OMG....Just One Hour

Tonight I peeled out one hour and did something really fun.  I have two alphabet quilts that I pulled out of my "to be fi
nished" stack.  I loved applique-ing the quilts.  I knew that quilting

Re-Energize & Be Inspired

The full moon coming languishing in the sky over the ocean at sunrise was my beckoning to explore the beach this morning at Fort Myers, FL.  While I am an early riser, I am not often inspired to go outside and push my muscles.  However, that nagging moon called me to the seaside faster than I often venture out of my warm, cozy bed.

Holiday Sewing

When the family is home for the holidays, after many of the traditional holiday rituals, we tend to fall into a ritual of finding our way to the sewing room.  This year the sewing room is sporting a new feature--a television.  It has taken me a long time to make this decision.  However, as our family has matured, I can see that favorite movies, football and laughing at some shows is a together time.  While some of the family who enjoy the action, adventure fair for movies are in the family room, others have picked on favorites and now are loving having music from the 70s.  Nice addition.

Welcome to Iowa, Mr. H.P. Ueltschi

H.P. Ueltschi is the fourth generation owner of Bernina International.   We were privileged that he selected our store to visit on his recent trip from Switzerland to the USA.  More than 120 guests attended our Open House welcoming Mr. Ueltschi to our store.

Best Thing About Retreat

The best thing about retreat is the people.  Our daughters have been attending retreats with us as they were able ever since the beginning.  The girls are ages 18 to 28 and they still love to come to retreat at any given chance.  Our oldest daughter Monica lives in Detroit and while she doesn't get back often, retreat is a special time for her to re-connect with women who have impacted her life and whom Monica loves to share her love of sewing.

Birth of the Aliens

This is my last overnight at our weekend retreat, and I thought it important to announce that three aliens were birthed at this retreat.  The proud makers believed they were a bit weary looking and not photograph ready to be presented with their new-creations, Alien #1 and #2 and #3.  The Alien babies are awaiting appropriate names but it remains to be determined that the gender of the three before naming progresses.  Bill, Will and Tillie were vetoed.

Didn't Know You Could Draw

One day my daughter was helping me clean out a closet.  When she came across a couple of my drawings from high school, she exclaimed, "I didn't know you could draw!"  Funny things we don't much reveal about ourselves.  It is also very telling to me that drawing and creating is hard for me to find time for.

Life Happens...Just My Turn

I have had a couple friends complain that I am not keeping up on my blog.  First off, I want to thank the two of you who have prodded me <grin>.  And of course, you know who you are!  But, more important, it is always a good reminder that life happens and it is my turn.  This is not to say that I am not inspired ("Jill Inspired").  But rather I have been so inspired and have had a chance to see so many insights that I am nearly breathless with all the inspiration around me and haven't been able to juggle the priorities around to documenting this journey.  While I could express regret that I've not done more, I try hard to never live in regret.  So, let's just take the newest happenings....

Combining Art Forms

Having been a doodler and one enchanted by drawing, I have found myself playing more with drawing to translate to my sewing.  The brain can see what the hand imitates regardless if it is a pen, a crayon, a free-motion dance of the sewing machine or even drawing in the sand!

Retreat Memories

Has it REALLY been a week since I was on retreat?!  I think the euphoria of sewing for four days has left me a bit dazed.   I am amazed at how much everyone else gets done.  They are all a bit modest when we take pictures (as you will soon see). But, what they accomplished is no small feat!  I loved every show and tell that we got to see.  We had brand new sewers on this retreat and experienced.  We all had a great time...got some rest, got in lots of sewing and even enjoyed a massage. 

It was fun to see people sparking off other peoples' ideas.  Judy came not sure what to do with a panel she wanted to work on and then was inspired by Lisa's work on a panel she was making for a toddler's quilt.  And they BOTH got their projects done within hours of each other. 

Some people were drinking coffee to wake up in the morning.  Others would drink caffeine to stay awake into the night.  It was a very eclectic time frame.  I love most that everyone is quite comfortable doing their own schedule.   Therese told me recently when she was a little girl, she would long to be a grown up so she could do what she wanted to, when she wanted to.  I laughed and asked her how it was working for her now.  But, I think her description of "being grown up" is what retreat is...doing what you want to, when you want....

When I got to the last day of retreat, I was scrambling around because I realized I hadn't cut out all of my applique pieces.  Visioning what it was going to take, I was sure that I would start losing applique cut-outs on my way home.  Memories of "...where did that go..." and "...how could I have lost a snowman applique..." haunted me.  On the last day, I ironed together (onto my Applique Pressing Sheet) all the lonely pieces so that they were matched up and ready once I had more time to finish my applique.

