Good Morning, Quiltvillians!

This is what I'm talking about!

When quilty friends from all over the country gather together - after having not seen each other since this time last year - you just KNOW there is a lot of catching up going on!

Add in a few newbies and it's a happy mix of everything retreats are known for -

Good friends, good food, good fun!

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Piles of Strings and Scrappy Things!

It was this kind of day yesterday.

My friend Kathy is on retreat with the September Quiltvillians - and when she arrived Wednesday she came bearing one brown grocery sack (with handles!) full of hunks and chunks, and a full 13-gallon kitchen trash bag full of strings and strips.

And another bag full of shirts to recycle!

I've been over the moon since - but it wasn't until yesterday (Thursday) that I was able to dig in and see just what was in this windfall.

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Eclipsed Drawing Time!

It's the last Thursday of August 2024 - and it's time to draw for the winners of our Eclipsed Gift-Away!
I've watched the entries roll on in - and we nearly hit over 5,500!This makes me so excited - I can't wait to see what colors and fabrics you pull into your own version.

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Blue Skies, Sunshine & Stitch Mob!

If you are lucky enough to spend any amount of time with this lovely group of  Stitch Mob ladies, you are indeed lucky enough!

We had a great retreat while they were here - not a speck of rain.  Temps were mild (but climbing toward the end) and everyone said "But it's cooler here than it is at home so it's all good!"

That's what I like to hear.

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National Dog Day and More -

These two went for a car ride yesterday - they were so excited.  They LOVE car rides.

In fact, we can't even SAY the words "Car Ride" around them because they KNOW. They know what that means, and there is all kinds of squealing and jumping around and happy tails all the way to the car.

Yes, we end up spelling it out "C-A-R-R-I-D-E!" to each other because we think that they can't spell.

But who are we fooling?

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Stitch Mob Through The Weekend!

I've had a wonderful weekend with the Stitch Mob hailing from Missouri, Kansas and beyond!

Such a fun and creative bunch of ladies - 

And a few of them kicked my butt when it came to getting out for hikes and walks.

The weather was perfection - We could use some rain, but it has been so lovely, this late summer days.

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Sew Much Going On!

The Stitch Mob gals and sewing up a storm and turning out some beautiful quilts!

I think more than the finishes, I love seeing work stations full of productivity.

A quilter's "Still Life" where you can look at the photo and just know how much is happening just by looking at the surroundings on the table.

How many of you are searching for prints that you also have in your stash?

There is a whole lot of Bitcoin  happening in this spot this weekend!

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Quilters & Dirt Road Hikers!

This is what it's like when someone else steps in as supreme selfie taker!
Way to go Karen, you made my day so much easier!
This was yesterday's lunch served after we returned from our little dirt road hike. 
It was such a beautiful morning - even a bit chilly, which just feels so crisp - as if fall really is right around the corner.
You remember, I"m sure, those mornings when school was back in full swing and what it feels like to step outside of the door in the cool air?  That kind of morning.  Perfection!

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Little Time For Sewing -

Yesterday on the way to Hubster Dave's colonoscopy (How's that for an opening line? LOL!) we were laughing in the car about all of the medical stuff there had been in just the past two weeks.

He has been dealing with a crown replacement - which didn't fit when he went in to have it put on (This is after the temporary didn't stay glued in place either.) and he now has an appointment next week to get that sorted.

He'd been to the ortho guy after being at the hospital for an MRI of his wrist, and then passing out after an injection in the doc's office -

This was on the tail end (ha!) of my own colonoscopy - and then his yesterday, scheduled a week apart so we could be drivers for each other.

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Sometimes Days Go Like This...

I'm starting out this post with something happy!

With laundry running and much house cleaning happening before today's arrival of the Stitch Mob, I took a few minutes to hang Eclipsed in the front foyer at Quiltville Inn.

Yes, I know that Kismet topper on the table also needs to go - I think it's time for bringing out Appalachian Autumn as it was in the 40s this morning when I woke up.  Brrr!  Fall is around the corner.

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August Quiltvillians 2.0 and More!

How do you gauge the wind factor in a photo? You look for the flutters and folds and quilters struggling to keep everything flat - no no avail.  LOL!

Such was the case yesterday afternoon as folks lined up with quilts and quilt tops over the rail - and the wind was just NOT going to cooperate!

"Action shots!" is what we call them....but then is there anything prettier than quilts waving and flapping in the late summer afternoon breeze?

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Weekend Concerts & Quilty Things!

If I look a bit hot and sweaty - I am.

A mere 45 minute drive away, 'down mountain" as we call it sits Wilkesboro, NC, and it's neighboring city of NORTH Wilkesboro, NC.

We made plans more than 6 weeks ago to attend the summer concert series which fell this past Saturday evening.

We couldn't have asked for a better evening - maybe a bit more breeze, but it was perfect!

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Stitching Slowly -

Quick update on the slow stitching -

Binding is done, (Hooray!) Hanging sleeve stitching down in progress.

Trifecta of Godfather movies endured. I'm so glad that money and power and prestige and mob activities are not part of my daily life.  I'm a firm believe in keep it simple, and just keep me entertained with fabric and possibilities.

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Deep Scrap Explosion!

Do you remember back in the day - I'm talking way back, now. (Because time flies) "Once upon a time, a long, long time ago...." type stuff.

It was after we finished our Allietare mystery (Or was it Easy Street?) that I had asked if anyone had any "Leftover grey strips" that they would tuck a couple in an envelope to be sent with a regular stamp because I had a string quilt I desperately wanted to make but needed a wider variety of grey?

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Eclipsed! PDF Pattern Gift-Away!

