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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

What Is It?!

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"So I've got this thing...." I said to the receptionist when I called the doctor's office yesterday afternoon to inform them of the huge lump that has taken up residency on my face seemingly overnight.

My breathing is fine, I have no fever, but the lump on my left cheek is hot, bothersome and has increased in size throughout the day and I thought I should have it seen.

Dr. Doogie Hauser was concerned enough to send me immediately for a CT scan.  And I am on the strongest antibiotic he felt comfortable prescribing, the same thing given to my son Jason when he had MRSA. 

BTW, having a very young and very handsome Doogie Hauser ask you if you are indeed menopausal was the highlight of my visit.

WHAT IS THIS THING!?

Monday, January 30, 2017

A Sew-Sew Sunday!

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It took longer than I thought.

The trimming, de-papering, strip inserting, re-squaring process of making this border.

I LOVE pieced borders.  I do.  I think you know that.  If there is going to be a border I like it to really make a statement, and if it is pieced, it ends the quilt right there.  Very rarely is there a “plain fabric” border outside of my pieced one.

Usually because the quilt is already reached maximum size!

And because I feel the statement made by a pieced border is somehow diminished and minimalized by the addition of a plain fabric border outside of it.

I just want the design to stop at the edge of the canvas.  If this were a painting, adding another border would be the same as leaving an unpainted margin around the outside of the picture.

Of course, it depends on the quilt, but I do love it when I have a pieced border and it stops.  Right there.  At the edge of the piecing.

Things were trimmed and ready to be de-papered when I realized I could be multi-tasking, and it would be SO “EASY!?”

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Fix a Little, Quilt a Lot!

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What a lovely Saturday it was!

Total relaxation, zoning into the project at hand, and this sweet girl by my side.

Gee, I wish dogs and cats came with visible thought bubbles over their heads.  I would surely like to know what they are thinking.

Here Sadie seems to be saying “Enough of this quilt – it’s time to walk me, give me a treat, tickle my belly, step AWAY from the machine!

It’s hard to not give into this kind of behavior.  I mean, just LOOK at this face.  Could you resist?

The job at hand was to complete the inner borders so that the outer border would fit.

And to do it quickly and easily, I had some help:

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Lazy Saturday -

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This is the view out my dining area window as I sit and type this morning’s blog post.

My brain is not cooperating.

I slept too long.

I think I needed it, yesterday was crazy busy and last evening we ended up at Rick & Mona’s new place for a steak dinner.  So much fun to sit and talk and catch up and let Beanie and Sadie play.  They can’t get enough of each other, and you can feel the joy when they are together.

In fact, Sadie KNEW what I was talking about when I asked her if she wanted to go see Beanie:

Friday, January 27, 2017

Ocean Blue, and Sewing Too!

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This is an update for those who helped support my cousin Bethany on a mission trip of a life time!

This week she is in Aruba doing what she only dreamed of thanks to your open hearts and overwhelming generosity.

It’s a life changing experience for her, in a time with so much loss in just a few months. 

I wrote the original post about her story HERE.

A couple of months after losing her brother, Andy another loss happened near the holidays with the passing of Bethany’s paternal grandfather.  It just seemed to be one thing after another.

I have wondered over the past few weeks if she was indeed going to be able to gather the courage to go on this trip alone to work to save the animals on Aruba, and I smiled the other morning when I saw a post, written and tagged to Andy’s Facebook wall from Bethany:

Thursday, January 26, 2017

An Antiquing Birthday, part 2!

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I love this place.  It’s HUGE.  It’s more than huge.  It’s GINORMOUS.  You can spend hours in here and please do.

This is the Depot at Gibson Mill antique mall in Concord, North Carolina.  A bit off my beaten path home, but hey – since you are a day late getting home anyway, what does it matter??

I’ve found some awesome things here from time to time.  I was absolutely amazed that NOTHING came home with me on Monday.

I think I’ve just reached “Saturation” level and I’m excited about the prospects of finding new owners to the things I’ve collected over the years.  Now I’m thinking that might start to include some vintage quilts and linens.  Let’s be serious.  You can’t KEEP them all.  I’ve loved on them, and now it can be someone else’s turn.

You can tell by the rain clouds that the weather was pretty iffy, but the rain had stopped by this point and it’s a good thing.  The parking lot was full, and I had to park quite a ways from the front entrance.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Quilt-Cam! 1/25/2017

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Quilt –Cam, the embedded version!

