Sew Many Piles

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, or fall into a black hole. I've been deep in the woods. It's just been so awesome since we cleaned out the prickly ash and buckthorn. And the deer did not eat the flowers this year! I just love being out there and sometimes think of taking some sewing with me. Handwork, of course. Pack a lunch and enjoy. We don't have any benches or chairs out there, but a big old oak laid down right along side the path at the very top of the hill. We always take a break from our hike or work there, but not for long. A cushion is in order if I intend to stay and sew. This time of year we are pulling garlic mustard. Most areas are looking pretty good. We just might get it under control yet.

The work is piling up at home. No reason to count. It might motivate or inspire you, but not me. I don't want to know the number. A list would be more useful to me, but I'm not even doing that these days.  High on the to do list is quilting the next church raffle quilt and samples for class at Studio 3.  Attendance has been a little spotty, by myself as well, as many of us are always on the go.

I have one trip out of the way and that was to Quilt Market in Minneapolis. If you saw my facebook post, you saw that on the way home we stopped at the guys hunting property midway between here and Mpls and went for a 1 1/2 hours walk in the woods picking up nearly 50 mostly wood ticks on the way! Anybody want to buy some hunting land in the middle of Wisconsin???

Quilt Market was great. I didn't think I would like being in the first of 24 aisles, but it didn't seem to matter. Lots of interest in my Thirtysomething technique and new Block Book. I sold out of my stock of Square Up tools and have more on order. Lots of the shops were interested in taking it for demos at their shop hops this summer. There has been lots of orders too on my website since I added  Paypal Buy It Now buttons. Who has time to quilt? And did I mention that I have a special going on now when you buy both the Block Book and Square Up you save $4.

Busy May

April was busy and May will be busier.  I've been working outside tending the wildflowers.  The flowers and grasses are continuing to sprout in the savanah we burned a month ago The first flowers to bloom after the burn are the wood anemones and violets.  They are scattered all over the place.

 They aren't very showy, but hardly show up at all if you don't burn cause they are lost in the leaf litter otherwise. Right in the center of this bitty patch is a shooting star sending up it's flower stalk. I sure hope the dear don't devour them this year like they did last year. The state flower of Wisconsin is the violets and we have a bunch. 5 different colors actually. I tried to get a picture of them, but it's pretty blurry. I'll try again. We have white, red-violet, blue-violet and another shade of blue-violet and even yellow. Too bad they are so small; even smaller than the anemones.

I've done a bit of sewing, mostly in preparation for Quilt Market. I quilted another top and have another on the frame now. Two bindings also were done with one to go. That's the one on the frame now. Market has been on my mind lots and my sewing room looks like it. Some of the quilts are heaped in a pile on the floor. You will notice they aren't folded. I try to avoid folding cause I really don't like those permanent creases that can develop on the fold lines.

Things have also been busy at Studio 3. Five new gals have joined the rest of us. Only one of them is a real novice. The others just want to "Learn the right way". They are all real nice and I am looking forward to getting to know them and teaching them things like how to turn the rotary cutter on and off. If I don't write again this month you will know what I am doing.