Evening Edition–Free Kindle Book ---

And I can’t wait to put my feet up and take a REST tonight!

What a fun full day --- the biggest surprise of all? I walked into the classroom today to see a face I thought was familiar – but she was TOTALLY out of place, and over 20 hours drive from home --if she was still home…..that is a BIG IF ----

It took me a double take to see that my friend Nell really WAS here in Ohio, not in Nebraska where I pictured her sending me an email just a days ago telling me “have a great trip to Ohio and travel safe ---“

The stink bug didn’t tell me that she was coming for all 3 days of workshops, and bringing her mom with her for them to have a girls only road trip – HOW FUN IS THAT?!?

I’ve got some great pics of us together – those will be coming later. My eye lids are heavy and I’m headed for jammies even if it is only 8:30am here.

I’ll do some photo editing tonight and get that class workshop slideshow working for tomorrow’s update.

In the mean time – I am a total sucker for Titanic type of stories --- I hate the disaster part – I know what is going to happen, and I’m like a kid peeking through parted fingers at a scary movie that she doesn’t want to watch, but can’t help herself.

But look at it this way --- EVERYONE in that disaster had their own story, their own words to tell. And lots of time fiction can take off in wonderful directions that history and truth just couldn’t capture or convey – and that is where I get to this story that I just downloaded.

Hearts That Survive: A Novel of the Titanic by Yvonne Lehman is free in the kindle store.

On April 15, 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life with a boundless hope in love and faith. Her new friendship with Caroline Chadwick is bonded even more as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic goes down. Can each survive the scars the disaster left on their lives?

Decades later, Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed, successful, heroic novelist who went down with the Titanic. Will he find his identity with the past, or will he listen to Joanna Bettencourt, Caroline’s granddaughter, who says inner peace and success come only with a personal relationship with the Lord?

Will those who survived the Titanic’s sinking and their descendants be able to find a love more powerful than their pain?

It was still free when I downloaded it --- and I kind of get giddy when the listed “regular” price is $14.99. I’m easily made happy with that one!

Make sure it’s still free for you before you click it.

And with that – I’m off to unwind, maybe stitch, maybe edit photos, maybe watch some TV – or get to bed EARLY!

Night all!

iPhone-o-Gram! Fairborn, Start Your Engines!

The fun has begun in a drizzly Fairborn, Ohio with a fun 4 patch sprint!

We've got a full class and some classy machines! Just look at Debbie's flame painted featherweight! Her DH took it into the auto body shop to have them detail it to match his classic truck!

Her thread snip bag even matches!!

We are having a wonderful Monday and send our quilty hellos out to all of you!

Flimsies, Fluffies & Show and Tell!

I had hoped that there would be some antique stops on my way up to Ohio to share with you, but as it was a long Sunday drive – all the little towns along my route didn’t have anything open.

And that’s okay because everyone needs a day off to be with family, and sometimes --- you just gotta drive straight through or that 9 hour drive could turn into 13 or 14 easily!

So instead ---I figure it’s about time I share with you some of the show and tell that finds its way into my inbox ---the quilts are wonderful, inspiring, and I love the stories that come with them.

It always touches me when someone likes their quilt enough to want to share it with me --- I wish I could show each and every one of them, but then this blog would be nothing but show and tell each and every day. So I kind of like to space these out a bit.

Another thing that slows me down is the sheer size of some of the photos --- things need to be easy to load onto the blog, so a HUGE formatted photo might look great as it comes off the camera, but if the pixels are too many, or the size is too huge, or the resolution is too high – it can really lock up some people’s systems ((Yes there are loads still on dial up or other slow connections)) and I have to take time to edit everything down.

If you are sending me photos and you want them on the blog, IF YOU CAN ((I understand that not everyone knows how, and this should in no way stop you from sending photos! Send them as you are able!)) please crop, edit and save your photos, trying to have them no larger than 250mg each – with the largest side of the photo measuring preferably no longer than 11” and set your resolution on the photo to 72dpi. It really helps. I usually save my photos on a "medium" setting instead of hi-res. That helps too.

With that said --- let the sharing and showing begin!

Jean sent a photo of her gorgeous Orca Bay variatioin:

She writes:

Bonnie -

I have been a fan for a long time and enjoye reading your blog so much. Thank you for sharing your time and talent so freely! I have finally finished the top of my Orca Bay, which I call Fall Fantastique.

I was so pleased with it, that I wanted to share it with you! I am attaching a picture. This is the first mystery that I have been brave enough to do and I am so glad that I persevered through those moments of self doubt about color selection.

