A Finished Row by Row

I decided this year that I didn't want to participate in the Row by Row, last year was fun, but mostly because Darrin and I had our road trip to get them.

I decided to make the Seahawks wave from Keepsake Cottage (Bothell) so I could have a tablerunner for football season.  I added some Seahawk m&m's for the photo op too :)






I have been collecting the Summer Block of the Week from Primitive Gatherings.  I am behind by 5 weeks now!  I am not in the mood for any wool applique right now, but I will eventually do them.  This heat that we are getting is not fun, we are pretty spoiled in the Pacific Northwest because it's typically so mild.  We normally only get a couple of weeks of hot weather (90+), than it usually does not happen until the end of July and into August when it does hit.  This year June was HOT.  We decided to buy a portable AC unit just before the heatwave hit, and I am so glad we did.  Our house isn't too bad until we have many days in a row of hot... I think records have been broken, we had the hottest 4th of July since 1971 at 92 degrees.  We usually say that summer doesn't start until July 5th (because it tends to rain on the 4th), not this year.  So until I get my quilt room to cool down, I'm guessing there won't be a lot of machine sewing going on.

Hopefully I'll get another project done before July is up :)

Row by Row Experience, Winner!

can we just photoshop out that double chin... yeesh!

Just in case we aren't facebook friends, I arrived at Keepsake Cottage Fabrics at 11am on the dot and won by being the first to bring my quilt in!  Bonus is that I used their row pattern so I also won a $25 gift certificate along with the 25 fat quarters.  I already have plans for that gift cert!  Last time to link here: http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/



I love to work with solids! It was fate :) now I am wondering if this might work well in a scrappy trips quilt ala Bonnie Hunter?  I had some other fabrics set aside for that, but we'll see.

Now onward... I need to finish the binding on the kaleidoscope quilt and mail that down.  I am happy with how that one turned out.  I've decided I am done quilting on it (unless I change my mind again in the next day or two!).

Row By Row Experience, in the books

The Final Layout:


I went through my Washington State Internet Quilters block swap blocks and decided to add eight to the sides to give it more width.  I think it turned out nice.  Here are the rows and the people who made the swap blocks:

"Famous Last Words" (AKA, I am not doing this project, Mary!) By Melissa Devin
1. Attic Window, Wenatchee. Hummingbird  by Donna Kay Mowery
2. Leavenworth Quilt Company. Tulips by Lou Ann Hughes
3. Sew E-Z Too, Spokane. Tree by Joyce Callison
4. Quilted Strait, Port Gamble.  Goose by Dru Rowan
5. Keepsake Cottage, Bothell. Fruit by Joy Neal
6. Calico Threads, Tacoma. SeaGull and pilings by Julie Huffman
7. Creative Union Fabrics, Port Townsend. Ferry by Julie Scholes
8. Karen's Quilt Shop, Sequim. Herons by Naomi Vargas Peck

All quilted and bound.  It is currently in the wash, hope nothing disintegrates before I can take it to the shop tomorrow!


I just about totally changed the 7th row, Creative Union.  I changed the compass to make it paper pieceable, and I also paper pieced the sailboat, changed the rock a bit, and left the rope off the anchor.  Oh, and I didn't reverse anything, so the master row is going in the other direction.  Oh well.

I quilted the cable lines on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  I thought about embroidering, but went with this instead.  It turned out well I think.

I think that's it on my report for the putting together of the rows.  Now I am just hoping I will be the first one done at the shop tomorrow!  We are taking Daniel to camp first, but I don't think they open until 11 or 12, so I may be ok :)

Row by Rows!

Yah! All eight rows are basically finished.  I need to finish appliqueing the crabs and seagulls, and a section of the row with the anchor, but next is to figure out the order and what I want to do to make it wider.


I changed the fourth row into mostly paper piecing, but I still have applique to do.  I am glad I decided to change the mariners compass as well, otherwise I would be still scratching my head on the y-seams.

