Texas Roadtrip QAL--Quad 3 Pattern

It's hard for me to believe that we have already traveled through north-east and north-west Texas and now we are about to start Quad 3--south-west Texas. I'm am really just amazed by all of the city blocks we have made so far. The designers have really created some stunning blocks and I'm just overwhelmed with how much I love them, and how much fun I'm having making them. I also want to thank all of you who are following along and/or participating. One of the reasons I love quilting so much is the wonderful sense of community and support, so really, thank you everyone:)

I finished up my first quadrant, and I added a few trees to represent the Piney Woods area of Texas where I'm from. I always hear from people "Texas doesn't have trees!", and I have to politely remind them that Texas isn't just all tumbleweeds and Cactuses (or is it Cacti?). Texas is a big place, and the area where I'm from is covered with pine forests. So my tribute to the pine forests is--(pause for effect)--7 Trees! And one of those might be a bit oddly spaced:)

In the pic above you see the first 3 blocks: the Longhorn was by Linsey from Fort Worth Fabric Studio to represent Fort Worth. That just has "Texas" written all over it! And then the Ferris Wheel was designed by Ashley at Urban Spools for the Dallas block--and I love how it works so well with the fabric collection I'm using--the whole thing has a very whimsical air, don't you think? And as you might have seen in my previous post, the Rose was made by Colleen for the Tyler block--and I really love that she designed such a cute block for my hometown. They all really make my heart happy.

During the week I hardly have time for sewing, so yesterday I was excited to finally get to sew the blocks for Quad 2:

Aoife from thREDhead designed two awesome block for Amarillo, and so I made them both!

Amarillo Rose Block

I realized when I was almost done with the Amarillo Rose block (above) that I had all my yellows in the wrong places, but it turned out so pretty anyway that it didn't bother me at all.

Amarillo Lighthouse Block

She also designed the Lighthouse block based on the Lighthouse Rock at Palo Duro Canyon. How creative, right? You can read more about that here.

For Lubbock, Jada, @blackvelvetstitches, designed the beautiful block below to bring in some southwest flair!

When I was done with all three blocks, I realized that I really probably used too much blue/aqua, and I don't know how they'll look when the quadrant is all together, but for now, I couldn't be happier.

So, for this week, we will be visiting El Paso with my good friend Jennie of Porch Swing Quilts, and then we'll head over to Midland/Odessa with Donna of Donna's Lavender Nest--who is a supplier for my addiction (of awesome Lecien fabric!).

June 23 - El Paso - Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts

June 26 - Midland/Odessa - Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest

I'm really looking forward to making their stops on the QAL, and seeing what they've cooked up! Again, if you need the pattern for Quad 3 click here.

Deep in the Heart of...

Well, it was finally nice enough weather to get some pics of my finished Texas quilt! This quilt (if you didn't already know) was inspired by this quilt, made by Dana Michaelsen. Did you look at the link? It's amazing, right? Dana is an awesome quilter, and if you want to see more of her creations, you can always check out her on Instagram @danahannah310. 

For my Texas quilt, I quilted it loopy L's--I really love that design for FMQ because I have had the most luck with the finished look. I used a water soluble marker to draw straight lines from edge-to-edge, so I could keep all my L rows straight. I got everything done just in time to start working on my next one for the Roadtrip QAL that starts in just a week!

I've picked out my fabric--it's Lori Holt's Vintage Happy, and I think I'm going to have a solid navy background. I can't wait to start making all the blocks designed by all the bloggers! If you want to join along, we are going to be offering lots of fun prizes along the way from some really great sponsors. Just click the Texas button on my sidebar and it will take you to the Roadtrip schedule, list of sponsors, and all the information so far :)




For those of you who are planning on joining the QAL, have you picked out your fabrics yet? If you have, I would love to see what you've chosen. You can upload pics to our Flickr group page, so we can all admire them!





Anyway, hope everyone gets to relax tomorrow for Memorial Day/Bank Holiday:) I know I have a ton of stuff to do that probably won't get done, so hoping you have time to enjoy the day!

