And There They Were!

Yesterday morning we loaded up the van with four quilters, (me included) two dogs and headed up to Grayson Highlands to hike along the Appalachian Trail in search of ponies.

I'd heard from others that new foals had made their arrival and it was a grand time to go.

Remember - the retreat before this one it rained the entire time over Memorial Day week?

It had been a hot minute since I'd made this trek with a retreat group!

Up and up and up we went.

The first leg of the hike is just UP. There is no driving to the ponies.  The "plains" where the ponies are usually grazing is a flat meadow-like area part way up and you need to be able to hoof it (pun intended) to where the grassy areas are to get to the possibility of seeing any.

We went from woodsy and forested to wide open with brush as we reached the top.

The clouds looked a bit menacing, and the wind was gusty.

Luckily for us, the wind was pushing all of that grey away leaving us with sunshine, and the breeze helped keep us cool as we continued to climb.  Look! Rhodies are blooming at this elevation!

See that blue sky coming in?

And there was still some beautiful Mountain Lauren in bloom as well.

And yes - mamas and foals!

None of them were close enough or out in where we could walk to them.  They were closer to the exit, and either resting in the shelter of a cops of trees, or behind a fence and up a hill.

It's probably safer for THEM that way.  There were a lot of hikers, and many, like us, had dogs.

I had to zoom in to get this shot, but these to foals were playing and jumping and having a grand old time while Mama just munched away on the grass.

I'm glad we got to see 'SOME" even if there were few and they were further away.

Yesterday was also the last day of retreat and the quilters kept on quilting!  Abbeygate is coming along!

More blocks on the design wall!

This is Farmhouse Stars by Kim Diehl.

The pattern either came with a kit, or you can find it published in American Patchwork and Quilting:

Issue 197

More Crackers & Jam blocks and a yoyo flag!

Quiet moments are great for putting in some hand quilting stitches -

Any guesses where this is going??

If you guessed Punkin Patch from String Frenzy you are right!

I also had several retreaters come for a QPO studio visit - to check out my author's copy of Scrap-Savvy! There were many Oooohs & Aahhhhs all around.

The release date for my "Greatest Hits" book Scrap-Savvy is in July!

You'll also be able to order from all of your favorite online retailers.  And please let your local quilt shops know to get it in stock.

If you’ve got bins of leftovers, strings, and old shirts you can’t bear to throw away, my new book Scrap Savvy Quilting is for you.

Inside, I’ll show you how to quilt green—turning reclaimed clothing and every last scrap into one‑of‑a‑kind quilts—using my Leaders & Enders method, Scrap User’s System, and favorite string and crumb techniques.

You’ll find more than two dozen of my best‑loved scrap quilts from my previous titles, from Texas Braid to Pineapple Crazy, plus step‑by‑step basics to help you make more quilts in less time, without buying more fabric. All in one volume!

Pre-order HERE.

Would you believe no machine sewing happened for me yesterday?  I'm getting ready for Romania so I did a studio clean up after returning from our hike instead.  Oh, it needed it!

Paper piecing leaves so many snips and bits on the floor no matter how I try to hit the trash.  I'm wanting to come home to a clean and ready studio so I can dive back in when I get home.  Do you hit the wall like that too and have to do a complete reset before you can continue with a project?

Today I'm also remembering my angel daughter Heather Leann on what would have been her 44th birthday. That doesn't seem possible as in my mind she is always a newborn in my arms, never older than the 17 days she was with us.

And my love forever to my mom who called me last night letting me know she remembers and never forgets her as well.  That means a lot to me.

Today I'm treating myself gently.  I'm going to start the retreat laundry, and then I'm going to head out to wander some antique malls, grab lunch out and just call this a ME day.

Let's see what goodies I can find.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

The longer I live, the more I learn that this is true on all levels! ⁣

⁣

Vintage log cabin quilt found in West Jefferson NC.

Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone -