Border This, Border That!

Yesterday was a day of borders, from baby quilts to our China Project, to the “down to the wire” Hourglass Leader & Ender Challenge.

The WHOLE DAY was border related.

Which is a good thing when you think about it – if you are down to the borders, you are almost done with the top, and I’m seeing progress in all 3 areas.

I started in right after breakfast.

Before I knew it it was 5pm.

Time DOES fly when you are having fun!

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Some So Cal Machine Love!

After leaving our last Jamestown Landing workshop with the Orange Grove Quilters, we made a quick stop on our way to LAX to visit Janet and her vintage machine collection!

In photo left to right: Janet, Alice and Debi!

Janet has been interested in vintage sewing machines LONGER than she has been a quilter.  In fact, she has started quilting only just recently after meeting Debi online via a Facebook vintage machine lover’s group.  After watching each other’s posts for a while, Debi discovered that they lived in the same vicinity and suggested a meet up so they could get to know each other in person.

With just a bit of quilter’s persuasion, Janet has jumped into quilting with both feet and joined the local guild.  She is in good hands!

I was so happy to be invited in to share some vintage machine love with these gals!  Many of the machines are ones I don’t have or haven’t seen, and they are SO beautiful.

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Quilt-Cam, The Morning After!

Last night’s Quilt-Cam via Facebook Live was a wonderful way to spend some time while assembling a baby quilt “on-point.”

I’ve had questions before on how I do it, asking if it is possible to web it, but as of yet, I don’t work diagonally set quilts the same way as straight set quilts.  The rows on diagonally set quilts grow in length until you reach the center row, and then decrease again, making continuous piecing a bit on the difficult side.

But I did have some hints and helps!

And we talked about pinning – or no pinning – asking readers to comment on their level of pinning compulsion.

And through it all, I got this top closer to completion!

And we got to see YOUR photos too!  Before I get to those:

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Some Orange Grove Show & Share!

A beautiful flag show & share on FLAG DAY, USA!

This was just the most beautiful moment when this quilt was unfurled at the beginning of our show & share during my visit with the Orange Grove Quilters of Garden Grove, California.

We had just stood for the Pledge of Allegiance as the meeting came to order, led by a former Marine.

Folks were wearing red, white & blue.

We weren’t on two sides of a political spectrum, at this moment we were AMERICANS. ONE NATION. 

It felt wonderful to be part of this moment.

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It’s a June Quilty Box Gift-Away!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I’m hitting the ground running this morning.

With it being Father’s Day yesterday, and NOT a post office day – and since I arrived home near mid-night on Saturday night after a long flight home from California, the decision was made to make yesterday a “TIME OUT” day.  Not a lot of anything was accomplished.  Just a normal Sunday at home, relaxing and enjoying steaks on the grill later in the evening.  Just the way a Sunday at home should be.

When I get back from any week-long trip, there is always a pile of boxes and mail waiting to be opened, looked through, and put away.

I saw the June Quilty Box at the top of the stack in the front hallway and couldn’t resist digging in!  This month’s box was curated by Masako Wakayama and Lucien Fabrics.  Oh, the fabulous fabric in this box!

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Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father's Day to the dads of our childhood, the dads of our adulthood, the fathers of our children and our hearts - and to those who have ever fathered another by example, blood related or not.

We thank you for who you are, and for what you have added to our lives! Have a wonderful day!

I’m taking today off from blog writing as we arrived home about midnight last night, my body clock is still on California time, and it IS Father’s Day.

My attention is needed elsewhere.

Have a lovely day, everyone and I’ll catch you tomorrow.

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A Jamestown Landing Double Double!

Two days of back to back Jamestown Landing means a whole lot of neutral strings in So Cal!

With the beautiful California sun shining outside the large windows of our wonderful workroom space, we came, we sewed, we laughed, we chatted, we made new friends who had traveled in from San Francisco and from Arizona and beyond!

When I was contacted with the inquiry of adding a second workshop day because the first one was already full with a long waiting list, I asked what they would like me to teach the second day.  “Two days of Jamestown Landing!” was the reply, so everyone had a chance.

That made it easy for me, and I readily agreed.  Jamestown Landing is one of my favorite workshops to teach.  What’s not to like about string blocks and half square triangles?

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Drawing Time at LAX!

Well, I guess most of you figured out by now that last night’s drawing event for the Modern Machine Quilting book by Catherine Redford did not happen as I thought it would.

As it turns out, YES!  I will choose dinner out with a fun group of guild ladies and a beeline over to Long Beach from Huntington Beach for ice cream and a chance meet up with Kevin the Quilter over writing a another give-away blog post.

Don’t get me wrong, I love doing the drawings…but when I got back after 9:30 pm just exhausted from the day, I didn’t figure it would hurt if I just wanted until tonight.

Maybe it would make the anticipation greater?

We finished our last workshop with the Orange Grove Quilters, and here I am at my LAX hotel for a quick overnight stay with easy access to the airport tomorrow morning for my long journey home.

NOW there is time!

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What Happens After Class….

I’m teaching two Jamestown Landing workshops from String Fling on two back to back days, both full to the gills!  How exciting that there were that many on the waiting list that it warranted running the class twice so no one felt left out.

I made the executive decision yesterday afternoon that I would combine both workshop posts TOGETHER instead of having day 2 feel like a re-run of day 1 – and it’s a good thing because that leaves me room today to share with you why I love Southern California so much.

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