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Friday, July 11, 2025

Pieceful Hearts, Start Your Engines!


I'm thinking back to the time when I was in my early 40s.

We had just relocated from Texas to South Carolina - It was 2003.

I was invited to drive an hour (Not a big thing when things are so spread out.) and come to a Sit & Sew day with the Pieceful Hearts Quilt Guild of North Augusta, South Carolina (Yes, right on the other side of the river from Augusta, GA!) and meet some folks.

I was new to the area. I knew no one.  But a sit n sew day to get to meet folks?  I was all in!

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Halls, Walls & Waiting!


I put the finishing touches on every space at Quiltville Inn while waiting for the Pieceful Hearts gals to arrive from North Augusta South Carolina and beyond.

Thunderstorms in and around our area hampered and delayed their drive a bit, but luckily no rain was falling here as they began to arrive.

There were a few later stragglers that had to deal with a bit, but all are in safely!

I was so grateful for this as I sat at home working on a binding and listening to the summer thunder roll.

With this retreat - being the first one past July 4th, all of the decor needed to be changed out for SUMMER.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Next!!


Here's the thing about Leader & Ender projects.

There has to be a MAIN project...in order to use a second project as the Leader & Ender for the first.

Unless you are using parts of your main project as your Leader & Ender, but then I was always one to enjoy the "pat my head while rubbing my tummy" "walking, talking and chewing gum at the same time" kind of multi-tasking.

But if I just finished my Flame Azalea top...what is going to be the vehicle for my Four Patch Fun Leader & Ender project?

Tuesday, July 08, 2025

Moving On From Quilting Mishaps -


I know I'm not alone in this.

I know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

But at the time I took this photo, I didn't even know what was waiting for me a mere 10 minutes ahead.

I was just merrily going along happily content with how the quilting on my Flame Azalea was turning out just as I had envisioned it.

Monday, July 07, 2025

Friends, Neighbors & Fireworks!


I mentioned on Saturday that we were headed to a cookout at our auto mechanic's place - one thing he loves to do each year is host a customer appreciation event and this was our first time going.

We knew there would be burgers and hotdogs and games along with the relaxation of visiting with community members and meeting people we didn't know yet.

What I didn't know was that it was much more than just hot dogs and hamburgers.

Saturday, July 05, 2025

A Long Holiday Weekend Exhale -


How did we spend our 4th?

With a taco bar, watermelon, brownies & ice cream and cut throat rounds of Mexican Train dominoes until it was late enough to go sit around the fire pit and just enjoy the fireflies with our neighbor friends.

It was perfect.  Perfectly wonderful!

Friday, July 04, 2025

Coming Together!


The worst part of quilting?  Top construction!

I love making the blocks - each and every one.

Choosing fabrics to play together, cutting, sewing, pressing, sewing some more.  I love everything about this whole process.

And then the real work comes...there are many ways to sew a quilt top together.

If the blocks are simple enough I can web the whole top in continuous rows where rows are held together by chaining threads between the blocks.  Easy Peasy.

Thursday, July 03, 2025

Quilting Behind The Scenes!


With the release of our Four Patch Fun Leader & Ender Challenge yesterday came so many inquiries of "What Else Is Under Your Needle?!?!" and I think I am finally to a point where I can share what's been going on in the studio for the past many months.

Many months?

Yes...because this project started out on a whim with inspiration from a vintage quilt used as the background of one of my Quiltville Quotes.  A photo I took while antique mall wandering.

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

2025 Leader & Ender Challenge: Four Patch Fun!


Hey hey, Quiltvillians!

It's Time! (Finally!)

Our yearly Quiltville Leader & Ender challenge begins today.

Things to know:

Leader & Ender challenges are given so that you have "SOMETHING" to stitch in between the lines of chain-stitching other things.

These little units are made as "sew-betweens" instead of using a folded over, thread covered throw away scrap to keep your piecing continuous and always leaving "something" under the presser foot of your machine to hold your place while you go press pieces from your current project.

If you have this finished in 2 weeks it doesn't count. Please play along with all of us and make it alongside the projects you are already working on.  It is not a race.  There is not a prize if you finish first. We won't be impressed.  LOL!

Tuesday, July 01, 2025

Mississippi Meets Virginia!


As I gather and edit photos, plan and type up this post, the Mississippi Quilters are heading out car by car and beginning their journeys back home.

What was supposed to be the rainiest retreat on record turned out to be not so bad - just a few showers here and there, some middle-of-the night thunder bumpers that brought the temperatures back down into the pleasant range -

And nothing disrupted the quilting, chatting, laughing, and of course the eating of wonderful meals prepared by their own hands.