A Bloomin’ Road Trip!

These trees down the road from my house put on quite the show each year.

Bradford Pears are amongst the first of the bloomers when it comes to spring, and it looks like they have been doing their happy dance the whole time I was away in Texas!

The leaves are starting to push the blossoms off the trees, and they are getting their halo of new green.

Of course blooming trees are MOST magnificent against a blue blue sky and yesterday was overcast – I shot this photo out the car window on my way to the post office.

After dropping off the book orders, I made a beeline (did you notice that bees do NOT go in a straight line?  They take a wandering circuitous route?) toward Raleigh. 

My baby brother Mike was flying in to town, the first of my siblings to come this far east with an opportunity for a visit.  He’s here for work.

His flight got in just before 5, and knowing this, I thought I could get to where he was staying, just under two hours from home, before traffic got really bad at rush hour.

Only……I had to make a stop.  Antique Mall Adventure!

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A bit of Texas Show & Share!

3 cheers for Ramona!

She finished her WHOLE Midnight Flight quilt during retreat!

And This should be April Fools Day! LOL!!  No, lovely Ramona came to retreat to work on other things even though she had already finished her beautiful rendition (Isn’t it cool to see them both, one behind the other?  COOL!) And surprised us all during show and share when she unfolded it and held it up to our view.

Midnight Flight can be found in my book MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders.

This was the most relaxed and leisurely show & share – we had just finished our Tex Mex dinner, our bellies were full, we’d been sewing all day –and there was still evening sewing to come.  Perfect time to take a break and see what everyone had completed since the last time I saw them.

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Quiltmaker Bundle! Let’s Draw!

Hey, everyone!

It’s Sunday evening here in the House of Quiltville, and I just pulled myself away from the machine and looked at the clock!

Where did this day go?

Happily playing in my studio, that’s where.

It’s time to draw for this Quiltmaker Bundle –Featuring the Spring 2017 issue of Quilts from 100 blocks just hitting news stands now, and sweetened with the addition of the following:

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Midnight Flight, Rockin’ R Style!

If I say RETREAT!!

How many of you instantly think: GOOD EATS!?

We were so spoiled at our retreat at the ROCKIN’ R!

Jill, owner of Minding My Ps & Qs Quilt Shop thought of everything we would need.  She had meals fixed on the premises just for us so we could keep on sewing.

At the end of our Midnight Flight workshop day, we were enticed by yummy smells coming out of the full-service kitchen area, and treated to “build your own” tacos, chips, salad, queso and a big ole bowl of guacamole that I could have just eaten with a spoon, and finished off by licking the bowl!

Good food is a necessity if we are going to keep our strength up so that we can sew into the wee small hours.

And there was dessert too – but I was too stuffed to care!

And the best part?  We didn’t even have to do dishes!

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I'm Minding My Ps & Qs!

I am writing this post a bit ahead.

Last night to be exact!

As this posts extra early this morning, my little red Ford Focus rental car and I are on our way back to Love Field in Dallas for my journey back home to North Carolina.

I am saving ALL of the great photos from retreat for tomorrow when I get home.

It went like this ---- either I could leave the retreat and go back to the hotel and edit down all of the photos and make the slide show and write the blog post and get it ready to go live last evening after class was over ---- OR:

I could stay and play and sew and laugh and eat and connect and JUST BE A QUILTER.

I chose to stay and play!

So instead, I want to share with you a bit of the powers that be behind this week’s events in Texas.  Jill Baxter and Minding My Ps & Qs Quilt shop in Denton.

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The Road to Rockin’ R!

There is no way to avoid traffic in the Dallas/Fort Worth area commonly known and aptly named as The Metro-Plex.  This is downtown Fort Worth as we rolled on by at a crawl.  Like a snail.

It’s just a CLUSTER of traffic at all times of the day,

It is a continual struggle through merging lanes due to copious amounts of ongoing, oh, ALWAYS ongoing construction.

And it is no wonder in this land of big big sky and bigger population that they call these massive over-under pass systems “MIX MASTERS!”

