We're Just Getting Started!

Well this makes things interesting!

I'm really excited to see my "Just Another String Star" coming together.

I was a bit intimidated at first - not that I haven't done Y seams before, but it had been a while and there was the additional stretch and bulk of diamonds with bias on ALL edges, and also all of the seams in the diamonds from the string piecing.

I've developed a system and things are now coming together smoothly!

Except for Hazel. Always Hazel!

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Sew Fabulous!

This week got a little bit hijacked with our Gift-Away Trifecta and the drawing sign-up snafus...but here we are, all of the quilts and projects over the porch rail with the August Quiltvillians 2.0!

We worked around the weather, finding an afternoon full of sunshine so we could get these photos taken.

We had so many newbies, and that was exciting! I always love seeing things and feeling the excitement of first-timers as they discover the fun we have here.

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Days Filled To The Brim!

This is what happens when a hand stitching date is accepted!

And it came right on time because some really weird storm system blew through and blipped the power (Thank you Generac for doing your job!) and the rain came in torrents.

We were cozy in the Hen Den!

Of course, what is a girl to do with a hand stitching invite, when she has nothing to hand stitch??

Quickly grab some papers and pieces and get started on a new project.

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A Gift-Away Trifecta!

There is a lot going on today!  My head is spinning!

But it's all coming together in a VERY VERY good way.

It's Sunnyside pattern release and gift-away day and we've got lovely Notable Neutrals fabric rolls from Cotton to Quilts to include with THAT event.

And my publisher C&T is also hosting a gift away for my new book Scrap-Savvy over on their site! (More details below, keep reading!)

And we'll top that off with my friend Bruce Leonard's newest Hadley Carroll Quilt City book release also happening today! It's called Payment Declined and you are going to love it!

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Can't Believe It's Monday!

So much for the weekend!

It was gone in a flash -

And speaking of Flash....he has started to exhibit some new "normal" cat behaviors after being with us for about a year and a half now.

Learning is slow when you don't have a mama cat around to teach you -

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Rain, Shine & Quilting!

Who wants to start the day with a dirt road hike?!?

I found five willing quilters eager to get some steps in.

No rain in the forecast? Great! Let's go!

It was a beautiful morning, a bit overcast, but we didn't mind.  And this route is mostly shady by tree cover anyway.

Only one vehicle passed us as we headed up the long and winding gravel/dirt road in between two mountains and alongside a creek.

Welcome to a Virginia holler, ladies!

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A Full Up House!

This retreat is off with a bang!

A bang of laughter!

This is what I walked in to find yesterday morning as the August Quiltvillians 2.0 were just sitting down to brunch in the dining room due to rain.

2.0??  Yes!  Because we have 2 groups of Quiltvillians from my Quiltville’s Open Studio group that visit in August.  The first group is at the last few days of July and crosses over into August, and these lovely ladies come about 2 weeks later.  

At  any rate, we have 6 from Iowa, 3 from Illinois, 1 from Wisconsin, and the rest is a partridge in a pear tree!

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Lost In Strings -

I am back in the string of things!

I found myself with a couple of hours yesterday after everything at the retreat was made ready.

All of these little bits and pieces and strings and strips have got to be sewn into something.

The best thing about string piecing?  ANYTHING can be made with strings.

You can cover any shape.  You can color it anyway you want.  There are no right or wrong ways to do it as long as the seam allowance is enough to hold it together.

It's fun.  It's rewarding.

And yes - I even LIKE the tearing off of the paper when units are trimmed up and done.

And in the case of these blocks - I even like sewing the Y seams.  There.  I said it.

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Binding Bliss!

I already knew that Bliss was a heavy quilt.

Seam allowances are about 3/8'' instead of a 1/4'' so they wrap around the hexie papers enough to hold it more securely.  This puts the basting tacking stitches closer to the center of the hexagon on the back to firmly hold them in place.  

These are small pieces, and with all of that folding of corners on the back side, there is more fabric on the back of the top than is showing on the front, or at least it feels like it.

Add a batting and a backing to the whole thing and this beast is HEAVY!

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Quilting With the TaDa's!

It was short, it was sweet, it was crammed full of quilty fun!

The Tada Quilters were down from Erie, Pennsylvania and beyond and through they were only with us until Sunday morning, they packed a full week's worth of activities into their stay.

Not only did they quilt into the wee small hours, but they took time out to cook amazing dishes, while others headed out on early morning dirt road hikes, or even took off early Saturday morning to go hike 7 miles on the Appalachian Trail.

