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Sunday, February 17, 2019

Another Sew Saturday & More!


Wonderful things happen when we allow ourselves real PLAY TIME!

I reached my goal of finishing the needed Fireweed blocks.  I started playing with layout ideas – perhaps a zig-zag settng?  Maybe straight set with the blocks in strippy quilt style color rows of red and purple alternating?

I can spend a lot of time on my “design floor” just trying to figure out what I want to do.  What about on-point with red sashing?  Or what about purple?

Plain neutral was just TOO TOO much – but what if I did a pieced sashing with  squares on each end to become a secondary design?

*Side bar*  After taking this photo, I never noticed that there was one wayward bonus triangle hiding in plain sight until I was at the photo editing stage.  FUNNY!  Can you find it?

I think I’ve found what I want to do – and luckily there is a bin of recycled fabric and a bin of larger neutral scraps up here so I could dig in.


Today’s play time is ready to roll!

Take a look at my mug at the upper left.  This is my BEST in-the-mail birthday surprise ever!  It’s a candle warmer, and it will keep a ceramic mug with favorite beverage at the perfect drinking temp.  I am loving it – thank you so much!

I’ve got it plugged into the same power strip that the machine, light and iron are plugged in to so it is one switch to hit and everything is OFF.


One big job – The tarping of the Quiltville Post Office roof.

More rain has come – we’ve got to get things dried out before we can re-seal the roof when the temps warm up a bit more.  This is a temporary fix, but much needed against any further leaks coming through the ceiling inside.  Rain, rain GO AWAY!

There were other house things to take care of as well – it was a morning of puttering with things that took two people to manage.

The low-profile box springs were all assembled earlier, but it is a two person job to get the fabric zippered covers on them.  It didn’t take long, but now those box springs are sitting on lovely vintage bed frames waiting for new mattresses which should also be happening in the next few months.


Cafe rods and curtain installed!

This door is off the top front landing – it goes to the little hallway that leads to the attic stairs and also the access door into bedroom 4.  

We have decided to imagine bedroom 4 as the housekeeper’s room – it has a brick chimney on one wall where a wood burning stove likely sat.  (In my mind it’s cute and pot-bellied!)  With a simple bell system to notify her of the family's summons she could pass through the access door from the back side of the house, into the attic hallway you see behind the sheer curtain and through this door to reach the front bedrooms where the family resided.

This is Southwestern Virginia's version of Downton Abbey!

I didn’t want to block out the light that comes from a window in the ufinished rather rough attic hallway – but it needed something.  After Christmas I used a coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond for this sheer panel and picked up the rods at Walmart.  

It was another 2 person job that was finished in quick manner and I love the soft filtered light coming into the front top landing outside of bedrooms 1, 2 & 3! 

Knocking small things off my list is such a feel good feeling.

The attic hallway is partially dry-walled – partially not.  It could become a good storage space for supplies if we finish the drywall, add paint, and some shelving.  That will come later.


Coming home to live!

(And view of back stairwell banister!)


Thanks to Beth!

I chatted with Beth through Instagram when she sent a message asking me if I had need of an antique bedroom set that had belonged to her mother – she was trying to find it a new place to live as they get her mom’s house ready to sell.

There are not a lot of folks who want big bulky vintage furniture – and she came to the right place!

We made arrangements for the furniture to be brought from the Raleigh/Durham area out to Wallburg when I returned from Japan and Arizona.  It’s a good thing we chose Wednesday!  See the sunshine?  Tuesday was a rainy nightmare and the furniture was coming along with Beth & Her hubby in the back of a pickup truck. 

It was so much fun visiting with a like-minded quilter!  And let's just say that her hubby left knowing that his wife's quilting obsession could be MUCH WORSE than it was after seeing the inside of my house and studio.  LOL!

I was able to get the dresser and drawers, marble tops and mirror, footboard, rails & slats and a couple of beautiful lamps in the back of the van – but the headboard will have to come at another time – it wouldn’t fit in the van with all of the other stuff.  This furniture is beautifully MASSIVE!


It just BELONGS here!


Mirror detail.

The wood is dry and thirsty – I will spend some quality time getting to know it better with a nice coat of nourishing oil.  It will be loved and appreciated as it starts a new life in Virginia!


Imagine the hands who have grasped this drawer pull over the past 100+ years!


Backside of footboard.

and bedroom 4 chimney.

You’ll see the front side when we get the headboard in place!

Little by little – it’s all coming together!

