Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Machine Quilting Country Romance

Hello Everyone,
 
The bobbin has been working over time here in the mountains on Country Romance.

 
 

I want to have Country Romance hanging in my booth at the Mountain Heirloom quilt show in mid October.  So a lot of quilting, binding and pattern printing is going to be taking place over the next week.....or two.



 I love the Susanna's Scraps fabric by Betsy Chutchian.  It is very romantic.



A couple of months ago, we moved my long arm to the cabin.  We cleared out a large area in the garage for my toy.  The garage is pretty much split down the middle.  Mr. Joe has his stuff on one side, and the long arm takes up the other side.  Insert here that my side is much, much neater than Mr. Joe's side.  We are going to have to have a come to Jesus talk soon.

Summer is making a last gasp of heat here in the mountains before we can officially call it Fall.  Yesterday, while I was working in the garage, I opened up the big garage door in addition to the smaller door to get a cross breeze.  I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that I'm the only long arm quilter that has to be concerned about the real possibility of a bear walking into their workspace!  It is hard to concentrate on quilting when I'm constantly distracted looking and listening.  It was very pleasant, and I did have the feeling that I was quilting outside under the pine trees.

I have to hurry and get this done as the weather is going to take a turn south over the weekend.  I don't think I want to be doing any early morning quilting in 30 degree weather!

Wish me luck.

Soon,
Lynn 

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

A Chance to Help

Hello Everyone,
 
Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that I lost my family home during the Camp Fire in Paradise.  My parents bought the house in 1959, so it had been in the family just one year shy of six decades.  Although I left Paradise in 1971 to attend college, my ties to Paradise are strong.  I have a rich history with the town and the people.  I've always said, you can take the girl out of Paradise, but you can't take Paradise out of the girl.
 
I have had the honor of speaking at the Paradise Ridge Quilters' Guild multiple times and have taught two workshops to guild members.  Guild members have come to my retreat, and several have come to classes that I've taught in the Northern California area.  It's a GREAT guild, full of wonderful, determined people.
 
Now we all have an opportunity to help them get re-established so they can continue to rebuild their community of quilters.....and assist in the rebuilding of their town.  The guild is selling tickets for their opportunity quilt called Sweet Surrender.  This guild is NOT surrendering to anything!  I saw this quilt in person when I was at the guild's first meeting in January after the fire. It is stunning! Check out my post about their first meeting HERE.  This post is well worth the read to show you the resilience of this inspirational guild.
 
 


Now I'm asking you to help again.  Here is information on what we can do together.
 
Ridge Quilters' Guild: Opportunity Quilt 2019 -  Sweet Surrender pattern by Sue Cody, appliqued and pieced by guild members using Kaffe Fassett fabrics and quilted by member, Marsha Haunschild. 
 
The Ridge Quilters’ Guild from Paradise, California has been overwhelmed by the generous and heartfelt support offered and given by the nation’s quilting community. Many guilds have asked how they can help us.  We believe the best thing you can do for us is to help us help ourselves, by purchasing tickets to our 2019 Opportunity Quilt, “Sweet Surrender” which was saved from the fire. A majority of our guild members lost their homes, quilts, and supplies in the fire and our storage facility was also destroyed. With your support, we will be able to replace our quilt racks and other necessities before we need them for our next show.

Ticket purchases can be made by check sent to Ridge Quilters Guild,  PO Box 1668, Paradise, CA 95967.Tickets are $1.00 each, 6 or $5.00, or 13 for $10.00. Please include your email address so that we can send you confirmation of your ticket purchase and your ticket numbers. To help defray costs you will not receive ticket stubs so please keep your check as your proof of donation for tax purposes.  The drawing for this beautiful and hope filled quilt will be on October 15, 2019 at our general meeting.  Thank you for your continued support. For more information, please contact Contact Rae Hainley at Sourdoe43@gmail.com
 
My check is going out in the mail today!
 
Soon,
Lynn
 
 

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Country Bumpkin

Hello Everyone,
 
It's pumpkin time!  It's Country Bumpkin time! 


This was one of the projects during my retreat in August and will be again during the October retreat.  The pattern is now available in my Etsy shop HERE.

 
The table topper is only 20" x 20" which makes it easy to machine quilt.
 

I made another little pumpkin during the retreat and added an embellishment.  I think this would make a nice little pillow for Fall.
 


 I've started some Fall decorating.  The days are definitely getting shorter and cooler.  It rained here twice this week which is quite unusual for September.  We are expecting more rain next weekend. 


The bathrooms gets decorated for Fall too.  Guests always wonder what that "thing" is over the tub.  It's an old clothes dryer, and I use it all the time.


 I love to move the quilts around along with the furniture.  It drives Mr. Joe crazy.  It really drove him crazy when I washed and ironed the seven valances in the dining room.  I needed his help hanging them all back up again.  I didn't plan on doing a major "Fall" cleaning yesterday, it just sort of happened.  If I'd planned it, I would have dreaded it and put it off.



We had a wonderful visit with our friends of 42 years.  We always enjoy a morning walk through Calaveras Big Trees State Park just three miles from the cabin.  It truly is a spiritual experience wandering through the 2,000 year old giant redwoods.


Our son calls us the gray hairs.  This is a picture of my sister Gail, Mr. Joe, and me.



We had a lot of good food, wine, and conversation.  The next time they come for a visit, it will be way too cold to eat out on the deck.  It was almost too cold this trip, but we wanted to squeeze out every single minute of deck time before the season changes.



