Surprise! Retreat Weekend at the Quiltville Inn!!

I borrowed this picture from Bonnie Hunter, it's the best lead-in to this post; a full report from yours truly, one extremely lucky "weekend beta-tester" of the soon-to-be-open Quiltville Inn! We gathered shortly after everyone arrived on Friday afternoon and posed here, on the front steps of the Inn, just before the rain began. The Quiltville Inn Retreat will be open for business sometime early next spring; believe me-- you're going to want to grab eleven of your closest quilting buddies and keep checking the website for details! When we arrived Bonnie and Dave happened to be outside, they enthusiastically greeted us and helped us in with our bags and sewing supplies. They have a very efficient system, wagons that can be loaded car-side and brought directly to the back entrance, for check-in. Entering the Inn is like walking into a giant hug; the warm and gracious 'welcome' envelops you at every turn, no detail has been overlooked, you instantly feel right at home. Once we were unloaded and situated we strolled through the Inn before we began to sew, we peeked in all the beautifully decorated rooms, climbed the steps and ooohed and aaaahed (there was lots of that!)--Bonnie's heart and soul are evident in every. square. inch!

Bonnie's philosophy for the Inn is that it will be a relaxing RETREAT; in every sense of what that word implies-- a place set apart from the hustle and bustle, the stress and the cares of everyday life. 

I was lucky enough to score a sewing space near the cozy fire in the Quilting Quarters. This large space comfortably accommodates twelve sewing stations, six on either side of the two-sided fireplace with lots of room in-between to maneuver.  Our side of this room was quickly filled with the hum of machines, music, laughter and conversation. The stage was set for a most enjoyable weekend... yes, any stress that came inside with me was quickly being stitched away! 

This is a broader view of the sewing set-up from our side of the room. Comfortable, adjustable height (YES!), rolling sewing chairs are at each super-stable table. Vibration deterring mats are at each station for placement beneath each machine (I detected no vibration anyway) as well as "sip and snip" (cup holders with attached thread catchers), individual task lights and power towers (AC and USB) for plugging in machines and devices are placed at every station. Again-- nothing has been overlooked, one can easily recognize that this is a space designed for a quilter by a quilter; it's all in the details.  Sewing and cutting areas are well-placed and convenient, easy to use design walls surround the room, and the overhead lighting is great.

Walking around the cozy and well-appointed Inn, this shot is from the back hall across the foyer toward the front door. The Quilting Quarters (where we just were) is the illuminated area to the right. Directly to my right, but just out of frame, is a fully stocked quilt bookcase where you're free to stop and browse if further inspiration is required.   

Here's a shot of the abundantly stocked kitchen (quilters and food go together!) during meal-prep time. Again, Bonnie has anticipated every need-- utensil placement is intuitive and one immediately feels at home and comfortable in this room too.

The Hen Den is located between the kitchen on the back of the Inn and the dining room on the front. This is the absolute perfect place, made all the more cozy by the wood stove, to sit and stitch by hand, browse through one of those quilt books from the bookcase or perhaps to enjoy a hot beverage and chat. Quiltkeemosabe and I sat in here to visit and catch up, at one point and my gaze drifted beyond her toward the back hall and kitchen are and landed here--

--on this old-fashioned crank-style pencil sharpener still mounted (low, at child-height) on the door frame by a former family! These quaint and precious features of the Inn are what give it its unique charm and warmth. 

This was our bedroom. As you can easily see, each room sleeps three, they are roomy and well-appointed. Every bit of the Inn is like living in an ultimate quilt show and tell; eating and sleeping with gorgeous quilts, (most made by Bonnie herself, antique quilts collected by her!) over and around you to use, enjoy and become inspired by. I had to keep pinching myself.  In addition to the beautiful ambiance each bedroom has a luggage rack at the foot of the bed, a basket with bath linens for each retreater and well-placed charging stations and reading lights for your comfort and enjoyment. Again-- this probably can't be overstated: NOTHING has been overlooked! The generously sized full baths (there are three) are stocked for one to use and enjoy, too: shampoo, conditioner, make-up remover wipes, body-wash and hairdryers are cleverly placed in each bathroom. 

