Down By The River -

We have had some lovely unseasonably warm days this week - and I've been lucky enough to have quilting retreaters that were as gung-ho about getting out on a walk in the sunshine as I have been.

Temps have been in the low 70s in the afternoons - just perfect!    

This is also the first time I had really gotten off the main road to see just what storm damage was left after Helene blew in and blew out a few weeks ago.

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Brown Bird Bees On Retreat!

The Brown Bird Bee gals are at Quiltville Inn...driving all the way from Northern Virginia -

I am so happy to have folks from the other side of our great commonwealth experience a bit of SW VA hospitality!

I know this photo is a bit washed out - I was standing at overhead light height when I took it - just consider it a *natural glow* filter.  LOL!

The weather has gone from super chilly to fairly nice and it looks like it will stay in that trend through the weekend.

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Ladder Star Gift-Away!

Autumn days crisp enough for "Sweater Weather!"

Fall nights cold enough for cozy fires and yummy satisfying meals and hot beverages.

I love fall!

Sadly, it never lasts long enough - but while it's here I'll enjoy every day.

I thought a lot about my love of fall while making Ladder Star.  The muted tones and shades of the recycled shirt fabrics - the yummy creams of the neutrals used as star points - it's just a cozy love of a star quilt that says "Fall is HERE!" and I loved every minute of making it -

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County Clare Lay Out!

Quilter's Yoga Day!

You know how it goes - bend and stretch and twist and reach and....

I honestly think that doing this for as long as I CAN do this enables me to keep doing this.

It's a move it or lose it kind of ability.

At least that is what I keep telling myself.

Design floor.  It's all I've got.  This would not fit on a design wall anyway - I'd never be able to reach the top row.  Beside - I have no design wall space to speak of in the QPO studio.

So design floor it is.

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Antiquing Day!

We'd set a time for a 10am departure with b oth Cindy and Martha meeting me at the QPO Studio.

We waved off Hubster Dave and SOn Jeff who were busy with some winterizing and some re-leveling of the back pavers path the lead from the unloading zone to the back porch steps (Gotta keep the good men busy!) and off we went.

Destination?  N. Wilkesboro NC!

There are a couple of antique malls worth wandering that are just across the street from one another, and a good place for lunch within walking distance of both.

And Halloween decor was in full form - some vintage (fun) Some made in China....(eh?) but all colorful enough to enhance our fall moods.

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Well, Isn't THAT Special?

Half of my County Clare blocks were at home.

The other half?  At the QPO Studio.

I've been working on them fairly diligently in between the lines of stitching other things - just as Leader & Ender projects are meant to do.

It's time to set them together - at least I think I have enough to start laying out and determining how I want to go with them and then?

Oh no!

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These Are My Peeps -

I'm looking back 7 or so years in time when I was sitting on Lisa's stoop to her quilting studio in her back yard -

"I think I want to do this.  I want to buy this house and turn it into a retreat."

I pulled up the listing and started showing her photos - this was even before I had done a walk-through on my own to know if it would work or not.  It was just a listing with photos and bit of history of the place.

It felt like an impossible pipe dream.  And here we are.

These are folks who belonged to the Winston Salem quilt guild I belonged to when I livlburg, NC.

These are friendships now more than 15 years old.

And along with that core group of friends are new friends who come as fill-ins and alternates and our circles expand with room for all.

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Where the Fog Nestles -

Early morning, Highway 421 toward Boone, NC yesterday on our way to Hubster Dave's doc appointment.

I don't knot if you can see it off to the right - that white area?  

One of my favorite things about living in the Blue Ridge mountains is the magical fog that tucks itself in and around the hills and hollers like a fluffy white blanket.

There is something comforting about morning fog in the fall.

It's time for pulling out the warmer clothes (I've got my new cute ankle boots on this morning that I bought back in August.  YAY!) and planning for the pumpkin-spice-everythings that flavor the season.

Sweater weather! 

Adding that 3rd quilt to the bed, more for the weight of coziness than for the warmth I need - and then kicking one leg out of the covers half-way through the night because I'm too hot.

