Once in a Blue Moon

Today is a Blue Moon!
and it's been about that long since I've been to the lake...

So it's up up and away from the heat in Chico! I closed down the studio until Monday, too hot to run my machine and computers anyway. Drove up to the lake on Wednesday and spending time with my BFF Sally, two quilting friends that came into Tahoe for family reunions and visiting friends in town and in my old neighborhood. It's hot here as well, Tahoe City was 90 degrees on Wednesday when I drove thru, hot for the lake but still allot more comfortable than the flat land!

I finished the borders on Sandy's quilt before I left...

A few more details in the blocks to outline and some SID 

and this beauty will be ready for binding.

Off to pick up Mary Kay to work on some quilt projects we each brought to work on and a visit to Quilting Tahoe which is sadly closing! Penny is closing her shop due to health reasons and smoke related allergies. We will miss her and the shop. Back to trips down to The Quilt House in Gardnerville, NV for a LQS like it was back in the day when I lived here. 

Spent Wednesday afternoon and evening with Marilyn and Jerry, they are from the Palm Springs area. An online quilting friend since 1998, we would meet each year during her annual summer visit to the lake. Yesterday was a visit with Mary Kay who flew in from the St.Louis MO area. They are both here for family reunions. My good fortune to see them both! The weekend will be spent with Sally which we are looking forward to. Last night we had dinner together when she got off work. It's been 2 years next week since we spent time together! Yea, a much needed lift to my spirit altho, just spending time here in the mountains would have done it! 

Enjoy your weekend!

Tot ziens, Jo

Sandy with her Row by Row

Yea Sandy... way to go!
Turned in at Honey Run Quilters in Chico CA!
...with Honey Run's row included of our own Honey Run covered bridge
block designed by Karen Giles, another talented quilter in our area.
Rows are from Northern California to Oregon  

Pic taken at Honey Run Quilters, posted on Facebook

Last I heard Sandy plans to name her quilt 'On the Road to Sisters'

because that is the route she and Kathy Thomas took to collect row x rows

from California to Sisters, Oregon on their way to enjoy a little quilt

magic that takes place every year in July.
 

Can't tell you how talented this little lady is!

Aside from a good quilting buddy, Sandy

is one talented quilter! I know as does Kathy Thomas

because we are lucky enough that she brings us her quilts for quilting. 

Bear hugs Sandy! Sew very proud of you :0)

AC medallion top is a flimsy finish

Yea! Amaretto Cottage with borders

This completes my top! 

Close up of the center medallion 

Upper left quadrant 

Pulled from fabrics in my stash to make this quilt. Lots of Civil War reproduction fabrics plus some Thimbleberries and the large floral print used for borders. The outer border was supposed to be wider but without finding more of that floral fabric, it's fine as is. One more small border was also part of the pattern was going to be the red. Instead it will be added for the binding. As is it's just the right size for a Queen size bed. I'm happy! 

Amaretto Cottage was a year plus project I worked on along with my friend Janie. It all started when Janie purchased the kit and asked for help constructing her blocks. They were a challenge! I decided to make test blocks and it grew from there ;0)

Janie's top is also finished,
we finished it earlier this year in April

We have a bunch of ideas for the quilting 

Now to find the time to do it! 

 

Hump day and it's going to be a hot one. Off to fire up the longarm and get some customer quilts done before it gets too hot this afternoon. Enjoy your day!

Tot Ziens, Jo

California Row by Row

for 2015

A quilter friend, Mary Kay is coming to CA from MO for a visit later this month and we started talking about the Row by Row Experience. The Quilt Show mentioned it on a recent newsletter post as well. With allot going on for me in May I didn't take the time to pay attention so I am late to the party. Not sure if I will join in except to make the row from Honey Run Quilters, one of my local quilt shops in Chico. 

Karen designed the block for the shop. It's of Honey Run Bridge here in Butte County. Nice!

With a web search today found the California Row by Row Facebook page with some really cute row designs. Since the theme for 2015 is water, some made a reference to our state's drought. 

Orange Quilt Bee, Orange, CA with our California Poppy

Candy's Quiltworks in Northridge CA

Wooden Gate in Danville, CA

More local shops in Northern California...

Westons in Mt Shasta, CA

Sew Simple in Redding, CA

Friends Around the Block in Colusa, CA

Sew So Shop in Yuba City

Spring row by Morning Star in Paradise, CA

Stitch by Stitch in Red Bluff, CA

Ocean Wave Quilts in Eureka, CA

And a few more fun rows from SoCal

Moon Textiles in Pasadena

Sewing Arts in Santa Monica

As well as central California

A shop in Lakeport, Clear Lake, CA

Prairie Queens in San Jose, CA

Mary Kay really liked this one and she knows the way to San Jose!

Quilter's Hollow in Stockton, CA

Scruffy Quilts in San Mateo, CA

Click here to see lots more CA rows plus pix of quilters with finished quilts!!!

I enjoyed the afternoon staying cool inside surfing the web

altho it would be allot more fun surfing the water

That's about as far as I get these daze

Enjoy your weekend

Tot Ziens, Jo

Update: Adding one more local shop ~ The Rabbit Hole in Chico
I couldn't find them on the California Facebook page but this morning found
it on their page...

This is The Rabbit Hole Quilt Shop row for Row by Row

A quilter has already completed a top and it's turned in at the Rabbit Hole!
Pix on Rabbit Hole's Facebook 

Back to some piecing

Over the 4th I spent the weekend sorting thru things and made some time to do some piecing, finishing a few of the quilt blocks from Linda Ballard's workshop. It was the day of the workshop when I received 'the' phone call about my mom and the project was set aside since that day, the first week of May.

Happy with how this quilt and the fabrics are laying out. At least three of the fabrics are from collections by Jo Morton. I read on her blog recently that she has a new fabric line coming out... 'Catherine'.  *Here is a link to her blog* for a preview of the prints with my fav... paisleys! There is a link on her blog post for a pattern called Homestead by Candy Hargrove with elongated churn dash blocks. One of my favorite blocks and the reason I chose You Need a Rita, Linda Ballard's pattern for the blocks pictured above.

There will be a red pieced outer border that will complete the star points. The centers of the Churn Dash blocks are supposed to be the off white fabric but I changed it to cheddar :0) Love those little Churn Dashes set on point. 

I also pulled out the fabrics for Amaretto Cottage to decide how I am going to finish the last outer border on that quilt. Will be good to get some projects finished.  

Spent some time working on my business as well, customer quilts and updating my website with some new quilting patterns. Oh, and Michael helped me put up a two of my finished quilts in my workroom plus we hung one up in the kitchen too. It was a good weekend.

My Medallion quilt made along with a QAL Lori 

hosted on Humble Quilts in 2013

and this quilt is Connected Friends, made from fabrics 

received from a swap of celestial fabrics on AAQMB many moons ago ;0)

Tot Ziens, Jo

Take the time to make some stitches :0)