Back downstairs, the dining room table beckons: twelve places await retreat-goers to sit down,  dine, relax and connect! The quilting can patiently wait at mealtimes. With our group, individuals and teams signed up to provide meals for the weekend, there was no chance that anyone was going to go hungry! Recipes as well and happy camaraderie and reminiscences were shared around this long, accommodating table; it's moments like this that turn a group into a family for the weekend. 

Saturday morning begins bright and early-- scratch "bright" (as you can see ouside the door, the sun isn't up quite yet), it arrives just plain early, like Bonnie herself,  at the Quiltville PO!  She's a ray of sunshine no matter what time of day it is. Ever gracious and kind, she gave up a few moments of her busy, jam-packed Saturday morning to give me a behind-the-scenes tour of her mail-order fulfillment, office and longarm space. Located in the long-ago Mouth of Wilson Post Office, she has lovingly converted the building into her space. Bonnie and I met years ago when she was first moving to town, at that time she and Dave hadn't purchased a home in North Carolina yet, they were relocating and we made an immediate connection. We reflected on that during our early-morning visit and how good God is, how blessings are being realized and prayers are being answered each and every day! She may never know how much this short visit meant to me; it was special, I am truly grateful for Bonnie and for her enduring friendship. 

Another borrowed-from-Bonnie snapshot/collage. Here we are, after the sun came up(!), on Saturday. This photo shows both sides of the Quilters Quarters; busy bees happily at "work"; maybe it would be better to say quilters doing what quilters love-- in this environment it is ever-so-far from work!

By Saturday afternoon/evening full-on quilt tops were popping up like Orville Redenbacher corn! It's easy to see how this can happen given the environment. Please note the afore-mentioned "sip and snip" (circled in orange) in use here. This is one of those gadgets I never would have thought of; but, here, I now realize the full benefit in having a glass or cup held securely and off of the table's surface! (This is but just one of those not-overlooked details that make life at Quiltville Inn SEW much easier!

 

One more comfy sleep and it was Sunday morning, time to pack it up and move it out. Time to return to the real world. We drove away yesterday fully-energized, motivated and with the full realization that dreams really do come true. They have for Bonnie and Dave. They have for me, and for all of us who were lucky enough to have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to beta-test a retreat center that is more like a stitching spa, it's like going home! Yes, I am grateful beyond words to be lucky enough; if you're  a friend of Bonnie you know what I mean. Thank you, friend; thank you from the bottom of my heart, I wish you every success! 

Smile! This is the spot where all the beauty shots will be taken. If YOU want to be lucky enough to stand on this beautiful wrap-around porch and fling your quilt top over the famous bannister (in years to come this will be one of the most recognized photo spots in the country) , keep checking this website. Retreaters will soon be able to book their spots and claim a stitching area of their own!  You'll love it; every. square. inch. I promise. 

Life is Good!

And, yes, Life's a Stitch! XOXO

Up next: My Retreat-Stitching Results

MidAtlantic Memories

MAQF  Williamsburg, VA  2000

I've been going up to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival for a long time, somewhere in the vicinity of twenty years; always with friends and always making memories. Back when I started going up it was held in Williamsburg, VA; it moved to Hampton in 2005. Back in those earlier days I traveled with these two: Quiltkeemosabe in the center and Maredda, on the right. We met in the summer of 1992. I was teaching a class at a local quilt shop and these two ladies signed up, they were both brand-new in town and were wanting to connect with the quilting community. The three of us became fast friends from that very day. We were always up for an adventure, that never changed. I moved away in January of 1995, to Puerto Rico. I still remember the day that the moving van arrived, sitting on a bed amidst boxes piled high, with Maredda; she assured me that I would make new friends. I wasn't so sure. I moved once again, in July of 1996, from Puerto Rico to Geneva, Switzerland. Through it all Maredda sent notes and cards and photos, so did Quiltkeemosabe, even at foreign postal rates. Eventually, Quiltkeemosabe moved away too. The two of us vowed to move back one day. Maredda remained and continued to be faithful with prolific correspondence. During this time of being scattered, one from another, the three of us launched a Round Robin challenge with other local quilters from "back home".  Again, my friends were loyal; keeping me as a part of the group despite exorbitant postal rates at each "round". We had a grand unveiling party and social gathering at Maredda's home in May of 1997. What fun we had that evening, as always.

