SoCal Quilters Run -- Bolts in the Bathtub, Lancaster CA

This was the second four day weekend of the Southern California Quilters Run, an annual quilt shop hop that always seems to take place when the temperatures are 100+ degrees! All the better to get into our air conditioned cars and take a tour of our favorite shops and some that are new to us...

Each year there is a theme and each store designs a block to contribute to quilts reflecting that theme. The stores on this run -- there are almost 40! -- are divided into four areas and prizes are awarded by drawing from "passports" submitted from runners who have visited all of the stores in an area; there are also grand prizes for people who have completed the full run of all of the shops.

This year, each area's shops made blocks and quilts reflecting the four seasons. Quilters participating in the run would get their passport stamped at each shop they visited; at the same time they could pick up a free pattern for the block designed by that shop. Each of the shops made blocks for their own quilt plus one for each of the other shops in their area, then quilts were made from these blocks in each shop. Even though the blocks are the same, the quilts are very different -- you know, just like the quilt you make from the same pattern as 20 of your closest friends doesn't look anything like theirs!

Bolts in the Bathtub is in the Autumn season of the year and the seven shops in the area all made Halloween blocks and decorated their shops spookily -- which was really cool because we all got to dress up in costumes! Visitors to the shop during the run could pick up a free pattern for the center block of the quilt, which depicts a witch taking a bath in her tub -- very cute!

Patterns and kits to finish the quilt by making the setting triangles and borders are also available for purchase at the shop, so if you haven't been there yet to grab yours, you still have tomorrow and Sunday!

The decorations were really fun! That's Dawn Sammons ready to stamp passports; some of you may remember that Dawn worked with me for about 8 years, pinning quilts, sewing bindings and other quilterly activities....

Scary things on the table! The quilt in both pictures is a "Just Can't Cut It" pattern with naughty witch appliques; the quilt was made by Dawn Sammons and Leith Bergier (he's a he & one of the owners of the shop)...

Leith's wife Fay and I sitting in the BERNINA area -- we were supposed to be sewing, but evidently we were caught in an unsupervised moment! I did get some quilting done on that big quilt piled in front of me during the two days I was in the shop, though...

Does anyone know if there is a 12-step program for quilters who buy too much fabric? Do I need to define "too much" before anyone will hazard an answer? All too often I say, "I'm not buying any more kits!" The problem being that kits are so handy, all the fabric is picked for you and they are darn near irresistible when you run into them!

Of course, it's a kit and I loved it, all piled up on the table without the borders on yet. The bolts of border fabrics were stacked up near it and a few cut kits strewn merrily about. I wandered around with one, knowing that I was going to "kick out" the cream fabric used for the squares and substitute a gold that would go more with my house.....

At left is the pattern by Tiffany Hayes, who owns "Needle in a Hayes Stack". Below are the fabrics I bought; the only one that's different is the gold fairy frost in the upper right hand part of the picture.
















My next major distraction was when I saw a lady buying some of this fabric -- love pink and roses! There were 1-1/2 yards left on the bolt; I bought them and then scurried around the store finding things to go with it.....


Found some pinks, greens, a very cool stripe and a sandy creamy color, so had to have some of those.....

Don't really know what I'll do with it, but this quilt was hanging in the classroom and I think I would like something along those lines. It would be very soft and pretty in the above fabrics, I think.....

And then, lastly but not leastly, what self-respecting owner of a company named Batts in the Attic could resist buying a layer cake and jelly roll of awesome Halloween fabrics??? I know there are a couple of books out featuring quilts that use these pre-cuts and they must be very popular books as whenever I look for them, the stores seem to be sold out. So that's on my "to look for" list!

Now I'll go pack for my two day Fluff & Stuff class at Sew N Sew in Glendora -- have a super weekend!