We just finished a really fun Quilt-Cam session via Facebook Live, and here I am with the recap and the video embedding so those who couldn’t be with us can easily catch it too!

I’ve also found it fun to share some of the things that have been shared with me during Quilt-Cam so you can see what everyone else has been up to as well.

The first thing I wanted to do was show you a bit about my set up at the machine.  I’ve added text to this photo.  This is especially for those who “don’t get it” on why I can’t charge the tablet while streaming.

Some Birthday Antiquing!

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I was supposed to be home Sunday night.

But when storms rage and driving isn’t safe, a flip-flop of plans becomes necessary and then other options come to the surface.

Such as – If I am driving home at night, NOTHING is open.  But if I am driving home during the day, the sky’s the limit!

Instead of clicking my heels 3 times and setting my GPS to “There’s No Place Like Home” a made a bee-line to Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte, arriving just after they opened at 10am.

I don’t think I’ve EVER been on a doorstep waiting for an antique mall to open before, the excitement and anticipation building as I realized that I was not going to get home before lunch at all.  Oh no, this was a birthday built for wandering and wander I did!

Two HUGE antique malls AND a stop at IKEA had me arriving home much later than the noon time I had anticipated.  I got home after 4pm.  With a huge smile on my face.

And you know what?  I did not buy a single thing!  NOT A ONE!  And not for lack of looking either.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

January Quilty Box–Let’s Draw!

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It’s Tuesday Night –and it’s time to find out who is getting this fabulous Quilty Box full of goodies!

I was supposed to do this last night, but it was also my birthday night, and dinner out ended up being later than we thought, and I just made the executive decision to extend the give-away one more day and draw tonight.

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 $60
  • February's Quilty Box will be curated by Christopher Thompson - The Tattooed Quilter.
  • The next Quilty Box will ship around February 11th. Subscribers will need to purchase before February 10th to receive this shipment..
  • We will be using the hashtags #QuiltyBox and #GetQuilty

Jamestown Landing, Bluffton Style!

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Not sure if you can see through the window in this photo just how black it was outside –it rained, it poured –it came down in sheets and buckets and still we came!

It was a Jamestown Landing from String Fling workshop day, and no amount of wet weather was going to keep us from joining together and making the most of it.

The WORST was over –the getting the machines and notions and ott lights and fabric and other quilty paraphernalia into the gorgeous workroom space at the community center the guild was using for the workshop.  BEAUTIFUL location in a Del Webb community –with all of the amenities.  Just superb!

We set right in to stitching, string blocks galore.  I love it when folks who have never done any string piecing jump right in, throwing caution to the wind and embrace the fun of simply covering shapes of paper with random widths, patterns and textures!

Monday, January 23, 2017

A Rainy Layover

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I’m officially taking today off.

55 years ago today I entered this world kicking and screaming.

55 years later, I’m still kicking!  That is something to celebrate.

I figure when one reaches the ripe old age of 55 that we can make our own mandates on what is going to happen on all future birthdays --

I’m taking the day off!

That means I am saving all of the great photos from yesterday’s Jamestown Landing workshop in Bluffton for tomorrow.

It was a rainy stormy awful drive from Bluffton to Columbia, SC last night with it coming down, thunder, lighting pouring rain and all.

I met with Jason and Jenny, and Jenny’s mom for dinner, and accepted an invite to stay the night so I was off the road for the rest of the storm.

This morning is my day to meander my way home, stopping at ANY and ALL Antique haunts along my way --- 

Sunday, January 22, 2017

A Wonky Wishes Kind of Saturday!

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Beautiful Beaufort by the Sea!

Founded in 1711!

Whenever you hear the words Beaufort, South Carolina, that is the phrase that rolls right off of the tongues of natives and visitors alike.

Beaufort is a BEAUTIFUL place, and my history loving self was in hyper-drive trying to fit in as much of beautiful Beaufort as I could in between classes and lectures.

Upon wrapping up our Friday workshop day in Hilton Head with the Palmetto Quilters, I made a beeline over to Beaufort where I would be teaching the next morning.  There was daylight to be made good use of, and I had some time to wander before finding myself dinner.

Where do you go in Beaufort?  The WATERFRONT of course!

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Okalhoma Backroads, Hilton Head Style!