Maredda with her Round Robin quilt top at the "unveiling" event. 

Each time that I managed a "home leave" the three of us got together again. Sometimes our adventures were attending a quilt show, or maybe a fabric shopping excursion or sharing a meal; but there was always MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in February. The last time the three of us went together was in 2003. After that, things changed; Maredda's husband had retired and they had purchased a large recreational vehicle together to winter in Texas on the gulf coast. I had returned "back home" by that time and we built our home and were settled. Quiltkeemosabe had moved again but wasn't too far away, she moved back, for good, in 2005; but the three amigas were no longer bonded as we had been before. Sadly, Maredda was leaving us-- by inches. Her memory was fading fast, Alzheimer's was claiming her, although we didn't quite understand what was happening at the time.

One day, maybe ten years ago, I found a fat envelope in my mailbox containing many cards and letters that I had sent to her when we lived far away. She had kept them, and mailed them back to me (or someone did). Rather than viewing this as a rejection of our friendship Quiltkeemosabe was quick to point out to me that letting go of things that she was trying so desperately to remember, or keep organized, was necessary for her tortured mind. Since then I have read through and through these letters and cards, I am thankful that she returned them, they serve as a precious journal of those long-ago days for me now. 

This photo was taken in the fall of 2004, Hannes was just a tiny puppy! I had stopped by a local rec-center where I knew Maredda quilted with friends on Wednesday mornings to show her our newest family member. We had a wonderful visit that morning but things were changing, despite how hard we tried to pretend that they weren't.

I think of Maredda every day. Each time that I look at the window and beyond. At the window in our eating area because there hangs one of these monthly quilt minis that she made for me many years ago. This is such a fitting gift and lovely reminder as she always decorated her home seasonally. I think of her when I look beyond the window, too; as there stands the birdbath that she hauled out to our home construction site in early 2001 after witnessing birds bathing there in a rain-filled rut left by a tractor tire. We immediately placed that birdbath and filled it, long before our house had roof or walls. It stands in the side yard to this day, providing a bathing and drinking respite for our fine feathered friends and reminding me of a long ago kindness bestowed by a loving friend. 

MidAtlantic Quilt Festival 2018 ~ I am the shortest one standing, Quiltkeemosabe on far right. 

Fast forward to yet another MidAtlantic Quilt festival, this one; just a few weeks ago. This photo was taken on the very day that Maredda passed away; although we didn't learn this very sad fact until days after we had returned. Naturally, my heart broke but I was thankful that her suffering was over at long last. She had already been gone from us now for a long time, but we will never forget her and all the fun that we had together. Maredda was right after all: I did acquire new friends. Hold on to them tightly, make memories while you can; life changes with twists and turns you might never expect but your memories will be your treasures forever! ❤

Life is Good!

Making Room

The New Year has arrived and new (okay, old) projects have surfaced (okay, re-surfaced!). Down with the Hexagon Blocks from the design wall, make room for Hexie Garden. This pattern, from Atkinson Designs, has been on my list to finish for three years. I am happy to report that it is now, officially, a completed TOP. Yes!! What accounts for this sudden burst of productivity? A retreat happened. There is nothing more satisfying than to sit and sew, and see results, when you are surrounded by like-minded friends with similar goals.

Yep, last week I packed up enough projects to keep me busy for an entire weekend (maybe for an entire year, if truth be told!) and off we went! It was bitter cold outside but the twelve of us who clustered together in the activity room at the retreat center kept warm and comfortable with non-stop snacks for sustenance and the hum of happy conversation and sewing machines for atmosphere.

Hexie Garden ~ 56" X 60"

This happy guy is the third block that I have finished from Nancy Halvorsen's "Be Attitudes" pattern; he certainly had the right idea last weekend! I am stitching these with raw-edge machine applique and hand embroidered embellishments. At the rate of one a month, I should be done with this in October. This is yet one more of those projects that were all neatly organized (fabrics, buttons, floss, pattern book; in fact, all of the background blocks were stitched together-- and labeled!) years ago; before being stashed in a dedicated bin and promptly shelved. Don't ask why, I do not know the answer!

