Just a Day Trip -

My 2 hour drive to Winston Salem gave me ample opportunity for.....

You guessed it!  An Antique Mall wander before my designated eye doctor appointment time.

And what you see on this shelf is an immediate reminder of my maternal grandmother who passed when I was 5.

Somewhere - I wish I could find it - I have a photo of my brother Mark and me sipping rootbeer floats out of these tumblers.

I didn't buy any.  I have a set of 12 plus a few spare tumblers like the top photo for the inn.

It's amazing how many retreaters say "Oh! I remember these! I grew up with these!"  and it connects us all somehow.

I have a set of 6 matching coffee cups in the wire holder at home, and a set of the ice cream bowls and I love and use them.

I stood there for the longest time, picking them up, setting them back down, and remembering back to when I was 5 and even earlier - conjuring up what memories of my grandma that I could.

And when I got home - I pulled out some of my raffiaware and used it.

Here's a little clip I found:

At the antique mall the tumblers were running about $5.00 a piece - so they've aged well.

Just don't put them in the dishwasher.  Trust me. (They are 60 years old and can leak water between the layers causing mold.)

Well, this is cool!

It's a sewing stool!

So mid-century modern - but it didn't come home either as the price was $78.00.  Worth it? Who knows.  Place for it?  Nope.

Did anything come home?  Nope.

I didn't see any quilts even worthy of taking a photo.  I saw ZERO machines, treadle or otherwise.  I used to see tons.  Not anymore.

I did see one spool cabinet table - but they wanted $395.00 for it.  And I have nowhere to put it so no thank you.

Still it was fun to wander...

Dogwoods are blooming in Winston!

A mere 2 hours away trees have leaves, the redbuds are also blooming and spring is definitely in the air.

I came home with sticky eyes to prove it!  Where are my antihistamine eye drops??

That isn't all that was going on with my eyes, though.

My vision has tanked in my left eye so badly that I'm being referred to a specialist.  I have an appointment back in Winston on 4/15.

The eye doc could see a pocket of fluid by my macula that could be causing this issue - and I can't get a new prescription until that fluid issue is solved.

My eyes have been a problem since I was a little girl.  I've had multiple surgeries for strabismus (lazy eye in both eyes) both when I was little and into my 40s.

I'm dealing with MacTel2 which has been holding its own - but maybe this has something to do with that?

I'm on a restricted drivers license and can only drive during daylight hours.

But my main concern - can I keep quilting?  Will I be able to keep quilting?

So no glasses were ordered at Costco, but I went anyway to stock up on things I needed.  It was not a wasted trip as I needed SO MUCH.

Last evening as I finished the binding on Ladder Star -
Mabel wants to be close to Lola - Lola has definite boundaries. (As in..."Don't you even think about sniffing my butt!")
At this point Ivy was still outside, but Lola would be going back to the basement studio for the night when Ivy came in at bed time. It's a constant shuffling and asking where what pet is before we move the other one to the safe zone.
So - it's FRIDAY!  And my machine time will be put off just a bit longer as I head to a much needed haircut this morning.
And TODAY is the last day to enter the  Big String Quartet PDF Pattern Gift-AWay!

I'll be drawing for 2 lucky winners to each win a PDF copy of Big String Quartet from me, AND a Rolling in Color rainbow roll from Cotton to Quilts!

Color rolls contain 20 fabrics measuring approximately 8 1/2'' X 21''. Perfect for enhancing your scrap stash and brightening up your own string collection.

Enter to win on the Big String Quartet Gift-Away Post. Drawing happens SATURDAY!

Yesterday we started another Gift-Away for Bruce Leonards newest Hadley Carroll Quilt City Mystery 'Quilt City - Proving a Negative.' Get your entry in on that Gift-Away Post. 

The PDF patterns for Big String Quartet  and  Kiss Me, Kiwi! are currently 25% off in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store. No coupon needed.

Pricing good through this Sunday 3/31/24.

I love Bruce's books and the continuing adventures of Hadley and the Paducah crew.  

The big release date of Proving A Negative happens on April 2nd - 

But for my readers, we are going to do a Gift-Away of FIVE signed advance paper back copies - right here from my blog.  They will be drawn for ON MONDAY April 1st. 

The book hits Amazon in both Kindle and paperback format on April 2nd.

You'll be able to find all of Bruce's titles HERE. 

And I think that's it for now!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

How you handle any given situation sets an example for others to follow.

Even bad examples teach us lessons

String X quilt tutorial from the free patterns tab on my blog.

Have you made one? Maybe it's time!

Have a lovely Friday, everyone!