Put A Rug Under It!

Any time you have a hard wood surface, and rolling chairs with floor safe casters - there is always the worry that someone will sit down and go flying if their chair takes off from underneath them.

I've seen it happen!

Add to that scenario a house that is 138 years old, and you've got an uneven floor situation due to age that sends chairs rolling away on their own, even without a person sitting in it.

It's quite funny at times - but also not.

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Tuesday With The Cows!

Yesterday was a back-and-forth from the QPO studio to the inn next door -

The Sisters of the Stash had bundled up and left early - so early that I barely caught the last vehicle as it was backing out of the parking lot.

And here I thought I hurried fast enough to catch them!

What then began is a routine of putting things all back together to get ready for the next group.

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From Hen Den to Front Porch!

How toasty is this scene?

I've mentioned enough over the past handful of days how cold and blech it's been here including our snow on Saturday.

Yesterday we seemed to be pulling out of it - bright sunshine and no clouds at least - but that WIND~

It made for an interesting day, let me tell you!

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Quilt While The Wind Blows!

What a full and busy weekend was had with the Sisters of the Stash in residence at Quiltville Inn!

There is plenty of quilting and good food at hand as Irene from Cotton to Quilts is catering all of the lunches and dinners for this venue!  

That means no cooking for the quilters - it's delicious food and pampering all the way! (Did you see we even pulled out the GOOD china?)

She brought plenty of fabric color rolls for us to splurge on as well.

Irene hosts 3 quilt retreats here at Quiltville Inn throughout the year - March, June and October.

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Sisters of the Stash Bash!

The Sisters of the Stash arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and we took our best day of their stay (Thursday) to get out for a good long leg stretch down Bear Branch Road.

Things are greening up!  Temps were mild!

Zoey Jo and Mabel Mae came along for the journey!

And I am pleased to say that this is the LARGEST group I've ever had join me on a jaunt - there were 11 quilters and 2 dogs in attendance!

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A Bloomin' Recovery!

Remember the polar vortex that paralyzed the Southeast a couple of weekends ago with wind chills of -1?

Yes, yes I know.  Those relatives of mine in Minnesota are going "That's nothing - that's balmy!" But it's also devastating for those of us who thought we were getting an early taste of spring and then BLAMMO!

I'm happy to say that the daffies are back!  We lost some blooms due to the deep freeze, but those who hadn't emerged yet are popping right up and doing what they were meant to do - create oodles of happiness every time I see them!

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So Much Quilty Going On!

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes!

There always is, I know - but I am so excited about this something it's all I can think about!

You know how it is - you work on something in fits and starts.  So many pieces.  Tons of units.

All sewn from the cabin when I could find some moments to sew in between the other daily must-dos.

There are things that have deadlines.

And there are things that don't.  This didn't.

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With Blue Skies and Sunshine!

Check out this gorgeous display of quilts from the Valley Quiters!

And don't let that sunshine fool ya - it was also SUPER WINDY!  

Trying to catch photos in-between gusts was the challenge and added some hilarity to the situation.

All day long we had watched the flag hanging in front of the inn blow uncontrollably.

The rocking chairs on the front porch seemed to have ghost riders, and the tree swing?  Weeeeee!

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From Design Floors to Design Walls and More!

Phyllis got her Grassy Creek top assembled on retreat at Quiltville Inn!

This tickles me so much - I just LOVE seeing these quilts come together.

Sometimes it's hard to see from a paper pattern just how the pieced borders complete the design at the edge of the quilt before the final borders are put on.

So I grabbed my OWN Grassy Creek from one of the bedrooms upstairs and we spread it out so she could see how her pieces go.

I'm a visual person too, and it was great to see the two quilts side-by-side!

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Hanging With The Valley Quilters!

There is oodles and oodles of creativity happening in the Quilting Quarters at Quiltville Inn!

We welcomed the Valley Quilters (That's Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, y'all!) on Wednesday afternoon in the rain -

And they've been sewing up their own storm ever since!

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Bindings, Sleeves & Snoozles!

This is how things roll around here.

Zoey would rather have her head ON the quilt in progress, than be under it.

And dang - she is so cute I just hate to move her to get to the next section!

This is your sneak peek progress report.  Are you ready for tomorrow's introductory post to our Hearts 0f Hope Sew-Along?

Be watching for it to post tomorrow morning. 

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Bye Bye, Gail's Quilt Buddies!

There was so much lovin' coming from the Quiltville Inn oven over the past week!

I think it is fair to say that if a quilter goes hungry at retreat - it's due to their own choices!

I love that the kitchen is such a place of comfort and creativity - and so much good food!

Part of the fun is sharing dishes that may be new to many - tried and true family favorites that are best when even the recipes end up being shared.

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Monkey Business & Bear Branch Gift-Away!

We made it! I wasn't sure we would, but we did!

I usually shoot for the middle of the month when it comes to pattern release dates - the first of the month is usually too full of other things and I like to spread it out just a bit and give us something to look forward to.