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This lovely lady was so much fun in yesterday’s Oklahoma Backroads workshop withe the Palmetto Quilters of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina!  We had a fun full day, and towards the end of our workshop she said “I need my picture with you to go on facebook to let my far away friends know that I REALLLY AM HERE!”  Oh, you were here all right, and this photo proves it!

I love doing shout outs, birthday greetings, and facebook posts that make friends happy.  Now let’s hope they see this one and really believe you!

I tell you, I had forgotten how much I love the low country of South Carolina after having moved to North Carolina nearly 9 years ago.  NINE YEARS!  It’s taken me that long to come back h ere and spend the time, and it has just been gorgeous.  Can you stand 77 degrees and sunshine in January? I sure can.

If I were ever to become a snow bird after retirement, I’d come here.  Why go all the way to Florida?

Friday, January 20, 2017

What do you get when??

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What do you get when you mix two quilt guild presentations in two different cities an hour’s drive apart, with some gorgeous South Carolina low country scenery, balmy temperatures, sunshine, tall pines and palm trees and ancient wild oaks dripping with moss?

Don’t forget to add in a tennis and beach club location,  a sprinkle of excitement with a motorcycle pack, a group of girl scouts and brownies, a 1798 post-revolutionary war arsenal, a 1905 synagogue, and an 1884 Methodist church!  It makes for an eclectic day, full of quilters and so much to take in!

This was my day in a nutshell!  I’m not sure what else we could have added in, but somehow it all fit!

Thursday, January 19, 2017

South Carolina Bound!

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This was poor Sadie Jane as I hauled my suitcase to the van yesterday morning --

It’s as if she is sending subliminal doggy messages of “Mama is going on a road trip, and I want to go too!”

Have you ever seen such a pitiful face? 

Her tail was still wagging, but hanging low – I know when her tail isn’t held high that she is feeling a bit out of sorts.  As if her tail is saying “Why bother??”

Awww, sweet girl!  I’ll be home Sunday night.  This is going to be a very short whirlwind trip with 3 guilds in 4 days!

It was a gorgeous morning as I headed south toward Charlotte, and then across the border into South Carolina.

And it was nearly lunch time by the time I hit the state line.

Guess what we now have in South Carolina?

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

January 2017 Quilty Box Gift-Away!

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I’m headed out the door in a bit – I’ve got a driving trip – a long leisurely drive through the Carolinas to Hilton Head Island where I will be meeting with three guilds over the next sew days. 

Palmetto Quilters of HIlton Head, Sea Island Quilters of Beaufort, and Maye River Quilters of Bluffton, I hope you are ready for a whirlwind of quilty fun!

While this cat’s away, I thought the mice would like to play with a Quilty Box Gift Away!

The January Box was on my doorstep when I returned home from my trip to Arizona, and it is full of ALL THINGS SPRING!

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 $60
  • February's Quilty Box will be curated by Christopher Thompson - The Tattooed Quilter.
  • The next Quilty Box will ship around February 11th. Subscribers will need to purchase before February 10th to receive this shipment..
  • 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
patrick@quiltybox.com
QuiltyBox.com

I love knowing that part of the proceeds go to benefit kids.  To me that is a win/win all the way around!
   Let’s take a look at what is in the January Box of Quiltiness:

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

A Tale of Family Roots.

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Visiting my parents always puts the tug on the family ties.

As they get older, their connection to relatives they remember from their youth become a lifeline and an anchor to who they were, who they are, and where they come from.

These are people I either never knew because they were long gone by the time I made an appearance on the scene, or some that I only knew while I was a small child.

It’s funny the perspective we gain with aging. 

Who I only thought of as “those old people”  I now realize were likely no older than I am now!

I visited these family photographs that hang on the wall in my dad’s house while in Arizona.  The photo at the top of this post is my Grandmother, my dad’s mother as a baby.

Seeing these photos at my dad's, makes ME remember, and long for the time my Grannie called me “Bonnie Belle” and I would in turn call her “Grannie Belle” and we would laugh and love.  I felt safe with her.  Like no matter what was going on in my life, she would love me regardless, just as I am.

Monday, January 16, 2017

A Home Sewing Weekend!

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I found myself home for the whole weekend, a weekend all to myself to putter, to organize, and to sew!

Wow, this hasn’t happened in quite a while!

I arrived home about 11pm on Thursday from my whirlwind trip of Arizona.  I’m still smiling at all we fit in there.  It was wonderful spending time with family, taking hikes through the rough terrain dotted with saguaro, to meeting with two different quilt guilds and guests who came.  It was the best of both worlds.

