May You Find Paradise.........

 Hello Everyone,

I spent three days in my old hometown of Paradise, California last week for a guild lecture and workshop.  I was a bit apprehensive about going, as I hadn't been to Paradise since the town was almost completely destroyed by fire in 2018. Eighty-five people lost their lives in the fire.  153,000 acres were burned; 18,000 structures were lost including 11,000 homes.  My family home was one of the homes lost.

The original welcome to Paradise sign was destroyed in the fire and has been replaced with a new one.

My apprehension grew the closer I got to town. Did I really want to see my hometown almost totally gone?

My sister, Gail and I drove around town.  This is what is left on the lot of our home.

This is what it used to look like, and it is the memory I will always hold.  The woods where we used to play have been totally replaced by tacky apartments.

As we drove around town, there were no longer any landmarks left for us to find our way around.  We completely missed the turnoff to our grandparents' old home.  Paradise used to be covered in towering pine trees, and now they are almost all gone.  BUT, the cemetery is still completely intact.  Every tree is still standing. 

We drove up to Paradise Lake where I spent many happy hours fishing with my dad.  The fire got close to the lake, but fortunately it was still the same lake I remember. The one remaining memory left intact.

As we drove around the area, I became more and more emotionally detached.  I was sad but not overcome with emotion as it wasn't the town I remember with great fondness.  

The rebuilding is picking up steam, and we saw new construction after new construction everywhere.  The phrase 'Paradise Rising' is all over town.

Tuesday morning, I spoke at the Ridge Quilters' Guild.  I love to see the show and tell and this one didn't disappoint.

My friends, Laura, Tina and Laura surprised me by each making my Leaf Peepers quilt design.  Each so different and all so pretty.

Here are just a few of the many beautiful quilts.

Monday night, Gail and I had dinner with a friend I hadn't seen in 30 years, and we had a lot of catching up to do.  Teri lost her home, but she still lives in the area.

On our way back to the motel after dinner, I took a detour to view the sunset over Butte Canyon. Years ago, Mr. Joe and I came very close to buying a home on the canyon to be closer to my parents in their later years......that home is now gone too.

Wednesday morning, I taught my Patchwork Math class at the recreation center.  

As soon as I returned to the cabin from Paradise, we headed to Livermore to attend our son's 50th birthday party with family at friends at a local restaurant.

Here are the loves of my life, my three children.

This week, after I finished filling all of the Etsy orders, I started preparing for my class and trunk show in Loomis, California for the Pioneer Quilter's Guild.  I'm teaching Lucy Boston blocks for the class.  My dining room table is filled with kits and blocks. This quilt has been my ongoing, travel project for the last 15 years!  Of all my UFO's this is the one I want to finish first.

This is my last quilting road trip of the year and possibly forever. It's hard work preparing for a trunk show and class......in fact it's exhausting. I really enjoy meeting and being with the quilters, and I will miss that interaction.

As soon as I get back, I'm heading to Livermore to go to my granddaughter's wedding shower.  My daughter and DIL have been busily making table decorations and planned the entire celebration.  I just need to show up the day before and help decorate.  It's so nice to have the youngun's take over while I step back and enjoy the day.

The night before the shower, our grandson is a participant in the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, so we are going to have a fun-filled weekend with family!

Soon,

Lynn

Timeless Ruffles

 Hello Everyone,

It's been ages since my last post so I will try to get you caught up on what is going on at Wilder's Last Resort.

I've been working on a prototype for a new block for a quilt I'm calling Timeless Ruffles using my Timeless Stitches fabric line.  I made a block, then 'framed' it with a striped, applique frame. It's very easy applique without any small pieces or sharp points and it could easily be stitched using a decorative stitch on your sewing machine.

Here's a rendition of the quilt from EQ software. The design is very delicate and sweet. I love the secondary design the blocks make in each corner.  My good neighbor Jean stopped by the other day and I showed it to her.  She wants a kit as soon as I can get it pulled together.  

I had to laugh when I saw this sign on FB the other day.

This is a picture from our critter cam. This made me laugh too!

