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Best Friends Forever

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Do you have a BFF?  A girlfriend that you can’t imagine life without?  Someone that you share EVERYTHING with?  I am fortunate in having several best friends.  If you have attended the Academy, I’m sure that you have met them.  But one, Nancy S., and I seem to be joined at the hip. Lol.  Here is a typical day in our lives:

Barbara:  How are you coming with your new Wool Oak Mystery Quilt?

Nancy:  Pretty good, but a lot of the blocks have pumpkins in them, and I don’t have a lot of orange wool.

Barbara:  Well, where would you go to buy quality wool.

Nancy:  Nancy Nehez has been telling us that we should go visit Primitive Homespuns in Frederick, MD.

Barbara:  Great, I wanted to go back to Wilson’s in Hagerstown, MD  to match some background fabric.

Nancy:  It is about a 3 ½ – 4-hour drive.

Barbara:  Pack an overnight bag, we might find other Quilt Stores along the way.  I’ll bring the cooler and pick you up tomorrow morning about 7:30?

Nancy:  See you then!

After a GREAT day of traveling, shopping, and eating, we did stay overnight.  The next morning . . . 

Nancy:  Are you in any hurry to get home?

Barbara:  No, I just want to avoid the traffic around DC as it is Friday.

Nancy:  No problem.  Let’s go home via Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Barbara:  Let’s go.

We social distanced, and masked – but we got back to a new normal; staying at a hotel, eating outside and inside restaurants . . . but more importantly . . . spent time together in our favorites pastime . . . shop hopping!

That’s how we roll!  Ha Ha.  Do you have a friend like that?  Thanks, Nancy, for a wonderful, spontaneous trip.

On The Road Again!

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I feel like I have been on the road forever; and I LOVE IT!  In April my friend Nancy S. and I went on the ultimate “road trip.”  We took a 2.000+ mile trip thru West Virginia; Amish Berlin, Ohio; Amish Shipshewana, Indiana; Shaker Village in Lexington, Kentucky; then back thru Virginia to Williamsburg.    I think we added up about (31) visits to quilt shops.  Our only rule was that we were not going to drive freeways, but take back roads only.  WHAT A TRIP!!   I loved it, loved it, loved it.  What beautiful country we saw, and fun excursions we had.  Here are a few pictures:

Then Nancy S. and I flew to Kansas City, MO to look at venues for our new venture AN APPLIQUE GETAWAY.  Again we put tons of miles on a rental car going back and forth between Missouri and Kansas.  Our daily morning conversation was:  What quilt stores are we going to visit today? And How many meals can we get in today?  Does it get any better?  We found some WONDERFUL quilt stores and DELICIOUS food!  One rainy night we decided to go to the show and saw the movie “Pom.”  If you haven’t seen it, for those that are my age and older, treat yourself!  I might suggest you get ready to laugh until you pee!

After being home for (4) days, I left for California to spend a week with Jacob (my youngest), his lovely wife Jennifer and the (2) grandsons (Elias, 4 and Oliver, 1).  Of course, we went to Disneyland and then Pirates Adventure Dinner Theater.  WE HAD A BALL!  Elias and Oliver even dressed as pirates for the evening.  It goes without saying that I visited quilt stores, also.  Fun was had by all!!!

Home again for another (4) days and I was off to spend a long day in Chantilly, VA (outside Washington, DC) at the Quilters Unlimited Quilt Show.

Home now, for a couple of weeks, I am teaching locally; working on the Academy of Applique catalog to be available August 3, 2019; stitching; and filling orders for HUZZAH QUILT SHOPPE.  A busy life, but a very fulfilling one.  I would LOVE to teach more . . . so . . . if you have a Guild or local quilt shop that would like to host an amazing appliqué teacher (if I do say do myself), I offer beginning as well as advanced classes; and will go ANYWHERE, literally.  Please feel free to pass on my name and contact information.

Enjoy the summer weather, and for now . . .