Friday was full as son Jeff helped me get all of the book orders caught up and out the door by post office closing time.  And then I was faced with a weekend of free time on my hands.

Because I leave again on Wednesday for the Hilton Head area of South Carolina, we opted to not go to the cabin.  And I’m glad!  There isn’t a long arm quilting machine there, and Garlic Knots has been calling to me to become a “real quilt” and the weekend was just what I needed to get it done.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Quilt-Cam! 1/15/2017

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We had Quilt-Cam via Facebook Live this afternoon – for about 40 minutes! LOL!

So we were shorted by a quite a bit, but SOME Quilt-Cam is better than NO Quilt-Cam!

What happened?  Well, you’d have to understand my set up.

I use my Samsung Tablet and it has one micro USB port used for charging AND for attaching the external web cab so that everything is NOT in mirror image during Quilt-Cam as is what happens with Facebook Live. 

In other words, if the camera is plugged into the USB port, you can’t also charge it at the same time.  It’s one or the other.

And I forgot that when I got home from Arizona that my tablet was still in my backpack.  And an hour before Quilt-Cam when I discovered this, I plugged it in to charge it as much as it could before we went live.  Did you know that things charge faster if they are in the OFF position?  Tablets take longer to charge than phones do, but by having it totally shut off I was able to take it from 6% to 30% in an hour.  And that gave us 40 minute of Quilt-Cam time.

The best part of Quilt-Cam is I get to see the view of where you are sewing away, if you send me an email with a photo of what you are working on, the way that Kathy did here!

Quiltville Goes to Thailand! (And China!)

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We are going to THAILAND on the tail end of a trip to CHINA in October, 2017!

The world is an amazingly diverse planet, and when I started to travel, I learned that I knew and understood far less about life than I thought I did.

When it comes to learning about life, there is nothing more enriching than traveling. Whether it’s the people you meet or the things you see, traveling provides more valuable life lessons than any school education, mainly because instead of being told something and accepting it at face value, you are experiencing it for yourself.

You can stay inside and read about the rain forest and imagine what it’s like, but there is nothing like standing in the midst of the rain forest when the rain begins to fall, and you FEEL those raindrops kissing your face.

I've been there.  I've done this.  I am forever changed by it.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Quiltville Goes to China! (And Thailand!)

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With the arrival of 2017, also comes a couple of bucket list adventures that seemed impossibly far away, yet month by month they are getting CLOSER!

In October I will be heading to China with a group of quilters and friends who have also long dreamed of putting our feet on the Great Wall, of seeing the Terracotta Warriors, of tasting the food, experiencing the sights and sounds of China for ourselves.

I already know some of the folks who are coming with me!  We’ve been together on previous trips, be it Germany, Italy, England or Ireland.  Some have been to Bali with me, and our desire to see China was only elevated by the short layover we had in Hong Kong.  Oh, how we wanted to get out of that airport and explore!

Friday, January 13, 2017

A Bit of Stash Enhancement!

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While I was teaching in Arizona, I received an inquiry from the folks at 35th Sew & Vac asking if I would like to come teach a couple workshops in 2019.
“The main store at 3548 W. Northern Ave is much bigger as it is housed in what was originally a Fry’s.  We also have over 12,000 bolts of fabric at the main store with one section that is 45% off making it about $6/yd.  Yes, I’m trying to tempt you to come by for a visit.”
It didn’t take much to twist my arm as they have a HUGE classroom that will accommodate between 40 and 50 students which is my goal, to reach more students with each workshop.  We have to build UP, not out because there are only so many teaching days available within a year.  Instead of doing 4 days of 24 students each day, we can do 2 days with twice as many and make it a party.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Some Arizona Showin’ & Sharin’!

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The Arizona Quiltville Contingency as been mighty busy in finishing the UFO projects!

Our lunch time show & shares were full of color, pattern and texture as we ooh’d and ahh’d our way through our wonderful crock-pot-pot-luck lunch in Chandler with the Nimble Thimbles Quilters & Friends.

This excites me to no end – you work so hard!  Because I have made these quilts myself (I don’t ever contract out the sewing part of any quilt..that would be giving away the BEST part of making a quilt!) I know just what you put into it.  I see the twists and turns and directions your own desires take you as you use my designs as a spring board for your own vision.  I LOVE IT!

