Another retreat friend and a prolific quilter!!

Today, you are going to meet my friend, Connie Dummer. She is a very talented quilter and is one of the most prolific quilting friends I know. The other prolific quilter is our friend, Pandora. The two of them seem to excel at making larger quilts and getting them finished. I think this is wonderful as it provides "show 'n tell" for the rest of us who are less prolific. :-)

In the photo above, Connie is working on a wallhanging from this cute teddy bear fabric line. She's stitching up the hanging tabs and it is going well at this point. Later, the tabs provided her the opportunity to practice her ripping skills. :-) However, she stayed focused and finished them. That was one of the things I learned about Connie from the moment I met her...........she stayed focused on the project at hand. I met her at a quilting retreat held at Inspiration Point that is located near Alexandria, MN. I was asked to teach at the retreat in the Fall of 2001, when the regular instructor had health problems and I filled in for her. Connie took the class that I offered, called "Winter Star". It was a wallhanging project that I had designed and shared with my church group (measured about 36" square). She laughs about the fact that she didn't read the info that said it was an "intermediate" project. She considered herself a beginner so had some issues with points on the stars but I showed her that even my sample used strategically placed beads to hide points that weren't quite right. LOL!

Connie is quite tall. She has beautiful long, reddish blonde hair. I am quite short and my hair is short and quite white. :-) In spite of that (and I'm just being silly here), we quickly got to know each other and became good friends. She lives in Minneapolis, I lived in the suburbs, but that didn't stop her from making the almost one hour drive out to the block of the month group that I hosted at my church. She attended regularly and got to know the rest of the gals that now join us at retreat. She loves bright colors and often can't resist a colorful quilt kit. Example is this one below. In fact she bought two of them and she sold me the extra. That was at least four years ago and she brought her finished quilt to our recent retreat. My kit is still in the plastic bag. Connie always shares the name of the quilts and the shops where she finds them. I should have taken notes and I could share that info with you. I failed to do that but if you really want to know about one of her projects, just leave me a comment and I will ask her for the info.

When Connie shared the quilt above and the one below during our retreat "show 'n tell", I remarked that it was nice that she had coordinated her outfit with her projects. LOL! Double-click on any of these photos and take a close-look at her quilts. These two quilts are almost finished, they just need to have binding added. If my memory serves me correctly she got the binding sewn on them before she went home on Sunday. Yep, she was focused.

Her clothing didn't match the one below so she is hiding behind her quilt. She has such a good eye for color and pattern! I have liked every quilt she has ever made. I'm just glad she signed up for that "Winter Star" class so I could meet her and become her friend. :-)

One of the things I really like about my stitching friends is this............we are all so very different and yet we are the same. We all love to stitch - sew - quilt..............we love to "just touch" the fabric...........we practically "breath" fabric............we probably all "dream" about fabric ..........and yet we all have different color and pattern tastes so we all get to see so many different projects! Not one of us is ever bored!!

So, in my next post, you'll meet the final three friends that came to the retreat and see their projects. Then, I still have to share those recipes with you. I'll get to it. Taking one day at a time..............and reminding myself to be like Connie and just stay focused!
Sandi

A visit to The Gingerbread House!

This may not look like the kind of Gingerbread House that you thought you might see, but believe me.......it is a Gingerbread House and it is a treat!! Behind that front door and those windows is a quilt and gift shop (located in Webster City, Iowa) that is loaded with so much fun stuff. I've been here before and so has my mom but I always enjoy visiting again. After my mom and I did our cross-country sight seeing and ate lunch, I wanted to stop here. My mom wanted to visit the Dollar General store which is just around the block from this shop, so I dropped her off there and I went around the corner to the Gingerbread House!

I've mentioned this shop on my blog before and if you go here, you'll find the address and other info on the shop. I didn't take you inside in that post, so prepare for a tour.........
As soon as you enter the shop, there are lovely vignettes in every nook and cranny..........
I loved how the sun was shining in the window on the quilts in this little rocking chair.
In the next room, there is this "House of Bears"........

I wanted to take one home but I bought one last time I was here, so I moved on. :-)

I loved the cast iron Jack-o-Lanterns on this shelf and reminded myself to decorate for Halloween when I get home!

The fireplace looked so attractive that I wished I could go home and do an arrangment in my fireplace. Then I reminded myself that wouldn't work as we have a gas fireplace!