😉

The Hexie Garden will now take her turn waiting in the "to be quilted" queue; those already waiting will move over, making room. The "Be Attitudes" bin will make room for a new frosty friend as another would-be block comes to the top of the pile and this quiltmaker is energized and making room for lots more finishes in 2018. 

Life is Good!

...and sew it goes...

Bible Block Day!

Today is the day! Quiltkeemosabe and I have been at this for several years now; working our way through Rosemary Youngs' book: the Quilt Block Bible. Our get-togethers have been few and far between of late, life has gotten in the way. Somehow, even with a litany of other commitments between the two of us, we have managed to prioritize and get a Bible Block Day back onto our calendars! Our days together are much more than sharing our tips, tricks, construction directions and progress with one another; we also catch up, make plans and eat lunch (alternating homes each time). I have prepared a slow cooker beef roast this morning for French Dip sandwiches (the house smells heavenly right now) and a batch of Dr. Pepper cupcakes for dessert. We need to make room in our lives for what is important to us; those obligations and commitments will always be there, clamoring to clutter up our calendars and push other tasks to the bottom of the list. I have to take special care to guard against that. The latest ten blocks, pictured on the left, bring me to 141 completed out of 202, I am almost 70%  finished! These blocks will finish to 6" square. If you are familiar with the book you know that there are no instructions included, it is a book of beautiful quilt block pictures and an accompanying CD with each block diagrammed in black and white for printing out. Quiltkeemosabe and I have written out directions, and proofed each other's, at every step. The bonus, in addition to our our burgeoning quilt block stacks (and holding each other accountable) has been our enriched friendship, new recipes from meals shared together and a whole lot of fun and laughs along the way.

My own Quilt Block Bible blocks as of June last year.

What do you need to make room for in your life today? 
Find a way to make it happen, you won't be sorry!
Life is Good!

Daytrippin'

Quiltdivajulie and me

It took some doing; but, at long last, I can now say (with photo proof) that Quiltdivajulie and I are in-person friends! We've shared a LOT over the past ten years or so, all online, as blogging buddies. Over the years we discovered many similarities that we have in common: our birthdays are within days of each other (day and year!), our wedding anniversaries are too. We share likes and dislikes in an uncanny way and have kindred personality quirks characteristics.😉 When the opportunity presented itself (Julie was teaching her amazing Build-A-Barn quilt class last week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the far-western part of North Carolina) Mr. Goodneedle and I discussed taking off for the day; there is still ongoing work cleaning out my in-law's home, but he knew how much fun this would be for all of us (he has long admired Julie's husband's incredible wood-turning abilities and he was going to be there too), as well the value of a much-needed break in our own work schedule.  Last Friday we hit the road early and drove west. It was a gorgeous day.

We arrived at Keith House, on campus, around 11 AM and easily found the JCCFS office, and our lunch tickets, before settling in to experience the class "show and tell" and end of week wrap up. I fell in love with this quilt, by Mary Lou Weidman, on permanent display at the folk school. Read the story behind the quilt linked here, you'll be in love with the quilt, and the Folk School too! This is an amazing place. Soon the assembly hall was filled with talented craftsmen-students and instructors all eager to show what they had done all week. Julie and I quickly found each other and the conversation flowed easily and non-stop,  it was much more like a much-anticipated reunion than an initial meeting! Our husbands, too, had plenty in common to discuss. We had barely all gotten our seats when the dulcimer class serenaded the crowd to start things off, they were followed by a steady stream of blacksmiths, wood carvers, jewelry makers, wood turners, print makers, quilters, wood workers, painters, enamelers and story tellers. I am sure I am forgetting other folk crafts that were learned and displayed. After the wrap-up show we adjourned to the dining hall for a delicious family-style lunch in the dining hall. From there it was a quick walk to the Pittman Fiber Arts building and the quilt studio!

Julie still had a few things to pack up and get ready for the car and her drive back home. Take a look at this space, and the LIGHT; who wouldn't want to take a week-long quilting class here?

