A Much Needed Retreat

This weekend has been much anticipated for months and months and in spite of all that is going on in the world right now, we made it happen.  I got to spend the weekend with nine of the most wonderful people in the most wonderful place. 

Usually at retreats, I am a woman on a mission, trying to piece as much as possible.  I've been known to get 5 or 6 tops completed in a weekend.  Not this time.  It was a slower pace but I did manage to get two finished.

This is one of my new patterns, All Souls.  If you like it, you can find it on my etsy site here.  

This is a little squirrel quilt that's on the cover of the latest Simply Moderne magazine and I had to make it.

I enjoyed the first morning frost of the year with this view and a cup of coffee.

On Saturday, a few of us took a break and hiked along a dirt road.  The beautiful New River, a few wildflowers blooming, lovely old abandoned buildings, wooly worms and deer too fast to photograph (the deer were...the woolies not so much).

 

This was such a wonderful, laid back group.  We sewed, talked, laughed until the wee hours...appropriately socially distanced of course.  

Here we all are showing off our quilts on the veranda of Quiltville Inn.  

We ate wonderful food, drank coffee on the porch and had smores around the fire pit.  Shelley introduced me to grappa and I'm a fan.  Cyndi, the Halloween Fairy left us gifts every night for us to find on our sewing machines the next morning.

We all agreed that the best part was being able to be together...carefully with buckets of sanitizer but together.  We have all missed that (the together, not the sanitizer...).  My dear friend, Bonnie has created a safe haven and we are all already counting the days until we return to Quiltville Inn.

Folk Keeper

 We did something yesterday that we haven't taken the time to do in a long time.  We went on a family day trip...just me, David and Shelby.  One of my favorite places is Folk Keeper Gallery in Lenoir, NC.  I get lost in this little gallery.  Charlie and Susan Frye are both folk artists and they own and run the gallery.  It is filled with their art as well as art by other local folk artists.  It is a magical place.  

Last week, Charlie posted a few little mountain scenes on their facebook page for sale and I claimed one. The purpose of this trip was to go pick up that little piece.

Well, while wandering the shop, I saw this standing up in the corner (the ironing board, not the truck).  

I love Charlie's owls.  Actually, I love pretty much anything Charlie paints and if you look close in my studio, you may think I have a Charlie Frye art addiction.  You're probably right.  But this...this is an old ironing board and I had to take it home with me.

While we were walking around the shop, this 20-something kid walks in.  He asks Charlie about the piano (that I had not even noticed) and Charlie says "yeah!  It's a 1925 something something" and the kid asks if he can touch it. Charlie says sure thing and the kid sits down and starts playing a beautiful tune.  When he stops we all say it was wonderful and he laughs and says "don't ask me what chords I was playing...got no idea."

See.  A magic place.

While we listened to him play, Charlie flipped the ironing board around and started drawing.  He drew Shelby and me...complete with my mask on, my glasses on top of my head and the moon phase shirt I was wearing.

When we checked out, Charlie pulled this little painting off the wall.  "Special folks get special receipts."  

He writes "receipt" on the back and puts it in the bag.  

Charlie is an amazing artist and is quite successful I think.  I've watched him draw and I've watched him write.  He doesn't do either in the order most people would do.  He writes the letters in different order.  Receipt for example... he wrote the r...the i...the t then filled in the rest.  Yeah, he left out the c but I didn't notice until I took this photo.  He sees the world differently.  It's a thing of beauty and wonder and whimsy.  I'm so glad we don't all fit in the same box.

So, we left Charlie and Susan (and Harper, their pup) and headed home...via Hickory because lunch and a beer at Old Hickory Brewery were calling us.  Old train depot.  Outdoor seating.  Awesome food.  Extensive beer selection.  What more could you want?

A nap.  We could have all used a nap.

Just a Skip Up the Road

So, Monday I hit the ground running, getting ready for a trunk show that evening.  I had the truck loaded by 8:00 in the morning because any later than that and I would burst into flames.  It's hot.  I don't do hot.  I hate being hot.  I'm counting the days until the high temp is consistently below 75 degrees.  That should be about September 24th...about 75 days from now.  