I wanted to do your mystery, but also wanted to be different, so I selected a color scheme based upon the floral fabric that is now part of the border. There were so many 'oh, what have I done moments', but it turned out beautifully. Now it is percolating while I try to figure out how to quilt it. Thanks again for such a wonderful and challenging mystery!!

Look at those colors and how they all stem from her border print….SO PRETTY!!

Orca Bay is now featured in my new book release String Fling which should be out in July. Click here to view the other quilts in the book!

Beth Ann sent in a picture of her “Florabunda” aka Jacob’s Ladder done in just TWO fabrics --- look how different this looks! I love how you can change a pattern around so much and make it look completely different just by fabric/value choices:

She writes:

HI Bonnie

This is my version of "Florabunda". I call it Paws Abound. We had just adopted a deaf/sight impaired great dane. I had purchased the fabric with the little paw prints on it with the thought of making a quilt to celebrate "Hennessy" coming into our lives.

I was pondering the pattern when you posted Florabunda and I knew it was just what I was looking for.

Thank you for your great patterns and all that you share. I look forward to your blog posts every day.

A deaf AND sight impared GREAT DANE?! Holy moly! That big puppy is going to get so much love, and you will get so much in return. Kudos to you for taking this special animal into your home and your heart.

And of course, the quilt is so great and graphic too --- love it!

Laura is next up with her Star Struck Quilt:

Hi Bonnie,

I really enjoyed meeting you and the class. I finished my Star Struck quilt and have another in the works as my scraps accumulate, but here is my finished quilt:

I used a new to me batting and I was very pleased with it—Quilter’s Green batting by Quilter’s Dream Batting. This quilt prevented 24 – 2 liter soda bottles from getting to a land fill. It feels, weighs and drapes like 100% cotton. Since this was a scrap quilt, why not use a batting made from recycled material? I was wary of it, but I am totally impressed by this. It’s a huge decision to take one of your quilts that you have worked so hard at and try something you are not sure of, but they did a fab job at developing this batting. I will use it again.

I just have the label to go on and it isn’t one due to a quirk of my printer—Had it all ready to print, did a quick print to make sure my printer fabric was loaded correctly and it just decided to turn the two labels 90° when I clicked to print the final version. So, it printed only half of the label (I used a 5 ½ x 8 ½ piece of printer fabric). Makes me want to chuck the printer when you consider how expensive that fabric is! I’ll get that reprinted and sewn on soon.

Either way, it’s an awesome pattern and the result is so striking if you are a scrappy quilt lover (and I am!). I just wish I was able to get more finished every year. {{sigh}} Thank you again for a great class and a wonderful day.

Fondly, Laura

Has anyone else tried the green recycled batting? I’m thinking it would be great for run around drag around quilts, but there is always that “overhanging” reminder about “not to be used for children’s sleepwear, or that poly battings melt and burn to skin, where cotton just turns to ash --- I don’t want to start a whole flame thing – I am just curious as to some nicely stated opinions and observations. Laura, your quilt is lovely!

Next up is Iris’s Cathedral Star! Irish was in one of the classes I taught in Germany last year –such a sweet lady!

I love the aquas and the blues & yellows together!

She writes:

Dear Bonnie,
these are pictures from the quilt, which you teach us last year in Schönaich.
I learnt a lot of you.
Thanks for all and
many Grüßle, Iris Summer, Böblingen

Thanks for sharing your photo, Iris!

Next up from Annie M --- just in time for Fourth of July!

Oh, I love this! This is Scrappy Mountain Majesties in a barn raising layout! I’ve got one of these underway with smaller blocks and recycled plaids and stripes ---this makes me want to get it back out and start working on it again!

Annie writes:

Dear Bonnie,

Here’s the sample I made from your Scrappy Mountain Majesties instructions on your website. This will go to American Hero Quilts, for one of our wounded veterans. Thanks to your kind permission, I’ll use it as a backdrop to present your pattern to my quilt group making charity quilts.

Annie M, Vashon Island, WA

Judith F has been busy building her mountains into lanterns. Look!

She writes:

Just want to thank you so much for providing your method to make this version of the Scrappy Mountain Block.

Judith

Don’t you love these colors? What a great way to purpose a pile of 8.5” squares! and I Love the lavender/periwinkle border framing it all….NICE JOB!!

Bonnie R has been busy “Playing With Jacks!”

She writes:

My granddaughter had made a quilt and gave me a couple of baggies with leftover 2.5" & 3" blocks in them. I looked through your site and found this pattern. It worked perfectly.

