Hippity Hop!

The NE TN Shop Hop wrapped up last Saturday. What a whirlwind! 12 shops participated, 2 local shops, and 10 road-trip shops. The road-trip shops ranged from Cosby TN very near the NC border, to Crossville TN, about half way between Knoxville and Nashville. Wow. A friend and I hit the road on Thursday last week, and spent 10 hours in the car. We managed to get to 8 of the 10 shops. I wanted to go again another day to the 2 that were west of Knoxville, but just didn't have the gumption!

News From the Studio

Amish Pinwheel

Amish Pinwheel

Got 'er quilted! The quilt was made from fabric exchanged at the Old Town Guild Christmas Party - 2014. Friend Sandy took it with her to guild meeting last week for show and tell (while I was recovering from the shop hop trip). Thanks, Sandy.

What Knots?

The Mystery Quilt Workshop quilt, What Knots is on the frame - swirls this time. I long for good light in my quilting area. It's in the plan for next year - maybe.

New Pantos

Three new pantographs are in the studio. I love them! Let me know which one you like best for your next quilt.
 

Burlesque

Smitten

Nouveau Feathers

Now, let's go quilting!

Embrace the Mystery

18 guild members participated. We used a large classroom in the church

It’s been a great week! Last Saturday, Sue Jones held a Mystery Quilt Workshop for my guild, Appalachian Heritage Quilters in Gray, TN! What a hoot. Look, if you are going to do a mystery quilt, for Pete’s sake, embrace the mystery. Sue gave us the option of selecting our own fabrics or letting her shop for them and do all of the cutting, too!! So, 12 out of the 19 who had signed up selected that option, and I was one of them. 

 

Sue always has a smile on!

  She gave us 9 clues – each one was a separate step in the process. It all came in a gift bag, with all of the pre-cut pieces wrapped in tissue paper, not to be opened until we were ready for the related clue. The day progressed with easy blocks. By mid-afternoon, rows were coming together and by the end of the day, a couple of people had their tops finished! The quilt is called What Knots. This is what mine looked like. Sue is a super-fun teacher, and everyone had a blast. If your guild wants to schedule her, Sue can be reached at 865-981-4547, email: srj23@charter.net.

Sue chose these fabrics for me.

News from the Studio

Do you subscribe to the Missouri Star Quilt Co. daily deal email? How about the MSQC youtube channel? You need to do both! Just go to www.missouriquiltco.com and sign up. Today’s tutorial was a quilt Jenny Doan calls Pinwheels on Point. So easy.

My friend from Colorado and I vacation together every year, and this quilt will be my project while we are on our little retreat later in the year. Just yesterday, I secured a wonderful little "cabin" near Pigeon Forge, TN, one of our favorite places to go. Oh, if you love cats, you must visit the Smoky Mountain Cat House there.

Enjoy your week! Now let's go quilting!

A Quilter's Heart

A friend and I went to the Smoky Mountain Quilters Quilt Show on Friday, in Maryville, TN. What a wonderful show. Lots of quilts, great vendors, and a lovely bed turning of antique log cabin quilts. The area Quilts of Valor group, did 3 presentations of Quilts of Valor to 3 service members. Although, I was not able to attend the presentation, I have attended several. What a wonderful way to present a service member with tangible evidence of our deep appreciation of their service and sacrifice. Get more information at www.qovf.org.

Best in Show

 


The Quilt of Valor group also had a gallery of quilts. I love this one.

This one is my show favorite. Sorry, I didn't get a close up of the quilting. The whole quilt was just so sweet, and the quilting was absolutely perfect for the quilt. And it came with a nice story. It was made by a bee to remember 3 of their members who had passed away. 

 

 

 

News from the Studio

The Amish Pinwheel quilt (from the Craftsy Precision Piecing class) is ready for quilting. But first – gotta practice a bit. Every machine quilter, whether domestic or longarm, needs a practice sandwich to play with. When I was quilting on the domestic, I kept a stack of fat-quarter sandwiches to warm-up the coordination and practice new designs. As a longarmer I do the same thing. I’ve got a growing stack of  well-used practice “quilts” for reference, and one all ready to zip onto the longarm leaders at a moment’s notice. Today, I practiced the border designs for the Amish pinwheel, and now feel ready to get started.  Since the quilt is all batiks, it was important to practice on batik with the same thread I will use on the quilt.  

