In My Spare Time......

 Hello Everyone,

Between wedding and retreat preparations, and cobweb extermination, I've been making kits for Blue Plate Special, my new design.

I finished appliqueing all of the 'frames' around the blocks while watching TV, since I don't seem to be able to just sit still for a nano second.

I've enjoyed every minute while working with this color palette from my Timeless Stitches collection from Marcus Fabrics.

If you would like to purchase a kit, please send an email to:  sewnwildoaks@gmail.com and I'll add your name to the list. I won't be able to ship until mid-November, after my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat.  I will be posting the pattern separately in my Etsy shop.  I will NOT be posting the kit on Etsy, because of the extra charges that Etsy imposes on higher priced items.

I'm also making kits for more Lucy Boston blocks.

I'm indecisive on which way I want to stitch this block together.

Fabrics like this, make the best Lucy blocks since there is so much potential in this fabric. The fabric is from the Canton Quilting Circle collection by Judie Rothermel.  The red is from Lily's Locket by Pam Buda.

I started decorating for Fall with some very old decorations that I remember my mom put out every year.  These are decorations made with pipe cleaners and the faces are ceramic.  

My friend Kaaren gave me the Amish baskets when she moved away.  I LOVE them and she couldn't have given then to anyone who would love them more.

The Autumn colors have been a bit disappointing this year. Our nights haven't been cool, and the poor leaves are falling off of the trees before they have a chance to change color.  This is about it for our little maple tree.

Our electricity provider, Pacific Gas & Electric, thoughtfully decided to turn off power to more than 80,000 customers in California for three days last week because high winds were expected. PG&E clearly took the "better safe than sorry" approach. The only small problem? The high winds apparently got lost on their way to our area and mostly hung out in Southern California instead.

This sort of thing happens occasionally during peak fire season. It's annoying, but admittedly preferable to the alternative of watching the neighborhood become a giant bonfire.

During the outage, I kept two running lists: things I could do with no power, and things I could do once we fired up the generator. To my surprise, I crossed off a remarkable number of items from both lists. Apparently, a lack of electricity is an excellent productivity tool.

In fact, I got so much done that I'm beginning to wonder if we should lose power more often...

...and then I remembered cold showers, warm refrigerators, and no internet.

Never mind. Let's not get carried away.

Soon,

Lynn

Mountain Musings

 Hello Everyone,

The quilt guild I belong to hosted a 3-day quilt faire at the fairgrounds in Angels Camp over the past weekend.  They asked the membership for some big quilts, so I entered three of mine, beginning with Gentry's Mill.

I also entered Timeless.

.....and Laurel Ridge the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show.

The auditorium was filled with quilts.

One of the members made my Cozy Christmas pattern.  It was so well made!

Here are a few more entries.

Here are two more Laurel Ridge quilts.  It is so much fun for me to see my patterns with the quilters personal touch added.

Here's a beautiful Country Charmer quilt entered in the show.  

I have an extremely busy two weeks ahead. Our granddaughter is getting married next weekend at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, right at the base of the Sentinel Tree. I’m the officiant, which means I’ve been writing their vows… and rewriting them… and waking up every morning thinking, “Nope, today’s version will be even better.” At this point, I’ve practically written a full Broadway production.

Out‑of‑town company starts arriving Friday. I’ve lost count, but I think I’ll be feeding around 20 immediate family members and friends over the weekend. I’m basically running a food truck with a wedding chapel attached since the State Park is only 3 miles away from my cabin.

I’ve been cleaning the cabin and evicting every cobweb in sight. I briefly considered passing them off as Halloween décor, but even I had to admit it looked less “festive spooky” and more “abandoned mining shack.” So out they went.

I’ve also been gearing up for my last retreat of the year, kicking off on November 1st. I’ve been cutting kits, fabric, and pulling together tutorials like a one‑woman quilting command center. At this point, the rotary cutter and I are on a first‑name basis.

Once the retreat wraps up, I fully intend to sit back, put my feet up, and pretend I’m on a tropical vacation for at least 48 hours. But, it sounds like El Nino is going to go into drench California mode with rain and snow. Then it’s straight into Holiday Mode—full swing, full sparkle, full cookie consumption.