Relatable?  

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Look What I Can See!

I took this photo last evening as we returned from a trip to town.

The objective was to get Hubster Dave out of the house and relieve his boredom.

I get it.  I remember well the time I broke my foot and was laid up for a while non-weight-bearing.

And then there was the time I twisted my knee in Vietnam and managed to fly home in a full leg brace...fun times!

Now it's his turn.

But I digress.  We have now lost enough leaves that I can see those ridges past the edge of our yard - and more mountain views are appearing to the east as things thin out more.

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Rhapsody in Blues -

A morning blood draw appointment. A day in the office.  A day getting the inn ready for today's arrivals.  

And time to finish the quilting on my Waterford quilt.

Questions came up yesterday asking about the pantograph name.  I thought it was Random Fans - but it turns out it is Random Clams by Jessica Schick.

I love the texture of this one and scaled it so the arcs were about 3/4'' apart. I didn't want the quilting too dense, but I didn't want it too sparse either.  This did the trick.

I used a gold colored thread which blended through both light and dark areas without shouting too light on the navy blues, or too dark against the whites/creams.  I use this color a lot.

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Quilting Up Waterford -

Waterford is now a top.  Finally!  And it's being quilted -
It was a process.  I find it hard to settle myself into creativity when I feel so unsettled.
The propane tank was refilled on Friday, which meant we had enough propane once again to run the whole house Generac.
That meant that there was power to the basement studio at home.  I could set the blocks for this quilt top together and HAVE a top.

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And Suddenly - It's October!

Hi Gang!

It's Monday, October 7th.  And I seem to have lost a whole 9 days somewhere.  I guess that's understandable.

But miracle of all miracles - all of those hard-working linemen from as far away as Canada have been working tirelessly to restore power all through the 6 states affected by Hurricane Helene and our power at home came on Saturday afternoon after I had sent Saturday's post from the QPO where power was restored on Friday.

Little by little we clean up the mess and things start to settle into a new normal.

Some things will never be the same.  And the Shippenstitchers will always remember what it was like to weather the storm - thanks to a Generac that did what it was supposed to and kept them in power through the whole thing.

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10/5/24: Saturday Update

Welcome to the weekend, everyone.

The past week has flown by.....though at some times it seemed like it was moving at a crawling pace.

We eventually get through - 

We wake up, we do all the needed things, we fix meals....run the generator when needed to keep things cold...and eventually it is time to go to bed.

We get up the next morning and start it all over again.

I'm putting something quilty at the top of this post to remind me what I need to get back to.  If I can find my sew-jo again.

At some moments I'm still having to remind myself to just breathe.

Keeping it real in the kitchen.

There are 4 jar candles burning as dawn arises - this is the morning routine.

The pitcher of water next to the fridge and the tea kettle were filled full before the generator was turned off at bedtime last night.

The generator gets turned back on between 9-10 a.m. to keep things frozen/cold - but neither of us can sleep with the generator going, and it is an unnecessary use of fuel so we are only running it 12 hours a day.

I start my day by lighting the candles (It's an odd combination of ALL the different fragrances) using a flashlight and a BBQ lighter.

Then I turn on the gas stove and use the lighter to get the flame going to heat the water that becomes our morning coffee (for me) and hot chocolate. (for Dave)

I brush my teeth at the kitchen sink, And use the remaining cooled down but still warm water in the tea kettle for my waterpik.  It's amazing how much better I feel just knowing my teeth are brushed and I am ready for the day.

Dave is still experiencing pain from the fractured clavicle more than he is the 31 staples in his head.  It's the muscles further down the arm that ache, so cold packs and some massage to the rescue.

Breakfast is easy thanks to the gas range.  Today it was bacon/cheese omelets. We are not starving by any means.

I am typing this form the QPO studio where the power was restored on Friday evening.  It's nice to be able to sit at a keyboard instead of trying to compose a post on my phone using voice-to-text which presents challenges of its own.

These images keep flooding through my mind when I least expect it. We were on the ambulance for 4 1/2 hours waiting for this to recede.  We are actually ON the road here...but it looks like a lake of mud.  Terrifying.

