July, a "Flourishing" Month

Whoo-hoo! There's happy dancing going on here. In July I hit my fifth consecutive month of more fabric used-up than taken in.

And what great output, right? (Back-patting going on here.) Fabrics were used to:

1) face my improv quilt - Alternate Route.

2) complete piecing my Summer Camp Modern Mystery Quiltalong quilt top. Though we're not supposed to share pictures until September 1, here's my sneaky peek. 

3) make my maximalist quilt top. At this point, those small circles are only pinned to the quilt top. 

I made 58 circles in three sizes using Applipops. A few years ago, I purchased Applipops from The Craft Table in Orlando. I use them a lot!

The medicine bottle contains liquid starch that I "paint" on the raw edges of the circle before pressing. 

I backed each fabric circle with a piece of batting. My plan is to hand-appliqué these to the quilt top when the machine quilting is finished. 

4) piece a backing using four-yards of 42"-wide Andover print (2015) called "Wound Up," by Libs Elliott. It seems "made just for" backing my maximalist quilt. 

I always put new fabric into my stash shelves only after it's been washed, so this piece was pretty wrinkled when I pulled it out. I grabbed the can of Quilting & Crafting Fabric Fresh (manufactured by Faultless) that I'd won in an Instagram giveaway in March (National Quilting Month) from Missouri Star Quilt Co. (The spray was sent to me with a wool pressing mat and that Oliso iron, which I love!)

Anyway, that Fabric Fresh spray is pretty amazing! I sprayed the whole four yards, started pressing, and the wrinkles practically melted away. I'm impressed, and want to recommend it. (No sponsorship; just my opinion.) I think it removes wrinkles better than Flatter.

I looked for Quilting & Crafting Fabric Fresh on both the Hobby Lobby website (we're getting a retail store here soon - hooray!) and JoAnn's. No dice.

Back to yippee-ing... 

In July I used 15.34 yards of fabric! And I didn't buy any! Though it was a close call!

In July we drove to Kansas City to visit family, and as always we spent an overnight getting there. This time we stayed in Paducah! Y'all know what's there, right? Hancock's of Paducah. Guess it was fortuitous that we arrived at our hotel at 4:45, and the store closed at 5 pm.

😌

August looks hopeful for using-up more fabric as I am again participating in the 30 Days of Improv QAL (quilt along). 

Shannon @shannonfraserdesigns and Amanda @broadclothstudio are the hosts, and have led this month-long activity for a few years.

In 2022 I participated for the first time. That's when I pieced Harborage, the first quilt I had accepted in the improv category at QuiltCon (2023). It was purchased at QC by a woman named Shannon (not Shannon Fraser). 

Below are the fabrics I'm using for this year's QAL Except for three Painter's Palette solids, all the fabrics came from QuiltCon in Atlanta. The polka-dot fat quarter was in my QC swag bag, and prompted my vendor purchases of Kantha charm squares, linens, and Oakshott cotton.

Shannon and Amanda send an email each Sunday with the follow week's prompt(s). This week we're to make improv blocks that are "stripes, and rectangles." I can't wait to start cutting! I'll use a rotary cutter only (no rulers). 

It's not too late to join-in! Go here to get on the email list. Then Google "30 days of improv qal 2023" to read posts about getting started. 

Book Recommendation

Demon Copperhead, written by Barbara Kingsolver, was published in 2022, and I still had to wait for my turn to check it out from our public library. It was worth the wait.

Demon (neé Damian) was born in Lee County - Appalachia - Virginia to a teenaged, druggie mom. Raised in a mobile home, he shared his childhood with his neighbor and friend, Mackie, until his mom's death from an overdose. Though in the care of the DSS, each of Demon's foster families used him. The kid just couldn't get any breaks. Yet when he was taken in by the high school football coach, it seemed his talents on the field, and future looked bright, until he was injured. 

This book makes a statement about our culture, social services, and growing up in poverty. Though it took 21 hours to listen to this book, it's the most captivating and insightful listening I've experienced this year.

Linda's score: 4.7/5.0

I listened to nine books this month! That's indicative of how much time I have spent in my sewing room. Lots! Linda