Out On The Town!

I played hooky yesterday, and rode shotgun all the way to Galax with a group of quilters anxious to pet and purchase fabrics at Quilts on Main!

It seemed like a great Friday thing to do - and let's face it - I've been in the  QPO office/studio a LOT.

It was time for a break.

Get a load of that gorgeous hanging basket!  They are all over the town as Galax ramps up for next week's 89th annual Fiddle Convention!

Who wouldn't want to be hanging out with this crazy group of fun ladies on a shopping spree?

These beauties came home with me.

Oranges and corals as I am anticipating the arrival of fall and am dreadfully low on these colors in the stash...a small bundle of Tilda (on sale, couldn't resist!) and a couple of neutrals because ALWAYS BUY NEUTRALS when you find them - especially cute and interesting ones.

(Even better on sale!)

All of this orange/coral must have influenced by brain when it came to ordering lunch:

I carried the orange theme right through!

The cheesesteak was yummy, and if you've never dipped sweet potato fries into apple butter you are missing out.

It was a fun little few hours out, and we were back to the Quilting Quarters with full bellies and quilty dreams contained in bags of pretty folded fabric.

Stripes are the thing this retreat!

More stripes were purchased on our shopping trip as so many are inspired by the stripey coolness happening in this corner.

Here's another!

This one will be set in columns with the blue fabric you see on the cutting table used as long sashings to divide the columns.

The options are endless!

I do not have information on the manufacturer of the turtle panel, but here is how it came together -

Some machine quilting is now happening on it!

It was super day all around!

Old Town is now finished!

This Old Town now has block centers ready!

And we all turn and applaud as the bell is rung letting us know another top has been finished!

I even did a bit more of this -

There is going to be a whole lot more...

Those blue strings need to be diminished.

I'm discovering some oldies but goodies as I dig!

And I am back in the land of COLOR and sewing on the main motifs for the next row in my hexie quilt.

For those asking about how I do this or that or wanting tutorials on the basting of hexies, please click the Tips & Techniques tab at the top of the blog and scroll down to the H section...it's all there. Different quilts, same techniques.

In the past I've used a punch and cut my own foundation papers, and intermittently (And when in a hurry or feeling lazy) I've ordered paper hexies from a couple of different places.

There are many tutorials with different techniques and supplies out there, try them all and find what works best for you.

I thread baste by tacking just the fabric corners around the paper hexie, and since my basting stays I don't have to end the thread, so I baste, and sew right on to the motif. 

I like to see PROGRESS, not a box with 100s of basted hexies that still have all of that attaching to do.

Today - Saturday - mid retreat laundry day, and a desk day for me. At least part of the day.

It's a new month and things need to be seen to and I want them out of the way and off of my plate so I can continue to have some fun with the ladies.

How about your weekend ahead?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Many problems are just temporary setbacks. Keep moving forward! ⁣

⁣

Vintage strippy quilt found in Virginia.

This is the quilt that had made digging into my strip bin to finally come up with my Bitcoin quilt! Have you made one?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!