Zubeneschamali

Wow, it's been a long time. Short version: I had a very busy semester, I'm writing a book that's due at the end of the summer, and my state is at the front of the pack in the race to destroy public higher education in the U.S. I'm back at running (one more half marathon under my belt), and I just got back from a wonderful two weeks in Colorado. I'm really struggling with fic writer's block right now, but that's a story for another time. I've shown up for the first time in months to ask for your help with another quilt!

Last year I made this one based on the patterns people were able to get for me from across the country. The Row by Row experience is back, this time with over 3000 quilt shops across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Each store came up with their own 9"x36" pattern based on the theme of "Home Sweet Home." The patterns are free -- but you have to go to the store to get them. Most shops also have kits, but I'm just looking for patterns. Can you help me out? Before September 5th?

( List of places with really cool patterns... )

If you live in any of these places, or will be traveling through, or know someone who does, I'd love to hear from you! As always, I totally understand if you can't get to a store or aren't willing. No worries. But if you can help, I'll send you a little something quilty as a thank you. :)

I've been on vacation in the Pacific Northwest/Vancouver (JUST missing the filming of both SPN and XF, which makes me bitterly unhappy), and in my travels to various quilt shops in the region, which is an important part of any vacation, I discovered this thing called the Row by Row Experience. There are over a thousand quilt shops across the country who are participating, each designing a free pattern for a row of a quilt around the theme of water. These are some of the designs:

( Pics below the cut... )

The kicker is, you can only get the pattern from the physical shop, not online. And there are some really cool patterns from all over the country, and given my love of geography and of quilting, this seems like a natural challenge for me to take up. So if you live in the US or Canada, would you be able to help?

( Details below the cut... )

Day two: educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at.

( That's a dangerous thing to ask of a college professor... )

It's back! I have been making progress on the quilt, but I keep forgetting to get the photos off of my camera. *facepalm* Well, here they are, and today's installment explains what makes a quilt a quilt.

( Read more... )

I did say it might be a while...

My friend had her baby, and while little Corwin's quilt has been pieced, it has not yet been quilted, and is therefore not pictured here yet. :) Not like he needs it for warmth at the moment anyway, so I will get to the quilting once I've finished piecing the first half of the SPN quilt blocks. It's good to have goals. :)

I have, however, managed to finish five of the sixteen "Kansas Troubles" blocks, and here's one:

( Read more... )

Let me preface this by saying this is all wendy's fault.

( Read more... )

One of my best friends from college had her second child this spring, and in the process of making a quilt for the baby, I realized I should also make one for the four-year-old, since she might be feeling a little left out with the new guy in town. Also, we were busy moving four years ago and I didn't make a baby quilt then. I found this cool fabric at a shop in Seattle last spring that looks like a nature journal, and it seemed appropriate along with some bright but not too-bright colors.

And then I found a local quilt shop that rents out time on their longarm, which meant the actual quilting got done in, no kidding, two hours instead of probably a month. Of course, it's taken me another month to get around to finishing and binding it, but oh well. The kids probably don't want quilts in the summer anyway. :)

( Here's the results... )