The next room was filled with Christmas goodness!!! Look at all those cute Snowmen and Santas and Angels in that case!! I restrained myself because I have more ornaments than I have room for on my tree. Then I changed my mind when I saw these cute little gingerbread girls in a basket on the floor.

I decided I had to buy one as a memory of the nice weekend my mom and I were enjoying. I found a sweet little cardinal ornament for her. She loves cardinals. :-)

The next room had fabric in it and I was so taken with all the beautiful fall prints that I didn't even think about a picture at this point. Then I walked to the back room and more fabric. I wandered in and out of rows of fabric and then I saw this bolt of fabric...................

It really "caught my eye" and a project idea began to bubble in my brain. LOL! But I moved on and took a peek in the classroom and then took the photo below that looks toward the back of the shop. Isn't that a beautiful quilt on the back wall? the one that is red, white and green? I headed back that way as I knew there were stairs that lead to the upstairs and more treasures.

The stairs are narrow but they lead to lots of Christmas goodness.......
for when you get to the top of the steps and look toward the front window, this is what you see........

There are decorated trees and wreaths lining each side of the walls!!!

And then there are trunks and baby beds and all sorts of things filled with more Christmas goodness!!!

This little bear nearly came home with me but I already have one almost like her so I restrained myself once again. :-)

Ornaments hung from garland...........

Decorated trees were tucked in every corner.....

These two trees held the ornaments I liked best.........almost all were gingerbread themed!

This shop may look unassuming from the outside but there is no denying that it is chockful of lovely gifts and fabric. Oh, and a very nice staff person was working that day. She was very helpful when I decided I had to buy some of the lovely rose fabric that was causing my brain to bubble with project ideas. Yes, I was not able to restrain myself when it came to this fabric!!

I have two possibilities for the fabric and neither involve a quilt. Well, I don't think it will involve a quilt but you never know. :-) When I decide which project I will use it for, I will be sure to post photos.

That's the end of the tour of The Gingerbread House. If you find yourself on Interstate 35 going north out of Des Moines, just watch for Hwy 20 west and follow the signs to Webster City. It will be worth the trip!

So, did my mom have as much fun at the Dollar General Store as I did at the Gingerbread House? Yes, she did. She found Halloween things for the grandkids and pretty Christmas things, too. When I picked her up, we decided that was enough shopping for the day and headed home for the afternoon. Our next adventure that day was the McGuire Bend Church Supper and Bazaar. I'll share more about that on Saturday's post as I'm going to finish up retreat and friend posts on Thursday and Friday. :-)

I enjoyed my "meeting" with my sewing machine yesterday and caught up on laundry while I sewed. Today, the sewing continues and I'm going to "catch up" on my Yahoo groups. Weather is chillin' a bit but still lovely days here in Minnesota.

Til tomorrow....have a great day!

Sandi

Friends to count on.........and counting Combines!

So, the weather here in Minnesota is positively awesome. It was 80 degrees yesterday and almost unbelievably fine. However.......the leaves were falling rapidly from the trees in our backyard so there is no fooling us.........it may feel like summer but those trees will soon lose all their leaves and winter won't be far away. That's okay.........I have plenty of quilt projects planned for this coming winter!



Today, I have some retreat photos and also some more Iowa trip photos.......I'll start with retreat photos and introduce you to my friend, Sharon Ritchart. We met when Sharon signed up for the twelve quilt series that I offered through our community ed program in 2000. The schoolhouse quilt in yesterday's post was the September quilt. I offered a class each month in a different small quilt and so a person could pick and choose. If they didn't like a certain month's quilt project, they didn't have to sign up for that month. Sharon and three other gals took all twelve quilt classes. When Sharon started her first quilt (The Snowman Quartet for January) she hadn't done much quilting. However, she took to it "like a fish to water". Evidence of that is the little quilt she is holding up in the photo. The purpose is to use one scrap of each fabric that you have used in quilts you have made. It's a great scrap quilt idea that starts with a 1-1/2" x 2" strip and you sew another one, same size to it. This is your center piece and then you add one to the top of that, then one to the bottom. Next you sew two together and sew to the side of the center piece and so on and so on. It's a project that was shared by Sandy B. at "Sew Close to Home" quilt retreat.

