Saturday, March 16, 2024

Luck of the Irish Sale

 Top of the morning to you,

I'm having a LUCK OF THE IRISH sale in my Etsy shop beginning today 3/16/2024 thru Monday 3/18/2024.  My Etsy shop is located HERE.


As luck would have it, I started reading Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd this week.  I just started the chapter about St. Patrick last night.  I love to read anything written by Rutherfurd.  You painlessly learn so much history while reading his thoroughly researched books.  It's a long read where you can immerse yourself in the history of Ireland beginning with tribal, pre-Christian times.

Lots on the horizon here at Sew'n Wild Oaks.  I had a Zoom meeting with Marcus Fabrics yesterday, and our discussions were sew exciting.

Soon,
Lynn










Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Calico Cottages

 Hello Everyone,

My sister, Gail, has a beautiful Calico Cottages flimsy ready to send off to be machine quilted.


The little cottages within the setting triangles, measure 3" x 3".  You can see the wonderful selection of strips surrounding the block.

This quilt is truly a scrappy quilt and it's amazing just how much fabric you use while making it.  It feels so good to put all of those scraps to work and showcase them.


Here are the corners.  The little 9-patch has strip after strip around it.  Gail's fabrics are all from the same family of reproduction fabrics from many, many different fabric lines.  They all work together beautifully.


All of the roofs, windows, and the chimneys are the same.  This was her first attempt at foundation paper-piecing.  She was not a fan at first......I can attest to that!  But, once she got it, she got it and couldn't stop making these precious little houses.



You can find the pattern HERE in my Etsy shop.  The quilt measures 62" x 62" which makes a wonderful wall hanging or lap quilt.  Gail loves her quilt as well she should!

On the home front, taxes have been submitted to the accountant as of yesterday.  Mazey is now eating and drinking a lot as she's making up for lost time.  The steroids are making her feel better and she's now able to chew without pain.....but a case of the 'trots' has her running to the door day and night.  We take turns nightly on who has to get up and take her out.  It's a bit scary out there in the woods at night. Luckily, she gets straight to work, and we aren't standing around outside for too long.  What we do for our precious pets!  

Soon,
Lynn




Saturday, March 9, 2024

Country Sunshine

 Hello Everyone,

This image of Country Sunshine popped up on my memories yesterday on my computer.  I thought it was very fitting for this time of the year here in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  We all need a little sunshine in our lives.

I should rename this quilt Mountain Sunshine.  The sun has been very elusive up here, and another smaller storm is on the way for a short visit.  If I get one more winter storm warning on my phone, I think I'm going to scream!

We took Mazey in to see her Vet again yesterday for the third time this week.  She is perking up a bit, but she is still hiding away for most of the day.  Yesterday, she actually showed interest in a squirrel as she came out of the bedroom and bedded down by the sliding glass door.  She is also eating little bits of chicken and rice in chicken broth.

Our little Mazey was diagnosed with masticatory myositis.  The masticatory muscles are the muscles used in chewing.  The word myositis means muscle inflammation.  So, this explains why she was not eating or barking.  She is now on steroids and the Vet gave her a steroid injection to jump start the medication and get it in her system quickly. 

So, our early warning bear notification system is no longer working.  All of these bear tracks came out of the woods and circled around the fire pit.  Then the tracks led right up the stairs to our deck, without a peep out of Mazey.

Today I'm going to finish up everything I need to do on our taxes and get them to the accountant.  This has been such a drag and so uncreative.  I guess I could have gotten creative with the numbers......but I won't.

So, my readers, you are going to have to be creative for me today.

Soon,

Lynn    


  


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Some Show Stoppers

 Hello Everyone,

I feel that I hit the jackpot this week!  I received many pictures of quilts that you've made using my patterns.  First up is a picture of my Crossing the Pond pattern that was beautifully made by Jane.


This is what Jane said in her email.

Hello, You will find attached pictures of a quilt I made using Di Ford's Windermere fabrics. I found the perfect pattern in Quiltmania issue #143, "Crossing the Pond" by Lynn Wilder. I used Ms Wilder's alternating central blocks to showcase the colors in the Windermere floral panel. Since I was using Di Ford fabrics, I thought it would be nice to incorporate a broderie perse border along with the fabric border print. I am very pleased with the way that it turned out.  I hope you like it too.
Cheers, Jane Waye 
P.S. The long arm quilting was done by my talented friend Debbie at Wynnspired Custom Quilting.