I couldn't keep up with these ladies!!  They knew what they wanted to do and they just did it.

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All Through The Weekend -

Why this photo?

Because I found the car on empty - warning light on and everything and I had to go up and over and around to get to the nearest gas station.

Still - everything has become the deep green of August and I love this view in all seasons so I had to stop on the road, roll the window down and take a quick snap before moving on.

It just never ceases to catch my breath.

And I'm just really glad that I don't have *that* driveway in the upper left.  Mine is bad enough!

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Running This Way & That Way -

Yesterday was one of those days where I had only a certain amount of time to try to fit it all in within a certain time frame and it felt like my feet were running from the moment my feet hit the floor.

Or more like - from the moment that son Jeff dropped off grandson Casden and our crazy day together began.

We needed to do all of the morning things before 12:15pm so we could go back to the cabin and pick up Grandpa Dave and head out toward the airport in Blountville, TN so he could catch his flights to Atlanta and then on to Boise.

Feed Hazel. Done. (It's great to have a bit of help from a willing grandson!)

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Hanging With the Tada's!

Lunch on the porch while the thunder rolled?  Yes, please!

They arrived late Wednesday afternoon - I really didn't have a chance for much visiting while they were moving everything on in, so seeing everyone busy retreating yesterday morning was wonderful.

And an invite for lunch? Accepted!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - to walk in through the back door, make my way through the kitchen to the hallway leading to the Quilting Quarters and hearing the sound of machines humming and the conversations and laughter overriding everything - it's just a wonderful feeling!

And to see new projects out and being worked on:

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That Last Stitch -

I took the last stitches in my hexagon quilt assembly.

Stitched my way to that last corner, did a couple of stitches in the corner to anchor it tightly, and then did what I always do when ending an EPP seam...take a few stitches back again toward the center of the seam and knot away from the corner to keep the corners secure and tight.

Two stitches in every corner, then stitch away from the corner for three stitches and then knot.

There is no way my corners are ever going to gap.  

And then...it was done.

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Where Did Tuesday Go?

Sunny then rainy. Sunny then rainy.  Such was on repeat-for-days during our retreat.

But the needed rain was a welcome event, and even those attending said how much they enjoyed the sound of the rain while sitting on the porch - just listening to it "ting" on the metal roof above.

Rain in the night sure makes for some good sleeping too when you hear it above your head all while you are tucked in cozy and warm beneath a quilt with sweet dreams of future projects dancing in your head.

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To The Last Minute

You know that feeling when you finally see the last border when quilting?

Or for those who are quilting on a domestic machine, or hand quilting - when you finally move to the last section and the end is in sight!?

It's hard to stop.  Just two more rows, please. Can't stop now. I'm almost there.

"Hi honey, dinner will be late tonight!?"

Let's get this thing off of the machine!

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Weekend Quilt Warriors!

What is happening on the porch?

Something I haven't seen done since I was in Camp Fire Girls in the 1970s.

Decoupage!

The ladies were applying little dried and pressed flowers and other fun motifs to Oui yogurt jars and turning them into the prettiest of votive candle holders.

So easy and fun for all and everyone has a little memento to take home after their fun week on retreat.

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Dirt Road Hikes and Quilt Borders On!

This is what a quilt GANG looks like!

We had so many opting for our morning dirt road hike that we had to take two vehicles to do it!

That's the thing about living where we do.  The two-lane highways are fairly narrow and winding, blind curves included. There are no sidewalks, no shoulders to the roads that are walkable really, so we have to load up, drive to where we can walk safely, do our thing and drive back.

But it gives me the opportunity to share a bit of our "Road Less Traveled" area with folks who are visiting from other places.

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Pedal To The Metal!

Have you ever been so excited about an idea for a quilt that you couldn't wait to dig into fabric and make it happen?

Just be sure that you don't dive in with too much confidence all so sure of yourself and thinking you've got it all right in your yead only to find out that you've sewn things all wrong!

What is that old adage? "Measure twice, cut once?"

Well, things were cut all right...but then sewn together all wrong!

How can that happen, you ask?

Let me show you.

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All Up To Here!

It's amazing what a couple of hours in the evening can add up to.

It started out as just "hours on a plane" or "traveling by bus" on international trips.

And it was barely touched at all during the time of COVID where it sat in my travel bag waiting for me to get back to it again...some day.

