Triple Treat Finish!

I took the last stitch into the binding of my Triple Treat quilt last night.

There is something about a red binding that makes it all that much better.

It's like an exclamation point at the end stating "Okay, I'm done now."

Especially on a super-scrappy-everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink quilt that has no borders.

I just love it!

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It took All Day!

I tackled some big jobs at Quiltville Inn in preparation for Wednesday's retreat opening.

I have been wanting to redo the linen storage room off the upstairs foyer since before I broke my foot.

It seemed that everything that was considered overflow from seasonal décor to returning quilt group storage (Because they had another group coming the next month, and that's okay by me!) to lost and found left behind items and - OH, SO MANY QUILTS just found places to land "wherever".

Yesterday the time came.  And yes, it took ALL DAY.

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Chilhowie In Pattern Form!

  

Good Morning, Quiltvillians!

Our Chilhowie Mystery Season was the best one yet in my book!

I'm so grateful for all that participated during our mystery season, and I look forward to quilting again with me next time!

If you are new here, our Quiltville Winter Mystery begins with the introductory post being released on Halloween.  The introduction includes colors, yardage requirements, special tools needed if any, along with background information.

The mystery starts in earnest on Black Friday, the day after our Thanksgiving day here in the USA.

Mysteries usually run around 7 or 8 weeks with each new "clue" being released on subsequent Fridays.

A month after the reveal the mystery is removed from my website, rewritten, and presented to you as a PDF pattern for purchase.

That happened this morning!

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2023: Vietnamese Year of the Cat!

I'm super excited to see this latest stitchery project coming together!

May is right around the corner, and this is the project I'll be presenting to my Vietnam travelers in early May! 

"But Bonnie - a cat? Why a cat? Isn't it the year of the rabbit?"

As China, Japan and other East Asian countries celebrate the start of the Lunar Year of the Rabbit, the people of Vietnam will be an exception - welcoming instead the Year of the Cat.

There is no official explanation for when and why the Vietnamese embraced the cat instead of the rabbit. They also replaced the Ox with the Buffalo on the 12 year lunar calendar.

Whatever the reason, Year of the Cat works for me - cue up the Al Stevens version:

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Visiting Goldfield, AZ!

Back in the 1890′s Goldfield boasted 3 saloons, a boarding house, general store, blacksmith shop, brewery, meat market and a schoolhouse. And a brothel.

Today, it's open for tourists who come from all over to experience just a tiny slice of Arizona's wild, wild west along the Apache Trail.

It may be kitschy but I am an enthusiastic tourist when it comes to things like this. I love to walk through, poke around, see what's what.

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Decompressing My Way Home -

It seems I hit the motherlode of spool cabinets yesterday on my journey from Greensboro, NC to Mouth of Wilson VA.

Not that I need one.  Not that I can afford one!  But I love seeing them - 

I imagine these beauties sitting proudly near the checkout counter in the local general store, and the customer - what was she wearing? Asking for a spool of black, a spool of white - and perhaps a vibrant pink for the dress she is making for Easter, or cousin Ruth's wedding.

What a history these simple pieces of thread organization have seen!

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