The bears have been out in full force this summer with many sightings on our camera and the neighbors' cameras.  We are always warning each other when a bear is lurking around our cabins. The neighbor in back of us lives in the Bay Area and will send me messages when their Ring camera is activated.  There have been some BIG, BIG bears hanging around! The video below is from our critter cam.

I've been designing a new BOM for Marcus Fabrics with my new Christmas line which I can't show you yet.  I've been spending many hours each day at the computer tweaking and re-tweaking the design.  It takes months to bring a new fabric line to fruition and many more months to create the design, the pattern and ultimately the quilt. 

Have you been watching Little House on the Prairie on Netflix? In the opening scenes, Mary's dress is made from my dark blue fabric from the Gentry's Mill line. We've only watched two episodes so far......I want to take my time watching all eights episodes.

Marcus Fabrics is releasing a new line called Life on the Prairie. I'm planning to purchase the line and will add it to my Etsy shop.  You can see the entire line on the Marcus Fabrics website.

I have two trunk shows and workshops scheduled over the next couple of weeks.  I will be spending time with the guilds in Paradise and Auburn, CA teaching Patchwork Math and Lucy Boston.  I have to update my presentation and add my new designs and fabrics.

We've been going to the Bay Area for two days a week so Mr. Joe can get a gel shot in his knee.  So far, the injections have had little to no effect on his knee pain.  He gets one more shot this week, and then it could be 4-6 weeks before we know if this is going to work. Our fingers are crossed the shots are going to 'kick in'. 

My duties on my HOA board have been expanded, and I was elected as board secretary yesterday.  As an officer I will now have more duties and more meetings.....sigh.  My goal and legacy on the board are to bring more technology to the operation.  I have a good list of helpers/neighbors, so I'm not doing this on my own.  I retired 20 years ago, and technology has changed so much!  It's a good thing I have some younger blood helping out. Just keeping up with technology is challenging for us from the older generation.  

As you can see, I’m keeping busy and staying mostly out of trouble. Every morning I hit the ground running with a long list of things to do—some fun, some not-so-fun, and a few that probably qualify as character-building exercises. My dance card is completely full, although I have to admit some of my dance partners have two left feet and seem determined to step on mine! Still, it keeps life interesting, and boredom doesn’t stand a chance.

Soon,

Lynn

 

Timeless Tutorials So Far

 Hello Everyone,

I'm posting the completed tutorials through month 3 for Timeless here on my blog. This is the easiest way for me to get the information out in your hands. Whether you are making Timeless or not, the tutorials are a good resource for making common quilting components.

Before you click on the HERE, copy the passcode and enter it when prompted. Each tutorial has a different password.

Month 2 & Month 3 HERE.   Passcode: Wwgj8m7?

Month 2 is the first easy-peasy border with the blue and yellow.  Month 3 is the tutorial for the adorable double flying geese.

Cat's Cradle/Corner Square Triangle HERE.  Passcode: ?X9q3bv0

Double Flying Geese HERE.  Passcode: Passcode: jX8f?pU#

Larger Double Flying Geese for the center block. 

Half Square Triangles 8-at a time HERE.  Passcode: %T7Q5DE&

Square in a Square link HERE.  Passcode:  54+Uuwk4

I will try to make some more tutorials and post them this weekend.

Soon,

Lynn

Timeless Tutorial - Square in a Square

 Hello Everyone,

Busy days here at Sew'n Wild Oaks.  I've been making tutorials on ZOOM for my Timeless quilt and posting them on Honeybee Fabrics FB page.  To make the videos available to all, I'm posting them here on my blog.  

The first component I cover in my tutorial is the Square in a Square.

There have been so many times when I've made a square in a square and I either lose my points, or one of the 'wings' decides to go rogue and just doesn't align properly.  The tutorial will give you a couple of little tipsies to make a perfect square in a square.  I also show you how to align stripes, because I have to have everything in perfect alignment. If one of the stripes is off, I will notice.  Perfectly aligned stripes is not just a goal, it is a lifestyle for me.

