Road to California, Day 1!

I know it is day 2 or 3 for some of the long arm teachers—they started on Monday in many cases! But today was the first day for me and it is oh so exciting!

Today’s workshop was Sister’s Choice……and I really really love this beginner-intermediate class!

My room came furnished with brand new fancy brother machines, and I had a brother rep, Coleen with me the whole day showing us how to set it for that perfect 1/4” seam, how to use the buttons, bells and whistles.

At first I thought “MACHINES PROVIDED, OH NO!!” because that meant every single person in the class would be sewing with a machine they were not familiar with, and I thought it would cause nightmares, but it turned out to be really fun, and if any of the students decide to purchase their machines, they will really get a super deal!

I had students from as far away as Maryland, and even some from Texas, so this is definitely a quilter’s mecca when January gets the blahs! It’s a bright and sunny oasis in the middle of the winter!

The pic you see above was my glimpse of set-up going on from the quilt show office windows above the show. I had gone in there to ask some questions ((And to tell them to turn our a/c OFF because it was starting to snow in our class room…lol!)) and I couldn’t resist whipping out my phone and snapping this pic from the window. I can hardly wait until the show starts “FOR REAL” tomorrow!

Here are a BUNCH of pics I took of people’s blocks today. They were all turning out SO great, and I love seeing the different color themes!

		Sister's Choice 1-19-2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

They were all so great! I keep thinking I need to retire this quilt and make a new one because it is one that is on my guest room bed a lot and has been washed and slept under and washed again and hauled around and the fabrics are starting to fade, but every one tells me that they LOVE how worn and cozy it looks and that IS the best life of a quilt after all, isn’t it? So…I keep dragging it around. Maybe one day I’ll make another one, only NOT. SO. BIG! ((You don’t believe that, do you??))

Tomorrow is going to be fairly crazy. I’ve got  someone coming with a Jeep at noon, meeting me to move the trunk show from the hotel room to the convention center because my lecture starts at 5pm, and class is out at 4:30pm…..do you see a time shortage here?! Never fear, we will get it sorted out, and go with the flow!

I’m off to take a long hot bath. I’m trying to stay up til 10pm west coast time so I don’t go too sleep too early and wake up at 4am again, but I think I’m fighting a losing battle. If I do wake up, there will be more hexagons

Hello, Ontario!

It’s not quite 6am here, but this is what happens when I pass out about 8:45pm last night after several nights of go go go! I woke up at 4am, and couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m just thinking about the show this week, the full schedule, the classes, the fun --yes of course the fun…the vendors mall, the quilts at the show, and friends that I’ll be seeing!

My friend Mickey arrived yesterday afternoon a couple hours after I did….and we’ve spent time catching up! She lives in the Chicago area, and this is the third quilty thing we’ve both taught at in the past year! We met at the Gulf States Quilting Association gathering in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and found out we were both teaching at the Virginia Consortium of Quilters event in Smith Mountain Lake last April. And here we are again!

While Mickey got settled in her room next to mine, I threw on the running shoes, and did myself a 5 mile power walk to get a lay-of-the-land so to speak. I can’t fully describe how WONDERFUL the sun felt! Yes, I was soaking up all the vitamin D that I could get, and I plan to do some more today when classes are over at 4:30

The yummies you see above are what was in my teacher goodie bag when I checked into the hotel! I’m loving this hotel…the room is large, and I’ll be setting up my featherweight to do some sewing this evening as well! That chocolate quilt?? Let’s just say it’s about 1/2 the size as you see here now..LOL! ((YUMM!!))

We had a staff dinner last night and it was so great meeting with everyone!

Here you see over 100 lbs of quilts ready for my classes and my lecture on Thursday night! The lecture is at a different location, so I’m going to have to bribe someone to help me get it all over there. Logistics logistics! Point A to point B. We’ll work it out! I figure I’ll make good friends with the people in my classes who have CARS!