My younger brother, age 68, has been diagnosed with lung cancer (never smoked, drank, always exercised, ate healthy). He has a 10-15% chance of being alive in 5 years. He is trying to be one of the few that beat it so is having chemo now. This quilt will be for him to snuggle under during chemo.

Thank you for posting this pattern. I have put it to good use.

Bonnie R in sunny, warm Loreto Mexico leaving for the USA on Monday.

I love her addition of sashings, and how the center chain squares of each block change block to block…like a trapped rainbow! Great job! My heartfelt wishes for your brother and your family ----I’m sure he is loving his quilt!

Karen F sent along pics of her Pineapple Blossom!

Don’t you love what she did with the border? What a great quilt – and I really like quilts that don’t have to end symmetrically. I like the motion that it gives!

She writes:

HI Bonnie,

Just finished my version of your Pineapple Blossom quilt that's posted on your web site. Want to thank you for all of the wonderful patterns and for teaching me how to manage my stash into useable chaos ;o). I love your website and actually have it as my home page so as not to miss out on any new postings!

The pineapple blossom in the photos is a wedding gift for my niece and her fiancé, to be married next Saturday, May 12 - finished just in time! I set it 7 blocks x 8 blocks and then added the borders and it ended up larger than I bargained for - 90" x 100". But I am very pleased with the results and really wish I didn't have to give it away! Oh well, on to my next project..........Four Patch and Furrows from my leaders and enders!

Close up of quilting

Thanks again for your wonderful ideas - I have learned so much from your site!

Karen – thanks for sharing! 90 X 100 uses a LOT of scraps! I tend to usually shoot for between full/queen on most of my quilts just because that is what the design wants to call for, and if I have the fabric to do the job, GO FOR IT!

And because it’s time for me to get myself in gear and get over to where my workshop is this morning --- let’s do a big finale with Salli’s Ocean Waves! Look at this, you guys!!

Sally writes:

Bonnie, You are right, this Ocean Waves pattern is not for the faint of heart. I started on Jan. 1,2012, worked about 9 hours a day, 7 days a week. Finished the top on March 31, 2012. for a charitable auction on April 21,2012. I used the 1.5" half square triangles on a roll (I had a couple rolls on hand), Kona Snow for the background, and 210 different prints from my 1930's stash. It is a fun quilt to make, I had to make sure my seams were consistently 1/4" and the same print weren't next to each other.

I had it quilted with an all-over feather pattern and used Warm and White batting.

I have been donating a quilt to this charity for 18 years now. This one brought in $3.000.00!

Thank you for your great pattern,

Salli L.

PS I am starting a foundation-pieced 6" pineapple block (208 blocks) for Christmas

I don’t know about you --- but I am excited and inspired and raring to sew after seeing these gorgeous quilts!

I wish you all a great Monday – it looks a bit rainy out there this morning here in Fairborn, OH --- but it’s a perfect day to be in quilting our brains out!

iPhone-o-gram! Hello, Fairborn!

I arrived about 1/2 hour ago. Good thing, too--it took me 9 hours to get here, including stops for gas, or to stretch my legs, grab a drink or a bite to eat---

My contact, Merle is on her way to pick me up and take me for a bite of dinner.

In the mean time, I'm unpacking and setting up---here's a tip for you if you want a room with a bit more floor space: Request a room with one bed in the room.

I got a room on the ground floor for ease of hauling in stuff---and one bed with extra floor space to set up a folding table for my featherweight.

The flat screen tv isn't always visible from a desk in a hotel room and often the desk sits too high to be comfortable. I brought my adjustable leg folding table this time because my sew ezi table doesn't have an insert for the featherweight.

It actually gives me more table space too!

We will see if I feel like sewing after I get my belly full---but it will be ready when the itch to stitch strikes!!

iPhone-o-Gram! 100 miles to go!

I'm about 80 miles from Columbus by the last sign I passed.

I've taken highways, byways and some winding hairpin gorgeous over-the-mountain type scenic drives through West Virginia.

Probably not the fastest route, but the beauty is priceless!

So is the stop I just made at Sonic for a vanilla cone and a route 44 diet cherry limeade! Last check on the car thermometer said it was 91 degrees out there!

Next stop? Fairborn, OH!

Sister Apples, circa 1863!

First off, remember THIS POST about the antique signature album quilt with the apple border I was privileged to handle ((WITH WHITE GLOVES ON!)) when I was up in New Paltz, New York at Historic Huguenot Street?

I opened up my email inbox yesterday to find a post from Susan, the director of education at Huguenot Street to tell me a related Album Quilt with the same appliqued apple border has been found!

And I admit it – I skim-read right past most of her description to get to the next email that contained the PHOTOS!!