Since Sharon began quilting in 2000, I have watched her make several large bed quilts, and lots of baby quilts. There was a time when she was making one baby quilt right after another for her friends! She also knits and earned a Purple Grand Champion on one of her projects at the Scott County Fair this past summer. :-)

Next up is Laura Cloutier. She also attended the "Sew Close to Home" quilt retreat and started the scrap quilt project this past February. The retreat is hosted by Sandy, whom you met a couple posts ago and two other friends that you'll meet at the end of the week. They call the retreat "Sew Close to Home" because almost everyone comes from just a few miles from home to spend the weekend at Emma Krumbee's AmericInn for quilting time. :-)

I met Laura in 2001 when she signed up along with her two kids for a beginning quilt class that I offered at the library. She had quilted before but after that class she really got into quilting and now she excels at paper-piecing! I've shared some of her projects and Sharon's, too, as the three of us go off to Bonny's Quilt Haven every summer for a retreat. We have such a good time together and it all began with quilting! I am blessed to have such good quilting friends!



Here are two more friends that are a blessing..........Sue Harris and Carol Fehler. I met Sue and Carol through the first quilt show series that was held in the Scott County Libraries in March of 2001. During that month, there was a quilt show in at least one or two branch libraries in the county every weekend. I proposed the idea to the library board in 2000 and they liked the idea. It was fun to go from library to library and see lots of different quilts and meet new quilters. It was so much fun that in New Praque (where Sue and Carol lived), a group of women who had displayed quilts at the library decided to form a quilt group and they've been meeting ever since then. Sue was intriqued by the crazy quilting that I was doing so she joined our Scott County Crazy Quilter's group and we saw each other regularly. We met the 4th Thursday of every month in the evening. In 2003, I thought it would be fun to also meet the first Tuesday of the month in the afternoon. That's when Carol joined our group. Do you see a pattern here? We all love quilting and fabric, and we are always thinking up ways to have more fun with it!!! I've shared many projects that Sue and Carol have made because they are in the group of friends that are called "Tuesday Crazies".
So, here is Sue........deep in thought, because she is working
on blocks for this quilt top below. She didn't quite finish it at the retreat but sent me a picture of it after she got home and put the finishing touches on it. Now it's ready to go off to be machine quilted as it's a gift for her son and his wife. :-)
What a nice mother-in-law, right?

Sue is definitely an advanced quilter. She does such beautiful work. She made a beautiful black and white embroidered crazy quilt that took a third place ribbon at the State Fair. We all would have given her a first place blue. :-) At about the same time that my husband and I moved out here to Henderson, Sue and her husband moved to Mason City, Iowa. You'd think we might not see each other as often but we just make time to get together. Life is too short not to enjoy it with a good friend! Sue and I met in Des Moines last March and enjoyed a great weekend at Heidi Kaisand's retreat. That reminds me that I need to post our finished quilt projects from the retreat. Ah, the "to do" list gets another item added. :-)

Carol didn't share any "Show 'n Tell" at the retreat but I remembered that she was carrying this bag she made. I went back to photos from last spring and found this one that was taken at my house. She made the tote from a charm pack that I gave her for her birthday. I was also looking for the photo of the rag rug with the parrot design as she took a blue ribbon on it this past summer. I'll find it and get it posted..........another one on the "to do" list. :-)

So there you have it .......... four more friends I can count on! I got teary-eyed at our Villa Maria retreat because we have all become such good friends through our quilty connections. :-)

Okay, now I'll go back to this past weekend...................

First off........if my mother had never taught me to sew, I wouldn't have so many great friends. Oh, I might have learned to sew in high school home ec but to be honest, I was already sewing my own clothes by the time I was in 9th grade and it was thanks to my mother. My home ec teacher did not like the way I did a zipper but it worked and it was how my mother had shown me. My mother still enjoys sewing and I have shared several of her projects here on my blog. However, lifting an old portable is too much, so I brought her an early Christmas gift............
I bought her a little Janome so that she can pick it up and move it easily. When she came to visit in June, I showed her my little Janome and how easy it was to operate. She thought she might like one but then wasn't sure. In August, she called me and said she'd like me to pick one up and bring it next time I came for a visit. And so I did. But instead of having her pay me for it, I thought...........bingo! perfect gift. When winter gets long this year, she can pass the time with some machine stitching. It had been so long since she'd used a machine that she said she wasn't sure she could remember how to use one. I went through the steps of threading and such, then she took over and pretty soon she cut out some fabric and started stitching a little pencil case for her granddaughter, Sue Ellen. Then she said........"it's kind of like typing.......it all comes back to you in just a few minutes!" :-)

I was so glad she liked it! My dad would have been so pleased. :-)

This is beginning to be like a long "chapter" in a book but I have more to share so please keep reading..................

