Oh no, a Quiltnado

First there was Sharknado, and if that wasn't scary enough, now there's this ....

beware, this perilous phenomenon could be headed your way! 

It can strike without much warning and leave behind a massive trail of debris. 

 my recent category 2 quiltnado 

"Quiltnado"

noun \'kwilt -'n ā - dō\

definition:
A very intense squall consisting of fabric, thread and sewing tools.
Known to strike suddenly, very often coming on the heels of a quilt related activity such as
a guild meeting, fabric shopping, or blog hopping.

example:
"I was going to do some laundry, but before I knew it, a very intense quiltnado hit."

Intensity ranges:
category 1  - Mild, generally only lasts 1 hour or less and leaves behind a very small debris field.
category 2 - Moderate, can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours and usually involves a combination of newly purchased and stash fabric. A moderate debris field that includes many fabric and pins.
category 3 - Severe,  a quiltnado in this category can easily last a day or longer. The debris field is very widespread and may include candy wrappers, coffee cups, ignored family members, backed up text messages, massive amounts of fabric, pins, empty spools and pizza boxes.

origin:
www.thistledownblog.blogspot.com
www.thistledownquilts.com 


There is not much you can do to ward off a large quiltnado. The best course of action is to make sure you have plenty of supplies on hand,  (including chocolate) then hunker down behind your sewing machine and ride it out. WOO HOO!

When was the last time you've been hit by a quiltnado? What category was it ?

on the road....with quilters

Ah yes,  another quilt retreat has come and gone, but what a retreat it was. Of course all good retreats begin with the road trip to get there. WOO - HOO!
This year my friend Karen was the driver and I, the navigator. This usually works out quite well, I said usually. Last year there we took a small unintended detour. Oops.

This year things went very well. We started out in the morning and met up in Sarasota with our friend Fran (aka Frannie). We had decided to go to Yoder's Amish restaurant for lunch before hitting the quilt shop. Hard to shop on an empty tummy.
If you are going to be in Sarasota, love good homemade food, and are hungry, then Yoder's is a must. They were featured on an episode of Man vs Food. You can see the video clip on their website. Warning .....it will make you hungry.

Anyway, we all sat down and then started placing our orders. When it came to choosing our side dishes we decided to all get something different, and then share. Sounds like a plan..... well, when the waitress came to our table and set our "sides" down in front of us, we all burst into peals of laughter. OMG and OMG again! See for yourself..... we could have shared with the entire restaurant.

would you call these "side" dishes?

We knew there was NO way we could, or would want to, finish these tasty, but decadent plates of food. I do confess however, that the still warm, homemade chips were very good, as were the very tender onion rings. Needless to say, we left with the plates still mostly full and with very full tummies too.
Just one more thing.... Yoder's happens to have the BEST homemade pies and I LOVE apple pie. I have had their apple pie before, and just couldn't leave without some, and so we left, full and giggling with an apple pie in tow.
Luckily, we were headed to retreat where the salad bar rules with lots of healthy choices.

This is all that was left of a large apple pie on the last day of retreat... I did share it....

sharing the apple pie with "Olivia"

Our next stop was Alma Sue's Quilt shop where Fran wanted to see about having her gorgeous quilt hand quilted by the Amish women there. It's a very nice shop and sure enough there were two older Amish women sitting at the quilt frames, quilting away by hand. I found a couple of things while there....more on that next time. Until then......

a true labor of love....by Fran

Do you like cheddar?

How about cheddar quilts?
On my recent visit to Wisconsin I was fortunate to have been there while the Wisconsin Museum of Fiber Arts in Cedarburg  had an exhibit of antique cheddar quilts.
What a perfect match.....Wisconsin and cheese. 

I loved this exhibit, and snapped off a few images to share with you.

Sunburst  or Wheel of Fortune variation - maker unknown circa 1855

sunburst - maker unknown - circa 1855

Oak leaf and reel - maker unknown - circa 1880's

Lady of the Lake - maker unknown circa 1890's

Lady of the Lake closeup

Great quilts aren't they? Orange you glad you took a look?  hahahaha...couldn't help myself.

me and my lovely mom

my great dad

 I will share more soon, along with some cool shots of the restored barn the museum is housed in, right now I need to go finish packing.
 I am heading back to Wisconsin again... my dad is having some surgery.
Keep us in your prayers.
Linda

Creative cravings.....

OMG, I should finally have my taxes finished this week (yes, I know) and then I have plans to do some major stitch-a-thons in my studio. I think my new sewing machine must think I don't like it, as I have not been spending much time with it.

The "season" in S. Florida is always a busy time for everyone, between visitors, extra hours at work, lots of seasonal events, and the holidays. Although the weather is now turning towards the summer heat, I do look forward to the slower pace of summer in Florida. Also find that I am more creative in the Spring & Summer months. I suppose because things are a bit less hectic. Do you have a time of year that you are more creative?

Next week 2 of friends and I will be spending a day at at my friend Cathi's for a day of creative play. We plan on trying a whole bunch of surface techniques. I will remember to take pictures to share with you.

Have you tried any new techniques lately????? What were they???

Check out Leah's (the free motion quilting project ) creative play that she posted recently.

I am also working on a little handmade piece for a giveaway, hint.....if you have grandchildren or little ones at home stay tuned.

Well, I better go back to my paperwork.....groan, because the sooner I am done the sooner I can play!