Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat DayTwo

 Hello Everyone,

It may be very warm here in the mountains at my retreat, but that's not why Judy's little snowman, Checkerberry, melted my heart. He's adorable!

The girls are making progress on their projects.

The day started with my friend Mary Sue teaching the project bag class.  She's made over 20 bags, and I consider her the expert.

She had a very humorous presentation that kept us in stitches.

The cutting tables are always a gathering place of creativity and conversation.

In the late afternoon we gather on the deck in the shade and enjoy an adult beverage and appetizers.

I don't know what I said, but if made us all chuckle.

In the afternoon I taught Country Sampler.

I presented my guild lecture last night after dinner.

I'm off to spend another day with this creative group.  I am such a lucky girl!

Soon,

Lynn

Song Play List - Week of 8/29 - 9/1

 Hello Everyone,

This week's song list was an easy one since I'm with my quilters at my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat at Snowflake Lodge.

Song Play List 8/29 - 9/1

This One's for the Girls - Martina McBride

Thank you for Being a Friend - Andrew Gold

Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks (This one made me laugh as this group of ladies are a cut above!)

With a Little Help from my Friends - The Beatles

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

Friends Will Be Friends - Queen

The girls started arriving around noon and got settled into their spots.

I gave my little talk about the rules of the retreat......there are no rules!  I was reading our positive affirmation for the day.

They started quilting right away.

We then headed down the road to my cabin for an appetizer dinner.

The food was over the top delicious!

Diana hopped on one of the saddle bar stools.  She didn't ride off into the sunset, she stayed and enjoyed her beverage.

Friends renewed friendships.

New friendships were made.

I'm off to the retreat early for our fun day together.  This is a great group of women, and I'm so lucky that I get to spend time with them.

Soon,

Lynn

A Ribbon Runs Through It Extra Fabric Pattern

 Hello Everyone,

I think I should call this pattern A Cinch by the Inch.  Except for the setting triangles, you only need 1" strips.  

This was made using the leftover fabrics from the A Ribbon Runs Through It block of the month program.  You can just keep making blocks until you run out of fabric.  Since I wasn't sure how much fabric was leftover, due to cutting and usage, the fabrics requirements are a bit vague.  

To get a copy of this FREE pattern click HERE.  I put the pattern in Google Docs to make it easier for you to download and print the pattern.  I also included the template if you like to paper piece.

You could choose to add a border, or not.  You could make a lap-sized quilt with your leftover fabrics or make it larger by adding additional fabric from your stash to make more blocks.  How about using the pattern to make pillow shams to go with your quilt. The choice is yours.

I'm off to Snowflake Lodge early this morning to get set up for my Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat.  The quilters are coming, the quilters are coming!

Soon,

Lynn

If you go out in the woods today.......

Hello Everyone,

Well hello Mr. Bear!  Just when all of my quilters start coming into town for my retreat, the bears come out in force!

Mr. Joe and I were out on our side deck when we saw this fellow walking through the woods. We see this bear on a weekly basis.  He has such distinctive markings with the patch of gold across his shoulders.

Our neighbor thinks this bear weighs about 600 pounds.  How can he tell?  I hope he's not looking at me with a critical eye and guesses my weight!

Last night we went down to Snowflake Lodge for dinner and this smaller bear ran in front of the car.

This is the time of year they start bulking up for winter.  So many "bear proof" garbage bins have been raided, and trash is strewn about.  The bears are getting pretty smart, smarter than the average bear!

It was a beautiful night for dinner on the deck at Snowflake.  Mr. Joe realized that I needed to get away from the retreat preparations and relax for a bit.

.....and I did relax after the 2nd glass of wine.

Soon,

Lynn

 

Quilting Reflections

Hello Everyone,

I'm busy getting ready for my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat and that includes cleaning the cabin and moving some of the quilts around.

Wherever I look, I see quilts.  Quilts that need to be aired out, dusted off, and moved to a different location.  Here at the cabin, I use the quilts to decorate and for insulation during our cold winters.

