The Bolts Have Arrived!

Hello Everyone,

It was a banner day when my bolts of Hearthstone arrived from Marcus Fabrics!

Of course, I had to do a couple of photoshoots before I started cutting into it.  I actually don't think I can cut any fabric off the bolts!  Maybe I'll just leave it as a design element at the cabin and periodically dust it off.

The boxes even brought a smile to Mazey's face!

On another note, I took a header when I was walking Mazey.  The leash, the road, and Mazey led to my downfall.  I'm so lucky I didn't break anything like both wrists that I used to break my fall.  My head and chin took the brunt of the impact.  I look like a bad impersonation of a KISS bandmember with the accumulation of bruising around, above and below my eye.  I can thank my neighbor, Bonnie for that quote!  Another friend suggested a cast member in the Rocky Horror Picture Show!  That's what friend are for, right?

Soon,

Lynn

 

Bridle Path Star Block Tutorial

 Hello Everyone,

I finished the first tutorial for Bridle Path and posted it in Google Docs so it will be easy for you to access and print.

Click HERE where you can download the tutorial.  I will also create a tab at the top of the blog at some point in time so you can always have it at your fingertips.

The tutorial includes step by step instructions to make the main star block.  If you've been on the fence about signing up for the quilt, take a look at the tutorial.  I break the block down to the smallest components and walk you through the process step by step.

This week, I'll work on the tutorials for the next set of blocks and the cabins.

It has been suffocatingly hot here in the mountains of Northern California.  I open up the cabin at 5am and turn on the ceiling fans to suck in cool air.  We've been closing it up around 10am to keep the heat out.  We don't have air conditioning, so it can get quite toasty hot inside.

I've been working outside on my computer in the early morning hours. I love listening to the melody of the mountain....the birds.  It's better than any music available.  I love watching their antics and family dynamics at the bird feeder.

There are days when I'm the first one in the pool at 7:45am to swim laps with my kick board then transition into water aerobics at 8:30am.  I'm feeling stronger and have more endurance each day.  The water aerobics also helps with balance.  This is the best exercise EVER and I miss is sooo much during the winter.  The water is going to feel so good this morning.

In the name of fire prevention, our utility company came through our neighborhood and cut down hundreds of trees that threatened the power lines if they came down in a storm.  We had a beautiful tree by our driveway which we loved, and we were sad to see it go.  We asked the workers if they could leave a 9' section of the tree so we could have a totem pole.  We hired a chainsaw artist to carve it for us and he finished last week.  

I've been re-reading the Clan of the Cave Bear Series as I enjoyed them so much when they first came out a couple of decades ago.  So now, this cabin has a strong cave bear totem.  I actually think the lower bear looks like Mazey which is perfectly fine with us.

Our chainsaw artist has a good story about how he turned his life around.  He was homeless and saved bottles and cans to purchase his first chainsaw.  He now has his own place and sells his chainsaw art around different mountain communities.  He calls his company Faith and a Chainsaw.  He's a wonderful and very personable young man.  

I hope you have an enjoyable day and week.  It's full steam ahead here at Wilder's Last Resort for retreat preparations, tutorials, and projects that need to be completed.

Soon,

Lynn

Busy Times

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted, so here is a quick update on what's been happening since my last post.  My Cheddar and Coal II fabric by Pam Buda for Marcus Fabric arrived, and I cut up 216 yards of fabric to make adorable bundles for my upcoming retreats.

I couldn't have done it without the help from my sister Gail and my friend Mary Sue who folded and collated fat 1/4 towers along with fat 1/8th bundles and 1/2-yard bundles. They are adorable, the fabric and the girls!

My dining room table looked like an explosion of Fall!

This fabric is perfect for Fall projects.  My mind is going a thousand miles an hour just thinking about all of the quilts I can make.

Here's Gail and Mary Sue after a long afternoon of folding, folding and folding some more. Note the wine bottle that Gail is holding, and the cookie jar.

 

Now, we are working on making bundles from the Lily's Locket fabric line.

