Break out the bunny ears -
Workshop selfies made much more fun with Snapchat filters!
Hahaha! This was Jennifer’s idea, and I knew I loved her the moment she did this to our photo.
How can you NOT smile at someone wearing a bunny nose and fuzzy ears? The only thing missing was twitching whiskers.
It’s more fun than a hall of mirrors. At least these ears don’t make me look fat!
And it was fun and silly all day long with the Virginia Star Quilters of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
It was February 20th – and it reached 75 blissful degrees outside. My only regret? We were sewing INSIDE instead of outside!
Old Salem Church, circa 1840.
Good old GPS had me turning to THIS church, in a parking lot that went nowhere. Oh yeah. Waze strikes again! I looked around and found the newer church, and wound my way where quilters were waiting, unloading their machines and other quilty paraphernalia – but this church and surrounding graveyard captivated my attention all day long!
Here it is during the civil war!
Salem Church was used to house civilian refugees during the Fredericksburg Campaign. During the Chancellorsville Campaign major fighting swirled around the church on May 3, 1863. Wilcox's Alabama Brigade straddled the road at the church blocking the advance of General John Sedgwick's Union Sixth Corps. Other Confederate units soon arrived from Chancellorsville to lengthen both ends of the Southern line.
The fighting raged around the church for several hours on the evening of May 3 until darkness put an end to the fight. The Union advance was stopped. Additional Confederate units arrived from Chancellorsville on May 4 to surround Sedgwick's men on three sides. The fighting was east and northeast of the church.
In the aftermath of the fighting, Salem Church became a hospital treating men of both sides. Among the Confederate surgeons was the brother-in-law of President Abraham Lincoln. [source]
It gives me goosebumps! and there I was, my van Moby parked right up against the fence. Touching history. Amazing.
Also amazing was this anxious group of busy quilters ready to get down to some stringy business!
Sew Many Strings in the Morning!
Oh so sweet in shades of pink!
Essential Triangle Tool Triangles in the afternoon!
Twisting, turning – remember, these are NOT pinwheels!
Great colors, and reversal of values! LOVELY!
Thanks for the fun, everyone!
No bunny ears, but doesn’t it look like a square halo is over her head? LOL!
You’ll find the rest of our amazing Jamestown Landing Day (from String Fling) in the vide below. Click to play:
Oh goodness, such a wonderful day, I'm glad I have ANOTHER day to spend with these folks!
After class dinner at Foode!
I love downtown Fredericksburg. It’s full of history, old churches and church yards, and antique shops. I just wish I had an extra day to play while here, but today is a double duty day, and there just isn’t time. One of these days life WILL slow down and I’ll be able to add a day to play.
Foode is in an old bank, and we ate in the vault! HOW COOL!
Church across the street by evening light.
The Presbyterian church still has 2 visible cannon balls embedded in the front!
(Oh, I seriously need MORE TIME!)
Hotel living comes with its own adventures, pitfalls and hilariousity. Check out my fight with the flood lights that shine on my ground floor windows! Click to play:
The first night I barely slept, the room was half-lit with the light coming in from the side of the curtains. Blue painters tape, a pants hanger, and a couple of spare pillows later I had finally blocked out all of the light that was keeping me from sleeping well. I feel great this morning!
No, I can’t wear an eye mask. I feel claustrophobic in them, they are too hot, and I don’t like things covering up my face at all. This solution worked.
Quiltville Quote of the Day!
Dark nights make me wake up happy!
It's largely up to you how your day goes, so put that smile in place before your feet hit the floor! Vintage quilt shared by Kevin Womack and made by a relative. Such a treasure!
Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone!
Bonnie, you might like an Alaska Bear eye mask - they are made of silk, so don't make you sweat, very soft against your face. for sale on amazon !!
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie, I learned that lesson and now I never travel without a sleep mask. It makes such a difference! Just occurred to me that I should make a quilty one! Why didn't I think of that before?
ReplyDeleteMary
My husband is the same way, no light, and no noise, but yet can fall asleep in front of a blaring TV!! A 75" blaring TV! Glad you found a solution, the pants hanger is cracking me up.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had lovely day!! I always love seeing when someone used turquoise in your quilt designs.