Photo from ambulance window.

Before the ambulance arrived - we were in the parking lot at Corner Market watching a road across the way turn into a rolling river...and some farmer upstream had recently cut his pumpkin crop from the vines in preparation for them being picked up by truck.

We watched pumpkin races float on by.....it was incredible.  It was comical in a very surreal kind of way.  Much like those yellow duckie races some communities hold as a fund raiser. Only this was not for fun and games or prizes.

In talking to the Shippenstitchers before they left last Saturday for home - they too had stood on the back porch at Quiltville Inn watching the creek rise and expand and roll fiercely on by, carrying all of the pumpkins further on down toward the New River.

I do have photos from that retreat - but I think I'll wait until Monday to post them.  I still need more time.

The last loads of laundry from last week's retreat went in the wash this morning.  The inn has power.  So many do not.

Today is day 9 without power at home on the mountain.
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In spite of it all - what a beautiful week of weather we've had in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.⁣
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The leaves are falling - thinning out the curtain of trees giving us a glimpse of long range mountain views to the east, and even the sunrises are able to peek through if we are awake enough to witness them. ⁣
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Folks are still in survival mode up here. A call went out for those with ATVs to help get supplies to families that are completely cut off.⁣
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And that makes my whole problem of the One Drive mess up on my office desktop computer less of a problem than it would have been PRE Helene.  Files can be recovered.  I am reminded that I can do better at backing things up.

I lost my EQ8 files.  I had to uninstall and reinstall EQ8 and Blockbase because One Drive changed all of the directories and the programs couldn't locate files.

I had to uninstall and reinstall Chrome - of course Microsoft tries to demand that you stick with edge.  What a pain.

Supposedly files are still on my hard drive somewhere.

But if the ⁣worse thing I have to do is re-type up some documents, re-draft up some quilt designs and graphics - it was worth getting rid of One Drive and losing stuff in the process.

It's all about perspective, right?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Our community continues to grow in love for one another by lending helping hands. ⁣
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Lifting one lifts us all. And we see ourselves reflected in the eyes of each and every one of us. 

And that's the best part of all of this.

Find small things to be grateful for this weekend no matter where you are -

 

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Friday Update

I'm still here. And I'm still posting from my phone as I just completely screwed everything up on my big desktop computer at the QPO.

I won't go into that right now - it's small potatoes compared to everything else. But I am excited to say that we do have power at the retreat, and at my post office studio.

I am washing all of our household laundry first. Then I will be washing Retreat laundry. This is my list of to do today.

I am grateful for it!

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Thursday Update

This is such a welcome sight!

We are currently on day 7 without power, but hope is all around us.

We made sure to thank these folks for all of the hard work they are doing to restore power to our area after Hurricane Helene.

This morning was for early Rising as we had an Orthopedics appointment for Dave at the hospital in Jefferson to see about his fractured clavicle and what we need to do to make sure he has the best healing possible.

While he headed in for that appointment, I went into town to see how the local Walmart was faring. And things look almost normal.

I picked up some reusable ice packs for the shoulder, some gluten-free baked goods that Dave needs, some Dairy that we are low on. And a few other assorted items.

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Wednesday Update

Good morning, Wednesday.⁣

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Son Jeff was up yesterday to help clear debris in our driveway and in the backyard. So many sticks, downed limbs, leaves and yard mess.⁣

He brought us milk, eggs, and a couple of full gas cans to run the generator. He has been our trooper!

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I headed over to the local school where I spent a couple of hours helping to prepare meals that were handed out to lineman and other workers who are doing all they can to restore power in our area.⁣

Meals were also prepared for those in need.  

You know my favorite saying of "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from?"

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Tuesday Update

Tuesday Update:⁣

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We were able to drive from here up to Boone, down through Blowing Rock and on to Lenoir for Dave's doc appointment.⁣

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Boone was hit hard by Helene but recovering.  So much mud everywhere.