In the mean time, any physical exertion outside must occur before 9 a.m.  Evenings don't count.  It's muggy and there are mosquitoes.  

So, Monday, the truck was loaded for my trunk show and it looks a little like this...

Trunk shows are when I really miss my SUV.  I could fit more in it than in the truck...at least until we get a new bed cover for the truck.  Then we can add a side show of me climbing in the bed of the truck to get the bins out of the bed.  It'll be fun...or painful.  It's a crap shoot.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the truck.  It's comfortable.  It can haul the trailer like it's not even back there.  I feel kind of badass when I'm driving it around.  I am badass when I parallel park it downtown.

But this time next year, I'm betting my husband will want his truck back.  This fish are starting to call again.

So...back to the point...

I spent a lovely evening in North Wilkesboro with the Blue Ridge Modern Quilt Guild.

They meet at Gloria Sews, a beautiful quilt shop in downtown North Wilkesboro.  If you're traveling along Highway 421 between Winston-Salem and Boone, take time to stop.  The shop is definitely worth the short side trip.

I had a blast with this group of women.  Someone asked how many quilts I showed...no clue.  50?  60?  I think I'll count next time.

Someone else asked me how to make quilting a full time job...you know...because I've done that.  I say this with a slight snort because...no...I mean yes, it's a full time job and yes, I kind of pay my bills but no...because without my husband pulling the majority load on the bills, I would still have a "day job".  But...it's getting there.  To answer the question about how to make quilting a career, I have no clue but it's taken me about 10 years to get this far.

Where the heck is Mouth of Wilson?

I've lived in North Carolina all my life.  Occasionally, I venture across the state line but the older I get, the more homebody I seem to become.  Part of that is because I travel vending at quilt shows and that, my friends, is hard work.  Cut the fabric...make the kits...pack the bins...hook the trailer to the truck...load the trailer...drive...drive...drive...unload the trailer...set up the booth...sit in the booth and pray people like your stuff enough to part with their hard-earned cash...tear down the booth...load the trailer...drive...drive...drive...unhook the trailer...go home.  Hard work.  Last year, I did a dozen or so shows.  This year nine...next year...I'm planning on doing just four unless something truly wonderful pops up that I can't resist giving a go.  But, bottom line, I'm working on becoming more homebody-ish because well...home is awesome.

But...when I get a chance to go with a friend to her cabin in the hills and sew for a few days, don't stand in my driveway because I'm outta here.  And when that friend is Bonnie Hunter whose travel schedule is insane, it's rare we have more than time for a quick lunch much less time for a sew day  MUCH less 3 days together.

I packed up the truck like I was going on a month-long sewing retreat and headed up the highway.  A short, beautiful drive later, I'm pulling into the Mouth of Wilson, Virginia and in front of Quiltville Inn.  When Bonnie first told me about this place, I pictured Mouth of Wilson as hidden away and hard to find.  It's not.  It's an easy, lovely drive in the highlands and though it feels like the middle of nowhere (and it kinda is), you're not that far from everything you need.

So, I pull up to the Inn and y'all, this house...no wonder Bonnie fell in love with it.  It is the quintessential Blue Ridge Mountain manse complete with wrap around porch with a haint blue ceiling, big wavy glass windows and a bubbly creek in the backyard.  Inside is spacious and bright and comfortable.  It is so wonderful to see someone's dream rise up in front of your eyes. 

So, of course, we did the girlly happy dance and took a selfie when I got out of the truck.

Soon, we headed to the cabin and got down to business of sewing our brains out.  There were a few "interruptions" like ice cream at the Grayson Highlands General Store and a July 4th celebration at Rick and Mona's and opening three boxes of antique quilts from Pepper Cory.  (I've got no words...just my jaw on the floor and maybe I drooled a little bit.)

By the end of Thursday night, I had four quilt tops finished.  Yes, four...but I had all the pieces cut out and in baggies because if I try to cut stuff at "retreat", I mess up.  Cutting out a project takes quiet, uninterrupted brain waves for me.  I am a one-track train.

