Two Sew'n Wild Oaks Classes Were In Session

Hello Everyone,

 

I knew last week was going to be a busy one, but I didn't realize just how busy it was going to be until it was over. 

 

I taught Heritage at Cloth and Quilts in Turlock on Thursday.  Here is a small sample of the progress the girls made.

 



Ann had all of the little pieces cut for the blocks nicely organized on two pieces of leftover cardboard from bolts of fabric.  This idea is genius!

Once I subcut my strips up into pieces they usually go into little baggies.  Not anymore.  I absolutely loved this organizational idea.

The class loved the block layout sheet.  Once they got one block under their belt, they started to fly.

 Stacks and stacks of little parts and pieces for Heritage dotted the classroom.

I do love to see the patterns made in alternative colorways.  Marlene selected all Kansas Trouble warm and cozy fabrics.  Stunning!

Pam has a bit of a cowboy theme in her quilt.  Her paisley was yummy.  Pam is coming to my retreat in September, so we will all get to see her beauty come together.

 

Judy dropped by to show me her finished Country Charmer quilt!  Her fabric selection was so unique and beautiful.  I loved her interpretation of my pattern. 

 

You Turlock girls are fantastic!  I feel right at home in your classroom. Thank you so much for the fun day and your welcoming nature.

 



 

Yesterday I taught my Let's Make a Diehl class at In Between Stitches.  We started working on a little table topper from Kim's latest book.

 



 

I shared the idea about using the bolt cardboard with them, and they adopted the idea right off the bat!  It is a fabulous way to store the little 1-1/2" x 1-1/" squares.

 



Space is at a premium when the classroom is full, so I see lots of different ways to keep organized.

I also demonstrated foundation paper-piecing.  A couple of the girls made some little 4-1/2"  houses.  I LOVE foundation paper-piecing......once I wrapped my head around the concept.  It is like rubbing your head and patting your tummy at the same time.  Such a different approach to quilting that can be frustrating, yet extremely satisfying when it all comes together in the end.

You will be seeing lots more of the Kim Diehl projects over the next few months.  Most of the girls who attended by class yesterday are also in my Sew'n Wild Oaks classes.

This coming week will be much calmer for me.  Maybe I can actually get some quilting done on my projects!  Now that's a novel idea.

Soon,
Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Class Was In Session

Hello Everyone,

 

I met with some of "my girls" on Tuesday for Sew'n Wild Oaks.  This is what they've been up to over the past few weeks.

 

Mary finished her beautiful and intricate wall hanging. The original pattern was made in batiks.  Mary added her own style to it and it is beautiful.

 

Barbara finished her Heritage top!

She changed up the border fabric and it looks so good Barbara.

Barbara also just returned from Texas and look what pattern followed her home.  "Tex" is going to be protecting her house!

Mary also finished her Heritage top!  I keep saying my girls are impeccable and fast finishers. Well done!

Jeanne is working on her blocks for Heritage.  Her attention to detail surpasses me!

Pat has a great start on her Lucy Boston quilt.  There is so much detail in each and every block.

Barbara is also working on her little plaid elephants.  Their ears may be polka dots, or flowers.  Whatever she decides, they are going to be a cute elephant herd.

Karen is sewing her Walk in the Park rows together.  Very striking!

Dianne is making Lil' Orphan Scrappy in such happy colors.  Love it!

Cindy is making a quilt for the Orlando tragedy.  All of her hearts are foundation pieced.  This is going to be a treasured quilt.

Nancy is making a little basket pillow from my Buttonwood pattern.  This is the optional project from my retreat last year.

Mary is putting her own spin on my Summers Blush pattern.  It is great fun to see this one in a different colorway.

 

I'm off to Cloth and Quilts in Turlock to teach Heritage today.  There's always a nice group of quilters waiting for me in the spacious classroom. My quilting projects bags are packed and I'm ready to go!

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

 

Christmas In July Time

Hello Everyone,

 

The Christmas stars are shining in my sewing room as I get ready to teach my Let's Make a Diehl class this weekend at In Between Stitches.

 



 

The class will be making this cute table topper from Kim Diehl's latest book.

 



The Simple Christmas Tidings book is a must have on your shelf.  It is full of wonderful projects to make for the Holidays.

This is a picture of Ma & Pa Kettle, no I mean Mr. Joe and me clowning around at our son's 40th birthday party at a ranch north of town. Mom and Dad embarrassed the kids again! We decided this picture is going to be our Christmas card this year.

The party would have been a surprise if Kade hadn't gone to the gym Saturday morning.  He ran into a friend that apologized for not being able to make it to the event.  Up until that time, he was clueless about anything planned for him.

There were many close calls when the beans could have been spilled.  On Friday, Kade left work early to head for home.  Little did he know the kids were shucking 48 ears of corn on the kitchen table.  Harleigh had a two minute warning text from Mom, and jumped into action.  The corn, silk, and shucking were scooped up and thrown into her closet!  As Kade walked in the door, Harleigh was mopping the floor like any good teenage daughter on her summer vacation!  Today she is probably cleaning her closet.

The slide show was a hit and we watched it in the barn.

Instead of pie in the face, he got chocolate cake in the face......and ear, compliments of his daughter.  Good times, good memories.  That's what life is all about.

 

Like most of my weeks, this one is super busy.  I'm working at the shop today, Sew'n Wild Oaks class on Tuesday, Heritage class at Cloth & Quilts on Thursday, then Let's Make a Diehl on Saturday.  Next week is my week totally free of any commitments!  It's my week to quilt, quilt and quilt some more.  The projects are stacking up like cordwood and need my complete attention for the next several weeks.