Quilted Strait:  6th row, I meant to change around the order of the houses so that the fabrics weren't next to each other that were of the same pattern... it wasn't until I was appliqueing the trees that I noticed what I did.  Oh well.

The order again:
1st: Attic Window, Wenatchee
2nd: Leavenworth Quilt Company
3rd: Calico Threads, Tacoma
4th: Creative Union Fabrics
5th: Karen's Quilt Shop, Sequim

6th: Quilted Strait, Port Gamble
7th: Keepsake Cottage, Bothell
8th: Sew E-Z Too, Spokane

Even with some of the challenges, I am really happy with the rows I have picked to put into this quilt.  It will look great hanging up in the living room :)

Row by Row

Just an update on my Row By Row:
Top: Attic Window, Wenatchee
2nd: Leavenworth Quilt Company
3rd: Calico Threads, Tacoma
4th: Sew E-Z Too, Spokane
5th: Karen's Quilt Shop, Sequim



I am happy with how it is looking so far.  I am considering using some Washington state themed orphan swap blocks to add to the sides to create more width (since the length with eight rows will seem off balance).  I am sitting down to applique on my bottom rows, and I have some pieces cut for another (tomorrow's project).  It is cuter than I was expecting, seeing them together.

Row by Row Experience Part 2 or 3

....depending on how you are keeping track :)

This morning I got up and took my once-a-week-maple-tree picture (I haven't blogged about that yet, I plan to put the 52 pictures into a quick slideshow eventually) before the construction started up on our street (water mains being replaced) and then I went to work in figuring out my Leavenworth Quilt Company's Row by Row pattern.  I had issues already with this row, but I found that there were some directions left off in regards to measurement of the pine tree trunk, the section under the house, and the three patch piece (I always thought it was called delectable mountains block, but I am not finding the block under that name).



I was able to undo a couple of HST's that weren't used to make the three-patch pieces (2), and then I put the rest together.  I actually ended up with two or three extra background pieces that were cut according to the directions leftover, so I don't know what is up with that.  I had to use one to give some more length to a top background piece that wasn't long enough, so it worked out, mostly.  I really think the patterns need to be tested more.  I don't know how they were drafted, but I am glad I am able to think about what to do next in these cases--and not stress about it.

Also, with the water HST's: with the rows measuring at 36" (finished), the 2" water HSTs math worked out fine.  Any longer or shorter, it wouldn't have worked as well.

I am planning to do Attic Windows row next with flying geese.  They remind me of kites in the air (but I think they are suppose to be birds).  I might change the background from black to a sky color instead.


And a final retreat selfie.  Mary describes on her blog the story behind this one.  Rather-Be's is in the background.  What a great place for a quilt retreat.

Retreat Accomplishments

7/24/2014 heading east in eastern Washington, such a beautiful drive!  I left around 7:30 in the morning in rainy weather, to make it over the mountains into sunshine.  The weather was warm but not hot, which I love.  I wish I would have made a few stops along the way to take pics of the beautiful scenery and some roadside sunflowers, maybe next time.

First things first.  I really love the Row by Row Experience and what it's all about.  I really do!  That said, I have one and a half rows completed, and in both the directions there are parts that are really difficult to understand.  I have been quilting for a long time, I can follow directions fairly easily... but in one kit, the background fabric was just barely enough (wasn't quite enough actually, but I eased it in) and the cutting directions for the background for the half square triangles was at 3"--when it should have been nearly an inch smaller.  Considering I have run out of the background fabric, that was a huge error.  The quilt shop did come back with a correction regarding the finished sizes of the HST's, but it didn't change on the cutting diagram for the background fabric.  I ended up cutting all my squares so they would finish at 2" instead of 1.5" (corrected is 1.5" finished).  After realizing my error, I already pieced together the "water" HST's, and I am going to see if it will still work (vs taking it apart and trimming down like I have had to do with the others).



