A Big "Thank You" to all my Friends at ECOT!

Here I am, enjoying my retirement, spending a sunny day on the porch, when the mail man brings a special surprise from my teacher friends at ECOT.  They sent a lovely card along with a gift card and encouraged me to use it for quilting - not that I need any encouraging with that!  Big smiles all day!  I really appreciate their thoughtfulness and generosity.

When I use this gift for a quilt, it will have to be diverse, colourful and designed to work well together; just like our English department.  I am going to miss working with my dear friends but hope they will stop by my blog to say hello.

Tomorrow is the Columbus Quilt Show and I'll be travelling down on a bus trip with my QBees.  Material Girl, a little quilt shop in Dover, Ohio sponsored the trip and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the quilts and visiting the vendors; looking for more retirement stash.  Of course, I'll be blogging about it.

Another Big Thank You to my Dear Friend, Jan.

As if I'm not already blessed with so many good things, Jan, my friend since high school, invited me over to go through her quilting "stash" since she is moving to Florida and wants to get rid of some stuff.  When I am there she insists I take her serger machine.  This is unexpected and again, deeply appreciated.   And I'm sure, with the help of my sister-in-law, Michelle, we will "serge."  Hopefully!  Isn't it cute?  

I think this quote from Oprah sums up how I feel today!

June is Bustin' Out All Over

QBee Day at Miss Carol's from Sweet Peas and Possum

I feel like singing "June is Bustin' Out All Over" when the day is full of sunshine and roses.  The corn is almost as high as an elephant's eye . . . Oh, what a beautiful morning!

Corn is about knee high

  A perfect weekend to head south to Plainfield for a sewing day with Miss Carol, Barbie and Gina.  My daughter, Earlene, came along to work on her very first quilt ever, a jelly roll strip quilt!  I'm so happy that she is quilting with me even though her machine was being a pain at first.  Miss Carol got it straightened out and sewing right. 

Earlene working on her jelly roll quilt using batiks

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Gina and her Flag quilt that she is hand quilting - big stitch.  Neat pattern!

Miss Carol with her Tumbler Flag Quilt.  It looks like it is waving in the breeze.  

 Barbie has been busy sewing quilts . . . 

Brick and Mortar with Christmas material

Red Bird Quilt

Barbie's colorful quilt - Wow!

Miss Carol's UFO's - Show and Tell!

Brick and Mortar - Looks modern.  I like it!

Shark Quilt.  Nice pattern for a feature fabric.  

What a great way to kick off my retirement; quilting with my daughter and my QBees.  I'm looking forward to many happy, summer quilting days at Miss Carol's studio.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

It's official!  I have turned in my resignation and it's safe to post this news on my blog.  In about three weeks I will be retired from teaching.  It's a big step to retire and especially difficult since I have the perfect "work-at-home" online teaching position.  In spite of being able to work in comfy sweats and skip wearing make-up, I wanted more time to spend with my family, and to, as Mrs. Dilly-Dally would say, do what you love, do dilly-dally.

Janome Memory Craft 6600

To celebrate my retirement, I felt that a new endeavour was needed.  I wanted to try  some free-motion quilting.  That led to the purchase of a new "retirement" machine - a Janome Memory Craft 6600.  Anyone out there in blogland own one of these?   Of course I don't know how to use all the buttons yet, but I'm taking a class later this month.  Fun, fun!

The little mug rug is my second attempt at free motion quilting.  I've been practising, but have a long way to go yet.  This 6" Ohio Star Block is from a free pattern for Random Ohio Stars on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Blog.  I added some borders to make it mug and cookie size.  It's for a young friend in our swim class, Beth, who has been  doing a long-term intern-ship at Children's Hospital.  She lives in West Virginia, so will be leaving our class in about a month.  The Ohio Star is to remind her that she has friends in Ohio and the wavy quilting represents the choppy water (swim aerobics)  We make lots of waves!

If you look real close at the pink material in the star, it looks like water droplets.   The back has wavy pink, yellow and blue lines.

