Blue Ridge Beauty in the Blue Ridge!

Blue Ridge Beauty was my first-ever Leader & Ender Adventure.

Pattern found in my book Adventures with Leaders & Enders!

This is the quilt that spawned it all – and it all started while on a quilt retreat.  So funny how things have a tendency to come full circle?

I had been working on a project – you know how it goes – miles and miles of triangle pairs sewn in a chain, and the folded-over-thread-covered-throw-away piece of junk fabric I had been sewing on and off of in between my lines of chain piecing was where?  Way down on the floor at the top end of the chain piecing, and I would have to get out of my chair, crawl under the table and snip it from the beginning of the chain to use it once again at the end.

Instead, I was about to grab ONE square from my pre-cut squares that I was working with and fold it over to start a new one.  And that’s when the light bulb went off.

Why not take two squares, a light and a dark, and instead of folding a piece in half to stitch over it eventually throwing it away, simply sew my regular 1/4’’ seam and save it.  When I had two pairs I could stitch them into a four-patch in the same manner and let the little stacks build instead of adding more thread and fabric to my trash.

And that’s how it all began.

We hung the Blue Ridge Beauty quilt over the front porch rail as it is so large there is no where to hang it as a workshop sample in the house.  Seriously big.

And then the wind came and blew it off the rail as the weather turned SNOW GLOBE CRAZY!  I caught a bit of it and posted it to Instagram and Facebook.  Click to Play:

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A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Mar 6, 2020 at 7:52am PST

We watched it blow – one person had to go chase down a cooler that had blown off the back porch – it was like a wind tunnel back there!

The snow came in shifts – sometimes fine crystals blowing around, and then hard and heavy blowing in the opposite directions – flakes SO HUGE!

Luckily the ground and the roads were too warm and nothing stuck really – until I got up the mountain to the cabin where there is just a skiff this morning.

While the snow swirled, we cut, sewed, pressed and sewed some more!

Extra cutting space in the front foyer!

I moved the round entry table into the dining room, and we set up a tall cutting station here for more space to cut.

I’ve got 3 resident Stripology rulers for guest use!

They got a workout yesterday with all of the strip cutting and sub-cutting.

I love the idea of making this quilt from recycled shirts!

Keep all of the four patches going through the machine the same direction – dark square hitting the needle first so the top seam allowance is pointing UP toward the needle.  This will help nestle the seams tighter together eliminating the need for pinning that intersection.

It also enables us to spin the seams on all of the four-patches in the same direction so they will automatically nest when blocks are put together – no matter which way you rotate the blocks in the quilt.  It’s the best trick!

Chaining those triangle pairs!

Remember to use more pairs of four-patches as Leaders & Enders while you sew!

Nawwww – not having a good time at all! LOL!

Building blocks – making progress!

The Shoo Fly Shoo blocks are also a Leader & Ender Project!

These are adorable! I love them.

This is our Wasilla, Alaska Quiltvillian!

Nancy has enjoyed the ability to take a nap when ever the time zone difference has her feeling a bit out of sorts – just about the time her body clock resets, she will be on her way home! LOL!

And did you notice the shirts?  (Yes they gave me one too!)

The ORIGINAL Quiltvillians -

Quiltville Inn, 2020!

We have our fearless group leader Rebecca to thank for these – but each and every person has gone beyond the mark with commemorative gift items for new found friendships.  Remember, these gals didn’t know each other at all before meeting here yesterday, other than through my Quiltville’s Open Studio Group !

They are already making plans for a reunion on their weekend next year.  This is just what I wanted to see happen.

All of those folks who say “I guess I’ll never get there because I don’t have a group.”  FORM A GROUP!  It’s possible.  It’s happening.  This is proof.

And oh, the laughing over all of the mayo in yesterday’s post?

This makes it a bit more understandable!

Miracle Whip users don’t like Mayo.  Mayo users won’t touch Miracle Whip! (That would be me!) and horseradish sauce is yummy, and the Olive Oil May is a whole other thing – so there you have it! Now it makes sense! LOL!

And we definitely need a bigger treat table.

This is hell on my diet – LOL!

I was home by 5:30 p.m.  I was asleep by 8:30 p.m.  I figure that I’m just getting the jump on the time change, because that 8:30 will be 9:30 and closer to normal by the time the time change hits.

I’m heading back over to the inn this morning, not to work, but to visit and play.  The ladies are still working on their Blue Ridge Beauty quilts – when they have enough blocks we’ll move the table in the foyer and play with some layouts this afternoon.

A workshop for 12 that can continue at its own pace over the span of 3 days?  PERFECT.  So much better than a workshop for 40 to 50 that has to wind up in a mere 6 hours.

I’m bringing some binding to stitch in the Hen Den.  Martha may be bringing her knitting!  We will sip tea and chat and soak up the joy the Original Quiltvillians have brought to this house.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage Seven Sisters quilt found in West Jefferson, North Carolina.

Where there is a will, there is a way!
Never give up, and don't forget to look at things from all other directions.