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Monday, October 31, 2016

Quilt Market 2016–Day TWO!

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Some fun with the gals in the Paper Pieces booth at Quilt Market!

It was a morning for going around and trying to locate everyone I wanted to see before doing a book signing at 11am in the C&T booth.

Such gorgeous quilts hanging and I wanted to pet them all. 

The smiles were everywhere, and it was great fun to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a long while, or meet up with those I’ve only known from online or through other folks.

What an opportunity for networking!

But most of all for saying THANK YOU to those who have pushed me on my way.  That’s what I love most about this industry.  There are so many out there who genuinely LIFT others and cheer along with you when you reach a goal you’ve been working tirelessly on for what seems like forever. 

And it wasn’t all play.  I took over 200 photos yesterday and there is going to be NO WAY to post them all in one post, so they will be filtering through over the next several days.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Quilt Market in Full Swing!

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Let’s start this thing for real!

The doors for the Fall Quilt Market in Houston opened at 9:30am and crowds were already gathered to break down the door and make their way inside.

Shop owners and other business were eager to make appointments with reps to order new lines of fabrics, tools, notions, threads, and all else so that WE will soon have it available near where we are.

It’s a hustle.

It’s a bustle.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

A Schoolhouse Day in Houston!

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The view of tall sky scrapers through my humidity streaked window yesterday morning before heading over to the convention center to start the big day of schoolhouse presentations.

Such a gorgeous day, the weather is absolutely perfect.  Of all the things to love about the great state of Texas, the month of October is at the top of my list.

I spent close to 4 years living here and it is always great to come back and enjoy those things that I appreciated while I was a resident.

Wonderful people, beautiful autumns [when the humidity has LEFT for a season!] Tex-Mex and BBQ!

The show floor was still busy with set up yesterday, so there was no seeing of quilts in the quilt show area. 

Vendors were working at a frantic pace to set up booths and get everything ready for the infamous Sample Spree last night.

I took this little photo of the busy bees from the viewing area up one level:

Friday, October 28, 2016

Quilt Market or Bust!

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Hello from Houston!

What a crazy whirlwind everything has been winding up to this moment.

I awoke this morning and immediately thought to myself.  “I’m in Houston!  Today is Schoolhouse Day!”  Oh goodness, I have never felt so nervous in my life!  But I don’t present until this afternoon, so this morning I am going to put this out of my mind and throw myself into the hubbub with everyone else who is just as excited to be here.

I’ve already ran into several quilt-friends and plans have been arranged for booth visits, lunches, dinners, and hanging out.  It’s like a high school reunion!  So many people I’ve met throughout this journey are all culminating in this one spot, and it is marvelous.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Holy Cow! The “Shift Happens!” Gift-Away Draw!



It’s been a run around like a headless chicken kind of day, as I get ready to head out to Houston in the morning for Quilt Market.

The last time I was AT Market was 2 years ago, just the tail end of Festival as we headed off on a Quiltville Caribbean Cruise.

The last time I VENDED at Quilt Market?  Somewhere around 1993.  I had my little doll pattern business under the name Needle in a Haystack and that is where I wound up being woo’d by Butterick and ended up with my designs in the BIG sewing catalogs. 

I remember that Eleanor Burns was just up the aisle from me and I was just so star struck.

And now I’m going in a different capacity –and I get to meet other authors from the C&T team that I’ve never met before, and I’m feeling that star struck thing all over again.

Hair cut?  Check!  Eyebrows tamed?  Check!  Clothing shopping?  UGH!  I hate it, but I did find a few cute tops that are “non-wrinkle”.  Pedi & Mani?  CHECK!  Now just watch me blow the mani as I sit here and type to get this done.

Packing?  Nope.  It’s waiting until after THIS goes live and then Ill be ready to roll.  Oh, I have PILES all ready to go in the suitcase, it’s just up to logistics now.  And again – don’t mess up the barely dry manicure!

I am laughing hysterically over this “Shift Happens”  Gift-Away!

An Addicted to Scraps book with the spine somehow shifted to the cover, right there in plain sight.  An Essential Triangle Tool package with a broken Bonus Buddy plus some other goodies…and you’d think this was the power ball lottery!

Blooming in October!

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Another reason I love the south.

