Classes in Colusa

Hello Everyone,

 

I just returned from my 5-day road trip beginning with a workshop in Stockton, CA, and ending with two classes at Friends Around the Block quilt shop in Colusa, CA.  I taught Country Charmer and Cute as a Button in Colusa.

 

Cute as a Button was first up on Friday.  There are lots of little 9-patch sections to this little quilt. It all begins with cutting strips......lots of strips.

There were many 9-patch blocks born during class.

Then they started coming together.

The classroom at Friends Around the Block is very large, and the lighting is wonderful.

Saturday, was Country Charmer day.  Some of the girls worked on their Gold Rush blocks for my Romancing Alaska pattern, and some worked on the same block for Country Charmer.  I include a block layout sheet for my patterns that have a lot of pieces.  I call it the map to your success.  You begin by laying all of the pieces on the sheet, then take the sheet next to your machine and start stitching.

 

Mary came into the shop to show me her Country Sunshine quilt.  I taught this quilt in November in Colusa.  The fabrics she used were very directional.....and she has everyone going in the correct direction.  Well done!

My sister Gail was determined to get her Zinnie's Choice quilt together and into flimsy status.....and she did!  She had all of the parts and pieces made, she just needed to stitch them together.

Great attention to detail.  No "points" were lost in the making of this quilt.

Tomorrow I'm teaching an applique class at Quail's Nest in Sonora.  This is the block that we are going to work on from my Party In The Garden pattern.  If the class doesn't want to make the entire quilt, they can turn this block into a small wall hanging or a pillow just in time for summer. 

It feels good to be home with my dog and husband.  I think Mazey missed me the most.  She just about turned herself inside out when I walked through the front door.  Mr. Joe was a bit more reserved.  If he jumped around as much as Mazey did, he would now be in traction.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S. All of the patterns that are featured in this post are located in my Etsy shop.  Just click on the word ETSY toward the top of the blog post to enter my shop.

Patchwork Math Workshop

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Spending the day with a group of quilters always puts a smile on my face.  My sister Gail and I were in Stockton yesterday with the Tuleburg Quilt Guild.  The day was off to a great start when Carol showed me her gorgeous Madrigal quilt.

 



She did a fantastic job on this one!  Madrigal is one of my favorite patterns, as it's simple yet classic.  I love the fabric that Carol used for the flange....perfect.

Every hour on the hour, the class gathered around the front desk while I presented a new component and formula to make that component any size they wanted.

The girls were very prolific and very creative.

My goal is to teach quilters basic quilting math, one quilter at a time.  I'm slowly working my way through Northern California!

They each made the same components.  The variations are endless.

Just look how the stripes lined up!  Extra credit for this quilter.

I am at my sister's house in Benicia.  As soon as our two girlfriends arrive, we are off the races to our next quilting gig at Friends Around the Block in Colusa.  I'm teaching Cute as a Button tomorrow, and Country Charmer on Saturday.  Let the giggling and quilting begin!

Soon,
Lynn

Easter Line Up

Hello Everyone,

 

We are back home from our Easter celebration hosted by our eldest son and his wife.  They really made our Easter Sunday very special.  We all brought a dish to share for brunch, and of course there never is enough food.....NOT!

 

We do feel very blessed to call this cast of characters our family.  This is our "gene" Wilder photo.  Everyone is this picture has the Wilder gene, except for me.  But hey, I helped pass it on to everyone else!

 

This picture was taken four years ago.  The little boys are catching up to the rest of the group.  Our daughter (in the middle), is very concerned that over the years she is going to cause a dip in the line up, as the little boys are bound to shoot up, catch up or surpass their dads.  Then there's that senior couple on the other end......yes, the teeter-tooter is really going to swing in a downward direction.

 



 

Our daughter-in-law is very crafty, and has decorated their home beautifully.

While visiting with the kids, we were able to watch our grandson play a double hitter Little League game, and we were able to watch our granddaughter throw discus in an invitational track and field meet.  We had a VERY busy Saturday going from field to field.

Today is my get-ready-to-leave-again day.  I'm headed to Stockton tomorrow to teach a Patchwork Math workshop for the Tuleburg Quilt Guild.  I'll drive over to my sister's house in Benicia after class.  Thursday we will meet up with two of our "bestest" quilting buds and we will drive up to Colusa where we rented a little cottage for the weekend.  I'm teaching Cute as a Button and Country Charmer in the charming Friends Around the Block quilt shop.  It is going to be a mini-retreat weekend with lots of laughter, food, and maybe a bit of quilting.

I'll try to post when I can over the next few days.  In the meantime, keep on quilting!

Soon,
Lynn

 

Happy Easter 2019

Hello Everyone,

 

May you all have a happy and blessed Easter.  We will be with family and eating entirely too much, as we have a lot of good cooks in the group.  We always have our annual softball game at the park.  The little grandsons are team captains.  I hope I'm not picked last!

This quilt is called Rabbits Prefer Chocolate by Bunny Hill.  I made it in 2006.  Time flies! 

Soon,
Lynn

Weekly Update

Hello Everyone,

 

She's a flimsy!  Country Courthouse now has a flange and borders and she's ready to be quilted.  I wanted to do something to separate the setting triangles from the borders, so a 1/2" flange was just the ticket.

 



The quilt is 81" x 81", so it's hard to get a good picture of the entire quilt.  The flange is very subtle and adds a nice little touch.  It's all about the details.

Each corner looks like this.  Adding the flange was the equivalent of doing the border twice......but so worth the effort.

 

Here's a heads up for quilters living in the Sacramento Valley.  I'm teaching both the big sister Country Courthouse, and little sister Cute as a Button in Colusa at Friends Around the Block on Friday, April 26th.  Click HERE to check out the shop and see the class schedule.  The shop has something for everyone.  The staff is so friendly and helpful too.

 

I'll be teaching Country Charmer on Saturday, April 27th, also at Friends Around the Block, a destination quilt shop. 



This is my most popular pattern.

 

This pattern was picked up by Robert Kaufman fabrics a couple of years ago.  They remade it in one of their Christmas lines, and it was in a Keepsake Quilting catalog.

 My friend Jean made her version and added a beautiful border.

You can see an extensive tutorial on this block by clicking HERE. 

 

The next couple days I have to update my teaching notes for each of the quilts. Then I will turn full attention to Easter preparations. I always make and decorate sugar cookies for Easter.....BUT....my bunny and carrot cookies cutters are at the city house.  Shopping in my small, mountain community is pretty sparse....not a bunny cookie cutter to be found.  I could drive an hour to civilization, but why do that? I have a squirrel cookie cutter, so this year is going to be the year of the Easter squirrel! 

 

We are all meeting up at my eldest son's house for Easter brunch.  My daughter-in-law called last night and said we are up to 18.  The family circle is growing to include a boyfriend and his family.  The more the merrier.  We also have 4 April birthdays to celebrate.  This is an expensive month for the Wilder family!

 

Speaking of birthdays, Mazey turned 5 earlier this month. She wasn't crazy about wearing her birthday necklace.  She puts up with our nonsense.

 

She got to spend time playing in puddles while we went for our afternoon walk at the school.  She is just like a little kid.

 

 

Soon,

Lynn