Retreating...

Last week I met my Iowa quilting friends for a 4 day retreat just outside of New Glarus, WI.  Boy did we have fun!

My friend Jackie is always teasing me about my quilting projects.  It seems I like squares... four patches... nine patches... square in a square... you get the idea.  Well Jackie is forever pointing this out to me {and she is right}.  To remedy my quilting pattern rut, I purchased 2 copies of Chopsticks by Jaybird Quilts.  I sent a copy to Jackie in August letting her know this would be my project for our fall retreat. 

I thought the "triangle in a triangle" theme would be fun and save me from being the butt of every joke.

Here is my quilt made out of a Denyse Schmidt's Picnic fabric line and a nice Bella Solid (from blog friend Anna's store, Thimbleanna). LOVE IT! 

Jackie chose Chez Moi's Hunky Dory.  Isn't that solid great!

While at Quilter's Compass in Monticello, Wisc, Theresa and I both purchased Kate Spain's Terrain for more Chopsticks.  Theresa chose the pink and purple colorway, while I chose orange and green {trying again to think out of my box... again}.

Theresa used her Mini Design Board {(tutorial by the super duper Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet}.  We made these as party favors for our quilt camp last July.

Diane purchased Basic Grey's Max & Whiskers for a Chopsticks of her own.

Jackie, cutting extraordinaire, cut all of our quilts out for us!  She is a*ma*zing.  We paid her off in Polish Pottery.

 IMPORTANT NOTE TO THIS PATTERN: 

The pattern calls for a 60 degree triangle ruler by Creative Grids.  Jackie had a 60 degree 12 inch ruler (not a Creative Grids ruler).  When she cut out her quilt and pieced her first few blocks they did not size up correctly.  The Creative Grids ruler is actually 12 1/2 inches.  Get the Creative Grids ruler (CGRT12560), and purchase it when you get the pattern.  I called a dozen quilt shops between Indy and New Glarus and found it at one shop in Rockford, Il - thank you Quilters Haven.  The pattern also provides templates. 

Daisy Cottage Fat Quarter Giveaway...

The super talented Lori Holt is giving away fat quarter packs of her new line, Daisy Cottage.  If you haven't been reading her blog, you are definitely missing out!  Lori's new patterns are 2 die 4! So run along and leave Lori some love.

Field Trip #2...

While in Boston, I found a yarn and fabric shop that I wanted to visit in Cambridge.  Walking there wasn't really a possibility.  A taxi ride would run me about $25 each way.  It was time to learn to take public transportation. 

I know I am crazy, but fear of public transportation nearly paralyzes me.  My fear is not totally unbased.  Did you ever see the episode of the 1960's show Family Affair where Buffy and Jodie are lost on a bus in Spain?  This must have made an impact on me in my early years because I remember that episode, however I don't recall what I ate for breakfast this morning.  I grew up in a small town... the population less than 300 when I left for college in 1980.  Obviously, my only experience with public transportation was a carpool or school bus.  Enough excuses, we can just go with "I am crazy".

Back in Boston, I conquered some fear by taking the Silverline {bus}, to the Redline {subway or "T"} to Central Square Station in Cambridge. I then walked ten minutes to Gather Here at 370 Broadway.

   
What a delightful shop!  Inside I met the owner, Virginia.  She is young, enthusiastic, and... from Iowa!  Her personality was in every bit of the store.

There is a comfy spot to sit and knit...

Plenty of yarn to fall in love with...

Look at these cute, decorative chairs...

And there is fabric...

And more fabric...

 And vintage buttons in this repurpased card catalogue...  sew clever!

And thread.  Check our her cute hand-stamped tags on everything.

And inspiration abounds....

I loved the cutting table decorated with vintage yard sticks.

And here is something you don't see at every shop...sewing creative space!  Bunches of Berninas to use!

Now doesn't that just make you want to ....



Window Shopping...

While in Boston, I walked Newbury Street.  I was looking for a store called Newbury Yarns, but it was no longer at the location I had listed.  So, even though it was raining, I did a little window shopping.

Here was my favorite window...

Wow.  All those Featherweights....

...just for decoration.

Field Trip #1...

Oh my... it has almost been a month since my last post.  Busy, busy, very busy.