Some day did happen and I was off and traveling with it again.  To my mom's place.  To my dad's. World wide destinations.  It was the perfect thing. 

Small pieces of fabric. Hexagon papers. Thread, needle threader, needles, a couple wonder-clips - it all fits easy in a go-bag.

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A Very Full Porch!

Look, Ma! No empty sections!

This was our over-the-porch rail photo op, and there is not even a spare inch of open space - what a fantastic array as folks drove on by!

Many quilts were brought to cover beds (See THIS POST for a tour of beds!)

Several tops were completed during retreat.

And others were simply brought for their chance at being hung over the Quiltville Inn porch rail.

After all the rain we had, we were so happy to be able to take this time to display everything.

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Topped Off With A Fire Pit!

After all of that rain, the sun had come out on Sunday afternoon and Hubster Dave took on the brave job of attempting to tame grass that had grown long enough to require a baler.

The question was - would the grass dry out enough once cut to have a fire pit evening on Monday night - or would the wind kick up and have smoke be a problem?

Our planets were in alignment however, and we spent the most pleasant of evenings around the fire, making s'mores and unwinding after a long productive week of retreat fun.

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Quilting Through The Weekend!

There was loads of sewing...

But that's not the main reason they are here.

They are here to relax, refresh, make some new friends with some first-tiers at retreat.

There is time for naps, snacks, great meals, porch relaxation and games.

And more!

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A Tour Of Quilt Covered Beds!

We haven't done this in a while!

And since t least HALF of the ladies were gone shop-hopping, and I had to leave the retreat early for an appointment I thought I'd take a quick tour upstairs (with some encouragement to come see!) and do a little quilt show of what is on the beds as displayed by Chris's Christmas In July group.

I love how folks bring quilts for their beds for sleeping under, not just hanging over the porch rail.

There is something special about sleeping under a quilt you've made yourself.

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Rainy Days & Quilty Pleasures!

I snapped this photo as I was hiking back UP the drive in between rain showers yesterday morning and Hubster Dave was coming down the drive with dogs in tow, just giving them the excitement of a CAR RIDE to Lowes and back.

(Say it, and they go nuts.  Here we are as fully grown adults spelling out C_A_R_R_I_D_E so they wouldn't know what we were talking about beforehand...)

Yes, I'm still walking my drive down and back up again after breakfast before heading to the inn.  It takes 10 minutes.  But it is only 10 minutes of terrible.

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The Last Motif In Place!

This is where I left things as I started in on that last large motif that would fill the corner.

Checking for placement.

Looking to be sure I didn't end up with the same fabric touching itself anywhere...because if you know you know. 

Those same aquas need to keep their distance, dagnabbit!

And then...while some random thing was playing on the TV...I completed that last motif.

The last one. No more counting down.  It was time to start sewing these units together.

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The July Quiltvillians Quilt Gang!

This was just the most fun productive week - every time I walked into the house, rounding the corner into the Quilting Quarters, there was something finished, and something new underway.

No fire pit night (threat of rain that never came) not even shop hop trips.  No night time games or organized swaps.  Just 12 ladies getting in as much sewing time as they dreamed of, stitching their projects surrounded by conversation and laughter.

We are half-way through our 7th retreat season and for 7 years these ladies have built these friendships. They started out as strangers the first year we opened, and have formed a strong sisterhood in the process.  I love them dearly!

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UFO Projects Getting Done!

I think I've found a theme for the July Quiltvillians retreat.

Find it and Finish it!

It's wonderful to see quilt projects that have been in time out in a bin, some that needed unstitching to take place so things could be fixed, some projects that were adopted by friends who were no longer able to quilt, and fixed and completed on the sly with the intent to gift them back when done.

It's been a wonderful week of "Let's see what we can do to get this in the done column." And so inspirational!

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The Rain That Never Came -

Oh, there was thunder.

And there was the crack of lightning.  Enough so that the power blipped on, and the generator ran for perhaps three minutes -

Just enough that if you are sewing on a computerized machine, it reset your needle position back to home base and you had to readjust it again.

But it never rained.  Not a drop.

It didn't matter!  The quilters were inside quilting and making wonderful things.

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While The Cat's Away...

I made a quick getaway with a couple of friends over to Marion, Virginia for the annual Art & Crafts festival held at Hungry Mother State Park.

It's a beautiful park with loads of walking trails, even some that circle around the lake.

I love these kids of little festivals and was eager to see what we would find there.  I wasn't searching for anything in particular, and even if I ended up not buying anything it was a gorgeous day to wander in the shade beneath the trees.

