Rainy Days, Mondays–It’s All Small Stuff!

This was me last night at the end of a very long day of playing catch up.

These days never go smoothly – imagine it.  You’ve been gone for a week, mail is piled up, you find that everything on your to-do list of things you wanted to get done before the next big trip (CHINA!) have shifted to afterwards and you are trying to get the word out to those who were going to be wondering just what was up and where was their package – and it snowballs.

Not in a complaining way, just a throw your hands up in the air and keep laughing because it’s now been dubbed the DAY OF RIDICULOUSNESS!

Read More»

I’m Home! And a Bit of NY Show & Share!

Boy do I have a treat for you today!

There was so much wonderful showing and sharing happening with both guilds that I’ve visited in the past week.

But before I do – I need to make a little announcement, so bear with me.

For all of those who placed orders for the Triangle Booty ruler this week -

I was intending to ship all of these BEFORE leaving for China on Thursday, but they won’t be here in time due to a manufacturing delay. It happens.

They will likely arrive the day I leave – Thursday!  So I am putting this out there to let you know what the hold up on the order is.  I am sorry, but it is beyond my control and I will get your orders out as quickly as possible upon my return home.

You WILL however receive an email that your order is “PROCESSING” which simply means I have batch printed the invoices so that I can send the orders that do NOT include that ruler, setting your invoice and label aside for quick processing when they are in house and I am back from China.

I will be posting this info to ALL of my social media hoping to reach the masses as quickly as possible so they have a heads-up.  Thank you.

Now back to the quilty good stuff!

All of the glorious show & share from my trip to New York!

Huge crowds and loads of show & share happened!

Not only at the lectures, but at the workshops as well!

There were so many mystery quilt finishes – they filled the room with happiness all around!  Excitement is building for this year’s upcoming mystery.  Colors and yardage info and more will be posted HERE on the blog when I return home from China.

Check out Norma’s Vintage pieced hexagon quilt!

We ALL fell in love with this!

It has fabrics from the 1930s through the 1950s!

The backing was FACED as binding!

The front and back border/binding where actually diamonds pieced and stitched and finish the edge on both sides.  And here we think of this as a “MODERN” way to finish hexagon quilts, but this shows it was done in the 1950s at least.  There is NOTHING new under the sun, and if you think you’ve come up with something new, someone else probably did too – many years ago.

I was SO excited to see some Punkin’ Patch finishes from the Sept/Oct 2017 Quiltmaker issue!

Aren’t these WONDERFUL!??

There is so much more to share and you’ll find it all for your viewing pleasure by clicking the video screen:

It was a wonderful week spent quilting with the best that New York has to offer!

Remember, if you can't view the video, it is likely that you are in Internet Explorer. Please try another browser or visit my YouTube channel directly by clicking the YouTube icon beneath my signature line at the bottom of this page.  My email, Facebook, instagram and other sites are linked in each circle found there as well!

Yesterday was my travel home day – and I was so exhausted that I could barely make it through dinner – I was in bed sound asleep by 9pm.

Today I start ramping up for China in earnest!  I leave THURSDAY!?  Oh, my word.

I’m going to sign up for a VPN before I leave in hopes that will keep me connected.  If connectivity doesn't work, just know that we will catch up when I get back!

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Smith Mountain Morning quilt from my book Scraps & Shirttails II.

It is not up to anyone or everyone else to create your happy environment. That comes only from within you.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Read More»

Texas Braid, New York Style!

Whoowhoooo!  What a day!

There are some workshops where you are lucky if you get one or two blocks done – and have a few baggies of spare parts on the side for good measure.  Workshops are like that.

Often they are less about the project you are making, and more about the PROCESS for success that goes into the units, having a positive impact on all of the quilts you make in the future. 
Each thing we learn at a workshop becomes a stepping stone to help us on our way to the next one, don’t you agree?

I often teach Texas Braid as a half-day workshop, because it doesn’t take much until we’ve got the process down and are happily sewing away as we chat to new friends across the table, swap rectangles for variety and enjoy a bit of sewing time together.

