My Happy Place

 Hello Everyone,

Yesterday I put all quilting aside and we headed to Yosemite for the day which is only 2 hours away from us.  The view of Bridal Veil Falls with Half Dome in the distance is always spectacular from the Tunnel View location.

El Capitan is always impressive.  For the life of me, I will never understand how or why climbers want to spend the night perched on the face of it suspended by a few cables then climb to the top. 

The road to Glacier Point just opened up for the season for a spectacular view of Half Dome and two the waterfalls.  This is where we stopped to enjoy our bagged lunch.  It was a very quiet lunch while we absorbed the beauty of our spot. 

Yosemite Falls was roaring its way down to the Merced River.  Mazey is such a good little traveler, and we are constantly stopping so she can sniff her way through the park.  She made so many new friends yesterday as many people asked if they could give her some love. 

The closer we walked to the fall, the louder the roar of the water and the temperature dropped significantly.

Then we took a slight detour and drove to Hetch Hetchy reservoir and saw the O'Shaughnessy dam.  This is an engineering marvel to transport this water to the San Francisco area. 

It was on one of those little side trips when you experience serendipity and we ended up at Evergreen Lodge for a gourmet dinner.......out in the middle of nowhere!

Today it's back to quilting and designing.  I've been working on my newest design called Simply Elegant Red. The design features the large floral print in Gentry's Mill.  It is only 9 blocks so it's a nice size for a lap quilt. I have enough bolts of the fabric lined up in my hallway to make kits.  Simply Elegant Blue is next.

There are times when Mr. Joe knows that I've been working too hard and he needs to get me out of the cabin so I can focus my view farther away than my sewing machine at the end of my nose.  Yesterday was a much-needed break.

Soon,

Lynn

My Hearthstone Room

 Hello Everyone,

Today was the day I decided it was time to remove the flannel sheets.  Before I knew it, one thing led to another, and the entire bedroom was cleaned and the quilts changed around.  I'm calling it my Hearthstone room as everything you see has been made using my Hearthstone fabric line.   

SPRING FROLIC is at the foot of the bed.  LAUREL RIDGE, the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show is on the wall along with the little DOUBLE DUTCH TREAT table topper.  EMILIE ELIZABETH is over the bed, made and gifted to me by my dear, dear friend Deborah from Michigan. BRIDLE PATH is on the bed.  

This is the first time I've had them all in the same room together and they are getting along nicely!

When I first started quilting which seems as though it was back in the Stone Age, I wanted to learn how to make quilts so I could decorate my home in beautiful quilts. After all of these years, I making my dream come alive.

Every room in the cabin is filled with quilts which I rotate on a regular basis. I wanted our bedroom to be more 'Spring-like' so that started this entire cleaning process today.  I wish I could say it feels like Spring, but it's a bit chilly and dripping outside and we have a fire going in the great room to take the chill off.  

Speaking of fabric lines, I just sent off a presentation for a new line to Marcus Fabrics this morning.  Will it work in my Heathstone room......inquiring minds want to know?  Stay tuned and find out.

Soon,

Lynn

Gentry's Mill Tutorial Month #3

 Hello Everyone,

I'm a couple of days late in posting.....sorry.....the retreat took high priority.  The tutorial for Month #3 is now available for download HERE.

This is an attractive and easy block to make, and you will zip right through making four of them.

Make sure you starch your fabrics first, as you will be cutting the center section on the bias.  I know, it's a cardinal no-no, but you do what you have to do to make the block look good.

I'm knee deep in the design of a new fabric line.  If all goes well, it should be rolled out to the Marcus sales staff in the Fall of 2025.  I really have to get my act together and totally focus on the designs for the fabric and the quilt.  There is a lot of back and forth between the graphic artists at Marcus and me to make sure the new line is the bees knees or the cat's pajamas.  No, there aren't any insects or cats in my next design!  How did those phrases every get started? 

Two large boxes and 14 bolts of fabric were delivered to the cabin yesterday.  I have an idea for a new design using Gentry's Mill fabrics. I want to showcase the large floral.  I think it is going to be an easy and classic design. 

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend. 

Soon,

Lynn

Stardance Kits

 Hello Everyone,

I've been taking it easy after my Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat.  There is still a lot of paperwork to finish up, and I'm taking my time. I listed some Stardance kits in my Etsy shop.  I have a lot more bolts of fabric so I can make more kits over the summer.

The kits are packaged in a versatile Sew'n Wild Oaks tote bag.  I've been told the bags are great to take when traveling by air as they hold a lot and will fit nicely under your seat.  The kits are available HERE.

There are 31 different fabrics in this scrappy quilt.  The bags are heavy as eighteen yards of fabric are in each kit.  The kits are a combination of my Hearthstone and Gentry's Mill fabric lines.

Today I will be finishing up the tutorial for Month #3 for Gentry's Mill.  I'm a bit behind since I was gone all last week enjoying myself at the retreat.

Bocce Ball is in full swing up here in the mountains.  Mr. Joe is the bocce organizer for his SIRS men's group.  Luckily, we women get to participate.  Maybe because we women supply the appetizers for the evening and we know those men like to eat!

Soon,

Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat

 Hello Everyone,

It's hard to know where to begin when reflecting on all the wonderful memories made at this week's retreat. Here's just a glimpse of the stunning projects and the incredible people gathered at Snowflake Lodge. This particular block is from my Bridle Path pattern, beautifully made by Deborah.

Jocelyn has been making blocks from Lil' Orphan Scrappy with a black background.  When she placed them on teal, we all knew this quilt is going to be a 'stunner'.

Here is a Lucy Boston block in the making by Paula using my Gentry's Mill fabric line.

This is one of Paula's finished blocks.

When I'm not teaching my little mini-classes, I'm walking around the room and taking pictures of beautiful fabrics and projects in the making.

This is a Calico Cottages quilt in the making.

Angie finished all of her basket blocks for Month 5 of the Laurel Ridge quilt which is the 2025 BOM for The Quilt Show.  The blocks are so well done.  She was on a mission to finish them this week. 

Bridle Path blocks.  Look and appreciate how the plaid lines up around the blocks.

Susie does a buttonhole stitch by hand around her applique.  It's amazing!

There were a lot of retreat attendees from the Independence Hall Quilt Guild located right here in Arnold, CA.  It was so much fun for me to get to know all of them better.

Carolyn captured Snowflake Lake with a true artist’s eye, highlighting its beauty in this photo. The quilters often enjoyed leisurely strolls around the lake, taking in the peaceful surroundings. On the retreat’s first morning last Sunday, a dusting of snow added a magical touch. Throughout the week, we experienced dramatic claps of thunder, a refreshing rain shower, and stunning moments of blue skies with fluffy white clouds

This photo captures an extraordinary group of warm, generous, and witty women—each one a remarkable quilter.

Soon,

Lynn

Sew'n Wild Oaks Retreat Day Three

 Hello Everyone,

Here's another mini quilt show produced by the Sew'n Wild Oaks Quilters. This show is so good, I think I should charge admission.  Enjoy!

Some of the girls took a break for a walk around Snowflake Lake and enjoyed seeing the dogwood.

Today is our last full day and it will be filled with label making, a Stardance tutorial, group picture, cabin tour, more eating, more drinking, and yes there will be a whole lot of quilting going on!

Soon,

Lynn