Has it been a month since the release of Cabin Corners?  Yes it has!  And I am loving seeing your blocks pop up now and again through social media.  Keep sharing them!

Now that we've reached the middle of March - it's time for some Monkey Business and Bear Branch fun of our own!

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Quilters - All Through The House!

I love seeing this space full and bustling!

Folks working on projects, some into the past-midnight hours, and some who go to bed earlier, back at it in the wee smalls with coffee in hand to greet the dawn while others slumber.

It's what retreat is all about!

Throw into that mix our "Spring Forward" time change yesterday and we were all some kind of mixed up hot mess! LOL!

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Steppin' Out With My New Friends!

Wild double-bloom daffies on the hillside.

And that sky!

If you could see what is outside right now, and what is coming overnight through tomorrow - you'd know exactly why we took this nearly-60-degree chance to soak up a bit of sunshine and vitamin D before it all hit.

Last week the daffs weren't up.  Yesterday - there they were!  A welcome sign to Gail's Quilt Buddies who are at Quiltville Inn on retreat this week.

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The Making of Mabel Mae - DNA Results!

I woke up this morning to an email notification that Mabel Mae's DNA results are IN!

If you had preconceived notions (as I did) you just may be a bit surprised - and delighted!

I have loved relating the story about how she came to live with us.  

"She spent 45 minutes in the slammer before I paid her bail and brought her home!"

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Two Hearts Short!

"You need to learn to count!" says Lola.

Tell me about it!  

Either I can't count, or blocks and/or units just up and walk away.

Unless this face also says "You'll never find where I've hidden them!"

And it's something I wouldn't discover I was even short on until I got home last night.

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Board Basting Beauties & More Hearts of Hope Info!

While some of us went hiking up to Grayson Highlands to see the ponies with Zoey & Mabel, another group enjoyed the warm spring weather and set up to board baste Christine's finished Wonky Wishes quilt top to get it ready for hand quilting!

I am absolutely thrilled to have hand quilting happening at Quiltville Inn, be it in the Hen Den in comfy chairs, or on the porch when the weather permits.

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Those March Quiltvillians!

Rhododendron Trail quilts  - porch rail style!

It's finally "Quilts Over the Porch Rail" season!

Hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago it was so awful out that we were doing photos in the dining room instead.

This weekend temps reached 73?!  I know that is unusual and we are in for a bit of a cooling down, but the daffodils are in bloom and spring can't be stopped for long now.

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Quiltvillians on the Town!

Saturday and Sunday included outings with quilters just dying to get out, see the area, and soak up some much needed vitamin D!

All I needed to do was mention the word SHOPPING and the van was full to capacity.

We had a great time wandering Main Street in nearby West Jefferson, North Carolina.

No agenda really, other than to hit some fun gifty type shops, the antique mall, and make a stop at Bohemia, our local great coffee shop for a foo-foo coffee and a snack.

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Sew a Little, Walk a Lot!

The March Quiltvillians are busy creating!

And that doesn't just extend to quilting, but also to knitting, crochet, and fantastic food!

We were reminiscing about our first retreat, March of 2020.  

You know what happened immediately after this retreat ended?  We shut down due to Covid.

We were closed from March until the end of June 2020, and still there was so much unknown.

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Hearts of Hope: Making a Plan!

Sometimes I just jump in with both feet with no thought on how something is going to work out ahead of time.

Yesterday was one such day.

Remember when March 2020 hit and the world stopped?

And we didn't know what to do to keep ourselves from doom scrolling and feeling helpless?

I presented a mystery for our Unity Quilt, while I was sewing just one step ahead of everyone else - because I do crazy things on the fly like that.

I've been working hard and furious with these string hearts in the colors of the Ukrainian flag for nearly a week.  I still have several more to go, but I started thinking:

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Daffies on the Hillside!

It looks like these daffodils may explode into bloom this weekend.

Oh, I hope so!  The world needs to experience some loveliness amidst the ugliness of war and Covid conflict right now.

This is the hillside just off the back yard at Quiltville Inn leading down to Wilson Creek.  

These pretty babies are wild - and wonderful!

I look forward to this every year.

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Quilting Up Unity!

Doesn't this just look like spring is bursting out all over?

Last year I was the recipient of this beautiful Unity quilt top and I knew it just had to be finished up and quilted  - to go to one special person, and I had that person in mind!

Martha has a sweet granddaughter Jana who is 5 years old - the same age as Casden.

And while Casden may not be thrilled with mermaids, lambs, kittens, fish, birds and flowers - Jana is ALL ABOUT all of this!

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Vet Day Monday -

I am putting this at the top here.

Not because I got a chance to work on them yesterday - I didn't - but because this is where my thoughts are while we go through these uncertain times.

And though I'd like to stop everything and stay glued to the news, there are those in my family (of the fur coated four footed variety) that needed some seeing to of their own.

I'll get back to the hearts soon.  I hope.

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