Weekly Update

 Hello Everyone,

I've decided to just do weekly updates on my activities on my Sew'n Wild Oaks blog. This week has been a busy one, so what else is new?  I'm thoroughly cleaning the cabin as my granddaughter arrives the day after Thanksgiving to record my videos for The Quilt Show (TQS). I put tutorials together for those making the Laurel Ridge BOM.

I have one corner of my sewing room clean and tidy.  The quilt hanging is called Grammy Squares, and it is available in my Etsy shop. 

I love my little mail sorter which I found in an antique store years ago. It's perfect for fat quarters and wool bundles.

I store the Valdani thread in old typesetters' drawers.  How do you like the Valdani Easter Eggs?  That's what one of my followers called it. 

The antique pie safe holds bolts and flat folds of fabric.  When I think about it, everything is 'old' in my sewing room. I just might be the youngest thing in there!

My grandfather made this little hutch for me when I was about 6-7 years old.  I treasure it.  Country Charmer is hanging in the background.

When I'm not cleaning, I'm machine quilting Gentry's Mill.

I'm stitching around every single one of the motifs in the border.  Time consuming but worth it.

I was really on a roll until Thursday when my HandiQuilter decided to throw a tantrum. After watching several YouTube troubleshooting videos, I finally figured it out and resumed machine quilting, but I lost a lot of valuable hours.  I also called Richard at Elk Grove Sewing and Vacuum Center and he had some good advice for me. He's a gem and if your sewing machine or long-arm needs servicing, Richard is your man!

I'm down to the final border and hopefully will finish quilting this behemoth today.  The binding is all made and just waiting to be sewn to the quilt.  I will be so glad to check this one off of my to-do list! My goal is to watch football tomorrow and stitch binding at the same time.

My little community was right on the edge of the atmospheric river which hit California.  It finally caught up to us yesterday, and we've received 2" of rain in the last 24 hours with more on the way.  Another rainy day for us which means a good day to quilt......or clean the cabin......I think I will quilt!

Soon,

Lynn

Gentry's Mill Flimsy

 Hello Everyone,

Almost a month has passed since my previous post, and it's time to update you on the recent happenings at Sew'n Wild Oaks beneath the pines.

Over the past week, I've brought the Gentry's Mill quilt to its flimsy stage. Devoting two entire days to the borders, they truly serve as the icing on this quilted cake.

I organized a retreat at Snowflake Lodge during the first week of November. The attendees were a group of incredibly talented and fun-loving quilters. We had an amazing time!

 

Right before the retreat, I was a vendor and featured artist at the Independence Hall Quilter's annual quilt show.  It was great seeing so many of you in attendance at the show!

These enjoyable activities serve as my reason for not posting more frequently. However, I regularly update my Sew'n Wild Oaks Facebook and Instagram sites because it's fast and simple and doesn't require me to be at my computer.  I can just whip out my phone and do a quick post.

We went down to the Bay Area last Friday night to watch our grandson play junior varsity football in the last game of the season against the cross-town rivals.  Kade's team won decidedly, and we were so happy to watch him play.  He's on the field for most of the game playing both offense and defense.  The varsity team won, and they will be going to playoffs.  Kade found out last week that he is moving up to the varsity team, so he's practicing with the 'big' boys.  He doesn't think he will play much if at all during playoffs, but he was delighted he was selected to be moved up.

Winter is upon us here at Wilder's Last Resort.  We had our first dusting of snow the other day with a chance of more snow today.  We still have quite a few leaves on the oak trees and dogwood.  When we get a heavy snow early in the season, the branches tend to break.

Just as I need to work in the garage on Gentry's Mill for my longarm quilting, the weather decides to turn cold. I keep a space heater nearby to take the edge off the chill, yet it remains cold, and I find myself bundled in layers and snow boots while quilting.  Mr. Joe keeps me supplied with hot chocolate with a splash of Bailey's.  

I posted my last complete Bridle Path kit in my Etsy shop.  I listed three and now there is only one left.  I may have to rethink my shop and start offering more kits since they tend to sell like hot cakes.  It takes a lot of time to make kits, and I have to have a lot of material on hand to pull it off.  

I'm currently preparing the instructions for The Quilt Show (TQS) Block of the Month BOM. Today, I'll upload four months of instructions into TQS's shared folder. It's always busy around here! Additionally, I have another four months' worth of instructions ready, which I need to go over before adding them to the folder. Since my health incident, I often joke that I've lost a few pixels, so I make sure to check and double-check all my work.  

As I write this, I've just glanced out the window to see the snow beginning to fall. Today, we'll stay snug indoors, cook up a pot of chili, and bask in the warmth of the fire. To me, it sounds like the ideal day.

Soon,

Lynn

  

October Magic

 Hello Everyone,

It is so enjoyable to bring the Fall quilts out of storage and display them around the cabin.

I put a varied number of colors into my Autumn quilts.

Oh my, the house landed on the wicked witch!

The mailbox was Mr. Joe's idea.