To watch the video, just click HERE and enter the Passcode: 54+Uuwk4 

The videos will walk you through the process of making Timeless.  This is just one of many tutorials that I will be posting here on my blog. The pattern is available in my Etsy shop HERE.  You can choose between a digital download or a paper pattern. 

I'm expecting another shipment of Timeless Stitches fabric today so I can replenish my Etsy shop.  I've run out of some of the bolts and others are getting very, very low.

I'm going to try and post the remaining bolts of Hearthstone and Laurel Ridge in my shop this week so I can make room for the new line. Rearranging the bolts is like playing a high stakes game of Tetris! One wrong move and I'm buried under bolts of gorgeous fabric. Out with the old and in with the new and possibly out with my sanity while I'm at it!  It's a real balancing act to keep inventory fresh and make room in my tiny sewing room!

I also have a few kits available.  Please send me an email (sewnwildoaks@gmail.com) if you are interested. I'm not listing the kits in my Etsy shop as the fees are outrageous on higher priced items.

Have a fabulous week quilting your heart out. May your seams be straight and your bobbin never run out, and your fabric stash magically shrink.

Soon,

Lynn

Lucy Boston Blocks and Zoom

 Hello Everyone,

I made a commitment to myself to work on my Lucy Boston blocks.  I started making Lucy blocks in 2015 and I have about 20 finished.

This is the block I was working on last night while watching TV with Mr. Joe.  I made the decision to applique the blocks onto a 12-1/2" fabric square. I will put them together on point, possibly with a sashing.  The blocks are just too pretty to sit in a bin the rest of their life and the rest of mine.  I'm teaching this for a guild workshop later on this summer and I want to have more to show for my efforts over the past 11 years.

 

Speaking of teaching, I taught a class on Saturday to quilters from Texas to New York via Zoom on Saturday.  I connected my overhead camera to my computer and 'shared' the image from the overhead camera to Zoom and it worked beautifully.

I set up my studio in the dining room, so Mr. Joe and Mazey were tippy toeing around the room for about four hours.  Mazey never barked once!  My Internet connection isn't the best in my sewing room, so I had to set up closer to the modem for a more stable connection. The signal doesn't travel well through solid logs walls!

So, quilters, my question is, would anyone be interested in attending one of my classes on Zoom at a nominal cost?  The possibilities are endless now for reaching out to quilters around the world.  I can record the session and then provide the link to the class to view again later if you want.  The only issue is, the videos need to be viewed on a computer and not a hand-held device.

I'm going to set up my studio again tomorrow and start making tutorials for the Timeless quilt which I will then post of Honeybee Fabrics FB page.  

My poor little pea brain has been swirling with ideas on using this technology.  This is nothing new, but it is new to me.  

This last weekend was the kickoff of the annual migration of the 'summer people' to the mountains. Our little community nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is a magnet for those traveling to the high mountain lakes and hiking along the Pacific Crest trail.  It was a beautiful weekend with nice warm temperatures.  I remember not too long ago we had a light snowstorm on Memorial Day which put a damper on holiday plans.

In anticipation of the invasion of the summer people, we did all of our grocery shopping early in the week, gassed up the cars, (which put us in debt) then waited for the hoard to arrive like a swarm of bees.  Our neighborhood was very busy since we live so close to Snowflake Lake and the Lodge.  I'm on the Board of Directors for our HOA, so I went to both lakes and the pool to check things out to make sure things were running smoothly.....and they were thanks to the great staff running the organization. 

Now the clouds are rolling in, and snow is predicted over the mountain passes and rain and thunderstorms are in store for us at the lower elevations.  I'm sure this change in the weather is going to ruin some vacation plans.

The rain won't dampen my plans for staying inside and quilting my heart away.

Soon,

Lynn

Fabric Sales

 Hello Everyone,

I just put 15 bolts of Cheddar & Coal III on sale in my Etsy shop (yes… FIFTEEN—I may have gotten a little carried away! I will be adding to the sale items as time allows. You can access the sale HERE.

To find them, just head to my shop and click on the SALE ITEMS section on the left-hand side—like a fabric treasure hunt, but without the digging.