There are things that bloom all the way up to the first frost, which hasn’t happened yet.  It may be just around the corner, but not quite yet.  I keep pleading….please….not quite yet.  Let me enjoy this beauty as long as I can.

Over the past couple of weeks these buds started to open.  Just a few at first, then day by day, like some kind of alternate springtime, the blossoms are now covering the bush in my front yard, blanketed underneath by the ever growing pile of leaves falling from tall trees.

The contrast is quite amazing, isn’t it?  The dry crunch of leaves underfoot, the end of their season.  And these abundant blooms beautiful in their lacy whiteness.  Two opposites.  Beginnings and endings.

Is there a life lesson in here?  Likely.

But I don't want to think too hard.  I just want to enjoy it before it all goes away.  Beautiful blooms on a backdrop of autumn leaves.  I love it.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Quilt-cam on Facebook Live 10/25/2016

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Gail in Virginia sent this photo of herself doing some relaxing hand quilting while she has our first Facebook Live session of Quilt-Cam going right where she can listen and sew along!

It’s still a learning process, but it will get better as we make adjustments along the way.  I know Facebook is not going to work for everyone.  But if the ration is something like 9 out of 10? We have to choose it.

In fact when I announced the reminder today, I would save half of the responses both on the blog AND on Facebook were “Sorry, we are watching the Cubs tonight, I’ll catch you in the archives!”

Which is PERFECT, and just what archives are for.  So if many folks aren’t catching it live on the blog and are going to watch it in the archives anyway, what does it matter that those same folks miss it in Facebook and catch it in the archives when they can?

I tell you, all of this new “LEARNING STUFF” kept me hopping and I have learned so much just from the last time we did this. 

We definitely are never too old to learn new tricks.

Let the Machines OUT!

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I was a quilter on the loose yesterday afternoon!

I had a 4:30 appointment that ended around 5pm.  Rush hour was in full force.  So I made a detour.  It was only 3 miles off course, and they were open until 6pm.

I can do A LOT of poking around in a little under an hour if you turn me loose in an antique mall.  The Post office was closed by this time, I’d done all I could do for the day so in I went.

Now, when time is limited, I can make a quick overview of the area and determine in rapid fashion which booths are worth rummaging around in.

ANYTHING that looks like an end table or desk is suspect!

Monday, October 24, 2016

Time to Do the Quilty Box Draw!



It’s time, it’s time!

And someone is going to be very happy to find that they are the recipient of the October Quilty Box Gift Away!

This month was full of such yumminess, and who ever it is will be able to dig right in and start sewing since those hexies are pre-cut! 

What is a Quilty Box ?
  • Quilty Box is a monthlysubscription box of fun quilting supplies. We offer plans from $44-48/mo.
  • 5% of the profits of multi-month subscriptions are donated to Quilts for Kids - a non-profit which donates quilts for children in need
  • Each month we have 4 or more products (Fabric, patterns, thread, or notions)
  • Our retail value of the products in the box is always more than $50
  • We will be using the hashtags #QuiltyBox and #GetQuilty

A Blue Ridge Parkway Sunday…

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“Autumn days.  Lying on a bed of leaves, watching clouds up through the trees…..”  Lyrics from a favorite Barry Manilow song I loved to sing as a teen.

I love autumn!  the change of the colors, the longer nights, the later sunrises, the smell and sound of leaves underfoot.

And I got a big dose of it this weekend!

It all started with a Sadie walk yesterday…sweet girl was in her element! 

She was so happy to be up here she was nearly PRANCING through the woods as we took our morning walk.

Take a look:

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Pumpkins on the Mountain!

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And there was FINALLY some macbine time around here!

Those pumpkins with the black background?

It was time to turn them into something and I had an idea of what I wanted to do, and I set in to playing.

I don’t often have a full project worked out in front of me like a map to go by.  Sometimes I just play and think and try and do and see what I can come up with, and work out any kinks along the way.

If I were going to set them the way I wanted to….with bottoms facing towards the center in mirror image, there was going to be a big blank spot down the center of the table runner ---and it needed something.  But what?  And how wide?

Saturday, October 22, 2016

One Weekend in October…

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It’s been more than a month since I’ve been up to the mountains, and as soon as I turned off the highway, onto Pumpkin Run (Yes, that is a real road!) it was like removing a tight shoe.  Ahhhhh. Something magical happens when you leave the world behind and drive up a steep mountain road rising higher above the valley with every winding turn.