I had the opportunity to travel to Boston with the husb for a conference.  We did the usual sightseeing.  We took a trolly tour which I repeated the second day.  Very fun and informative.

Naturally I googled to find all the local fabric and yarn shops.  That is how I found  Windsor Button on Temple Street just off Boston Commons.

When I walked in I found this to the right...

More yarn then imaginable... waiting in boxes to be unpacked.  Since I work in a yarn shop I was just itching to dive into these boxes.  Crazy!

They had a nice yarn selection.  Everything from Lion Brand to Lorna's Laces.

But the BUTTONS.  Check this out...

and this...

and this...

I, of course, had no particular need for buttons... but I picked out 5 interesting wood buttons for my stash.

And here is the good news... they have an Online-Store!  The bad news is, it is not nearly as fun as beeing there!

Getting Organized...

People often tell me, "You get SO MUCH done".  But the truth is, there is a lot I don't get done.  And I don't clean up after myself.  And after a while my sewing room looks like this...

I would show you the rest... but it is just more of the same.  There is a path to the sewing machine.  I can't even tell you how many years ago I started the quilt on my design wall.  All the blocks are done, it just needs to be sewn together.  Apparently I like making blocks, not quilts.  I should be wearing the scarlet letters "UFO".  So shameful.

Hold the phone, don't call Hoarders to bring in the camera crew.  My friend Theresa came to visit with the purpose of helping me clean my sewing room.  She says she is doing it because I helped her with her daughters graduation party last May.  I definitely got the best part of that deal!

Check this out...

cutting table {with a few UFOs hidden beneath the table}

 Kit storage  (I have an obscene number of kits)

Fabric Storage {and a stack of UFOs in the corner}

Sewing table {the label maker is still on the sewing table}

I should have included a picture of the floor.  Sew CLEAN!

One of Theresa's daughters is getting married in May.  Maybe I could help her out, and she will return the favor by helping me tackle my closets. {AKA booby traps}

An Amish Lifestyle...

well... not exactly... but my laptop died and I have been without far too long!  Yesterday the husb took me out and we shopped for, and bought, a new laptop. YEAH... I am back in business. 

While I was offline I got a TON of things done.  {Imagine that!}

I took Eva K to see her grandson play college football.  It was 900 degrees {slight exaggeration} that day.  In the fourth quarter the sky turned black, it began to hail, lightening, rain cats & dogs, and we had a 3 hour delay {no exaggeration}.  The Wartburg Knights came out on top beating Monmouth College.  Yeah team! 

Mom and Skinny Sister's son Riley

At my Rockin' Bobbins meeting we decided to exchange blocks for our Scrapity-Do-Dah quilts one more month.  I completed 5 more sets of 12 blocks for our exchange.  {OK... hardly Amish... what would I do without my Bernina?}  

I cranked away at my YO-YO Along project and I now have 782 completed! 

My yo-yo travel kit

I finished knitting my Fledermaus-Tuch.  It is waiting to be blocked.

I finished knitting Mom's Stitch Sampler Shawl.  Again... waiting to be blocked.      

I began this project....

Found @ ClassicCableKnits.com

I bought this pattern at the Classic Cable Knits trunk show held in August at Village Yarn Shop. This project begins with the pretty edge and the pattern uses a chart.  {Why have I been so afraid of knitting charts?} It has been SO enjoyable to knit.

I am using Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn.  The pattern is written for sock, DK, or worsted weight yarn.  Nice touch!  Since I am generally a serial knitter, rarely knitting a pattern just once, I will probably knit this project in another weight...soon.  Maybe a KAL at VYS?

I finished listening to The Daughter's Walk, by Jane Kirkpatrick.  This story begins with the historically factual 7,000-mile walk taken by a reluctant Clara Estby and her mother, Helga, from Spokane, Washington, to New York in 1896. The fashion industry is looking for promotion of the new, shorter dress for women; Helga is looking for a $10,000 prize to save the family farm from foreclosure. The novel follows Clara after the walk, spanning 40 years.  I enjoy historical fiction and I found this novel interesting.  I was not, however, totally captivated.

 

I began reading a bevy of Lincoln books.  Very interesting.  I look forward to downloading a new book for my walks.

What were you up to while I was gone?