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Deanna & the UPS Guy!

Sometimes I get to witness some pretty amazing acts of long-lasting-through-it-all kinds of love.

Yesterday was just such a day.

I had received a VERY strange email in the morning telling me to be "In front of the main house at exactly 11am."

No details were given. There was no name left - just a very vague email address.

My reply? "Main house? Which main house?" Hoping to get more information or perhaps simply discern if this was a scam or not.

It wasn't a scam!

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Hello, Gretchen! Gift-Away!

Are you ready for some fun and exciting paper piecing?

Are your saved scraps overflowing and out of control?

If so - Hello, Gretchen! just might be the pattern you've been waiting for, the quilt you've been eager to dive in and make.

I was completely obsessed with making this quilt.  It uses EVERYTHING, even those cut-off corners you've saved from doing things like stitch n flip where you put a square on the corner of a base unit, stitch the diagonal to become a corner triangle, and trim the excess.

There is a lot of fabric waste in that excess!  Actually...I consider those to be BONUS triangles because there is so much you can do with them.

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This, That & The Other -

I don't know about your camera roll, but mine is full of things I took photos of with the intention to share what I've found, but somehow in the vast array of photos from quilters and projects on retreat they just fell back into never never land.

When I went to see the neuromuscular guy on Friday, I had just enough time to wander an antique mall I hadn't been in for months and months and months -

I found a COUPLE of things. I noticed this quilt right away...

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Between The Rain Showers!

We must have all been doing quite the rain dance - because once Saturday rolled through and we stopped to take a photo of the dam that no longer had water flowing over it on Wilson Creek - 

It rained for nearly two days straight - yesterday being the heaviest of all, so I'm glad we had opted to take our over-the-porch-rail photos on Saturday afternoon between cloud bursts!

Take a look at all of these Lupine & Laughter beauties!

The sky may be grey, but these quilts are sunshine.

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Quilting Weekends and Happy Birthdays!

What's it like to spend your birthday on retreat?

Fantastic of course!  All of your best quilty mates around you to help celebrate, and eat your cake.

And yes, there was ice cream as well.

I love to spend my own birthday doing something I love (In somewhere far away from here) and it tickles me that folks will plan their retreats around their birthday month so they can continue to celebrate all month long.

And you just have to know that any gifts are also quilty, right?

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Days of Distraction!

Some days we just have to put it all out on the table, decide which is the most important and let other things slide off onto the next day's to-do list because...moment's like this only come around so often!

Rain in the forecast - but ladies wanted to sew before going to the quilt shops after lunch.

Could I get anyone to break away for a 45 minute nature hike? Just a quick 2 miler?

Yes!

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Pieceful Hearts and Dirt Road Hikes!

Mid-summer.  That means getting out as early in the day as we can, even though early is purely relative to everything that has to be done before I actually get to the retreat around 10am.

"I'd love to go on a walk" someone says as I walk through the door of the quilting quarters after feeding Hazel and Flash.

I'd already put in about 2 hours of computer work before leaving home...if we wanted to make the most of the morning my reply was "Meet me at the van in 10 minutes!"

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Bikers & Quilters!

Quiltville Inn sits at the crossroads of highway 16 coming up from North Carolina and highway 58,. Route 58 runs for approximately 508 miles stretching horizontally across the entire southern border of the state. It begins near the Cumberland Gap at the western tip and ends at Route 60 in Virginia Beach on the Atlantic coast.

It might look like a lazy 2-lane highway in front of the inn, but this route is a favorite of motorcyclists and other travelers alike in the summer months.

This means that I am often a destination rest stop for quilters as well!

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No Scrap Neglected!

I was anxious to get to the studio yesterday so I could throw myself into getting this little sewing machine stitchery together.

As I look through the scraps I gathered from my pre-cut squares box to sew into this border...how many decades of scraps are represented here?

I spot a print I know is from the 1980s as I used that print (in a different color) when Jason was a baby.  He's going to be 43 in November.

There are recycled fabrics, civil war repros mixed with Kaffe, novelties, more contemporary/modern prints...what quilts and previous projects were these scraps left from?

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You'll Never Guess Where!

It was all by accident.

I had literally given up.

I had gone through every drawer, every file folder, every shelf - even rearranging some things in the process.

(And yes, I admit I even decluttered and threw some stuff out in the process...because...might as well?)

And then while doing something totally unrelated -

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