I was ever so glad that Irene was driving yesterday as as made our crawl south on I-35 toward Waco and then beyond to Temple for our retreat at Rockin’ R Retreats, hosted by Jill Baxter, owner of Minding My Ps & Qs Quilt Shop in Denton.

Our only job was to get there.  By dinner time.  And it nearly took that long!

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Split Nine Patch in Denton, TX!

This is a new one for the books!

I taught a class in a converted ROLLER RINK!!

And yes, the floors were gorgeous with that old wood.  The rink is now a place for gatherings, receptions, community events, and yes, QUILT WORKSHOPS!

We had 47 stitchers in attendance, and the space was ample, and the lighting was great.  (And yes, the disco ball still hangs from the ceiling!) 

We sewed our brains out amidst laughter and chatter and all things quilty.

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Finally in Denton!

You know that whole saying of “Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning??!”

Well, this should have been the warning for my day as well.

Not as a weather thing – the weather was fine, but anything and everything else that could hiccup did.  And one hiccup lead to another and on and on…

We boarded in Greensboro.  After sitting on the plane for an hour we UN-boarded in Greensboro due to something malfunctioning with the rudder.  NOT GOOD, but they assured us they could fix it.

Meanwhile –we ALL missed our connections and there was little we could do about it.

The flight now connecting through Atlanta would get me to Dallas at 3pm instead of noon.  That’s okay.  There is still time, and I found a place to sit during my layover and stitch a bit.

We boarded the flight in Atlanta, to pull out onto the tarmac…..and sit there another hour.

There is a problem with a light.  And the announcement comes that there is no way to fix it out on the tarmac, we are going back to gate.

And we sit.  And we wait.

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Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Gift-Away!

My mail box has been a busy little receptacle over the past few weeks! 

It seems as much stuff is coming IN as is going OUT, and in this case, it’s eye candy to the max – The Spring 2017 issue of Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks is HERE!

And it is chock full of quilty loveliness in just about every style you can imagine, and I spent last night pouring over the contents.

When I first see the individual blocks as they are presented in the 100 blocks issues, I love them.  Seeing several of them made into REAL QUILTS with very unique settings and color choices and fabrics just gets me over the moon excited.

This issue is FULL of gorgeous quilts from blocks you fell in love with.

Check this out:

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Sadie Approved!

It’s not easy getting the binding and sleeve stitched down when Sadie has firmly claimed a quilt as her own!

How could I dare move this sweet girl off of her comfy place?  I had to wait until she had woken up and moved off of her spot so that I could get the job done.

And what a job it was – this quilt is BIG!

On large quilts, which most of mine are, I tend to set a goal of one side per evening. 

If I add in the stitching down of the hanging sleeve and the label, it can take me 5 evenings of relaxing stitching and TV watching time to get the job done.

I started in on Tuesday night after arriving here Tuesday afternoon.  It actually took me 6 nights to do it all, but I love my evening quiet stitching time.

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February Quilty Box Winner!

Happy Sunday Evening from Quilt Villa NC!

The grilled pork chops, baked potatoes and salad have been consumed, table cleared, dishes washed, and all put back where it goes.

The remaining meals we will eat under this roof are limited and decreasing in number.

I wish I weren’t so attached to “THINGS” as in houses or furnishings or other items – in fact much of this will go with us, but I’ve loved this place.

As I sit here at the dining room table typing up this post, I realize so many memories have happened here at this same tbale in the past 3 1/2 years.  So many blog posts have been written as well.

It will always hold a very fond place in myj memory.

But we aren’t here to get sentimental about that!  It’s time to draw our winner of the February Quilty-Box!

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Cabin Plannin’!

This is the view from one of the look out points at Grayson State Park, Virginia.

I just can’t get over the vastness of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain ranges.  As far as the eye can see, there is a peace and a sense of wonder that just leaves me breathless.

