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.
Seriously happy!
After a fun lunch with the Minnesota girls, and sending them off on their way, I had some time to wander. When I drove up from South Carolina at the end of January and made a pit stop at Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte, their over head canned music broke in with announcements from time to time, and one of those announcements let me know that they had opened a new location in Gastonia. Well, okay then! Let’s go see what this is all about!
Oh. No.
All I can hope is that this machine was already dysfunctional before someone rewired it and put a lampshade on it. It’s kind of like machine taxidermy. Would it be cute in the new cabin? Maybe. But not really cheap, for that I can get a fully functional machine and I moved on.
A quilt TOP – there is hope.
Now we’re talking!
Gorgeous applique!
This was a sweet piece!
And I think it’s one I’ve seen before. I think this booth used to be at the Catawba Antique Mall that I also like to visit. They had a stack of quilts, so I kept looking and…
I KNOW THIS QUILT!
In fact, the first time I saw it was when Randy and Lori came to retreat with me at Quilt Villa….this is the same one! No wonder, they want $600.00 for it. I’m not biting, but the fabrics are fabulous:
Maybe Lori remembers this one?
I loved the idea for this block so much that I used a simplified version for the alternate block in my Pinehweel Fancy Quilt from the Addicted to Scraps Book:
Pinwheel Fancy.
See the alternate blocks? Inspiration comes from everywhere!
This I loved!!
Look at the fan quilting texture!
This booth must really love their quilts too because none of them were coming home at this price. But that green and pink – it also reminds me of spring and how things are blooming:
All up and down Hanes Mall Boulevard in Winston-Salem!
A raggedy crazy patch.
If only these humble scraps could talk!
I loved how this one was quilted by home machine in straight rows, and it has held together well over the years.
Oh, a FUN 9 patch!
Take a good look at this one..what looks like double nine patch blocks in the center, have two crazy sides that may have been added later. It’s like the maker just got tired of uniform and decided to just make the two side columns a bit more rebelliouis! Was there cooking sherry involved? Maybe moonshine? This is North Carolina, after all!
The sashing on the left is the same fabric as the center.
Isn’t this just crazy fun??
Poor New Royal Machine.
At least it’s not a lamp!
Dental rinse-n-spit sink?!
At this point I’m laughing. I think I found our ridiculous item of the day. And it also gave me a chance to wave hello to the memory of my Grandpa who was a dentist, the first dentist I ever had in my life. This one’s for you, Grandpa! Rinse-n-spit!
It was a fun little wander on my way home from Gastonia, with the Singer library table and 99 in the back of Moby.
Good Morning from Buck Mountain!
There is some fun on the horizon today, so Sadie and I were up with the sun to get her morning walk in. Today i am taking Mona to her first ever quilt guild meeting in Jefferson, NC! I was contacted by some ladies I know in the guild (This will be the guild closest to me when we make the move to VA) letting me know that their program today is by a guy who is speaking about machines and machine repair. Oh! It sounds like something I need to hear, and someone I need to make connections with because I occasionally need help with things like rewiring or timing.
I asked Mona if she wanted to go with me….and she said YES! We are making a day of it with some shopping and wandering before-hand, lunch with a couple of guild girls, and off to the meeting we’ll go.
Yes, I have an ulterior motive. I want Mona to make some quilty friends that she can do stuff with even when I’m not around. I would like to see her involved in sew days, and having some fun. After We get her going with this group, I need to do the same in Wilkesboro so she makes friends with the quilters there. This is what I call QUILTERSHIPPING. It’s like fellowshipping, only better.
And while we are talking about Quiltershipping, there is a quilter in desperate need of our help.
Remember my post about Nichole Wilde?
She travels the country, living in her motor coach, complete with longarm quilting machine, teaching classes and doing many good things from community to community. I got the word that she is currently broken down in Georgia and unable to get to her next destination until the coach is fixed.
It took her a lot of courage to pull herself up by the bootstraps and ask for help. Realizing that you have to ask for help can be humbling and scary and down right humiliating because we like to be able to take care of ourselves and do everything on our own.
But sometimes we need help from friends.
I know you would do it for me, if it was me. I'm asking you to help Nichole. As she waits for the motor coach to be fixed, even hotel expenses are mounting.
If she were your daughter -- your sister, your friend, you'd pitch in. She's MY friend. Can you help? You can find her GoFundMe page HERE.
Thank you so much for anything you can do to help this quilter get back on the road.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Your gift isn't a gift unless you share it. Our greatness is not in what we have, it's in what we give.
Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!
16 comments:
I used to be in the Wilkes County Quilt guild. Lots of great friends up there still. I was the outsider when we moved there and they welcomed me with open arms. Janice and Judy are the best and so is Jo.
Done! Let's get her back on the road! We need each other to keep our quilting lives going!
Done!
Thank you so much for posting this news about Nichole! What a scary night on the freeway! I'm so glad she is not alone and it sounds like she is getting the right help now. Whew! Nichole is such a ray of sunshine. I'll be happy to hear she has made it safely on to Florida. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm a no-reply blogger :-) so I'm leaving my email in this comment too. lorismills at charter dot net. Thank you, Bonnie! Have a sweet day there with Mona!
Those girls in Wilkesboro are the greatest! Jo is too cool for words! Mona is in good hands! Thanks for the update on the ArtBus. This should make things easier for Nichole. You rock, Bonnie! xoxox
That quilt top reminded me of your post of the cute little retreat in Texas where she used a quilt top as a shower curtain in a bathroom. Just a thought for your new place ;-)
Thanks Bonnie for posting about Nicole. Such a sweet person. I love her videos!I am only to happy to help. Peace and blessings to all who travel.
Next time you are in Gastonia, go to Tony's Ice Cream. They have been in business for 101 years and have a sandwich shop as well as serve yummy milkshakes! Hand dipped ice cream made into a shake of the flavor of your choice, then a scoop of icecream added to the top of the shake! Worth every calorie.
Done, hope Nicole gets back on the road soon. I somehow wish I had as much courage as her to live the dream. But I do think a bus might have been to small for me to carry my stash.
Done! I loved the story of her quilty bus!
Done! Please keep us posted. Pay it forward. Thanks
Paying it forward!! It's so hard to believe that your trees are blooming! Up here in Ohio we are still in the 20s & 30s! Nice to know that spring is coming through... Thanks for your time!
Thanks for alerting us to Nicole's troubles. I hope it is a quick fix and she can be on her way. Your pink trees are magnificent. Our trees are naked branches but we are warming up in Bloomington ... soon it will be Normal!
thanks so much for the chance to join in and help someone else, even if there was no such thing as a quilt [G-d forbid!!!!!!!!!!!], it would be a privlidge to be part of this community! i keep thinking about your move, from one beautiful place to another, i hope the move goes easily, try to leave yourself a few hours at least just to enjoy for the last time~!!!!
Done! Thank you for letting me know about a quilter in need, I enjoyed reading about her.
Thank you for letting us know about Nichole, you are very kind, Bonnie <3
Post a Comment
If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.
Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.
Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)