Above is from Leavenworth Quilt Company, a very cute row.  You can really see the size difference in the HST's (the mountain vs the water).  I fudged some land under the house.  It looks a little wider than I wanted, but it was what I needed.  There were a lot of fussy background pieces, and I think some sizes may have been off either in the instructions or in cutting (though I have double checked as I gathered to sew in place).



(that orange is actually a red, not sure what happened in the translation) Ok... I love the Tacoma Narrows row (Calico Threads, Tacoma). It was one of the top shops I wanted to be sure to visit for the row pattern.  But having to use an Angle Play template to make it was kind of ridiculous.  I never did figure out the ruler and ended up paper piecing the sailboats instead.  I need to make the cable lines for the bridge--I am planning to do embroidery for that.  Please quilt shops, please please please... don't require rulers like this to make the row patterns again.  yes, I bought that kit with the ruler.  Yes instructions were included.  Yes I searched youtube for demonstrations.  Yes I was HAPPY someone at retreat had paper that I could use to draft the pattern into paper piecing--which was a breeze.  And finally, yes I gave the ruler away. Also, I had to go stash diving because the kit did not have enough of the lighter grey fabric.


working alongside some Angry Orchard hard cider. Yum.  I think it helped keep pieces straight for this quilt :)


A quick iphone picture of the engagement/wedding quilt I started a couple of months ago.  I have the bulk of the top finished, and now I am thinking about working in an applique design on top for information and to personalize.  This came to me yesterday when I was showing the finished top to the other retreaters.  I am happy with how this top has worked out.  I designed it on my EQ--which took me some time to figure out too :)  Hopefully I will have this one finished before January (as my goal for now).

And finally, heading home out of Cougar Country.  Washington State University is my alma mater, I just love how the whole eastern side of the state supports WSU.  Go Cougs!


I finished quilting the kaleidoscope quilt, and I did pick up a new wool project at the shop we were staying at.  Other than that, I got most of what I had planned to work on finished... and my batteries have been recharged again.  Success!

Row By Row Road Trip

Last night I planned out a road trip for Darrin and I to take for today:


The cheapest route was to take the Narrows Bridge west (no toll that way), and ride the ferry home east.  I am glad we did because that meant I got the worst part of the drive out of the way in the beginning (405 is a mess, and I-5 through Tacoma is very busy along with impatient crazy people).  Driving up the peninsula was nice, even though there were a fair number of other drivers.  Instead of hitting the shops in the order I put on my map, after going to Calico Threads in Tacoma, we went to the furthest one away first (Karen's Quilt Shop in Sequim) and then work back to Quilted Strait in Port Gamble as the last.  I'm glad I did it that way because the short drive to the ferry from there was perfect.

The best part of all--and I know anyone in Washington who has dealt with it would agree--I pulled up to the ferry terminal, paid, and was one of the last cars to board!  No waiting at all!  If that were a Sunday afternoon, that would not have been the case.


It was a long day (6hrs!!), but we were able to make it to four different participating shops for the patterns.  I guess this means that it's time to start making them!


To the North:


To the South: You can see Seattle in the distance (tall buildings at the right base of Rainier), and even the Space Needle, though my phone didn't pick it up that well (it has to be blown up more to really see the top of the Needle)


Bye Kingston!

Collecting Patterns For the Row By Row Experience

I swore I wasn't going to do this project, but here I am... I started my official pattern collecting yesterday with my local shop in Bothell (their pattern is a row of scrappy pumpkins), and I knew for sure I wanted the pattern from Gossypium in Issaquah.  Take a look at it (this is not my picture, but the finished row with the kit used):


I love it!  It is all applique, and I will likely do fusible vs needle turn.

I wish the participating shops weren't so far away, but I guess the point is to travel over the summer to get them.



I have a list of the patterns I want the most, some I really didn't care for.  If you want to take a look to see if any shops in your state are participating click here  And if you are in Washington State, take a look at the facebook page to see some of the participating shops patterns and plates (which are printed on fabric, btw)