The stress and the worries of the world are left behind.  Or at least I try to not bring them up here with me as I want this to be a place of rest, restore, and creativity.

That all started with a 3 hour nap!

It was warm and windy yesterday afternoon.  leaves were blowing every which way, and you could tell there was a change coming on the gusty breezes.

I got my autumn decor out, and began preparing for 7 1/2 folks for dinner!  5 from Mona’s crowd, plus baby Carmen, and 2 from mine.  I love it when the dining room table has every chair completely occupied!

It was a burgers with all the fixins’ kind of night, with loads of chatter and catching up as it has been MONTHS since we have been together.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Just Because Shift Happens!

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We did it. 

It finally happened.

We are OUT of Essential Triangle Tools until more arrive.

There are only a FEW books left, but more will be arriving via Yellow Freight on a pallet and will be picked up at the Yellow Freight depot on Monday evening.

I’ve gone as far as I can go until more stock arrives.

It’s a great feeling, but also one that left me a bit panicky because there are so many orders that are having to wait for more copies of the Addicted to Scraps book and the Essential Triangle Tool.

I didn’t sleep well last night worrying about all of this!  But when things are out of our hands, what good does unnecessary worrying do?  We are talking quilts here.  It’s a book.  It’s a triangle tool.  It’s not a life or death situation, and yet it just knots me all up that we have blown through more than 2,000 copies of the Addicted to Scraps book, and 1,500 Essential Triangle tools. 

The amount of stuff flying out of here has been a landslide of success and happiness.  And more on on their way, so I thank you for your patience.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

October Quilty Box Give-Away!

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Whoowhooo!

I’ve got a Quilty Box full of Goodness for one lucky blog reader and it could be you!

This month’s box is all about things you can do with large hexagon pre-cuts!

What is a Quilty Box ?
  • Quilty Box is a monthly subscription box of fun quilting supplies. We offer plans from $44-48/mo.
  • 5% of the profits of multi-month subscriptions are donated to Quilts for Kids - a non-profit which donates quilts for children in need
  • Each month we have 4 or more products (Fabric, patterns, thread, or notions)
  • Our retail value of the products in the box is always more than $50
  • We will be using the hashtags #QuiltyBox and #GetQuilty
Your support is appreciated. If you have any questions or comments don't hesitate to contact me.
Get Quilty!
Patrick Claytor, CEO
Quilty Box
Subscribe today at Quiltybox.com I LOVE the fact that 5% of the profits go to Quilts for Kids!  It’s a win win all the way around!

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Another Day in Quiltville!

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And guess who had control of the remote last night?  On TUESDAY!?

It turns out that I ended up Home Alone for a while due to tennis.  BONUS!

It used to be that on tennis nights I’d allow myself to putter longer in the studio downstairs, cutting, pressing, sewing at the machine.  But I stuck to my “handwork only after dinner” goal, threw on my target sewing PJs [a girl has got to do what she has got to do to be in the mood!] and settled in to finish the last episode in the last season of Call the Midwife on Netflix.

I so love this show!  I love how they tackle the “changing of the times” issues of where they are in the series now, 1961, and it gives me a clue into what things were like just the year before I was born.

The hair styles!  The clothes.  Those marvelous cats eye glasses!

In this season we dealt with doctors and nurses that smoked like chimneys only for the warnings to “FINALLY” come out that smoking indeed causes cancer.  Before this period in time we just did not know.  In fact, in my early years I remember BOTH sets of grandparents smoking like wildfire, and my parents too.  It was the cool thing to do and the ads even said it was "healthy" before this period in time.  We HAVE come a long way, baby.

When I think of all the things that were discovered just during my life time…that previously we “just did not know” I am blown away.

I did some searching to learn more about thalidomide, and how it was prescribed in Europe and in Asia during this time period because it was brought up in season 5 of Call the Midwife.  And I found this clip I hadn’t seen before:

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Keeping Life Quilty!

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I had a finish last night!

A binding finish that is.

And a new policy at home that I’ve been reluctant to bring up, but for my own happiness it has to happen.

