Late Night Edition, Free Kindle Book!

I’m just back from my lecture with the Friendly Quilters of Ashtabula, Ohio!

We had a great time – invited many local and neighboring quilters, as tonight was not their regular meeting night. We filled the church with quilters and quilts, and had great refreshments with lots of visiting afterwards!

It was just a beautiful June evening, and what a great way to spend it.

((Side note – can you believe that June is already HALF OVER?! Where did it go?!))

It’s been a great day of relaxing, unwinding, sight seeing a bit around town, and of course, spending re-bonding time with the sewing machine! It was fun just siting and sewing while Kathy was doing the same --- so very very much needed!

I’ve got a freebie for you as the summer heat builds up in this hemisphere ----temps are rising, and this one sounds like a fun summer comedy/mystery!

London Broil (A Comedy Mystery) by Barbara Silkstone is free in the Amazon Kindle store tonight.

Book Description:

When we last saw Wendy Darling and Roger Jolley, they’d recovered twelve of the thirteen Egyptian icons stolen from the British Museum.

Wendy, Miami Realtor and part-time Tomb Raider, is now in a frantic race against time and a murderer as she searches for the last Lost Boy hidden somewhere in London while a killer heat wave invades the city.

I’ve been told this is a good series, so I might have to go search out the previous one before reading this one ---but it sounds fun!

This is a shot of what added up in between lines of sewing today at Kathy’s! I’ve just packed everything up though--- after tomorrow’s workshop, I’m headed over to Pennsylvania so my retreat sewing time here is already gone --

It all flies too fast, doesn’t it?

Sweet Hexie Dreamin’!

Kathy’s guest room is set up just for me!

She must have known she would achieve maximum jaw dropping effect as soon as I spied the quilt on the bed..this is such a WONDERFUL scrappy hexie! I could study the fabrics in it for hours.

It starts with a green diamond of hexies around a center cheddar hex ----

Then a row of “printed” 30’s hexagons ---

Followed by a row of SOLID hexagons in those wonderful 30’s shades---

And finally bordered by another round of hexies in all of those scrappy 30s prints.

The pieced diamonds are large, and separated by a simple muslin path. The quilting is simple, each round of hexes is outlined in tiny stitches, just following the diamond shapes ---

I dreamed endlessly under this quilt last night! It is the softest, most comfy quilt ever, I think because it HAS been used and loved and slept under and washed and dried on a line --- it has that wonderful smell of vintage linens –and every stitch was made by hand.

The bottom edges are filled in with large “nile green” triangles…..

Look at how sweet the quilting is in here --- LOVE those feathers, they fill the space just right!

One of the best things about being a quilter – is finding beauty in simplicity every day. Always being on the look-out for things that fill my heart and my soul means there is less room for things that I DON’T want in my life ---

And more room for the things that make me smile---

Like tickling Miss Gracie who loves to lie belly up and stretch out long and lanky!

We’ve spent today relaxing and working on projects ---soon we’ll head over and set up for my lecture and the guild meeting will start and the evening will get busy, and the day will be done ---

But I’m so appreciative for the respite of a friend’s house – a cup of tea, a day to sew, some time on the screened in porch just typing up this post and enjoying the birds and the sunshine on a wonderful Friday in June ----

iPhone-o-gram! Lunch on Lake Erie!

We escaped the den on quilting for a bite of lunch on the marina!

I love getting off the beaten path and seeing what other small towns have to show on a pretty June day.

Ruebens at the Riverview Diner were top notch! We walked the streets and window shopped---the flowers are out in all their potted glory!

The drawbridge held my attention as I watched traffic pile up to let boats through---

And of course I had to get myself down to the waters edge!

A Visit to Fabric Shack!

I had such a great visit with the gals at Fabric Shack in Waynesville, Ohio yesterday ---- and was thrilled when we were introduced to hear that they had just been reading my blog that very morning. Such a small world!

Janelle and Loretta had escaped with Cathy and some of the other class girls on Wednesday to make a run down there --- and came back with great reviews so I knew I HAD to go ---

Four of us met up at 10am as the doors opened ----Anita was already shopping when I walked in, and Irene and Lisa soon followed ----

After visiting a bit, exchanging introductions and getting my bearings by walking around ((in complete awe at the amount of wonderfulness ever abundant within these very walls))

I found myself face to face with THE REMNANT CARTS OF JOY!!

Oh yes, I”d been forwarned about the Remnant Carts of Joy---everything on the cart os $3.98 a yard, and you have to take the whole piece….move over, I’m diving in!

