I had a great time visiting my sister the past few days in Bremerton. On Friday, we visited a couple of quilt shops nearby. I really liked Material Girls in Silverdale. When you first walk in the door, you are greeted with a stunning selection of really beautiful batiks. There are wonderful quilts on all the walls. The fabric selection is just the sort of stuff I really like. This shop also carries Bernina sewing machines. My sister is looking to purchase a new machine, so she did some research while we were there. I also looked at the 350 and the 380. They are just what I would like to have, but I just got a new quilting machine and frame, so my old Honey will do just fine.

One of the things Honey needs is help sewing straight lines. I wanted to buy a foot that had a 1/4" guide to help me, but it was $45.00. My sister has the same model of Bernina (old 831 from 1972), so she let me look through her feet. She didn't have the one I wanted, but she did have an open front foot, another one I wanted. It has a hole in the back of it. When I got home, I pulled out my box of accessories and found a piece that goes through the hole, and creates a 1/4" guide. Wahoo!! Thanks, sis.

Another wonderful surprise is two more bins of fabric from Merlyn. I am so excited. There is one bin of creams and whites, and one of browns and incredible paisleys. I am so lucky to have my own quilt angel. Thank you, Merlyn.

The photo above shows the progress I am making on my grab bag quilt. I found the prettiest flannel to back it at Material Girls. It should be ready to quilt in the next few days. I just have to get two other quilts done. One goes on the frame tomorrow morning. It is going to be a busy quilt week for me. This is a good thing.

Friendship Stars by the dozen

Today, I spent the time in the studio creating these wonderful friendship stars. I used all scraps that I have been using for the intuition quilt and for my D9P. I really like this little stars. They are 6.5 inches and will be used as part of the next border on the intuition quilt. It is amazing how long it took to make these beauties.

I got two wonderful packages of fabric in the mail today, and a fantastic envelope from Victoria at Bumble Beans filled with beautiful cards she made with photos of her quilts and other great stuff. I saw a quilt at Harbor Quilts in Gig Harbor that I fell in love with. It is very simple, but they didn't have the fabric. Then I saw that they were putting together kits, so I asked about one. I ordered one and it came in the mail, and it is very wonderful fabric. The other package contained two Moda Rhapsody charm packs. I am going to use these to make another D9P for a friend. I am also getting close to finishing the blocks for the Grab Bag bonus quilt. That will be going to a little girl who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and can use it to wrap in during chemo. All in all, the studio is a rockin' place these days.

I won't be posting much until Saturday, as I will be away from the studio for the next four days. Joyful quilting until then.

Sunday in the Studio

Today, I spent much of the day in the studio, but most of what I did was prep for bigger projects. I started designing a Rhapsody Quilt based on Ricky Tim's instructions. I watched part 1 of his show on Rhapsody quilts and got very intrigued. I am not sure how I feel about all the applique that is involved, but I love the look of this genre of quilt. I have designed the basic background for the quilt and some of the applique shapes. So far, I think it is doable. I may scan the design when I get it all drawn in.

I also worked on another 15 minute block for the intuition quilt. These are all going to be 6.5 inches. Yesterday, I thought I would alternate them with some strings I built, but today, I decided I would alternate them with friendship stars. That is the wonderful thing about this quilt. I am just following my intuition.

Section 4 of the Oh My Stars quilt was posted yesterday. This is what it looks like so far. As I anticipated, I ran out of the light color I was using in the other sections, and had to start using something else. I am determined to make this quilt completely from my stash, so I am pretty limited. I don't have much in the way of really light fabric. I have three 4 inch blocks to make to finish this section, then I will put it all away until March.

One of the wonderful things I have discovered about quilting is that it is teaching me real patience. The world just seems to get busier and crazier as time passes. Maybe it is my age, but I feel a need to escape the insanity. When I get into the studio, I feel very peaceful. Not so long ago, I was always in a hurry to get things finished. I wanted to see the end result. With quilting, I really enjoy the process. I can't make it go any faster, or I make mistakes I don't want to have. So, I am just being patient, enjoying the process. It will all get done in time.