Key Learning for the Week

Do you ever feel a little inferior or inadequate when you see all of the amazing talent at a quilt show? I do. But I fight the feeling. No quilter is inferior or inadequate – every quilter has a style, things they are good at, things they don’t need or want to be good at, and skills they want to develop. Embrace your style, your joy of fabric and thread, and the fellowship of your sisters of the craft.

Now, let's go quilt something!

From Spring Euphoria to Victory!

Spring has sprung with a vengeance around here. The Iris are in full bloom, shortly to be followed by the glads.
















My DS sent me a couple of pictures of Spring at the orchard. The pears were in bloom, and by now, I expect that the whole orchard is full of blossoms and bees.

 

News from the Studio

Last week, I finally finished the quilt top for the Precision Piecing class. So glad to have it done! Now to decide how to quilt it. It seems to want a cross between tradition and modern designs - so if you have a suggestion - please feel free!






And, how cute are these! I found these at the Patchwork Co - a quilt store in Windham, NY which I mentioned last week. She had a whole rafter lined on both sides with these cute wall hangings. I just HAD to get a bunch of them. Whether I ever make them or not, they are fun to look at! They are designed to be the kitty version of veggies - the first one is Le Artichat, and the other is Mushkit.

My Ah-ha! Moment of the Week

My "duh!" moment for the week, came with 2 days of paperwork! OMG, how did I let data entry and account reconciling go for SO Long? If I were to make a mid-year resolution, it would be to stay on top of financial stuff as it happens.

Procrastination has it's repercussions! Things that have been put off and put off generate a sense of being overwhelmed and discouraged. It is paralyzing and a big waste of time. So, if you have been putting off something because it is overwhelming, be encouraged. Just think about the first 2 things that you would have to do in order to move forward - just 2. Then take 1 step toward the first one - spend 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Then start on the 2nd thing. One step at a time. You will be surprised at your progress. You don't have to get it all done at once. You  just have to keep moving.

Now let's get moving and go quilt something!

What IS normal, anyway?

Is there a normal life? Does anyone ever live a normal life? Sometimes I find myself wanting to “get back to a normal routine”. But usually, it just means “getting to do whatever I want to do, when I want to do it”. Wait a minute – that sounds exactly like my definition of being retired. And since I am retired, why am I not living a normal life? Oh, I know! I haven’t done a lick of sewing or quilting since I put all of those sleeves on all those quilts that you saw in my last post. I think I’m having withdrawal symptoms.

News from the studio

Studio time has been limited to non-sewing stuff. I finally got sick of the larger pieces of batting stashed all over the place, and got them a bit organized. I took a hamper we weren't using and put all the smaller pieces in it - when the bag is full, I'll put them into a clear bag and put them in the guild auction in the fall. The big pieces I measured, labeled, and have found a place for them in the closet.

Sometimes, I like to serge the raw edges of yardage before it is pre-washed. The little, inexpensive serger I have has languished, unused for a few years, so I knew it had to be serviced. I'd prefer to just make it a boat anchor, but in case it could be saved... So, my traveling service guy stopped by the house, spruced 'er up good, tightened up the tension control wheels, and now she just hums along. Just wish she would thread herself!

A visit to the Mead Orchard

Last week, the DH and I drove to upstate NY, to visit my sister and her DH. His family owns a large orchard near Tivoli, Mead Orchards. They grow many varieties of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, you name it. They also have some acreage in veggies and fruits, like strawberries and blueberries for the summer markets. They have pick your own in the fall, make their own cider, and on and on.

Oh, the DS and I have started our own shop hop in that part of the country. There are NO quilt stores in her area – but if you are willing to drive (and who isn’t?) you can hit a few. We found 2 of them, one in Selkirk (got some batik @ 25% off) and my favorite so far, The Patchwork Co., in Windham. That's one of their blocks of the month. Great store! 

 Back to real life

After all of that, it’s back to “normal” – but the mundane kind: fill up the frig, go to the pharmacy, make dr. appointments, take care of guild business, etc. and still no quilting! Sorry, I just can’t devote my life to the mundane. So, the payoff for all that mundane stuff is to reward myself with studio time!! The goal today is to wash the batik I got in NY and figure out where I am on that Precision Piecing class quilt.

So, do the daily chores with joy, knowing that your reward is waiting for you in your sewing space!

Now let’s go quilting!