My Hearthstone Room

 Hello Everyone,

Today was the day I decided it was time to remove the flannel sheets.  Before I knew it, one thing led to another, and the entire bedroom was cleaned and the quilts changed around.  I'm calling it my Hearthstone room as everything you see has been made using my Hearthstone fabric line.   

SPRING FROLIC is at the foot of the bed.  LAUREL RIDGE, the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show is on the wall along with the little DOUBLE DUTCH TREAT table topper.  EMILIE ELIZABETH is over the bed, made and gifted to me by my dear, dear friend Deborah from Michigan. BRIDLE PATH is on the bed.  

This is the first time I've had them all in the same room together and they are getting along nicely!

When I first started quilting which seems as though it was back in the Stone Age, I wanted to learn how to make quilts so I could decorate my home in beautiful quilts. After all of these years, I making my dream come alive.

Every room in the cabin is filled with quilts which I rotate on a regular basis. I wanted our bedroom to be more 'Spring-like' so that started this entire cleaning process today.  I wish I could say it feels like Spring, but it's a bit chilly and dripping outside and we have a fire going in the great room to take the chill off.  

Speaking of fabric lines, I just sent off a presentation for a new line to Marcus Fabrics this morning.  Will it work in my Heathstone room......inquiring minds want to know?  Stay tuned and find out.

Soon,

Lynn

A Precious Story

 Hello Everyone,

I'm going to tell you just the sweetest story of a wonderful happening at the retreat at Lake Tahoe.

I have to go back and lay some groundwork.  I grew up in Paradise, CA, the infamous town that burned to the ground in 2018.  Our home, which had been in the family for six decades burned to the ground.  Luckily the renters living there were able to escape the flames and got to safety.  My son loved that little cottage in the woods and planned on moving there when he retires from his job with the city of Pleasanton.

I was so distraught with the loss of my community that I knew I had to do something, so I raffled off one of my quilts, Emilie Elizabeth, to raise money for the community.  I contacted the Paradise fire chief, and he gave me names of first responders who lost their homes while battling the fire. I also had many friends who I'd known since kindergarten who lost everything. The trick was finding out where the people had relocated so I could send them a check.

Checks began arriving in response to my raffle.  Money arrived from all over the world.  The winning name was drawn at the first meeting of the Paradise Quilt Guild after the fire in January of 2019 where I was asked to speak.  This was the cover slide for my talk.

The winner of the quilt was Deborah, from Ann Arbor, MI.  I contacted her via email, and she said that she had been thinking that if she was lucky enough to win the quilt, she wanted to donate it back to be raffled off again! So, she did. 

She also said that she would love to attend one of my retreats.  So, plans were set in place for Deborah to come to California in the Fall of 2019, stay with us at the cabin and go to the retreat.

Upon her arrival, we became friends in a nanosecond, and we've been good friends ever since. She has been in attendance at of my retreats every year since 2019.

Deborah had never been to Yosemite, so off we went to show her the spectacular views of this incredible location.

She really wanted to see a bear while we were in the park.  At the end of the day as we were driving out of the park, she saw a bear for real!  We really did see one!

She is a big Michigan football fan, and since we love to watch a good game, we enjoyed watching a Michigan game together.  We were so surprised when Michigan scored, and Deborah jumped up off the couch and sang the entire Michigan Fight Song.  We roared with laughter!

Our utility supplier turned the power off prior to the retreat in 2019 due to high winds and great potential for fire.  We turned the cabin into a soup kitchen to feed the quilters as everything was closed down in town.

Deborah rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.  You can see her right in the middle of the kitchen keeping a close eye on the stove.

Fast forward to this year.  During my retreat at Lake Tahoe, Deborah presented me with an Emilie Elizabeth quilt which she made to replace the quilt I raffled off!  She made it using my Hearthstone fabric.  This surprised me more than when she jumped up and sang the fight song!  There wasn't a dry eye during our show and tell.  I was speechless and that doesn't happen very often.

The label is over the top!

I will always treasure the Emilie Elizabeth quilt Deborah made for me. Our friendship is stitched together and bound firmly with love. 

Soon,

Lynn

 

Emilie Elizabeth Part Two

Hello Everyone,

 

Quilters have big hearts and are so generous.  My friend Barbara is offering her version of Emilie Elizabeth in the raffle to help those who lost their homes in the Camp Fire in Paradise.

 



 

 It has such a wonderful vintage look and feel. 

Barbara is an amazing quilter and person.  She is also one of the most positive people I've ever known.  I'm so honored to know her, and call her my friend.

So now you have two chances to win.  The original Emile Elizabeth.....

 ....and the vintage 30's version....

  

So here are the particulars.  ALL monies received will go directly to the relief of Paradise residents.  The renters of our family home are in dire need of assistance.  Every childhood friend, except for one, lost everything in the fire. The lines for FEMA are long.  The rains are coming. People I know are living in tents or their cars. 