They DO look like the same apples ((How, ‘bout THEM apples, baby?! *wink wink*!!**)) and I went back to the email to read what she wrote:

Hi Bonnie

It is wonderful to follow you through your blog - Phew!- I get tired just reading about your escapades!!!!

After you left we started to look through our quilt collection again and discovered something amazing. Do you remember the Apple Quilt? Well there was another one, almost identical to it, but solid reds were used for the friendship blocks instead of patterned reds. (See photo)

It was donated to us about 50 years ago, much earlier than the one you saw = the man who donated this one was related to the woman who donated the one you saw (an uncle)- We checked the names written on the quilt and the majority are the same on both. I deduced that both quilts were made in the stone building that is now our town library.

There were five daughters in the family, and I am not sure which girls made the quilts. The family sold their business (a general store) and moved to NYC in 1866, so the girls may have made the quilts to remember their friends in New Paltz. One daughter got married in 1863, so she may have made one or her sisters could have made it for her. So, that may change the date on the quilt to 1863-1866.

I love to do the genealogy on the quilts. I am working with 60 fourth graders on Monday and am using the Apple Quilt to teach about material culture and how we can use quilts to learn about the past.

Oh - We have some women coming up this month for a special tour just to see the quilts. They heard about our collection from your BLOG!!! (thank you again)-

(I am going to post a very big article on Julia's blog about new fashion this week - hope you like it)

Sincerely

Susan

Oh gosh, isn’t that exciting?! I’ll have to flip back and forth between the posts to check closer – but the same people signed both? What a coincidence is that?

This one is all solid red – was that the maker’s preference? And I can’t tell if the embroidery details are the same or not ---

But just like the other quilts – THIS ONE ALSO used a different green to turn the corners! Did she run out of the original green?

And—look closely now – do you notice something else?

This stem and corner are NOT BIAS – they are straight grain…..I can’t tell if it’s just this section of stem/corner – but that is definitely straight grain fabric cut to shape, rather than a piece of bias turning a corner ---

Don’t you just love the things that old quilts can teach us, even without words?

The hard part is – they leave us with more questions that have no way of being answered!

Have you been following along with Julia’s Blog? Susan is actually transcribing Julia Hasbrouck’s diaries from the early 1800s. Painstaking work. There are actual shots of the journal pages on the blog with each entry by date. I find it fascinating! You can check out Julia’s words HERE – unfolding her life, page by page. Can’t wait to see those fashions!

And with that – I’m off to Ohio! I don’t know if any antique malls will be open up through West Virginia or Ohio on a Sunday. That might make my trip shorter, and my bank account a bit happier – but I’ll still be on the look-out!

Have a great day everyone!

Dinner with Michelle!

A reader’s question posted as Anonymous reminded me that I didn’t post anything about our dinner with Michelle and her parents!

It had been a few months since I had seen her – time passes quickly for me, but BOY has she grown!

Look at this adorable face!

She’s got the world on a string ---and she’s wrapped herself around everyone’s fingers.

Not only that --- she doesn’t just walk – this girl RUNS!

We could hardly get her to stand still enough to take a photo…I had to catch her mid-motion-blur!

Hold Still, Michelle, smile at me, let me take your picture!

Zoom zoom, NO WAY!!

Not only is Michelle quite the character, but she is Mama’s side-kick, always busy and into everything as most one year olds are.

She loves to dance with her “Ba-Ba” ((Daddy)) too!

((Ya’ll, are you catching that batik skirt fashion statement? She’s got it rockin!))

She wasn’t all too fired up about me holding her – she wanted DOWN and to go play --- NOW!

But the funniest of all --- this is what happens any time DH picks her up:

SHE HOWLS! LOL!!!!

I don’t blame you, Michelle, he scares me sometimes too…LOL!

And for the commenter who asked….I’m happy to say that when Michael and Harriet moved to a new rental house a few months ago – Michelle got her own room, and has slept through the night since! A change of venue, a new routine, a room to herself – and she is out for the count, which makes for some very happy parents. I hope their move to Texas goes smoothly and they settle right in again into their new digs.

We will definitely miss you, our friends, the Gutoh Family!

Help Me Pack!!

This is my route up through NC, into VA, across parts of WV and into Ohio where I’ll be in Fairborn, near Dayton! From there I go up to the tippy top corner of Ohio over to Ashtabula, and then finally into North East ((Yes, there is a town called North East!)) Pennsylvania.

It’s gonna put LOADS of miles on Shamu! But I’m ready…

I’m packing up the car, but I’m still undecided on a couple of things.

I’ve got room for 4 or 5 of the quilts as a preview of String Fling for my trunk shows. I can’t narrow them down. I love them all!