Here is one of the gals measuring out my spoils ---I was simply STASHING, no rhyme, no reason, if I liked it, it came home. Most of my pieces were about 1/4 to 1/2 yard – so that’s only $1 to $2 a piece. BARGAIN!

The shop is bright and beautiful, and I love the rainbow array of bolts of fabrics displayed on simple white shelving:

Gorgeous fabrics, loads of colors, lots of inspiration!

Makes me wish my sewing room looked like this!

Great samples, something to see at every turn!

Great selection of hand dyed woolies for the wool appliquers!

Fabrics from every manufacturer and line imaginable!

You want pre-cuts? They’ve got them by the dozens!

Batiks? Novelties? Civil War? Modern? Blenders? Everything under the sun --- it’s here!

And of course, for those who can’t make a trip to the real brick and mortar store, you can find it all at FabricShack.com!

This is how you know---

It's time to call it quits and go to bed!!

Night, all!

iPhone-o-gram!! Raring to Sew!!

I'm at my friend Kathy's in Ashtabula!

I've been spoiled and satisfied with a home-cooked meal, and we are setting up to sew!

She's set up her Pfaff for me, and my sew adjustable table completes the workspace!

Kathy and I have known eachother since I first experienced the wonders of Internet quilting in about 1996---we are happily recalling memories of your journeys along the way.

The music is on, and miss Gracie is happily poking her nose into everything I've drug in---

iPhone-o-gram! Heading North East!

What a fun morning!!

I received a great welcome from the ladies at Fabric Shack in Waynesville! Something I didn't know---this is a multi-generational family owned business. Daughter, Mother, Granddaughter all playing their part in keeping quilters happily supplied in our most favorite of obsessions---fabric!!

The town is adorable with many antique shops.

I didn't have a lot of time to browse, I'm on a pretty heavy driving schedule today if I'm going to make it to Ashtabula by dinner---

I waved at everyone at the Columbus show as I drive through town!!

Of course, as always---there is more to come!

Cathedral Stars, WITH Sample Quilt! :cD

For those asking why everyone was NOT waving in yesterday’s iphone-o-gram post --- Do you really think that I could get 26 rotary-cutter-weilding-women to STOP what they are doing to always pose for a friendly wave? HA! We got smiles, and looks, and man were they busy --- this 4-patching is serious business.

Either that or the zen of copious amounts of 4-patch strip piecing had lulled everyone into quilter-zombie status, and smiles and glances were all they could muster out of their machine-humming-enduced trance state :cD

Or in other words --- they were waving on the inside, and I wasn’t going to make them stop to indulge my photographic whims!

We had a terrific day ---just LOVE those tri-recs rulers! If you’ve got them in a drawer and still haven’t pulled them out to give them a try, take a word of advice from our whole class yesterday and DO IT! Satisfaction sure to follow!

One of the most fun highlights of the afternoon was when Lisa called me aside to instigate an “impromptu mandatory demo” at the cutting table --- Turns out that it was Wrena’s birthday – and they even brought in a cake for us all to share in the surprise!

Wrena was one of the first gathered around the cutting table waiting for the demo when we all started singing and the cake came in ----PERFECT! It was so fun to be part of her birthday celebration --- and isn’t that a great birthday gift for yourself? She is visiting from Indiana, stayed with friends and attended all three workshop ((Yes, they were that trouble maker table in the way back corner of the room! :cD!)) and celebrate a long birthday quilting-overload with best GFs!

The cake was pretty dang good too….MMM!

Take a look at pics from the class --- look closely! You’ll find some pretty fun fabrics in here! Some may be lingering deep in your own stash --- can you find the block with the ONE millenium fabric square in it?

LOADS of sewing got done today, and these ladies are turning out some beautiful quilts!

		Cathedral Stars, Xenia OH 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Cathedral star blocks were NOT the only thing being worked on in class!

Janice, of fussy-cut-hexie-fame brought her basket of cheddar leader-ender bow-ties to work on in between the seams of her block sewing! Her basket is almost full, and when her cheddar is gone --- that’s as big as this one will go. Any guesses as to how many are IN her basket?! :cD

It’s a check-out and move-on day for me today! I’m loading up the car, heading out to Waynesville, OH to meet up with the guild gals at Fabric Shack at 10am. I was also informed to expect crowds because it’s the first day of the NQA show in Columbus, and quilters are likely to be shop-hopping their way to the show ----

Oh boy --- it’s going to be a fun day!