Tickets are $5.00 each.  I can't accept credit cards because I'm keeping this effort totally separate from my business.  I would prefer checks so there is a paper trail, and this process is totally transparent.  Your check is your receipt for income tax purposes.

Upon receipt of your check, I will enter your name and information into an Excel spreadsheet.  You will be assigned a number(s), and I will email them to you.  I don't want to waste money on postage or envelopes.  I plan to draw the winner of the quilt through a random number generator January 15, 2019. The first number drawn will get to select which quilt they want. The second number will win the remaining quilt. 

I have a long list in my spreadsheet with names and numbers.  I will work on sending your numbers out to you this week.  The envelopes have been filling my little post office box!

Please include your email in your correspondence! 

Please make checks payable to Lynn Wilder and send to:

Lynn Wilder
P.O. Box 3236
Arnold, CA  95223-3236

In the memo part of the check, in the left hand corner please write "Stitch Paradise Back Together"

I have been reduced to tears when opening the envelopes that I've received so far.  Your generosity and personal notes are so touching.  My next post will be all about the notes and checks received.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S.  My Etsy sale ends today!  Click HERE to go to my Etsy shop.

Sew'n Wild Oaks Class Was In Session

Hello Everyone,

 

First of all thank you all for your outpouring of good wishes about my current issues with my leg.  I'm happy to report that it is better this morning.  I'm so thankful that the blood clots seem to be stabilizing, and hopefully dissolving. I still resemble Quasimodo when I walk, but I'm not walking very much.

 

The girls waited on me hand and leg is class yesterday.  Their finishes are a feast for the eyes.  Laurie worked on the binding for her expertly pieced and appliqued Emilie Elizabeth.

 

Laurie made an heirloom quilt to treasure.  She faithfully kept up with the BOM at In Between Stitches and look what she has to show for her diligence.

It was expertly quilted by Suzie Dillinger.

Mary kept up with the Lil' Orphan Scrappy BOM at In Between Stitches and look at the beautiful quilt she has to show for her efforts!  Her sister quilted this for her, using a Baptist Fan design.  Overall quilting on this quilt is perfect to tie it together.

Wendy is working on her version of the same quilt in black and white.  Many of the blocks have words in the middle square.  Very clever!

Irene is working on her neighborhood for Journey's End by Kim Diehl.  This is currently a BOM also by In Between Stitches.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my house construction zone.

Mary is making Summer's Blush.  She said she is outside her comfort zone with the fabric she selected......but you would never know it.

Rose wanted to use up her one inch scraps and what a great way to put them to work!  So colorful and perfectly quilted by Rose too.

There were many more examples of excellent work in the classroom, but I didn't travel around too much to take pictures.  The girls brought me my lunch, kept my therapeutic heating pad warmed for me in the microwave, and took good care of me throughout the entire day. Being with 'my girls' was the best medicine the doctor could order.  They are so compassionate, so caring, and so loving.

My sister Gail will be with me for the next two days and I'm going to put her to work in my sewing room.  Stay tuned as she will be the guest blogger over the next couple of days.  I'd better have a stash of cookies for her.  She's cheap......she works for cookies.

Soon,
Lynn

Emilie Elizabeth Block of the Month

 

Hello Everyone,

 

The beautiful Judie's Quilt Album fabrics have arrived from Marcus Fabrics and the girls at the shop have been busy cutting and shipping the first fabric packet for my Emilie Elizabeth block of the month offered by In Between Stitches. There are a few more openings available.  All of the fabric for the first month will create this beautiful 18" center for your quilt.

 



 

 

The fabrics are identical to this picture.  There's no guessing what fabric goes where, you can see it all right here.



 

Throughout the program, I will be posting tutorials to help you through the process.  I think my first tutorial will be the flange around the center block.  It isn't hard, so don't be worried or intimidated.  Just take it step by step, month by month and at the end of the program you will have a beautiful, heirloom quilt.

 

Along this journey you will learn a lot.  This quilt is made from quilting components.  You will be making flying geese, parallel geese, double flying geese, half-square triangles, square in a square, and a square in a triangle.  You will learn precision and patience.  This isn't a quilt you will rush through.  Take time and enjoy the process.

I will create a tab at the top of the blog so you can refer to it easily and not have to wade through pages of my ramblings.  Here's a Smilebox that I created so you can watch Emilie Elizabeth take shape.

Make a slideshow

Enjoy the show.

Soon,
Lynn

Weekend Update

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I said a few days ago that I would take pictures of the absolutely FINISHED Emilie Elizabeth quilt.

 



It is so hard to get good pictures to showcase the quilt and the quilting.  You'll just have to go to Pacific International Quilt Festival this week and Houston Quilt Market in two weeks to see this one in person.  It is now, officially checked off my to-do list!

