Showin’ and Sharin’ with the Prairie Star Quilters!

I’m STILL reeling from all the quilty goodness we experienced during my time with the Prairie Star quilters in Illinois this week!

It was a whirlwind three days – with two lectures and three workshops filling every waking moment.

We were a hive of busy bees doing what we love best, spending the time with those who also love what we love.

It was a great visit!

And the showing and sharing of wonderful quilts just kept coming.

Of course we love it when extreme scrappy quilts are completed and shown with pride – as in this Perkiomen Daydreams from Scraps & Shirttails.  All 10,000 squares just sparkling with scrappy memories.

There are a TON of photos in the slide show further down, but I wanted to take a few minutes and show you some still photos of some AMAZING vintage pieces.

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June 2018 Quilty Box Winners!

Good Evening, Quiltvillians!

It’s been a crazy busy day here in the mail order fulfillment center, AKA The Hunter Dining Room.

I am so tickled about the arrival of our long awaited Quiltville Quilter’s Date Keeper, and  Quilty Pencil Sets!

Packages are being bundled up, signed, sealed and sent off as I type to get them on their way to YOU.

But this little gift-away needs attending to, so I’m taking a wee break to see that it gets done on time.

Who is ready to win the June Quilty Box?

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Warning: Zombie Day Ahead!

I dragged my weary carcass through my front door at 2:30am this morning.

WHAT. A. DAY!

(folks resting, sleeping, plugged in to wherever they can – this is the corridor between the “plane train” stations in the Atlanta airport underground.)

Things were beautiful in Chicago, the problem happened to be Atlanta and the storm systems that put Atlanta on ground lock down for more than 2 hours – creating the proverbial tail spin reaction.

My flight out of O’Hare was delayed a couple of hours, my flight once I arrived in Atlanta first moved from a 7:29pm departure, to a 8pm departure, then a 9pm departure, then a 9:45pm departure….and a gate change…to a 10:15pm departure, only to find the plane had a problem and a new plane was ordered.

Then our 11:15pm departure turned into a 12:30am departure as we sat on the plane for more than an hour while they shuffled baggage around.

Glamor job?  THINK AGAIN!

But at least you can get a decent dinner at the Atlanta airport!

Waiting at baggage claim for a bag that didn’t show up.

Two bags made it, one bag did not – arriving on a later flight that was due in at 3:30am, and I was NOT hanging around to wait for it.  They will deliver it to my door.

I reached home at 2:30am and crawled into bed, just so happy to be here.

But I have to say the other passengers around me also refused to let a few weather hiccups get them down and I had fun talking to folks from far and wide – we made it through! (And I am sure they are all feeling the effects this morning as well.)

And I have some exciting news! Click to play:

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Jun 29, 2018 at 7:47am PDT

Pencils arrived on my porch via UPS while I was still slumbering.

I’ve put them in the Quiltville Store with the Date Keepers.

You’ll find them under the NEW ITEMS category.

These are limited to stock on hand.  More will be ordered when these are gone.

International folks – please remember that you must add your international postage by clicking the global shipping category in the store BEFORE checking out.

For USA orders only: Shipping is free on orders of $75.00 and over ONLY IF you remember to use code FREE75 at purchase.  If you forget, I am unable to refund you.  Please remember to use the code for your free shipping.

We’ve got a busy 4th of July week ahead, our next Leader & Ender challenge will be posted in the next few days – and there is so much going on here.

Orders will be shipped in the order that they were received, around everything else that is going on and I so appreciate your patience. 

And I will be drawing for our June Quilty Box winners TONIGHT!  Get your entry in HERE.

When it rains, it pours!  And it’s all good.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Sister's choice quilt shared during our sit and stitch on Wednesday evening from a previous workshop

Good friends that keep you laughing are so very important!

Hooray for Fridays!

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Smith Mountain Morning, and Through the Afternoon!

I met yesterday for round three of workshops hosted by the Prairie Star Quilters of St. Charles, Illinois.

Yes, we really did pack 2 lectures and 3 workshops into a mere 3 days.

(I have a feeling I’ll be napping my way home on today’s flights!)

One of the questions that came up yesterday was “What is your favorite or most popular workshop to teach?” 

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Stitchin’ in the Rain, Just Stitchin’ in the Rain!

I’ve lived many places in my life, but with the first 7 years of my life, and every summer from the time I was 12 being spent in Minnesota, watching for thunderstorms was always part of the magic of summer.

Conditions can turn on a dime, and during our afternoon workshop we were caught watching the weather progression on our phones, checking to see what was coming this way – stopping to sew and stand by the windows to watch the downpours – making guesses how long it would take before it either petered out or moved on…

Summer rain.  The heavy soaking kind that doesn’t cool anything off, but rather steams things up all the more!

Weather like this has a direct effect on conditions within any sewing space.

Get the A/C running!  Something has to dry up the humidity!

And as it goes – we come prepared to layer in sweaters while we sew….

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Cathedral Stars with the Prairie Stars!

So happy to have met these gals who came all the way down from Minnesota (And wore the shirts saying so!) to join us for our Cathedral Stars workshop day hosted by the Prairie Stars quilters of St Charles, Illinois!

My new friend on the left made a list of 50 things she wanted to do starting her 50th birthday and  workshop with me was high on her list – and this fit right into her summer schedule!

And even more fun when her mom and life long childhood friend could come along for the ride, too.

I understand that has been much detouring and quilt-shop-hopping happening on this trek.  Great memories in the making, ladies!

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Take Me to St Charles!

Hello from beautiful St. Charles, Illinois!

St. Charles of the beautiful Fox river and lovely summers with parks and paddle boats and abundant things to see and do!

For those who don’t know the metro Chicago area (such as myself!) I asked my driver, Rachel where we were in relation to downtown Chicago.

And just like anyone would do these days….(Except for Michiganders, who will always put up a hand and show you by pointing at their palm!) she pulled out her phone, expanded a map by pinching and pulling on the screen with her fingers, and showed me.  I get it now!  We are a bit northwest of the city.  Just on the outskirts of countryside and farmland.

It feels like small-town Midwest, yet it is so connected to so many things within a short drive.  Just wonderful!

Knowing that I liked history, scenic drives, and since it was a Sunday in the early evening, she had hatched a plan to take me to dinner in a converted old church, a walk along the river afterwards and just enjoying the evening hours.  PERFECT.

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June 2018 Quilty Box Gift-Away!

I’m off to St Charles, Illinois today –via Chicago O’Hare!

It’s a later morning flight, which is kind of nice.  I can take my time getting myself out the door, which means I have time to write this post – because last night was BUSY BUSY with a Quilt-Cam of double trouble variety via Facebook Live!  

Did you catch it? 

If not, don’t worry.  It will be embedded right here at the bottom of this post – so read on, my friends – read on!

The June Quilty Box is full of romantic flavor with some gorgeous Florabunda fabrics by Melanie Testa.

What is a Quilty Box?
Here are some highlights to keep in mind:

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Vacuums,Chairs, Friends,Deliveries & Found Things!

It was a day of lost things found –things discovered hiding in plain sight.

The last morning at the cabin means a bit of tidying up so that things are nice when I next return.

I looked everywhere for the blasted vacuum. I checked, rechecked, and triple checked every closet, every place that it may be found. I checked the Utility room, the garage, and even asked the hubster when his flight landed in Detroit if he had taken it out to his man shed.

I had completely given up hope when I turned around and saw it right next to the Accuquilt.

It had been here the whole time. I had walked past it at least a dozen times yesterday morning, passing right by it to double-triple-check the utility room for the vacuum. Not to mention how many times I have walked past it every day several times a day for the past week.

I did a ton of cutting at this Accuquilt Studio this week, prepping future projects.  Yet I couldn’t see this vacuum sitting right here? Nuts!

I must be completely losing my mind.

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Meeting and Greeting, Virginia Style!

It was a day of new faces and new off-the-beaten-path places -

And even the gently intermittent summer rain didn’t slow us down.

You can definitely forget cell phone connectivity out here, and leave it behind gratefully while you reconnect with nature and the surrounding ever-present history of this place.

Independence, Virginia.

The Town of Independence came into being in 1850 as the settlement of a dispute about where to locate the county seat. At that time, a controversy arose between the people of Old Town and people of the Elk Creek area. Each group wanted the County seat in its area. 

The final decision, made by three commissioners from adjacent counties, was to locate on the site favored by a group of "independents" and to call the town Independence. These commissioners hiked to the top of Point Lookout Mountain and looked down into a grove of trees where 5 streams met and decided that would be the site for the new town.

Independence, Virginia is located 15 miles west of Galax, 40 miles east of Marion, 29 miles south of Wytheville, and 10 miles north of Sparta, North Carolina.  [source]

Interesting factoid:  The architect for the 1908 Courthouse in Independence was also the architect for Quiltville Inn, the Old Field's Mansion. Click HERE for my post on that beauty!

Outside of Independence, down a long and winding dirt road stands Ward Manor. 

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A Change of Place! (And An Announcement!)

I caught the Summer Solstice at 6:07am this morning, rocking on the porch at the cabin.

Hello Summer, 2018!

There are some Quilt-Cam type announcements further down, be sure you read to the end.  No skimming!

I have been working in the basement studio space at the cabin for most of the week – cranking on upcoming things.

So many things – All needing to be ready within the next few months!

While I love my space at the cabin – ANY four walls can start closing in on a person after a while and I needed a change of venue.  Options are good, right?

My post to my Quiltville's Open Studio Group on Facebook simply read:

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All the Pressing, Cutting & Kitting Up!

Yes.  This is a black and white photo.

It’s nearly July.  Do you know what black & white photos mean??

The vagueness of updates over the next several months may spark the realization that we have MUCH FUN ahead --

Our next Leader & Ender challenge starts in just a couple of weeks – could this be what I was cutting for?  Perhaps!

And perhaps the cutting and organizing, pulling and culling and matching and planning also extends into what will be posted by Halloween --

Our next Quiltville Mystery season is just around the corner.

It might seem a long way off for you – but for me, behind the scenes, things are ramping up.

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Fair Trade For a Missing Remote!

I have been unable to find the missing gate remote.  No Clicker Anywhere!

I have nearly disassembled the van, searched under seats, in between seats and the center console, in the doors – everywhere.

I have NO idea where it ended up, but I’m afraid I’ll have to admit defeat on this one thing.

At some point it slid off my visor into the black hole of the Quilter's Bermuda triangle.

There are other “generic” remotes out there that can be programmed to work with this gate – it’s just the principle of the thing.

And the fact that I can’t resolve in my mind just what happened keeps it circling round and round and round – there is no closure other than to accept that it is gone.

I think there is a life lesson in that, don’t you?

Sometimes there is no reason why something is gone – it just is.  It’s not worth stewing about.

But once the antique mall folks said “Nope, nothing here in our lost and found…..” I made a beeline to the back corner to see if something I saw earlier was still there.

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A Day for Porch Treadling!

This may look simple enough to set up, but let me tell you – I had one dead end after another, and was about to throw my hands up and call it a day.

My thought was to simply pull the treadle machine out on to the front porch from the dining room.

Not  a long haul, but it does involve CARRYING the machine cabinet because you can’t roll those metal wheels over the threshold due to the risk of damaging the wood with the vintage metal wheels.

The machine is on carpet sliders in the house, but by the time you reach the threshold you are going to lose those and have to lift the cabinet to get it up and over anyway.

Were I to have a second person at hand, it wouldn’t be hard, but as I was only one – it went like this:

Slide the machine cabinet with the beautiful gifted Singer VS 2 to the first raised threshold. Remove machine head from cabinet to lighten the load.  Carry the cabinet out the front door and set it on the porch.  Replace sliders as to not damage the porch paint.  Slide into desired location.  Replace machine head – connect belt and get to treadling.

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Father’s Day, 2018!

This photo is a new clipping that came into my life within the last month or so.

My niece Emilee, my brother Mark’s eldest is into genealogy and has found some amazing things online by searching newspaper records, old school year books (found a photo of my mom at 16!) and we have benefited greatly from her searching.

What a gift – these things that were thought lost, or never even knew they existed.

This photo is of my dad’s dad – my Grandpa Wilkinson who passed away when I was two.  My brothers never knew him.  I remember him faintly.

And here he is as a young man, just having returned from WWII with a bit of his story.  I was in tears reading this as I never really “KNEW” this man.  He was taken from us far too soon.

My dad is the cutie patootie blond 5 1/2 year old in the front with short shorts - named for his father.

The other crazy family thing is just how much my brother Scott looks like Grandpa.  Serious family resemblance.  And I love that.

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A Full Load of Scrap Happiness!

This is the “Calm Before the Storm” of 2018.

I know it, and I can feel it. 

Yesterday I got notification that the Quiltville Date Keepers are on their way via Yellow Freight from California.

They should be arriving – about the same time as I leave for Chicago.

That just figures, now doesn’t it?

The pencil sets will be following sometime after.

And when I am back, we will be into the 4th of July holiday week -

So THIS week.  This very precious time while waiting for things to arrive, I am focusing on tying up some loose ends.  Making progress on things that have been pushed aside.  Getting things closer to finishes, and ready to start new things.

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300 Miles and a Three State Day!

North Carolina to South Carolina and back -
Then North Carolina up to Virginia to stay!

All told it was about 300 miles, and I felt it by the time I finally sat down to dinner at about 8pm.

When Christine contacted me about her downsizing to move, and that they lived in an old Victorian house in Blacksburg, South Carolina and had some twin beds for the Inn,  I was so excited!

There was a little plotting, a lot of planning, and I have to thank her good friend Kim for meeting me at Christine’s house for pick-up as Christine is in Colorado with her grandkids!

It takes a Quilt Village to pull this all together.

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Reliving the Lee’s Summit Show & Share!

This meeting was full up to the gills with visiting quilters – SO exciting!

Could it be they were driven indoors due to the way-to-early-in-June oppressive heat wave?

Any place with A/C is a boon, and when it involves quilters and quilting, even better!

The parade of Quiltville quilts happens AFTER I speak, with the “everything else quilty” being shown before.  It works well that way, and those who bring Quiltville quilts add to my presentation, often times bringing quilts that I didn’t bring myself – being limited to 2 bags at 50 lbs each.

They did more than fill in the gaps – they brought the show stoppers!

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Texas Tumbleweeds, Missouri Style!

I met with the quilters of Lee’s Summit, Missouri yesterday for a whirlwind day of scrappy quilt goodness!

And Ii got the tee shirt to prove it!

My thanks to this fun group of ladies for making me one of their tribe for the day – it was SEW MUCH FUN!

You know, ANY DAY that starts with laughter is a good day, and this one was off and running from the moment I stepped foot in the building.

Energy levels were high, machines were revved up and ready to roar and roar we did!

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Lee’s Summit Day of Awesome!

How cool is it that friends will come from near and far to show their support and say hello in PERSON – even though you “see” each other nearly every day online?

Such was my day yesterday in the beautiful city of Lee’s Summit, Missouri!

Completely bamboozled, stressed out in a flurry of activity of getting quilts set up for the presentation, unpacking boxes in a hurry to set up the book signing table with crowds of folks waiting for me to “Open, open, open!” I didn’t even notice who had snuck into the wings, just hanging out at the way back.

My dear friend Kevin the Quilter!  So good to see you, Kevin! 

And it was such a short hello – a hug, a selfie, and off he went because his life is just as busy too.

But real hugs are ALWAYS the best gift of the day!  And there were many!

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Missouri Bound!

“I got to Kansas City on a Friday – by Saturday I learned a thing or two!  For up till then I didn’t have an idee of what the modern world was comin’ to!”  Lyrics from Oklahoma, one of my favorite musicals of all time!

I kept humming this little ditty to myself as I went about my early morning routine, so happy that I didn’t have a flight out until noon and I didn’t have to rush.

It’s been 8 years since I have visited my friend Sharon – and I’m staying with her while I spend time with the very fun Lee’s Summit Quilt Guild.

EIGHT YEARS.  How does that go past so quickly?  It seems like I am saying this every other day – how does it pass so quickly?  And it feels like it is speeding up, when I want it to be slowing down.

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Off to Kansas City!

Home from the cabin yesterday afternoon, off to Kansas City this morning.

Someone is not happy with me.  Not. At. All!

Little Emmy Lou Lou, all of 18 years young, doesn’t travel by car.  I don’t know many cats who ARE happy with traveling by car, but at her age, it just wouldn’t work.

She happily stays at home where we come and go, Jeff, Dave and I.  It rare that we are ever here all together, It’s a revolving door of activity.

Not only do I travel for business, but so does The Hubster.  Jeff holds down the fort caring for Sadie Jane and Emmy Lou so there is always a human here in the mornings and evenings.

Should Jeff be up at the cabin with us – Sadie is always in tow, and Emmy can fend for herself for a day or two.

Last night, however she was begging for attention.

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Of Fabric, Quilts, and Long Ago Legends --

I couldn’t stand it.

I couldn’t stand one more day of working in an ever-increasing chaos.  (Did you see my before photo yesterday?)

Sometimes I just feel the need to take a step back and rework my game plan.

This included taking a bag of “nearly vintage!” gifted fabric, pressing and cutting into Scrap User’s System sizes --

Not just for the purpose of clearing the cutting table, but in preparation for this year’s Leader & Ender Challenge to-be-released in just a few weeks!

I hope these scraps intrigue you! 

I’m throwing a bunch of “bigger print” charm squares into the mix – for a bunch of splashy fun.  Just you wait and see what we will be up to come July!

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Making a Glorious Mess!

You know this has been a week of deadlines.

The pressure is still on, but I am making good progress.

Still – this is the whirlwind that happens in my studio when I feel as if I am working on 6 projects at once.

In fact I am – each block for each Addicted to Scraps column needs to be made in 3 color ways to show folks some options, and get their own ideas flowing – and in the mean time my cutting table, my strip drawers (which are not as neat here at the cabin as at home and that needs to change at some point but not today!) and my ironing board are all piled with fabric possibilities -

This is also the fun part.  I love choosing the fabrics that will go together in any block or quilt – often times pairing a new acquisition with some oldies but goodies.

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Days Fly By So Quickly!

This was my day yesterday – well, the sewing part of it anyway.

My goal this week is to finish up all of the blocks for my 2019 Addicted to Scraps column with Quiltmaker Magazine.

Yep – I send in a whole year’s worth at once.

That gets it off of my plate, and I have time to dream up what I might want to do with these blocks in the future.

I’m so grateful that the folks at Quiltmaker promote my Essential Triangle Tool in my column every issue that includes triangles and units that can be cut that way so easily from strips. While the “traditional” rotary cutting methods and sizes are given on the page, We have also been including a blurb such as “I used 2’’ strips and my Essential Triangle Tool to do the half-square triangles, quarter-square triangles, or flying geese or other units in this block."  It's great to know different ways we can accomplish the same thing.

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Cabin Weekend Ahead!

I headed up to the cabin in Virginia yesterday afternoon after my wonderful massage – BOY, did I need that one!

There are times when I think the only way to get the knots out of my neck and to lower my shoulders down from my ears is to torture myself with deep tissue massage on a MORE regular basis.

All of the plans are there, to keep scheduled and keep it regular, but life gets in the way.  Still.  I love going to see Mel, she has a wonderful touch and when she gets to your feet – it’s instant sleep!

If I am cabin bound, that means that I was able to get all of my ducks in a row before heading out to the massage – and that is a GOOD thing!

There is much to do ahead – and yes, I know it’s only Wednesday, but weekends up here START on Wednesday, and I’m all for that.

