It was short notice. I had three days to prepare and pack, but I wasn't going to miss this trip. Two weeks in Hawaii in Frebruary, who could resist. I gave some thought to bringing my sewing machine but decided to soak up the sun and culture instead.
Quilting is a way of life, so one of my first stops was at The Calico Cat quilt shop. The owner, Carol Y.O. Kuniyoshi is friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the area. I could have visited for hours but there was fabric to buy.
The boutique style fabric shop is cozy and bursting with fabric and notions. The fabric is beautiful with many brands and designs not found in my local quilt shops. I went in looking for Hawaiin prints, which were there in abundance, to make a memory quilt of this trip. But I didn't stop there. Fat quarters were everywhere, taunting me. I left with a large bag of fabric and a fun new friend, who I hope to see at the Houson quilt market this fall.
1223 Koko Head Ave., Honolulu, HI
(808) 732-3998
Call or check Carol's website for hours. www.thecalicocathawaii.com
Happy Quilting
It's snowing here today, so I felt like we needed a cheerful bright block for this week. The Spinning Flower block is my original design. Just having some fun with rectangles and squares. The example quilt layout shows how the blocks interact with each other.
Fabric A - Green
Fabric B - Yellow
Fabric C - Blue
Fabric D - Purple
Fabric E - Pink
Cut 4 - 1 1/2" squares from Fabric A - Use GO! Strip Cutter-1 1/2" (55024 or 55075), then rotate 90°
and sub cut into 1 1/2" squares.
Cut 1 - 1 1/2" square from Fabric B - Use GO! Strip Cutter-1 1/2" (55024 or 55075), then rotate 90°
and sub cut into 1 1/2" squares.
Cut 4 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles from Fabric C - Use GO! Strip Cutter-1 1/2" (55024 or 55075), then rotate 90° and sub cut with GO! Strip Cutter-2 1/2" (55014 or 55017).
Cut 4 - 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles from Fabric D - Use GO! Strip Cutter-2" (55025), then rotate 90° and sub cut with GO! Strip Cutter-3 1/2" (55032 or 55074).
Cut 4 - 1" x 3" rectangles from Fabric E - Use GO! Strip Cutter-1" (55052 or 55072) and then sub cut 2 1/2" rectangles with rotary cutter.
The pattern for the Dutchman's Puzzle block was first published in 1895. Dutchman's Puzzle is also known as Dutchman's Wheel or Windmill. This is one of my favorites. The example quilt layout shows how the blocks interact with each other. Both AccuQuilt GO! Dies and rotary cutting instructions are provided.
Fabric A - Light Blue fabric
Fabric B - Purple fabric
Cut 16 Fabric A Triangles - Go! Half Square 2" Finished Triangles: Die 55063 or Value Die 55018
Cut 16 Fabric B Triangles - Go! Half Square 2" Finished Triangles: Die 55063 or Value Die 55018
I currently started a mystery quilt and I think the biggest surprise for me is, I don't think I like it. It definitely makes me work outside my comfort zone. It has revealed that I like control. I want to plan my quilt, know where each fabric goes, what blocks I'll use, the borders, the quilting and on and on. See, I want total control over that quilt.
I like reading mystery books and the challenge of figuring out the plot. There, that's the problem with the mystery quilt I can't figure it out ahead of time as there is not enough information. So, I'll have to trust the person who wrote the instructions, cut the beautiful fabric into triangles, which by the way would be great in a quilt I have in mind, and make this mystery a reality.
It's only fabric and time. This will be good for me. It's good to challenge yourself or at least figure yourself out. I'll keep repeating this daily and maybe it will stick.