Now look at Paula's quilt.  It is spook-tacular!

The level of detail is over the top gorgeous.

The careful consideration given to the selection of each fabric is truly appreciated.

I love seeing my designs come to life through the interpretation of another quilter.  Paula created a masterpiece of perfection.

Have some fun decorating your home today.  I'm late with my decorating this year and will be doing a streamlined version this year since I'm getting ready for my last retreat of the year beginning on Sunday.  Yikes, I'd better sign off and get to work!

Soon,

Lynn

Introducing Laurel Ridge

 Hello Everyone,

This is the day I've been anticipating for months and months, the rollout of my block of the month for The Quilt Show (TQS) with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.  I was so honored, excited and a bit intimidated when I received the call asking me if I would design the 2025 BOM for them. Let me introduce you to......drumroll......

This is the Grandmother's Autumn version of Laurel Ridge.

This is the reason I went to Denver in August to film an episode with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims for The Quilt Show. The episode will air at the end of December, just in time for the start of the BOM in January.

I've been known to have a lot of small pieces in blocks.  This quilt will make me known for a lot of small blocks in a quilt.  The blocks finish at 5".  This image shows the breakdown of the blocks in the quilt.

The lighting in the following images really shows off the amazing quilting by Dianne Schweickert from Livermore, CA.  It's hard to get a really good picture which showcases the machine quilting.

The kits at TQS will be offered in two different colorways.  This is the Granddaughter's Spring version of Laurel Ridge.

The wonderful people at Marcus Fabrics recolored my Hearthstone fabric line just for the Spring version of the quilt.  LOVE the plaid!

If you become a member of The Quilt Show, you will receive the pattern for free.  The pattern is released digitally on a monthly basis.  The cost of a membership is $49.95 a year which more than pays for itself with the amount of information which is at your fingertips 24-7.  There are kits available for BOTH colorways of the quilt.

The BOM will also have monthly videos which will walk you through the process.

So now I have to really buckle down and try to get caught up here under the pines at Wilder's Last Resort.  I have a lot on my to-do list to prepare for my final retreat of the year......and I have another quilt of two to finish along with some pattern writing.

Soon,

Lynn

 

 

A Precious Story

 Hello Everyone,

I'm going to tell you just the sweetest story of a wonderful happening at the retreat at Lake Tahoe.

I have to go back and lay some groundwork.  I grew up in Paradise, CA, the infamous town that burned to the ground in 2018.  Our home, which had been in the family for six decades burned to the ground.  Luckily the renters living there were able to escape the flames and got to safety.  My son loved that little cottage in the woods and planned on moving there when he retires from his job with the city of Pleasanton.

I was so distraught with the loss of my community that I knew I had to do something, so I raffled off one of my quilts, Emilie Elizabeth, to raise money for the community.  I contacted the Paradise fire chief, and he gave me names of first responders who lost their homes while battling the fire. I also had many friends who I'd known since kindergarten who lost everything. The trick was finding out where the people had relocated so I could send them a check.

Checks began arriving in response to my raffle.  Money arrived from all over the world.  The winning name was drawn at the first meeting of the Paradise Quilt Guild after the fire in January of 2019 where I was asked to speak.  This was the cover slide for my talk.

The winner of the quilt was Deborah, from Ann Arbor, MI.  I contacted her via email, and she said that she had been thinking that if she was lucky enough to win the quilt, she wanted to donate it back to be raffled off again! So, she did. 

She also said that she would love to attend one of my retreats.  So, plans were set in place for Deborah to come to California in the Fall of 2019, stay with us at the cabin and go to the retreat.

Upon her arrival, we became friends in a nanosecond, and we've been good friends ever since. She has been in attendance at of my retreats every year since 2019.

Deborah had never been to Yosemite, so off we went to show her the spectacular views of this incredible location.

She really wanted to see a bear while we were in the park.  At the end of the day as we were driving out of the park, she saw a bear for real!  We really did see one!

She is a big Michigan football fan, and since we love to watch a good game, we enjoyed watching a Michigan game together.  We were so surprised when Michigan scored, and Deborah jumped up off the couch and sang the entire Michigan Fight Song.  We roared with laughter!

Our utility supplier turned the power off prior to the retreat in 2019 due to high winds and great potential for fire.  We turned the cabin into a soup kitchen to feed the quilters as everything was closed down in town.

Deborah rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.  You can see her right in the middle of the kitchen keeping a close eye on the stove.

Fast forward to this year.  During my retreat at Lake Tahoe, Deborah presented me with an Emilie Elizabeth quilt which she made to replace the quilt I raffled off!  She made it using my Hearthstone fabric.  This surprised me more than when she jumped up and sang the fight song!  There wasn't a dry eye during our show and tell.  I was speechless and that doesn't happen very often.

The label is over the top!

I will always treasure the Emilie Elizabeth quilt Deborah made for me. Our friendship is stitched together and bound firmly with love. 

Soon,

Lynn