While some folks flock to the beach along with a gazillion other folks to claim a section of sand barely bigger than the perimeter of their beach towel and umbrella, I run the other direction.  To each their own.  The ocean is beautiful, no doubt, but my batteries are recharged with solo time.  My soul is centered in solitude, not fighting traffic and the noise of others around me.

I know I’m weird that way.  It’s just how I’m wired.

We had friends Rick and Mona with us on this drive across the North Carolina state line into Virginia.  They guys were discussing the bazing of ATV trails on the property as we hiked up the hill from the cabin to get a feel for this new land, soon to be ours.

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When Life Throws You Scraps…

When Life Throws You Scraps…Make a Quilt!

How many times have we heard that saying, and can’t help but chuckle in response?

In this case, Mona and I hit the Antique Mall in West Jefferson to spend some time wandering before meeting up with Kathy and Tami for lunch and guild meeting time.

I love having newer quilters in tow.  There really is so much to discover about people from the quilts that outlive them.  And it is rewarding to be able to shed some light on things such as what type of batting was used, what era the fabrics are from, and the variety of fabrics in the quilt are also clues into the maker’s life.  Are there masculine fabrics (stripes, plaids, chambrays, etc) as well as feminine dress prints? It could mean that the maker was also responsible for making clothing for her sons or husbands.

How do you date fabrics?  There are books on the subject – not sure if they are still in print, but they have taught me so much.

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To Guild We Go!

I’m networking.

I’m not teaching.

I’m not lecturing.

I’m one of the girls, and I brought Mona with me as I attended the February meeting of the Ashe County Piecemakers Quilt Guild in West Jefferson, North Carolina.

We had a great time!  And it was really fun being introduced just as “guests.”   No last names were given, just “This is Bonnie and she is purchasing property next door in Grayson County, VA.

And then two and two started being put together and it felt like a surprise party when the last name came out and the big welcome came on.

This was also Mona’s first guild meeting, and we had come to hear Lester Mullis of the  Ashe County Sewing Center speak on the care and maintenance of our beloved machines.

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Wandering Gastonia!

Everywhere you look in North Carolina (and likely points further south) Spring is shrugging of it’s winter clothes and bursting into full bloom.

The first signs of spring around here are my favorite of all – Pink trees!  In all of their varieties, I LOVE the pink trees the best.

And put them against a Carolina blue blue sky with plenty of sunshine, and you will find me squealing and fist-pumping in the car as I drive from errand to errand yelling “YES!!  Bloom, baby, bloom!”

Sadie looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind from her place in the back seat.

But this is my happiest time of year.

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Road Trip with the Minnesota Girls!

On a bright and sunny Monday, i grabbed my purse, my keys, a few goodies on special order via text, and headed out to Gastonia, NC.

Gastonia is known to quilters world wide as the home to the fabric mecca called Mary Jo’s.

I had been waiting for this day for months and months, ever since Cheri contacted me about a certain Singer Library table style cabinet she had found in Minnesota of all places.

“It’s lovely, but it’s too far away and shipping would be astronomical”  I told her via email.

She twisted my arm further by telling me that she would be happy to “Pony Express” it down to me on a driving trip to Florida early February.

She didn’t have to twist very hard, I’m kind of a push over that way.

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Quilty Box Valentine’s Gift-Away!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone!

I hope your day is filled with all of the sweetness you can handle!

I also have a very special Quilty Box to Gift Away to someone extra special!

No, you won’t get it ON Valentine’s Day, but it’s a sweet treat to look forward to!

This month’s box is absolutely fabulous and you won’t want to miss it!

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
• 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!

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Mystery Monday Link-Up! The Finale!

Good Monday Morning, everyone!

Today is the day – the last Mystery Monday Link-Up for our En Provence quilt progress!

SO MANY of you have finished!  So many are tops, or full quilts complete with bindings and labels, and I couldn’t be more thrilled at the momentum that swept this quilt to completion all across the globe.

Just think of it!  On every continent! You have been working so hard on bringing these quilts to reality, you’ve shared the fun with your friends who have also joined in.  It’s been a learning experience for those who consider themselves “new” quilters.  It’s been a fun adventure for those of us more seasoned.

