I have been working with Sue Pelland's Hearts and More Ruler set. My rule for purchasing rulers is I have to be able to make more than one quilt with it. The Hearts and More Ruler certainly fits that criteria. I made the "He Loves ME..." quilt first. I will be teaching this at my Quilt Guild in February.
Of course, I couldn't stop there I went away for a week in January with a friend to Ocean City, MD. What does one do in Ocean City in January? We sew, and sew and shop! There are some great shops in the area. I was able to check out The
Blue Hen Quilt Shop in Newark, DE. This is an adorable shop opened by my friend Erin Underwood. She is an amazing pattern designer, quilter and now shop owner. I had a lot of fun visiting with her and will definitly make this a destination any time I am in the area. Her selection of batiks is outstanding, her samples are gorgeous a delightful place to visit.
From there we checked out
Mare's Bears Quilt Shop This was also an adorable shop and one I had not visited yet. We were trying to find the shop, my GPS was not cooperating. It said we had arived but we didnt see the shop. We pulled into a plaza to turn around. My friend MaryGin called the shop to finsd out where they were, turns out we were stopped right in front of the shop. All we had to do was look up and there was a larger than life sign! The staff was delightful. Very friendly and welcoming.
No trip to Ocean City would be complete without a trip to
Serendipity Quilt Shop I Love this shop. They just went through a renovation adding an elevator to the shop to help folks get their machines upstairs to the classroom. We timed our visit just right as they had just reopened. This is also a delightful store and it was obvious that folks were happy to have them reopen as we were there when they opened and before we left there must have been 15-20 other ladies in the shop.
Well, That was a little about our shopping, now back to the sewing. I was able to get the background together for my Unchained Love Quilt.
Because I had only brought my featherweight, the applique chain would have to wait till I got home to finish.
Here is a pic of the quilt now that I have added the chain.
Of course I had to complete more than just one partial project while away. I found a great panel and a coordinating book while shopping and used it to put together a baby quilt for my Nephew and his wife's new baby. The baby was born the end of May so I am a little behind schedule (don't judge). I wanted it to be just the right quilt for Brynn as she is the most adorable little girl. I had picked out two other quilts but couldn't get going on them as they didn't seem right. This one is perfect!
Now to get this one quilted and off to Brynn!
Half the fun of going on a sewing retreat is to check out what everyone else is doing. My friend MaryGin from
Quilting that's my Jam. Mary Gin had just taken a class the day before the retreat with Gyleen Fitzgerald and was working on a pineapple quilt. She had all kinds of fruit fabric and was using them as her center squares for the blocks. Here are some of the blocks she has made.
Since I was cutting out reds I cut extra 1.5" strips for MaryGin to add to her collection. I love the red blocks she has made. That may be a quilt all in it self!
She was also working on a tone on tone quilt that she completed the top(minus the borders) while on the retreat.
This was a great collection of fabric she got at The Blue Hen. Sea shells, sand dollars and beach stones. I love the way it is coming out. Cant wait to see it quilted!
By far the best part of the retreat, for me, was visiting with my friend, gabbing and sewing and generally just having fun. In case you were wondering, we did get to the beach one day (the day we left). We walked along the beach and watched the sun rise.
I am energized, and ready to take on a year of quilting fun... and, already looking forward to next years trip!
Enjoy your week and Happy Sewing!
