What's happening at Wilder's Last Resort

 Hello Everyone,

I'm happy to announce that my friend Melissa, from Honeybee Fabrics is going to offer my Timeless quilt as a BOM and as a kit! You can register for her program HERE.

The program will start in May, and she is also setting up a Timeless Facebook page which I will be monitoring along with Melissa to answer any of your questions and post tutorials.  Melissa runs a good, affordable program and I encourage you to sign up with her.  While on her site, check out her other BOM programs.

The first month's tutorial is the center medallion of the quilt beginning with a square in a square.  If you had issues in the past making them, the tutorial will help you iron out any of your past issues and you will enjoy the process. I have LOVED working with my new fabric line, Timeless Stitches by Marcus Fabrics.

The entire line is so much like Spring exploding in my sewing room!

The tutorial also covers making the double flying geese. And there are lots of the little ones!

At night, because I just can't be idle, I'm working on a project that doesn't have a name or an end result, I'm just having fun with the process.

My first retreat of the year begins the last week of April, and I've been deciding what to teach.  I love working with wool, and I've always wanted to recreate the top section of my Harvest of Hope quilt into a wool table runner.  I brought the image into my computer and added scallops to the border.

Here is a picture of the entire quilt, which would look fabulous in wool, but I'm just going to concentrate on the top portion.  It's never too early to start working on projects for Fall!

I've also submitted everything to Marcus Fabrics for a new Christmas fabric line which was approved immediately by management.  The line will be unveiled this Fall with a shipping date of next year, just in time to start a new Christmas BOM for Marcus Fabrics.  My poor little pea brain has been drowning in ideas swimming around in it day and night.  Let me just say there is a fantastic plaid or two in the line. 

On a personal note, Mr. Joe is still having health issues.  He's had a lot of doctors' appointments as they are trying to understand what's wrong and how to help him.  Keeping him well-nourished and trying to keep his spirits up has become a full-time occupation. You know what they say about old age is not for the faint of heart. 

Soon,

Lynn

Hobby House Quilt Works

 Hello Everyone,

I'm thrilled to share that this California gal will be heading East next May to Victor, NY where I’ll be teaching at Hobby House Quilt Works!

I'll be teaching my new Timeless design.

This is an image of the fabric called Timeless Stitches for Marcus Fabrics.  I'm anxiously awaiting my sample yardage so I can start creating!  My poor brain is going a thousand miles an hour thinking about additional designs using this fabric. The design are popping in my head faster than I can sketch them!

You can learn more about this weekend workshop HERE.  Just think, we can spend the entire weekend together beginning Friday night for the meet and greet trunk show.  Then we hit the ground running Saturday morning when the 2-day class begins making this beautiful medallion quilt which measures 90" x 90".  

You will learn so much while making the quilt as I teach the math behind the components.  I'm sorry, I don't call it math anymore, I call it Finessing the Figures which sounds less intimidating and more approachable. I'll demonstrate my methods of easy construction of the quilting components.  

Head on over to Hobby House Quilt Works and check out the retreat center, their shop, and if you love wool and cross stitch you will be in heaven!

Soon,

Lynn

Gentry's Mill is Starting Soon

 Hello Everyone,

Coming to a quilt store near you.....Gentry's Mill BOM from Marcus Fabrics.

Both the quilt and the fabric line are called Gentry's Mill.  When we were driving back from Quilt Market in Houston in 2023, I saw a road sign that said, 'Gentry's Mill', and I thought that's a great name for a quilt.....and here she is.  I always keep a notebook with me to write down ideas as they come to me, because I know I'm going to forget it in a nanosecond!

The quilt above the bed is my pattern called Emilie Elizabeth, made for me by my dear friend Deborah.  See the precious story behind this quilt HERE.  

The color palette is rich and just plain classy.  I've enjoyed every minute working with this line. I'm working on a new design which combines Gentry's Mill with my Hearthstone line.  I can work away in my sewing room and lose all tract of time while playing, I mean working with the fabrics.

Yesterday, I took a much-needed day off and Mr. Joe grabbed the old lady and packed up the baby (Mazie) and we headed to the Shenandoah Valley in Plymouth, CA to pick up a wine shipment and do some wine tasting.

It was a beautiful day considering we are in January.  We sat outside on the deck at Iron Hub, our new favorite winery, and enjoyed a charcuterie board for lunch.

The sky was crystal blue with interesting cloud formations.  We thought this one looked like the bones from a fish. Seriously we did not have too much to drink! 

On a personal note, our granddaughter evacuated from her condo just north of the LA fire area.  Her place should be okay, but the winds are supposed to pick up again today. They had been without power for days and she decided it was a good time to pack up her car and leave with their dog and cat.  Her fiancé stayed behind and is packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice.  

My heart is breaking for those who have lost everything and have to start over.  It is such a daunting thought to think of the infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt before anyone can start to rebuild their life. If you read the story behind the Emilie Elizabeth quilt, you will see how the Paradise fire touched my life.

Living in the mountains surrounded by towering trees is a constant reminder of the fragility of our way of life. No matter how much raking we do to keep our lots clean, it's not really going to matter if a huge blaze comes through with howling winds.  

Treasure your way of life and be thankful for each day and every minute.

Soon,

Lynn 

Timeless Applique

 Hello Everyone,

I worked my way through the torrential rain and snow at the cabin over the past five days on these precious little cuties which are made with my Hearthstone fabric line.

We never lost power during the storm, but we had intermittent Internet and TV during the worst of the snow on Saturday and Sunday.  

I enjoy combining stripes, checks and prints.....and then there is the fussy cutting for the centers.  I showed you in my last post how I make the perfect circles with the Perfect Circle templates.

