Friday Night with the Bonniacs!

Nothing beats an evening like this!

It had been 6 years since I had taught for the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show – but I never forgot how special these women made me feel. 

Our time together 6 years ago formed friendships that will continue, no matter who moves where or how life changes happen.  If Quilting is the thread that binds us together, the friendship is the knot that holds the stitches in place!

6 years ago I received a welcome invitation to dinner at Wendy’s beautiful home, meeting several of these wonderful gals.  It was an evening of fun and food and much show & share – a great break away from yet another quick restaurant dinner out, and back to an empty hotel room.

This year we did it again – and I just could not wait for Friday night to roll around.

Of course it all started with Nola’s commemorative shirts!

Do I feel silly wearing my own name?

Well, yes a bit – but it’s also very fun to be gifted one!

These ladies started meeting each week as our mystery clues were released, working together and keeping each other inspired and focused, lending each other help where needed. 

Again – the great theme of it all behind the quilting?  Fun, Friendship, Food and Fellowship (Which I have renamed to Quiltershipping – it encompasses so much more of who we are and why we do what we do!)

I must say that Wendy’s hubby is also a great sport – as we filled our plates to the brim with yummy pot luck offerings from Wendy’s kitchen – he waited so patiently in the wings until we were seated and he could sneak in and fill his own plate!  Sometimes you have just got to wonder what the hubbies think of all this flock-of-quilters-flurry-of-activity. but I have a feeling that their smiles of knowing that WE are happy makes them happy too!

Wendy’s Good Fortune!

Chairs were moved, more chairs were brought in and we found ourselves seated in a circle around Wendy’s living room floor.

One by one – Quilts were presented one on top of the other, princess and the pea fashion, for us all to admire.

My heart was so full – this was just beyond wonderful!

I’m going to get quilts mixed up with who’s is who’s at this point – they came in rapid fashion -

The On Ringo Lake that kept on giving --

A change of setting meant that sashings became borders – the placement of blocks on the straight instead of on point meant extra blocks and parts – and I laughed and laughed at the attempts to sew everything On Ringo Lake related into something useful, leaving no parts behind -

Leftover chevrons became a table runner -

But wait! Look!

It’s reversible!

This was no small feat as everything both sides is centered and no points are chopped off in the binding – and yes – those are mitered seams on the blue frames around the blocks!  #mindblown

The backing from our class show & share -

No On Ringo Lake pieces left behind! LOL!

Good Fortune In the Dark!

Love this in batiks and how the border units look like floating geese!

A beautiful On Ringo Lake with a checkerboard border!

And the quilts were laid out one on top of the other -

A beautiful Good Fortune in pinks and blues – YUMMY!

And another!

Each so different in their own way – yet related!

I just love thinking of all of the times these ladies met for sew day with each clue and what came out of it!  I honestly believe that is the best thing about what we do – Sharing our love of quilting with others brings us together as a community.

And yet another – colors may be similar, but fabric choices reflect the stash of the maker!

Now hold on to your hats folks -

OH WOW!!

A small change to the alternate block, with 2 purple string rectangles and 2 neutral string rectangles brought circles into play!  This was done with the help of her daughter – I love the mother/daughter design team effort.  This vision just blew me away.  Seriously.  Well done!

Texas Tumbleweed from MORE Adventures with Leaders & Enders -

And  Kim Diehl inspired appliqued border!

This was started on one of our Quiltville Caribbean Cruises by Barb – I love her use of softer colors, and do you see that pinwheel border?  Those are all of her bonus triangles from the center.  Such a lovely finish, machine quilted by Jane Pitt.

But the one that had me nearly in tears -

Maryam’s 1/4 scale Good Fortune -

NOT PAPER PIECED!

My hand -

Those small orange rectangles are string pieced!

She divided the finished size of each unit by 4 and added 1/4’’ seam allowance as with traditional machine piecing.  This is a tiny labor of love (or insanity) that really – I couldn’t find the words.  I was speechless.  And you know that doesn’t happen often with me!

I loved hearing how she got out her hammer to get all of those seams to lay flat.

Dear ladies – you do leave me speechless!

Thank you for a most incredible night – and I do know that I will see you again!

Yesterday’s return to North Carolina was only filled with a couple of hiccups – starting with a delay in Indianapolis that had me ALMOST missing my connection in Atlanta.

This girl ran.  I mean, REALLY RAN – from B gates – down the escalator (Move out of my way please!) to the plane train which was just boarding when I got there – back up the escalator (Coming through!  Flight boarding!) and all the way down the C terminal to C55 where the LAST few passengers were boarding the flight to Greensboro.

I made it – but barely.  But I didn’t care.  I was going HOME.

There was much napping, and some evening hand stitching, body clock all askew due to yesterday’s Spring Forward event.

Yesterday’s #IGquiltfest Prompt Day 10

“Show us your solids quilt!”

I went through an Amish inspired solid fabric quilt phase in the early 2000s, working from a box of solid scraps that had accumulated over the span of my quilting years as a way to use them up.

Sewing with solids is not my favorite thing, not while the piecing is going on at least - but something magical happens as soon as you add the quilting stitches. Solids are a fabulous foundation for quilting texture!

I have often used solids to break down the busy-ness of a scrappy quilt by placing solids as sashing, cornerstones, setting triangles, borders or bindings within the quilt, or sometimes as the one constant fabric used to give the eye a place to rest within the midst of all the scraps.

I made this log cabin variation with strings of solids and Tonya Ricucci's Freehand Lettering technique in 2008. It hangs on the wall of my studio behind my long arm. How can 11 years have flown by so quickly?
Hand quilted with black thread in a free hand Baptist fan pattern with free hand drawn feathers in the large purple border.

It just occurred to me that the solid fabric bin of scraps still has a lot of fabric left in it - I may find myself digging into them yet again in the near future!

Today’s Day 11 prompt is FAVORITE COLOR.  Any guesses?

Also – QUILT-CAM ALERT!

I am home here until Thursday when I head up to Virginia for the weekend before moving on to Pigeon Forge TN for Mountain Quiltfest.

How about we squeeze in a Quilt-Cam on WEDNESDAY evening, March 13 at 8pm Eastern via Facebook Live?

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Vintage Irish chain quilt found in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Progress is a process and it takes time!

Sometimes progress happens quickly, sometimes it takes longer.

Slow progress is always better than no progress!

Have a wonderful Monday, folks!