July Quiltvillians On Parade!

Would you just look at this beautiful array of creativity on display?

Whooowhooooo! Well done, ladies!

The July Quiltvillians packed it all up and headed on out yesterday morning - but man!  They filled every moment of every day (And way beyond bedtime) creating beautiful quilts as well as amazing friendships - which is what retreat is really about, right?

We can all create in the solitude of our own sewing spaces, but life is much better when we connect with other like-minded folks!

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WIPs, Tops, & Quilt Finishes!

There is no stopping the July Quiltvillians!

They have been on a mission since their arrival on Wednesday.

The gauntlet was thrown down and I have never seen such productivity!  The creativity was overflowing and everyone was motivated to get some serious making accomplished.

The Punkin Patch quilt on the design wall (from my book String Frenzy) began as a handful of block parts - and as of yesterday received it's final flying geese borders.  Hooray!

But as if that wasn't enough - next to Punkin' Patch are some Maymont blocks -

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Getting Our Hike On!

Six of us grabbed the opportunity to throw on our sneakers and step away from the sewing machines for just a while - just a couple of hours.

We needed NATURE.  We needed to embrace the silence of the mountains interrupted by only the calls of chirps or birdsong.

We needed to be part of all of this - to feed our souls, to breathe clean air deep into our lungs, to exhale our life-stresses and breathe in peace.

We'd get back to the machines eventually, but yesterday morning was about proving to ourselves that if our muscles burned and our breathing was a bit huffing and puffing that it was just what we needed.

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Sew Much Creativity!

It's a veritable hive of quilty activity in the Quilting Quarters are Quiltville Inn!

And you guys - the laughter is LOUD and I am loving it!

The July Quiltvillians are quilting up a storm - and it's hard for me to pull myself away from things going on here and do my own work at the QPO. I have a serious case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out!) while I attend to the other needful things that are happening in my own space next door.

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Quilters - Start Your Engines!

Yesterday morning on the porch - we've had much cooler (amd much wetter) weather this past week than in the weeks previous and we will take it!

It's quite comfortable to enjoy meals on the porch.

Most of the July Quiltvillians have not seen each other since last July - and we've got folks from California to Connecticut and everywhere in between in this group.

It's so fun to be part of the catching up and hearing whose son got married, who has new grand babies, who is newly retired and all of the good things that come with chatter amongst friends.

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A Break In The Rain -

I had a quick break in between rain showers yesterday morning to do something I've been wanting to do since I took those last hand stitches into the binding of mom's hexie quilt.

It deserved its own over-the-porch-rail photo op!

It was also the only place I could photograph it -really.  At 110'' X 117'' it barely fit between the columns in the turret section of the porch.

And I needed to hurry - as you can see by just looking at that "I just dare you!" sky!

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Whittling Down The Binding Queue

Stuff is moving faster in the binding queue than I thought it would!

I'm on side TWO of my Huka Falls Binding - 

We had quite the discussion over whether I would choose a turquoise, aqua or neutral binding when I was showing the newly quilted and off the machine quilt to Christ's Christmas in July group.

There are many factors that come in to play here - if I want a "Dead Stop" at the edge of the quilt I will often use something contrasting and darker -

But in this case:

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Pardon The Sunbeams!

There are those kinds of days where there is blue sky and sunshine over head - but immediately in the near distance and moving quickly is the blackest cloud-filled sky you've seen and you know - you just KNOW that it is going to rain buckets.

That's how it was on Sunday lunchtime as we sat on the porch enjoying homemade pizzas.

Those clouds were gathering - and if we were going to get our over-the-porch-rail photos in - it had to be NOW.  Like right now.  No matter where the sun was overhead.

I love this group photo shot!  I'll have to remember this for future reference.

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Before The Rains Came -

Yesterday's lunch on the back porch - not knowing what would be erupting within the next hour.

Holy cow did it come down! 

We could see it coming in the distance - and before the deluge erupted we were able to get sme over the porch rail photos taken - 

I'll share those tomorrow - in the meantime, here is what happened through the weekend from within the Quilting Quarters:

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While Some Went Hiking -

A few retreaters left uber early to head up to Grayson Highlands yesterday morning - in search of ponies and avoiding rain.

I skipped on this trip - I get my computer work done before 9:30am and they were already 2 hours gone by then...but I wished them well and hoped they would have some pony-finding success.

They did!

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Quilt Lovin' From the Oven!

While the quilters are hard at work making beautiful things in the Quilting Quarters, I captured some of Chris's Christmas in July group cooking and baking up quite the storm in the kitchen!

Who says we can't do both?

I love a full and happy retreat house with folks spread out everywhere!

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Binding Mama's Hexies!

It's getting there.

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

So I thought it was best to take photos of what was going to happen to the edge of the quilt before I bound it.

I think you can see here that I basted close to where I was going to be trimming, and then used a ruler to square the corners and trim the edges straight.

In this view here - I am losing half of every-other hexie - but there is enough float of background fabri beyond the flower border that it works.

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Hamilton Gardens PDF Gift-Away!

Whoowhooo!  I have never been so glad for a Wednesday to finally arrive!

It seems like forever since we released a new pattern - it was mid-May when Mabel's Choice had her debut.

It's TIME!  I know you've been waiting for this one - and I can't wait to push send on this post and make it available.

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Pieceful Hearts and Quilty Friends!

How fast can a week fly by?

I'd like to slow it down a bit!