Last week was a tough week for the Wilder grandsons.  Our youngest grandson, Kade, broke his collarbone when he crashed his mountain bike in the Santa Cruz mountains when he was riding with his dad.  He had to walk out 1-1/2 miles to get back to the truck and go to the hospital.

No football practice for him for the next 6 to 8 weeks.

The next day, our other grandson, Jess, took a horn to the lip during a rodeo.  With blood on his shirt and an injured lip, he still managed to bring the steer down, but didn't finish within the time allowed.  But he never gave up!  

So now we have one grandson who can't give me a hug, and another grandson who can't kiss!  They are going to have to team up together!

Grandson Jess has the dubious distinction of finishing last in every FFA competition except for one at the Alameda County Fair last week.  The two pigs did very well at auction, which alleviated some of the pain of not placing well in the competition.

He came in 5th in turkey showmanship.  Apparently, it is not acceptable to grab the turkey by the tail feathers when it decided to become a runner!  This turkey sold at auction for $400!  One of Jess's turkeys is headed to our freezer.  Luckily, we received a family discount.

We try to attend every event that fits into my schedule.

Jess received a 1st place for a toolbox he made in woodshop.

As my girlfriend Paula says, I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger.  I'm working on all of the tutorials for my Bridle Path pattern.  I'll be posting the first set of instructions this week on the blog.  I've been taking pictures of every single step which takes time.  I'm creating all of the step-outs for class at the same time.

I'm still adjusting to my summer schedule with the start of water aerobics.  I leave the cabin every morning at 7:45am to swim laps with my kick board for 45 minutes before water aerobics begin.  So, I'm in the pool for an hour and a half every day.  It's the one thing I do for myself, and boy does this old body enjoy and need the workout!  It's the only exercise I can do which doesn't make me hurt.  It's been warm and the water feels so good.  

So that's it in a nutshell.  Mr. Joe and I keep busy and active during the day and enjoy sitting out on the deck at night visiting with friends. Life is good.

Soon,

Lynn

Lily's Locket Fabric

 Hello Everyone,

The UPS delivery driver had a cart full of quilted goodies when he arrived at my cabin this week.  The order I placed for Lily's Locket by Pam Buda with Marcus Fabrics arrived.

My plan is to make fat quarter and fat eighth bundles for my retreat attendees and for my booth at the Independence Hall Quilt Show in October.  Yes, I know October sounds like it's a long way away, but it will be here before I know it.  If I have any bundles left after my last retreat in November, I will put them in my Etsy store for sale.

I put the bolts in the dining room so I could admire and pet them.  It's a good thing I left the plastic on because the bolts were level with Mazey's nose.  She couldn't be bothered with this new intrusion into her space.

Talk about intrusion into our space, the Summer People have arrived for the 4th of July holiday weekend/week.  I know the much-needed tax dollars flow into the county coffers, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

Getting ready for the Storm of the Summer People is very much like our preparations for an incoming blizzard.  We know they are coming, so we head to the grocery store four days in advance to stock up on essentials and non-essentials.  A trip to the grocery store this weekend could easily take over an hour to buy one forgotten item.  By tomorrow the shelves will most likely be empty.  I should have purchased a gross of hot dog buns to sell on the black market!

We also gas up the cars because everyone gasses up on their way out of town, and our three gas stations will be running on empty.

Mr. Joe always cranks up the generator prior to a holiday weekend to make sure all systems are go.  Last year on the 4th, the power went out for 24 hours.  On que last night as we were eating dinner on the deck, you guessed it, the power went out for about four hours.  There are so many people up here enjoying the mountains, our power supply system just can't handle the impact.  Not to mention the excessive heat and overuse of air conditioning.  We don't have an air conditioner; we keep the cabin closed up during the heat of the day and open the doors up at night.

We have to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to live in this area year-round and be tolerant of others who want to enjoy the beauty of the mountains.  

I hope you enjoy the 4th of July wherever you live.

