You see, we left North Carolina last evening, with a planned time of arrival in Salt Lake about midnight local time, which made it about 2am North Carolina time.
This post has been written ahead, and during the writing it hit me that I had no idea what the itinerary would actually do, so I am grateful for the time I had to write this ahead.
As it was, I got a 2 hour reprieve. I misunderstood. I thought that the 5pm time was the time the flight left Greensboro. But 5pm was actually the planned time of house-departure, so 2 hours EXTRA was a bonus! And that contributed to the excitement and good feeling about this trip. Let’s hope that I arrived in Salt Lake with all luggage intact and on time.
This month’s Quilty Box is full of color and fun stuff!
If you missed it, don’t worry. I’m embedding it in this post, as well as sharing some of the photos sent in by those who were watching and stitching with me.
I love that we get to spend this time doing what we love TOGETHER, and that you share your projects with me.
This photo is from April who was with me in Bedford.
She writes:
Bonnie- I'm working on Wonky Wishes blocks. I have about 64 done since Bedford, PA.
I'm making the most of what is left of summer before I have to go back to school to teach.
I am sewing on my sun porch with the fan on high. April
Doesn’t that just sound blissful? Enjoy your summer stitching, April!
in a little corner of West Virginia, snuggled in between Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, lies the little sleepy town of Berkeley Springs.
As most places in New England and surrounding areas, its many claims to fame seem to echo those of others – “George Washington Slept Here!”
But this time, it’s true, documented, and celebrated!
A fountainhead of warm mineral waters frequented by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived in the New World, are at the heart of the mountain spa community of Berkeley Springs in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
Guess what was waiting in an EPIC pile-o-mail when I returned home last night?
I’ve been waiting! Since JANUARY for this issue to arrive, and here it is!
The Sept/Oct 2017 issue of Quiltmaker is on its way to you, or will soon be at a news stand near you, if it hasn’t arrived already.
Yes, after 11 days on the road this girl is feeling a bit behind, but I’ll soon catch up!
As I’m home for just 2 days – leaving for a Family Reunion in Utah on Thursday afternoon –and teaching across Utah next Tuesday through Saturday, my planned post of all of the antique shops I hit on this trip will be postponed while I deal with incoming mail, outgoing mail orders, a suitcase full of laundry and an empty fridge.
(Okay, family – those two bananas that were on the counter when I left 11 days ago were STILL SITTING there when I arrived home last night. What’s that about?! Ewww.)
Yesterday was my last workshop day in Bedford, Pennsylvania hosted by Mary Koval of Mary’s Quilt Shop.
I love this event! We’ve been doing this for several years now – the only year I didn’t make it was last year as we forgot to schedule it in and there was no wiggle room in the calendar.
I don’t think there is anything more fun and more freeing than improv piecing, leaving our need for perfection way behind.
“Pull out your inner 4th grader” I told everyone – The objective here is to PLAY!
These sweet quilters from Group 2 came wheeling their stuff in to set up for class and I stopped them in their tracks – LOOK at these chairs!
It’s a “regular” folding chair, but the seats and the backs are cushioned and covered with sevlages. Oh, oh, oh, I was drawn in right away!
But don’t just look at the chairs, look at the little wooden platforms they are sitting on. There are holes for the legs to rest down into so they are sturdy.
The bonds we share as women are so important to our lives.
We are each other’s support and cheerleaders. We are the arms of comfort, ears of listening, hearts of understanding.
We are the voices of shared laughter, the tellers of stories, the smiles of acceptance of one to another.
Quilting is great by itself, but really – it’s simply the activity that brings us together. The REAL important things that happen in class are the relationships.
And you know how I love it when Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Nieces, and always FRIENDS come together. They add so much to our day.
Mothers & Daughters!
Sisters & Friends!
It was a Garden Party Day from the Addicted to Scraps Book for group 2! They came with machines, boxes and bags and totes of fabric, everything you could need and MORE for a fun workshop day and we set right in.
I love this Kenmore!!
The Kenmore machines, right through the 1980s were hard to beat. I know. I had one that saw miles and miles of sewing before it finally gave up and I moved on to my first Bernina. But these Kenmores are so dear, and such workhorses. And easy to maintain.
I had been married less than a year when all I wanted for Christmas was that Kenmore sewing machine…I think it was $99.00 on sale, and it felt as expensive as buying a new car on our very young and newly married budget. But that machine saw me through all of the designing and sewing for my “Needle in a Haystack!!” doll pattern business back in the 1990s, all of the patterns I had published by Butterick as well as my own – those dolls and their clothes were all sewn on my humble little Kenmore. Sweet memories!
Blocks being sewn in so many color varieties!
Who doesn’t love a red 9-patch?
Laying out all of our blocks from our workshop day!
Thanks for a wonderful day, everyone!
You’ll find our workshop fun and ALL of our show & share photos from yesterday’s class in the slide show below:
There will be so many beautiful Garden Party quilts finished by these folks from all over!
How this bee even can FLY with this much pollen on it is amazing!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner back at Mary’s house and talked until bed time. Great food, great friends, great conversation. And a full 8 hours of sleep. I’m ready to tackle this day.
Just outside of the beautiful downtown area of Bedford, Pennsylvania – not much more than a stone’s throw – is the gorgeous 1880s hotel known as “Bedford Springs.”
It’s now owned by Omni, and its beauty rivals that of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
The history is interesting and it goes back to the 1700s and includes MUCH presidential activity as well.
A day to catch up on emails and put some effort toward some future projects.
A morning requiring some brain power.
I had Mary working across from me on one side of the table, doing some edits on her future book project and we made good use of the quiet morning just being busy together.
But afternoon eventually arrives all too quickly and we headed back to Bedford so Mary could meet up with an appointment at her shop, enabling me some time to wander around this corner, and around that one.
“You should go into this Vintique Shop!” says Mary as we drop her car at the cute little Gulf service station to have her tire pressure checked.