And I decided all of this while having evening sewing time while Jeff was gone, and The Hubster was off to work in Boston.

The men in my house have had run of the front room TV for as long as I can remember.  And I always acquiesced, letting them watch whatever inane sitcoms they wanted to.  I would heave a sigh and head off to the basement to do what I do away from my family, but not fully happy with my decision on many levels.

There has been no compromise.  Except for when it comes from my end.  And our compromise on what to watch has always been “If you are going to watch that, then I am going downstairs.”  And it wasn’t the best solution, really.  Not if we want to be a family.

There are just too many different tastes going on under this one roof!  And it is time to start to SHARE.  I don’t always want to be solo in the basement.  It’s not a good enough solution.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Pumpkins in my Patch!

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Sunday night was for pumpkin stitchin’!

There was time to spend a couple of hours after dinner just cutting up some greys, stitching some backgrounds and stems onto these beauties.

They make me smile so much!  I think I’m completely addicted!

I first started these YEARS ago.  The poor few assembled pumpkins with black background have lived in the orange string bins as a forgotten UFO for I don’t know how long.

But when following an Instagram challenge to sew with a “color of the week”  in an effort to annihilate some scraps, they were uncovered, resurfaced and pulled front and center.

First things first:  I had to re-measure everything because I had forgotten what I was doing.

And then I had to think on settings because I remembered why these stalled out.  There had to be space around them for the pumpkins to float, and I didn’t like the sashing that was my original first thought.

And then an idea hit me:

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Quilt-Cam the NEXT Generation! 10/16/2016

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Are you ready for this?

Big desk top in the background.

Laptop and new tablet in the foreground.

External camera on top of laptop.

When I record, I actually see in real time what happens on the tablet, but what I see on the laptop has about a 5 second delay.

I have to tell myself to “talk to the blue light!  talk to the blue light!” and NOT watch the tablet because when the camera is running the light on the external camera is blue around the edges and looking at the blue light means I am looking at YOU.  If you see me watching off to the side, well --we will figure it out.

 I know you can’t see it in this photo, but here we go.

To tune into Quilt-Cam on Facebook Live, visit my Quiltville Facebook Page!  Quilt-cam is starting at 2pm Eastern.

If you get to my page BEFORE 2pm remember to refresh the page so you get the feed when it IS posted and running.

If you don't have a Facebook account, you can watch on YouTube or here on the blog after we are done.

There is no video being embedded in this post until AFTER quilt-cam is over.  Then I will save the video from Facebook, upload it to my YouTube channel and then come back here and embed it to place it in our archives.  It’s a new dance! But this should be fun.

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I’ve done some trimming and de-papering.

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I’m adding some corners and stems for the pumpkins in my patch!

I’m sewing on my 1957 301 short bed in a cabinet.  And it feels SO GOOD to be sewing, even just for a little bit.

If you want me to read your comments on air, you still have to email me.  Comments fly too quickly up the screen on Facebook for me to read them. Plus you can see the location of my laptop in regards to where I am sitting.  I can’t read that far, and I doubt you could either.

If you want to email me your photos so I can share them so they become part of our YouTube archive version, that would be great.  For those of you watching in Facebook, NONE of the comments, floating hearts, thumbs up, or smileys will SHOW on the YouTube version once I’ve uploaded it.  Those are strictly a Facebook feature.

Are you ready to give this a try?  Remember we are still learning here and there may be some bumbles along the way, but what is better than bumbling along with a bunch of quilty friends?

Let’s do this!




Click Here to like our Quiltville Friends Page on Facebook for more fun!

Click Here to join our sister group, Quiltville's Open Studio on Facebook, a place to Sew, Share & Grow!!

Quiltville, We Have A Quilt-Cam Solution!!

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Do you see this shirt?

Can you read what it says, frontwards NOT backwards?!

YAHOOOOO!!!  We did it and we are ready for Quilt-Cam on Facebook Live!

I purposely wore a shirt with words during a test broadcast to make sure that I was NOT in mirror image for those watching.  It would be too difficult for those watching to see me sitting at a backwards sewing machine, working on things that were also backwards.  I don’t want to live in a backwards world, and neither should you.

There are a couple of differences with Quilt-Cam that I’m still wrapping my brain around for the best way to do things.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

What I Thought Was a Solution…

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Sometimes our “great ideas” just do not end up as we thought they would.