Soon,

Lynn

Getting Caught Up

 Hello Everyone,

This is the final installment of my trip to Marcus Fabrics in NYC.  

The offices of Timeless Treasures and Marcus Fabrics occupy the entire 4th floor of this beautiful older building.

When you step off the elevator, you enter the reception area and are greeted by a beautiful quilt....of course!

This is the room where we held our meeting to discuss my future lines of fabric. Notice I said LINES of fabric.

I spy with my eye.....the sales literature for Bridle Path.

After our meeting, we had the opportunity to meet the entire Marcus Staff.  It was great putting a face to the name of the ladies who I've been talking with on the phone.  They were all so pleasant, and just as nice as they could be.

We then walked back to our hotel, changed clothes and set off for our hop-on hop-off open air bus tour of Manhattan.  We hopped off the bus so we could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Ominous storm clouds were gathering and then the thunder and lightning started along with torrential rain.  The middle of the Brooklyn Bridge is not the best place to be during a thunderstorm!

We quickly looked like two drowned rats.

We hopped back on the open-air bus during the storm and continued our trip through Manhattan including Hell's Kitchen, the theater district, and Times Square.  The little red ball in the center of the picture is the ball which drops during the celebration on New Year's Eve.  I couldn't begin to imagine being crammed together like a sardine at New Year's in Times Square!

We got back to our hotel and quickly got ready for dinner with these wonderful 'Ladies of Marcus'.  I had the pleasure of having an interesting conversation with the head graphic artist who I'll be working with closely on my next line.  After meeting everyone, I just want to do more and more for the company and create, create, and create!

In the morning on Thursday, we walked to Katz's deli for a lox and bagel breakfast.  We bought one of their famous pastrami sandwiches to take with us to the airport to snack on before boarding.

This was the location of the infamous scene from Where Harry Met Sally.

We had a fabulous time in NYC.  We crammed as much as we could in the four days we were there. We walked over 30 miles....I would be thin if I lived in Manhattan!  

Many, many thanks to the Marcus Fabric family for this incredible experience.  We made memories to last a lifetime.

Soon,

Lynn

NYC Day 3

 Hello Everyone,

The travelogue continues for day three of my trip to NYC.  

Gail and I put on our walking shoes and headed from the hotel for our walk down Broadway to the Battery to meet our tour guide in front of Castle Clinton.

Along our way we passed the famous Trinity Church.  

We also passed the Bull by Wall Street.

Then we boarded the ferry for a short ride to the Statue of Liberty.

The Manhattan skyline is quite impressive along with the fluffy white clouds.

This picture speaks volumes to me.

This lovely quilt is hanging in the museum on the island.

Another short ferry ride took us over to Ellis Island.

Millions of immigrants were processed through this facility.  I wish I'd taken a picture of the many, many radiators lining the walls of this building.  I can just picture the tired, hungry and poor huddled around the radiators after they long voyage.

We sat for a moment at a picnic table while our guide gave us a short history of the island.  This is one of my favorite pictures which I took on our trip.  This statue was so touching.

The Manhattan skyline from the island.

After our very impressive and informative day, we walked backed to the hotel after a stop at Starbucks for a Frappuccino, changed our clothes and headed to the restaurant to have dinner with the VIPs from Marcus Fabrics, Pati and Kristin.  From left to right we have Carrie and Katie, the dynamic mother daughter duo from Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop. Pati and Kristin. Then yours truly and Dolores Smith from Timeworn Toolbox, the designer of the Front Porch fabric I showcased yesterday. 

What an inspirational day we had while logging over 20,000 steps!  Our day was filled with a huge dose of patriotism and history.  

Prior to our trip, my friend suggested I read the novel New York by Edward Rutherfurd.  It is a fascinating book about the history of New York beginning with the arrival of the Dutch.  Some of the things we saw such as Trinity Church are mentioned in the book.  It's a long and enjoyable read. 

After reliving all of our activities last week, I now realize why I'm dragging my feet and feeling so tired this week! Maybe it has something to do with those 33 miles we walked!

Soon,

Lynn