I love that Jane added her own very special and outstanding 'touches' to this quilt and made it her own.  It is so gorgeous and so well done!

Next up I received pictures from Ollie in Canada.  Here is what she said about the group of beauties.

The first quilt is mine and I taught this pattern in my quilting class and here are mine and two others made with this pattern. The teal one is not quite finished as she had to order the red batik in order to make the first border. 


Then Ollie goes on to say:

This is one of my students Heritage Quilt made with civil war fabrics.

But wait, there are some more!  My friend Sylvia started her Heritage quilt at one of my retreats.  She just got it back from her machine quilter. She said she keeps going into her bedroom to look at it and she can't believe she made it.


Then yesterday afternoon I received a text from Gretchen.  She just finished A Ribbon Runs Through It.
Gretchen brought her finished blocks to one of my retreats last Fall.  I showed her how to 'block' each of the blocks to get them all to be the same size.....and voila, here they are.


This has definitely been a week of happy emails, and texts.  I LOVE to get your pictures.  Both Mr. Joe and I look at all of them and marvel at your creativity and precision. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to send me your pictures.  It puts a smile on my face from ear to ear.

Now news on the Mazey front.  Our little girl has had a very rough week.  She's been pumped full of fluids, had blood drawn, injections, and x-rays.  So far, all of the tests have been unremarkable. Yesterday afternoon she finally ate something for the first time in 7 days!  7 days of not eating or drinking.  All she did was hide away from us and stay curled up in her bed.  We wanted to caress her, but she wasn't having any of it. We were shocked yesterday when she came out of the bedroom and curled up by Mr. Joe's chair.  We introduced little bits of chicken with rice and chicken broth, and she ate it.  She isn't out of the woods yet, but she can see the sunlight through the trees.  We were so afraid that this was the end, and we were both having trouble dealing with the potential loss of our baby.  We will slowly introduce more food today to rebuild her strength. The most heartening thing we saw yesterday in addition to eating, was when she wagged her tail.



I'm wagging my tail with joy today.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S.  All of the patterns are available in my Etsy shop HERE.  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Timeless Applique

 Hello Everyone,

I worked my way through the torrential rain and snow at the cabin over the past five days on these precious little cuties which are made with my Hearthstone fabric line.


We never lost power during the storm, but we had intermittent Internet and TV during the worst of the snow on Saturday and Sunday.  

I enjoy combining stripes, checks and prints.....and then there is the fussy cutting for the centers.  I showed you in my last post how I make the perfect circles with the Perfect Circle templates.


I LOVE working on an applique project.  I find it very rewarding and soothing.


I have quite a few of these to make.  Four down, twelve to go.  I sew love them!


We received over a foot of snow which is much more manageable than the 3 to 4' of snow which was predicted.  That much snow would have paralyzed our mountain community. We had wind and 4" of rain throughout Thursday and Friday.  Had it been colder, we would have been in trouble.  The temps dropped on Saturday and the rain turned to snow.


I have to put all of this fun aside and finish my taxes which is the number one item on my to-do list today.  I also have to make a tutorial for the house block for Bridle Path, and finish with the Packhorse Librarian story for March.  

With all of this going on, we have been caring for a very sick Mazie.  We dug our way out yesterday and took her to the first morning appointment at her vet.  The vet thinks she has pancreatitis.  She's in pain and hasn't eaten or had any water for the past two days.  They filled her full of fluids and gave her an injection.  She's had us up since 2am, so it's back to the vet today for x-rays. It is breaking my heart to see her like this.  

Earlier this morning I was out in the great room with Mazie when I heard a fox bark.  Once you hear one you never forget it.  Normally, Mazie would have gone into protection mode and barked back, but this morning she didn't run over to the door and there wasn't a peep out of her.

I'll keep you posted.

Soon,
Lynn




Saturday, March 2, 2024

Growing Pains

 Hello Everyone,

I recently realized that I hadn't posted my Autumn Thyme table topper in my Etsy shop.  


The topper is a combination of cotton and wool applique. 


I LOVE the slow process of applique and I love combining cotton and wool together.

It's so relaxing to add more detail to each of the elements in the table topper.


I'm using my Hearthstone fabric line in this pattern along with Lanacot wool and Lanacot Textures by Marcus Fabrics.