Keep Stitchin’

My Busy Winter

By Barbara|Uncategorized|1 Comment

I can’t believe that it has been SIX months since I last Blogged.  OUCH!  There goes last year’s resolution to blog monthly.  Oh well, I will try harder this year.  A lot has happened since I last wrote.  The FIFTH Academy of Applique took place the first part of March, 2019. A good time was had by all; thanks to the help of my family (sister Jane, sons Jacob and Tom, and daughter-in-law Jennifer), and friends (including husbands).  The number of attendees almost doubled from previous years, and yet everything remained organized and TONS of fun!  The pictures should be available on the website (www.academyofapplique.com) in the next couple of days.  Enjoy!  The store offered almost 400 bolts of fabric, books, patterns, and notions.  I have said before, but will again, that this is my FAVORITE week of the year!  As long as you come, I will host this event until I am too senile to remember to show up.  If you haven’t already, please sign up for information on the 2020 Academy by completing the “dancing” envelope on the website, or emailing me (Barbara@academyofapplique.com).  The Class Catalog will be available by August 3, 2019 with registration again on Labor Day September, 2, 2019.

I have been teaching and lecturing (well actually giving trunk shows), and have a pretty full schedule thru 2020.  It had been said that appliqué was “dead” here in Virginia . . . but . . . my local guild hired me for (2) classes, a beginners and an advanced appliqué class.  The beginner’s class had (48) students and the advanced had (30).  We bore MANY new appliquers and rebuffed the idea that no one wants to learn appliqué.  We had a BALL!  I must say, I LOVE teaching and traveling – perhaps a new niche?

I also, FINALLY, launched HUZZAH QUILT SHOPPE, an online quilt store specializing in reproduction civil war era fabrics and much more!  This was a steep learning curve for me as I.T. has always been my challenge.  Fortunately my BFF Nancy Swietek joined me on this journey, and good friends Peggy, Nancy N and Sue helped inventory and enter all of the products online.  WHEW!  This took hours and hours.  New fabrics arrive monthly, so visit the store often at www.huzzahquilts.com.

Nancy and I started a new venture – “An Applique Getaway.”  This will begin in the Fall of 2020 and will offer an additional time to appliqué and learn, for an intimate group of (20), meeting in the Midwest.  If you are interested in being on the list for more information, please email Nancy at anappliquegetaway@gmail.com.

I have also finished (3) new appliqué quilts.  So I guess in retrospect, although I think I twitter away many days, I AM moving forward.

Enjoy the beautiful Spring weather, and until me “meet” again,

Keep stitchin’

Thank You

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THANK YOU all for sending cards, letters, emails, phone calls, plants, flowers, food, chocolate and Kleenex after Rick’s passing.  These thoughtful gifts mean more to me than you know!  I have read, and re-read the messages often, and take much comfort from them.  The house is now full of life with the plants and flowers, which bring sunshine and happiness.  I am amazed at how many of you have gone through this same journey, and have come out the other side.  It truly gives me HOPE.

My brother and sister, Dick and Jane (don’t laugh), came out for a week to help me de-clutter the house of medical equipment, and Dick took on the task of organizing the garage.  WHEW!                                                                                                                                                 Yes, that is me, the shrimp, on the right!

Next, my son Jacob and grandson Elias came out for a week to help sort out computers and provide training to get the Class Catalog completed on-time.  THANK YOU, Jacob.  I couldn’t have done it without you.  His comment upon arrival was, “Wow, Mom.  I didn’t know that garages could house cars!”  And there is nothing to cheer you up more, or get your mind off of things, than an active (3) year old.  At my lowest (mentally and physically), Elias says “Grandma we have to dance!”  Does is get any better than this!

I swear this child is ALWAYS smiling!

I must admit that there have been a few “pity parties,” invitation – one; and some wandering aimlessly.  It has been stinkin’, stinkin’ hot and muggy; all of which attributed to my lack of motivation.  This is a new stage in my life, and a new rhythm that I am trying to get used to.   Not only have I been raising kids (and husbands) since I was eighteen, I have only lived alone for about 2 – 3 months in the last 46 years.  It is definitely different!!!

I pulled these unfinished blocks out of a drawer, spruced them up, and sewed them together for a new quilt top.  I am going to add one more brown (with pink flowers) border, and call it done!  Again, quoting my friend Sharon – “done is better than perfect.”  I was agonizing over the VERY small bird beaks, then decided to paint them in.  Maybe not perfect – but done (Sharon will be so proud).

Now I am motivated to start another project – I think one of Irene Blanck’s called Chocolate Mint Sundae.

Stay cool, and get ready for Registration on Labor Day, September 3, 2018 at noon EST.  “See” you then!

GIRLFRIENDS

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“Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without then.” Anna Taylor

To tell you something about myself, I have never been one to have girlfriends.  Sure, I have had tons of acquaintances (having been in the professional arena for forty years, involvement in church, playing in the symphony orchestra, signing in choirs . . .and of course quilt groups), but only a couple of people I would call girlfriends.  Being a single mother of two boys, I had been raised to figure it out for myself, that to ask for help was a sign of weakness; to NEVER cry; in other words to “suck it up, buttercup.”   But this all changed two years ago when Rick (my husband) became critically ill. Devastated by the news, I had no idea what to do. And I could do nothing BUT cry.

My first thought was how to get out of this black hole I felt I was falling into.  There is a quote by Marlene Dietrich that says “It’s the friends that you can call up at 4:00 a.m. that matter.” And that is exactly what I did.  At o’dark thirty on Friday, June 3, 2016 I reached out to an appliquer.  Someone I knew, but not a BFF . . . not yet.  I was sooo distraught I couldn’t even talk (which for me is almost FATAL).  I dialed the number and had to hand the phone to a nurse who told the appliquer that I had just received bad news and wondered if she could come and sit with me.  Without hesitation, she did – driving 40 miles in the darkness of the early morning hours.  The rest is history.

From that single outreach, and the supportive, caring, and compassionate reception I received from that ONE appliquer, I learned that it is OK to ask for help, to reach out, and that it doesn’t show weakness.  I learned the meaning of this quote from Cicero “Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.”  What an impact that one appliquer has had on my life!

This appliquer said that the whole appliqué group wanted to help, and I should let them.  I slowly, one by one, “reached out to them.”  It wasn’t easy at first, but what a wonderful feeling that I wasn’t going thru life’s highs and lows alone.  My appliqué group has supported me, fed me, let me cry on their shoulders, and been there for me thru thick and thin for at least the last two years thru Rick’s medical challenges.  In fact this picture, given as a gift by another appliquer, hung in Rick’s hospital room for almost a year, then in his room at home.

Unfortunately, I had to call on my friends again two weeks ago, when tragically Rick lost his battle with heart disease – passing away on July 5^th.   Rick and I felt privileged that God had given us two extra years together, and appreciated every day, calling it “quality bonding time.”  I KNOW that I couldn’t have made it through all of this without the love of these girlfriends – their support and help.  Once I get a chance to process everything and catch my breath, I hope I can be an equally good friend to each and every one of them, especially Nancy, my o’dark thirty hero.

Happy Spring from Williamsburg, VA

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It seems like forever since I’ve had a chance to blog.  The 2018 Academy of Applique was a tremendous success and a good time was had by all.  I thoroughly enjoy Academy week – seeing old friends, and making new.  Although it takes a lot of coordination to align all of the moving parts, it truly is a vacation for me!  Wait until you see who is coming to teach in 2019.

After the Academy, and a short stint in the hospital to have kidney stones removed, I finished my brown and pink Lily Rosenberry quilt – it needed two borders at Academy time.

Then I moved on to working on my Ladies of the Sea quilt.  The blocks are all done and rigging embroidered; tons of half square triangles made, borders are completed and thanks to my friend Sharon Noble, the ship names are all machine embroidered as well. All I have left is (3) more Mariner Compass corner blocks .

I also finished a baby quilt for my newest grandson Oliver, and an “I Spy” quilt for his older brother Elias.  Enjoy the Grandma “brag” pictures below.

This is a 3D Bowtie quilt.  His father (Jacob) learned to stitch this block when he was about 8 years old – so the pattern has a lot of family significance,

My friend Nancy Swietek and I went to “Spring Market” in Portland. I had never been, but it was almost overwhelming.  We got to see what is new in the quilting world,  met some potential new teachers, and purchased some wonderful books and patterns for the store (Huzzah Quilt Shoppe).  In my spare time I have been working with a Consultant on the HUZZAH QUILT SHOPPE website.  I am thrilled with the progress, and am confident it will be online within the next month.  HUZZAH recently became a Valdani dealer.  We carry EVERY solid color of Valdani’s 12 weight cotton thread.  I must admit that getting the inventory was like Christmas!  This thread is beautiful and of the utmost quality.  It is great for wool, or as an embellishment for appliqué.