I told you that I counted combines in the field on my way from Minnesota to Iowa on Hwy 169. Well, I have a little math problem for you and a chance to win some fall themed charm squares (similar to the ones in my Fall into Fall giveaway but not quite so many). Yesterday's Schoolhouse quilt reminded me of those convoluted math problems that teacher's would give us. I thought.........aha! that's what I'll do for a chance for my prize. Here is the problem.....

I left Henderson, MN at 11:30 a.m. When I arrived at the halfway point of the Minnesota/Iowa border, I had seen 12 combines harvesting grain in the fields and six combines were over the hill and I couldn't see them but I could see the dust from them. I could also see the semi trucks waiting to take the corn to the grain elevator and tractors and wagons filled with corn. From the Minnesota State line to six miles west of my destination, Lehigh, Iowa, I saw 22 combines in the fields, which includes the one in the photo below..............

I stopped to take this photo when I saw these guys trading places.....one in the tractor, one in the combine. After I took this photo, I passed this scene where there was a combine fire. Double click and you can see the firemen trying to put out the fire. I passed this just as fire crews were arriving and while no one was hurt, the fire could not be brought under control and the combine went up in flames shortly after I took this picture.

I didn't know that til the next morning when I saw it in the paper (go here for the complete story). Farming is hard work but things like this make it even harder. The good thing.........neighbors are always there to help out.
I saw 1 more combine before I reached my mom's place at 5:05 p.m. Tell me........how many combines did I see on my trip to my mom's house? Leave me your answer and if your name is drawn and your answer is correct, you could be the winner of some fall charm squares. I'll have my husband draw a name on Friday evening when he does the drawing for my Fall into Fall giveaway.

Oh, boy, that's it. My fingers are tired so I am getting off the computer!
Have a good day! I am planning an all day meeting with my sewing machine. Last night I sewed up a Halloween candlemat and today I am going to work on another one!

Sandi

"What's on the line?"

As you all know, I went home to Iowa this past weekend to visit my mother. Whenever I visit, it's like a "trip down Memory Lane". It's natural then that a great deal of inspiration for my designs in quilting, penny rugs, miniatures, etc. comes from growing up in the little town of Lehigh, Iowa. This little quilt called "Back to School" is one of twelve small quilts that were all inspired by a place I remember from my childhood.......Border Plains Country School............
I didn't go to that country school as we lived in town. I attended Lehigh Public School. However, many of my classmates began their school years at Border Plains. I remember going to some activities at the school and liked driving out into the country just to pass by it. "Going for a drive" was something we did a lot when I was a kid. My dad would say "let's go for a ride" and we'd pile in the car and take a drive in the country or end up at his favorite ice cream place for a malt. In the last year's of my dad's life, one of the things I enjoyed was "going for a drive" and listening to him and my mom as they shared who lived where and who married whom, etc. Now it's just my mom and me when I go home and we go for a drive. Sometimes I know the characters or the places, sometimes not. It doesn't really matter as it is just interesting to listen to the conversation.


One of the places we drive by almost every time I visit is this empty lot. My mother remembers this place well. There was once a cute little green shingled cottage that sat in front of that big tree. It was the first house that she and my dad rented. I was just a toddler then. While we lived in that house, my sister Judy was born. We stopped at the lot when we were out and about this past Saturday. It was the most gorgeous fall day!! This spot is just east of the little town of Lehigh and at the entrance to Brushy~Creek~Park. It's a very pretty area with horse trails, camping, fishing, just a great nature area. It wasn't always a park, though. There were farms located in what is now the park area and there was an old schoolhouse. As times changed and all kids went to "town to go to school" and small farms began to fade away, a plan was set in motion to make it into a park area. I think it's a pretty place but it's different. When times change, we sometimes lose something in the process and yet, I know that we also gain something. I guess that's just life.

