Deep Thoughts, Quilt Shows, Upcoming Group Therapy aka Quilting Club at Gathering Stitches

FIRST, what's coming up at Gathering Stitches:  Starting in October, we are going to have "Stashaholics" group, the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 6ish to 9ish and we are going to work on projects, get inspiration and all kinds of tips and tricks.  Go to the website or call Julie to sign up - there are a few spaces left!!  We are encouraging attendance by having you purchase a passport (stashport?) for $20, then if you attend at least 9 sessions in 12 months, you get a $20 gift certificate to spend in the store.  So, basically get your $ back for just coming to hang out and sew!!  We will have projects and organized scrap exchanges, but also you are welcome to bring whatever you want to work on during that time.  No machine? no problem.  We have those too.

Upcoming projects and tips include a snowman wall hanging, pinwheel pincushions, paper piecing, string quilts, monster mash, applique, crayon totes, art quilts, circle play, tee-pee play quilt . . . ooh you just better sign up.

What's on deck?  Well here is what my table looked like last week, fixin' to cut up some Potluck by my buddy Sandy's American Jane fabrics for this Bull's Eye quilt from the book, Triple Play Scrap Quilting by Nancy Allen:

It is now all cut out and ready to sew! baby sew! 

(I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy in Portland and she is super sweet! Her book has a great theme to it for those who love scrap quilting - each quilt is shown in 3 ways: planned, coordinated and make-do)

DID SOMEONE SAY, QUILT SHOW ROADTRIP?

Brian is deep in thought . . . probably thinking about all the awesome quilts we are about to see.  Our state capitol hosted a quilt show in the "Roundhouse" and a group of us went by train to check it out.  ("Roundhouse makes me think of this guy, and the line from Napoleon Dynamite - "You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys? Forget about it."

Anyhoo, on with the quilts:

 Stunning, inspiring.  AND so colorful.
Outside, we relaxed and I took some pictures of the pretty plants:

Back at the ranch, I got to quilt this cute little quilt for my pal Connie:

We had a Nolting machine to set up in Alamogordo and stopped at the ruins in Abo for a spectacular early morning walk:

And we hammed it up at the Pistachio Ranch

 where we saw all kinds of nuts:

I made a little 22" square shop sample from 2.5" candies in Moda's Vin du Jour fabric line

and the pattern in Moda's candy book, "Oh Sew Sweet"

Here is the quilting that I decided upon -- random swirly feathers, just completely winging it (so to speak)

A customer table runner, used Floriani metallic in the center for the flower designs:

I leave you with this text exchange I had with my older son.  I really love texting my kids.  They r so funny!