We have a rich history of memories over the past 42 years.  Lift a glass to memories.  Isn't that what life is all about? 

Soon,
Lynn

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Sew'n Wild Oaks Class Was In Session

Hello Everyone,
 
As always, my Sew'n Wild Oaks girls have been busily creating over the past month since we last met.  
 

Here are some gorgeous Aurora blocks from my Romancing Alaska pattern.


When Liz walked in the door, she said she was going to get her Cute as a Button all together.....and she did!


Here is a beautiful wool and flannel quilt.  An heirloom quilt for sure.


Here is another heirloom.


Kathy's precision is incredible.  The sashing and pinwheels finish this quilt off beautifully.


Here are the Beach Bums!  Lynnette and Barbara are entering their quilts in my local guild's quilt show in October.   They've each added their own special touches.




Barbara framed one of her cross stitch projects in quilting components.



Barbara is also ready for Halloween.





Mary is creating beautiful blocks for Christmas.


My friend Karen said that coming to our quilting group at In Between Stitches is like walking into a warm, inviting hug.  That is what quilters do.  They welcome, they support, they laugh and encourage.  Give yourself this gift, and join a quilt guild and quilt group.  You will be so glad you did.

I'm getting ready for company.  My sister Gail and our best friends of 42 years are coming for a 3-day visit tomorrow.  This will be a very special time since Mike has stage 4 cancer.  We would normally go kayaking but rain is in the forecast.  We also aren't quite sure how active Mike will be.  It may be a good time to sit around the first fire of the season in the wood burning stove, sip coffee or cocoa, and talk about life.

Soon,
Lynn

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Hermitfest 2019

Hello Everyone,
 
There are days when I need to walk away from the sewing machine, computer, and every electronic device and totally unplug myself from the universe.  Yesterday was one of those days.  I was totally unreachable at Hermitfest 2019.  But we did get in touch, and reach out to friends, and enjoyed a very relaxing day listening to music while we sat under the pine trees chatting with our friends and snacked our way through the day.
 


Hermitfest is a mini-micro Woodstock for the geriatric group.  We didn't see any bell-bottom pants, but we did see a lot of bodies shaped like a bell curve.....our bodies included!  We saw a lot of tie dyed shirts and some camo outfits sported by the occasional deer hunter who wandered through the event.

We didn't get a Rocky Mountain High, but we did get a Sierra Nevada High at this elevation.  There was an occasional whiff of pot here and there, but mainly the whiff of Bengay. 


Hermit Valley is located along scenic Highway 4 that winds its way over Ebbetts Pass into Nevada.  Driving along this route, you have to be on the lookout for range cattle, deer, and bears.

There is a campground at Hermit Valley and we didn't see any VW buses, but there were some small Airstreams.  I, for one, would not want to tow anything over this road!  There are some hairpin curves where you meet your back end on the curves.


This happens a couple of times every year.  Truck drivers do not heed the many warning signs.  I'll bet this driver wished he was wearing Depends! 


The crowd started gathering around 11am and the music started around 12pm.



Mazey enjoyed her day at Hermitfest too.  She loved hanging out under the picnic table looking for scraps.  There were almost as many dogs as people.  Mazey got so much love from the attendees!  She returned the love by leaning into everyone who stopped to pet her.


More and more dancers took center stage as the day progressed.


We will definitely go back again next year. 

I'm back at my computer today to answer emails, and work on pattern directions before I head to Livermore for my Sew'n Wild Oaks classes on Monday and Tuesday.  I enjoyed my short-lived break from reality, it was just what I needed.

Make love not war.....and let's just make it to tomorrow!

Peace,
Lynn

Thursday, September 5, 2019

More Retreat Pictures

Hello Everyone,
 
Pictures of the retreat are starting to wind down.  When you gather 36 quilters together, you have a lot of finished quilts, and works in progress to show.
 
Penni made a beautiful quilt from my Madrigal pattern.
 


The fabric is from a Dutch manufacturer. Just look at all of the stripes on the flanges with the correct orientation.  That took some planning.

 
If I gave an award for Miss Congeniality, Fran would be the winner hands down!  We all love Fran's sense of humor, positive and sunny disposition, and her gentle spirit.  She keeps us all laughing.
 

 
My new Piney Woods Pillow pattern was one of the retreat projects.  I will try to get the pattern posted in my Etsy shop today.
 


Rhonda was having a barn raising at her workstation for Harvest of Hope.


More Heartfire blocks.


I spy Pat's Cute as a Button.



Someone gave Nancy all of the blocks and fabric to finish the quilt.  We loved it.


Mary Sue has been very busy!






Patty finished a cute table topper for Halloween.




Martha made an adorable table topper from her sister's scraps.  Nothing goes to waste in Martha's sewing room.



Several members from the Independence Hall Quilt Guild attended the retreat.  We are standing in front of our Scholarship quilt which will be raffled off at our quilt show in October.


We like to kick up our heels. 


So kick up your heels today and have a great day quilting.  I finished cleaning out the area in the garage around my long arm.  I can now see it, and she is ready to roll on Country Romance.  I'm just waiting for my thread to arrive from Superior.  In the meantime, I've been playing catch up on my email, Etsy and quilt shop orders, and pattern writing. In a nutshell, I'm resting up from the retreat and keeping busy at the same time.....at about half speed.

Soon,
Lynn