The time went by way too fast and before I knew it, we were headed back home and back to work getting orders out, doing quarterly taxes and thinking about loading the trailer for the next show.

It was a great few days hanging out with Bonnie and family and seeing this dream come true.  And one day in the not-too-distant future after a lot of hard work by Bonnie and family, there will be an incredible place for quilters to gather. 

Where's My Mojo?

I've lost my blog mojo.  I don't know why.  I just have.  I think about writing but I don't.

I lost focus on why I started blogging in the first place...which was because I can't remember stuff.  Facebook and Instagram make that a little easier but here I can come back and find not only the photos but the feelings and thoughts behind those photos.

So to get me started again, here are the best things since the last time I posted...

David got a new job.  An excellent, wonderful job where he doesn't travel out of state as much and he has Fridays off...and a new work truck...and a crew so he's not wandering in the woods by himself with the bears and coyotes and I can sleep a little better at night.

I had a wonderful retreat to Quiltvilla with Bonnie and Mickey...relaxing, fun, inspiring and productive.

I went to Farm Aid with these two crazy ladies and we had the best time ever.



I got to spend time with my high school best friend's older daughter who just move to NC after being stationed in California with the Air Force.  I helped her with a special project for her beau who is stationed in Germany with the Air Force but hopefully coming home in a couple of weeks.



I had a booth at Rustic Muse, an art show in Clemmons and had the best time sitting in the tent listening to music, visiting with folks, eating and even selling some stuff.  It was the coolest ever.



I spent a week and a half hanging at the beach.  I almost didn't come back.



Hattie and I started getting our butts kicked regularly by Whitney.  Here we are doing the Turkey Strut 5K on Thanksgiving morning.  Happy campers!



Christmas with the family was crazy as usual.  Looking at the photos, it looks like something out of a sitcom.

On New Year's Eve we walked the lights at Tanglewood at midnight with good friends and a bunch of other crazy people.



Now that I've started, maybe I'll find that mojo and keep running with it.

It's a new year after all!

On the Road Again

Last week I visited two great shops in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia.  First stop was Ragtime Fabrics in Downtown Harrisonburg.  Belle has a little bit of everything from quilting goods to leather to all sorts of notions, trims and cool stuff.  The shop is one block off courthouse square and is surrounded by all sorts of other cool shops and restaurants...plus she has parking right beside her building.  Yay!

Usually, our schedules work out so that one of us is not traveling but we had a little overlap this week at the last minute.  And, our usual Shelby-sitters were either out of town or had the flu so Miss Shelby went roadtripping with me which I love.  I would take her all the time but some shops are not dog-friendly and I don't like leaving her in the car that long.  I took a chance with this trip and it worked out fine.  Both shops welcomed Shelby with open arms.  At Ragtime Fabrics, she had her own little fabric nest in one of my suitcases and slept most of the time.

When we left Harrisonburg, it began to snow and I don't do snow.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE snow...when I'm home with nowhere to go and a pot of chili in the crockpot and lots of sewing to do.  But this southern girl avoids driving in the mess as much as possible.  I know my limitations.  So we hightailed it back to the hotel in Staunton and kept an eye on the situation.  I figured if it amounted to something, we could camp out in the hotel until it was clear.  We had all we needed...a Cracker Barrel across the street, cable in the room, coffee and cookies downstairs and two quilts to bind.  (I was kinda hoping to get snowed in actually...there would be napping  and staring out the window at snow...heaven on earth!)

So it snowed until about  midnight and we walked around in it...which I enjoyed much more than Shelby did.  The next morning, this was the view out my window.

Pretty but not enough to keep me off the road so off to Charlottesville I went.

Les Fabriques is located in Downtown Charlottesville, another very cool place to hang out.  Her shop is in the ground floor of the new parking deck so there's plenty of parking and she'll stamp your ticket so the first two hours of parking is free.  Yay!