It didn’t seem like I had accomplished much in the 10 weeks since we were together . . . but as I write this, maybe I have completed more that I thought.

Have you signed up for our mailing list?  If not, now is the time.  I am “blasting” out information weekly about the 2019 Academy of Applique teachers and projects.  The Class Catalog will be available August 4, 2018 and registration begins at noon EST, on Labor Day, September 3, 2018.

Keep Stitchin’

Ladies of The Sea Update

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How is your summer?  Have you had time to enjoy the great outdoors while balancing enough time to stitch?  It has been beautiful here in Virginia!  Here is my progress on Ladies of the Sea and a couple of random tips.  All of the ships are appliquéd, and about a quarter are embroidered with their rigging lines.  My friend Sharon offered to stitch the ship names on her embroidery machine – THANK YOU!  I was worried about inking as my hands shake too much.

I thought I would get clever with the riggings and use one strand of embroidery floss for the sails and  #12 pearle cotton for the rigging.  I also found a “rope” embroidery stitch that I was bound determined to use.  The first problem was that the rope stitch was like “tatting” . . . where you stitch for a half hour, then push the stitches together and have about an eighth of an inch of stitching complete.  UGH!  This would take me the rest of my life to complete the rigging (I am NOT young!)  I got over that stitch REAL quickly.  Taking my lead from Sue Garman, I decided to use the old reliable outline stitch.  After completing the sail on the far left, I felt that this combination of embroidery floss and pearle cotton was too thick and would overpower, or distract your eye from the appliquéd ships.  So I abandoned this idea, too.  After this “false” start, I decided on a variegated King Tut 40/3 thread for the sail definition, and one strand of black embroidery floss for the rigging.  I completed the rest of the block this way, and will tear out and re-stitch the far left sail.  Just my experience. 

Now I am working on the first border.

PS – Mrs. J.O. you were right!  The border has taken me almost a week to get ready to stitch.  Signed, “Mrs. Smarty Pants.”  The other problem I am encountering is that the borders are not nearly as portable as a ship block.  Rick had some medical challenges this past week that landed us back in the hospital several days – so stitching on the border was not an option.  We are back on track now!

What are you working on?  Please send pictures.

Don’t forget, the Class Catalog for the 2018 Academy of Applique will be available August 5, 2017  and Registration is Labor Day, September 4, 2017 at noon EST.

Keep Stitchin,

Ladies of the Sea Quilt

By Barbara|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Life is good, all the time!  Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming, the leaves are in full foliage, it is not too hot (yet), and we are enjoying Spring showers.  What a perfect time to stitch!  About six weeks ago I challenged all of those interested, to complete a Sue Garman quilt or block to be displayed at the 2018 Academy of Applique as our homage to Sue – a talented quilter, designer, and teacher.  Sue will be sorely missed, and I would like her family to know how far her “reach” was, and how many quilters she touched and inspired.  I was recently asked if this includes pieced quilts.  OF COURSE!  Anything, and everything, Sue Garman is welcomed and encouraged.

As promised, I have been feverishly working on my “Ladies of the Sea.”  Here are a couple of pictures to show my progress. I decided to do all of the appliqué first, then the embroidery.

My friend Sharon printed papers for me, so I could paper piece the 300 or so half square triangles that are needed for (2) borders.  Thanks Sharon, this will help TONS!  I don’t know why I was so intimidated to start this quilt.   I found a method that allows me to finish (at least the appliqué portion of the block), from start to finish in about (3) days.  Here is my schedule:

Day 1 –  Tape the pattern together for one block

Copy the block onto transparency film

Copy the block onto freezer paper

Cut out all pattern pieces from the freezer paper

Iron onto corresponding fabric

Trace around pattern pieces

Cut out pieces adding a seam allowance (I prefer the needle turn method)

Iron the background fabric, ironing in registration lines both vertical and horizontal

If there is a “stem wreath,” assemble the paper pattern with background fabric on top of the light box – glue the stem wreath down – remove from light box.

