Happy Scrappy Houses in Fredericksburg VA!

I do believe it is completely possible to squeeze in as much quilting in a 4 hour afternoon workshop session as it is a 6 hour full day workshop with lunch served in the middle.

ABSOLUTELY possible if the ‘powers that be” whip up a wonderful buffet spread of salad and sandwich fixings, fruit, veggies and dip, and some yummy dessert items to grab and go as we sew.

It was a Graze and Stitch day – perfect while we worked on building a whole village of cute little houses from our scraps.

Students were encouraged to come with kits already cut and prepared for easy and quick house construction.

(Yes, once again – how did we EVER live without zip lock baggies?  I am the baggie queen!)

We worked these houses a bit out of order, starting with the chimney section as it is the most crucial with the most seams per section.

If your seam allowance is a bit off, you won’t reach the 8’’ unit measurement and everything gets shaky from there.

I loved hearing whoops and cheers as one by one, all of my stitchers stitched, measured, adjusted their seams so that they were reaching that 8’’ long unit size!

House building is FUN!

Pattern from the free patterns tab at the top of the blog.

Someone’s in the dog house!

Lunch along the Rappahannock.

It reached nearly 80 degrees!  IN FEBRUARY!

Enjoying an easy lunch break, and then back to more housing development!

Wonky Triangles were added, and sides were squared up!

John Deere Tractor house!

Well done, everyone!

You’ll find the rest of yesterday’s Happy Scrappy Houses fun in the video below. 

It was just a great day of house building!

I even brought this one!

These are the blocks that I received in the mail when I moved from South Carolina to North Carolina.  Can you believe it’s been 10 years?!

I loved the Happy Scrappy Houses mixed with the wonkier free-form improv houses and the pits and pieces of other orphan units added in for fun.  It had been a while since this one has come out of the closet – and now I’m thinking I want to see it more often.  I’m looking for a place to hang it. It reminds me that we ALWAYS get by – with a little help from our friends.

We had a quick break in between the workshop and the evening guild meeting.  I joined 3 other visiting quilters for a quick tour around downtown Fredericksburg, stopping to walk “The sunken road” of Fredericksburg battlefield, and spent some time at the National Cemetery.  I have a LOT of photos – those will be coming soon, as they deserve their own post.

All Roads Lead to Carl’s!

When it is nearly 80 degrees I get a hankering for ice cream.  After being told that there was a local frozen custard joint that couldn’t be beat – that it was a legendary Fredericksburg icon – after cemetery walking we headed over to grab a taste before heading back to the meeting.

Neon against a darkening evening sky!

(Is it really only February?!)

We were told to be prepared for a line.  They weren’t just a-kiddin’!  But the line moved quickly and I was soon ramped up on a sugar rush and an adrenaline high and ready to give my best to this group of folks.

Today is just a day to drive.  And I won’t be leaving the state of Virginia.  I am cabin bound!  My goal is just to make it by dark, and there WILL be antique mall stops along the way.

There is a slow driving day ahead, and a few days to unwind.  I’ll be home by Sunday night.  I’ll play catch up for a few days before flying off to California for Asilomar on the 28th.

But right now I need cabin time.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Quilt shared by Kevin Womack and made by a relative. Priceless!

Let these 8 things go, and you'll be much happier!  Start with ONE.  Which of this things can you let go of today?

Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!