We bought this dresser about 45 years ago in an antique shop so my guess is this old girl is close to 100 years old. (The dresser not me!)  It is one of the pieces of furniture that we brought to the cabin during the move.  It looks so good in its new home.  If a piece of furniture can feel happiness, this dresser is one happy camper.

The cleaning for the retreat continues today.  I've been neglecting the cabin while working on quilty things such as pattern writing for the new block of the month for Marcus Fabrics.

I found out from Marcus Fabrics that I'm not going to be a one hit wonder.  It's time to start working on another fabric line and get it in the pipeline. I'm impatiently waiting for my strike-offs to arrive from the manufacturing plant in Korea.  Once the strike-offs are approved, the printing of the fabric begins, and my sample fabric will arrive probably in Oct/Nov so I can start making the quilt.  Fingers crossed!

Soon,

Lynn

Song Play List - Week of 8/22 to 8/28

 Hello Everyone,

I'm starting something new on my blog.  Every Monday, give or take, I'm going to write my song list for the week which will give you an idea what I plan on doing.  I apologize ahead of time for any ear worms I might be planting.

Song Play List 8/22 to 8/28

9 To 5 - Dolly Parton (My day actually begins at 5am and ends at 9pm)

She Works Hard for the Money - Donna Summer

Whistle While You Work - The Seven Dwarfs (I can't whistle at all....not a whisper of a note)

Working on the Chain Gang - Sam Cooke (I hope to do some chain piecing this week)

Wilder Mind - Mumford and Sons (Not so much for the lyrics, but the title fits my Wilder mind which is bouncing all over the place)

Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford (I have a ton on my plate with the upcoming retreat)

It's My Job - Jimmy Buffett (Good lyrics about striving to be your best)

Manic Monday - The Bangles (No explanation needed)

One week from today, 35 quilters will be rolling into town from all over the country for the second Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat of the year at Snowflake Lodge in Arnold.

I've been preparing for it for weeks from making tutorials, to name tags, to kits, to whatever needs to be done.  The girls will all be at my cabin next Sunday night for an appetizer dinner.  This week I'm going to concentrate on creating a spotless house.....wish me luck with that. The spiders can spin spider webs faster than I can eliminate them.  Maybe Spin Spider Spin should be on my playlist.

This move has really thrown me for a loop!  We were down at our other house in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend and Saturday was the day our eldest son and his family moved in.  As they were hauling things in, we were still hauling things out.  Crazy times!  I still don't know where everything is, and at this point in time I really don't care!

An added bonus Friday night was watching our grandson play in a pre-season football jamboree.  They played in their practice jerseys without a number, so we really couldn't tell who he was on the field.  We cheered wildly anyway.

So, I'm looking forward to "my girls" arrival to town.  We will all have so much fun during our time together.  

Soon,

Lynn

Bears Can't Drive

Hello Everyone,

It finally happened; a bear broke into our car. 

In a mental lapse, we didn't lock and alarm our car.  When I went out early yesterday morning to head to the pool, I saw an open door and Mazie's overnight bag on the driveway.  Her bag contained an extra leash, bottles of water, her hairbrush, medicine, and a small bag of dog food. You guessed it, the dog food is gone.  The medicine was for her incontinence, so I guess the bear will not be peeing in the woods three times a night!  

Years ago, in error Mr. Joe took the canine hormone pills instead of his own pills. He stopped scratching behind his ears!  This entire episode was especially funny because Mr. Joe was a Pharmaceutical Salesmen his entire career.  He's never lived this down, and it made the Christmas newsletter that year.

We were so lucky the bear just ate the dog food and didn't destroy the inside of the car looking for goodies.

It was nice of him/her to open the door for me! 

The move is winding down and this should be the final weekend.  I've been so busy boxing and reboxing items to store and getting the cabin in some sort of presentable shape.  This coming week I'll be finalizing all preparations for my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat.  The quilters will be flocking north, just like geese for arrival on Sunday the 28th of August. 