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Monday After Helene

Hello. Monday.⁣

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I've been sitting here in semi-darkness with candles burning since 5:30 a.m.⁣

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How do you overcome the guilt of being grateful that things weren't worse when for so many other people It was so devastatingly worse and continues to be so?⁣

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As I headed over to the retreat to feed Tula and retrieve some needed items It finally all hit me, and I just broke down and bawled ragged sobs in the car.⁣

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I had been holding all of this horror in check since the tree came down on Dave on Friday.⁣

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It may be a couple more days before we have power.  And we are the lucky ones.⁣

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Sunday Update.

The Shippenstitchers have been such Troopers as hurricane Helene trampled Southwestern Virginia, North carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and surrounding areas.

I was finally able to get to everyone yesterday and the Generac did just what it should have done for them - it kicked on and they were able to continue stitching and retreating through the severity of the storm. I am so glad!

We checked the amount of propane left in the huge tank that was running the generator in the house and it was at 30% by that time.

The decision was made to pack everyone up and send them safely on their ways home as the power situation here is so bad that we may be out of power until Wednesday morning. If that.

They would have surely run out of propane by today and found themselves in the dark anyhow.

We snapped this photo just before bugging everyone out. I have photos of projects and some over the porch real photos that I will be able to post after I have power back. I am posting this by phone and there is no way to edit photos well or to fix formatting so please bear with me.

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Helene On Wheels

Remember the Paul McCartney song Hell On Wheels? This is a play on that song title.

We got hit by the storm really bad. Our generator didn't kick in. Still no power at home. Couldn't get to the inn due to downed trees and flooding. The generator at the inn is working and I hope to make it there today. ⁣I'm posting this by cell phone. 

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It was an awful day. Dave got hit by a falling tree as he was trying to clear one across the road. Fractured clavicle and 31 staples in his scalp. Took the ambulance 4 hrs to finally get us to the hospital. ⁣

Photo from where I was sitting in the back of the ambulance.

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Hurricane Helene

Good morning folks!

I'm trying to post this from my phone as we are currently out of power and the generator hasn't kicked in. The heating and air company is in the process of sending folks all the way out from Blacksburg to get us up and running. This storm is a doozy! And we are just in the outer bands of it here in Southwestern virginia.

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What Day Is It Anyway?

Just two rhinos - standing at the side of the road, watching us drive on by.

Faces only a mother could love - and so close!

I think that is what got me the most this time around in Kenya - 

"Well they are in a park." people say - but it's not THAT kind of a park.  Not like a zoo park. 

Nairobi National Park in Kenya is 45.26 square miles (117.2 square kilometers) in size. It's smaller than most national parks in Africa, but it's still a vital part of the greater Athi-Kapiti ecosystem.

The animals have the full 45 square miles to roam. We are just hopeful that we are going to cross paths with them at some point.

It's a bit like whale watching - you know they are out there somewhere, but whether you see them or not is a bit up to chance.

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Hello Sleepless, My Old Friend!

Hi Gang!  Guess who is home?

It's a long story of the "Neverending Night" of leaving Nairobi at midnight, flying 15 hours through darkness and not hitting dawn until we were just outside of NYC on Monday morning, landing about 7:30 am.

It's the longer story of my 12:15 pm flight being delayed until after 4pm including not just one, but TWO gate changes and having to call for a new plane to be made ready.

It meant at least an hour in crawling plane traffic on the runway inching up to our position for take off.

And when we were 2nd in line - there was a "hold all traffic" as Air Force One was coming in for important UN meetings in New York that started yesterday.  And I'm not complaining about that one.

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Brickwork, Like Patchwork...

Remember that retaining wall that Hubster Dave started in June while I was on tour in Ireland and Scotland?

It's a huge job that needed 3 more rows of bricks high and a finishing top edge to finish it all.

And it had to wait until September to finish so that the tractor, pickup and trailer wouldn't block the comings and goings of quilters in residence.

That work started Tuesday.  And look who is supervising!

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Oodles & Bunches of Fun!

My arms are BARELY long enough to fit 13 people in for a selfie.