To celebrate my quilting freedom, Mr. Joe and I headed out for our annual trek over Ebbetts Pass through and over the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  This road is not for the faint of heart.  The narrow road threads itself along steep cliffs from California to Nevada.  I don't know how anyone could have made this trip in a covered wagon!  I would have gotten out and walked the whole way.  Last year when British Quilt Sue  was here for a visit, we drove her over this road.....what a trooper!  She never screamed once.  You know those Brits and their stiff upper lips!  How odd it must have been for her to be sitting on the passenger side of the car, totally out of control of the steering wheel, peering over the side of the cliffs.  I think she has fully recovered from the ordeal and we remain good friends! 

The weather people are forecasting snow this week.  That means all of the beautiful leaves will be gone and the pass with close for the season.

The weather was perfect yesterday.  Crystal blue sky showcased the quaking aspens.  I think they should be called quivering aspens instead.  They are probably quivering because they are afraid of falling over the cliffs!

Pincushion update.  I received many personal emails about the pincushions. I began mine with an 8" circle not a 6" circle as the Fiskars directions suggest.  I stuffed mine with ground walnut shells and a touch of "fresh linen" potpourri.  Mr. Joe thinks the cabin stinks!  He would much prefer smelling the crisp mountain air than potpourri.....I'm in agreement with him on this.  Filling the pincushions is a two person operation. One holds the funnel and the pincushion, while the other one fills up the funnel while inhaling potpourri. I just used a teaspoon of the stuff and we overdosed on "fresh linen."   Each of these little guys hold almost four cups of crushed walnuts.  They have some weight to them.  I like using the crushed walnuts to keep the pins sharp.

Stay tuned for my busy week ahead.  I'll be posting pictures from the huge quilt show.  I have to get out my good walking shoes and brave the crowds for my outing on Thursday.  Make it a good week for yourself.  Everyday can be a good day if WE make it so.  All of the great days turn into good weeks and happy memories.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S. GO GIANTS!!!

Emilie Elizabeth the 2nd is now quilted

Hello Everyone,

 

Between working, teaching quilting classes, and cheering at cross country meets, soccer games, and football games, I managed to get Emilie Elizabeth quilted.  I love her!  I marked the center section with a Frixion pen, connected the dots, then quilted a very tight stipple around the feathers.

 

A few stolen hours here and there and she's finally finished.....well almost.....don't forget the binding. Once the binding, hanging sleeve and label are sewn on, I'll take a picture of the whole quilt and nothing but the quilt.

Everything I quilt is free motion.  The only computer connected to my Handi Quilter is my brain, and that's a few megabytes short of a floppy disk!  I think of my long-arm as a riding lawn mower......I drive it manually to music the whole time I'm quilting.

 

The back shows off the density of the quilting.  I always, well almost always use Dream Wool batting.  I love the loft, especially around the applique.

Thank you Pati from Marcus Fabrics for sending me the fabric called Judie's Album Quilt to make this quilt.  I would love to go to Houston and see it hanging in your booth.  This year during Quilt Market, I will be hosting my quilting retreat at Snowflake Lodge.  Maybe next year Houston will be on my calendar.

Before quilt market in Houston, Emilie Elizabeth will be on display at the In Between Stitches booth #732 at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA. 

I also, I want to thank my sister Gail for helping me complete the quilt and making my deadline with time to spare.  I still owe you the other half of a cookie!

Soon,
Lynn 

The Art of Motion......Free Motion

Hello Everyone,

 

I'm slowly but surely making my way down the quilt.  I have at least two more full days of quilting before this one can come off the machine.  

 

The appliqué background fabric is called Aged Linen from Marcus Fabrics.  I have to be so careful and not make any mistakes since they will be so noticeable.  The setting triangles are also Aged Linen. 

 



 

Each row of the quilt is quilted differently.  It does help that I've quilted this pattern before....but it still takes me just as long.  I marked the pattern around the center applique with a Frixion pen.  As soon as I quilt it, I iron the markings away with my appliqué iron.

 



FIRE UPDATE -

Yesterday I received an email from Lynn Tubbe, one of the Needle Nellies.  Thanks to all of you, over $400.00 was raised in quilt raffle tickets in 2 days!  All proceeds will go directly to the Volunteer Fire Department. Here's what Lynn had to say about the fire.

"Everyone's house and property is safe.  Two Nellies, who live many miles above Georgetown have been evacuated. They are being cautious with this fire.  But all our homes in and around Georgetown are fine.  (Now our LUNGS are another matter!) I don't know of any structures that have been lost in this huge amount of miles of forest destroyed.  A perfect example of how Cal Fire marshals men around structures and saves them, combined with the fact that the fire is in open forest land.  Which, in a way, makes it possible for the fire to travel so quickly  -- few roads to get men and machinery into the area full of steep canyons."

The winds are supposed to shift today, and the smoke will be drifting over the Central Valley and into the Bay Area.  If there is a silver lining to this fire event it is the sunsets. Last night on our walk with Mazey, we saw a gorgeous sunset.  

Today we get to watch the little kids in their normal, Saturday sporting events.  We will travel from field to field to see them all.  Saturdays are so much fun for us.....Mazey too!

Soon,
Lynn