I tell you, we filled every day of the past week full with quilting, porch time, hikes and more.

And it still flew by too fast.  Once a year is not enough to see these ladies!

Our Illinois Contingency left last night to get a jump start on their long drive home.  The remainder will be heading south to North Augusta, SC this morning.

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Van Full Of Quilters!

Mornings are meant for being outside -

That is for those who are willing and able to leave their sewing machines and projects for just an hour or so - and do something that is good for body, mind and soul -

Saturday's walk up Bear Branch road provided us with a glimpse of mid summer -

Different things are blooming in mid-July, and we were out to beat the heat.

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While They Went Shopping...

I've been working on my Huka Falls quilt in my home sewing room in the evenings.

Sometimes it's hard at the end of the day to get myself to sit at my home sewing machine. 

But somehow I found an hour or so here and there in between getting home and my usual time that I call my dad each evening to just slot that in there.

And lo and behind - block parts became block quarters.

Block quarters became blocks.

Blocks became rows.

Rows became the quilt center.

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Fun Times With Pieceful Hearts!

You know what helps me realize just how much I love it here?

Folks from other ***Hotter*** places marveling how COOL it is here and loving it!

I've got the Pieceful Hearts group here this week, and they are from North Augusta, SC and Augusta GA area and beyond.

SC/GA has been hot hot Africa hot over the past month or so, and I love that they come up here in July just to cool off.

I also love that I have a bunch of quilters eager and willing to get out for a good walk before they settle into quilting for the day.

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Creative Mess In Progress!

Shirt Parts. Everywhere.

If I made a commitment to stitch with nothing but shirt parts I could probably still quilt to the end of my days and never have to come up with anything more than backing fabric.

I'm dead serious.

It might get monotonous, and monochrome - It turns out I didn't have as many red shirts as I thought I did.  I had to go digging in the shirt vault (Quiltville Inn cellar!) yesterday to see if I could find some more to enhance my variety.

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Come With Me to Kenya!

I've been home for just over 2 weeks.

That means - My sights are set on our next great Quiltville Adventure.

We are headed to Kenya in September for the trip of a lifetime!

In anticipation, I pulled out some favorite photos from that trip - and I'm sharing them with you here to get those who are already signed up with me a bit excited over things we will be seeing.

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A Quick Post -

My stack of County Clare blocks is growing steadily!

This is the space behind my machine at the QPO Studio - this desk is wide and deep and I like it that way!

I haven't counted them yet - I just kind of like how they look here, all of those scraps playing so nicely together!

It's fun watching them stack up while I work on the red/white/blue star blocks that have taken over.

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Fantastic Weekend!

I really should get out more.

I'm not sure what it is about this advanced age that has me preferring for the most part to just deal with small groups of retreating quilters, a few local friends and choosing basement sewing time over wanting to be out and about around crowds of people.

I am mostly content to just be faced with a project that has captured my attention, with something binging on some streaming service, or podcast, or just music.

But every once in a while, with much prodding and encouragement, I find I can have a wonderful time with friends playing social of an evening!

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2024 Leader & Ender Challenge: County Clare!

After spending 2 weeks in Ireland in June - I KNEW - just KNEW that I wanted to do an Irish Chain variation of some kind.

It would make the perfect Leader & Ender challenge - but what?

What would make it fun, leave loads of options for others, and put good use to scraps?

We had the most beautiful weather on our trip - I'm not saying that there wasn't any rain, because there was - but there was enough rain to make us appreciate the abundant sunshine we were graced with.

So many of my photos are blue and green.  More blue and green.  Even more blue and green.

And so I've had just 2 weeks to pull some scraps and get things going so I can show you just how it is going to go.

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It All Starts WIth One.

What else is a girl left alone to her own devices to do on a long independence day holiday weekend?

It all started with yesterday's Quote of the Day.

Star quilts have always been a favorite.

I'm down to only 10 blocks left to hand quilt on my Ladder Star, so SOMETHING has to fill the hoop next, don't you think?

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Independence Day 2024 -

It was one of those nights where deep sleep eluded me.

So it was a surprise to me to finally wake up this morning, look at the clock and find it was already 8:30am.

I guess I made up for lost sleep after all!

Independence Day.

And I'm solo because Hubster Dave went to Oregon for a friend's celebration of life  - and is spending the extra holiday time with his brother and family.

Son Jason arrived at uncle Bruce's yesterday - and they will be together for the next few days.

I love this for them.

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Tuesday Time Out!

It was 11 am...laundry had been running since 9 am.

I knew I had an afternoon chiropractor appointment - what if I went early and filled more time?

What if I treated myself to lunch out and a bit of antique mall time?

I put the last loads into the dryers and away I went.

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From Virginia to Mississippi!

And Judy's Quilters are all on the road back to Mississippi.
I wanted to get to the retreat earlier this morning to wish the last of everyone off - but alas - Zoey Jo has decided to take an extra long walkabout this morning and I can't leave without knowing she is back home.  Crazy dog! She hasn't done this in the longest time.
We had an amazing week - and one of the most delightful things - the rains did come and cooled everything off.  Temps are in the 50s this morning!

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Hello, July!

There is no doubt what went on here through the last weekend of June 2024.

We quilted until it was time to turn the page on the calendar and welcome in JULY!

Someone please slow down the speed of Summer passing us by - seriously.

I wait all year for summer and boom.  Gone in a flash.

Meanwhile at Quiltville Inn -

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