When it is a full day workshop, we can throw even MORE fun into the mix!

Read More»

A Rochester Pineapple Blossom Day!

It was a Pineapple Blossom Day yesterday!

And it was wonderful to see so many blocks made during our day together – most folks were leaving with 8 or more blocks completely finished and eager to do some more!

It’s great to do intricate patterns that really challenge us.  We’ve got to push our boundaries.  That said, it is also refreshing to do something SIMPLY SCRAPPY and enjoy ourselves while not turning ourselves in knots in the process.

Simple blocks allow us to visit and chat and laugh with one another and we really enjoyed our time!

Read More»

Quilting in the Genesee Valley!

Yowza, what a crowd!

Things were hustling and bustling by the bus load at the October meeting of the Genesee Valley Quilt Club, founded in Rochester, NY in January 1936!

Can anyone name me a quilter’s organization that has been around longer than this one and is still thriving?

I’m so honored to be here with these folks –and the bus load of 50+ visitors that joined us yesterday for lunch and an afternoon of fun quilt talk from the Finger Lakes region.

The quilt club has a a wonderful way to “Make a day of it!” 

The business meeting starts at 10am or so, followed by show and share, and then they break for LUNCH!  After lunch it was my turn to get up and share my love of scrap quilts.

Read More»

Smith Mountain Morning in New York!

So much happy that I couldn’t capture it in one photo!  We had to shoot both sides of the room!

Yesterday’s Smith Mountain Morning workshop from Scraps & Shirttails II was a full-up and fun filled day, and the variety of plans and colors being made into blocks would have surely knocked your socks off!

My thanks to the Snow Country Quilters of Remsen, NY and all of those who traveled in from outlying areas to participate – including one gal who had a flight snafu from Florida, ended up driving to Charlotte NC to catch a connection to Chicago and finally made it in to Syracuse to join us. 

Who says that quilters don’t take our stuff seriously!

Some of these quilts just have so much meaning to me, and this is one of them.  Precious shirt scraps, and all of my favorite units!  There was a lot going on in my life during the making of this quilt, and you know what?  It felt wonderful to hang it up, step back and look at it and tell myself “See??  It all turned out better than you had hoped!”  Sometimes hindsight is definitely in our favor.

We got to the location a bit early, and I had a couple of phone calls to attend to, and while walking around the parking lot taking care of business (Class wasn’t starting for nearly an hour) I found the entrance to a little trail and my curiosity got the best of me.

Read More»

From Remsen With Love -

It’s warm in New York!

Weirdly and wonderfully warm, as in high 70s in October?

It’s had an effect on the local color – trees are slow to turn from green to golden yellow or orange (Not a lot of hard wood maples turning red here) and many are losing their leaves before they change.  It’s been too warm.  There has not been a lot of rain this fall --

But this sight as we came to a T in the road before making a left into Remsen as we head for a bite of dinner before heading over to our lecture location last evening….beautiful.

Old buildings, white puffy clouds against a blue sky, and a couple of trees trying to do their best show of autumn color.  I’ll take it!

Read More»

October in New York!

Color is happening!

It’s still a couple of weeks until things are supposedly “at peek”  And it doesn’t help that it was raining  as I landed, but my heart can smile as colors emerge!

I flew into Syracuse, was picked up by Roberta and I enjoyed the somewhere-around-an-hour drive from Syracuse of Utica.  The trees along the side of the Thruway were putting on their best color, and it will only get better as the days go by.

It was an uneventful and very quick trip, even if it meant getting up at 4am to leave the house by 5am.  And I knew in the back of my head that it was okay to be a bit tired.  It was just a “get there” day – and there would be an afternoon nap in m future!  There was no way to nap on the flight, I was too excited!

Read More»

The Universal Language of Quilting!

Imagine that you were quilting in a room where everyone spoke a different language, and no one understood each other.

I bet it wouldn’t take long until our love of fabric, design, needle, thread, machines, tools and gadgets became a way to communicate with one another.