New Beginnings:

At the end of each school year, I always read Dr. Seuss's book of Oh, the Places You'll Go to my students.  This year as I read it to the kids for the last time, it took on a new meaning for me, and I'm looking forward to my retirement with a sense of hope and adventure.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Thanks to All our Military Men and Women on this Memorial Day

It was a dark and dreary Memorial Day in Ohio and it didn't feel like a cookout day.  Instead, there is a roast in the oven and socks on my feet, and a finished star wall hanging.

Memorial Day somehow demands that you sew something red, white and blue, sew, I finished up a wall hanging that I pieced last year.  Sewing these colors is my small way of remembering what our service men and women have done for our country.  We owe them, but they don't ask for any payment; therefore, we honor them in our hearts.

Enjoy - Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d

BY WALT WHITMAN

When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,

And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,

I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.

Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,

Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,

And thought of him I love.

The lilacs in the back yard are exceptionally pretty this year - maybe the best ever.  You cannot help but get a little dreamy, think of poetry and "Ever-returning spring,"  

While the lilacs are showing off their finery, over by the garage, almost hidden are the shy, tiny Lily-of-the-Valley flowers.

Now apply that lilac theme to quilting and you have this: Michelle's Kaleidoscope square

"Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul,"

Happy Spring to all my fellow Bloggers!

Vermont Quilt Festival - Von Trapp Family Lodge

Buckeye Tours: Sorry!  This trip was cancelled! 

I received a letter from Buckeye Tours that this trip was cancelled for lack of interest.  I'm disappointed, but there will be others!

Looking for a great tour that includes quilts?  From Tuesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 30, Buckeye Tours out of Cambridge is offering a trip Vermont. 

A highlight of the trip is a two night stay at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.  You will also be spending one day at the Vermont Quilt Festival - Woohoo!  I was there a couple of years ago and have to say it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.  There are lots of vendors and many amazing quilts on display.

In the past, I travelled to with Buckeye Tours and that the tour director and bus driver were top notch. The tour company is also easy to contact since you actually get to speak to a "live" person when you call:  

Barbie enjoying the view at the Trapp Family Lodge - two years ago

Here is the website for the Trapp Family Lodge.  In case you are not familiar with this Lodge, it is "Situated on 2,500 acres in beautiful Stowe, Vermont, the Trapp Family Lodge is a mountain resort in the European tradition by the Von Trapp family that inspired “The Sound of Music."  Barbie and I were there a couple of years ago.  

View from our room at the Trapp Family Lodge - two years ago

The Vermont Quilt Festival

"Grandmother's Fowl Garden" quilt -  Look at all those Hexies!

 I'm shamelessly promoting this tour because 1) we signed up for it, but need more travelers to make it a go.  2) The Trapp Family Lodge and the Vermont Quilt Festival are both exciting destinations.  I really want to visit them again!

Atwood Lodge Quilt Retreat with Sew Deja vu

Arriving at Atwood Lake

A short one hour drive from Kent is the lovely Atwood Lake and Resort where I spent the weekend at a fabulous quilt retreat put on by our local quilt shop in Stow, Sew Deja vu.  Thank you, ladies from the vu, for picking out such a lovely place to sew, eat, sew, relax and sew some more.   My little red car found the way with a little help from our GPS.  Barbie, my friend since forever, was right behind me.  

This is a rather long post with lots of pictures;  if you are new to reading blogs, click on any picture to enlarge the photo.  Enjoy!

Room with the vu

We had the ballroom with the best view and we were with the vu.  How great is that!

Morning of the first day

By afternoon, the room is full of sewing machines and colourful fabric.  Let the fun begin!

Make new friends,  QBee's . . . 

Keep the Old Friends, QBees . . . 

Retreat Projects:

Barbie's Strip Quilt

Fabric from Australia

Australian Design

Ben Ten Quilt - Every Quilt has a Story

Ben Ten Backing

Sister Charlotte

Our retreat would not have been complete without the added humour and blessings from Sister Charlotte.  Her quilt became a coat of many colours and we all requested the pattern!

Happy Endings:

I am so thankful to Sew Deja vu for the time and energy spent to make this retreat the very best!  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet new friends while we expand our art of quilting.   

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~ Ashley Smith