Dead end street?

Or maybe it’s a cul-de-sac with ample room to turn around and find a different way?

We haven’t done Quilt-Cam in a long while.  And my schedule hasn’t been the only reason. 

Google+ hangouts was AWESOME.  It streamed live into YouTube, I could embed it in the blog post so you had words and photos all around the embedded screen so you knew what was happening in this episode, which machine I was using, what quilt I was making, where to find the pattern if there was one…all of that was so important to the success of Quilt-Cam.

Friday, October 14, 2016

That Quiltmaker Drawing!!



Friday! Friday! Friday!!  It’s so great to be home on a FRIDAY!

After today’s Post Office drop-off I even got to do a bit of shopping and dinner out!  Hooray! 

So this is what it’s like for “normal” people who don’t travel for a living?  They get to DO THINGS after work?  NICE!

And I’ll give you more of a heads up on that later, because we have some exciting things happening.  Like tomorrow.  I’ll be spilling all the details TOMORROW.

But for right now, I’ve got this Quiltmaker bundle that needs to go home to someone, so who is it going to be?

If you missed just what is in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of Quiltmaker, check out the original post HERE.

But then, if you HAVE entered, you already KNOW what is in it, so let’s get down to business.

Essential Triangle Tool & Wanderlust!

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Happy FRIDAY everyone!

I have been super scrambled busy as you know, and I want to thank you all for being so patient with me.  I’ll have help this weekend.  The Hubster returns from Boston today and I have Jeff off of work today to help me get more out faster.  It’s ALL GOOD!

I’ve been asked if I have a video for how to use the Essential Triangle Tool and I can tell you that videos from C&T are being filmed while I’m in Houston in just a couple weeks.  Those will air on youtube and on their website and on mine.  SO those are coming.

If you want IN-DEPTH ins and outs of working with the tool, why not take my
Wanderlust Quilt with Bonnie Hunter (Scrap Quilting Basics from Beginning to Binding!) course with Craft U??

Since we will be using this tool for this year’s mystery, having the workshop in your CraftU library for easy access would be just the ticket for watching when you want, refreshing techniques when you need them and honing up some skills.  Craft U has now gone ALL STREAMING so wherever you have an internet connection you can access my courses.  They are yours forever, and you get interaction through the message boards, sharing with other students for one year from purchase!

PERFECT!

Not only will you learn to use the ruler and various techniques, you’ll also have the instruction for making Wanderlust from my new Addicted to Scraps Book.

Many of these same techniques and more MAY be used in one way or another during our mystery – you’ll be ready!



Course Description:
In this online course, world class scrap quilter Bonnie Hunter takes you step-by-step through the process of creating her Wanderlust quilt. Scrappy Stars explode with color and come together easily in a variety of methods for simple unit construction.
 
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Wanderlust!
 
Learn a variety of techniques and applications for making flying geese and half square triangles in multiple sizes and watch them come together in the stunning Wanderlust Quilt, all from your scrap stash!
Bonnie will share her new Essential Triangle Tool and Bonus Buddy ruler. She will share her techniques for using these rulers and show you how these tools can help make your scrap quilting a complete joy!
The Wanderlust Quilt digital pattern (Quiltmaker Magazine Edition) will be included in the course a $7.99 value.
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Also with enrollment!  Free Wanderlust Table Runner Pattern PDF.
 
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On the set in Golden, Colorado, Essential Triangle Tool in hand!
 
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Filming this course was so much fun!
 
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And we used the Essential Triangle Tool for all of these units!
 
Here’s the gist of why I think this course is important:  Camera angles, close ups, repetition!  These are things you can’t get during Quilt-Cam
 
Who Should Take this Course:
  • A beginning quilter who wants to learn tips and techniques that will make your quilting experience successful
  • Intermediate to advanced students who wish to refresh or supplement their skills.
  • Advanced Students who want to discover how quick it is to work with specialty rulers
Lesson 1: Wanderlust Overview
  • Wanderlust Quilt introduction and break down of units.
  • Making flying geese with stitch & flip corners.
  • Making flying geese with the Essential Triangle Tool.
  • Assembling Small Inner Star & Half inner star.
  • Making half square triangles with the Essential Triangle Tool.
  • Sewing large flying geese (two types) with Stitch & Flip method or Essential Triangle Tool.
  • Block Layout and Assembly with connecting corner demo. Full block & Half block.
  • Half Square Triangles, small and large joined to border units.
  • Joining border units and adding inner border.
  • Quilt finishing and Quilter Showcase.