You’ve added your own twists and touches to suit your own vision, and I love that!

During yesterday’s Quilt-Cam fun, so MANY En Provence photos were sent to my inbox, so many that I couldn’t share them all during the time we had available. 

They were all so gorgeous!

Here are a few:

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Quilt-Cam! With POWER!

SO!!  How did YOUR morning go?

I spent mine without power!  Seriously.  I have no idea what caused the blip to happen, but when it stayed off, and didn’t come back on right away, we called the power company to find out that yes, there was an issue – and they hoped to have it resolved by 1pm.

1pm?!  Hoped?  Wait a minute!  I had just posted about Quilt-Cam happening on Facebook live, and we would be dead in the water without power.

So what’s a girl to do with power outage that could last as long as 2 hours?

Grab the hand crank machine and go piece on the table on the back porch, that’s what!  And it was such a lovely morning I didn’t mind.

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Feeling Aqua Blue!

This is where I’ve been since Friday afternoon.

Isn’t it glamorous?  HA!

This little cottage doesn’t have an ‘eat in’ kitchen, we eat all of our meals at the dining nook table – it’s really not even big enough to call a dining ROOM.  But it has been cozy and sufficient for our needs – except when I am deep in the throes of nearly a weeks worth of playing “Mail order catch up!”

Whatever I could fill before the post office closed at Friday went – and I continued.  What could go by the time the post office closed at noon yesterday was also dropped off.

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Pineapple Fabrics - In my OWN BACK YARD!

I met up with Kim @gogokim at Pineapple Fabrics in Archdale, North Carolina for a meet, a greet, and a whole lot of fabric fun!

And it was more than just fabric shopping a warehouse sale.  I connected with a wonderful family owned (3 generations) business in nearly my own back yard.

And the story of this place is simply amazing. It started out as a company that makes swatch cards and swatch books for the garment industry.  Over the past several years they have moved into the quilting side of things, making header cards and swatch samples for quilting fabrics.

You know all of those cards with the fabrics attached that the reps bring around?  Yep!  They are made and printed here.  That means they have the fabric sample side of things, and also the printing of the cards and posters and everything that goes with the fabric samples side.  Garments as well as quilting.

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A Texas Sized Show & Share!

My feet – and the rest of me, are back home in North Carolina after a whirlwind trip to the Houston area.

What a welcome!  Gorgeous temps reaching up to 86 degrees (Okay, not quite ready for that, but it’s better than snow!) happy quilters eager to sew, and loads of good food – Texas style!

One sweet quilter, knowing that dinner time is really hard to manage on busy guild nights, and that gluten free offerings are rare on snack tables during guild meetings – brought me pimento cheese sandwiches on gluten free bread!  Oh, I have never tasted ANYTHING so Texas-delicious!

Along with all of the things we managed to fit in during my time with these two guilds, amongst the many highlights are the show & share quilts that came to workshops and evening guild meetings, allowing ME the opportunity to see what you have made.  My heart soars!

You are phenomenal!! 

And it’s more than the quilts.  It’s the stories that go along with them.  What happened to be going on in your life during the making of this quilt.  Things we have cried through, worked through, rejoiced through.  It’s all there – in every stitch.

The photo at the top of this post is Karen’s Easy Street from MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders.  Her colors just sing!

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A Garden Party Day of Fun

Would you believe it if I told you the air conditioning was humming along with our machines during our Garden Party workshop day yesterday with the Bay Area Quilters of Houston, Texas?

I so enjoyed spending time with these ladies, and I just love it when mothers and daughters come sew together.  It’s just the greatest.

86 degrees.  It was 86 degrees in FEBRUARY!  And this is while the north east is gearing up for a pounding storm coming this weekend.

I first heard of the impending storm through a text message from Delta letting me know that my home bound flight from Houston to LaGuardia may experience delays.  OH NO!  I called them quickly, and we rerouted me through Atlanta instead, so there will be no problem getting home this evening, but still.  86 degrees in FEBRUARY in Houston??

