It was a day of many surprises – and definitely a day to remember!
Yesterday Quiltville Inn opened her doors wide to receive 11 ladies from the nearby Ashe County Quilters.
A sew day full of friendship building, creativity, and connection!
I am still so high on cloud nine that I don’t think I’ll ever come down.
First one car, then another – the unloading of crock pots bearing soups, platters of delicacies, favorite salads, munchies galore! All to be enjoyed while sewing.
And this time – THIS TIME – I got to participate! It was wonderful wonderful wonderful.
Some cars here behind my post office space -
Some up at the side of the garage.
SO MUCH SEWING STUFF!
So much GOOD!
Can you hear the hum of the machines?
Cutting Stations & Pressing Stations getting a workout!
(And the design walls are busy too!)
Oh, I am loving it!
Veteran’s quilts going up on the wall!
We simply had a great time and those hours flew by too quickly!
From where I sat -
To partake in this sew-in was just THE BEST.
It’s wonderful to WATCH it all happen – but to be part of it? Priceless.
I finished up a bunch more string blocks -
I started on the string borders for more place mats.
Freezer paper protected ironing stations working so well!
One of the ladies stated that she felt the paper was a bit too slick. It was to begin with, but as we worked over the paper pressing our pieces it got better with use.
I also think I will have some simple pieces of flannel (left over from design wall construction) that can be laid down and used as pressing cloths, and washed as needed.
The main objective is to keep the ironing stations fresh (I can easily change the freezer paper as it soils) and protect the big boards underneath from all the build up of things –
There was a whole concoction right at the get-go of spray bottles of heavy starch, sizing, best press, etc. (Pick your favorite!) Without the paper these boards would have been toast after one day.
We are still in the “learning” phase, and it was extremely helpful to be there and experience just what others will be experiencing when they come to stay for retreat.
Sashings are trimmed, ready for paper removal!
Lunch, anyone?!
Oh my, what a spread!
Table set for 12!
And yes, we are using Carrie’s great aunt’s china with the beautiful magnolia pattern for dessert because:
It’s my birthday next week!! What a surprise!
Gluten Free chocolate chip cupcakes for those of us who can’t have gluten -
And:
Yummy Bundt cake for those who can eat wheat -
This was truly a surprise!
Good thing I’m known to be full of hot air. LOL!
Thank you so much ladies!
We’ll definitely have to do this again!
I LOVED having you here!
After everyone had left -
Kitchen cleaned – sewing room vacuumed, trash emptied -
15 minutes of bliss by the comfort of the wood stove.
It was a wonderful taste of just what will be going on here as I welcome group after group to come spend their retreats at Quiltville Inn!
Our next charity sew day happens February 7th with the Quilts of Valor group from the Alleghany Quilter's Guild of nearby Sparta, NC.
Which brings us to our next group drawing!
I have received an email from one of our rally groups that they are unable to make the 2020 dates for November for personal family reasons, so I am adding their weekend dates back into the pool, and keeping their group on the waiting list for 2021. Of course family has to come first - and I hope they will be able to come stay another time.
Mar 5-8
Apr 2 -5
Nov 12-15
Many of these dates include the possibility of adding additional days to your stay should your group wish to extend your time at Quiltville Inn. And of course I am available to add a workshop to your retreat experience should your group desire!
And the random number generator says:
Group 15 out of 177 groups!
Lori Schmitz & The Stitchin’ Sisters!
Lori, I have sent an email to the address you provided with your group entry. Please choose from the above available dates and reply to my email ASAP so I can make the other dates available to more groups. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Tomorrow?? Well, you know what happens tomorrow so I don’t have to tell you!
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
This can be a hard one. Some things are worth sticking with because you know in your heart it's what you need to do, but other situations that steal your happiness?
Life is too short for that. Let It Go.
Have a Terrific Thursday, everyone!
22 comments:
Love, Love, Love the License Plate Place Mats on the lunch table!! They add such a quilty vibe to the meal.
I love the bowls that are on your lunch table. So pretty. How fun for you. So glad you got to sew with the ones you love. So good for the soul.
Bonnie, I see the stack of plates there on the kitchen island and I have a suggestion. Set them up on a cake plate there instead. I did this last month when my children came for dinner, and it was so nice. It leaves a bit more room on the counter for the food, or for the silverware.
So fun for you to share the quilting retreats with the group! Congratulations!
What a blast that looked like. Lucky ladies!!!! I can only imagine the laughs and stories being shared. Glad to see it all come together.
thanks for honoring the Quilts of Valor group! If you have not yet been to a presentation you might want to get yourself invited to one. It's an emotional jolt and so satisfying! One retired veteran guest (not a recipient)was amazed that "civilians" could care so much about those who had served! Poor guy, must have been of the VietNam era where we kind of forgot about them... again, thank you so much for what you do, Cats in Carlsbad CA... glad you got to be included in your fun, happy birthday, BTW
We had a blast, and Bonnie made us feel so welcome, as though we'd been sewing together every Wednesday for years. Thank you Bonnie!
Love everything about this! The ladies, the projects, the bowls, the birthday surprise - AND - the paper on top of the ironing station! Great idea!
As my "kin" might say: "Looks like you had a real fine hoot'n annie."
So happy for you as your dream unfolds!
You had a dream and vision a few years ago, put the gears in motion and yesterday was the first of many, many wonderful events to take place in your quilting haven. Congratulations Bonnie. Enjoy every delightful minute.
I was so excited reading and seeing all those ladies in your dream Quiltville Inn! It’s very impressive! Thanks for sharing!
SEW happy that you were able to be a part of everything! Happy, happy birthday, Bonnie! Hugs~
looks like so much fun! i know it was a blast! you will be happy to use the flannel to protect your ironing stations.. i do it too, i also used a stripe flannel to help me keep my blocks from getting crooked.. happy quilting everyone!
Looks like a blast was had by all! I would love to come and visit but I do not belong to any groups. 😕
Happy Quilting! 🧵
I am beyond HAPPY for you and so Proud!!! What you have created for others to enjoy is awesome! But what makes it more special is that it is from your large, generous, gorgeous Heart!!! Wishing you the best from across in mountain in Linveille.
Hi Bonnie, I have been using Newsprint on the ironing boards for several years and it works great for pressing
You’ve worked hard and given the quilting community so much! I teared up with happiness reading this post.
I use an alternative for my ironing board...parchment paper. It comes on rolls, and I slide glass head pins to hold it down to the board cover. It takes a lot of heat, but can be crinkly sounding when ironing. In the grocery store by the wax paper.
Looks like so much fun! Hope to get there some day soon... Jan in MA
Looks like so much fun. Hope one day to experience the joy.
The different quilt shop labels on the placemats are so great. Do you happen to have a pattern of how they were surrounded with various fabrics? I have tons of quilt license plates that I'd love to find a use for. Thank you!
Does the newsprint leave any residue on the fabrics? I know just reading the paper can get my hands all dirty.
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