More Fun with Susan's Retreat Friends!

All too often, retreats come to a close all too quickly.

Before I know it folks are picking up projects, having reached a good stopping point on the last full day, and the gathering, organizing and the packing up of vehicles begins.

It's bittersweet!

Never the less we filled our weekend to the brim with as much quilty fun as any group could muster.

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Where Quilters Gather!

This was yesterday's brunch bunch!

As I've said before, NO ONE goes hungry at retreat - ever!

The kitchen has been producing many yummy smells over the past few days and everything has been deliciously served with love.

And that includes the special treats too!

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Retreating in the Rain!

This was the scene yesterday as I arrived at Quiltville Inn to check on Susan's Retreat group and see how they fared for their first night!

It's a good sign when folks are already sewing - in jammies - after 9am!

Meanwhile - it POURED outside.  It had poured all night long.  It rained off and on throughout yesterday and rained through the night last night.

In 24 hours we've received more than 2'' of rain.  Crazy.

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When We Need A Little Sunshine -

This is Karen's sweet mama Mary Anne!

She celebrated her 85th birthday yesterday, receiving a beautiful Tulip Time quilt from Karen in honor of her big day.

How many 85 year olds do you know who can get down on the floor like this - and still get back up?

You have to love the socks too - another gift that Karen knitted herself.

Happy Birthday, indeed!

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Taking Twenty!

I woke up this morning a bit cranky.

My plan of coming home early yesterday afternoon to sew was thwarted by a headache that required a nap.

Headaches don't happen often for me, but I'm thinking that headache was letting me know that more rain and inclement weather was on the way - and the only cure was a dark room, a cool washcloth over my eyes, and complete silence. I drifted off as the pain eased.

Yep.  I awoke to more pounding rain about 5pm.  There went my machine sewing time!

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Two-Twenty Two-Twenty Two!

Dates with fun numbers always make me smile.

I was out at an estate sale with Martha on Sunday and it was 2-20-22 and she called it our Pal-indrome day (as we are such pals!) and it tickled my funny bone.

And then comes today where everything is just Twosie!  My inner 2nd grader is having a ball.

Everything is coming up twos!  I'll never see this again in my lifetime.  It's something to celebrate.

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Gone to the Goats!

Things are starting to green up in my corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains!

Green enough that the goats at Martha's Lazy Bee Farm are out and about and enjoying it.

And while the sun shines, and the cloudless sky above shows promise, it's still quite chilly - but getting there.

Soon.  Spring.  Soon!

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Antiquing My Way Home!

"Necessary" errand days can be quite routine with nothing to talk about.

This appointment, that to-do list, that car service, that this-or-that.

It's what happens in a normal day-to-day life full of just.....well, LIVING.

As the saying goes: "Not much to write home about."

And then the opportunity to throw in a FUN little side adventure happens and makes the day all that much better!

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A Most Fan-tabulous Kind of Day!

Some quilts just feel like SPRING!

Even if the drizzle drizzled and the wind gusted - a day spent quilting with a pizza-wielding friend just make the "Best Things of the Week Awards" list!

If there is one thing I can accomplish in this quilty life - I would choose to be an encourager to all of those who feel in any way "less than" when it comes to finishing a languishing decades-old top into something beautiful.

If I could, I would pull out all of my early efforts and show you that many of my most loved and well-worn quilts are evidence on the time line of my life that learning and skill building happens all along the way - 

One. Quilt. At. A. Time.

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Who Let The Cows Out??

We start this post in a most unusual fashion - and I really wish I were there to see the "before-math" instead of  just the aftermath!

It seems that Farmer Jones (Not his real name which is unknown) who owns the herd that roams the mountain across the creek behind Quiltville Inn had some escapees!

Yesterday I walked up the front steps of the inn, around the porch to get to the back door and I saw strange "mud piles" ALL OVER the yard.  What the??

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Farewell, February Quiltvillians!

A couple of the February Quiltvillians left having made BANK in the Cuss Jar/Rip Jar pool! LOL!

I'm starting this post with this image because the drawing of the names was just so fun -

Now, you can choose to put 50 cents in each time you are caught cussing, or having to un-sew OR, you can just pay it all up front for unlimited cuss/rip moments (Usually happening at the same time) and hope to win it back at the end of retreat.

One of these jars had close to $50 bucks in it!  I'm not sure if it was cuss, or rip, but there are two quilters going home with fabric funds in their pockets! LOL!

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Rododendron Trail & Cabin Corners Gift-Away!

It's mid-February!  And you know what that means?

Rhododendron Trail has been retired from the blog, has been completely unscrambled and rewritten into PDF Pattern Booklet Format and is available for download in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store!

I've kept all of the hints, tips, tricks and optional methods in - the full 8 week run of instruction is now in an easier to read and understand format!

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Fan Quilting - Turning Corners!

Happy Valentine's Day Monday, everyone!

I hope you've had a great weekend, and time to rest and restore.

Things are busy here with Quiltville Inn in full swing, and I so much look forward to my feet up with needle and thread time in the evenings after dinner.  It just smooths everything over and even contributes to a better night sleep I believe.

I also love the many questions coming in about how I'm doing this or that - the fact that you are interested enough to ask a question means I am not alone in wanting to do this!

