I LOVE The French General

My friend Debbie Dodge knows how much I LOVE the French General fabric line. When she and DarLynn came to Sunriver a couple of weeks ago, Debbie brought along a beautiful block she made (but wasn't happy with...she's a founding member of the Overachievers Club from Wisconsin) from The Country Inn book.  I absolutely LOVE it. I need to figure out what I'm going to do with it. I thought you'd enjoy it.

I'm not likely to make the whole quilt and I'm afraid it'd be too large to be the center of a medallion quilt. Maybe a wallhanging?? 


Debbie does the most amazing appliqué you can imagine. I am in awe of her talents.


Impressive, hunh??


Have a great Saturday!
Love to you all,
Randy

Problems with Sow-a-Long links

A few people have told me that they were having trouble accessing some of the blocks which have previously been posted.  I corrected the last one from the last entry in June.  So hopefully that will solve the problem and there aren't any other issues.


Please let me know if you have any problems still.  I'm still learning.


Hope you have a great weekend!
The new Sow-a-Long blocks are DONE.  Now you just have to wait until Wednesday for the publication of the blog!!! WOOHOO


Love to you all,
Randy

GREAT book!

Before I was a lawyer, I was an English teacher. So I've always been a real lover of books.  I am a huge supporter of my local library (as in always owing overdue fines!) and still love REAL books.  I also like to listen to books in my car since I do a lot of driving. I did buy a Kindle, as you know, too.


I just finished a book I loved. I mean loved every single word.  It's by Anna Quindlen who is one of my all-time favorite writers.  I've loved all her books.  This one particularly resonated for me about getting older, about separating from our kids, about the value of friends, about loss, about life.  I want to recommend it to you.  I was particularly lucky in that I got it on cd for my car and it was actually read by the author herself, which made it even more special.


If you like reading, I hope you will enjoy Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.


Let me know what you think.


Love to you all,
Randy

And the winner is....

Terri Lynch!!


Please email me so I can get your snail mail address and mail you the Christmas Pickle pattern.


Thanks to everyone who entered!!


I have another quilt to show you from the quilt show which our friend Debbie bought. I just love it.  Note the one basket which is topsy-turvy at the bottom!.

And of course I had breakfast yesterday with the darling boy Ryan at our usual place. 

Hope you are all having a great week!


Love to you all,
Randy

July reprieve and a BIG BRAT

Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to get over my guilty conscience and allow myself a little vacation! And I will draw a winner for the giveaway tomorrow.


So, in honor of you all, and more, I'm going to give everyone a vacation from Sow-A-Long blocks for July. YEAH! I know it's unfortunate I didn't think of this before so you could have totally enjoyed the month, knowing you had a reprieve. It's like the anticipation of a vacation: if you decide at the last minute, some might feel cheated in the lack of opportunity to revel in the anticipatory glow.  


Well, you are granted a little vacation. But ONLY until Aug. 1st, when we will resume the first and third Wednesdays with our Sow-a-Long. So, now you have plenty of time to catch up! Or work on other projects (in case anyone has other projects they're working on...hahahaha).


I have a GREAT grandson story to make you laugh:
When we were in Hawaii last month, one day, Ryan was supposed to go down for a nap but wasn't in the nap mood. In my typical mouthy style, I told him he was a BIG BRAT for not napping.  Well, ever since then, he would occasionally mimic me and say he was a BIG BRAT in Hawaii. He knew exactly why...NO NAP. And then we'd laugh about it on our walks "round the block."


So yesterday, we were going up to SF to visit them but were trying to time it to get there after his nap.  My daughter texted me midway through what should have been his nap to tell me he was standing in his crib, jumping up and down, exclaiming BIG BRAT.  He wasn't going to nap. It seems he was too excited we were on our way. Kind of annoying, don't ya think?? ;-)


I thought it was the funniest thing.
Anyway, that's my tale of the day.
Hope you have a great Sunday.
Love to you all,
Randy

Quilt show pictures

I'm excited to tell you that one of my quilts is featured in the Sisters 2012 quilt show collection of pictures on Facebook. I'm not sure how to find it except via Facebook but maybe you can get there.
My quilt is the 10th one- it's a lot of pinwheels in repro fabrics with a great pieced border! Oh and #25 is Bonnie's pattern which we saw on the main street in Sisters.
I'm almost a star!
Oh and Lori told me that my quilt actually sold!!

GIVEAWAY!!

I am feeling terribly guilty** about not having posted the Sow-A-Long blocks and missing the deadlines I self-imposed that I'm going to offer a give-a-way which will hopefully permit you to forgive me. I got back late Monday and only started to unpack at 3 AM this morning when I woke up and wasn't able to get back to sleep. I'm getting Ryan today so I will finally be able to sit down at the machine tomorrow.


So, in lieu of Sow-A-Long blocks, how would you like to win the pattern "Christmas Pickle" by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan? It's part NY Beauty, and part pinwheels. It's a lovely pattern. http://www.amazon.com/The-Christmas-Pickle-Quilt-Pattern/sim/188097262X/2

Please leave me a comment by Monday when I'll pick the winner. Be sure you leave your email address, too, please.