A few miles down the road from Brushy Creek Park, is the little town of Homer, Iowa. My mom wanted a picture of this, the once thriving Methodist Church of Homer. It also saw a bit of time as a school. I was going to provide a link to an interesting history web-page on Homer but sadly it is no longer available. I did find a current reference to the church you see in this photo - click here for the article if you are interested in what became of this little country church. I also found this link...here ......that says that in 1885 the church was insured for $1000. That must have been a good deal of money then but now it wouldn't cover the monthly heating bill! Gone is the bell tower and the roof is sealed to keep out "the elements". Buildings like this one, along with barns, old farm houses, etc. are no longer of any use. Time passes for certain things in life. I enjoy seeing them, though, and learning their story. My way to preserve a memory of an old school was to draw a sketch and turn it into a little quilt. My quilt isn't any school in particular. It's a little bit of lots of old churches and schools one sees along country roads. Later in the week, I'm going to tell you about another little country church that is still thriving. My mom and I went to a church supper and bazaar at the little church that thrives. Yep, we had a busy weekend with lots of adventures so there is plenty of stuff to share along with meeting more of my retreat friends and seeing their projects. :-)
Back to the Homer church, though and some new friends that we met........these guys...........

two mules that keep the church yard mowed!!! When I was taking the picture of the church for my mom, she happened to notice that on the other side of the church steps there was what looked like a horse. We realized they were mules and they were soooooo funny. They made both my mom and I laugh. Reason......when I took the first picture of both mules they were looking toward the church but I said "Hey, fella" and as soon as I did, they turned as if to pose for a picture. I took several photos just because it was fun to see them react each time I would say "Hey, fella". I wish that I had a carrot or some sugar cubes to reward them for their good behavior. You sorta had to be there to know how funny this was. My mom just loved it. :-)

Since you know that this was a trip to Iowa and Iowa is in the "heartland" of the U.S., I thought it was only fitting that I should share a visit to a quilt shop that is in "the heartland". And the name of the shop is easy to remember.......Heartland Quilt Shop!
It's a small shop in Algona, Iowa with great fabrics and a large classroom. I stop here almost every trip I make to visit my mom. :-) I usually stop on my way home but this time, I stopped on my way to my mom's. I've bought a number of 30's fabrics here and patriotic prints, too.

This day, though, I just bought one 30's print and a Kansas Trouble floral that owner, Pat is cutting in this photo. And I must apologize because I take two photos of everything and this time I just took one......and Pat's eyes are closed. You can still see that she is very happy and she is so friendly! I always enjoying stopping by and I will stop in again and get a better photo next time. I need more 30's prints for a spring project so I really do have a reason to stop in again. Although, do I ever need a reason to buy fabric!! LOL!

Okay, so you know I went to Iowa, you know I was in "the heartland" and I told you in my Friday post that I was going to "count something" as I made my trip south........and here is what I was counting..........COMBINES! There were a lot of these in the fields harvesting corn. I am thinking I might have a little contest to see who can guess how many combines I saw during my drive down Hwy. 169. Don't leave any guesses now.........I post more about this in a post later this week and then you can comment.

There is some fun stuff coming up........a visit to a gingerbread house, that church supper and bazaar, fall colors and more stops on "Memory Lane". Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I so enjoy blogging and am thankful for all of my readers. I love to read your comments and answer many but never quite get to all of them. "Hi" to quilting friend, Judy, in Lehigh!

Have a great Monday!
Sandi

More Friends and Fabric!

It's Friday and it's a beautiful day here in Minnesota! We are having some glorious fall weather which is good because the recent flooding really caused problems for a lot of people. Lots of folk are having to do clean-up from the flooding and thankfully the weather is dry right now so clean up is a bit easier. There's a lot of road repair going on, too, but at least roads out of Henderson are finally open! Farmers can get in the field and I love the sight of all those tractors and combines in the fields. It is one of my favorite things to see harvest come in the fall. I love to travel to Iowa at this time of the year and that's what I will be doing today. I'm leaving my husband and the dog home alone and am going to visit my mom. I think I will count the combines in the fields just for the fun of it. I'll report back on Monday. :-)
Before I leave, though, I want to share more friends and fabric fun at the retreat. Meet Carol Majerus...........

