Quilting, Quilting & More Quilting!

I love it when I walk into the Hen Den at Quiltville Inn and find relaxation, conversation with a side of stitching going on!

Yesterday was a busy day, but we somehow managed to fit it all in -

A morning walk, more sewing.

A lovely lunch on the porch, more sewing.

An afternoon of sewing interrupted by plenty of snacks - you know, because we hadn't eaten since lunch, and more sewing up until dinner time.

Some binding, and some feet-up reading!

This is what retreat is about!

I love Nola's quilt - it's a leader/ender and includes EVERYTHING.  Can't wait to see this one over the porch rail.

Sarah is on a mission to finish her Straits of Mackinac quilt from my book String Frenzy .

It's coming together beautifully!

Candy's Wonky Wishes is getting sashings!

Lani's Rivanna is being made for a guild blue & white challenge.

Check out the colors for this Ruby Jubilee!

I love it!

While last year's group blocks were Sister's Choice, this year they have settled in on Scrappy Mountain Majesties from the Free Patterns tab.

I can't wait to see everyone's finishes - they'll have a good start on their blocks while here on retreat.

There are so many different ways to set these blocks!

The BEAST quilters are also a very active group and I'm thrilled that they like to get out with me in the mornings to walk a long dirt road!

As you can see, Zoey and Mabel are all in, too.

The fragrant honeysuckle is absolutely wonderful.

There were still some Mountain Laurel blooming, which the Utah Contingency had never seen before so that was great.  The roses, however, are all done and we'll wait for next spring for them to come around again.  

Everything is cyclical, isn't it?

Yellow roadside wildflowers - and cows.  LOL!

I think they are as interested in us as we are in them!

It's a good day to have a good day!

Thirsty girls upon our return.

Last night's dinner?  Spiedies on the grill from the New York Contingency!

Spiedies are a mainstay sandwich of Binghamton, N.Y., and its surrounding boroughs. They’re made of meat (cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef) marinated for a long time in what amounts to Italian dressing, then threaded onto skewers, grilled, and slid into a sub roll or slice of bread, sometimes with a drizzle of fresh marinade or hot sauce.  

In our case, it was pork and chicken - YUM!

Removed from skewers to make serving easy.

I found this photo from the New York Times showing the spiedie on toasted Italian bread.  Our dinner was SO GOOD served with broccoli salad. Mmmmm!

It's really fun to have folks from different corners of the country bring their favorites for us all to experience.

Up on deck today?  Another busy "fit it all in!" day.

There will be a walk this morning, followed by a trip to the quilt store in Wytheville along with an antique mall wander after lunch.

It will likely be close to dinner time by the time we return and we'll eat again.  LOL!

And we'll top the whole day off around the fire pit tonight.

This having a retreat business is really bad for my waistline.  But I love it!

Do you have anything going on for your Saturday ahead?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage quilt found in West Jefferson, North Carolina

We've all heard that each new day is a gift - what if we could unwrap it with the anticipation of a small child?

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Be excited about the experiences that will happen today!

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Experience wonder in all the simple little things that we are able to do!