Check out My Quilts tab above

I have been going through some pictures of quilts I have made and have some posted under the My Quilts tab at the top of this blog. It has been fun going through the pictures. I have many more to post, but I also have dinner to prepare.

I have also added my most recent Row by Row row to the other tab.

Row by Row keeps on going

See the write up on the above two rows on the tab above called Row by Row. You have to scroll down because I am writing this up like an on going story starting at the beginning. You get to see all my rows that I have done so far. Eventually you will get to see the quilts that came from the rows.

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Whistle Stop Quilt Store in Auburn California

I love when quilt stores flag the front of their stores so there is no question where they are and what kind of store they are!

No name is needed. Just say quilts and we will come!

From the outside, Whistle Stop Quilts looks small, but it isn't. It is housed in the corner of an L shaped shopping center. The front is small but then it angles back and is actually one of the biggest quilt stores around. Lots of room for a large classroom, which is nice. Nice bathrooms, thank you very much. Lots of room on the walls to put up samples to advertise classes or fabric selections.

 Look at that pieced border!!!!

 Nice cozy sitting room. Love the quilts on the wall.

They have a huge selection of batiks - probably the most I have ever seen in a shop. Love them. I was looking for a gray batik for the backing of a king sized quilt. They had their batiks on sale for 25% off the day I went in. Thank goodness because I needed 10 yards of it. Helped keep the cost down.

I also got their Row by Row kit and license plate. It is of the Auburn bridge over the river. I haven't made it yet but will soon. Good design on it.

Love you Whistle Stop. I wish you were closer.

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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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Sugar Pine Quilt Store's Row by Row 2015

Sugar Pine Quilt Store in Grass Valley California is a darling quilt shop. It is in an old home and every space in that "home" is used to sell quilting supplies.

Never fear those stairs, they have a ramp for those of us that look at stairs and say "Whoa, those are steep!" It does, from time to time, snow in Grass Valley. I always worry about things that should not matter to me. When would I ever go to Grass Valley to shop for quilt fabric in snowy conditions? Never.

These are just some of the rooms that are filled with fabric, books, patterns and notions.

If you think samples in quilt store don't matter, think again. I saw this quilt hanging and had to walk up close to take a look. The pattern was hanging on the wall next to it. Of course I HAD to purchase it. Not like I don't have a few other projects I want to accomplish. I bought it because of the upper left owl - the one having a bad feather day. Just too cute.

Having driving in from Yuba City, I needed to use the restroom. I love quilt store restrooms. Every one tries to make it cuter than the next. My all time favorite is Quilter's Corner in Sacramento. I think I have a picture somewhere of it. I will look for it. Later. Anyway I had to take some pictures of this one, too.

The obligatory quilt was hanging in there. I love earth tone quilts, so it grabbed my attention right away. Plus rabbits - too cute.

Then there were two announcements of up coming events that I wanted to remember. Easier than finding a pen and paper and writing the info down. I took pictures.

 Gotta see if my dear husband wants to go to Arizona in October. Better than July or August, for sure.

Elk Grove's guild is having their quilt show. I have only been to it once, but I won a big raffle basket from there. Plus I saw a few friends down there. Must get on calendar and go this year. Venita? Wanna go with me?

I had a great time on this trip we took seeing all these quilt stores last Saturday. Thanks, Gil.

Oh, I did remember to buy their Row by Row kit and license plate.

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Row by Row Excursion

Yesterday my husband said "let's go for a drive."
"Where?" is always my answer.
"Let's go to quilt stores out and away from Sacramento so you can buy some more Roy by Row kits."
Don't you just love him? How many husbands would be willing to drive all over and sit outside quilt stores while we are in shopping? Not many, I am sure. Yep, he is a keeper.
So off we went.

One of the places we went to was the Sew So Shop in Yuba City California. Yes, I know, it used to be in Marysville - just across the river from Yuba City. That is were we went first and it was not there! Oh no! Where did it go? Is it gone completely? So I searched it on my trusty i-Pad that I am beginning to carry with us whenever we leave the Sacramento area. We found it and off we went to find the new location.

I asked when I got there how long they have been in that space, as I was used to them being in the old downtown of Marysville. Four years. Oops. I guess I had not been up there for a while.

It is in a strip mall that has lots of parking (as opposed to the old location). It is also in a large floor space, which provides them with a huge classroom area that is bordered by windows on two sides. Lots of natural lighting for quilters' eyes.

There were two ladies in there learning how to program the long arm quilt machines that use the computer to do the quilting. One was setting up a quilt. The other was squaring a finished quilt up.

They must also sell sewing machines. They had big ones and little ones sitting around. Did not pay too much attention to them, as I am not in the market for a new machine.

They do carry a lot of fabric, especially batiks. I was good, though. I looked. I touched. But I did not buy.

Nice spacious shopping space.

While I was there, I signed up for their mailing list. Yuba City isn't that far to get in on a good deal or to take that special class. As I was signing up in the book they had available, I noticed the three names at the top of the page were people I knew. In fact one was an employee at Beehive Quilts when it was open. Cindy, I  miss you. I bet they were out doing the same thing Gil and I were doing - buying Row by Row kits.

Oh I did buy their Row by Row kits and license plate. I will post a picture when I complete the row.

It was a fun day.

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My first Row by Row done

I actually made this last week. I just got around to taking a photo of it.

This is from the kit my Secret Pal from River City Guild gave to me in July. It is from the Cornerstone Quilt shop in Fairfield California. I really love it. The background fabric has little ships in it then I appliqued the larger sail ship in front. It really gives dimension to the row. I have to tell you I got it all finished and hung it on my design wall to be able to step back and see what it looked like from afar. Whoops one of the white/sand blocks was backwards. I had to take it out and put it back in. Hard to do when you have everything where it should be. I thought of leaving it because up close you couldn't even notice it. But from far away - there it was staring at me.

I have three more kits now to do. Must consider putting them on my project schedule to work on. Will post them when I get them completed.

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Wooden Gate Quilts in Danville CA

Gil needed to go to Danville to buy a new-to-him guitar. I went along for the ride. While he was trying out his guitar, I searched the internet to find the closest quilt store. Believe it or not, it was less than a mile away from where we were. Since I have been trying to get more of the Row by Row (RBR) kits/patterns, I wanted to go see theirs.

It is a tiny shop in a darling little shopping area. But it was well worth going to. I purchased their RBR kit. They had a class going on. I stepped into the class area to see what they were working on. I talked to the two ladies that were working the shop for a while. I bought some Halloween fabric - I know, I know, what a surprise!

It was fun. I love seeing the different shops when I am out and about. Everybody seems to buy from different vendors. The fabrics are always so different. Love it.

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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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