And I just know you are going to love these quilts I am sharing with you today.  Some from Chandler.  Some from Prescott.  All from the heart!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Caught in a Web of Stringy Fun!

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I met with the Thumb Butte Quilters of Prescott Arizona yesterday, along with some fellow quilters who had also traveled from other parts of the state to join with us in a day of string piecing fun.

It’s been a while since I have taught this workshop, and it always reminds me what a great pattern this is to use up scraps from strings, strips, and even small left over pieces & parts, hunks, chunks and crumbs.

You can find the pattern for String Spider Web under the free patterns tab at the top of the blog.

We spent the first part of our workshop going over different ways to draft this block, much as our fore-quilters would have. 

If you love vintage quilts, study vintage quilts, you’ll find all kinds of different variations from big webs to little ones.  From square-ish webs to round ones, and it all starts with how wide or how narrow you draft the center kite shape that forms the center of the quarter-square triangle that the rest of the strings and bits are added to.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Guild Meeting Day, the Prescott Way!

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It was a double duty day in Prescott, Arizona yesterday!

We gathered with the Thumb Butte Quilters and friends from surrounding areas for a great morning of fun, followed by an afternoon Strip Twist workshop.

I almost didn’t make it!

The guild meeting place is about 20 minutes away from where I’m staying, and since I didn’t need to be there to set up chairs and other things, I told the ladies that I didn’t need an escort, I could just use my GPS and get myself there with enough time to set up before the meeting started.

Everything was fine as I headed out, but about half way there, the low tire warning came blaring on in the rental car display panel.  Oh dear.  Right front tire at 20psi pressure.  YIKES!

Monday, January 09, 2017

Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 6 & 7!

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All over the interwebs, En Provence quilt tops and even quilted quilts are making themselves known!

I am just SO thrilled with how everyone’s quilts are turning out, and loving every version I have sign whether you have stuck with the color pallet I used, or have blazed your own trail toward your own vision, there are some FABULOUS quilts just knocking my socks off every day and I am so excited for this Mystery Monday Link-Up so we can check out everyone’s progress!

While I have shared photos from Facebook over our last few Mystery Monday Link-Ups, I thought today I would grab some embedded photos from Instagram to set the stage for today.

It is just like Christmas when I click our designated hashtags of #emprovencequilt and #quiltvillemystery and see what people have posted.  If you are hashtagging your progress, please be sure to include these two very important tags as they are the ones I am using.  #quiltvillemystery has NO YEAR after it, so we can always check on what other mysteries are in the gallery as well.  No one likes to have to type in different years to find what they are looking for.

Sunday, January 08, 2017

En Provence Bundle Drawing!



Hello from Prescott, Yavapai County Arizona!

It was a gorgeous day for a drive, with temps starting out around 75 in the Valley of the Sun, dropping bit by bit as I climbed in elevation and distance, as Prescott sits higher than you would think at 5,367 feet above sea level.

I’m excited to spend the next couple of days here with the Thumb Butte Quilters, a repeat performance I have been looking forward to since the last time I was here a few years ago.

And as soon as I get this drawing done, dinner awaits and I can’t wait for this reunion to begin so let’s get ON to this thing, shall we?

Hiking San Tan!

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It was a BEAUTIFUL Saturday afternoon for a hike with family.

The temperature sat at about 65 degrees, and the sun, deciding that we could use a little less glare, tucked itself behind a thin veil of clouds, and our 2 1/2 mile chosen loop was just right for the 4 of us.

My dad, myself, and my brother Mark and his wife Sharolyn.

When you are hiking a place so remote, so desolate, conversation stops at times just so you can fully appreciate the incredible beauty of the landscape before you.

I have always loved the saguaro cactus, standing tall and proud.  I love the vastness of this place.  The rugged landscape speaks of a much harsher time in history – I don’t know how anyone lived here 100 years go, but there is civilization just a few miles away and all of the comforts that modern living provides.

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Arizona Antique Mall Adventures!

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What do busy quilters do when there is 3 hours between the end of our workshop, and the setting up of the evening’s lecture?

WE GO ANTIQUING!

And eating too, but antiquing has to be number one on my list when I have time to explore.

For those in snowy climes, this is your moment to sigh.  Do you see that sunshine?  That blue sky?  those palm trees?  How about the fact that we are in short sleeves?

I’m hoping that my time here will add a bit of color to my winter pallor.  It feels so good!

