Stringing Up the Serpentine Web!

And the girls came over to play the day away!

We met at the spacious and greatly air conditioned (thank heavens!) American Legion Hall in Bedford, Pennsylvania – our day’s mission? digging into the strings for some Serpentine Web from String Frenzy fun!

Temperatures came with a heat warning, and we were ever so happy to be inside stitching away the day.

Pittsburgh Fabric! Who knew!

And it’s a neutral!

Check out this awesome array of African fabrics!

(Getting so excited for Kenya!)

And always always always -

I so love the recycled shirt strings!

Alternating blues and blue on neutral – YUMMY!

Oh, I love the patriotic too!

I definitely see one of these in my future – my string bins overfloweth!

We had such a great time!

End of the day layout time – with feet!

Thanks for the awesome day, everyone!

While this class was easy for many, the whole idea of letting go and letting seams and points fall where they may was a bit distressing for some.  I get it! I do! 

Depending where your learning and focus has come from, the perfection hat may be a hard one to take off.  Less than perfect points, seams that do not match, fabrics that don’t quite go together – Some find it very fun and freeing, others find it making a statement of “not good enough” about their work which is connected to their life, their self esteem, their whole perception of themselves.  It’s often hard to give up control on the one thing in life we CAN control – our piecing.

Art was never about making something PERFECT.  There is no prize given for perfection in life.  Learning new things can be messy.  It can be uncomfortable to let go of things you’ve learned all along when it comes to patchwork.  The need for seams to always nest.  The need for points to be sharp and perfect and always meeting another equally sharp and perfect point. 

But if we don’t push our boundaries with new experiences, we will always stay in the same box doing the same thing.  I cheer these ladies on for their willingness to go beyond the comfortable and just HAVE FUN!

Shall we do it again today?

Workshop day 3 begins shortly with Narragansett Blues up on deck!

For yesterday’s fun – Click to Play:

Yep. I'm definitely going to have to make another one! Maybe two - as runners for the tables at Quiltville Inn?

The temp on on the dashboard of my van read 103 yesterday as I pulled away from the American Legion.  That was all the encouragement I needed to make another stop at The Penguin on my way back to Mary’s in Schellsburg.  Home cooked dinner, feet up and relaxation awaited.

I am giving an evening presentation also at the American Legion Hall in Bedford this evening  at 6:30pm, open to the public! 

Doors open at 6pm, admission is $20.00, refreshments included!  If you are within driving distance, I’d love to see you here.

On the home front:

Bathroom reconstruction has begun at Quiltville Inn!

It is always interesting to look at the “bones” of an old house when wainscoting and drywall are removed revealing studs and support beams.  Check out the old beam at the far right – original to the house, built in 1884.  That beam has stood the test of time.

Old lath & plaster -

Support beam with carved hole that once held another beam -

There will soon be a gorgeous walk in shower here!

And while we plan to cover up these beams once again – I’m wondering about the hands the first placed them here, not knowing what the future of this house would be. 

I am begging for more photos from home as the reconstruction progresses.  But you know what getting progress photos out of menfolk can be like!  Will update you as I can.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

No matter how old you are, encourage yourself to learn and master new things!

If things feel uncomfortable, it means your boundaries are expanding!

(Or it could be that you ate several days of The Penguin in a row and things are just too tight..LOL!)

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!