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Thursday, April 25, 2019

Emerald City at Stitchin’ Heaven!


An Emerald City Day Indeed!

How do you present a workshop that includes 1008 (Yes, that is ONE THOUSAND AND EIGHT!) small half-square triangles in a 6 hour workshop day? 

We divide and conquer!

Everything that the quilters need to know about the similar-but-different units in this bug 24” block can be handled easily if we break it  down and work on what is needed for ONE QUARTER of the big block.  Four quarters make a whole, right?  And after all, there are ONLY 9 big blocks in this quilt.

It’s not THAT overwhelming, is it?

Oh I love this quilt!  And I’m so excited that I had a chance to teach the ins and outs of it here!


Of course, it all starts with triangles – a whole VARIETY of triangles!



Some around the table.

Some watching by monitor.

I just love this monitor set up – we DO need something like this for Quilt-Cam!

Thanks to the monitor I was able to demonstrate how easy it is to cut a variety of half-square triangle pairs ready to sew from strip sets using my Essential Triangle Tool.  And the quilters were off and cutting/sewing!


That should do the trick, Irene!

It’s a good amount to start with, anyway!


Sisters in law by chance – quilting friends by choice!


After lunch – we had enough of everything needed to start putting units together!


Busy quilters happily sewing away!

See how it all came together in the video below.  Click to play:


This day flew by far too fast! And everyone was excited to dig into the next 3 block quarters needed to make one full big block. I’m sure there were machine whirring into the late hours last night!


We’ve also had some time to enjoy this cute little town!

Isn’t that corner building just gorgeous?


Close up,  standing beneath the corner.

I just LOVE old buildings like this!


The view across the street, opposite corner.

ANTIQUE MALL!

Actually there are several, and we have “cherry picked” one a day after workshop day is over – most close at 5pm, workshop is over at 4 – so we head on downtown, pick one and glean through as quickly as we can without missing anything.  So much fun!


Old post office turned museum.

You can see how ominous the sky is – we’ve had our share of rain while here as well – I love a good thunder bumper!  We’ve been inside sewing while most of the downpour was going on – and last night when it was really rumbling, I finally finished up the last of these:


Basket blocks are FINALLY done.

Now to decide what to do with them -

Something cool.  Just wait and see!


Last night’s sweet dreaming under Emerald City from String Frenzy!

Today is an Idaho Square Dance Day from the Addicted to Scraps book. – Texas Style!  No strings will be happening, and NO TRIANGLES either.  I think the students are ready for a break and just some fun scrap piecing of easier units and loads of productivity on this fun 2-block quilt.


Quiltville Quote of the Day:

Do what you can with what you have right where you are.

And keep on believing!

Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!


13 comments:

  1. I just bought your book with this quilt and I love it. I don't have a lot of scraps
    in green or cream so I will start collecting fat quarters. I'm sure hunting down the perfect fabric will be just as fun as making it. I loved making your Good Fortune quilt which was my first scrappy quilt.

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    1. So what color DO you have in your stash of scraps, primarily? Make it that color, instead of the green. :)

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  2. Just AWESOME :) Looking forward to taking this class in Vicksburg in August! You have the best designs, Bonnie!!

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  3. Such fun happening in TX! It's interesting how sometimes there are a lot of FW's and other vintage machines, and other times - like in these pictures - not so many. Maybe one or two try them and word catches how well they travel and sew? Enjoy the rest of your TX trip!

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  4. Beautiful job ladies!

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  5. I just love that quilt. It nearly took my breath away when I first saw it. Now I just need to finish my UFOs (that's my aim for this year) and by them I'll find a way to get a copy of the book here in Australia, and I'll be off to Emerald City - although in my case it is more likely to be Sapphire City.

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  6. This was the quilt that cinched the deal in buying String Frenzy for me. Just had to have it then. I loved it, and intend to make it, as soon as I get my backlog done... which, by the way, Good Fortune was finally worked on again, yesterday afternoon and evening. I'd run out of oranges in step 5, and had to order some more, and started working on step 6, but that where I hung up... waiting for the oranges to come in, Good Fortune got put aside, and I hadn't gotten back to her until yesterday :( So, now, we're on the way to finishing! Then I'll do an analysis of my scrap stash, see what color is predominant that I can use as my contrast against my neutrals, to work on Emerald City as my leader/ender project! Perhaps, by then, you'll have Winter Blues published?!

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    Replies
    1. For me it was the serpentine cover quilt - like colorful rattlesnakes :)

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  7. Doing what I could with what I had (including dressmaking scraps from the 60's and 70's) right where I am in Colombia where I cannot just go out and buy any decent cotton fabric, I have managed to get Emerald City underway. Am learning a lot about my personal quilting compulsions with regard to color and my technical obsessions about design trying to make this only from my stash of older fabric as an attempt toward clearing my stash. The 1008 HST had to be made first while I could use 2" strips (plus any scrap large enough for your wonderful triangle rule) and then sew all the remainders into the 8-10 strings per unit for the squares. Goal achieved as there isn't enough "old" green to even make a hot pad! It feels great to have managed to do something beautiful with mostly nothing. Probably has been stupid to put so much time into 'using it up' but I also have major contractor problems on a remodel and making this quilt allows me to think I have control over SOMETHING while waiting for a finished kitchen. LOL. Love the way you present instructions in your books. You have given me back my sanity this year so far. Thanks for all your efforts on so many fronts.

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  8. On the green quilt -- sashing looks like eyelet trim (the kind you put the ribbon thru). Very pretty!

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    1. I had not noticed that. Thank you for pointing that out. I loved that kind of eyelet on my clothes when I was a child. Thanks again for bringing that memory to mind.

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  9. this was the quilt that made me wait restlessly for the release of Frenzy... I was noodling by myself making green & neutral string blocks but they just didn't "go" on that wall... then Bonnie blogs a 'tease' of Emerald City and I was saved, put it all away until the release of the book... tapping foot to get on wait list... haunting my mailbox! Well it's all coming together and this workshop has convinced me to put everything else away, drag out those beginning pieces and get to work. Oh joy and making my heart sing, thanks, again, to Bonnie for sharing her SELF and talents... Cats in Carlsbad CA

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  10. Such a very pretty quilt I’m sure you had a beautiful and restful sleep . So many of your quilts i want to make, but I must finish the one I’m working on I’ve got 228 of 288 block done of wild and Goosey and even managed to find some cheddar for the sashings just love how these blocks are looking.
    Thank you so much for sharing such fun designs with us.
    Love and quilty hugs
    Anne xxx

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