The tutorials are done, and the handouts are printed.  Now I just have to get myself in order.

On another note, we went to see Where the Crawdads Sing.  I loved the book, and the movie didn't disappoint. It was good to have an evening out with Mr. Joe which included dinner at an Irish pub in Murphys.  Brad Paisley was in town for a concert, so every other person was sporting a cowboy hat except for Mr. Joe.  There was a total of 4 people in the movie theater.  If there hadn't been another couple, we could have "made out" just like the old days.

Soon,

Lynn

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

 Hello Everyone,

I heard from my friend Susan, the owner of Quails Nest Quilt Company in Sonora, CA.  She has two kits available, and I wanted to pass the information along.  One of the kits is for my Crossing the Pond design.

The kit is identical to the quilt with no fabric substitutions.  This is probably the last kit for this quilt on the planet!  The quilt size is 82" x 82".

The fabric is packaged in this beautiful, decorative box.  The cost is $228 with the pattern.  $205 without the pattern.

The next kit she has is a complete A Ribbon Runs Through It. This quilt measures 99" x 99".

The cost of this kit is $360.00.  There are tutorials on my blog to help you make this quilt.

If you are interested in either of the kits, give Susan a call at 209-536-4009.  The shop is closed on Monday so you will need to leave a message.  Time is of the essence.

News on the home front.

We are slowly migrating everything from our home in the Bay Area to the cabin.  The big push was weekend before last as the painters were arriving on August 1st to paint the entire interior.  The new flooring starts going in today.

We looked like the Clampett's from the Beverly Hillbillies as we drove out of town with a loaded trailer and our son's pickup truck filled to the brim.  There were some pieces of furniture that I wanted to keep, that I didn't want to leave behind or give away.

Things were moving fast and furiously while we packed, and I didn't take the time to label boxes.  Now I feel like Forrest Gump and the saying life is like a box of chocolates.  When I open a box it's always a surprise to see what is inside.  I've been unpacking and repacking like items together for storage.  As I'm packing, I'm thinking why am I keeping this?  There are just some things I can't part with.  I'll let our kids make the decision at some point in time what goes and what stays.  Too many decisions right now.

Mr. Joe and I set aside several hours each day to unpack and rearrange.  It is exhausting trying to incorporate items into an already packed to the rafters cabin.  I'm sure when the time comes when we sell the cabin, a realtor will say we have to clear out about 90% of the items inside.  It would be a staging nightmare. The cabin looks like an over-crowded museum that isn't museum quality.

During all of this turmoil, I'm running the business, answering emails, filling orders, and mailing out quilts to shops around the country.  I'm also working on the tutorial for the leftover fabric from A Ribbon Runs Through It.  

My next retreat is in 3 weeks....YIKES!  By the time the girls arrive I will be a zombie. I have to make sure I have enough handouts for all the tutorials, kits for the classes, and all of the "step-outs" in some semblance of order for the classes.  Maybe I'll have my friends teach the classes......and you know who you are!  I'll sit in the back of the lecture area catching 40 winks.  I keep telling myself to take one day at a time and get done what I'm physically able to do. 

On the fabric line front, my block of the month will be introduced March 2023 and start shipping in July 2023.  The stike-offs should arrive in 2-3 weeks.  The sample yardage will arrive in October.  Then it's "balls to the wall" to make the quilt, write the pattern and prepare the cutting chart for the quilt shops.  The good thing is the move will be done and off of my plate.  The bad news is all of the above tasks of quilt making and pattern writing will be happening over the Holidays.  I can't believe I just referenced the Holidays which will be here soon.

I'm off to the pool this morning to swim laps and exercise these aching muscles.  It's "my time" to think and plan my day.  I feel so refreshed and energized when I get back to the cabin.  It drives Mr. Joe crazy!

Soon,

Lynn