Where did the time go? And how about that Wendy Reed??!!!

Well, I can't believe it's August already!  I lost the last two weeks of July!  After the Sisters quilt show, I babysat my grandkids for a week, recovered for a few days and then flew to Maine to visit with Wendy Reed (constantquilter), which was a great treat.  Then I was home a couple of days and we drove up to our cabin in Oregon for an extended visit.  That's where I'll be for the next 3 weeks... I think I'll stay here for the eclipse since this area is supposed to get almost the totality of the experience!  Plus August 21 is my 40th wedding anniversary.  NO idea how THAT happened!!  Anyway, quilts anyone???

WHEW!  Finally time to put something on my blog.

Here are Wendy and I, after nearly a week of laughing, talking, eating and shopping!  In short, we are happy campers! (except  that I was leaving)

Wendy and her husband Gordon are really the sweetest people and I feel so lucky to have been invited to visit them.  We had a great time.  They showed me a true slice of life as a "Mainer" or "Maine-iac!!".   I can see why they love it there!  I'd love it, too!  


I want to give you a taste of Wendy's stash... This is her feed sack collection.  OMG.  Gorgeous!  I think she said she's been collecting them for over 50 years!

And some of her fabrics!!  Some... not all... ;-)




Want to see some of Wendy's work?? Mind you, Wendy does not follow patterns.  Oh, how I wish I could do that.

Isn't this a great way to use up extra fabrics?  Of course it wouldn't make much of a dent!  She and Cyndi (Busy Thimble, now my favorite LQS!) exchange 1-1/2" squares of all their fabrics.


Just a small hexagon project!  Isn't it great!  Can you see her fussy-cut little white hexies??!!


Wendy has an uncanny ability to recreate antique quilts, using truly antique fabrics;  then she replicates it with reproduction fabrics.  I showed you a quilt she'd done and shared when I went to the Shelbourne Museum with her last fall.  Can you tell which of these is using the antique original fabrics and which is the reproduction??

here's another pair! Can you tell which is which?



Since I'm extolling the virtues of Wendy Reed, here are a couple of quilts she entered in the Maine Quilt show, which was ostensibly why I went.  The first one is made of orphan blocks she had accumulated!  I just love it.  She called it "Pot Luck" and she used only cheater-cloths on the back, which made it even more interesting.  Of course, she used her pot-holder method of quilting each individual block separately before connecting them together.

Fabulous or what?  Do you see the ribbon hanging on the side? One more to add to her extensive collection!  Wendy also entered her Shenandoah Valley pot-holder quilt that she's been sharing on her blog.  The quilt won First Place, as well as several other accolades and ribbons.  I'm not able to show you the picture since the organizer of that sew-along wants to display them all together.  It's spectacular!

These next two were a challenge organized by her guild.  Each invited participant was to copy a block from the book "One Hundred and One Patchwork Patterns" and then make a modern version of the original block.  Here are Wendy's, amazing as always!

Can you see the rick-rack between the yo-yos??  Isn't her background fabric fabulous??

I've got many more pictures from the show to share with you but I'll do that hopefully tomorrow.  I've got someone coming over in the morning to hopefully purchase my Bernina 1080, which is the first of my attempts at downsizing.  If you have any interest in a Bernina 1130, let me know.  That's next on my list;  a Singer 301 will follow.  I've also got a Rocketeer to sell. (Singer 401, I think).

Have I been doing any sewing?  Hardly any.  I did this when I was watching my grandkids a few weeks ago.  I'm now completely behind on this project.


I'm going to sew a bit this afternoon, since it's about 100* outside and I definitely wilt and/or melt in that heat!  

I'm BAAAAACK!  And I think I figured out an easier way to transfer the pictures from my phone to my blog... anyone every use Airdrop?? Totally new to me...