Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Adventure Ahead

Hello Everyone,
 
I've been in the dark and off-line for days due to high winds causing our electric company to turn off power to hundreds of thousands of customers across the state.  When the power comes back on, my Internet, phone, and TV provider take an additional day or two to get up and running.
 
Do you know how hard it is to get ready for a quilting retreat when the power is off?  I have 35 quilters arriving tomorrow for a 4-day retreat.......and the power is going to be turned off again today and may be off until Tuesday!
 
One of the quilters, Deborah, arrived from Michigan on Wednesday.  We packed her up and headed to Yosemite for the day on Thursday.  The air was clear and the sky was blue.  It is so much fun for us to take someone to Yosemite who has never been there before.  We have had the BEST time together!  We feel as though we've known her for years.
 

The view goes on for miles, and miles.....

 
This was our lunch spot.....not too shabby.


I can't wrap my head around the fact that Yosemite was carved out by a glacier over thousands of years.


This is Mazey's fifth or sixth visit to the park.  She loves it too.


The reflection of El Capitan was quite impressive on the Merced River.

 
Look very closely in the middle of this picture and you will see a bear.


Signs like this one were all through the park.  Deborah is just so fierce! She had us shaking in our boots!


Today, Deborah and I are going to be cooking and baking.  We are turning Wilder's Last Resort into a soup kitchen tomorrow for the quilters.  If the power is off when they arrive, they will be greeted by a town completely shut down.  The grocery store, bank, restaurants, and just about everything is impacted by the power outage.  We have a generator which we turn on in the early morning and evening.  We use the propane sparingly so we don't run out......since the gas company will not be open either.

Snowflake Lodge, the location for my retreat, is bending over backwards to make the retreat a success.  They are bringing in extra generators to power up the kitchen and our quilting space.  I couldn't be more thankful to their attention to detail.  We will have some restrictions which include no use of little, personal irons.  We will also have to stop quilting shortly after dinner instead of our 9pm stop time.  If we are lucky, the power will be back on by Tuesday.  In the meantime, we will be warm, well-fed, and in the pleasant company of quilters.

I will try to touch base with you again just as soon as I can.

Soon,
Lynn

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Mountain Heirloom Quilt Faire Part Two

Hello Everyone,
 
Here are just a couple of pictures from the Mountain Heirloom Quilt Faire from last weekend.  We were so lucky the power was turned on just prior to the show.  This quilt is called Almost Amish, and it was made by my friend Janice.  It is gorgeous!
 
 
The show is held in the music room at Ironstone Winery.  The setting is incredible.  I was called back to my booth while I was strolling through the show, and I have very few pictures of the actual show for you.  Trust me, it was fabulous.
 

This is my Grammy Square quilt, and my friend Lynnette made a matching bikini for me.  We entered the bikini in the wearable art competition.  It was hysterical!  Am I ever going to wear this bikini you ask?  Not on your life!! 


My Heritage pattern was our scholarship quilt.  I heard a woman local to Arnold was the winner of this beauty.


The grounds around Ironstone were ablaze in color.


This show is always a destination quilt show.



Now that the show is a wrap, I have to turn all of my attention to my last retreat of the year which begins on October 28th.  Today I'm going to unpack everything from the show, and repack for the retreat.  Is it too early to take a nap at 7am?

Soon,
Lynn

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Mountain Heirloom Quilt Faire

Hello Everyone,
 
I have just a few minutes to do a quick post to show you my booth for The Mountain Heirloom Quilt Faire in Murphys, CA this weekend.
 


We set up in the dark since we were caught up in the power outage that swept across our state.  We pulled out every single lantern we own.  We were absolutely delighted when the power was turned back on right before the show.







We are off soon to meet everyone who passes by.  Yesterday was a day full of hugs and kisses, as so many friends stopped by.






 
Come on by and stroll through the spectacular Ironstone Winery, and enjoy the spectacular quilts. 
 
 
Here are just a few of my friend's quilts.  I'll try to get out of my booth today and take more pictures.
 





Soon,
Lynn


 

Monday, October 7, 2019

Keeping Myself Busy

Hello Everyone,
 
I've been quiet on my blog lately because I've been working, working, working, on Country Romance and preparing my booth for the Mountain Heirloom Quilt Show this weekend.
 
Country Romance is all done.....except for the pattern writing.
 

Today is the day to concentrate on the finishing touches for the pattern and start printing.

 


I finished the binding while watching the recorded episodes of the Country Music documentary by Ken Burns.  I'm sad we finished watching, since we both enjoyed watching every episode.  It was well done, and extremely interesting.


I've also been making kits for my booth.  It's a three day quilt show and I have to have a ton of product.  In my travels around the state, I purchase a wide variety of reproduction fabrics.  Luckily my friend Mary Sue and my sister Gail helped out in the latest round of kit making.  It takes a village to get me ready for a show.



Here is just a very small sample of what I will be offering.  I have tubs of product bundled, inventoried, and priced. 


Since I have my last retreat of the year the last week of October,  I hope to have some things left for the girls.  Anything left over after the retreat will be put out in my Etsy shop. 


I hear Mr. Joe stirring this morning.  He is going to head out early to help set up the frames at the quilt show.  All of the men who show up get a free lunch.  That's one way to get the men involved!

Soon,
Lynn