Sew Elbow

October 2, 20145 Comments

I’m suffering from lateral epicondylitis, also known as “tennis elbow.” My doctor says I have “sew-itis.” So, no sewing or cleaning or sweeping for at least three weeks. I can type, though.

I thought I’d share some photos I took at the Richmond Quilt Guild‘s recent show. The first two are by ladies I know.

Annette Lemon designed this fabulous quilt, “Liberated My Way”:

Joyce Brown created this stunning quilt, “Dancing Batiks”:

I really liked this appliqued quilt:

And, the subtle mix of fabrics in this quilt caught my eye:

Take care,

Wanda

Row by Row Experience: Sew a Season

September 14, 2014August 26, 20257 Comments

The theme for the Row by Row Experience was “Sew a Season.” Each quilt shop chose a “season” and created a pattern which you could pick up for free at each of the shops. My intention was to make a project from each of the quilt shops I visited, so 8 shops 8 projects. So far I had made a tote bag using the pattern from Blue Crab Quilt Co., and a pillow cover from The New River Fiber Co. Next up on my list was Creative Quilting Connection, located in Roanoke, Virginia. Their block was called, “Autumn in the Star City”.

The fabrics reminded me of the quilt pattern, The Grove, by Carolyn Friedlander. I purchased it some time ago:

I made four trees with the batiks, and of course they look like “Autumn.” Now I needed the other seasons: Summer, Winter and Spring and maybe Football Season because it’s always Football Season at my house.

During my Row by Row by Experience, I traveled across almost all of Virginia from the city to the valley to the mountains and to the sea. We visited Chincoteague, Virginia, an island on the Atlantic Ocean, and I got the kit from Quilts by the Sea. The fabric was perfect for my “Summer” row of trees:

After making a few “Summer” row trees, I didn’t like having to add a border in between the blocks so I flipped them. The blocks are mirror images left to right anyway, so up and down seemed like the perfect solution:

I had “Spring” fabric from the kit I purchased at Sew Biz, located in Radford, Virginia:

I liked the idea of white trees for winter, and I made “football season” in school colors: black, blue and white. I plan to hand quilt it.

Just a quick note on our trip to Chincoteague Island. We ate the most heavenly ice cream at The Island Creamery.

Raspberry — my favorite!

UPDATE: Here’s a photo of the finished quilt:

Road Trip: ‘There’s No Place Like Home’.

July 9, 2014May 2, 20151 Comment

The Wizard of Oz is the ultimate road trip. My husband and I took a road trip this past week to see our daughter in Southwest Virginia, traveling five hours by car. She’s working at The Barter Theatre this summer in the marketing department and taking summer classes at Emory & Henry College.

THE FIRST PIT STOP:

On any road trip, potty breaks are the most interesting. My husband says I have the bladder of a four-year-old. We stopped at Goose Creek Market. They are located off Interstate 64 in Fishersville, Virginia. They have donuts made fresh daily:

THE SECOND PIT STOP:

After stopping in Fishersville, we soon entered one of the worst interstates in America for traveling because of the concentration of trucks and very few three-lane stretches. It is like avoiding Flying Monkeys. Our second stop was off Interstate 81 in Pulaski at the Exxon gas station. I did goof off some:

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME:

We arrived in Abingdon, Virginia, safely, and around 5:30 p.m., we took our daughter out to dinner. While there, my husband ran into a friend he hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. We haven’t lived in Southwest Virginia since 1997, but we still call it our “home” when anyone asks, “Where you from?”

TIME FOR THE THEATRE:

The Barter Theatre is a wonderful place, and we saw The Wizard of Oz that night.

The creation of the tornado was inventive with the use of fabric and dancers. The Munchins were entertaining and just so darn cute. Of course before we see the Wizard I needed to pee and was grateful for the intermission.

My husband, waiting for me:

Overall it was a very fun experience. It was a great road trip with a happy ending. Spoiler Alert: Dorothy makes it back home from the Land of Oz.

GOT TO HAVE A T-SHIRT:

The gift shop was packed with people the night of the performance so we went back the next day to buy a t-shirt and take some photos. This “cardboard toto” was located inside the lobby:

On the other side of the street from The Barter Theatre, they had taken the LOVEworks art from the Virginia is for Lovers and added OZ to promote the show: