Out and About to Boone!

Meet Cohorts in Quilt-Crime, Martha and Toni!

I’ve shown you around Martha’s place before.  She owns the farm (part of an original land grant!) I shared back a couple of months ago HERE.

She introduced me to Toni one afternoon when we all met up for Mexican lunch in town (It had to be October I’m thinking, the West Jefferson Antique’s faire was that weekend.) and we got on like wildfire.

Toni is also a quilter, and highly involved with Quilts of Valor with a group in Mouth of Wilson.  And I just fell right in with a marvelous group of gals – just like that!

The only sad part (for Martha and me…) Is that Toni is relocating back to where family live in Louisiana come spring.  So we are getting in as much Toni time as we can before she starts her next chapter in the company of her dad and sister.  She promises to come back for visits!

With all of the holiday madness, and spending my days working at Quiltville Inn while I had family help, (gotta make hay while the sun shines!) I just didn’t have a day where I could run off and play, so we scheduled yesterday, and it couldn’t have been better.

Beautiful Boone, North Carolina!

Lunch out with the girls, and an antique mall right next door.  Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!

The thing is, you never know what you will find and pretty soon you start to sense a theme – because everywhere you turn you find:

Odd chairs with very round seats.

Face detail.  Creepy or gorgeous?

I immediately gave this one the name “The Goddess Chair” and sat in it.  A bit hard.  A bit round on the bottom. 

And then we couldn’t help but giggle and start in on our own quilter’s version of the song “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen.  LOL.

Turn the corner, see this one, and go into another chorus!

“Round Bottomed Girls…..”

We laughed and laughed…..sitting in these chairs feels a bit like sitting on a commode….and then we laughed again.

No round bottomed chairs came home, but I am still thinking of the Goddess Chair – and wondering if there could be a place for her at Quiltville Inn.  She was kind of pricey- but maybe she is worth it.

Scales and clocks and old irons, oh my!

Quilts here and there -

From very utilitarian

To mind- numbingly perfect points in double-knit polyester.

(This thing was a heavy beastie!)

And then we saw it –Hanging on the wall:

HANGING!  REALLY!??

Oh darling – how could you be so haphazardly handled!?

The feathers, the echo stitching -

The applique executed in white thread in the tiniest of buttonhole stitches -

1850s maybe??

Should there ever be any forensic tests on this quilt, they will find evidence of 3 quilter’s DNA from drool left behind.  At $500 none of us could afford to bring it home, but we touched the stitches, we called out to the maker in our hearts, we left behind all the good quilter’s karma that we could and told her we are honored to carry on her work of keeping quilting alive and well in this century.

There were stitcheries that made us smile -

Especially the bottom left -

Today is the Tomorrow we Worried about Yesterday.  LOL.

1940s – 1950s fabrics in this one….

Oh, dear.  Do you see it?

Did the maker see it? At what point?

LOL!

(This sign was at the check out desk!)

Sweet bow-tie.  One block going the other way.

See sign above.  LOL.

Oh, my love – at last I found you!!  *singing*

This sweet Martha Washington cabinet is headed to Quiltville Inn!

I’ve been looking for one, but they were always just beyond what I was willing to pay.  This one was marked $65.00 and I snatched it up in a heartbeat.  It’s in pretty good condition, needs just a bit of attention on the top where someone evidently placed a cup of coffee out of habit while they stitched or knitted or whatever they used this lovely piece for. 

I’ll be dropping it at the Inn this morning on my way home.  Yippeee!  Not sure if it will end up as a bedside table, or between two comfy chairs either in the den, or perhaps in a seating area – The turret in bedroom 3, or the corner in bedroom 2.  We shall see!

Oh so many triangles!

There are many lessons to be learned in this quilt that can be applied to our coming year ahead.

1. Don’t fear color or worrying that things aren’t going to match.  It’s more beautiful when you play with the whole box of crayons.

2. Don’t fear the bias. 

3. Matched points are highly over-rated.

4. No matter how your day goes, make a bit of time to sew “just a bit.”

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

And most of all:

Don't let your mind make all of the choices where your creativity is concerned.

Lead with your heart!

And a quick PS –

ALL DIGITAL PATTERNS in the Quiltville Store are currently 25% off through today using Coupon Code DIGITAL25.  Coupon code must be used at time of purchase. No refunds.

And yes, all 500 copies of String Frenzy in wave 6 are sold!  So guess what is waiting for me at home to do? LOL! Bring it! I feel relaxed and ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.
I’ll spend the next week or so getting these out the door, and will place another wave in the Store when I am just about on top of getting these out.

Thank you for working so patiently with me.  I will offer up as many as I can possibly get out before I leave for Japan on the 17th.

Our Mystery Monday Link-Up for Part 6 can include your progress for Good Fortune Part 7 as well, and is open until Thursday Night at 11:55pm Eastern.  Add another link if you already participated before part 7 was dropped as a surprise at the stroke of midnight New Year’s Eve.

This girl is headed home – I’ll catch you from the Wallburg, NC side!