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS ROADTRIP QAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi y'all!!! I'm just so excited about what I'm about to tell you! Me and Melissa (from My Fabric Relish) have teamed up for a Deep in the Heart of Texas Roadtrip QAL and we are inviting you to join us!!! We are going to be traveling the big state of Texas blog-hop style and we have found a team of Texan quilters (and some quilters that just LOVE Texas) to take you on this adventure!

On the roadtrip, we will be showing you how to make a Texas Quilt, and at each city you stop in you'll learn how to make a block designed for that city, learn some fun stuff about the area, and you'll get a chance to win some awesome prizes!!! For the QAL, we will divide Texas into four different quadrants, and the pattern for the first quadrant will be available 1 June. And then on June 2 we will stop out our first city--Dallas. The Roadtrip will continue through August, and there will be link-ups along the way, and in August we'll have our final link-up and Quilt Parade and a chance to win even more prizes!!

Here's a schedule of the stops along the way--

June 2 - Dallas - Ashley at Urban Spools

June 5 - Tyler - Colleen (guest blogger) Pretty Little Quilts

June 12 - Fort Worth - Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

June 16 - Amarillo - Aoife at thREDhead

June 19 - Lubbock - Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish

June 23 - El Paso - Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts

June 26 - Midland/Odessa - Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest

June 30 - Big Bend - Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts

July 7 - Houston - Teresa at Third Floor Quilts

July 10 - Beaumont - Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork

July 14 - Austin - Amanda at What the Bobbin

July 17 - College Station - Hilary at Young Texan Mama

July 21 - San Antonio - Ellyn at Ellyn's Place

July 24 - Hill Country - Lissa at Moda Fabrics

July 28 - Rio Grande Valley - Melissa at My Fabric Relish

Doesn't this just sound like fun!

Fabric Requirements - This quilt is designed to be scrappy and designed using a 2.5 x 2.5 inch grid layout with the represented city blocks measuring either 8.5" x 8.5" or 6.5" x 6.5". So start gathering your scraps, leftover jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes, and candy packs. You will need an assortment of sizes ranging from 2.5"x2.5", 2.5"x4.5", 4.5"x 4.5", 6.5"x 6.5" and so forth. You can even throw in some orphan blocks you have laying around! The printable pattern we provide will give suggestions on cutting and laying out your fabric for piecing. You will also need background fabric for the area surrounding Texas and we recommend getting 3 yards. The finished size of the quilt will be 66" x 66", but can be made larger by adding a wider border.

Everyone participating is invited to post their progress on our Flickr page and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the different Texas quilts at the end!!

We have some fabulous giveaways lined up from some amazing sponsors-- and the best part is--almost all the sponsors are from the great state of, where else? Texas!!!!

Donna's Lavender Nest is an online shop out of the southeast coast of Texas. Donna offers the prettiest prints and so many of my favorites--lots of Lecien and 30's prints, and Pam Kitty! Everything is just adorable at her shop.

Fat Quarter Shop is located near Austin and they have a huge selection, over same-day shipping, and they have an awesome "coming soon" section so I always know how to plan out my future fabric budget.

Urban Spools is located in the heart of Dallas, and they offer sewing classes, longarm services, and they carry a great selection of fun, modern fabric!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio is in Fort Worth (of course) carries everything from batiks to 30's to the most modern fabric, has a great Sale selection and has a very user friendly website (which I love).

Lily Rose Quilts is an Texas etsy shop, and she carries lots of the bright fabrics that I love. And I have been known to go into her shop and swoop up yardage of backing fabric.

Moda is literally located down the road from Melissa in Dallas (can you belive it?) and if I were Melissa, I think I would "accidentally" get lost a lot around there.

Aurifil has the most awesome quilting thread and I buy this stuff by the cone! They aren't from Texas but they should be;) 

Here's a button (made by the talented Melissa) that you can add to your blog that will take you directly back to a page on her blog where you will always be able to easily find details and the schedule!!!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.myfabricrelish.blogspot.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-qal.html" title="Untitled by Melissa Eubanks, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="150" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/13938339306_af8347b888_q.jpg" width="150" /></a> </div>

If you have any questions about anything, please leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as possible! We hope you will join us on this awesome adventure! You don't have to be a Texan to join in the fun! This is a chance to travel the great state of Texas without ever leaving your sewing chair!!!