Now imagine yourself in a seeing, yet un-hearing world.  And creativity is burgeoning and overflowing!  And there IS a common language – sign language!

The smiles and laughter welcome you.  The beautiful communication of sign language takes over as machines are set up, plugged in and made ready – fabric is pressed and cut in great anticipation –

Hands are flying in greeting as neighbor meets neighbor and quilters who haven’t seen each other since last retreat catch up from across the room with a wave.

Xina Crawford and her friends recently celebrated the 10th Anniversary of  Deaf Quilt Retreats in September 2017 in Pennsylvania. 

Left to right: 

Natalie Beckman (NJ), Mary Beth Heller (VA), Debra DaSilva (MD), Susan Hanrahan (MD), Xina Crawford (AL).

“52 Deaf Quilters were in attendance.  Seven of us made Bonnie's En Provence quilt this year (2 not pictured).  We all look forward to Bonnie's new Mystery! 
And we may have recruited more to join us!  :)”

This story just warms my heart!  And the quilts are SO gorgeous.

Xina also took a bunch of Essential Triangle Tools with her so she could demo all that it can do to the ladies in attendance.  Way to spread the love, Xina!

If you are interested in attending a quilt retreat especially for deaf quilters, please contact one of the many deaf quilter groups on Facebook, there may be a group that hosts retreats near you.

This happened yesterday.

I needed more hexies cut for the 3 remaining sides of the eternal hexie project.  My variety was severely lacking and to continue, I was going to need to cut more to mix in to what I’ve already got.

Out came my beloved bin of scraps from Jo Morton.  Remember when this box was found on my doorstep from Jo herself?  I’m still pulling from it, and a lot of the contents of this special scrap box have gone into this hexie quilt.  

I just LOVE these yummy browns, they are so timeless!

Measuring the new border start against the one completed side.

Baby, you’ve got a long long way to go!

I took this picture so I could refer back to how the hexies turn the corner.  I also took a hexie count so I know how many to make for the opposite side.

I am ready for this New York trip.  Some of yesterday’s fiddle-jobs included cleaning out my purse, my busy bag, my suitcase and slimming down.

I packed away the summer attire and pulled out some fall items.

I packed a ran jacket because it is supposed to be wet today –and I put an umbrella in the zipper pocket of the quilt duffels.  A girl has got to be prepared!

I packed up those cut-out and kitted-up Rolling Stone blocks that have not been touched since the string snowball got placed on the front burner and I’ll be working on those with loaner machines this trip.  These also MUST be finished! 

I haven’t touched this since JUNE!

I last showed this photo stitching at Irene’s during my time teaching near Louisville, Kentucky.  Remember my post about visiting her shop, The Cozy Quilter? Refresh your memory HERE.

This little sweet Singer 99 was adopted out during that trip, and the blocks packed up and put away while I turned the ones I had sewn up “WRONG” (Or should I just say different?)  in to the baby quilt I made for my nephew-to-be who should be making his debut any week now.  

And then life got crazy.

I’m looking forward to working on these this week in between workshops and lectures.

Trimming half-square triangles before pressing!

Before I go - I wanted to let you know that another batch of Triangle Booty rulers have arrived and are available in the Quiltville Store!

I shared this nifty gadget HERE.

You can even use it this way with bias strips cut from layer cake 10'' squares! More info HERE.

This is the last batch I'll be able to get out before our trip to China, the next shipment will be available around Halloween when I return.

I have also added more Quiltville Eco-Pouch sets!

Update on the Sharon Hultgren Center Square Rulers:  I talked about this during Quilt-Cam the other night, but Sharon sent an email apologizing - what she thought were 2 more case of rulers turned out to be 2 cases of books.  She is still on the look out, and will let us know if she finds more.

So I appreciate your patience while we continue to wait on that item.  If she finds more she will let me know and I will let you know, just keep following the blog and my instagram or facebook and you'll know when I know.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

And language is much more than sounds we here.  It is reflected in everything we do.  Every action is a communication.

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

I’m off to New York!

Read More»