I even shocked myself that when I got home on Sunday night, I went immediately to my sewing room, unpacked everything and finished cutting and ironing my last row.  The memories of things I have lost and misplaced must have really spooked me.  Or, I was wholly inspired by those project-finishing retreaters I'd spent the weekend with! 

Wonder if that is wisdom kicking in or is it fear that I will forget where I left off?  Whatever it is, I don't really mind because as I age and lose more bits of my memory I realize there are some things I should have lost...like regret and self-recrimination. 

I certainly came home rested and kicked back a bit and soaked up the last of my retreat experience (oh, and that might be WHY the April calendar didn't get posted until April 2).  None of this seems like a good reason to be tardy or fall behind on deadlines....but I know my family was sure happy to see a rested Jill return home.   For my part, I was excited at how much inspiration got sparking around my brain.   So refreshing! 

Our fall retreat is November 4-5-6-7.  Mark your calendar.  Shalom Retreat Center is one of the best getaways I have ever been to.  Private and semi-private rooms, beautiful surroundings, ample sewing space, fabulous food...the best! 
I am also so excited because this week, Therese and I pulled together many of the events we are working on for the next eight months.  With a family wedding, summer vacations and plans for more fun at the store, we had to get the things we really wanted on our calendar.    It was like a festival just planning all the guest speakers, making phone calls and making arrangements.  A visit from Kaye England in September, along with a presentation of Project Sewing Workshop with Linda Lee this summer...then a couple of days with Vicki Tracy at the store...this is sounding like a great party already.  Made a phone call to Ricky Tims to get some dates for a bus trip to Colorado.   We are getting ready to start our next BE THERE, GET YOUR SQUARE early this summer with batiks and the most amazing blocks you will ever see.   Want to keep up to date on all of these happenings, go to our web site www.pineneedles.net and register for the email that will keep you updated on the events at the store.

So many times when we are exercising our creative muscles, we think it is about what it is doing for us.  Yet, I think it is so much more about sharing and spreading happiness through encouraging creativity in others.

All the Best to You, jill

Sew...Eat...Sleep...Sew...

Another (of the millions) of good things about retreat is that I realize that I probably am not as productive sewing around my world because what I sew really does take a lot of time. 

I have been working on applique with "You Can Build a Snowman."  I have loved every part of this work and am now down to doing the blanket stitch.  I discovered a cool tip quite by coincidence.  Each row of this piece is very wide and not very tall.  Applique on this long segments means I would be handling a lot of raw edges as I am doing all the turning.  I backed my row with the Aqua Clean & Tear (which will be perfect for this project as I don't want to stress my stitching by all the pulling).  As I cut off a loooong strip of stabilizer to back the row, it curled up and rolled the fabric into the roll.  When I "let" the fabric roll inside the stabilizer, I realized that the long ends were now protected as I worked on the inside of my now-scrolled row of fabric.  This is an amazing revelation and is doing a great job of protecting not only the raw edges of my applique but also the outer edge of my strip.

Another thing I tried out was that each row I cut was a different width.  I hate standing at the cutting table and having to try to read and sort out all those different measurements.  I usually then mis-cut one of them as I forget the number as my eyes go from the pattern to my fabric and ruler.  So....I took my pigma pen and WROTE the size of the piece I was to cut on the selvage of each of the strips.  Writing them on the selvage is just fine because when I finish the height and go to cut the width, I will be cutting the selvage off.  WOW.  How much easier that was!

Hope you are retreating and sewing at least an hour today!  All the Best to You, jill

Did I Really Pack All THAT?

Hi ho...hi ho...it's off to retreat I go!!  Four days of sewing fun with my daughters and friends.  It does not get better than that.

I am not well-known for a lot of advance planning when I travel.  Being pretty low fuss, I am not terribly bothered by throwing everything in the suitcase the night before.  It seems if I start much earlier, I over-pack and over-fret.

However, when I considered this sewing retreat, I followed the advice of some very wise retreaters and did my cutting ahead and started the stacks of projects to pack.  I set them on a bench and just put them in a suitcase.  I was SURE that I had not over-packed and that I am absolutely going to get everything done this time.  Imagine my shock when I realized that AGAIN, I have filled an over-sized suitcase with projects.  I can ease my angst that some of this over-packing has batting in it.

We'll see how this trip goes.  I will post pictures of what I actually work on.  I consider a retreat successful not when I finish everything but that I TOUCH everything.  Some projects just need to be caressed and appreciated....and that might be enough for some of these beloved friends.

The precious applique piece you see in my suitcase is one of my favorite little patterns from The Country Quilter.  I have pulled together bundles of fabric for this adorable little quilt that I have loved for more than ten years.  I have saved this fun pattern that long for JUST THE RIGHT FABRIC.  Now to let the little planes SOAR!

All the Best to You, jill