50 ways to keep a quilter happy while on vacation 30, 29, 28, 27

How’s your summer? I’ve been having a pretty exciting summer so far, lots of side trips, visits to quilt shops and the summer isn’t over yet. Today, I have three more ideas to add to the 50 ways to keep a quilter happy while on vacation 30, 29, 28, 27, the fourth one being another trip to an exciting quilt shop! Let’s go!

There are MANY quilt themed novels. Some are historic based, others are novels with quilts woven into the story line, while other stories have plots that specifically focus on quilts and their makers. Most are fast easy reads which is perfect for easy summer reading. Search your library catalog for quilt themed novels. Or search on-line for “quilt novels” and several lists will pop up.

Some of these books are trilogies or series – if you’re like me, I like to start at the beginning of the series as I like to see the characters evolve.

We’ve all been there. You’re waiting in line somewhere or just hanging out and suddenly you spot a piece of clothing someone’s wearing that inspires an awesome quilt. Or maybe the color or the design of the garment is a good inspiration for your next quilt.

Since it probably isn’t practical to ask them for their shirt and it wouldn’t be a good idea to take a swatch, the next best thing is to snap a picture.

I try to be discreet about the picture taking – all depends on the situation.

While I would probably never wear a pair of pants like these, I love the bold graphic designs. Now how could I take that bold zig zag and incorporate it into a quilt design?

I cannot stress this enough – If you want to become a good machine quilter especially with free motion designs, you must practice. And yes – practice is boring. Why not pack a clip board with scrap paper and a nice smooth rolling Sharpie and while you’re in the car, watching your children at soccer or some other summer event – practice – practice – practice!

Often, the biggest issue is WHAT to draw or doodle. Take something that you have trouble with, let’s say stippling, which is a meandering line that doesn’t have points and doesn’t cross over itself. Many people can’t figure out how to get into and out of the corners. This is a perfect exercise to try on paper. If you work yourself into a corner, no worries. It’s just paper – no stitches to rip out.

I like to take pictures of other people’s quilting or look at photos in magazines. Then I use those as guides to practice the design on paper. Once I find a design that works for me, then I’ll go to the sewing machine to give it a whirl.

You can never visit too many quilt stores. I have to confess that on my way home from PEI, I took my own advice to heart and planned my trip home based on the location of various quilt stores. Let’s just say that the GPS came in very handy.  Never got lost once!

This next store is called  Rather-B-Quilting and is located in Houlton, Maine.

There you have it – some more great ideas to pass the time this summer. Enjoy and I’ll be back later this week with some more exciting tips to add to 50 ways to keep a quilter happy while on vacation, including keeping your family happy and busy this summer. Ciao!