Carol and I met when I presented a program on crazy quilting at the Scott County Historical Society back in January of 2000. The program evolved from a crazy quilt project that was a fund-raiser for The~Landing. (If you go to that link and click on the video you can see what a lovely place it is.) Pictured on the right is the crazy quilt that was made by staff, volunteers and friends of The Landing. All the fabric scraps came from my stash. In the late 1970's, I made reproduction Gibson Girl porcelain dolls and also dressed reproduction French dolls for a local doll artist. I had lots of fancy scraps from those projects so I made up little bags and anyone that wanted to make a block could grab a bag and start stitching. When the finished blocks were assembled, I bought black velvet for the sashing (I ripped the strips rather than cutting them and they were more accurate - a tip I learned from someone long ago) and the quilt is backed with red satin (a left-over from bridesmaids dresses from a co-workers wedding). It was very hard to see the quilt go to the winner but it raised over $2500 and was the best quilt raffle we ever did at The Landing.

I was seriously hoping I would win the quilt. So were several others who had made blocks. An offer of meeting space from Judith at the Scott County Historical Society allowed us to come together and work on our own crazy quilted projects. To get the enthusiasm going, I presented a program on the quilt and a little demonstration of making a crazy quilt block. Twenty-two people (including some guys) showed up on that cold winter's night for the program. There was enough interest that we began meeting regularly the very next month. February isn't any warmer than January here, but six people showed up to begin our group that night. Carol was there and has been with our group ever since then. We have an awesome time and celebrated our ten year anniversary this past year. I could write a book about the exhibits we have hosted and the projects we have done. I'll get to some of it in future posts. :-)

Getting back to "show and tell" at the retreat..........this is one of Carol's projects. It's a shirt that has been embellished with bias cut strips of fabric. It was a pattern Carol had wanted to do for several years and she said she finally got to it this past year. It was just gorgeous and we were all wondering how we might make something similar. Double-click on the photo to see the detail on the shirt.
Here is another project that I've watched Carol work on for the past several months. It's a cross-stitch baby quilt. While "crazy quilter's" is in our group name, we don't just crazy quilt anymore. We only have one rule in our group........no machine sewing at the meetings, it's all about handwork. :-) Our group is also quite fun because we do not hold a business meeting. We just get right to the sewing and chatting. Sometimes we do a potluck so we get right to the food and then we sew. LOL!

Carol is a very accomplished quilter and has made quilts for almost all her kids and grandkids, plus she makes some samples for Eagle~Creek~Quilt~Shop. She works there one day a week so if you stop in to the shop and she's working, please say "Hi!"

Next up is Yvonne Smith. Yvonne was new to our retreat and most of us had never met her before. However, Carol was quite familiar with Yvonne........they are mother and daughter! There were a couple cancellations for the retreat this year, so I asked Carol if she thought Yvonne might like to join us and she said "yes". You can see by the smile on her face that she is "sew happy" to be at the retreat. :-)

The project she was working on is going to be beautiful. Maybe I can get her to send a photo of the finished project. For "show 'n tell", Yvonne shared this gorgeous bargello quilt top that she just recently finished. She's thinking she will use it on her bed.

I wish I had taken a better photo so you could see the full design. I apologize........I will win no awards for my photo-taking but at least you get an idea of how beautiful it is.

That's it for today. I'll be back on Monday with a "What's on the line?" post and then three more posts on "Friends, Fabric and Retreat projects" and a fourth one that has a retreat surprise that you can enjoy. No other clues. :-) I'll see ya on Monday morning!

Have a good weekend!
Sandi

Friends and Fabric and Retreat projects!

It's time for Friends, Fabric and Retreat projects!!!!! I'm going to tell you about the friends that came to my retreat and share photos of some of the projects they have made. We have a lot of fun together and I know you all love seeing any quilting projects that might inspire you! Many of you that read my blog are from points all around the world. But there are also lots of friends and family nearby who also read my blog. They like to know what I'm up to. :-) Two of my husband's cousins have said they are getting to know me better just by reading my blog. My sister almost never sends me an e-mail anymore because she just reads my blog and knows what's happening. :-) My mother doesn't have a computer but she has a couple friends who read my blog and they tell her what I'm doing. She knows anyway because we are on the phone a lot. LOL!

