off triangles from other quilts (binding and corners etc) to make this quilt.  

I used the squares as a leader/ender when I was sewing other quilts. 

 It went together so quickly!  Super easy donation quilt.

Here are a few of the other quilts made by members of the A2MQG that went to Mott

I am going to link up the Crazy Mom Quilts Finish It Up Friday if she posts that today also.

Now back to my Bee Positive quilt and the wedding quilt.  

What will you be working on this weekend?

~XOP~

Thankful Thursday, Bee Positive Edition

I only have a minute but I wanted to thank all of my friends, both my IRL friends and my blog/IG friends for all the fabulous blocks you have sent for my Bee Positive quilt! 

 I have been posting these on IG and thanking folks there but realize that many of you are not on IG!  So I will post what I have received so far.  Hopefully you will recognize your blocks!

So here we go:  

Thank you Tracey

Thank you Ginny and Sherrill

Thanks Karen and Ginia

Thank you Kim

Thank you Amanda

Thanks Vicky

Thank you Stephanie

Thank you Susan

Thanks Dianne

Thank you Deborah

Thank you Judy

Thanks Jenny

Thank you to all the lovely women who have sent blocks my way!

I appreciate it so much and hope to be able to get this laid out over the weekend.

I know there are a few more blocks on the way so hope to have them all by then.

If I end up with more than I can use for this quilt I will use the rest to make a quilt for 

the NICU at Mott Children's Hospital, I hope everyone is good with that.

I want to use flannel on the back for added warmth.

I think there would be great for a baby too!

I hope that I have not left anyone out.

I have been trying to photograph the blocks and put them on IG as they arrive.

This was my goal, so I could keep track, but best laid plans and all that.

I am fairly certain this is all of them though and I am so excited to begin to play with them.

Have a wonderful day and thanks again.

You all really are the BEST friends a girl could ask for!

~XOP~

WIP Wednesday

I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of someone that is like a daughter to me.  

Her mom and I used to call her and my daughter "The Babies".  

Now she is all grown up and married!

Mary and Eddie

She was a beautiful bride!

Mary and her Daddy

Her brother did a reading

Saying heir vows

You may kiss the bride!!!

The reception was held at Waldenwoods and the venue was BEAUTIFUL!

Just as beautiful inside too!

 Now on to the WIP part of this adventure!  

I consented to make a quilt, with a little help from a friend

 (you know who you are and since it is a surprise for Mary we are not telling)

I got the HST squares all cut out.  Gray with a splash of purple and white.  

The pattern is Round and Round by Thimbleblossoms.  

There was a LOT of cutting for all the negative space in this one.

It used the Missouri Star way to make the HST and boy was this easy!  

Basically you put two squares RST and sew 1/4" around the outer edges.  

Make 2 diagonal cuts and end up with 4 HST blocks!

Then I trimmed them down to the correct size for this pattern.

Whew, all trimmed up!

Block one is finished.  I think it finishes at about 25"!!!  These are giant blocks.

The Sebastian (aka creepy cat) star is my favorite!

I managed to make a second one too.  Woo, just 2 more for me to make.

When I made the other wedding quilt from gray and purple and white, it came out so overwhelmingly purple that I didn't want this one to look quite so purple.  

I adjusted by using mostly grays with just one purple and one white star in each block. 

 I will vary the placement of those so that they are not in the same spot for each block too. 

 I am hoping this tones down the purpleness of the quilt.

I am thinking that I may use purple for a thin border between more of the background gray and possible for the binding, but we will see how that looks once the blocks are finished.

The Moda Bella Zen gray that I used for the background is awesome!!!

It is the perfect gray.

Not too brown or blue, just right.

So there you go, my most recent WIP.

Linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday post.

What are you working on?

~XOP~