My 2018 Row By Row quilt is another step closer to being finished as I was able to complete the final Rows during this past month. Normally the Row By Row quilts feature eight Rows, however, I found that I needed an extra Row for this quilt in order to make it a size that was proportional. As a result I had five Rows left to stitch. And I needed to find another Row after the deadline for the Row By Row Experience had passed.
Luckily I had the perfect Row in mind to add to the others that I had previously collected - a Row that I had recently seen at Quilt Stitches in Beatrice. This 12” x 27” Row features a large piano keyboard and, being a piano teacher, I thought it would be an appropriate Row to add. When I went to Quilt Stitches to purchase this kit I discovered that it was designed to be the Jr. Row. I bought it anyway since it was my 9th Row and I wasn’t aiming to win a prize for this quilt. It was a quick Row to assemble although I had some trouble with the Wonder Under that I used for the black piano keys because I couldn’t get the backing off. I switched to Soft Fuse and that worked much better.
Another Row that I completed was a kit purchased from the Ben Franklin store in Winterset, IA when I was on the Panama Quilt Guild’s bus trip this summer. This 9” x 36” Row is one of my favorites because it says “BAND” and features a saxophone and snare drum - perfect for someone who had a 33-year career teaching instrumental music! After making half-square triangles the row required more appliqué. The Heat-and-Bond that was provided in the kit worked perfectly - finally!! And it was fun to use the gold and silver lame for the instruments.
The third row measures 18” x 18” and was another kit purchased in Winterset, Iowa, this time at the Piece Works Quilt Shop previously known as the Fons and Porter Quilt Shop. It was the most expensive kit that I purchased for this project and the easiest to assemble. The background features songs that were digitally printed on the fabric as well as the die cuts for the dogs. The only stitching required was two borders sewn to the background fabric.
Another 18” x 18” Row that I purchased in Iowa was found at the Expressions in Thread Quilt Shop in LeClaire. Although they were sold out of the kits for this Row I was able to purchase a fat quarter of the background fabric as well as the piece for the tuner on the boom box. I easily found the other fabrics needed to complete this Row in my stash. However, when I was preparing to work on this Row I discovered that I did not have the cutting instructions. A quick email to the store resolved that issue and I was ready to begin. It was recommended to use Pelion SF101 as the fusible interfacing on the speakers and that worked quite well. I used a blanket stitch to further secure them.
My final Row is a kit that I purchased in McCook, NE at Sew Blessed and features a record as the center of this 18” x 18” block. In order to achieve the round edges of the record, however, it was necessary to purchase a $20 ruler by Creative Grids called a 6” Curvy Log Cabin ruler. Just what I needed was another ruler!! And of course I didn’t realize that I needed it until I was ready to work on the Row. Quilt Stitches in Beatrice came to my rescue and ordered it for me. The log cabin blocks were easy to assemble and it was fun to learn a new technique with this ruler.
Now that all of my rows are complete I just need to stitch them all together. I found some awesome musical fabric at Quilt Stitches to use for the sashing and border. And I have several large pieces in my stash that I can sew together for the backing. I can’t wait to finish this quilt that combines both of my passions - quilting and music!!