It’s so fun to have other quilters to scan the mall with…..be on the lookout for machines with….on the hunt for folded-up quilted treasures with.

And sometimes…just to be extra SILLY WITH!

(Oh, she is going to shoot me if I post this photo….LOL!)

Friday, January 06, 2017

Midnight Flight with the Nimble Thimbles!

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What a great kick off to 2017!

I’ve been looking forward to my January escape from the winter chill and into the Arizona sunshine since fall first fell!

It was on the horizon, I knew it was out here waiting for me – and it is WONDERFUL!

Class started bright and early at 8am, so when I pulled into my parking spot at 7:15am the room was already bustling.  Tables being set up, a breakfast spread set out, the smell of coffee brewing and happy voices as quilters began to arrive, toting machines, rolling in comfy sewing chairs, and carrying in totes and bags and baskets of goodies.

We were READY to sew!  Ready to put all of the holiday hubbub behind us and get back to the fun of gathering together, learning something new, swapping stories, sharing good eats and doing things the way quilters do them….with fabric, thread and laughter.

We rolled up our sleeves, turned on the machines, and got ready to make Midnight Flight from my book MORE Adventure with Leaders & Enders!

Thursday, January 05, 2017

Daddy Daughter Day

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It’s a fruity abundance in Arizona!

The citrus is ripening on the branches, and it is all I can do to keep myself from plucking fruit off of dad’s neighbors' trees, peeling it on the spot and continuing on my way with juice dripping off my chin.

Oranges, both navel and seeded, grapefruits, tangelos and kumquats everywhere you look. It’s an oasis of vitamin C guaranteed to chase away the winter blues.

One of my favorite things to do while visiting Dad is to head out in the morning and walk the trails that weave around several small lakes in the center of the community.

Following the sidewalk wherever it goes, winding from one area to another and stopping to greet other walkers –

Some with dogs in tow, and some without.

Some with golf carts, larger dogs keeping pace beside their owners as they drive.

All stopping to chat and say hello, shoot the breeze, catch up with news -- this is life in a retirement community.

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

Suzanne’s Ties That Bind.

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One of the most special things to me with doing what I do is meeting you.

No matter how we ended up here, we are all in this together.

We come from different areas of this amazing world, born under different circumstances, bringing each bit of knowledge and life experience with us to the table.  I learn so much by hearing your stories.  I love the connection, the feeling of Quiltership (Kind of like fellowship, but we are more than fellows) that makes us realize we are part of something bigger than just fabric and thread and stitching.

I had a lovely interchange with Suzanne, shown here with her brother Phil and the quilt she made for him.  The story is below in Suzanne’s own words.

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

And Sew….I Go!

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All the stars are twinkling!

This was my last piecing event of 2016, and what a way to ring in the New Year!

I’m shooting up some photos here while I wait for my flight to board in Greensboro.  Phoenix awaits!  And it’s a good thing, because it was hosing rain here all night long, and I barely slept at all – tossing and turning hoping the rain didn’t turn to sleet, keeping me from reaching my destination.

When my mind is busy like that – I often start thinking of different quilt options I can try with whatever blocks are in progress to keep my mind from worrying about things I have no control over.  It’s much more productive to imagine these blocks in different layouts.  The quilter’s version of counting sheep, if you will!

The only problem with that is that I might find myself giving up on sleep completely and hopping out of bed to steal myself down to the basement, tiptoeing as I go….to sew something!

Monday, January 02, 2017

Logos, We’ve Got Logos!



Happy January 2nd to you!

Many of the “un-retired” also have today off as a holiday, and if you are amongst the masses, I wish you a lovely extra day of easing into 2017.

As for me and mine, it’s raining on the mountain, and Sadie and I are loading up and heading down to home to pack up the quilts, and fill the suitcase as I leave for my first teaching gig of 2017 tomorrow.

Rain all you want, North Carolina, this girl is headed for some Arizona sunshine!

If you read yesterday's reveal clue from beginning to end you will have noted that there is no Mystery Monday Link-Up today.  We are giving you a week off to work on your quilts and will will do one NEXT Monday, January 9th.

As for the past many many mysteries, I have to thank Forest Jane for the beautiful logos she has made for your website and blog side bars, and also to use if you wish to print your label from your computer and include the logo on your quilt as well.

The size shown above is the medium size, it’s 600 X 600 pixels when you click the image to view on a new page.