But this one had us laughing and having to HOLD IT as some crazy setting happened on the selfie side of my phone that had a countdown timer enabled that I couldn't seem to turn off.

You should see the REJECT photos. LOL!!!

I finally got it sorted out - something got pushed inadvertently that turned that on - but "smile and hold it" is not the easiest thing while waiting for the 3, 2, 1 SNAP!

It's all full of giggles and fun - and if we can't laugh at ourselves and silly situations, then we are taking things far too seriously.

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Diamond Tile PDF Pattern Gift-Away!

Some things wait a long time to be quilts.

Diamond Tile is one of those things.

I have spent years referring people to the Quiltmaker issue featuring Diamond Tile as a block in my Addicted to Scraps column.

And I've loved this block enough that I've made 2 quilts and a wall hanging with it.

But it needed to be a pattern.  And now it is!  And the pattern features TWO different settings for these fun blocks - both of which solve the problem of not having the pointy "arms" in the corners of the blocks having to connect to each other.

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Retreat Memories In The Making!

Hand stitching time on the porch!

We are making these moments last - as mornings are now in the chilly range, and so are the evenings requiring jackets and warm beverages.

There is something to love about that too!

I think that is why I love living where there are 4 seasons so much.  There is contrast between the seasons.  You can feel the next one coming on...and cherish the last moments of the one just working its way out.

It's nearly "sweater season."  I am back to full length jeans unless the temps are above 75.

This morning I've even got the gas fireplace in the basement studio next to my desk going to warm the chill from the room.  I love this season change!

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Welcome To the Weekend!

This was last evening on the porch, and oh - I wish it came with smell-o-vision!

There had been a pork shoulder roast cooking in the crock pot all day long....just to the point of being so tender it shredded with such little effort -

Served with some freshly sliced fruit, a bun or no bun, and a choice of sauces.  I couldn't help myself or turn down an invitation to join in because something that smells that good brings on instant hunger.

One of the best things of being a retreat inn keeper?  They feed me.  And they do it well!

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The Gang's All In!

I arrived at Quiltville Inn yesterday morning (at 47 degrees!) to find that it was too chilly outside for breakfast on the porch....so after months and months of glorious porch time, at least for now breakfasts are now inside!

Never fear - afternoon on the porch is lovely.  We are in the best part of life in the Blue Ridge Mountains...afternoons are balmy and birds still chirp cicadas still sing.  Just the mornings are crisp enough to have us gathering where it is a bit more cozy.

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In The In Between Times -

Wednesday was full of finishing up inn laundry, making beds and getting all things ready for the arrival of Susan's Retreat group who began to arrive just before 3pm.

It was a run around of a morning - including getting the remaining pressing stations fixed - but in the in between times - there was a bit of time for cutting and pressing.

What's under my needle now, you ask?

More triangles.

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Runaway Day -

I'm putting something quilty at the top here -

Because this is really where I want to be spending my time.

My blue strip drawer is a pain to open.  And a bigger pain to shut.  There are just too many strips and it's time to whittle them down a bit.

This time I'm being a bit judicious and only using dark blues.

These strips have got to find a better place to live than in the depths of the blue strip drawer.

I'm now on a mission.

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Over The Porch Rail Explosion!

We couldn't tell if the rain was moving in, or moving on by - but we hurried on up yesterday late afternoon and filled the porch to the gills with so many beautiful quilts!
These ladies have worked tirelessly - but there was still time for some quilt shop hopping, a run or two to the grocery store, fabulous meals, time on the porch - 
And I even heard there was time for sleeping - though it doesn't look like much sleep was happening!
The September Quiltvillians are on their way home today - but they sure left us with a fantastic send off for the time they spent here!

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Bears, Quilts & Quilty Friends!

Isn't this a sight to behold?

Jen has not only been working on quilts, but also completed 8 memory bears for a very special customer.  And this is where it takes a village!

The customer's husband recently passed away, and his wife is having 8 memory bears made out of his favorite fleece shirts/jackets.

These bears will go to kids and grandkids, and I love the personal touch going into each of these special bears.

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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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