Side Setting Blocks for A Ribbon Runs Through It.

 Hello Everyone,

I've been receiving questions about the side setting blocks for A Ribbon Runs Through It.

I put a tutorial together that is located at the top of my blog with the other tutorials.  Click HERE for the link.  I hope this helps with questions about trimming.

Soon,

Lynn

Cradled in Love

Hello Everyone,

Fall is arriving just as thirty-six quilters roll into town for my 3rd Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat of the year which begins on Sunday.  These quilts are cradled in love in a very old cradle. I would love to know who slept in this quilt and was rocked to dreamland.

Yesterday I moved some of the quilts around to fit in more with the fall season.  I sorted through an armoire full of quilts and selected the perfect quilts to put on display.  

The quilters will be here at the cabin Sunday night for an appetizer dinner.  I always hold this dinner prior to a retreat as an icebreaker, so everyone can get to know each other.  The girls each bring an appetizer or dessert and it is always delicious.

When I designed and made Leaf Peepers, I didn't plan to have such a perfect fit on the headboard on the front porch.

I also made some seasonal pillows a few years ago to put on display.  I love taking them out of the closet every year.  I've mentioned before that the green chairs must be about 70 years old.  I remember them at our house when I was growing up.  One of them is a rocker, and we enjoy sitting out on the covered front porch and watch the animal life stroll by.  

We have had some delightful rain over the past couple of days.  I don't mind when it's raining so hard it wakes me up at night.  We've had a good, soaking rain so the entire community is not "on edge" during fire season.  Fingers crossed that we make it to the end of fire season when the real rains arrive.

Soon,

Lynn

 

Play List Week of 9/19

 Hello Everyone,

Here's my play list for this week.  The song titles are very fitting and are a better match than some of the lyrics.

See You in September - The Happenings

Waiting on a Friend - The Rolling Stones

Anticipation - Carly Simon

I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons

These are the Days of our Lives - Queen

My next retreat starts on Sunday, September 25th.  This week I will finalize all of the preparations for the arrival of 36 quilters from across the state. I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival and look forward to seeing my friends and making new friends.  We always have the BEST time!

I'm also preparing for my trip to North Dakota where I will be teaching at the Badlands Quilters Guild.  I'll be teaching Peek-a-Boo Pumpkins table runner and Country Samper. 

Country Sampler is a painless way to incorporate and learn the formulas for many different quilting components.  I'm looking forward to branching out into other areas of the country.  Next year I'm headed to Illinois and Wisconsin.

We went to Livermore this weekend to watch our grandsons play football.  We also spent more time cleaning out the garage......the move is still not completely finished. Our grandson recovered a fumble which set up the winning touchdown.  These cliffhanger games are almost too much for our old tickers while we cling to the edge of our bleacher seats.  Watching the boys play is the best entertainment in town!

While I'm writing this post, I'm watching the funeral procession for the Queen.  What a remarkable woman and historic figure. The outpouring of love is a true testament to this amazing woman. May she rest in peace after her 70 years of serving her country so admirably.

Soon,

Lynn

Play List Week of 9/12/22

 Hello Everyone,

Here's my playlist for this week.

The Time of My Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters

Help - The Beatles

It's hard to know where to begin to tell you about our weekend full of fun and surprises.  The entire family gathered in celebration of our 50th anniversary.  Whenever we all gather together, we take our "gene Wilder" picture. I'm the only one without a "Wilder" gene, but I helped pass it on to the rest of the group. We always line up in order by age.  Mr. Joe and I are followed by our two handsome sons, our beautiful daughter, then the best grandchildren ever!  Mazey just didn't want to sit still for her picture.

I love comparing the picture to the first one taken in 2014.  The little boys aren't so little anymore.

Here's the entire group including spouses, cousins and another potential granddaughter.

We were so surprised when we left the house and saw a limo/party bus arrive to take us to Elliston Vineyards and event center in Sunol, CA.

We have arrived!

Our friend Mike, of 46 years delivered the blessing.

