Friends Around the Block quilt store in Colusa CA

On my quest to get more Row by Row kits, Gil and I found ourselves in Colusa California a couple of Saturdays ago. They have a cute little quilt store there. It is located right downtown - very easy to find and well worth the effort to drive out of your way to get there.

For such a small shop, they have a lot of fabric and ideas going on in there.

In the back of the store is their long arm. A lady had come in just before me to pick up her quilt and brought it up front to share with the rest of us. Beautiful:

She said it was made with a single jelly roll for the main part of the quilt. It was done with the original jelly roll technique. Must try it.

You can find Jenny Doan's tutorial at http://quiltingtutorials.com/product-and-tool-demonstrations-and-reviews/jelly-roll-race-quilt-top-hour/

Try it. You might like it.

Also if you are in or around Colusa stop in and say hi at the Friends Around the Block quilt store.

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Row by Row from Secret Pal

My Secret Pal from my guild - River City Quilt Guild - gave me all this last Tuesday. Best Secret Pal EVER!

She [or it could be he] always includes beautiful fabric. This month she also gave me 9, yes nine, Row by Row patterns. Most are from California, but one is from Brooklyn, New York, and one is from Stowe, Vermont. The ones from California are from all over the north state. Represented are Elk Grove, Fairfield, San Mateo, Quilter's Corner in Sacramento, Berkeley, and Vacaville. The one from Fairfield has the material. The rest are the patterns. I will work on Fairfield first and let you see what it looks like. It is pretty cool with sailboats and all.

I had read and seen the ads for the Row by Row experience but had not bought into it. Well I'm into it now. I have to go shopping this afternoon and am planning on going to a couple of local quilt shops and get more. Then I am going to contact my relatives that live out and about and ask them to send me the patterns from their local quilt stores. I will pick and choose the ones I want to put into a quilt. Maybe some day I will include all into several quilts. What fun this will be.

Thanks, Secret Pal!

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Row Quilt

Two years ago I joined some quilters in a row quilt challenge in our guild. When I had our quilt store, some quilters participated in one that I just kind of looked at over their shoulders. I was sorry I had not been part of that group. Their finished quilts were beautiful. Each one so different. So when the chance to join one in the River City Quilt Guild came up, I jumped at it.

I love to applique, so my starting row was an applique row with bees and flowers. You can see my row in the picture below. It is the center one. Each person then was to provide a row that went along with my stated theme. I did tell them they did not have to do applique, as some expressed concern in doing an applique row. In fact I didn't want all applique. I wanted piecing to offset the applique.

Well you can see I got my wish. I love what each of the ladies came up with. I was so excited to put it all together and love how it came out.

 

One lady did a row of honey jars. She was so nervous about doing applique, but they turned out very cute. Some button bees were added to sit on or near the jars and then I put the bear trying to get into the jars.

 

The above picture is a close up of one of my flowers and bees on my row. I put a yoyo in the center of each flower.

If you have a chance to participate in a row quilt with a group, take that chance. You just don't know what you will come up with.

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