Hello from Illinois! Let’s Draw!

I told you I would do this tonight!

I bet you thought I forgot!

No, didn’t forget, but ran out of time this evening before it was time to meet with all of the cocoon retreaters downstairs for our opening dinner event.

And then I had to take some time to check out my class room and get all set up in there so I am ready for classes to begin tomorrow.

What a DAY we have had!

It all started when the alarm went off at 3:15am.

Jeff drove me to the airport, leaving the house at 4am so I could be there at 4:30 am to check in for my flight to Atlanta which was boarding at 5:20am.

Early early.  Zombie early.

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Catch ALL the Spring You Can!

This is spring in Wilkes County, North Carolina!

Take a look at that blue blue sky, the dogwood blooming pink and the halo of green at the upper most reaches of tree branches.

Isn’t it glorious?

THIS, my friends, is the reason that my allergies are in hyper drive, my eyes watering, sticky, itchy lids threatening to become glued tightly shut over night thanks to all of the pollen.

Spring is wonderful – I’ve been longing for it for months, but I somehow forgot THIS part.

Sadie and I took a little detour on our way home.  There was an antique shop that is RARELY open.  At least when I go by they are always closed, but today they WERE open, and I picked up this little lady:

$35.00 later she was in my car and we were heading out.  The wiring looked suspect, but I had planned to treadle this machine anyway, so for the price, and believing I was going to ditch the wiring, off we went.  More on this story in a bit…

This is also Wilkes County, North Carolina.

Wilkesboro to be exact!

Isn’t this just idyllic?  I don’t know what it is about old houses, but I just love looking at them and dreaming what life has been lived here over the past many decades, if not a century or more.

Hello Wisteria!

You smell wonderful.  But you are still making my eyes water!

Sadie and I made a stop here for the very first time!

Doesn’t this look great?

She had been in the car for a while, and the day was too pretty to let pass without exploring these wonderful paved pathways.  Best part about it?  NO HILLS!

Pretty, huh?  See the spring green on the trees?

Those leaves will be completely unfurled by the time I am back here.

Green in the tree tops!

Redbuds! My favorite!

Back to the little Necchi, the wiring IS bad.  Upon unloading her at home, I took drastic measures-the motor has been removed and all wires pulled.  But when I went to put it in the treadle cabinet, it seems that all hinge pins are not created equal, and the holes in the base of the Necchi are too small for the standard Singer hinge pins.  There will need to be some boring out of the holes if this is going to fit, so that is now on a back burner because I ran out of time!  I just need a machine shop and I can get them to drill the holes a bit bigger for me.

There is always the option of having the motor rewired.  The cord end on it is melted, like someone plugged the motor into the socket for the light, a bad no-no on these two socket vintage cords.

As this posts I am on my way to Chicago.  Where spring has not yet quite arrived and my eyes will get a break.

We left the house at 4am to get me to the airport by 4:30am for check in.  THERE WILL be a nap as soon as I reach the hotel!

I am excited to meet the retreaters who have come from far and near for the Cocoon.  Many are staying over and including the International Quilt Show of Chicago in their itineraries.  I envy them!  The show starts on Thursday, and we wind up on Thursday, and I fly to Wichita on Friday.

Before I leave you I do want to let you know of some new goodies in the Quiltville Store!

Scrap Quilt Secrets by Diane Knott!

List: $29.95  on sale for $28.00

Strip Your Stash by Gudrun Erla

List $24.95  on sale for $24.00

Quilts for Scrap Lovers by Judy Gauthier

List: $26.95  on sale for $26.00

You can find these and many other goodies by clicking the Shop tab at the top of the blog!  Remember, all orders over $75.00 ship free in the USA by using the coupon code Free75 at checkout. Only available to USA addresses, and you must use the coupon code to get the free shipping.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

I think the trick is to be open to the wonders of any experience from the beginning! Don't wait until it's over having to look back to find the silver lining! 😃

Vintage nine patch and star quilt found by Irene in Kentucky.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

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Get out in the SPRING of it all!

A run to town was made for some supplies.

I don’t take running to town lightly as it is a 25 minute drive there, and another 25 minute drive back – but necessity prevailed and down the mountain we went.

I tend to watch where I am walking, being the klutz that I am.

I found a wadded up dollar bill in a puddle in my path!

There has to be a life lesson in this, don’t you think?

Something like “If you aren’t paying attention you might just step over money.”  LOL!  I know it is only a dollar.  But my inner child smiled, picked it up, looked around for the person who may have lost it, and finding no one, put it in my pocket. 

“Was coming to town worth a dollar?” I asked myself on the drive home.  As the sun came out highlighting the beautiful dog woods and redbud trees that are blooming brilliantly in spring splendor, as I marveled at how the leaves have emerged on the trees seemingly overnight since I arrived on Thursday afternoon ---I answered my own question.

YES!  Getting away from the machine, from the project, from the deadlines and seeing what is really going on in nature as spring makes its changes known is worth FAR MORE than that dollar.  It’s priceless.

The deadlines can wait.  Get out and enjoy spring!

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April Fools Day, 2016!

We are starting out with our Quiltville Quote, because --

IT’S APRIL!

Did you know that the first clear and widespread mentions of April Fool's Day occurred in the 18th century? For 300 years April 1st has been full of pranks and pranksters! Watch your back, but have fun while doing it!

And today on the mountain is full of April Showers, but I don’t mind.

Thinking back on April Fools days past, I am reminded of one time when I was about 10 or so that my brother put rice crispies in my bed as a joke.  It wasn’t funny at the time, but evidently HE thought it was.

Was your growing up punctuated by pranks on April Fool’s Day?

I am always searching for the right words to go with any quilt for whatever day it is, but holidays are really fun to pull into play.  I loved Mark Twain books when I was growing up, and this quote of his made me chuckle.

While I know you can’t see much of the quilt in this photo, I want to send you a photo of the full quilt so you can see it:

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