This shop is so very chic and caters to all kinds of sewing projects from quilting to garment to home dec.  She also has vintage textiles on consignment and cool beads and jewelry that a local artist makes.  The wood behind her sign is recycled from the goat shed on her 200+ year-old farm.  She's very cool like that.

Shelby was again greeted with open arms and snoozed on the fabric samples as we looked through fabric.  Here she is helping Carla pick out stuff.  We had the best time!

We were supposed to stay one more night and go to another shop on Friday but the weather was iffy and the Friday shop is extremely isolated so we're postponing until the mountains are clear of snow.  So, we headed home sweet home.  One of the hardest parts of this job is leaving my girl behind.  Having her with me this week was the best.  I could get used to it.

From Sea to Mountains

Usually the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is fairly non-eventful.  Not this year.  I had places to go and people to see.

Friday after Christmas, my friend, Hattie, and I headed to the beach with the puppies.  This is the scene that greeted us...

There were lots of walks on the beach...

The sand was even warm enough for toes...for a while anyway.

On Saturday night, we ventured to North Myrtle Beach to hear Gregg Allman and House of Blues.  He was wonderful but Hattie and I both agreed we're too old to stand on the floor with the drunk younguns.  We'll be springing the extra money to sit upstairs next time.

We got back home in the wee hours and woke to cold, gusty and rainy weather the next morning.

So we opted for the couch potato life.  The puppies approved.

Before we left on Monday, we went to visit a curious place.  On the mainland not far away, there's a property on the highway that seems to "grow" little houses.  If you just glance as you go by, it looks junky but if you slow down and really look, there's a magic to it...an artfullness.  I've always been on my way somewhere with either someone waiting for me or someone with me who didn't care to stop, so I have never taken the time.  This time we did.  What we found was the wonderland of a visionary artist, Mary Paulsen.

She built all the little houses herself and used whatever was given or found.

There are over a dozen little buildings to explore, including her art gallery.  All of them are painted floor to ceiling.  I found myself smiling the whole time...which is her purpose...that and feeling children.  See.. she's a world renown visionary artist and a good ole girl from Brunswick County...whose used her earnings and donations to feed the children... about 50,000 per year locally and worldwide...for three decades.  It was an honor to meet her and walk in her world.

After our visit with Mary, we went back to the house, packed up the puppies and headed home.  We took the scenic route and made a few stops.  First was a little barn near Whiteville.  (Hattie collects oddities for her art and the place looked promising.)  We met Brandy the Goat who could hear Shelby having a duck fit in the car.  If you look in the window, you can see her eyeballing my new friend.  She was not a happy camper.

I had one evening at home then turned around New Year's Eve and headed for Asheville with my friend Mary Lea.  Our friend, Beth McKee was performing at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

It's the first time in years that I've have plans on New Year's Eve except to go run around Tanglewood Park with a bunch of other crazy people at midnight.

We checked into the Baymont (because the Grand Bohemian is waaayy out of the pauper's budget) then set out to explore.  We started at Waechters Fabrics then headed to Kitsch Fabrics in West Asheville...where we found the wonderful Amy... and her cactus brassiere (an art bra and part of a breast cancer fundraiser).

After a stop at a bead shop downtown, we had dinner at The Lab...okay dinner and a really good beer.

We headed back to the hotel to freshen up before the party then walked the couple of blocks to the Grand Bohemian.  Here's us...selfies in the elevator...like we're sixteen.

When we walked up to the door at the hotel, we were met by this guy... in a kilt...who was really Scottish.  That was just the beginning of the excellent people watching that would be our New Year's Eve.

The party ended up hopping and we had a great time.

At the end of the night, Beth (and a handful of our new intoxicated "friends") sang Happy Birthday to me.  It was awesome in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way.

After the party, ML and I walked back up the hill to the Baymont, crashed and slept late.  The next morning we headed to Tupelo Honey Cafe for a birthday brunch and then headed back home...where I barely hit the driveway to pick up David and Shelby to head to my parent's house for the traditional New Year's Day black-eye peas, collards and ham...and birthday cake.

Sea to mountains and back home again.  Oh, the fun I had but it's always good to be back home again.