They’re priced at $8.00 per yard (1-yard minimum), which is basically my way of saying, “Please take some of this fabric before I start stacking it in the bathtub.”

I’m clearing out inventory to make room for new lines… and possibly reclaim a little personal living space.

Several of the bolts are down to one yard and you will get a bit extra, whatever is left on the bolt, I'm not saving any little bits.

Do you remember when Erma Bombeck said, ‘The grass is always greener over the septic tank’?

Well… today we decided to put that theory to the test because this just so happens to be the day we’re having a brand‑new leach field excavated and connected to our septic tank.

This is some very serious plumbing. And the trenches? They’re not just trenches, they are so impressive they double as a potential Olympic luge course, running straight through our yard and curving into the lot we own next door! The trenches are so deep, there is no way on God's green earth that they will ever be filled, by us and forty of our neighbors frequenting the powder room over the next 30 years! The county inspector came by and said they needed to be deeper.  We could put bodies in them standing straight up they are so deep!

Do you know just how much fabric I could buy with the amount we are paying the contractor, the engineer and the county? I could make a quilt for everyone reading this....along with matching curtains!

Soon,

Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Updates

 Hello Everyone,

I've been good about posting on FG and Instagram, but not as good posting on my blog, the diary of my life.  Here's all of the happenings at Sew'n Wild Oaks over the past couple of weeks.

My sister is currently working on the binding for her Christmas Ribbons quilt which she made with Evelyn's Hope Chest fabric by Carrie Quinn for Marcus Fabrics. I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for the digital download of Christmas Ribbons HERE.

Gail's version is just gorgeous and so precise!

My friend Sharon made a super-sized Christmas Ribbons which she shared with us at my retreat in November.

Using the same fabric, Sharon made my Cute as a Button pattern and it is all decked out in Best of Show ribbons at the Glenn County Fair! You go girl! My Cute as a Button pattern is in my Etsy shop HERE.  This pattern is a great pattern to use scraps that are just too good to toss and are begging to be used.

Here is the EQ version of the quilt.

This is the original pattern.

The pattern also looks great in other colorways.

All of my Timeless Stitches fabrics are now posted in my Etsy shop HERE. I've been filling orders as fast as I can, and quilters have been keeping me busy!  Mr. Joe has been carrying armloads of orders down to the post office every day.

Some of the bolts are getting very low and I need to reorder.

We’ve been spotting plenty of evidence that bears are making the neighborhood rounds, and our neighbors’ cameras have confirmed it—along with some bonus appearances from foxes and one mountain lion.

The foxes are cute, the bears are…impressive… and the mountain lion? Let’s just say it scares the bejeebers out of me and firmly bumps “taking a casual evening stroll” down to the bottom of my list.

Every morning during her “powder room inspection tour,” Mazie makes a beeline under the deck like she’s on a top-secret mission. Since she’s our official Bear Early Warning System (no batteries required), I figured I’d back her up with some actual technology and set up the trail cam.

And bingo… turns out Mazie’s not just being nosy—she’s been working security this whole time.....I need to put more Kibble in her bowl!

We are extremely aware of our surroundings when we go outside. We have basically become one part nature lovers, and one part amateur wildlife lookouts. So far, our highly advanced bear deterrent system (also known as clapping our hands like overexcited seals) has worked wonders. The bears politely take the hint and wander off, presumably to mock us from a safe distance.

I don’t think we’ll ever fully get used to them. We are clearly the guests here, and they’re the original homeowners. We like to think of ourselves as living in a sort of open-air zoo…except the exhibits roam freely and occasionally judge you from behind or up in a tree.

Speaking of fascinating creatures, we watched Remarkedly Bright Creatures starring Sally Field last night. It was a really touching, heartwarming story. exactly the kind of movie that makes you feel all cozy, right up until the universe decided we were getting too comfortable and knocked out the power during a windstorm.

So now we’re left with the ultimate suspense: not “what happens next?” but “what happens in the last five minutes?” We’re planning to finish it today, assuming, of course, the wind, the power grid, and the bears all approve.

Soon,

Lynn