Porch Rails & Side Trips!

I could have titled this post Sew Many Mules -but folks might not get the whole story or decide to pass it by - but there is a special story to these Wonky Donkey blocks that is worth telling!

They were made by Denise's Husbands mother and grandmother in the "way back when" and include some hand piecing, some machine piecing and a whole lot of "what happened with these?!"

We've all got something in our life that just never was completed because maybe they didn't fit together, but these are so precious!

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Short Time Out!

What do we do when the weather climbs back up to 70 f degrees?

Make a break from the sewing machines and see who we can get to come on a 2 mile dirt road hike.

It had been a while!

It had been close to 3 weeks since I walked this road due to my crazy travel and then the weather went sour.

But just as predicted faux-fall has passed, and we are right back where I love to be in Late September.

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Quilt Shop Hop Day!

Friday was the designated "Hit up the quilt shops!" Day, and at any given time, more folks were gone than were left behind.

I love that they love our local quilt shops.

I love to see what they bring back!

Do I have FOMO for not riding along (in my matching t shirt?!) YES! 

And no.  I look around the studio and think "How am I ever going to sew all of this up?!"

But I'm so glad they get out and enjoy their time here and that the quilt shops know they are visiting while staying at the inn.  

It makes for a happy day all around.

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Just Start Anywhere

Did you ever find yourself on a project - center together, switching gears to piece the borders and you just didn't have the fortitude?

There was so much going on that I just couldn't settle at this - though by the looks of this photo I did just fine.

It all started on Wednesday when our Virginia Autumn decided to  just kick in all at once and be rainy and chilly with highs below 60 f degrees.

I switched the modes on the split units that heat the kitchen, quilting quarters and dining room from a/c to heat. (IN SEPTEMBER!) 

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The Marvelous Taj Mahal -

The Taj Mahal.

We were really here!

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra, India between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. (Because, you MUST have a favorite wife!) The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

Also, please notice the artfully placed bug in the photo in the upper left corner! LOL!

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The Gang's (WAS) All Here!

They checked in on Wednesday afternoon.

I popped in to see them on Thursday evening on my way home from the airport after returning from India.

I was only shorted 24 hours or so of their retreat, but it still felt like I didn't get enough time with them!

These fine ladies are the September Quiltvillians 2.0  And regardless, they quilted up a storm on my short-sheeted week.

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I'm Reviewing...The Situation....

How many of you remember the movie "Oliver!" 

I loved musicals as a child...I remember riding my bike through the neighborhood and singing songs from this one as it was a favorite.  Who could not love Oliver?

Sometimes I still recite lines from that movie, as in: "Please sir, can I have some more?!"

And the song "I'm reviewing the situation..." expertly performed by Ron Moody who played is the notorious Fagin, starring in the original 1960 stage musical and the Academy Award-winning 1968 film adaptation of Oliver!

At any rate...while trying to figure out borders, I found I was "reviewing....the situation..." Because what I was first thinking is not going to work.

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Quiltvillians Through The Weekend!

Starting off with a big huge THANK YOU for all of the wonderful coral-to-orange scraps and pieces - I am loving my new hexie project so much, and just look at this variety!  I couldn't have come up with this myself even if I had tried.

I spent part of Saturday opening up all of the mail that had come in while I was gone and I feel so loved!

Some came with notes of "Thank goodness someone wants orange - this needs to leave my studio!" LOL!

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Starting Off With History!

Our Craftours India group with our fantastic guide Ajay at The Qutb Minar!

We may look bright eyed and bushy tailed, but we had just arrived the previous afternoon. After a good night's rest we were ready to get on the bus and get some exploration and knowledge building in.

One of the things I love about international travel is the exposure to things from history that I never knew about. Literally. India's history goes way back and there is so much to learn, including being conquered, fought back for freedom, conquered again, and then colonized by the British for a 100 year or so rule.

Way back in history, the Qutb Minar was mostly built between 1199 and 1220, contains 399 steps, and is one of the most frequented heritage spots in the city of Delhi.

We were already having a fabulous time, and just getting started on our explorations. 

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Goose Feathers PDF Pattern Gift-Away!

It's officially Jet-Lag day in Quiltville -

Hi guys, I am home! Whew!

And there is so much to share, but as you know, around the world travel is hard on the body, so I figured we would get this going, and I'll start our India recap tomorrow!

I know you've been waiting for this one - it's ready and I can't wait to see your quilts!

Especially designed for paper piecing, Goose Feathers is the perfect quilt to turn your saved bits into sparkling beauty! Full color photos, diagrams, step by step instruction and  printable foundations included. Strings and scraps at their best, no matter the colors you choose!!

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Fitting Some Sewing In

It had been nearly a week. But it felt longer.

The website issue over the weekend that continued into this week - an impromptu late afternoon 200 mile round trip excursion to Burnsville.  One group leaving, another group coming in.

Packing for India. (Yes, finally!)

I've had hexie time in the evenings where evening time was available, but really - not much sewing has happened.  And maybe that was a good thing.

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The Day That Got Away -

There are some days that just run amok.

Run Amok.  I love that term!  It looks weird, 

Do people even use this phrase anymore, or did it go the way of Jane Austen and maybe Agatha Christie?

I tried to come up with a better definition of yesterday, but here you have it.

It Ran Amok.

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Fill Up Those Porch Rails!

When every available space on the side porch is full - we've got one bang up of a quilt show!

This was such a productive and fun group and the quilts coming out of this group are phenomenal.  Just look at that color array!

(Except for that which is hidden by the hugeness of my head in this selfie, but hey - we were having a great time!)

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Bye, Bye August!

This was just the best way to wave August Goodbye and welcome in September!

We hadn't had a fire pit evening in a few weeks - and the weather could not have been better.

Low humidity.  The cool of the evening coming on.  I don't even think we were bothered by bugs, though the tiki torches help a lot.

It was just enjoyable all the way around, what a way to wind down what was a busy over-the-top stressful weekend for me, and a full-on quilting frenzy for the September Quiltvillians!

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