As I share stories about my friends, you will also learn more about me. I've never really written a "bio" so this will actually give you all a peek into the quilting journey that I've taken the last few years.
Meet Sandi Chapman! She designed this gorgeous placemat for a friend in Florida. There are four placemats in the set and in each one the star designs are varied. The binding which shows on the left of the mat is "sand-colored" for the beach. The blue background on the front is for the sky. The photo below shows the completed placemat. She used a binding technique that allows blue for the front half of the binding on the mat and the sand color for the backside binding. I think she told us where she learned this but I am having a "senior moment" and cannot remember. Thank goodness, I can remember that I have known Sandie for many years! We met in the mid 1990's when she began working at Creative Graphics, a printing shop in Prior Lake, MN. I had been a customer at the shop since the late 1970's for my business cards and pattern sheets. However, I wasn't doing quilting projects. It was all miniature projects, anything that was scaled 1" to 1'. I was a charter member of the Midwest~Miniature~Guild, served on the board and taught lots of workshops in anything that could be done in miniature. I have featured posts on my miniature scenes here, here, here, and here. At about the same time that I met Sandie, I was really getting back to quilting (the first quilt I made was for daughter, Collette, in 1970) and as my quilting involvement grew, I made fewer and fewer miniature projects. Quilting and stitching just took over. LOL!
I wrote about Sandie in this post........Sew~Close~to~Home.
She took a class from me in 1999, and she is so sweet because she says if I hadn't been so patient with her, she might not be quilting today. She had a bit of a time picking fabrics for that first placemat she made, but she finished it, and we laugh about it now. I knew she could quilt, she just needed confidence in herself. Since that first class she has gone on to some bigger and really beautiful quilts. :-) Plus, she also coordinates an annual retreat, too.

Next comes Arlis Farmer! Arlis is a charter member of the Prior Lake Quilter's. The group was formed in 1986. Our librarian often mentioned the group to me and said I should join but I was a busy mom and my creative outlet was my miniature work. There wasn't room for another "creative outlet". Then came the "empty nest". With the kids gone, there was more room in the house. So, I kept all my miniature stuff and added quilting. LOL!

The first meeting I attended was in October of 1997, .........or so I thought........I had been told the quilt group met in the basement of the bank so I showed up at 7:00 p.m. and walked into a room filled with mostly women. I sat down to wait for the meeting to start. A woman stood up and started talking about "the Parent Booster project for football". I leaned over and asked the woman next to me what that was all about .........and that was when I learned I was at the wrong place. The quilters had moved to the library! The next month, I showed up at the right place.....the library, and I met Arlis and also, Deb Hoger, along with a lot of other talented quilters!! We have known each other for almost thirteen years. Who says thirteen is an unlucky number? Not when it comes to friends, for sure.

Arlis is a very sharing quilter. I have learned so much from her. She's also an excellent quilter, and does beautiful applique and handwork. She enjoys small projects and they are always........yes, they are quite perfect. She's a good friend and to show you just what a good friend she is........see that project that she's doing some "ripping/unpicking" on in the photo above? Well, that's not even her project! She's ripping for Sharon! Arlis had finished what she was sewing so she offered to rip for Sharon. Only a real friend would do that!! She didn't bring any "show and tell" this time but I'll share photos of the piece she was working on when it's finished.

And here is Deb Hoger! I missed getting a photo of Deb at her sewing machine, so this is a photo of her with the candlemat top that she made. It's going to be finished and sent off to her daughter. Deb worked on several projects at the retreat....... baby bibs and a baby quilt because she is awaiting a grandchild! I just wish I had taken pics of her projects as they were really cute!

My previous post was a message about "If I had never" and it applies here........"If I had never used that print shop, if I had never gone to that quilt meeting".......... I would never have met these three friends ~ Sandie, Arlis and Deb. And through them, I met even more friends that I'll share about tomorrow and the next days. One thing I know is this......... I may write this blog and I may make quilts or penny rugs, host retreats and stuff but if it wasn't for the camraderie of our friendships, it wouldn't be nearly so enjoyable!!!

And speaking of "If I had never", I'd love it if you would go over to Billie's~Blog and read the post she wrote after she read mine. It made tears well in my eyes so please check it out.

All for today.......

Sandi

If I had never...........

Those words above are interesting. Sometimes we think "oh, if I had never .........." and that can be finished with things like............"oh, if only I had never locked my keys in the car"......."if only, I had never failed that test"........."if only I had never set that glass of milk on the edge of the table".......and on and on. So often, the word "never" has a negative connotation but I am going to put a positive spin on the word. Yesterday, I was thinking that "if I had never started going to church at Minnesota Valley Community Church (Prior Lake, MN), I would never have come to Villa Maria for my first retreat and I would never have met Carol." That's Carol on the left in the photo below. You already know me. :-)

Carol is the person that handles all the reservations and details for those who come to stay at Villa~Maria. I don't remember how long I have known her but I know it's more than a dozen years. I have mentioned her before on my blog and I wanted you to meet her because she is the one who gave me the quilt that was on the line last Monday. If you go here, you can see the quilt that belonged to her husband's family (originally from Pennsylvania). I also took a picture of the quilt draped over the park bench near the front entrance to Villa Maria. I plan to take the picture of Carol and I (above) and also the one on the right, and I'm going to print them on muslin so that I can make them into a label for the quilt. I will also print the info that Carol gave me on her husband's family name (Morgan) and that the quilt originated in Pennsylvania. I'll sew those muslin photos and info to the back of the quilt (it's backed with plain muslin) and whoever gets the quilt after me, will know it's story. I should do this to all my quilts but I labeled only a few of my quilts. I am determined to be better at getting them documented. There will be more on the subject of labels and documentation in a post that is coming up in about two weeks. :-)

So, back to my "if I had never ......" thoughts. As I mentioned,.............. if I had never joined Minnesota Valley Church (MVCC) in 1991, I would never have enjoyed a stay at Villa Maria. I had never even heard of Villa Maria, until I joined the women's group at MVCC. I had never been on a retreat and wasn't even sure what one did on a retreat. I was working full-time then, plus doing a lot of volunteering (but I didn't belong to any quilting groups). I was encouraged by friends at MVCC that I would enjoy the retreat and so I went. I remember thinking that it was odd that we were going to a Catholic retreat center when none of us were Catholic. Our church denomination was Reformed Church of America. However, someone in the group had learned of Villa Maria and I am so glad they did.

I remember the peace that I felt when I walked in those doors for the first time. Almost everyone who goes there says the same thing. I think it's partly because the building has an "old-world" atmosphere about it, and it's just very comforting. I enjoyed that retreat (1992, I think) and went back again for several more annual visits. Then our women's group membership declined and eventually there weren't enough to attend a retreat. I was so sad. And then, the church was disbanded due to declining membership. Really sad, then.

We were moving and so I knew I would find a new church here in Henderson. I also I knew that I would one day return to the Villa and host a quilting retreat. And I did, with my friend, Sara Peterson. Our first quilting retreat was in 2003. Actually, we did two retreats that year.... one in February (32 attending) and one in October (52 attending). We both had parental health issues and couldn't plan a retreat for 2004 but in 2005, I planned a smaller retreat with the friends you'll meet in my next few posts. Ahhhh, yes, "if I had never come to MVCC, if I had never joined the women's group, if I had never gone on that first retreat............I would never have met Carol and I wouldn't have that lovely quilt. And I would never have known wee Sister Marion (we all loved her) or the rest of the staff at the Villa. And I would never have hosted my friends at the Villa and now we are going back in April, 2012! We are going to change thinks up a bit, though. Because of my chronic back issues, I can't really be doing some of the lifting and stuff that I do so each of us is going to take an aspect of the retreat and make it a community effort. I will still coordinate the reservations, so that's my part. As Collette and I drove home from the retreat, we made a list of "jobs" so that everyone can be assigned a duty. Everyone of my friends who came to the retreat think this is a great idea. We are all excited about it and the date is a year and a half away! So here's another "if I had never"...........If I had never brought up the idea of doing the retreat as a "community" effort, I would never have known how much my friends enjoy coming to the Villa and just how much it means to them!

This may be more info than some of you want to know but if you have never been on a retreat or part of a group that quilts or stitches or scrapbooks, etc., take the time to find one and participate. And if you are thinking of hosting one and have questions about details, please feel free to e-mail me and I'll offer any advice I have learned along the way.

I have to share one more photo today. This is the stained glass window above the altar in the chapel at the Villa...............I think it's beautiful. Wouldn't the design make a lovely quilt? or a wool applique design? Hmmmm....I think I see a future project. :-)

Oh, and here's one more positive look at an "if I had never......."

If I had never started blogging, I would never have "met" so many new friends in all parts of the world. We are very fortunate to enjoy the exchange of quilty information, crafting, recipes, family stuff, and this, that, and the other thing!!! :-) If world leaders would take up stitching, perhaps they would relax and get along better. In fact, I think there could be world peace if our politician's started quilting because they would be so busy stitching that they wouldn't have time to filibuster or campaign forever and all that stuff. It's just a thought. :-) Remember, it's just a thought............

In the next day or so, I'll post those photos of my friends and their retreat projects.

Have a good day!
Sandi