ReplyDeleteI have also encountered parking lot spot lights 'leaking' into my hotel rooms. I keep a few black binder clips in my suitcase for just such an event. But you need to remember to remove them in the morning or the housekeeping might remove them and not leave them behind for the next night. :-)
What a fun place to touch History. Great using the Broken Dishes & String blocks in all the colors! Perfect day. Glad you got that light covered. I hate the hotel curtains that don't keep the light out.
ReplyDeleteI always carry tape with me when I travel for this purpose. My pet peeve is the light that shines under the door in motels. I usually roll up a towel and stuff in the crack. Somebody who can hang a door correctly (it is an art) could make lots of money fixing doors. Every door in the house we bought is hung incorrectly. Glad I am leaving tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSmiled at your square halo remark - I believe that if you see a square halo in a medieval painting, it means that the saint was still alive when they painted it.
ReplyDeletewe have used a couple of Wonder Clips for closing the place where the two curtains come together. I guess we should also travel with tape:) Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteI always have a few snap clothes pins in my small suitcase to keep the 2 curtains closed in the center. If I forget them behind, no big loss. Just go to a grocery or dollar store for a small package of them and you are ready for the next motel.
DeleteI love the idea of painters tape! And you're right about the feeling when standing on grounds where there is so much a part of our country's history. We toured Gettysburg and Antietam 4 years ago and we got the same feeling, for some reason more so Gettysburg!
ReplyDeleteI can't have any light to sleep. My husband will come to bed leaving lights on in the house and NOT shutting the bedroom door. I always have to get up and go turn out lights. I will have to begin carrying painters tape. I love the idea of also having clothes pins. I have used the towel trick with the door before.
ReplyDeleteNever in a million years would I have thought of the tape! Great idea. But I always try to be on the top floor as I don't like people stomping around overhead. Pro's and con's to them all I guess. And Jamestown is one I seriously need to do!! So pretty!
ReplyDeleteDuct tape! I never leave my yard without it. It will work as a fix for everything!
ReplyDeleteLovely sewing session and funny bunnies too. I agree about the eye mask - I've had them drop down or slide round and to me they are uncomfortable. Probably because I sleep on my front and sides but never on my back (I wake up if I'm on my back - dunno why). We had an issue with people in the house opposite - they had a security light and it was pointing uphill. It illuminated my kitchen and our bedroom. It even lit up our daughter's room which had blackout curtains! I don't know if anyone else complained but it got so bad I got out a portable spot lamp (for car breakdown emergency) and shone it in their windows. I've not had a problem since! No messing with this sleep deprived woman - I turn into a little beast! ;)
ReplyDeleteBoy, that's my problem. ANY light and I can't sleep. Drives my husband crazy. LOL Glad you finally got some sleep :) PS love love the painters tape!! A new item for my bag when traveling.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh a little seeing the painters tape and hanger. I also need a dark room and no lights shining in the room. IT must also be quiet. One year in Spring we had tree frogs and they made so much noise I could not sleep. . Hope to visit Virginia I love History too!
ReplyDeleteHappy Quilting Bonnie, Yoka Bazilewich
"One of these days life WILL slow down and I’ll be able to add a day to play." Darling girl, this will only happen when you CHOOSE to make it happen... I say do it NOW! I think I've heard you express this wish... to not be sososososo busy, maybe in different words, but that's how it sounds to me... I'm thinking your creative child needs a break, and only YOU can give it to her. That's my unsolicited advice... love what you do and your contribution to my life... Cats in Carlsbad, California.
ReplyDeleteGlad you said you can't sleep with a sleep mask because I was already planning how to piece one with 1.5" squares (they are over-filling their basket. LOVED the Jamestown Landing class and am proud to admit I made quite a bit of progress on it today. Thanks for sharing so many pictures of the crew on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteOnce I went down the hall to the front desk and said, "there's a floodlight shining in my window-" and she said, "We can't do anything about it," and I finished saying, "but if you give me one more fat pillow I can block the last bit of the light at the top of the curtains!" She handed that pillow to me real fast. I also carry wooden clothespins!
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way! I can't sleep if there is light coming in!!! And I'm also uncomfortable with a mask on my face while I try to sleep. I like it DARK! Take some time to do the fun things!! You don't want to burn yourself out doing to much and missing the fun stuff!!!
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