SHOCKED! I did not post at all during April! What is up with that? Well after the push for SAHRR I dove into a project for the Fat Quarter Shop, reveal here on May 6th, and a baby quilt for a client. The client quilt is well on its way but not yet ready for blogging. But, I did some fun things, too, that kept me out of the studio for at least 10 days this month. Our son was here for Easter, a real treat. A few days before that, I went to a quilt show and took a class and stayed overnight for 2 nights. To end the month, last week I did some quilt shop hopping, so I have a few things to show you in the purchasing department. May will be better, I promise, well I hope so.
SAHRR Winners (Stay at Home Round Robin)
We finished our quilt tops and there are so many beauties to see HERE. The hosts got together and selected winners and here they are:
- Oliso Iron: CL
- Island Batik fat 1/4 bundle: Karrin H
- Island Batik fat 1/4 bundle: DB
- Island Batik fat 1/4 bundle: CK
- Aurifil Thread: NH
- Fat 1/4 shop: RB
- Pattern from Devoted Quilter: F
- Pattern from Devoted Quilter: SS
- Pattern from A Quiltery: JB
- Pattern from A Quiltery: J
- Pattern from Sew Fresh Quilts: CH
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors! We look forward to returning to the Round Robin adventures in January of 2026.
Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Bar Project
This is the fabric that came from the Fat Quarter Shop for my Jolly Bar Quilt. Now, they didn’t have the jolly bar in stock yet, so I was fortunate to get a layer cake, which gives you enough fabric to make a second quilt!! Also, the floral on the end was a bonus!
The fabric collection is Sacré Bleu from Moda. It is gorgeous.
Before I begin with any precut, I take my trusty lint roller to the pack.
I then sorted them into colors, and added the binding and the background so you could see it all together.
The cutting began and sewing ensued. Here is where I will stop telling the story until I reveal the quilt next week!
New England Quilt Expo
I attended the New England Quilt Expo in Manchester NH. It is a great show, with gorgeous quilts, fun vendors and great classes. I took a class in troubleshooting my longarm and the following week found myself doing just that! The photo shows the view from the hotel elevator bank! Let’s take a look at some quilts.
This group of quilts was done by Romana Batemen. Her fabrics are fabulous and I love this series. The carrot she embroidered and other details were just so much fun!
This quit was just so much fun. I loved the animal portraits and the variety of blocks used in the quilt. The colors were a bit more vibrant than the pictures I took.
I loved the colors in this quilt and the hand quilting is always fun to see.
Something drew me in on each of these. On the first quilt, Wind Drifter*, it is the many flying geese and mix of muted blues. On the Mermaid, the strips of blue and the silhouettes in black are very striking. I didn’t realize until now they were by the same person!
The quilting drew me on this one. I love seeing people work their magic with quilting and Kristin did on this one.
This is what I bought at the show. Not a lot, but enough to feel fun. The fabric is the City Harbor panel by Northcott; it is so gorgeous I couldn’t resist. I also bought some YLI thread for my longarm. Bob, formerly of Superior threads, was at the show and is gearing YLI up – keep an eye out for more threads. I am hoping to try it out soon. I also bought the Quilters Select mat; my latest Omnigrid was not making me happy and so far I am in love. The little notebooks are just for fun and friends as the Jen Kingwell cards may be….or I may be taking up some hand piecing again…you never know. The Laundry basket flowers on the left can used with a spool to store needles – so clever! 3 yards of fabric isn’t too bad is it?
Shop Hopping
All of April is a shop hop in Maine. I have done bits of it, but next year, I may take my husband away for a night and explore an area or two to see some of the sites. I hit 5 shops, 4 with my friend and two on my own. The shops were:
- Cottonweeds, Freeport ME,
- The Sewing Exchange, Portland ME,
- Sanford Sewing, Sanford ME,
- Knots & Bolts, Sanford ME, and
- Kat’s Fabric Corner, Waterboro, ME.
Well, I bought a little more on this round of shopping. The upper panel is the shop hop fabric. It will be a fun one to make up into a quick quilt and can be sold this summer or fall! The red/orange/yellow FQs are for the Glowing Hearts QAL, the batik may be the back for the baby quilt I am finishing, and the lupines and blueberries are for summer napkins for the sales/shows. They always go and are quick to make. I still have leftover bits from making my Annie’s Ultimate Travel Bag, so it was great to pick that up. Seems to be about 8 yards of fabric!! I better get sewing!
Coming Up on the Blog
Robin’s Quilt (baby quilt)
Design a Boat block for a neighbor
Dino Baby quilt
Fat Quarter Shop Jolly Bar Jig (May 4)
Fabric DeStash
Prior YTD Fabric Used = 16.75
Prior YTD Fabric Bought = 23 yards
Current Month Fabric Used = 0 yards
Current Month Fabric Bought = 13.5 yards
Net Fabric = +19.75
I am getting worried….gotta get finishing!!!
Sounds like you had a fun April. I was just writing in my journal this morning…Where did April go? Looking forward to seeing your baby quilt. I’ve made a few recently for coworkers and grand babies of Boston friends. Interesting about your hand quilting….after probably 10 years of not hand quilting, I just bought some new hand quilting thread and I’m going to hand quilt the top of a throw pillow. As always, I love reading and looking at your new quilts and creations. ☀️
April kinda flew by, didn’t it? Once SAHRR was done, I had to quickly finish (almost) another project, then I was gone for the rest of the month. You had some fun things going on – wish I could’ve tagged along to the quilt show! That Wind Drifter pattern is a fun one to make!
Yes, April was gone in a flash! But with 13 days of it out of town, that’s what happens. We are having our state wide shop hop right now, tomorrow starts my first circuit of shops with friends!
No need to apologize; it sounds like you were doing lots of fun things in April. I hope you have as good a time with what comes your way in May!
hey that lint roller to a precut is a great idea – they sure do shed!
The fabric pull for your Jolly Bar Quilt is gorgeous! I absolutely love that Wind Drifter quilt. I zoomed in to the label but could not see if a pattern was mentioned. Or do quilts at a quilt show have to be original patterns? At any rate, I am saving that photo of it – beautiful!
I forgot to mention, thank you for that lint roller tip for precuts!!
One more thing! I found the Wind Drifter pattern – duh – all I had to do was ask Mr Google. 😀 It’ by Robin Pickens.
Love the 3 different “usagi” quilts!!! Fun to see your acquisitions, too, Kathleen!!!
You had a busy month, Kathleen, but it’s definitely shocking to realize that you didn’t release a single blog post last month!
Sounds like you had an amazing April – and are tuning up for a great May!!!
Yes, April seemed to fly past. Beautiful quilts and Jolly Bar fabrics.