Another view. These classrooms are well-stocked with all the needed supplies, it really is a dream come true. (Notice the power cords suspended from the ceiling over each work space-- no cords on the floor to worry about tripping over!) I also peeked into the adjacent weaving studio; I am not a weaver, but after seeing that space I could become one! Mr. Goodneedle had the same feeling about the woodturning studio; the facilities are quite enticing and hard to resist. We are both destined to be JCCFS students sooner rather than later! We came home with an armload of catalogs listing all of the class offerings to pore over.

Julie's husband and Mr. Goodneedle

We had a few moments for photos in front of, what else, but a barn; before hitting the road, each of us heading our own direction back home. We will definitely meet up again, hopefully for a longer visit, next time! In my memory book of "day trips" this one may just go down as the best ever!

Life is Good!

QUILTCON 2017, A Newbie's Perspective

I am back, from Savannah GA and QUILTCON 2017, it was a new adventure filled with sights, experiences and learning. Oh, yeah, and then there was the food-- that too, but the food in Savannah is another story for another day, it will always be there even when QUILTCON isn't; if you haven't ever visited Savannah you need to do that!  So, QUILTCON: lots and lots of people. Here I am with two of my best buddies waiting for the big rolling doors (in the background) to open up on Friday morning, admitting the masses.     This was fun, standing and waiting, meeting new friends in line from all over the world, learning about them through their stories, thousands brought together in one place at the same time through the love of quilts; there was an excitement, an enthusiastic vibe all around. The quilts at the show were great, click on the link below for a quick slideshow of my favorites. These are all fresh, fun and modern; I learned something about myself while viewing the show: the modern quilts that appeal the most to me are those based in traditional piecing, that combined with over-the-top quilting stops me in my tracks every time!  I believe I view the quilts with a "transitional" eye, if that makes sense; the quilt category that I found myself drawn to was that entitled "modern traditionalism". Okay, I can own that!

 The venue for this event, the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, was beautiful; spacious, light and bright inside. The quilts were all displayed in the space to the front with lots of room in between the aisles to comfortably stroll and take photos. The sponsor booths and the vendors were around the outer perimeter and to the rear of this room.

Just outside the venue were sprawling green spaces and the Savannah River.  

The weather was perfectly cooperative for stretching out for an impromptu nap on the grass. Yes, that is an amazingly large container ship working its way up the river!  

On Friday evening we met up with some friends at the Westin Hotel next door for a mini-reunion and a meal; this was the view just outside the door at that location. Those are snapdragons in bloom! 

Old friends on a new adventure; QUILTCON East 2017!

All in all, my impressions of Quiltcon were very good. The sponsor booths, while not selling goods, were showcasing lines and products as well as providing opportunities to give back through making quilt blocks for charity quilts or volunteering. These sponsor booths were generous with "swag" as well, getting to a booth when they were handing out freebies was a frequent occurrence. The Cotton and Steel bag pictured above was just such an item. I have to admit though, that my own feet weren't fleet enough to score that strawberry bag, it was just out of my grasp.  However, my good friend Nane was quick enough to capture it ahead of the thundering herd and presented it to me! I remain extremely grateful. A greater power smiled upon her generosity, only moments later she won a half-yard bundle of gorgeous fabrics in a different booth. Call it karma or divine intervention, no good turn goes unnoticed. The retail vendor booths that were selling had products new to me, I was eager to try out a few and some of those items followed me home! The one thing that I did notice was not many vendors had fabric yardage for sale, there were lots of booths with precuts of entire collections and the like, but my own personal hunt for yardage to complete a few projects was fruitless. On Friday afternoon my buddies and I took a lecture from Elizabeth Hartman on choosing color for quilts, that was one of the highlights of the entire weekend! 

I was hope-hope-hoping to come home with the copy of her newest pattern: "Dogs in Sweaters", but it wasn't quite available yet. I received an email that it was for sale today and ordered my copy immediately; you knew I just HAD TO have this one the minute it hit the market!

Just in case you thought I might have come home relatively empty handed, don't be fooled. This is the "loot" before organizing and stashing it in its rightful place. Not only all of this, but tons of inspiration too!

QUILTCON East 2017 is now history. Next year it will be on the west coast, in Pasadena. I will most likely consider driving north once again in February 2018 and returning to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA. One thing I know for sure: there won't be snapdragons blooming up there at that time!

Life is Good!