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July Shop Hopping & Row by Rowing

I hadn’t really planned to do our regional July Shop Hop, first because of the distance and driving involved to get to 15 shops spread out all over Southwestern Ontario and second because I have sooooo many other projects that I want to finish this quarter that starting a new one would slow down progress on those.  But last week, when I needed to make a quick stop at our local quilt shop, they gave me the free kit for their block and a passport just in case I made it to any of the other shops.

Well… come this weekend, the temperature today was supposed to reach the lower to mid 30s with the heat index in the 40s.  Middle daughter and I decided an afternoon of quilt shop hopping in an air conditioned car might be a good idea after all.

We managed to make it to the last of four shops 10 minutes before closing time.

July Shop Hopping block kits

The finished block in the middle of the photo is the one from my local quilt shop.  The rest are from today’s trip.

I don’t mind admitting that middle block gave me a lot of trouble.  It may look simple but for some reason I was having trouble obtaining the accurate (slight) 1/4″ seam allowance that is essential for getting all those corners to line up.  After several times of ripping seams out, the block did finish at an almost perfect 9 1/2″ square albeit with a few seams that have tiny ripples in them that I’m hoping will even out after quilting and washing.

Since all the shops we went to were also participating in the Row by Row Experience, we picked up the patterns for those too.

Local Ontario Row by Row Experience patterns

If I make any of these, I think they will have to be turned into individual wall hangings because as you can see… none of them really go together.

For my personal taste, a quilt takes far too much time, not to mention money (fabric, thread, etc) to throw a bunch of rows/blocks together with no thought as to how the finished quilt will look.    If I do end up making a Row by Row quilt, I may have to wait until November when the rows from other shops not in my area will be available for mail order.  Then I’ll be able to pick and choose the rows to be included.

On a completely different note… be sure to stop back here on Monday for the weekly Vintage Embroidery Monday & Stitchery Link Party.   Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be sharing some really adorable vintage patterns.

And of course, each Monday there will be lots of inspiration to be found on the blogs who join in the Stitchery Link Party.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit those who linked up this past Monday, I really encourage you to take a few moments and go see what everyone is working on.

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend with much Aloha!

 

 

 

 

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7 Comments

  • Gretchen
    July 21, 2015 1:37 pm

    I think the Row by Row Experience is a neat idea but I already have enough projects to work on. Have fun with your Rows.

  • Rachel
    July 20, 2015 7:23 am

    The blocks don’t seem to go together, no. But maybe if they were mediated by some of the others, they might? Tricky…

  • Celtic Thistle Stitches
    July 20, 2015 2:28 am

    The shop hop sounds like fun, I wonder if it will ever catch on here? Slight quarter inch seams always cause me problems, your block looks great!

  • Mary Anne
    July 19, 2015 7:17 pm

    I’ve noticed several people around the blogging world taking part in the Row by Row challenge. Interesting concept, but not for me. Sane quilting isn’t my ‘thing’.

  • Carol
    July 19, 2015 9:47 am

    I only found a couple rows in my area that I really liked and they didn’t seem to go together for me either. It sounds like you had a good time in beautiful weather!

  • Christine B.
    July 19, 2015 7:29 am

    Hello Sue! Looks like you and your daughter had a great trip and pick up lots of lovely blocks! Looking forward to the link up on Monday! 🙂 x

  • Erin McSweeney
    July 19, 2015 7:10 am

    The other weekend my aunt and I spent 16 hours in the car and hit all 15 stores, it was a blast but man was I exhausted after all that driving haha….great job on the square I’m terrible at those slight 1/4″ seams…

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