Binding to the Finish!

It is the BEST feeling when those last binding stitches go in!

And there are miles of binding stitches in this quilt - 

To recap: The top originally measured 108.5" x 114.5" before quilting. ⁣

⁣
After quilting with the shrink up it now measures 105" x 111." 

That's 3" of shrink top to bottom and side to side that will likely shrink more after washing and drying.

(I envision commercial laundromats for this job in my future - it's too big for a home machine.)
⁣
I quilted with Hobbs 80/20. 

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And On To The Next...

I have a big baggie of bonus triangles.

This bag was a gift from someone - I'm not sure if it came in the mail, or if it was handed over with love while teaching a workshop or giving a lecture.

Maybe it was sent my way with tongue-in-cheek as if to say "HERE!  YOU do something with this!"

They are fairly small - I believe they are about the size that comes from trimming stitch & flip corners on the diagonal after sewing.  Maybe from 2 1/2'' squares?

They are already right-sides-together - so - GAME ON!

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Out and About with the Ponies!

Someone spent some time stacking these rocks near the Appalachian Trail as it runs through Grayson Highlands State Park, not far from the cabin.

How long will it stand before it topples?  And why did someone build it?

It doesn't matter - it was a "hello, I was here!" moment to whomever left it.

Yesterday's abundant sunshine and high temps in the 70s led me to ask a couple of friends if they wanted to hike up and see the ponies.

With a resounding yes, we grabbed up Zoey and headed out.

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Green, Green - It's Green They Say -

I had a lovely little drive on my "outings day" to take care of some much needed things.

And there couldn't have been a better day for a drive than this gorgeous April Tuesday.

It's like someone somewhere flipped a switch.

Less than a week ago we had snow falling (Last Thursday I believe)

We had crazy hail and torrential rain - morning temps hovering around 18f.  CRAZYTOWN weather.

But yesterday?

The green is back!  YAY!

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Cats on the Quilts!

Quilts and/or fabric are CAT MAGNETS!

And while some folks are "Oh, the cat hair!" (And I get it - folks are allergic - true) I just grin and accept it as every other kind of dirty thing in our lives from dust to pollen to laundry to dishes to dirt being tracked up the stairs -

In some ways, I get what the cats feel and why they do what they do.

Is there anything better than petting the fabric?  Than snuggling down into a newly completed quilt?  or even a well washed, well worn to shreds older version?

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Easter Weekend: Sunshine & Stitches.

We decided yesterday to take a bit of a drive - maybe an hour away, and just see how things were "springing up" at Hungry Mother State Park outside of Marion, VA.

This beautiful place with trails surrounding the lake gets really packed with people during the summer months.

They have a "beach" that is popular for families - though I  have a feeling it stayed pretty empty and :socially distant" during the summer 2020 season.

With the weird weather we've been having over the past month including snow just before the weekend, the warm sunshine was such a gift!

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