It’s still raining.  Which means I’ll be in the sewing zone again today, fine by me.  I’d like to get as far as I can on this quilt so I can get it up off the floor before I leave tomorrow morning.  Full steam ahead!

For those interested in the block, click the Addicted to Scraps tab at the top of the blog.  Scroll down to October 2014.  Fireweed was my column block in that issue.  You may have it in your magazine archives.  

As to the pattern for the full quilt – think WAY FUTURE RELEASE.  It takes me a long time to make 12 quilts for a book, then to write the book, then for it to go through the process of actually becoming a book.  Think 2 years.  

I don’t have stunt sewists, or ghost writers writing my books.  I am a one person do-it-all. 

And there isn’t any bit of this that I wish to give up to another person or it wouldn’t be mine.


Quiltville Quote of the Day.

Don't let your worst define you, and extend the same courtesy to everyone else!

Have a lovely Sunday, friends!



17 comments:

  1. Love, love, love the way the quilt is looking Bonnie.

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  2. I like the sashing shown but I also love a strippy quilt :-) Have fun with the design process!

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  3. What a fun weekend...enjoying your sharing of the design process and fun, fun development of the Inn !!! Keeps this old woman's heart beating !!! Hope to finally put the binding on "Good Fortune" today, it is only +/- 40" X 40" but really has been a joy of a mystery.

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    1. P.S. the cute little bonus triangle 'hiding' on the lighter purple...giggle .... wants to play also !

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  4. Love the furniture in Quiltville. So nice to know it will be loved again. Lovely gesture by Beth.

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  5. Oil rubbing sounds like an all day job on all the wood furniture in the Quiltville Inn. I really like the sashing idea you shared and LOL at the errant hst. I missed that. Have a great Sunday. We have a light dusting of the White stuff again. Playing the Glad game for attending my Guild an hours drive away tomorrow.

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  6. "Stunt sewists." LOL! That's one's going to have me chuckling all morning.

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  7. From my side it looks like you are working at "warp" speed getting so many things done, even if your list looks endless to you. Love the little hst wanting to join in, "Mom don't leave me behind". Great chuckle at stunt sewists. Good to keep your sense of humor in all things @quiltville.

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  8. I enjoy seeing your dream come to life.

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  9. Bonnie:
    Your new quilt will be beautiful! I understand entirely about what all goes into writing your books, and that you choose not to turn any portion of it over to anyone else.Your massive new to you furniture reminds me of the ebony wood and white marble topped dressers and tables in my Grandmother's house in Minnesota. It had made the trip from indiana, and I know it had to of cost a fortune in the late 1800's, early 1900's. But, it was oh so beautiful! You are fortunate to have such wonderful giving people close enough to you to assist in the furnishing of Quiltville Inn. I have some old hand crocheted bed spreads and tablecloths if you could use them. I also have some new, never used lace/crochet looking cafe curtains and valences some with blue and and some with pink hearts. I bought them for a house in CA, and never got them put up, before being called back to active duty, and they do not "fit in my house in AK"

    Donna
    Kasilof, AK

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  10. Wow, what a piece of treasured furniture! Found its happy place!

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  11. Bonnie, I am so envious of your stash which makes yet another fabulous quilt. Found the hiding hst. Love your energy & all you do to enrich the lives of the rest of us.

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  12. Love reading about the updates to the Inn. Everyone has been so generous!
    I've enjoyed watching the Fireweed quilt come together. The quilt led me down the rabbit hole to find out about Fireweed. Now I see why the color combinations!

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  13. One of the best things I ever heard was, "Never make someone a priority in your life when you are only an option in theirs" There, it needed to be said.

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  14. Did you notice the floor of the back stairwell? String Frenzy!

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  15. I love seeing Quiltville Inn come together! It is on my bucket list to pull together a group of ladies from Western Canada for a visit. Love your Fireweed quilt.

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  16. I just love it when you post pictures of your beautiful Quiltville Inn! It reminds me of my great grandmothers house, I have so many many memories of hours filled with fun with my cousins. Running through the kitchen to grab a cold piece of French toast off the counter plate (which never seemed to be empty) and out the back door to play hide and go seem in the fields. My favorite memory is that the house was built into the side of a hill, there were several steps up to the front door but upon leaving out the backdoor you were immediately on the ground. I have tried to picture the floor layouts of each floor of Quiltville Inn but my mind just gets twisted around. Yes I've watched your wonderful video but still can't picture it in my head. Someday way down the road could you share a rough drawing for us. Thanks so much for sharing your talents and your exciting love with all of us.
    Jeri in South Texas

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