My sister Gail put a slide show together by gathering 50 years of pictures and memories in one place.  It was a huge undertaking and we appreciated it so much.  I'm looking forward to watching it again today. I've made slide shows before, and I know the work and the love involved in making one.  The show Gail put together was filled and made with love.

The kids used our original cake topper from our wedding. They thought of everything.  Unfortunately, my head got decapitated on the trip home! Super glue to the rescue.

Just like the song, we had the time of our life.  It was the perfect day in celebration with our family and friends.  There were times when there wasn't a dry eye at the table, and there were times when laughter erupted in the entire room.  We can't thank all of you enough for making our day, and our life so special.

This is why I listed the song "Help" on my playlist.  At the football game Friday night, Jess was flattened after the play was over and the whistle had already blown.  He was down for about five anxious minutes while all of us watched in the stands.  He had played an excellent game and maybe the opposing player wanted to take him out of the action.  We were so thankful when he got off the field under his own power.  His ribs were a bit sore the next day.

On Thursday night we watched our grandson Kade play Freshman football.  He too, did a great job.  It was so hot on Thursday.  When we arrived in Livermore, the temperature was 113 degrees.  The game was delayed for two hours and didn't start until after the temperature dropped below 100.  We melted in the stands, but we were comfortable compared to the players.

There was a tribute to 9/11 on Friday night.

Now to the I'm So Excited song.  The strike-offs for my fabric line will arrive today!  Today is the day!  There's just so much going on and it's all good.  Life is good.

Soon,

Lynn

More Retreat Memories

 Hello Everyone,

Another mini quilt show continues today.  All of the beautiful creations were made by the quilters who attended my Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat in August.

Country Sampler

Diana buys old quilts and cuts them up to make jackets.

Making that first cut would be hard!

Here are some more pictures of the talented quilters.

Mazey alerted us to another bear trying to cool off in the drainage culvert last night while we were eating dinner.  Bear sightings have become a daily event.  Maybe it's because we have been spending more time on the deck.....or maybe it's because there are more bears around this year. Eventually this one ran off into the woods.

I still have a lot more to show you over the next few days.  The girls were very prolific. 

Soon,

Lynn

Retreat Pictures

Hello Everyone,

I have so many pictures from my retreat to share with you.  The show and tell time that we have after dinner is always "over the top" gorgeous! The amount of talent in the room is incredible. Enjoy the show!

Country Sunshine

Row-Mancing Alaska in 2 color-ways.

Cute as a Button

Sue traveled from Michigan and didn't have room for this beauty in her suitcase.

Here are some of the quilters who are responsible for the mini quilt show.  Penni made the little dolls for her housemates.

The retreat gave the chance for these coast-to-coast friends to get together.

California and much of the West Coast is in the grip of a record-breaking heatwave, or heatstorm as it is being called.  We don't have air conditioning at the cabin, so it has been getting pretty toasty here during the day even though we keep it closed up with the fans going.  Last night it was just too hot inside, so we headed up to Lake Alpine for dinner.  We love going there for dinner because Mazey is welcome to sit at our table on their deck.

We were treated to a booming thunderstorm as we went for a stroll around the lake.  We could see it brewing right overhead, then the wind picked up.

Mazey hasn't been going for too many walks lately because it has been way too hot for her little paws.

We returned to the car just as the heavens opened up and drenched the parched earth.  We could almost hear the trees sighing with relief.

We sighed with relief too as the temps dropped into the 70's.  When we got back to the cabin, we were back into the mid 90's.  The high for the day was 101 in Arnold.

Another scorcher is on tap for today.  I will be in the pool for laps and water aerobics this morning.  I should just spend the entire day in the water to get relief from the heat.

Every day I rinse out my swimming suit and hang it up outside.  Sometimes I forget to bring it inside before bedtime.  In the morning I have to shake it out really well because we have bats......lots of bats.  I'm always afraid when I put my suit on in the morning that I'm going to be sharing my suit with the bats.  Mr. Joe always said I had bats in my belfry!

Soon,

Lynn