Shop Hop & Free Motion Quilting

 I really do not like to shop, but I admit I have found lots of fun and enjoyment hopping around all the local quilt shops, collecting their stamps, patterns, charm squares, and entering a chance to win prizes! I went to all 12 shops this year on the Charming Quilt Shop Tour and did not win a thing! Can you say, "BUMMER!"? I did rack up some points on my waze travel app though, as well as add to my bulging stash (not such a good thing)!  I also get 10% off purchases at all 12 shops for the next year when I bring in my bag. Nice!

 


Another adventure I've been on has been by enrolling in the Leah Day, Butterfly Dance, Free-Motion Quilting Class using my domestic sewing machine. This is one of the those classes that has become a real game changer. It has opened so many new possibilities to take this craft to the next level. Practice! Practice! Practice! has become my mantra as I build skill, confidence, and speed. I never imagined I would be attempting this endeavor on my sewing machine no less!


I have made up several of these "quilt sandwiches" to practice on. Picking up a quilted mattress pad at a local garage sale recently gave me the idea to chop it up for practice sandwiches. Now there are plenty of these to work on without fretting over using what seems like wasting the good and pricey batting. Any suggestions on what to do with these blocks when finished? Insulate the attic maybe? 


I used a different motif instead of the butterfly pattern Leah uses. Because I quickly lost interest in this year's row by row experience, I had accumulated a bit of fabric from this year's theme - water, and decided to use up those fabrics on this project. Actually I did not want to start another project but since I already had these fabrics... The umbrellas were enlarged from a pattern I bought at Just Quilt It, a participating Quilt Shop from the Row by Row Experience. Don't they fit perfectly with this theme? Hopefully it will be the drive that will see me through to completion...for another finish....like in the spring of 2016! I guess that is the downside to taking classes - they generate new projects.


I think I have begun as many NEW projects as I have finished this year! Although they are all fairly simple designs, the time does add up. I must sit on my hands when Bonnie Hunter's new mystery comes out this holiday season! What keeps you on track and focused to finish?

Another machine quilting site I found helpful is the Inbox Jaunt by Lori Kennedy. Her button is also on the right. She has tutorials, patterns, and challenges! See you there!