I’m saying good bye to all of these wonderful ladies and headed south today – braving the I-95 corridor on my way to Burke and Manassas, Virginia!
The past 4 days have flown by so quickly – it always does. And yet we always remark about the fact that it does so.
Three whirlwind classes on 3 separate days, full to capacity with machines running, fabric flying, lines of threads joining pieces, and joining memories as well!
I really have had the best time and I’m looking forward to being back next year.
If you missed this year, and you are within traveling distance of Mary’s Quilt Shop in Bedford, Pennsylvania – I’ll also be teaching this same Wanderlust workshop the last weekend of August. Click my Calendar of Events tab the top of the blog and scroll to the August section, and click the August 30th & 31st dates for information – the link to contact the shop for more info is there.
And the youngest most productive student award goes to………
GABBY!
When it comes to sewing – we’ve gotta “hook ‘em young!”
And just the smile on this sweet face should tell you that not only does she want to be a quilter when she “grows up….” but she already is one, having made a quilt for her baby cousin when he was born.
Gabby is headed into the big world of third grade in just a few weeks, and we were so happy to have her in class supervising her mama!
She also took on such chores as pressing, and overseeing the “purple cutting thing!
We started off yesterday morning with a bang and a flurry of activity!
Students were anxiously waiting for doors to open outside of my classroom --- 8am, and we were ready for all of the rolling in and setting up of machines, unpacking of project boxes, ready to set needle to fabric and SEW!
It’s always fun to meet up again with folks that I haven’t seen in a while – perhaps we have met somewhere else before and reunions were many.
I let the students get all of their stuff in gear while the show helpers and I ran my trunk show and book signing stuff up to the luncheon location to set up for my noon-time lecture to come.
And back to class I went – heart pounding, ,ready to get this day off to a great start. And we did!
I headed out yesterday morning – a van full of boxes and quilts – ready for a road trip up from North Carolina, up through Virginia, across a tiny corner of West Virginia and barely part of Maryland – and finally – Pennsylvania!
It’s a drive I know well – but it’s been a few years sine I’ve taught in Hershey and I was looking forward to reconnecting with those I haven’t seen in a few years.
And – of course, I had further motives – I-81 takes me right past Verona, and my favorite antique mall of all time.
It’s a heading off to Hershey, Pennsylvania day!
Quilt Odyssey awaits – and I firmly believe that Quilting and Chocolate go together, so I am ready for lamp posts shaped like Hershey Kisses, and shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotion with a chocolate-y aroma as well! BRING IT!
And as always – a day that I leave town is the perfect day to throw a fun Gift-Away up on the blog.
Quilty Box has done a great job of providing a VARIETY of projects that will get even the most “set in their ways” quilter a push to expand their horizons with something new, and this month’s box curated by none other than Yoko Saito of Japan is no exception!
This is your one quilty photo of what has been going on here – both behind the scenes and in front of them!
I’m packing up for my big trip to Hershey, and I also used my Sunday home to prepare for what is going on in AUGUST in Pennsylvania as well!
There is a Surprise class on the horizon, and handouts needed to be written.
I’m excited about this one – so excited that I have a surprise for those who are unable to attend this class as well – just wait – it’s coming!
As I unpack the rest of my gear from last week’s Michigan adventure – washing the clothes and basically putting them back in my suitcase with a few other additional items (Three workshop days plus a lecture in Hershey!) I came across some of the fun items from this trip:
It was another crazy travel day on Saturday – the kind that you just shake your head, and go with the flow because everything is out of your control.
And if there is nothing you can do about it, just look at it as another “sit and stitch” activity.
And I did!
The binding was sewn down, the hanging sleeve sewn down, the label – sewn down.
I think I like this finishing of small projects thing – It felt like I was sewing with the wind as I turned corner after corner in rapid succession, because those sides were not so long.
And the project fit in my lap, didn’t drape on the floor.
As Jean and I walked around the Brown Trout Festival area, I noticed this tailgating party of “Good Ol’ Boys” And had to get a photo of their team shirts.
Uff Da Fishing Team! Oh, my – you are NOT in North Carolina Anymore!
My inner Minnesotan was smiling.
I was thinking of “Grumpy Old Men” movies and throwing myself right in to small town festival life.
How fun this was to feel a PART of things while I was in Alpena, Michigan.
Uff Da, indeed!
While we were fishing for JUST the right scraps to go together in our Wonky Wishes blocks, there is another kind of fishing going down in Alpena, Michigan – and this is SERIOUS stuff, folks!
From what I understand, the Brown Trout Festival is in its 44th year, and I got to wear the commemorative tee shirt! Thanks, Jean!
Gosh, I love this – small town festivals and all that goes with it from music and dancing under the big tent, to people watching, the anticipation of the fishing that starts TODAY -
While all of this is going on in town around us, there was NOTHING fishy about our quilty fun held in the big meeting room at the Holiday Inn Express in Alpena.
