So Much Weekend Goodness!

I put a couple of hours worth of  quilting stitches into my Oak Leaf quilt last night.

You know what this means?

It means that there is nothing left in the binding queue for a while, and lest my hands be found idle – this is next to my comfy chair at the cabin for TV watching time.

Son Jeff made is way up to the cabin last evening – surprising us with a DVD – a flash back favorite from his childhood – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory!

There is a story that goes with our family's love of this movie – Besides being MY FAVORITE as a child (Yes, I still know all of the words to all of the songs.) Jeff played this movie on VHS tape over and over and over until it wore out and we had to buy another.  We used to quote lines from this movie back and forth to each other all of the time, and still do.

“I want a ___fill in the blank___ and I want it NOW!”


But also for personal reasons.  Several (many) years back on a trip to visit my dad in Arizona, and a few years before blogging started, we were at an event and there was karaoke going on.  I don’t remember the song I got up to sing, but when I was done, this gentleman that looked fairly familiar came up to me and we had a good conversation.  He liked my singing.  He said he thought I had a wonderful voice.  And then he introduced himself – it was Gene Wilder.

I’ll never forget that.  And any time I see him in an old show, I smile – because Charlie & the Chocolate Factory was such a huge part of my childhood, and being able to tell him so in person meant a lot to me.

So much fun having Jeff up here to watch and relive that favorite movie!

Yesterday’s visit to Quiltville Inn included some of this!

It was a very rainy afternoon – there was no way to do any outside work, or take a hike – it was so rainy that I needed an umbrella to get gas in the van at the little Stateline Gas Station 3 miles from the cabin on the way to the Inn.  (When was the last time you bought gas “Old Style” where there was no pay-at-the-pump and you had to go in to tell them you wanted $20.00 worth??)  Umbrella in the rain, pumping gas.  Country living at its best.

I oiled where I could, worked to get the shuttle slide plates to move – and then put a drop of oil along the tracks so they would slide more easily.  There were a couple of places that I couldn’t get to – I didn’t have the right screw driver with me.

I also didn’t have thread, fabric, needles – but I was able to kidnap a treadle belt from the parlor cabinet I had brought earlier. Click to play:

Next time I'll have better tools with me and take care of those places I couldn't get to. Oh, and there are really no good sewing chairs at the Inn yet - I was sitting on the yellow gingham wing-back chair I purchased on the way home from Georgia a couple of weeks ago. Anything in a pinch!

Knob back plates arrived!

I think these will work just great to keep fingernails off of the paint surrounding the knobs.  But just as suspected, I now need longer screws!  And so…..we make yet AGAIN another field trip to Lowe’s.

Also needed are the innards for an upstairs toilet – I discovered yesterday that the water had been turned off to one.  And when I turned it on, it ran and ran and ran, but the tank never filled. 

And so goes the on-going saga of “Bonnie’s Money Pit.”  But it will be so worth it in the end.  (And the toilets will work!)

This is to here.

Not enough blocks to make it square yet.

If I finish up this corner the quilt top will be 72’’ x 72’’.  For my family that’s not even big enough for a couch quilt as my boys are all either 6’3’’ or 6’4’’.

I can border it and have a square quilt.

Or I can go one more set of blocks bigger and have a nice twin size –maybe for a bed for the Inn?  Heaven knows I have more strings to sew up – there is no shortage of fabric in that department.

And I’m loving this crazy layout.  Too fun.

THIS round of edits is DONE!

And here you get a sneak peek of my quilt “Emerald City”.  I keep going back and forth on which are my favorite quilts in the soon-to-be String Frenzy book – and this is high in the running.  I love green!  And the green in this quilt reminds me of the green of the mountains and hills of my area here in Southwest Virginia.

The only thing left to do is a new author photo.  Maybe today.  Maybe tomorrow.  But soon.  Maybe off the back porch at Quiltville Inn with the green hills behind me?  We shall see.

Our plan today is to head over to the Inn for yard clean up.  The Hubster has been trimming trees and bushes,  Jeff is going to see the place for the first time, and he has some landscaping ideas for us.

And then likely that Lowe’s trip (with a list as long as my arm) will happen --

And I’ll be back full circle to where this post started – hand quilting Baptist fans on my Oak Leaf quilt.  It’s a good life!

For those who missed yesterday – ALL DIGITAL PATTERNS in the Quiltville Store are 25% off through the 29th using coupon code DIGITAL25 at purchase.  Must use code to redeem, so don’t forget!

Quiltville Quote of the Day.

As you read this, take some time out to reflect on those who gave their all for our freedom. And then go love your family hard!

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!