Q is for Quilt

2013 Southern California Quilter's Run is June 20-23 & 27-30, 2013 It's time to get new walking shoes. There are 30 quilt shops covering five Southern California counties. Seems sort of easy actually until you try it.

The run is broken down into four districts. For each one that you complete, you are entered to win a prize. The prizes are pretty good so it makes it worth your while to try to complete each section. If you can visit every shop, there is an even better prize for the lucky name drawn.

Sounds OK so far but it's quite a distance to cover. From my house to the last shop in Chula Vista, Ca, it's 90 miles. It's 118 miles from my house to the first shop in Newbury Park.

Still, last time, I did two of the sections. It was a blast. Each shop hands out a charm that can be used to decorate a wall hanging. They have special deals and drawings for each store. There is a always a theme and most have free patterns to go with the theme. So it looks like I will be trying to do this again this year. I can't wait to get to the Temecula Quilt Co. It's close enough that I could go any day but I want to see what they have for the quilt run. They have the most beautiful wool fabrics.  

Not to be overlooked, Northern California has its own called the 14th Annual Northern California 14th Quilt Rush.  It is April 17-21, 2013 and they have some pretty nifty prizes too. Heart of the Valley Quilt Shop Hop covers Carlifornia's Central Valley.

For residents who may not know how many quilt shops there are in their area, check out the websites. Even if the annual event is over, the quilt shops are still listed.

I am going to Tennessee in May. You can bet that I already have a list of the quilt shops I may be passing in my travels.

Some of my quilts. This is one I found at a thrift store. It is queen size and beautiful. I cost me $5.00. I have a feeling it is worth a little more. It is a crazy quilt that is completely hand stitched. Some of the pieces are frayed. The embroidery is excellent and the quilt is tied.

Anyone want to hazard a guess on the age of this quilt?
I think that it may be from the 30's. The backing with the medallions is not a current fabric. The texture and the weight are not any that are familiar. The pieces on the front are not familiar either and I have been sewing a very long time.  I did some checking and the colors might have been depression era. The pieces that have frayed are the same and look to be a thin, gauzy material that has not done well over the years. 

This is one that I made. When I washed it, the whole thing came apart at the seams. We figured out that the fabric was defective so I sat it aside for a year until I could convince myself to take it all apart and start over. It is now a proud addition to the decor in my living room.