Evening Edition! Free Kindle Book!

I’m back in my room, day three of workshops is complete! We ended the day with several of us enjoying the patio and al fresco dining at Nick’s in Xenia --- GREAT food!

((How do you pass up an offer of waffle cut sweet-potato fries drizzled with brown sugar?!?))

What a fun group of ladies! In fact – several of us are meeting up and descending like locusts at Fabric Shack in Waynesville---10am sharp ---- to continue this adventure!

I understand that the main street is loaded with antique malls – I’ll have to shop fast because I’ve got to get myself to Ashtabula by late afternoon!

Can I do it? I’m willing to try!

There is something really decadent about being in jammies at 7:30pm, stretching myself out in the center of a big king-sized bed ---TNT & Law & Order on the tube while editing down tomorrow’s slide show. Gosh I feel lazy! But if I get this written, I can hop over to my machine and get some piecing done ---and I can sleep in a bit in the morning!

Just a side note --- did you watch the series DALLAS back in the 80s? Do you remember that whole buzz of “Who Killed JR?!?” And then he wasn’t dead?

Did you see that there is a new Dallas series starting on TNT tonight? A lot of the same actors are in it – like the story has just continued on with a 12 year hiatus! I never really followed the series, but might keep it on just to see if I can get pulled into it.

While digging through things online, I also came across this freebie book that really looks fun:

California Schemin’, by Kate George is free tonight in the Amazon Kindle store.

Kate George is the winner of the 2009 Daphne De Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, Mainstream Division.

Book Description:

California Schemin’ is the second in the fun, fast paced Bree MacGowan Mysteries. Think Miss Marple meets Miss Congeniality!

Being a self-sufficient, problem solving Vermont girl, Bree’s used to taking care of her own problems. Just because some Ex-Army Ranger has gotten her mixed up in murder doesn’t mean she’s obligated to behave herself. Bree figures it’s her job to get as far away from Mr. Hambecker as possible, turn in the murderer and reclaim her boyfriend and her life. But the murderer isn’t going to be easy to catch, her life is in a shambles and the boyfriend isn’t sure he want’s to be reclaimed. It’s mystery with a side of laughter.

“California Schemin' by Kate George is a page turner - I couldn't put it down! Kate does a great job of getting the action rolling on the first page and you get sucked into the adventures that befall her lead character, Bree MacGowan.” - JCrew

“California Schemin' is the hilarious sequel to Moonlighting in Vermont by Kate George and, once again, features the headstrong but lovable Bella Bree MacGowan. Schemin's a good old fashioned cozy mystery that infuses the author's witty sense of humor, plenty of suspense, some great writing, and an engaging and action-packed plot.

Double check before clicking that it is still free for you, it just was for me!

Have a great evening, everyone!

Janice & the Fussy-Cut Hexie!

Janice and her hubby Ed were both in Monday’s class together, and though he had to work yesterday and today – he still made an appearance to bring Janice to come play with us. It’s been fun getting to know them both.

As they say, the couple that quilts together -----shares the stash! LOL!

Yesterday I walked into class to be stopped dead in my tracks by the most incredible hexie quilt ---and I know Janice said she had been working on it for over 10 years.

TINY Rosettes. FUSSY cuts! All of them! You have to stop and examine each and every one of them, and there are thousands….

Her use of the fabric is so imaginative – come take a closer peek! I just wish I could have caught each and everyone up close and personal ---

Doesn’t this look like a stained glass window? I love that the colors aren’t really ‘organized” –it allows your eyes to travel to each and every one. But check out these rosettes!

Come even a bit closer, that’s not close enough!!

Bugs! And Dinosaurs!

Penguins marching in a circle!

LOVED this one….3 doxies --- fussy cut so they’d join up mid-bodies to complete the design!

Tennis racquets ---and can you see she spelled her name going clockwise?!

Halloween dinosaurs…and there are cows and other things…..she just had the MOST FUN playing with such whimsical fabrics --- it was like a big giant grown-up I spy!

It’s been in the hand quilting process for years – the hardest thing, Janice said, was trying to hand quilt with black thread on black fabric as eyes age. This is something I get very concerned about as my eyes age too. I’d have to shoot a goal of one hex section a day or something…maybe try natural daylight to quilt by, but she says it is really hard on her eyes to sit at it for very long with black hand quilting thread trying to do black stitches on a black fabric.

