Good-bye 2024 and Hello 2026

That is Not a typo:)

It has been a rough year on so many levels for many people and I don't know about you, but my calm, the balm for my soul is stitching. The slow and steady pull of the thread through fabric calms me in ways I can't fully describe. There is a form of meditation in this glorious art form that I am thankful to have in my life and hope I can entice others to feel as well.

I have been absent a bit now, I know.  For those following along, we moved from Florida at the end of 2023 to Northern Illinois to be near our grand little.  Once here we were so excited to find out there would be a second one too!  They are a delight, and it is nice being near family again.

Something I have been relatively quiet about is that through the move and littles and all of 2024 I have been going through many medical tests for an unknown (as of now) neurological disorder. It has put a small crimp in some of my plans but not all:)

I have taken 2024 to enjoy my littles, get my new studio up and going, and come to terms with my slightly restricted abilities of which stitching is not one of them!!  Every day I am grateful for that. This time away has let me think about priorities and what I want from my business. 

In 2026 we will celebrate the Sesquicentennial, the 250th birthday of our always great country. I have been designing a BOM that will start in early 2025 and take us up to the celebrations in 2026. There will be 2 designs to choose from to cover the piecers and the applique' lovers and both done sampler style.

I want as many of us quilters as I can get to celebrate together leading up to all the events that will be planned. The pieced quilt will have a touch of applique' because this is still me...LOL. The applique' quilt will be an appliquepalooza of beautiful florals designed by me over the years.

So, gather your red, white (cream), and blues for a fabulous year of stitching.

This is how I want to spend my time, creating beauty and inspiration. I do hope you will join me!

Spring in Illinois

 Spring has Sprung here in Illinois. 

I forgot how much I missed 

the change of seasons and the green 

of everything coming back!

We now have lovely red patio 

chairs and a great view when 

the weather permits.

It is the perfect spot to do 

some hand stitching:)

Inside things were at a stand still

until I could get some cabinets to paint

for my studio. Here they are....

Wait until you see the lovely red

they will become.

The Leaves Of Change QAL

is still progressing in my FB group,

Robin's Rocking Needles here.

This is 4 panels done on my

scrappy version:) I am really 

loving how it looks!

I spent Memorial Day getting

my QOVF Take 5 blocks done.

I chose to do 5 Ohio Star blocks

since that is also the National

Block Drive block this year.

It was the perfect day to honor

those we have lost in service.

I have been enjoying some long

walks out in nature and right 

now the Cottonwood trees are

letting loose their fluff.

I love it!

It also brings back childhood

memories from when we lived

in Kansas. The family farm

had huge Cottonwood trees on it

as well as huge Mulberry trees.

Cotton is a staple in my life!

I wonder how much I would

need to bat a small quilt:)

I hope you are enjoying

your Spring. 

Let me know what you are 

doing in the comments.

Gardening?

Quilting?

Hiking?

All of the above?

Whatever it is, enjoy it with all 

your being!

Keep Stitchin~

Benartex 4th Quarter Fun

 Welcome back for some Benartex fun!

For my 4th quarter project, I have

been playing with the American Spirit 

line by Cheryl Haynes of Prairie Grove Peddler.

These were the fabrics I chose

to work with for this project

but there are many others 

to choose from.

If you saw my Ohio remix

in the Fat Quarterly in October, 

then you may know where this

is going:)

I took that block along with

another arrangement and

combined them with a

sweet and simple border applique'.

In January this new design,

'In Gratitude', will be available 

for purchase through my ETSY shop.

I love that it is simple to assemble

to help those creating quilts for QOVF!

In the meantime there are the holidays to 

enjoy with all my sweeties, more blocks

to finish, a new long arm quilter to find 

since I have moved:)

I hope you find a way to make the 

holidays special for you!

Thank you all for being a part of

my life see you in the new year!

New home-New Studio

AUTUMN AGAIN! 

Being in the north again means

I get to be surrounded by 

the beautiful Fall colors!

View from one of my 

studio windows...

Our fur baby being 

walked along the pond.

We are in northern Ill.

this time vs all the time

we spent in St. Louis 

years ago.

This move was to be near

some family but, of course,

I am missing a major part 

of my family even here.

Guess we can't have it all.

The new house offers me

a studio space I never 

thought I would have!

Look for more pictures

over on my FB & IG accounts.