Soon,
Lynn

Red Rose & Vine Meets Madrigal

Hello Everyone,

 

You might be wondering why I posted a picture of the center of my Madrigal pattern. 

 

 

Well I'm going to tell you why right now!  A package arrived from Marcus Fabrics the other day and it contained this wonderful fabric collection called Red Rose & Vine by Paula Barnes. 

 



 

I think it would be perfect made into a Madrigal quilt.  Now I just need to add another ten hours to my day so I can work on this quilt!

 

 

I also see a Lucy Boston block in my future using these two prints.  Thank you so much Marcus Fabrics for sending me a box filled to the rim with quilty goodness.

For those of you wondering, I finished the slide show for our son's 40th birthday party.  I cry every time I watch it!  The Jim Croce song, Photographs and Memories, keeps replaying in my head.  I didn't use the song in the show, but I have been going through photographs which have been sparking, or igniting many memories over the past week or so.  I hope I can hold it together while we watch the show with the family.  I can turn into a blithering idiot in a blink of an eye when I think about my precious kids and grandkids.  For me, life is all about family.

Soon,
Lynn

Good Things Happening

Hello Everyone,

All good things happening here under the oaks at Sew'n Wild Oaks.  My Heritage pattern is available along with a kit at Keepsake Quilting.  The catalog will be arriving to your mailbox next month.  Keepsake is taking pre-orders for the kits now. Click HERE to get more information.

 

 

Everything you see in the next series of pictures is sitting on the floor in my living room.  We arrived back home from the quilt show in Fremont, and the bins and tubs of product and quilts made it inside the house and that is where it all sits.

The booth looked inviting and charming.  It is always fun to put everything out on display.

I'm applying to have a booth at a prestigious 3-day show next year.  I have to submit pictures and a description of why my booth should be accepted and what makes the booth unique.  The pictures and written explanation are ranked by the guild members.  The highest ranked vendors are assigned the largest spots, then the smaller spaces are filled by the lower ranking vendors. Everyone has to go through the same process even if you were accepted in the past.

I'm a bit nervous to apply now because I was told at the conclusion of the show last weekend that most quilting is going modern and perhaps my style is too traditional and has a definite niche in that realm.  I've never been a vendor chair for a quilt show, but it is my assumption that you would want to have vendors from the full quilting spectrum......modern to traditional.  I'm still scratching my head over this and have had a bit of heartburn about the entire issue.  Not to worry, I'm sticking with my style, my inviting booth, and my marketing strategy.

 

The highlight of the weekend was having my granddaughter Harleigh work the booth with us.  She's a quick study and figured out the cash register much quicker than I ever will.  

Since this was a local show for me, only a few miles from my house, many of my quilting buddies stopped by to say hello.  Harleigh was amazed at how many people knew her from the blog and her adventures raising Kevin the pig.  She is now knows as "Kevin's Mom".

My youngest son turns 40 next week.  In our family that means you get a slide show set to music of your entire life.  All three of our kids have had a camera in their face since they were in the womb.  I'm sifting through thousands of pictures of Kade, and trying to condense his life down to 200 pictures.  I have been walking back through time and memories while pulling this together.  Kade is our middle child, our rebel, our "I'm going to test Mom & Dad to their limit" kid. Kade is the reason I went prematurely gray!!!   If someone had told me when he was 16 he would grow up to be an excellent husband and parent, coach to many, and all-round good citizen and person......I would not have thought it possible.  He is the most loving and kind person, and we love him more every day.  He would do anything for us and is always the first to offer help.

Here he is with his beautiful wife Athena, on their wedding day in Hawaii.

Of course these pictures are in the slide show too! 

Anything is fair game for Mom's slide show!

 

Soon,
Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Class was in Session

Hello Everyone,

 

I've been so sporadic with posting lately that it is time I got back to normal beginning today!  Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with "my girls".  Here is a peek at what they've been up to over the past few weeks.

 

Suzanne super-sized her Kim Diehl Walk in the Park quilt to fit a king size bed.

 



Pictures just don't do justice to this quilt.  It is gorgeous Suzanne.

Some more of the girls are working on their Walks in the Park.  It is an easy block to make.  The Kim Diehl fabrics all work so well together.

Fall was in the air in the classroom too with bits and pieces of Harvest of Hope.

More Fall pictures with October Magic bits and pieces.  Love the kitties in the windows.

A Grammy Squares quilt is coming together.  When we were talking about Y-seams, Susan started singing and dancing to the YMCA song.  The lyrics went something like.....Why Y-seams?  Susan keeps us all entertained and brings a spark of pure joy to the class.

Gail's Lil Orphan Scrappy is coming together nicely.  She always begins with a perfect, fussy cut center.

Here is another wonderful use of Kim Diehl's fabrics.  They all work so well together!

 

Just as the fabrics work well together, so do my Sew'n Wild Oaks girls.  They are filled with love, laughter, compassion, and positive energy.  This isn't really a class, it is a fill-your-soul with a shared experience of doing what you love to do with people you enjoy being with.  The day goes by too quickly and before you know it, 4 o'clock rolls around and we start packing up.  As always, thank you for the day of fun.

Speaking of fun,  I'm having a booth this weekend at the Piecemakers Quilt Show at the Dominican Center in the Mission San Jose area.  This show is just a hop, skip and jump from my home, so no overnighter for me.  I'll spend the next two days preparing for the show.......no quilting from me this week.  Come on by and say hi either Saturday or Sunday.  Gail will be there, my cousin Melody and my granddaughter will all be helping me during the show.  I have to start training them while they are young.  (Of course this doesn't apply to Gail and Melody....they are well past the training stage!)

Soon,
Lynn