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Saturday, March 05, 2022

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.


When they returned last year in March of 2021 it felt like a homecoming.

There were tears of comfort for those who had lost loved ones to Covid in the previous year. (I also lost my mother in law in January of 2021 to Covid.)

There were cheers of happiness and congratulations over graduations, weddings, and new grandbabies.

And here we are in March of 2022 and we welcomed some newbies to the group and took them right under our wings as well.


We are cheering UFO completions as binding goes on!

This is Suzy's Orca Bay from String Fling.  So gorgeous!


I caught a stack of Grassy Creek blocks being webbed!

My busy day also put me on a round trip drive to Winston Salem and back - and I can't believe the difference altitude makes when welcoming spring.


Pink trees are blooming brilliantly in the piedmont of North Carolina!

It will be another month or so before this kind of gorgeous ness happens up here in the Virginia highlands.  But it's coming.  I can feel it!

Upon my return a I asked if anyone felt like taking a break from the sewing machine chair and heading out on a leg stretch on near by Bear Branch road.


I haven't been down here since fall!

The temp here was about 60 degrees - just a denim shirt needed really.  Can you smell the pines and hear the babble of the brook?


Hello, big fella!

This road basically runs between two mountains in a "holler" and there are a couple of cattle ranches. 

One place has a flock of white turkeys who gobbled at us as we passed on the road above.

We gobbled back, and giggled at their immediate reply.


4pm sunlight and shadow.


And from home - two new best friends!

The dogs + Ivy = endless entertainment!

They are constantly making us laugh - not only that, but listening to the Hubster talk baby talk to them all is just hysterical, especially when he doesn't know I'm listening.


Thursday evening play!

I received messages from Craftours that our Ireland/Italy back-to-back trips in June look like they ARE going to happen and the thought of The Hubster taking care of all three (And yes, Lola too!) for a month makes me glad that he won't be alone while I'm away so long doing make-up trip dates.


Today's plan:  Back to the inn to check on the ladies, and then to the QPO studio next door to work some more on our upcoming Hearts 0f Hope Sew-Along.

I have added a Hearts 0f Hope Sew-Along tab at the top of the blog for easier reference, and have linked to yesterday's announcement post there.

All future posts regarding the Hearts 0f Hope Sew-Along will also be linked there so you'll be able to find what you need when you need it.


In the meantime, I read Ami Simm's recent newsletter on things we can also do to help.

There has been much talk about purchasing digital patterns from Ukrainian designers to put money directly into their Etsy accounts. 

There is everything from cross stitch to crochet, knitting to quilting and beyond.

Ami explains more on her newsletter.

Click HERE to read it for yourself.


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

I love this quote, especially how it applies not only to quilts we are making, but to people
How predictable and boring life would be if we were all perfect, and all the same.
Celebrate the uniqueness in others today!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.


 

9 comments:

  1. The Ivy & Mabel stair picture is adorable!

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  2. My Favorite season is coming! New life and budding trees and flowers, oh My...
    Fun walk with the Retreat ladies. Sew happy to see things getting back to normal, what's that??? Scrappy Makes me Happy. Sew on!

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  3. I recently saw a suggestion to seek out family owned bnb's in the Ukraine and renting them (no intention to go, obviously), to help families. They appear to be reasonably priced, so not out of reach. Watch for/avoid corporate owned properties.

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  4. It does my heart good to see all of the support quilters give to people going through times of severe hardship, stress, and terror. From the hurricanes, fires, & other natural disasters to the current invasion in Ukraine, quilters get busy making, donating, and helping as best they can. I will be participating in three different sew alongs. I have friends who are Ukranian and still have family & friends in Ukraine, and their stress here in the US is HUGE - worrying for them. And so I sew, donate, and pray. Thank you for planning a SAL for us to be able to help during these uncertain times. Take Care

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  5. Thank you for sharing Ami's newsletter. I purchased few patterns. My heart breaks for the people of Ukraine, and like all of us, feel pretty helpless. Thanks for everything you do Bonnie, including being a bright spot in my day!

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  6. I love your photos Bonnie and am looking forward tobeing in Southern Virginia on Tuesday for a few days. My sister lives in Danville, moved there at the beginning of the pandemic and I haven't seen her for over 2 years. I can hardly wait to go. It's a 15 hour ride from Pembroke Ontario but I have knitting and applique to keep me busy. I am looking forward to some nice weather. It is still very cold here and we have a lot of snow.

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  7. Thank you, Bonnie, for all you do to make the world a better place. I have donated to the quilters Unicef group, and now I have purchased downloads from Ukrainian sellers on Etsy. Each of us cannot do much alone, but together we can make a difference. Thank you for giving us a place to come together. You are a bright light in difficult times!

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  8. Hi Bonnie, just had to tell you how excited I am to be back at the sewing machine working on my Celtic Stolcise. I started it when you did but had to take time off to care for my husband who suffered from Alzheimer’s. He passed away in January, and I am finally feeling like sewing again. So excited to see this close to being put together. Thank you for your inspiration Bonnie.

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  9. Hi Bonnie, I am sorry for your loss. It is good to be occupied with quilting/sewing as you grieve. It helps you get up and move forward.
    Blessings, Rita

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