Right now it feels like the old tile

games where you moved a square

to move a different square then

moved the first square back, etc!!! 

I was able to go trick or treating

with my bobbin and that was a joy.

Of course, being in the north again also

means SNOW-YUCK!

This happened waaaay too early

for our liking.

Beautiful to look at as long

as you don't have to go out

in it for any reason!

The gratefulness in my heart

is a great way to start November.

Thank you for being a part

of my journey!!

 

Benartex Christmas in July 2023

 Jackie Robinson has 

done it again!

A Botanical Season is 

a lovely array of 

holiday touchstones from 

holly to Christmas ornaments.

I used techniques from

my Fabric Collaborations class

to adorn this sweet and 

simple table runner

with lovely amaryllis 

flower bouquets.

I am in love with 

these sweet flowers and the 

cute star negative space 

at their centers!

The pattern can be found

in my ETSY shop

HERE.

Fun quilting 

suggestions included.

Come join the designers

and ambassadors on 

July 25th for a peek

at all the upcoming

fabrics.

You can register HERE.

Come see how I used this

line in another project HERE 

to create a matching set!

Benartex Ambassador Project #3

 Christmas in July is celebrated by 

lots of quilters to get a jump on

their Christmas gift lists, so

I am going to offer 2

Christmas in July patterns

for my Benartex projects!

For project #3 I chose

to work with the new

line, Rhapsody in White,

arriving in shops now.

This line has a lovely

silky feel to it and there

are lots of cute

prints to choose from.

White makes me think of 

snowflakes though and how 

fun are those little

paper cut ones from 

our childhood.

In all honesty, I was never 

much good at getting them 

to look pretty, and I 

have worked very hard

to make the ones

in my Holiday Settings

pattern easy and cute!

The designs can be single

or layered as shown and

explained in the 

pattern instructions

found HERE.

These will become

timeless family gifts,

used every year.

Use them for pillows,

tote bags, candle mats,

mug rugs, Santa's

cookie mat....

The list is endless!

Come join the fun

July 25th

to get a peek at all the 

upcoming fabrics!

Register HERE.

Come see how I used this

line in another project HERE 

to create a matching set!

QUILTVILLE 2023

 

I have been wanting to share

this with you all and now I 

have the time to sit and 

reminisce about the wonderful

week spent in Quiltville:)

Our friend, Tara Miller of the 

Quilt District, started this

new tradition in 2022 

and somehow I was one 

of the lucky invites!!

We arrive at this idyllic location

in the mountains with enough 

space for 12 women to gather

but also have alone time when

needed. The sewing room/ tables

are perfectly set up with light

and space enough to spread 

out and you have a design wall area too.

The kitchen has ALL the amenities to 

feed us day or night:)

This year we celebrated our

fearless leader's birthday.

A Quilt was made in her honor:)

There were presents!!

I made the muffin bags and a friend 

made these cool phone stands ...just what

I have always wanted!!

We revisited the old

wool mill again and wandered

into one of the buildings this time.

Look at this awesome old 

machinery still sitting there.

Then there were the hikes

full of gorgeous cinematic

views everywhere!

Last year it was cold and 

snowed so there wasn't 

much outdoor activity.

Bonnie took us up to the 

Grayson Highlands 

to see the ponies.

The views were

Spectacular!

This trail was my favorite

due the foliage and 

rock formations.

We saw many ponies

but got the closest to 

this cutie:)

Occasionally Jim and I 

have had a discussion about

how cool it would be to 

hike the Appalachian Trail...

LOLOLOLOLOL!

Now I can say I have!!

The weather permitted

us to enjoy a lovely firepit

one evening with

many many laughs:)

I have never seen a 

Trillium in real life...

How cool are they?!?!

IF you click the pic, it 

will take you to a wiki

description.

Here is the funny bit....

"Trillium erectum, the red trillium, 

also known as wake robin, 

purple trillium, bethroot, 

or stinking Benjamin ., 

is a species of flowering plant 

in the family Melanthiaceae. 

The plant takes its common name 

"wake robin" by analogy with 

the European robin, which 

has a red breast heralding spring.

HAHAHAHA.

I can't wait to find a way

to make a ROBIN quilt~

Quiltville in Bloom

Thanks for coming along

on my adventures.

If you would like to read

about last year's visit, 

go HERE!