Oh, this tractor guy?  Followed him for miles of narrow 2-lane mountain roads, yellow double line all the way, winding, curvy, hilly and nowhere to pass – and nowhere for him to turn out and let me by either.

Appalachian Traffic Jam!

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Show & Share on a Cool June Morn!

I was out fairly early this morning.

Temps dropped!  That is something to be excited about when one lives in the south.  The humidity even seemed lower than usual.

That means that everything in my normal day-to-day routine took a bit of a shift.
I’m okay with that!

If you are out early enough – you can catch the day lilies before they have opened….just wait – I bet this field will be bright with wide open orange in the next hour or so.

But still, there is dew on the grass, the fragrance of June…and as I turn a corner…

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July/Aug ‘18 Quiltmaker Bundle Drawing Time

It’s TIME!  (And hey, I remembered which is something to celebrate! LOL!)

I’m pulling away from quilting something special to give the random number generator a whirl and choose the winner of this month’s July/August (YES!  JULY/AUGUST!) Quiltmaker issue along with a bundle of goodies to go with it!

If you missed the original post, you can find it HERE.  Be sure to check out my Addicted to Scraps column in this issue - the block is so fun!

I have included a 100 blocks vol 15 issue along with the July/August 2018 Quiltmaker issue, and sweetened the pot by adding a selection of quilting tools by Marci Baker:

• That Purple Thang
• Corner Cut 60
• Cutting Edge Strips
• Sewing Edge Strips
• On the Dot Repositionable Markers

One lucky winner gets the whole thing!  Are you ready?

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Old House Love in Canton, MS!

My deep south old house meter was going off in hyperdrive as Connie made our little road trip around the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi.

I so dearly love the old stately homes, gingerbread hiding behind the shade of tall trees – gate posts keeping folks out, but still begging you to linger for a closer look.

Yes, I admit it.  I am an Old House Rubber Necker. 

I will sometimes circle the block more than once to get a view –isn’t this butter yellow number a beauty?

And that iron gate!  I so badly want to hear the history and stories of this one.

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Fast & Friendly Chunky Church Dash!

I am so grateful that the workshops for the Mississippi Quilters Association Gathering were in the order that they were.

We eased on in with Carolina Chain – we tackled Winston Ways and its many pieces (104 in each 12’’ block!) on Friday full of energy, followed by an evening full to the gills presentation.

We got back to simple joyful basics in yesterday’s Chunky Churn Dash day – a wonderful way to keep sewing on something that was perfect for our beginner quilters, just ready to dip their toes into the wonderful pool of scrap quilting.

Speaking of dipping toes – check this out:

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Winston Ways, the Jackson Way!

Oh so many 4 patches, and oh, the half-square triangles!

It was a part of many pieces as I gathered with the Mississippi Quilters Association and stitched our way into happy oblivion making my quilt Winston Ways from MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders.

Any time I am with a new batch of students I love to talk to those who consider themselves beginners – or some-what-confident intermediates who are looking for any clues, helps and hints they can find to help spread their fledgling wings a bit farther.

Talking about the nature of things like “The turn of the cloth”  and why a seam can’t fall at exactly 1/4’’ from the edge of the fabric if it is going to really reach its unit size.

Little lightbulbs popping off all over the place.

“There is no such thing as a pre-set scant setting!” And once they understand why ---and start measuring units, it all clicks into place.

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Doin’ the Carolina Chain, Chain, Chain!

Good morning from beautiful Jackson, Mississippi!

I’m having a ball with the Mississippi Quilters Association with three full days of workshops and a presentation this evening.  Busy busy busy, just the way I like it!

Our gathering location is Christ Methodist Church in Jackson – a HUGE facility with all of the amenities we need, and my classroom space is 3 connected rooms suitable for 50 quilters each with their OWN 6 ft. work table – plenty of space to sew up a storm without feeling cramped.

Yesterday’s workshop was Carolina Chain from the Addicted to Scraps book and students learned more than how to simply put a block together, but to study it out as far as the best method of assembly would be. 

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