The table runner measures 10" x 38".  I loved having it on display last Autumn on my table.   It just makes me smile!  I also love the plaid flange and binding which really sets it off.


Sew'n Wild Oaks has been experiencing some growing pains.  I found I was spending a great deal of time filing Etsy orders which gave me less time to design quilts and fabric.  I saw a post on FaceBook which really made me stop, think, then act. 

We do not have mail service at the cabin, which means we have to go to our little local post office to mail my Etsy orders and pick up our mail at our post office box.  The staff at our little post office is absolutely wonderful.  They know your name; they have memorized your post office box number, and they are so friendly.  For the past six years, Sam (Samantha) has waited on us at the counter.  She had a baby recently and we've missed her friendly face.  Sam posted on FB that she was looking for work from home.  A giant bell went off in my brain and I thought who better to fill my Etsy orders than someone who has worked at the post office for ten years?  It was work that could be done from home, she's local so I could keep her supplied with patterns, envelopes, and mailing labels.  Sam will process the orders and take them to the post office three days a week.  She is also working on a database for me, as I'm also working out the details with Constant Comment to send email blasts.  

Sam is now filling the majority of my orders with little Anderson by her side.  They have become part of the Sew'n Wild Oaks quilting family.  So, it's up to you to keep Sam busy!  I'll be working on marketing, and she will be filing the majority of the orders.  It's a win-win for both of us.


Now I can focus more on designing fabric and patterns.  I feel FREE and I've been so productive in the past two weeks.  I'm quilting and designing up a storm! 

My sister has been tasked to pattern testing and I mailed her a box of fabric and directions this week.  So, she's been busy reviewing a pattern while testing it out.  With my new fabric lines coming down the pike, she is going to be very busy! 

I had a ZOOM call with the wonderful women at Marcus Fabrics on Thursday.  The graphic artist is working on two lines for me along with a line of wool.  Each of the lines require a new pattern or two.  I will also be offering a FREE pattern with each of the lines.  See why my sister is going to be busy?  It is all sew exciting!

Speaking of storms, my little town has been under a Blizzard Warning for days. My phone kept dinging a blizzard warning hourly prior and during the blizzard.  It started snowing early this morning and should continue for a couple of days.  Prior to that, we had buckets of rain and hail which was accompanied by wind.  It is supposed to snow all day long, into the evening and beyond.  Our shovels and snowblower are at the ready.  We have a fridge and freezer full of food, a generator in case the power goes out, and we are fully stocked with wine......the essentials to get us through the blizzard in relative comfort.  We moved a lot of firewood to the front porch......so bring it on Mother Nature!  If you don't hear from me for a few days, that means we have no Internet......one of the downfalls of mountain life. On second thought, maybe not.  

I have a lot of applique blocks ready to be stitched, so I'll be working by the fire.  Sigh....it's all good. 

Soon,
Lynn












Saturday, February 24, 2024

Perfect Applique Circles

 Hello Everyone,

How many of you plan your quilting schedule around the weather?  Well, I looked ahead at the 10-day forecast and I'm seeing close to 20" of snow beginning next Friday on March 1st.  I can't think of a better way to spend my day than sitting by the woodburning stove and appliqueing my entire day. Keep in mind a few naps may occasionally kick in!  I'm preparing 10 blocks to stitch, which means I need to make 40 perfect circles.


As you can see in the picture above, I'm using Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles.  I selected two different sizes of the circles.  The smaller circle is the finished size which I need.

I always begin with fabric starched with a HEAVY DUTY spray starch.  Doing that cuts down on the amount of raveling and the fabric behaves beautifully.  I guess you could say that I starch it into submission.

I use a Frixion pen and draw a circle around the largest of the two circles, and then cut around it with about a 1/16" of an inch beyond the marked line.  Then I take a running stitch along the marked line.


I put the smaller circle on top of the larger circle so you can see the difference in the sizes.

After I've taken the running stitch, I pull the thread to gather it around the smaller circle and then I press.


I do not knot my thread. Now that's a tongue twister!

I then use an Aqua Touch marker filled with Best Press spray starch and apply it to my perfect circle and press.  I do not apply the starch to the gathered side, I only apply it to the finished side.


