I know that most of you who read my blog don't live close enough to stop in to my shop. I did a short shop tour video yesterday morning so I thought I would share that with you today.
If the embedded video above doesn't play for you, you can just click the following link to watch it on my YouTube Channel :: Shop Tour Video
I am doing a Sew Along at my shop and on Facebook the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 25 & 26, 2022. Anyone, anywhere can participate. You just need to join the Facebook group, "Alamosa Quilt Company Sew Along Group". All you need to do is search for the group on Facebook and ask to join. If you want to come sew at the shop you do need to reserve your spot ahead of time. There is no charge to come sew at the shop for this, but I don't have unlimited seating so reserve your spot as soon as you can.
You don't NEED to participate live. You can just join the group, see what's up and sew when you can. The videos and posts will be available in the Facebook group as long as I leave it active. At this point, I don't have any plans to close the group. It's free to join the group and participate in the Sew Along. There is no kit or pattern to purchase.
The first project we will do is a great scrap buster. It's a mystery project so I can't share any photos with you yet. There are no specific fabric requirements I can give you because it's a scrap project. There is no "background" fabric for this block. It's all scraps. What I can tell you is that you will need thirty-two 2" by 3.5" rectangles per block. You can make just one block to try out the concept, or 3-4 blocks for a table runner, 12 blocks would make a nice baby quilt, 20 blocks makes a great lap quilt or do as many blocks as you like. The blocks will finish at 12" by 12".
I will give you a couple of setting and finishing options on Saturday, November 26, 2022. You might need yardage for sashing, borders, binding and, of course, the backing. How much will depend on how many blocks you make.
This is a beginner friendly project. You just need to be able to cut 2" by 3.5" rectangles and sew a 1/4" seam allowance. There are no specialty rulers or fancy techniques required for this project.
The first clue will be released in the Facebook group around 10 am Mountain Time (USA) with the other clues following every hour or so until I close at 5 pm Mountain Time. We'll start back up on Saturday around 10 am. I close at 3pm on Saturdays so the last clue will be given before then.
I want to start offering more hybrid and virtual events and classes. I am using this Sew Along as a test for me to learn how to do this. I doubt everything will go smoothly because technology always seems to have some sort of snag to it. I will do my best, but like I said, I'm learning.
So if you are interested in participating, go to Facebook and search for the group, "Alamosa Quilt Company Sew Along Group." I understand that not everyone uses Facebook. I do have plans to use other platforms too, but one thing at a time! Facebook makes this kind of thing pretty easy for me so I am starting with it.
This is another fun 5 Yard Quilt pattern called Eclipse. All of these patterns are so well written and easy to follow!
I used 5 Australian Fabrics from my shop to make up a shop sample.
I need to get this to my long arm quilter this week then decide what fabric I want to use for binding. Decisions, decisions ... only made harder by the fact that I have over 100 Australian Aboriginal fabrics to choose from!
Still in love with this one!
The finished size is 54" by 73". It is so warm and snuggly! I enjoyed sitting under it while hand sewing the binding to the back. I still have a few kits left for this quilt and not enough of the fabrics left to make more. Oh well! If you would like a kit you can purchase it here: Animal Magic Quilt Kit
If you just want some of the fabrics, then you can view what I have left here: Animal Magic Fabrics
I'm kind of anxious for the kits to sell out so I can bring the sample back home to continue enjoying it myself!
One of my customers, Corky P., found this adorable turkey pattern online and has been making some.
The block pattern was from a quilt along. If you want to get the pattern it is available from the designer as a PDF download for only $3.50.
Corky is turning these into table runners for family members. Below is the first one she has finished.
These fabrics arrived on Tuesday of last week. The collection is called Animal Magic from Dashwood Studios.
On Wednesday I picked a pattern and cut everything out. On Thursday morning I pieced this quilt top.
The backing is the adorable fabric on the left and the binding is the mustard strips on the left. If you want to see a better photo of the backing fabric click the following link: Winter Nap Sleepy Friends on Cream. The pattern is called Addison by Villa Rosa Designs. I kitted the quilt up too, Animal Magic Quilt Kit. It will finish at 54" by 73" - a nice twin size. Order it soon if you want one! These fabrics are selling rapidly because they are just way too cute.
Last weekend I had a small SIYOB Retreat at my shop. SIYOB stands for Sleep In Your Own Bed. I got to work on my Crimson Tweed the whole time, except when I was helping customers.
I started quilting the center snowflake block. When the retreat started I had less than a 1/4 of that block quilted. Now I have about 1/4 left to go. See below for a detail shot of this section.
Seed stitching is slow going but I really like the effect. This is going to take a while, which is why I decided that every Thursday afternoon at my shop is hand sewing group. That may be the only time I get to work on this but eventually it will be done if I stick with it!