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And Antiquing We Will Go!

Meet Tara and Kay -Two of my cohorts in quilt-crime!

I really have to thank the guilds and organizations that sponsor my visits.  There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes to make things run smoothly, especially over things like a Super Bowl Weekend when half the country is in Houston at the same time!

These gals have made my visit so much fun.  Monday was a “day to play” with just an evening presentation on Monday night, so they did some brainstorming, contacted Ronda who also loves antiquing, a then at the last minute some plans had to be rearranged because one of the things that are rarely open in Small Town Texas on Mondays ---are hair salons and antique shops!

However, in not-too-far-away Spring, there was a huge Antique Gallery, at least as big as the football field, and we four girls took a road trip!

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And Sew, it Began!

Outside of Houston,  away from the hustle and bustle of BIG CITY TEXAS you will find the quaint and historic little town of LaPorte.

And within the little town of LaPorte, you are welcomed to “And Sew It Began  Pieceful Stitches”, the first retreat venue nestled in the heart of the historic district. 

Whether it be sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, or other crafting, And Sew it Began” offers you the room and comfort to create something beautiful.

Ronda Stockton is the heart and hands behind And Sew it Began, purchasing this delightful 1913 Sears “kit house” with the intent of turning it into the beautiful retreat center it is today.

Who could resist the front porch complete with porch swing and rocking chairs?

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A Day of Box Kites and Quilt Friends!

All over the country, quilters knew that Super Bowl Sunday also leaves 6 or more hours for glorious stitching – either by sewing as they watch the festivites at home (or not!) or gathering with other quilters to sew and eat and watch (or not watch) or to do as we did – gathered at The Gathering Place retreat in Crosby, Texas for a very fun Box Kite workshop day from the Addicted to Scraps book and enjoy our own endless buffet of goodies that filled the kitchen to over flowing!

Let’s face it.  Class was only from noon until 6pm and there was still loads of game time left after we were done.  We could do it all, have it all, and keep on quilting through it all!

Yes, someone even brought smoked brisket.  This is TEXAS, Y'all!  We need SERIOUS eats when we sew!

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Houston is a Madhouse!

Houston may be a madhouse with all of the Super Bowl activity, but it is hard not to get caught up in it!

Especially when your plane going from Altanta, home of the Falcons and Super Bowl contenders is FULL of Falcon supporters dressed in red gear, ready to descend on Houston and RISE UP against the Patriots.

The tension at the gate was palpable.

Seats on my flight were severely oversold, and gate agents were offering as much as $1000.00 vouchers for travelers, mostly Bowl-goers, to take a later flight.

Heck! If I didn’t have somewhere to be by a certain time and guild ladies waiting for my arrival, *I* would have given up my seat for a $1000.00 voucher.

The woman next to me said “NO WAY.  I have waited months for this bowl game, I’ve had my tickets for a long time, I am not giving up my seat for a voucher in any amount.”  And I could tell most of the other football fans felt the same way.

Then I thought – okay, Delta, you made this situation by overselling so many seats, why not offer those you can’t give seats to the $1000.00 vouchers and let THEM take the later flight where you DO have seats. 

As it was, I took my cramped seat back in the cattle section in row 20 and attempted to stitch.

This photo was taken when I deplaned in Houston, and we were descended upon my Falcons supporters cheering on Falcons Fans who had flown in for the game.  A welcoming and cheering committee as we left security -- AND in the baggage claim!  It was hard not to get caught up in it, so I succumbed to this photo op.

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Fill the Busy Bag!

I spent some time last evening before bed packing the busy bag…okay, more like RELENTING to what I should be working on, instead of what I want to be working on.

SOMETHING NEW.

Since finishing fill-in corner #4 on the Eternal Hexagon Project, and not even having sat at it yet to attach that corner….I am SO not in the mood to go back to piecing more hexies for the border but I know it needs it.  There is too much neutral to the outer edges of the quilt top, it NEEDS a border of rosettes around the outer edge.  But…..Okay…my whiny side is complaining it could take YEARS at this pace!  Yes.  But it’s airplane sitting time anyway.