I then carefully remove the plastic circle and press again.  The fabric has a memory and will spring right back into shape with just a bit of coercion. I will prepare a bunch of these little guys today and tomorrow and also work on some piecing.


I'll also prepare a lot of plaid pieces while listening to a book on Audible.  


I find applique so soothing and productive.  I love incorporating both piecing and applique in my designs.  I guess because it fulfills me.  Do something fulfilling this weekend.

Soon,
Lynn











Thursday, February 22, 2024

A Sneak Peek

 Hello Everyone,

Here are just a few snippets of the project I've been diligently working on during all of our storms here in California.  The project includes 12 of the applique blocks.


I'm working with my Hearthstone fabric line, and I haven't tired of it yet.  In fact, I'm loving it more and more as I go.  I'm making 16 of this pieced block.  I finished block #8 yesterday.


Here are the blocks against the backdrop of Hearthstone bolts.


I'm making 8 of this applique block.


I set up an applique station in the great room so I could watch the playoff football games and applique the day away.  I need to find another sport now that football is over for the season.  I'm not a huge fan of basketball.  I wish the Winter Olympics were on so I could do some Olympic-type applique!

Before all of the rains began, we did have a bit of snow.  The shoveling was very doable as the snow was very fluffy and we just had to push it out of the way. We probably could have used the leaf blower as it was so powdery.


The picture doesn't do this scene justice.  It looked like thousands of diamonds were falling out of the trees and glistening in the sun.


We stay comfy and cozy in our cabin in the woods.


While all of this quilting is going on, I also worked on two new fabric lines and submitted them to Marcus Fabrics.  I'm working on fabric line #3 now.  It takes sooooo long to bring a fabric collection to life!  I'm having a Zoom meeting with the graphic designer and Marcus management next week to discuss my submissions and maybe I'll get some sort of timeframe for their release.  

I always set the Zoom call up in my quilting room and change out the quilt behind me.  I really need to tidy up my room so I can show them the entire setting.  We'll see about that!

Soon,
Lynn 






Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Two Beauties

 Hello Everyone,

I received two more pictures from quilters who made my patterns that I'm sharing with you.  The first picture is Country Courthouse which came from Jan.  This quilt took First Place and Viewer's Choice at Happy Trails Quilt Show in Surprise, Arizona. 


Jan did a great job and is very deserving of her ribbons.

The next picture of Heritage is from Betty.  The quilt was made by her husband Bruce.  Here's what she said in the email.

     "Wanted you to see my husband’s completed quilt. He has been encouraged to enter it into the 2024 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Quilt Show.  He is a 72 year old male who began quilting a little over a year ago, with no prior sewing experience.  He plans to begin “A Ribbon Runs Through It” next.  He really appreciates your quilt plans and looks forward to creating more in the future.  He gave me this quilt to display in our guest quarters."


Wow, Bruce, you are amazing.  I really hope you do enter the quilt in the two shows.  I'll be you will be sending me pictures of your ribbons too!

California has been under another atmospheric river for days on end.  The rain was so torrential the other night that it kept waking us up.  I love to hear the pitter patter of rain on the roof unless it resembles elephants tromping across the roof for hours at a time.  The high country is receiving a great dumping of snow which is fantastic.  I'll put up with the rain instead of four feet of snow.  Last winter was brutal when it came to snow at my location.

All of the rain has kept me inside my sewing room.  I'm spending more time quilting and listening to books on Audible.  I just finished and highly recommend The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and Code Name Helene by the same author.  Look these books up and see if they might appeal to you.  Both books kept me quilting for hours on end, and the reader drowned out the elephants tromping around on the roof.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S.  If you are interested in purchasing the patterns for Country Courthouse or Heritage, they are located HERE in my Etsy shop.


Friday, February 16, 2024

An Italian Country Charmer

Hello Everyone,

I love to receive pictures and feedback when a quilter finishes one on my designs.  Isabella from Italy sent me pictures of her beautiful Country Charmer quilt which she made for her daughter.


Isabella incorporated a beautiful color palette in her quilt which she has given to her daughter.

Her piecing is so precise!



The quilting is perfect for the design.




It makes me so happy to know that my designs are being created around the world.  I shipped patterns to 17 different countries just last year.  If you are interested in making a Country Charmer quilt, the pattern is available on my Etsy site HERE.

Thank you, Isabella, for making my pattern and sending me pictures.  Bravo!

Soon,
Lynn