There was a solar eclipse in April of 2024.

It was a BIG deal – especially for those in the path of totality – of which I was not so lucky.

However, NASA provided live feed from different areas across the country with no commercial interruptions of just what was happening as this phenomenon moved its way across our skies.

Of COURSE it inspired a quilt in my head - how could it not?

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Hard Exit Drawing Time!

Hard Exit is available now in both paperback and hardback, and also on Kindle.

You all know my friend Bruce Leonard as the author of the Quilt City Hadley Carroll mysteries.  The ones with the cozy (if murders can be considered cozy!) mysteries happening around Paducah, Kentucky and all involve quilting as a theme.

You might not know that he also writes other genres - and since we all have a wide variety of things we like to read, I'm helping Bruce promote his newest release Hard Exit - which became available on Amazon last week!

Today I'm drawing for 3 winners who will each receive a signed paperback copy of Hard Exit directly from Bruce!

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From the TaDa Quilters WIth Love -

Some retreats just fly by too quickly!

And that is definitely the case for a Wednesday tp Sunday pack it all in and do the most you can retreat!

What can we say?  Folks have jobs and obligations, and not all groups can stay until Tuesday, even if I wish they could.

It seemed the TaDa quilters were packing up and heading out before I was ready for them to go!

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Keep Encouraging!

It is so exciting to have Gen Z quilters with us on retreat at Quiltville Inn.

It is encouraging to know that some of our younger generations are eager to grasp the baton we pass on to them and carry on our love of fabric, thread and quilting in to the future.

It was a wonderful weekend with the TaDa quilters in residence - and first timer Alia fell right into step with all of us who could just as easily be the same age as her mom - or we could all be aunties!

And this gal can quilt up a storm, I tell you!

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Porchin' It!

Hurricane Debby left our area in search of places more coastal and more northern -

If you've been in the path and have found yourselves a bit soggy - I hope things dry out for you soon.

As for the TaDa quilters - as drizzle and rain  stopped being blown in sideways and it was safe and dry back on the back porch again - all meals and other activities moved to outside.

I know just how they feel - this porch is my happy place and I'm sad that we are creeping ever closer to mid August already.  

Let's enjoy it while we can! (And that includes Tula!)

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Hard Exit! - A Bruce Leonard Gift-Away!

Guess what just released this week?

You all know my friend Bruce Leonard as the author of the Quilt City Hadley Carroll mysteries.  The ones with the cozy (if murders can be considered cozy!) mysteries happening around Paducah, Kentucky and all involve quilting as a theme.

You might not know that he also writes other genres - and since we all have a wide variety of things we like to read, I'm helping Bruce promote his newest release Hard Exit - which became available on Amazon a couple of days ago!

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Time To Wander -

Last week when leaving my chiropractor's office - I looked at my watch to see that I had 45 minutes before the antique mall that I hadn't visited in quite some time would be closing.
Now, 45 minutes is usually not enough for me - but since the only other things on my evening plate were driving home to fix dinner (Ha!) I decided to take the 45 minutes just for a mind reset and a wander.
Vintage sewing machines and quilts had been a rare occurrence over the past several trips so I was less than hopeful.  But look!

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Down The DNA Rabbit Hole!

A couple of days ago I received an email that said my DNA testing was in progress and that the NEXT email I received from them would be my results.

I thought it would be another week or so.

I awoke to the results email this morning - and I've wanted to do nothing else but explore what information was right there in my inbox!

This is me!  And there are things I didn't know - or remember ever knowing.

How is it that I am 26% Swedish and Danish?  LOL!

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This Is How We Do It! (And A Shout Out!)

All good things must come to an end as the saying goes.

And the reply is simply "But Why?!"

Wouldn't we like this to go on and on and on?

The August Quiltvillians have filled the walls and halls with love and laughter and I have enjoyed having them here at Quiltville Inn so much.

So many gorgeous projects.  So much yumminess coming out of the kitchen. So many wonderful friendships enjoyed!

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Quilting Up The Weekend!

Happy Monday, everyone!

We made it through the weekend!

And this is where I left things on Saturday afternoon - 

My Diamond Tile quilt is moving forward!

In this photo I'm in the process of webbing the top - all rows are assembled at the same time, held in place by the chaining threads between the rows.

All that is left for me today is to do the cross seaming.

Bug I digress.

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That SewJo MoJo Thing!

I've got to admit it.

I've been in a weird brain-space recently.

It seemed I had a whole lot of momentum since returning from Ireland/Scotland at the end of June and just powered my way through July.

There were completed tops to machine quilt (Huka Falls and Mom's Hexie) and a top to finish at baste for hand quilting (The shirt starts one - still unnamed) and quilts coming back from the Quilter's Hall of Fame in Indiana and......then what?

Earlier this week I posted this:

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Quilters - Start Your Engines!

So this happened last week.

I took the last stitches in the binding of Huka Falls - and set it aside.

It didn't get much fanfare - maybe because I"m holding it off for a January release.

Why January? Because all of the other months are taken.  January is one year since our fabulous trip to New Zealand.

January has us back down under in Australia warming our toes while the northern hemisphere deals with ice, snow and cold. (Yes there is room for you!  Bring a friend, spouse, significant other, sibling, adult child!)

And I think the lovely aqua/turquoise colors are going to see us all through the winter doldrums.

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Summit St. Box Gift-Away!

Happy Thursday, folks!

And happy AUGUST - can you believe it? Where did summer go?

I know for many quilters that August is a great month for quilting road trips - as evidenced by the August Quiltvillians who made their arrival at Quiltville Inn a party last evening.

And to celebrate quilty road trips - have I got a fun gift-away for you!

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