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Lesson 2: Half Square Triangles & Block Assembly.
  • Making half square triangles with the Essential Triangle Tool.
  • Sewing large flying geese (two types) with Stitch & Flip method or Essential Triangle Tool.
  • Block Layout and Assembly with connecting corner demo. Full block & Half block.
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Lesson 3: Border blocks, quilt assembly and Binding
  • Half Square Triangles, small and large joined to border units.
  • Joining border units and adding inner border.
  • Machine & Hand stitched binding
  • Making a hanging sleeve
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Lesson 4: Quilter Showcase
  • I share the quilts from the Addicted to Scraps book, focusing on those that ALSO benefit from the use of the Essential Triangle Tool! 
I hope you’ll join me in this course. 
I’ve got a coupon code for you!
Save 15% by using the code WANDER15
Click the link below to register today!

Wanderlust Quilt with Bonnie Hunter (Scrap Quilting Basics from Beginning to Binding!)

In the mean time, if you haven’t entered our Quiltmaker Bundle Giveaway, that drawing is TONIGHT.  Enter ON THAT POST by following the instructions!  I’ll also post at give-away time what the coupon code for this course is as well as updating the information here.


Around here!

My yesterday in a nutshell. Or a crockpot. Chicken soup for dinner, totally yummy. And I am happy to say that invoice box number 3 is now empty! If your invoice number is 5509 or lower, your bundle is on its way to you! And we keep on trucking on!

On Quilt-Cam:  I am going to try a little demo cam to see what things are like when running it strictly from You-Tube.  I don't know what the format yet is yet, and I haven't had time, but if I can get it working, I'd love to do a Quilt-Cam on Sunday afternoon.  Let's see how that goes. Stay tuned for more info there.

10_14_2016 

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

This is especially true during this heated political time in our country. Why is it that some folks feel the need build themselves up by publicly raking others over the coals. Pointing fingers at others doesn't lift any one any higher.

Vintage baskets quilts found in North Carolina.


Click Here to like our Quiltville Friends Page on Facebook for more fun!

Click Here to join our sister group, Quiltville's Open Studio on Facebook, a place to Sew, Share & Grow!!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Find the Simple Pleasures!

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This is the view off of my back porch at the house.

What you can’t see at the far back beyond the bushes is a creek.

The creek was FULL with all of the rain that came from Hurricane Matthew, but our house is on a little hill and I’ve only seen the banks of the creek overflow once in the 8 1/2 years that we’ve lived here.

I am enjoying the slow turn of green summer leaves into the yellows and golds of fall.  It’s just barely starting.

Leaves start to look tired, like they’ve tried all they can to be all they can be to provide beautiful shade during the hot summer months and as they get ready to fall, we say “Thank you for a job well done!” and begin to think of the long winter ahead and of next spring when NEW leaves will emerge.

The change of the seasons always has me waxing a bit philosophical, and sitting at my dining room table signing books has put me in that place.  And it’s good!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Better Than it Seems!

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Good Morning!

Do you know, that simply by saying “GOOD MORNING!” and meaning it, you have set the tone for your day?

And this morning I am starting out with a couple of quilty things just so I don’t bore you with the details of envelope stuffing.

Or the fact that the g key on my keyboard doesn’t want to function….tap tap tap, pound pound pound…maybe it needs new batteries?  It’s like a dull rotary blade, just a few more cuts and THEN I’ll change it. 

I stopped the order filling at 7pm last night.  Enough was enough.  I needed some relax time.

I finished season 4 of Longmire not long after it was released last year, and I have been waiting for The Hubster to be out of town so I could binge-watch season 5.  Made it through TWO episodes last night while stitching this binding!

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

When the Universe Says SLOW DOWN!

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How many times do I have to be hit on the head to make me realize --- YOU ARE GOING TOO FAST!?!

It’s like the famous Simon & Garfunkle tune:

Slow down, you move to fast.
You gotta make the moments last
Just trippin’ down the cobblestones,
Lookin’ for fun and feelin’ GROOVY!