It’s all good… just busy. Very busy. The kind of busy where even my to‑do list needs a nap.

Soon,

Lynn

Yuletide Memories

 Hello Everyone,

I just received the official 'go ahead and release' the image of my next Block of the Month for Marcus Fabrics.  Here is Yuletide Memories in all her glory.....all 94" x 94" of her.

The 'strike-offs' (sample fabrics) were received by the manufacturer from South Korea and have been approved.  Now I will anxiously await the arrival of my sample fabrics so I can start making the quilt.

Here are some up-close pictures of the blocks. Does this one look familiar?  It's the same block that I'm currently making for my Blue Plate Special pattern.  I wanted this block to look like a snowflake.  Remember those snowflakes we made as kids in school?  I know it's a stretch, but that's my story.

This block was included in my A Ribbon Runs Through It pattern.  It's an intricate and gorgeous block.

This block was in my Heritage and Country Charmer pattern.

This is the center block and is an entirely new creation from me.

This block is from Cozy Country Christmas.

This is a new design, and the four blocks are the anchoring corner blocks in the quilt.

I will be creating monthly videos to assist you along your Yuletide Memories project. Hopefully, some of the videos will be made while I'm in the middle of a major snowstorm.  Now wouldn't that be fun!  You can watch a snowstorm in the middle of July and instantly you'll be cooled down.

I LOVE the off-white plaid fabric which is going to be the backing.

So, my work is cut out for me over the next few months. I'm looking forward to making the quilt and putting it on our bed at the cabin. 

Soon,

Lynn

Yuletide Memories

 Hello Everyone,

Just when you think I've been slacking off.......now you can see what I was doing in my down time.  Is there really such a thing as down time here at Sew'n Wild Oaks? My newest line, Yuletide Memories is now posted on the Marcus Fabrics website here. 

It takes a long time to bring a new line to life and into shops.  From inception date to final roll out is around a year.

I’ve designed a very traditional, queen‑sized quilt with this line, and I’m counting the minutes until I can finally show it off. Marcus Fabrics previewed all the sales material at the H & H show last week, so the secret is officially out there… just not quite out here yet. The moment I’m allowed to share the quilt picture, trust me—I’ll post it faster than you can say “fat quarter bundle.”

I don’t have my fabric yet, but the second UPS drops the boxes on my porch, I’ll be cutting and stitching like a woman possessed. And with a Super El Niño headed our way, I’ll probably be snowbound in the cabin, stitching away while the drifts pile up outside. Nothing says “creative productivity” like being held hostage by Mother Nature with a rotary cutter in hand.

Soon,

Lynn

Zephyr Point Day Four

 Hello Everyone,

Spending four days with such talented, compassionate quilters feels a little like stepping into a warm, creative hug. Their kindness fills the room as much as their laughter, and their skill turns every table into a miniature quilt show. You come away inspired, recharged, and reminded that quilting with good people is one of life’s sweetest joys.

We’ll say our goodbyes on Thursday, carrying home armfuls of wonderful memories from our four days together. The laughter, the kindness, and the shared creativity will stay stitched into our hearts long after the last sewing machine is rolled away in the sewing machine wagon train.

A few of us started the morning gathered around the fire pit, hands wrapped around warm lattes. We all were soaking in the quiet.....until there were spontaneous bursts of laughter, usually generated by Linda! I’m really going to miss this. And then the smell of those freshly baked cinnamon rolls drifting through the air was downright irresistible. 

Here's a peek at the show and tell.

A few of us posed for a picture to send to our Australian quilter friend Gweneth.

We wrote what made us happy on the flip chart.

We spent the day watching speed boats, paddle boats, and sailboats glide across the lake like they were putting on a show just for us. And then came the flyover—what we’re pretty sure was one of the Blue Angels. Naturally, they wanted a closer look at the quilts. Who wouldn’t? Or maybe they wanted to admire all of these beautiful women. 

The last sunset is brought to you by Julie, who was always on the lookout for a spectacular sunset.

Soon,

Lynn