Scotch tape the transparency on top of the background fabric, and using this as a guide, glue ALL pieces down (I just put a couple of dots of Roxanne’s glue down the center of each piece.  This way, if I need to “move” it out of the way to stitch another piece beneath it, I can just fold it out of the way.)  Gluing ALL pieces at once stabilizes the block and eliminates unnecessary stitching, as it is easy to see where one piece might fit under another piece.

This whole process, for me, takes about (2) hours; the same amount of time as any old Doris Day or Debbie Reynolds movie.  You can listen to the movie, and don’t need to watch intently. Right? You know the plot.  The boy gets the girl.  Sometimes I listen to books on “tape.”  I also enjoy this when I hand quilt in my frame.

The other “trick” that I use comes from doing a lot of counted cross stitch in years past.  I thread several needles with all of the required thread colors to work my way up one side of the block.  That way I can stitch the vine until I come to a leaf, “park” my vine needle while I stitch the leaf, then continue on with the vine.  This saves tons of time threading and rethreading the needle.

It takes me about (2) days to stitch the block.  Voile!  16 ship blocks and (4) over the top borders, and the top will be complete.  It really is going fast!!!

Please send pictures of your progress (this means you Susan, ha ha) and I will post them.

For now, keep stitchin’

Barbara

How Was Your Summer?

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How was your summer? Did you get a lot of stitching done, travel, or just relax?  What a summer Rick and I have had!  First off, it was just plain STINKIN hot here.  My son Tom came to visit from Arizona, and said that it was hotter and muggier here than at home.  I didn’t think any place was hotter than Tucson!!  Rick is overcoming some health issues and is well on his way to being “fit as a fiddle.”  I had cataract surgery that was a huge success, and I am once again appliqueing my heart (and fingertips) out.  I could not applique for almost (6) months, and my fingers literally itched constantly to get a needle back in them.  I did make a couple of quilts for my newest grandson, Elias.

I am currently working on a pattern called Brown Sugar from Keepsake Quilting, but, my friend Sharon Noble has picked up her Ladies of the Sea blocks again and is well on her way to completion. I feel the implied challenge and want to finish mine as well.  Thanks to my friend Lee Wallingford, I was also bitten with English Paper Piecing, and have spent some “quality” time with those little bits of paper.  What are you working on?  If you send pictures, I will post them.

So what do you think of the teachers and classes scheduled for the 2017 Academy of Applique? I think we get better and better each year, don’t you.  I know that I surely learn a lot each year!!!  Rick and I started this Academy to provide anything and everything (well almost) that you appliquers requested, and to share our passion for the art of applique.  So please, keep those suggestions coming!  We are here for you, and consider ourselves mere facilitators.

Just a reminder, registration for the 2017 Academy of Applique is this Monday (Labor Day) starting at noon EST. All instructions can be found under the “Registration” tab on the main menu at www.academyofapplique.com.  Class descriptions, teacher bios, and other misc. information can be found in the Class Catalog.  This can either be viewed online under the “Classes 2017” tab, or printed.  The .pdf icon is the large red button (“Download PDF File”) in the upper right hand side of the “Week at a Glance” page.  Please remember to register on Monday, as many classes fill within a couple of hours, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out.

Also, we are continuing our “Bring a Friend” promotion. If you are new to the Academy, or if your friend is new, we will give you each $50.00 off of your registration fees.  If you invite enough friends, your registration could be free!

Well, that is it for now. “Talk” to you Monday, Registration Day.

Keep Stitchin’

2016 Academy of Applique

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This is a view of the James River from the side of the Kingsmill resort that backs up to the river view. The classrooms and lunch ballrooms have this view as well it is seriously beautiful. There was a lite dusting of snow the night before but it warmed slightly and it melted before we could snap a photo for posting.

Everything is going great the students are having a wonderful time learning the latest applique techniques from the fabulous array of teaching on staff this year.

This is a photo of Quilting Hall of Fame inductee Mimi Dietrich providing instruction. She is the best representative of the kind of people involved in quilting.  Everyone is having a great time the food is fabulous and I write this late Thursday night while we receive a lite dusting of snow.

If you didn’t make it to this years Academy of Applique you’re missing out on a great quilting experience.  Phillis we miss you this year, and hope everything is ok your humor kept us smiling for a week last year.

Cori Blunt is new to us this year and creates stunning embellishment like nothing I have ever seen. From her students to teaching staff we are all just stunned at the quality of her projects.