Monday, Again?

Time is simply flying too fast!  I was at Lake Junaluska, NC this past weekend at another Life's a Bear retreat hosted by Cindy Williams and Nancilee Dills.  This time the theme was feathered stars.

The Tribe

I stupidly left my phone at home on the kitchen counter so I have no other pictures to post.  I'm in the back row on the left next to Cindy.

This is the first of Cindy's retreats that I have finished the project!  As soon as I finish unpacking I'll get a better picture of my small quilt top.

I almost broke my arm ...

... patting myself on the back!

I was SEW proud of myself for thinking through the pressing of the chandelier bead blocks back in January when I started making 8 per month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I even put a note to myself in the box where I had recorded what size pieces I needed for the blocks to "observe pressing instructions"!

What I failed to note was on which end of the longer background piece to sew the corner square!

Can you see the difference?  While the block LOOKS the same, the location of the corner squares is different.  Apparently I sewed some months with the square on top, and other months with the square on the bottom.  sigh

My last pressing of each block was all in one direction.  That way I should be able to turn the next block in the opposite direction to get the seams to nest.

Down on the left, up on the right

Thankfully I only had to twist a few seams to make everything nest!

Note to self:  make your notes more explicit!!

I'm happy to report that I found fabric for the setting triangles and I am about 6 long seams shy of a flimsy!

On Cloud Nine

But first, Cloud Eight

I was already thinking I didn't want to use the last Rainbow Scrap Challenge color(s) -- brown/black -- in my Chandelier blocks and, as luck would have it, I've run out of the background fabric!  So 8 blocks/month X 9 months yields 72 blocks -- enough to make a 6/5 on-point setting.

RSC 2019 Chandelier blocks

I was short a couple of blocks when I took this picture and later discovered I had a "blip" in my scheme.  I've done a bit of rearranging since this photo, as well.  But, overall, I'm happy with the result.  At this point it will be about 50"x 60".  I need to find the "perfect" fabric for the setting triangles and then I'll decide if it needs a border.

On to Cloud Nine!  I joined a guild near the end of 2018 and it was not long before I volunteered to help the Director of Education who was having to deal with her husband's health issues.  Eventually she moved back to Nashville to be closer to family so I volunteered to take over early this year.  After all (I thought), the programs have been planned for the year, so how hard can it be?

Well, there were two months with nothing scheduled!  I had information about some past programs, but I had no clue what the mindset of the guild was.  Nevertheless, I formulated a plan to have an "audience participation" quilt show with the theme "It Takes Two."  The criteria was two-color quilts, two-fabric quilts, two-block quilts, and two (or more)-person quilts (excluding "quilted by others").  It didn't need to be current work, or even one's own work.  The stories were what I was looking for.

About a dozen members volunteered to show what they had.  Did I think to get any pictures?  NO!  But it was a great success!!  We got SO many compliments and I'm still floating on Cloud Nine.  Time to think about a theme for next year!!

Linking to soscrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday.

I'm in love

Aren't these the sweetest little blocks?

Tiny Tuesday - Hourglass

I had "spun" the seams in the lighter block and it caused distortion in the quarter-squares.

And pressing the rows to one side caused lumpy intersections.

I pressed seams open on the darker block

Much better results.

Back in the Saddle

... er, I mean Sewing Room

I have a couple of free days this week. so I ventured down to the sewing room this morning.  My objective was to catch up on Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects as well as catching up on my Tiny Tuesday blocks.

First I finished up the third light blue Buckeye Star from last month.

The units had been sitting next to my machine for a couple of weeks, so that was an easy finish.  Then it was time to make three purple blocks for this month.  I had pulled some strips of purple yesterday but I needed to cut some strips from the WOWs I purchased in Virginia last week.

Keeping my eye on the prize, I finished all three!

I spent some time yesterday at Devo and Sew trying to inventory my Tiny Tuesday blocks.  Sigh.  Since I have been making two of each most of the time, and throwing in other small blocks as I come across them, I've decided I'm not going to obsess over doing them all.  I cut a bunch of 1" strips yesterday in both blue and purple and hope to work through those blocks tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting.

Sunday in VA

But let me review, first ...

I DID make it to the quilt shop yesterday!  Sew Many Quilts in Covington, VA.  About 1 mile off I-64 at Exit 14.  What a sweet shop!  It goes on like a Russian war novel, with separately themed rooms, over 3,000 bolts stacked everywhere, and Norman the cat to greet you.  I was looking for some variety in my WOWs and came home with five half-yard pieces.  I didn't bother to get a pic because they don't photograph very well.

We had dinner in the dining room last night (rather than Food Lion salads we've been eating other nights) and while the entrees were delicious, the Classic Gold Brick for dessert was OTW.

Classic Gold Brick - The Homestead dining room

Bourbon Chocolate Sponge, Homestead Chocolate Gold Brick Sauce, Candied Pecans complete with gold baubles on the top!

Holy Cow, it was delicious!  It made walking those 4 miles yesterday worth it!

We decided to skip the tournament today and do a little adventuring in Virginia.  So off to Natural Bridge we went.

The approach to Natural Bridge, VA

 It's amazing to realize that the little bubbling stream at the base was responsible for carving this opening through a mountainside!  Do you see the tiny people walking along the pathway?

The sun illuminating the arch from the other side shows the variations in color deposited by the river.

Natural Bridge, VA

Only 2.1 miles clocked today, so I guess I need to skip dessert!  Sigh.

Wild and Wonderful

West Virginia!

I love the Allegheny Mountains!  We are staying at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA (ca 1766) and driving to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV every day to experience the PGA golf tournament.

I love the mountains, but the driving is something else!  Our drive up from Roanoke looked like this:

I swear I could hear banjos!  Only till we got to the other end of the county road with no shoulders did we see the sign "GPS routing not advised"!

Our drive down the mountain each day is considerably better.

At least it's a US highway with wide shoulders and banked curves!

The Greenbrier is always decked out to the nines for tournament time.

Below the first tee

Wouldn't these colors make a beautiful quilt?

Speaking of quilts, hoping to make it to the local shop today!

Blogging Slump

I guess it happens to all of us every once in a while.  I think things have been happening so fast lately -- trips here and there, meetings, retreats -- that I can't keep up.

So just a quick recap ...

S'mores retreat in August - So nice to see old friends and a couple of new ones.  I reported on all my mishaps that resulted in still-UFOs.  I did finish a pillow ...

... and two flimsies.

S-F-W-S table topper

Psychedelic 4-Patch Posey

With just a few days to catch up at home and pack, we headed to Upstate NY for Grandson-1's wedding.  The festivities took place at Oz Farm in Saugerties, NY ...

... starting with a welcome dinner and barn dance on Saturday ...

Interesting interpretation of "barn dance"

... that went on to the wee smalls of the morning.  Lawn games and cocktails in the round tent on Sunday afternoon ...

Bride holding forth at the craft table

... followed by vows in the circus tent ...

... and dinner served family style.

The bride had knit tiny caricatures, personally selected for EACH person attending.  Mine was a sewing machine.

Needing to get an early start Monday morning, we left the festivities before the dancing began in the barn again.

Now I have a few days to catch up on laundry before the next outing which SHOULD be a lot more relaxed.