Only This time the words go:

Slow down, you move too fast
From first order until the last
Signing and stuffing and press-to-seal-
Just do what you can, and keep feeling GROOVY!

Monday, October 10, 2016

The Days of Triangulation!

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Guess what is in house?

YES!

We have the Essential Triangle Tools IN HOUSE!

And I knew it would happen….they would arrive at the Yellow Freight depot the same day I flew out to Florida for our Caribbean cruise.

Isn't that just the way that everything goes?  It's been just like the time we remodeled our kitchen. "Oh yes, no problem! We'll have it done long before Christmas" they said!

And we ended up Christmas with no running water, and no stove to cook with so we had to improvise.

Manufacturing is just like this.  NOTHING is done exactly on time.

I got word while at dinner Friday night that they had indeed called, and bless The Hubster – he headed over to pick up a whole pallet:

Sunday, October 09, 2016

Let’s Draw! A New Spin on Drunkard’s Path!



This has been a busy little blog tour!

I hope you have enjoyed visiting all of the sites listed and finding out more about John Kubiniec and his wonderful new book, A New Spin on Drunkard’s Path!

How many of you even NOTICED that I mis-spelled DRUNKARD as DTUNKARD on the header photo?  LOL!

Blame it on these eyes and small text on my phone and having the T right next to the R…and big fingers.

It still made for a good giggle!

Home on the Wings of a Hurricane!

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Take a good look at this photo….do you see the light in the distance between the layers of clouds?

It was the most remarkable thing…like we were floating between the layers of the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew.

I left Fort Lauderdale right on time.  No delays there, and just a short bit of chaos in Atlanta as the plane we were supposed to be flying on had audio issues, so we changed gates to a new plane [of course, it was a mad dash as the gate was clear at the other end of the terminal…] boarded fairly quickly and all systems were go.
Until the flight attendants, even before issuing the safety info, handed out little mini bottles of water to everyone stating that “Due to extreme turbulence there will not be a beverage service during this flight.  This is for our safety and yours.” 

All righty then!  Buckle up, cupcake!  It’s going to be a wild roller coaster of a ride!

Saturday, October 08, 2016

A Quiltmaker Welcome Home Giveaway!

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What a homecoming!

I have been saving this post so that it starts as I arrive home from our Caribbean cruise.

The November/December 2016 Holiday issue of Quiltmaker Magazine is chock full of beautiful quilts and projects, including a bonus pack of 12 holiday blocks featured in the 100 blocks by 100 designers issues, destined to inspire you to pull out those red and green fabrics and sew yourself into a holiday frenzy.

What will you find inside the Novermber/December 2016 issue?

Friday on the Oasis!

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What do quilters do when 4 hunky men in uniform, including the Captain himself walk into our classroom?

We stop for photos! 

OH MY GOODNESS!! 

They must have been on some kind of field trip or something, because they all went into this little room off of the conference center/sewing room, and then came back out again. 

And of course, I had to pose for photos.

One of these handsome men even asked if we could sew on a button for him.  HA!

There was a gasp from the girls.  And a silence that was deafening.  And then “Quilters Don’t Do Buttons!” was heard to ring out from the crowd with laughter.

But for these guys?  I’d stop and sew on a button or two.  I surely would.

They have worked so hard to keep us safe from Hurricane Matthew, steering the ship in an arc away from any danger that I can honestly say  that this was the SMOOTHEST cruise I have ever been on. The water was NEVER choppy.  It was just great sailing, all the  way.

Friday, October 07, 2016

Thursday on the Oasis!



Full day of class, number two!

And I thought surely we have had MORE of this, but no!  Our first full day happened on Monday.  Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all port days, so all of our sewing happened during Open Sew in the evenings.

And these gals are making tons of progress on their Razzle Dazzle quilts!

And there is still plenty of time to catch a show, catch some sun on the deck, or do whatever you want without fear of being left behind.

I’m all about LOW KEY CRUISING for this retreat at sea.  Come and go as you please.  Sew as much as you want at your own pace.  And make a lot of new friends while doing it.

Thursday, October 06, 2016

Wednesday in St Maarten!



Our last port of call day!

