Let's go to the Hop...Oh baby, Let's go to the Hop

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Welcome back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

I used to love to go to dances and do the Hop back in the late 50's & early 60's.  That brings back memories, wow.  When I think of those lyric's I think the only other words in the song besides Lets go to the hop are "come on". Right?  Isn't it "Lets go to the hop, oh baby, lets go to the hop, oh baby, come on, lets go to the hop!" Right?  Over and over again?  Right? I used to do the hop all the way through the song, but these days I can do about 5 or 6 single hops then I sit down.

Well I listened to it on Youtube and there are more words but not many, huh.  Click the link below to see for yourself. There is an ad at first just click to pass it up.

Today's HOP is all about the Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop with some Washington Row by Row added in.  Both events overlaped.  The Shop Hop finished yesterday but I only made it to 8 stores. The record HEAT wave that hit Washington State stopped me dead in my tracks.  I don't do HEAT!

It was fun and I got enough blocks to do a little wall hanging to remind me of my trip with  my new friend Marilyn.  We started at 9 a.m. and got back at 8 p.m. and didn't even get off of the Olympic Peninsula.  There are many more stores if we had taken a ferry or gone over the Narrows Bridge but we were just too pooped to go any further that day.

Some women we talked with had already gone to over 20 stores.  Holy Cow!  I guess we could have done that if we just ran in to the store and got our Shop Hop passport stamped and drove on to the next store.  But we didn't.  We shopped, and talked to the workers and the other shoppers.  We had lots of fun with the other ladies.

Well, the Hop is over but the Washington Row by Row continues on.  Marilyn and I are going back out there when it cools down a little.  We're taking the Ferries to other parts of Western Washington to get enough row by row's to make a quilt or a few table runners.

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

Quilts from Retreat

Blog 67

Welcome back to "Seams Like Home"!

At the Retreat in Lake Tahoe I took a few pictures of quilts made or finished while we were there.

A beautiful Braided Quilt Made by Cindy!  The photo doesn't do it justice.  It is really like WOW!

An Intricate Crab Apple Hill Sampler made by Pam.  Her handwork is perfect!  Pam also worked on two other tops but I missed the chance to get a photo, maybe she'll send them to me? Are you listening Pam?

Another quilt by Cindy, she has great color sense. Yes she made two tops at retreat!  After all, she was the youngest at retreat so two tops from beginning to end is about right, right?

Theresa showed us all what she could do with a Layer cake.  Her sense of balance is unsurpassed as she combined the varied assortment of fun colors and finished it off with a lighter border.

Theresa also finished UFO's including a guest room quilt and her Cat's Quilt that she started long ago but now can cross them off her list. Yea, Theresa!

This is "The Other" Judy's quilt.  In my opinion it is the prettiest she's ever made.  She combined Dresden Plates with Border fabric and used a "GO" cutter to make the cornerstones.  Sooooo Pretty!

Judy's quilt laid out on the pool table.

"The other" Judy's UFO was a very dramatic "Stack and Whack" that she brought to finish.  To her surprise, when she pulled it out of it's storage bag, all of the blocks were done and she only needed to make one more setting triangle.  She was so close to done, we wondered why she put it away so long ago. Hmmmm.  A happy surprise.

And finally mine.  I can't show you one because it is for someone who might see it on my blog.  I will show you another time when it is completely done and ready to give away.  But my UFO was the quilt from the book "EL's Kitchen" by Eleanor Burns.



I brought the blocks I had finished in my "Block of the Month" class. I added the black with red rosebud sashing.  I had to make the center basket and the checker board border.

There is one mistake in it - can you see it?  Of course my "Sisters" noticed right away, such smart quilters.  It has since been ripped out or as I call it "UN_SEWN" and fixed.  I still have a final border to put on it and quilt it.  I'm happy with the results.

The week of fun/laughter/food/quilting just about did me in.  But I'm doing it again next year, count me in SISTERS!  I may have moved but you are still family.

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

What happens at Retreat..... Stays at Retreat

Blog 66

Welcome Back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME!"

I just got home from the Annual Serenity Sisters Quilting Retreat! I'm exhausted but HAPPY!  I HAD SO MUCH FUN!  Lots and Lots of laughter, food, fun and of course Quilting.  We stayed at the SEW READY RETREAT (sewreadyretreat.com) at beautiful Lake Tahoe, California for 6 1/2 days.  

We call each other "Sisters" because that is how we feel about each other.  We are not related by blood but we have a bond.  We feel "safe" with each other, we can be ourselves and know that whatever happens we will still all Love each other.  While we quilt we talk and talk and talk.  We know about each others families, we celebrate each others victories and morn each others losses.  We are family.

We also like to have fun! 

And shop!

And Relax!

This year we missed one of our Sisters at Retreat.  She had to have back surgery.  I'm happy to say she is doing great but we REALLY missed her.

In my next blog I'll show you some of the quilting we did!

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!

I finished! The Dreamy Hexagon Medallion Quilt top is DONE!

Blog 65 

Welcome Back to "SEAMS LIKE HOME"!

I finished! The Dreamy Hexagon Quilt top is DONE!

Here is it's story:

I bought the Dreamy Hexagon Medallion Quilt Kit - it included a class on "CreativeBug.com" and had wonderful Kaffe Fassett fabrics.




The First thing was to English Paper Piece the Hexagons.  Using all the colors of Shot Cottons in the kit.

Once the Hexagon frames were all made, I Framed the beautiful "Brassica" Fabric, putting a different cabbage or flower in each.

The Framed cabbages were appliqued onto the background to make the center medallion. Then the first border was added with more fussy cut cabbages for cornerstones.

The second border was created making a square in a square from two fabrics.

The third border was relatively easy with the same fabric all the way around.  

Then came the most difficult border of 16 patch blocks on point!

I put the setting triangles on each corner of the 16 patch blocks and finally the fourth border was done.  One more border - the fifth - from all the same fabric and I was done.

HERE IT IS! Covering most of my design wall! Finished at last, my Dreamy Hexagon Medallion Quilt top is DONE!

When  you spend a LONG time on a quilt top, do you get really tired of it and don't want to see it again for awhile?  Yeah, me too.  But then after some time away from it you look again and marvel at the work you did.  

A Medallion quilt changes with each border you add, I watched it grow and change over time.  I am so glad I did this, (but I'm glad it's done too!)

SEW ON AND SEW FORTH!