I planned to arrive in California a day early for the Road to California workshops I was leading. That extra day allowed for travel delays (there were none to speak of), and a little down time once I arrived. A chance to check out the Convention Center, just steps away from my hotel, and to take in the sights and scents of summer time, still a long way off in central New York. This rose, on a bush right outside the Convention Center smelled heavenly!
Monday's workshop at Road to California was Chopped. You start with a whole mess of squares. . .
. . . then make even more half-square triangles. . . .
. . . and eventually you get some blocks.
. . . times 25 or so in the class!
On Tuesday, we worked on the 99 Bottles quilt from ScrapTherapy, Scraps Plus One! We were so focused on the project, I didn't manage to take any pictures. Regardless, it was a fun group and project!
Then it was time to head home. All too soon, I might add.
No worries. A quick change of clothes--unpack warm-weather clothes, pack cold-weather clothes and a sewing machine and head back out again to a ski-vacation rental near Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks, northern New York.
Beautiful rustic interior.
Quilters certainly know how to convert a regular living room into a quilting studio in no time flat. I happened to snap this picture first thing in the morning before 'production' was in full swing.
In between the here and there, I had a note from Mary. She visited my booth at a show last fall and purchased one of the Mini Scrap Grid packs. She tweaked the pattern a bit to make Valentines ornaments (out of 9-patches) for all the residents at her mom's senior living center. She didn't share a picture of her project, but I played a bit with a square of the grid and came up with this version following inspiration from Mary.
I worked with only one 9-patch section of the grid to give the idea a test-drive. Place squares cut from two bright pink scraps and one background square on the grid. Fuse. . .
Fold and sew. . .
Snip, press, and furl. . .
Ta-da! (For more detail on the Mini Scrap Grid how-to, click here)
Add borders, a backing and the fusible foamy stuffing to give the pin structure.
Add a little heart-shaped quilting . . .
Attach the pin to the back with some perle cotton.
Pink the edges. And you're done. . .except . . .
I wanted a more heart-shaped shape. So I re-pinked around the heart-shape.
What do you think? Better as a square? Better as a heart?
By the way, just in case you want to make some for yourself or for your sweetheart (or your mom's senior living community!), you can ask for Taste of Nectar Pin Packs (and refill packs) at your favorite quilt shop, or find them at the links shown. The packs even have the foamy batting and pin backs included! What a deal!!
Happy Stitching!
joan
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