Love to you all,
Randy

**Guilt is something I was born with. But let me clarify why I've been plagued even more so on this issue: there have been 3 comments criticizing me very severely because I failed to deliver when I said I would. One anonymous person even went so far as to indicate that she was "leaving me" because I basically lied.  So while I know I shouldn't feel bad for having taken July off thus far, those few have really made me feel pretty bad.

Antique quilt

I am back home in California and hope I have fixed the computer problem that wasn't allowing me to download pictures.  I have lots to do this morning so won't write much but I really wanted to share a picture of this quilt that I purchased at the antique quilt booth, which both Lori and Bonnie have mentioned and shared photos.

It's a poison green and if you look carefully you can see how interesting some of the blocks are constructed.  Also, the holes don't bother me too much, really.  I decided I'd wash it...so I soaked it in a large sink TEN times to try to get all the dirt out. TEN TIMES and the water was still dirty. I finally gave up and figured it was clean enough.  It is dated late 1800s. Bonnie figured that it was pieced with a treadle machine (the stitches are very close together).  Hand quilting is very primitive.  I love the green. If you're curious, I paid $60 for it.


I also wanted to share a picture of our picnic in the park during the show.  We always plan to meet in the park around noon time to sit in the shade, have some lunch and talk about all the quilts.  You can see we're sitting on my antique quilt (before it was washed, obviously). I'll bet the green is a lot duller!

That's DarLynn, Bonnie, Anne and Debbie. I think Lori got there after I took this picture.


I also bought two quilts for Claire (if she wants them, anyway) and I'll post pictures of her with them next week. If not, they'll stay with me!


I'm hoping to post Sow-A-Long blocks tomorrow, seeing as it's the third Wednesday in July.


Hope everyone is having a great week.
Love to you all,
Randy

Last of the retreat

Let me first say, to those of you chomping at the bit for the Sow-A-Long blocks which I promised last week, I have started working on them and promise you will have them this week. You will have the 6 blocks before the end of the month; they just won't be on the usual schedule. I know most of you don't mind. I have a great excuse. Thanks for being patient!


I very tearfully dropped off my friends for their flights back to their real lives.  We had a great week in Sunriver, having laughed, sewed, cooked, lounged and just had a wonderful time.


The quilt show was fabulous.  We followed our usual routine, arriving before 8 to make a stop at the antique quilt lady's booth where I seem to always find something I have to have.  I bought one for myself and two for Claire who was unable to come this year because her hubby is in the hospital.  I want to show you what I bought. But my computer isn't cooperating.


I will post pictures tomorrow or Tuesday after I am back in California (am getting more memory installed on my computer). Tomorrow is my long drive...530 miles!


Remember: Sow-A-Long blocks are coming this week!! AND next.


Love to you all,
Randy

Quilt show day

We are having a great time in Sisters! The weather is perfect and it's just great being with friends!

Enjoying the scenery

We went biking this morning down to the Deschutes River. Debbie hadn't been on a bike for 38 yrs. Bravo to her! We are getting excited for the picnic tonight in Sisters and the show tomorrow!

Ocean Waves can be put out to sea at last

I FINISHED my ocean waves quilt, at last!!!


Aren't retreats just the best thing ever?? Vbg

We've started our retreat

I'm the luckiest quilter in the world! DarLynn and Debbie came in on Saturday evening. My sweetest husband stayed an extra night here in order to see my friends before he headed back to California early Sunday morning. He even had dinner all cooked for us by the time we got back from the airport.


The 3 of us started sewing early on Sunday and worked feverishly until I went to the airport yesterday to get Bonnie, who now is also sewing at her usual pace!

A girl can never have too many rotary cutters, Debbie thinks!!

And DarLynn has completed one of her Blindman's Fancy blocks -- isn't it fabulous?

Do you see Bonnie there, pouring over her machine? She hadn't been in the house an hour before she was set up and had her pedal to the metal!!! That's my Bonnie!!


I'm in seventh heaven having my friends here in Sunriver. We're having a fabulous time and I'm loving every minute.


I promise to post my Sow-A-Long blocks, which were due last week, by tomorrow!!


Love to you all,
Randy

Let the fun begin

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first group coming to sew for the week! DarLynn and Debbie are flying in from the Midwest!! I'm so excited to see them!!!
By the way, how come only one person noticed that I forgot to post Sow-a-Long blocks on Wednesday??--- fear not: the blocks will be posted this weekend!
Pictures to follow! Have a great weekend.
Love to you all
Randy

Quilt show preparations

The Sisters quilt show is in two weeks. Since we got up to Oregon this weekend, I volunteered to help out in the quilt show office.  It was a great opportunity to see so many quilts up close.  This is how they have them arranged before the distribution on quilt morning.

This is also only a fraction of the quilts they will be showing on July 14th. I will be posting more pictures during the week, since they have quilts already on display throughout Bend and Sisters.  My retreat buddies (Anne, Bonnie, DarLynn and Debbie) don't start arriving until Saturday.  This week I'm here with Mark and hope to get lots of sewing done.  Lori gets back from Vermont and we are meeting up on Saturday at a French flea market!


Hope everyone has a great week. Watch for more pictures this week!


Love to you all,
Randy