Retreat time

I went to Wisconsin last week for a retreat with my friends there. It's always so awesome to hang out with such a great group of women who always make me feel so welcome! This time I even had a bucket of ice dumped on me but more on that later!

This group of women is very talented as well as prolific! I have trouble keeping up with them.

Here are some of the things they made, which I suspect you will find very inspiring!

Close up of Peggy's Under the Big Top. Lori did a sew a long of this block recently. This was a swap with my friends-- mine remains in baggies but I do know where they are!

Peggy is a doll and has the best sense of humor, next to Bonnie, who can be seen here with a can of whipped cream down her throat-- yes there is a story but it's too long to relate here:

Back to quilts:

Bonnie made this top from a swap we all did last year. I love how she sashed it.  Here is mine, which I just finished (and am crossing it off my list):

Amazing how different sashing and borders change the appearance!

Here is part of a quilt DarLynn was working on for Pat's booth at the Madison Expo. If you are near Madison, don't miss the show! Wish I could go!!

It is a variation of the bullseye pattern...Pat designed this pattern, which I'm pretty sure she'll have kitted up and selling at Expo!

This was a mystery we all did last year. This top was done by a darling young newlywed we call Winnie. She's young and sews us all under the table!! Vbg. Mine is in baggies, too!! 

Tamra got challenged to be dumped with ice water and proceeded to challenge Pat, who proceeded to challenge Debbie, DarLynn and I. I felt like we were lined up for execution!! It was fun and honestly it was so darn hot and humid, I didn't mind the cold water!!

I got to meet Lori on Friday in Bend and we needed something to drink after a hard morning of shopping!! It's always so great to get together!!

I thought you'd enjoy this new picture of the darling Emma: she's now 2 and is talking more and more! In fact, she tore apart a little book and when her sitter asked her who had done it, the darling girl said it was "Nana"!!!! Hahaha

Lots to recap

We had Emma and Ryan with us for a wonderful week up in Sunriver.  It was great fun!! I did find a small quilt show during naps one day and saw some fun quilts!!

I loved all the flying geese!!

You know I'm partial to barn quilts!!

This was so clever!

Cute, don't you think??

Of course I love Mt Bachelor, which is very near us

I've always loved Halloween quilts! Look at all these hats!!

This was an antique quilt.. 

More my style

Then there was a silent auction item with NO bids! It was a Singer Rocketeer which I won with a $70 bid!! Woohoo!! I felt like I got a good deal and it was for the guild's funds. I picked it up yesterday and was pleased that it sounds great! Now to figure out how to use it!! 

Next up will be pictures from my retreat in Wisconsin last week!

A little bit of sewing

We are spending the week with Emma and Ryan up in Sunriver! What a treat!! Lots of bike riding and swimming! We feel so lucky to be able to take them with us for a week's vacation!

Baby Jack is still a little too young but maybe next summer!!

I started these blocks ages ago and am working on them during nap time!

I love brown and blue together!!

do you Pay it forward ???

This seems to be the expression that is currently in use to describe when people do things for others.

Remember when I didn't have my purse at Whole Foods and a woman paid for my $16 in groceries?  Same concept.

I'm presently trying to be more mindful of how good it feels to do for others.  I've recently tried to do that.

I'm curious to hear your stories of the kinds of things you're doing or have done for others.  Do you pay it forward??

I'm also trying to de-stash and reduce some of the excess I have so I will draw a winner by Wednesday! Please include your email address.

We are taking Emma and Ryan up to Sunriver for the week so there will be no sewing for me... kiddie time instead.

What's bad about that??? ;-))

And the winner is...

I've drawn a winner for yarn.

She is:

JUNE.

Please send me your email address and/or snail mail address so I can send you some yarn.

It was really heartwarming to read all the stories everyone shared about getting older.  I think the common theme was that we are all happy to be (mostly) healthy and alive.  Many of us have lost family who were way too young to die (my brother died at 31; my father at 50) so it's obviously something we are all cognizant of.

I also found it really interesting that so many of you were willing to comment on something so important to everyone.

thanks also for the birthday wishes!

Selling a Bernina

I have decided to sell my relatively new-to-me Bernina Record 830.  I have more machines than I can realistically use and I don't use this one hardly at all.

It's been recently serviced, sews perfectly and comes with a one-year warranty from my sewing machine guy. It is in almost perfect condition with some small scratches under the arm and at the bobbin case door. It comes with the original red case, sewing table, knee lift, foot pedal, power cord, 12 feet and accessory box.

If you know anyone who might be interested, can you email me?  I'd like to get $400 for it (I paid $500 last year)...

I have more pictures.

thanks,

Google

I'm not a google addict but I happened to look for something this morning and was very pleasantly surprised by Google's opening page!

Quilt patterns!!
Apparently, it is a tribute to someone named John Venn on his 180th birthday. (thanks to Linda at 45th parallel for pointing this out to me)

On Monday, Google honored the work of John Venn, an English philosopher who devised a clever way to group things visually. His namesake Venn diagrams use circles to gather together similar traits and to reveal what unites us and what divides us.

For example, in one circle we have "mammals" (cats, goats, humans). In the other circle are "things with wings" (airplanes, butterflies, cartoon characters who drink Red Bull). But with a Venn diagram, the two circles overlap. 

Check it out!!