I LOVE working on an applique project.  I find it very rewarding and soothing.

I have quite a few of these to make.  Four down, twelve to go.  I sew love them!

We received over a foot of snow which is much more manageable than the 3 to 4' of snow which was predicted.  That much snow would have paralyzed our mountain community. We had wind and 4" of rain throughout Thursday and Friday.  Had it been colder, we would have been in trouble.  The temps dropped on Saturday and the rain turned to snow.

I have to put all of this fun aside and finish my taxes which is the number one item on my to-do list today.  I also have to make a tutorial for the house block for Bridle Path, and finish with the Packhorse Librarian story for March.  

With all of this going on, we have been caring for a very sick Mazie.  We dug our way out yesterday and took her to the first morning appointment at her vet.  The vet thinks she has pancreatitis.  She's in pain and hasn't eaten or had any water for the past two days.  They filled her full of fluids and gave her an injection.  She's had us up since 2am, so it's back to the vet today for x-rays. It is breaking my heart to see her like this.  

Earlier this morning I was out in the great room with Mazie when I heard a fox bark.  Once you hear one you never forget it.  Normally, Mazie would have gone into protection mode and barked back, but this morning she didn't run over to the door and there wasn't a peep out of her.

I'll keep you posted.

Soon,

Lynn

Bridle Path Progress

 Hello Everyone,

I've been quiet again since I've been creating a flimsy.  Bridle Path is all together and ready to be quilted.  Yesterday I put on the borders and the flange which is that cute little 1/4" of red fabric that frames the quilt.

I moved my machine out to the dining room table so I could spread the quilt out and have lots of space on which to work.

You can see we've had more snow.....again.  This Winter has been relentless.  At this writing, it is still snowing lightly. It looks like sifted powdered sugar falling from the heavens.  It's beautiful, but I'm so over it!  Now I know what it's like to live in Siberia.

Isn't this an interesting snow pattern on the umbrella?  It looks like crustaceans are growing on it.

Just that little touch of red in the flange add so much to the overall look of the design. The fabrics are from my Hearthstone collection. 

I'll make the backing then this is ready to be quilted.

Bear Valley, the ski area 30 minutes up the road is really buried in snow.  This is what 700" of snow looks like.  I can't take credit for this picture which was posted on FB on our local area page.

Yes, this has made for good quilting weather, but I've had enough.  I have blisters on my blisters from shoveling.  We try to keep up with it on a twice a day basis.  The snowplow goes by and fills up our driveway all over again. We haven't driven out of the neighborhood since the weekend as the roads are not only snowy buy icy.  My YakTraks are having a hard time navigating our icy pathways. 

We made it out to the Bay Area on Saturday to watch our youngest grandson play a high school lacrosse game. Both Mr. Joe and I soaked up the warming rays of the sun. It was fast-paced and so much fun to watch.  Maybe by the end of the season I will learn the rules and understand the game better.

  

We also helped our son celebrate his 48th birthday. Wasn't he just a little boy a short time ago?  Time goes way too quickly.  His son Jess is involved in FFA and started shute-dogging in rodeos, which explains the need for a cowboy hat. Good guys wear white hats and that's really true about our son.

I have a Zoom call with Marcus Fabrics and some of the designers this morning, so I'd better scoot and get ready for it.

Soon,

Lynn

My Quilting Journey

 Hello Everyone,

And so, it began in 2014.  I made my first Emilie Elizabeth quilt named after my maternal grandmother.

The quilt was on display at Prairie Queens Quilt Shop in San Jose, CA when the Vice President of sales for Marcus Fabrics came into the shop with their sales rep.

I was contacted by the VP and asked if I would remake it for them using their fabrics by Judie Rothermel called Judie's Album Quilt.  The kicker was that I had about ONE month to recreate this quilt so that it could be on display in Houston for Quilt Market.  I called my sister Gail and set up a sweat shop in my sewing room.  The deadline was met with barely a second to spare.

This is my first Emilie Elizabeth which looks downright dull compared to the new quilt.

Next came Heritage.  The VP sent me the fabrics, also created by Judie Rothermel.  I sat down with my EQ software and came up with this design.

This quilt has become my #1 bestseller.

This pattern has been in Keepsake Quilting catalog.

I helped my guild remake this quilt for our scholarship quilt.

It was featured in QuiltMania magazine.

Then came Prairie Flower.

I must have been crazy when I decided to quilt this quilt with all of this dense quilting.  It took me forever!

Mazey poses with every quilt.  She's my gorgeous model.

The fabric is called Conestoga Crossing by Pam Buda for Marcus Fabrics.  This picture was just perfect for this quilt.  This quilt was also featured in Keepsake Quilting.

Then came Crossing the Pond where I used Journey to America fabric by Judie Rothermel.

This quilt was featured in QuiltMania magazine.

.....and then came A Ribbon Runs Through It.  What a whirlwind this Block of the Month became.

But wait, there's more!  Drumrolllll.......my name is now going to appear on the selvedge of Marcus Fabrics!  I signed a two-year contract with them after my Zoom call this week.  I am knee deep in designing my own fabric collection for them.  It is thrilling, it is scary, it is such an honor to even be considered to become part of the Marcus Fabrics designer team.  My head is swimming with ideas that I need to corral and get organized in a cohesive fabric line.  You can bet your booties it is going to include plaids, checks, and stripes.

This post is a testament that you are never too old to reach and achieve your dreams.  When I started my quilting journey with my first design in 2008, I never dreamed that this would happen.  This is my first design, The House on Edgewood Lane.  The rest is history with more history yet to be made.......

Soon,

Lynn