Christmas in July!

I don't know about you but I'm never ready with presents and projects in time for Christmas!  For once, I've made an early start.  On this hot July weekend, why don't you join me and dive into Christmas projects?   And, boy, do I have a cute project for you!

Check out my blog on the AccuQuilt website to make this wonderful table topper!

Shown here On Point

It doesn't take that long to make so spend the hot day in the cool indoors and you'll still have time to sit out to enjoy the sun at the end of the day!

Bobbin Along

The first day of summer, June 21, is also the first day of the Row by Row Experience 2015.  It is an exciting shop hop event where you can visit participating shops and receive a free pattern for a quilt row.  Collect at least 8 row patterns, make a quilt and show-and-tell at a participating shop and you could win prizes!  There are over 2700 participating shops from all 50 states and Canada with 107 shops in my home state of Pennsylvania.  Just amazing!

This year is the third year that our local quilt shop, The Round Bobbin is participating in this event.  Every year, I have had the privilege of designing the row for The Round Bobbin.  So, with an event theme of H2O (water!),  our row for the The Round Bobbin is the Storm At Sea!

It is a paper-pieced pattern as the pieces do get a bit small.  Susan S., the shop owner, put the row together and Susan A. machine quilted fish on it!  So wonderful!  It looks great even as a stand-alone row (think table runner!).  You just have to come and see it!!!

Our Fabric plate this year is - Bobbin Along!  I accidentally came up with it during a group discussion.

So, if you're in Ambler, Pennsylvania this summer (June 21-Sept 8), drop by the Round Bobbin, pick up your free row pattern and maybe throw in a kit and a fabric plate!

Sochi and Quilts

Have you noticed the colorful bibs all the athletes are wearing at the Winter Olympics?  Look a little closer - doesn't that look like a quilt design?  I just keep obsessing about all those diamonds with pinwheels and triangle shapes!  I want to make this quilt now.  Think Kaffe prints especially for the reds.  Yummy!

Canberra Quilters (Australia) also noticed the same thing and did a little research.  The designs are apparently intended to show Russian arts and crafts.

Check out the blue diamonds in the forefront!
By secretlondon123 (Flickr: Ice Arena) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

From facebook.com/jdombstravels

Well, I got a little more curious and did a bit more googling.  Next thing I found out is that the U.S. Snowboarding Team's official jacket is basically a patchwork created by Burton Snowboards. It is inspired by handcrafted patchwork quilts and the American flag.  It seems that snowboarders really love it, too! Who knew quilting and snowboarding would ever mix?!

 Here's a picture of gold medalist Sage Kotsenburg wearing the jacket and below is Shaun White with both the jacket and the bib!

By Parke Brewer (VOA) (US Kotsenburg 'Stoked' on Winning First Sochi Gold)
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

From Burton Snowboards.

Shaun White wearing the bib and the jacket underneath!
from https://twitter.com/shaun_white

It might also be worth looking into Norway's Curling Team's uniform.  Those pants look really interesting, too!

Have you seen any other quilty uniforms while watching the Olympics?