I pulled my BIGGER Busy bag out, along with my big girl britches and set to reorganizing.  I opened a drawer.  I vaguely remembered putting the left over sets of browns and reds somewhere…Oh yes!  Here they are!  And the browns are already pinned in sets of 6 matching hexies.  I wasn’t going to have to cut anything.

I flipped through those stacks of brown hexies and it was like revisiting old friends.  Okay, this might not be so bad after all.

And then this morning it all flew to heck as the project that WANTS to be primary infiltrated my dreams through the night and caused me to spend part of this morning cutting diamonds instead of finishing my packing.

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Someone’s Getting a Quiltmaker Bundle!

Hi Everyone!

It’s Friday night – welcome to the weekend!

I stopped my packing – nearly done, all I need to do is kit up a few things for my busy bag take along project for some airplane stitching and I’ll be ready to go to Houston in the morning.

No, I’m not going to the Super Bowl.  I’m going to be quilting with the SUPER QUILTERS!

But before I do, I wanted to take a few minutes and do this drawing thing, because I know you are just as anxious as I am to see who the winner is.

I’ve pulled together a little bundle of fun including:

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Chunky Churn Dash Re-Write!

This pattern/tutorial was first uploaded to my blog in 2005.  Long before the Essential Triangle Tool was even a dream.

I am teaching this class in just a few weeks in Michigan, so it was time to do a re-write and get things up to par, and written more in pattern form.  There will be more pattern revisiting and refreshing and updating in the days to come as time allows.

I hope you enjoy this little bit of archival scrappiness!
 
You can download the new printer-friendly PDF file for this pattern HERE.
 

Chunky Churn Dash!

A Quiltville Design

©2005 Bonnie K Hunter and Quiltville.com

Block Size: 6’’

Quilt Size: 79’’ X 79’’

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Time Out in the Afternoon!

Look closely and you will see MY shadow across the front of this wonderful robins egg blue vintage GMC pickup truck.

Wednesday afternoon had me dropping mail off at 4pm, and realizing that the Antique shops in Thomasville NC didn’t close until 6pm –and that the beautiful February sunshine and warmth (72!!) was encouraging me to spend a bit of time out and about, putting the computer work on the back burner for just a bit. 

I obeyed.

Thomasville is only about 9 miles south of Wallburg, but I never go that direction.  Everything that it has is duplicated in closer locations nearer to me and it is the path “least traveled.” It’s been a couple of years at least since I felt the pull to wander.

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New Digital Patterns & A Book Sale!

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!

Groundhog day is one of the silliest holidays of the year, right up there with April Fools Day, and no matter what Punxsutawney Phil, the plucky marmot from Pennsylvania says about his shadow, we know that Spring is eventually going to arrive, and I am excited about it.

What does a small town in Pennsylvania know about the coming of spring, anyway?  Here in North Carolina it was 72 yesterday afternoon, blissfully so, and I want to THINK SPRING, I’m going to do it full force, shadow or no!

So onto the exciting website news.

Sale Sale Sale Sale!  And New Digital Patterns!

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Making Progress!

THIS is in the machine.

It may seem like I’m fast to everyone else, but it seems to be taking FOREVER for me. 

The Dawn’s Early Light block appeared in Volume 13 of 100 Blocks by 100 Designers by Quiltmaker Magazine.  It came out in May of 2016. That means that I turned this block in for inclusion in that issue when I was filming at the Quiltmaker studios in August of 2015.

From the moment I finished the block, I *KNEW* it had to be a REAL quilt.  There was just something about this block that blew all my bells and whistles.

It had strings.  It had triangles.  It had tiny stars.  It was patriotic, it was an asymmetrical block that made the possibilities fire off like the firecrackers it represents.

But it has taken THIS LONG for it to be a quilt.  One unit at a time.  One cabin weekend at a time.  One Quilt-Cam at a time.  and here we are.

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