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Figuring It All Out!

This was the view at my feet yesterday as I filled out-going mail order packages in time to get them to the box before USPS pickup time.

If introducing Mabel to Ivy had proved a bit chaotic - imagine my stress over what Lola would do!

Zoey and Lola have had a "You stay over there and I'll stay way over here" relationship since I first brought Zoey home from the shelter.

But then Zoey was younger, more rambunctious, and Lola had to show her who's boss.

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Things from Ivy's Perspective!

Things are NOT normal at home.

I was just living my ordinary cat life, sleeping when I wanted, wherever I wanted, eating when I wanted, begging for treats and getting them on demand.

And then all at once, everything went upside down!

Mom brought home another bumbling barker and I no longer seem to rule the roost around here.

I mean, seriously?  What's a kitty girl like me supposed to do when interlopers move in and take over?

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Just Before Mabel Came Home -

My Hopes & Dreams String Star FINALLY made it to the basting stage, after being "mostly a top" (minus a few bits of applique) since 2008.

Funny things happen when you resurrect old projects.

You discover just WHY they ended up in time out in the first place! LOL!

Mostly - I remembered why I didn't think this quilt was a good candidate for machine quilting, and would fare better with quilting by hand.

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Mabel Mae's Adoption Day!

Surprise, Surprise!

We welcomed a new family member to the Quiltville Gang yesterday - Mabel Mae!

Isn't it funny how sometimes things just happen - things you really hadn't planned on?

Well, we had planned sort of.  We've been looking - but not intently.  Just occasionally browsing shelter pages to see if anything came up that looked like a good fit.

We don't know Zoey's history before she came to us at 1 year old.  But every time she sees a dog, whether it be while hiking, or while driving through the country, or even on TV - she cries.

As in a mournful whining cry as if her heart is broken.  We think she had other dogs with her in her early life.

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The Keepers of the Quilts -

This photo is actually sideways.

But it was way too tall to use  as a banner photo at the top of this post.  Thanks to the miracle of photo editing software, a quick tap of the rotate button, and here you have Ivy on Sunday night as I finished putting the last stitches into the binding on my Churn Dash obsession.

Life is so rough for Ivy, as you can plainly tell.

Also - I am a prisoner to the recliner when she is like this, wedged between my knees on the uplifted foot rest.  What's a girl to do?

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Quilt City Murders Release Day Gift-Away!

Quilting, Mayhem and Murder!

All of my favorite things in one place.  LOL!

No, seriously - I love "Who Dunnit" type intrigue.  The mystery/crime drama type of read is one that really pulls me in, and if it involves quilting, and PADUCAH, I can't wait to read it!

I was contacted by Bruce Leonard right after New Years, letting me know his long awaited quilt genre debut was coming soon, and would I like to participate in getting the word out there.

OF COURSE!

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From Quilting to Binding!

These are things that make me smile.

Seeing supposedly insignificant, outdated, or possibly lesser loved scraps join with their more modern and contemporary counterparts and become part of a whole new creation where NONE are deemed unimportant..

In my scrap quilts, it takes a village!

Of all of the different parts of quilting from cutting to sewing and beyond, I get a lot of enjoyment out of simply choosing which fabric is going to play next to that one, coming up with combinations that might be a bit surprising at first, but just work in the end!

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Quiltmaker March/April '22 Gift-Away!

Guess what arrived!

The bundle I've been waiting for - with one for me, and two for thee!

In the March/April '22 issue of Quiltmaker Magazine is the instructions for the next set of Ruby Jubilee blocks, and I could hardly wait to throw those pages open and see what we would be making in this issue!

And yes, it feels weird writing "March/April" when we are stuck in the season of February Mud here in Southwestern Virginia - and even to those of you being pounded with snow and ice in other areas of the country, this is is a sign of hope that spring actually WILL arrive, and the pages of this issue are full of spring inspiration.

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Running for the Borders!

This was my day yesterday.

And if it looks like it was an easy choice - it wasn't!

I must have pulled 8 to 10 different combinations of fabrics from the stash cabinets as possible borders for my Churn Dash quilt - 

And I was ALMOST ready to give up when these two jumped out at me.

First the orange - but what to pair it with?

And then that wild raspberry tie-dye looking thing.

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Out and About, Day Two!

Appointment Day -

I took a 100 mile drive to the eye doc - with a special mission at hand.

A couple of weeks ago when we went to Marion to get our North Carolina drivers licenses traded in for Virginia ones, I had something happen that has never happened before.

I failed the vision test.

You know that boxy thing you put your face in, and with the light shining up at you, you have to read the letters through the light.

I thought it must be a joke.  Certainly, NO ONE would be able to read those letters.  The machine must be broken or something.

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Just a Wanderin'!

We were greeted with sunshine and temps in the lower 40s as we headed from Mouth of Wilson, VA across the NC state line to West Jefferson, NC.

We were two girls on a mission - with a plan to get away and wander the aisles of a favorite antiquing haunt (hoping to find the right items to use a ready-to-expire gift certificate) and grab a gabby lunch out.

Martha swung by the QPO just as I was finishing up the day's outbound mail order, and off we went.

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