North Pole signs all pointing round in a circle!

I’m so glad she brought it to guild show and tell too --- it’s just a fabulous quilt, and I am so inspired!

Doesn't it just make you want to go fussy-cut something?! :cD

iPhone-o-gram! A change of Venue!

We are meeting down in Xenia today! 26 quilters, buckets of strip stash and a whole lot of zooming machines!

Those who joined us for 3 consecutive days of quilting are slowing down under lack of sleep and miles of endless sewing.

At last count, a few were found to be playing hookey and escaped under guise of a Fabric Acquisition Road Trip to Fabric Shack in Waynesville, a mere 25 mile jaunt away!! Lol!!

I don't blame them---I have a sneaking suspicion I'll find myself in Waynesville tomorrow morning at 10am when the doors open myself---I've heard it's a place not to be missed!

We are all having a grand time---

My Blue Heaven in Fairborn ---

Yes, the class that had no display sample because I left it at home!

I am augmenting a new rule for myself. Before quilts are folded and placed into bags or unpacked at home and put away --- fold everything RIGHT SIDE OUT!

I know exactly what happened….I know the My Blue Heaven quilt had a tan/plaid backing on it. How similar is it to “other” quilts with “other” tan/plaid backings?

There was a fabric sale and I bought YARDS of woven plaids and homespuns to be used as backings for scrappy quilts…..and it is so easy to think that one quilt is another when you just see a “familiar” backing for a blue/neutral quilt.

But I’m not beating myself up over it anymore! I had some great students who had sewn test blocks, and between the blocks and the patterns everyone had – we were good to go. The only thing I really miss was the reaction of students getting up close and personal with the quilt and the actual fabrics in it, and hearing them say things like:

“I remember that one!”

“Oh, I had this one in green and red too!”

“You actually put THIS IN THERE?!?”

“I never would have used that as a neutral next to this one”

“Oh this piece, brings back so many memories for me!”

“How come I never saw THIS fabric before when I swear I’ve seen them all!?

Along with our Nebraska Contingency, we had a couple early risers who left the house before 6:30 am, in INDIANA --- to drive all the way over to take today’s workshop. I knew I knew their faces…I just couldn’t place them from where!

The photo at the top of this post ---me crawling around on top of the hexagon medallion and pointing out various fabrics and where they came from, how long I’d had them --- came from the Indiana Contingency! Thanks for sending this very glamorous (HA!) photo!

They came to my visit in Davenport/Moiline a couple months ago! I recognized the smiles, but thought it was because they were in Columbus, a couple weeks ago --- I’m pretty good with smiles and faces and familiarity, but you take them out of the surroundings where I saw them last, and I could have just as easily ran into them at the grocery store last week in NC ----Gosh I am so brain dead, but as we talked and visited, the stories they told me in Moline on how they got their first group together to go on retreat, and the fun they had all came flooding back, and they found their place in my muddled memory, and we made some NEW memories – all 29 of us thrown into class together!

So let me present to you ---without benefit of a class sample quilt – just what everyone dug into in yesterdays My Blue Heaven workshop!

		My Blue Heaven, Fairborn, OH 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The lecture last night was great--- without an empty chair to be found, and standing room only. It was fun presenting several of the new quilts from String Fling and getting people all excited about looking at their humblest of scraps in new ways with a new light shining on them. You could see the ideas flowing!

A highlight for me was meeting Amy, who has been instrumental as a block tester for Quiltmaker Magazine ---and we got our picture together --

I also had the priviledge of meeting Cathy Young, of Young’s Jersey Dairy! Who know that she was a Quilter! I had ice cream at her place on Monday eve --- she came to see the quilts on Tuesday – is that kismet, or what? She was thrilled about yesterday’s blog post – and agrees on the yumminess of the smores flavor!

Today is “Cathedral Stars” and YES I HAVE THAT QUILT! ((Oh, I’ll beat myself up about leaving the class quilt at home for a long long time I have a feeling ---))

Today is my last day in Fairborn --- Thursday --- I'’ve got a road trip to Ashtabula!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!