The beautiful island of St Maarten, with its dual citizenry –one half French  and the other half Dutch!

I’ve been here several times, and St Maarten has become a low key, great place to have lunch and poke your head in the shops kind of place.

After this day we have 2 days back to back of being at sea and in the workshop room, so get your land fix now, ladies!  It’s going to be a  long sail back to Florida.

Last year on this cruise, The Hubster was with me, and because I was so worn out from the previous hot hot day in St Thomas, I sent our machine guy Scott out on the 4 wheeler ATV dne buggy super excursion that had been planed, going in my place so I could stay on the ship and just relax.

What is it with guys and EXTREME EXCURSIONS?

This time Dave isn’t with us, having burned all his available vacation time on the Mediterranean cruise in August.  So instead, Scott and I wandered into St Maarten in search of a great lunch spot to talk shop.  He does this enough that he knows where ALL the best places are!

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

A Tuesday in St Thomas!




It was a bit cloudy when we pulled into St Thomas, but the temperature was wonderful in the morning.

If I had to guess, I would say it was not as blazing hot as it was last year at this same time when we did the same itinerary on another ship.

However, we pulled into a different port this time, likely due to the massive size of the Oasis of the Seas, and it was nice getting a different view of Charlotte Amelie!

Back on American soil!  Well, sort of!

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Monday on the Oasis!


I’d been singing “Monday on the Oasis” to the tune of “Midnight at the Oasis” all day long!  Only I never made it to midnight, as this chickie (and likely all of her quilting cohorts) were long off to bed before midnight, exhausted from a day of stitching away!

I love it that some even brought show and share, and other projects to work on as leaders & enders or just to “take a break” from our Razzle Dazzle project when they were feeling brain dead and wanted to work on something else in the interim!

Yesterday I showed Carla and her lovely Allietare just waiting for binding.  She asked if I would do a demo on cutting bias bindings  while on the ship  [She brought her fabric and EVERYTHING!] so we will do that during one of our evening Open Sew sessions.

Today I’m sharing Joyce and her beautiful mini-sized Spider Web quilt.  Isn’t that green gorgeous?

Monday, October 03, 2016

Good Day, Nassau!



It was a beautiful day to spend in Nassau, Bahamas!

The sun was shining, the humidity was high, and boy was it hot hot hot!

And this is the reason why I had chosen to do something out of the ordinary as far as shore excursions go –I was heading out to visit a chocolatier and to learn about the process and history of chocolate  making along with fellow passengers, and we had the best time!

We were already pulling into port in Nassau when I woke up, and it was a beautiful morning for breakfast on the balcony.

Sunday, October 02, 2016

All Aboard the Oasis!



This was my first glimpse of the Oasis of the Seas as we pulled to the pier, ready to begin this adventure!

Another cruise?!  That makes 3 in 3 months time.  What a crazy, busy, exciting year this has been.  The nearer we get to the holidays, I start looking at everything that has happened this year and this one has been extraordinary!

And we are going to keep it going, I’ve got some very excited cruisers with me and we are going to fill this week full up with sewing, laughing, getting to know one another and exploring our ports of call, Nassau, St Thomas and St Maarten!

But on a ship THIS HUGE?  Oh my!

Saturday, October 01, 2016

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Delaware!

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It was hotter than blue blazes yesterday when I landed in Fort Lauderdale.

Just when things had been turning into a glorious autumn in the north east….I land in the very very south east to sweltering humidity and high temperatures.

Autumn is one of those times of year I look forward to with great anticipation.  SWEATER WEATHER!  And no more need to worry about the condition of the pedicure as feet are tucked warmly into cozy socks and warmer sneakers or boots.

No, I’m not ready for the real cold of winter, but the cooler temps and colors of autumn make me wish autumn could just hang around a little bit longer.  And since it is now officially October 1st, I feel a pumpkin post is most appropriate!

On our way back from the workshop in Delaware, before setting up for the evening’s festivities at the lecture location, we stopped by a local farm in full fall splendor, complete with corn maze, and hay bale castle, a wonderland of autumn activities for kids of all ages, including us!

While we didn’t go IN the corn maze, there wasn’t time, you can see from this aerial photo just how intricate it is.  HOW DO THEY DO THAT!? 

I’d likely be lost in there for days!