Would you mind helping me out?

Click THIS post, check them over..and come back here and leave me a comment on what you’d like to see up close and personal if you could, okay?

For instance, I am really torn between bringing Orca Bay, or Jamestown Landing?! I want a good variety --- but I can’t take it ALL.

In the mean time – laundry is going, and the suitcase is getting packed and projects are finding their way into the tote bags for evening sewing my hotel…..

Here we go, on the road again!

Bonnie

A Bit of Desk Distraction!

I made it to Lynn’s and picked up my featherweight case! It’s in great shape--- missing the inner tray, but both latches work, and that’s all I care about.

I have three featherweights – the white one was bought in an antique mall in Twin Falls, Idaho and came in a plastic file box! The black one came without a case at all ---it was also another antique mall find, back mid 1990s before the prices on featherweights skyrocketed ---I still paid a pretty penny for it compared to what I’ve paid for other machines, but I love her. And of course, the magenta one that travels with me the most often --- it DID come with a case.

Lynn had a wonderful collection of vintage machines, but was uncomfortable letting me just come in and photograph them, so you’ll just have to know that I drooled--- a lot!!! Very sweet lady and we have SEW MUCH in common! I did resist purchasing anything else…I’m feeling rather saturated, and mostly I just want to SEW on the ones I’ve got!

So since I can’t share Lynn’s collection with you, how about a Down-Under alternative?

Margo sent me this email:

Hi Bonnie
I love all your machines. In Australia we have a sewing machine museum.
Here is the link
http://www.maryboroughflourmillgallery.com.au/
It is about 3 hours away from me and they are also on Facebook. It's a long weekend this week so I hope to get there. I thought you might like to share the site on your blog.
Margo Hendy
Who wishes she was coming to Bali

Thanks for the heads up, Margo! I wish you were coming to Bali too! OH! That’s less than 2 months away! I am getting SO excited over this trip I can hardly stand it!

And that said – I hope to make it to Australia some day, because I’d LOVE to come explore the sewing machine museum!

I hope you enjoy the link everyone, I could spend a lot of time in there, but I’m printing everything out for my trip tomorrow – time is a wasting, and it’s not being spent on fun stuff like sewing!

It’s a Jubilee Morning!

My last day at home, and I’ve been up EARLY and on the go.

I went to an estate sale already this morning – it started at 7, and I was there at 7, but by the time I got there, everything I was interested in was gone – so I left and came back home for breakfast ---feeling happy about the weight of my wallet still in my pocket. Money saved there, means money to spend later, right??

I’m headed over to meet the lady with the featherweight case this morning – I just might NEED my wallet when I see what else she’s got!

So in between the estate sale that was a bust, and time to leave for Lynn’s house --- I’ve been working on my jubilee blocks! Randy released 2 more on Wednesday, are you keeping up? Check out her post HERE.

The first thing I want to say is how HAPPY I am with the scotch removable mounting strips as seam guides. Mary was spot on with these. I took two strips, stuck them together, and then sliced down the length of both of them, so it gives me two guides, double thick. It’s easy to remove, easy to re-stick. The package even tells you that if it gets linty and loses its stick to wash it and let it dry and it will become tacky again.

Yes, you have to leave the top layer of film on, or it is sticky too, because it's sticky both sides, but that doesn't bother me. It beats that purple strip stuff that is only sticky on ONE side, and doesn't stay sticky for very long at all and then is worthless.

I still like my screw on seam guide for many things, but when doing diagonal corners like this – using the mounting strip guide means I don’t have to un-screw and swing that guide out of the way to do diagonal corners. Just let the extra bit ride on top of the strip. I’m liking this!

Lots of diagonal corners! These units finish at 2” each, so needless to say, the bonus triangles from underneath these snowball corners are TOO SMALL to save! ;c)

The next block used 2” finished pinwheels! TINY!! But oh, so fun!

This red print was from one of MY favorite shirts – I’m down to just the end of it now – I’ll miss this fabric when its gone!

The blocks are Exquisite, and Flutter Wheel. And look, 5 bonus bow-ties made during the making of these blocks. They really DO add up! I love the silly one with the ant fabric – that scrap was just big enough for ONE bow-tie!

The design wall has been refilled! And blocks are not in the same place they were, but at least are now PINNED to the wall! It’s coming along! I like it!

I hope you enjoy your Saturday however you spend it! There will be more running around going on over here getting ready to leave tomorrow ----Wish I could spend it all sewing, but this is probably the last time my butt will hit a sewing machine chair until I get to Ohio tomorrow evening--