Class quilts laid out and already to go! No wonder my bags were so full and heavy…all the quilts they chose were mega LARGE ONES! Maybe I should start making more place-mat sized quilts eh??

THESE took up no room at all and traveled in my bag with my clothes! I’m participating in the Roundabout on Friday evening, and doing a demo on Leaders & Enders. I thought these smaller samples would be a good way to decorate my table AND show people that you can put those bonus units to good use in quick action!

It’s fun for me to look at these and realize that all of them have been hand quilted while on the road traveling place to place to place. If I EVER finish this hexagon thing, there will be more small hand quilted projects in my future. Yes…Hexie is with me too, and I hope to get another border section attached tonight!

My friend Randy is coming down from the Santa Cruz area tomorrow, and she is going to be my book table girl for my lecture and the Roundabout. A truer friend there has never been and I’m so grateful she would just pop on down to spend a couple days with me here in the southern California sunshine!

Better get going….I’m meeting Mickey for breakfast in 45 minutes! Time to pull this all TOGETHER!

Come over to Sandi's!

I've been staying at Sandi's while enjoying my time in San Diego!

I wanted to do something a bit different, and I wrote today's blog post about my wonderful visit to San Diego on Sandi's Blog, as if I were talking to you from her house! Won't you come click over, grab a cuppa tea and visit us at

Kwiltnkats and give Sandi a little hello? I'm sure she'd love to know you enjoyed your visit!

See you There!

A Quick Hello!

First off! I just got a notice in my email that Word Play Quilts has FINALLY Shipped from Checker! The books will be waiting for me when I return from this trip on Feb 1st and I'll start mailing. It wasn't ME that delayed the shipment, I have no control over how long it took Checker to get them in stock and ship them to me. And I can't fill orders when I'm out of town. So I apologize for any delay. I'm doing all I can do--

I learned something yesterday! The plane I was flying on from Greensboro to Newark had NO row 13! Who would have guessed! Is this something that is universal, or just that plane? It went 12-14 but no 13. hmmmmm!

It was a long day yesterday, my flight leaving Newark was an hour late....we sat on the ground unable to take off. The Captain came on and said something about a "security breach" We never did find out what the security breach was..and finally we took off.

Why are plane seats SO uncomfortable?! I swear my tailbone was numb within the first 15 minutes. It was a 6 hour flight! No pillows! I did end up sitting on my sweater..

I think I've been spoiled. 757's have consoles to plug in your headphones and listen to music, or watch a movie....this was a 737 and had no movie, no music, no nothing! But I had my ipod and hexagons...6 HOURS of hexagons...I just can't sleep on a plane. It would have been hard because two guys behind me talked the whole way. Must be some well traveled guys, one of them was talking about a trip to climb Mt Everest?! Wow. I found myself with one ear bud in for music, and one out to listen to stories of mountain climbing. Who needs a movie? :cD

San Diego is beautiful to fly into at night! This is the first time I've ever been to San Diego, and I can't wait for today's adventures to begin.

Sandi suggested either WHALE WATCHING or a visit to the mission today, or BOTH! I'm game for whatever she has in store! Let's get this day going, shall we!?

Sweet Dreams!

I’m off in the morning! At least it isn’t one of those dreaded 6am flights where I have to be at the airport at 4:30am. Greensboro isn’t that big, but it gets me where I need to go and it is close!

It also helps to be on first name basis with several of the ticket counter employees! “It’s the Quilt Lady” one of them says to the other, and instructs the NEW employee on what I need, what is in the big green duffel bags, how to put the “priority” orange tags on them and how often they see me here.

I often wave to the shoe shine guy, his name is Horace and he has worked at the Greensboro airport forever! Yes, I’m on a first name basis with the shoe shine guy. Isn’t that fun? I love it when he sees me come home from a trip and says in his very deep North Carolina drawl -- “Welcome home, Miss Bonnie!” Yes, a welcome home is always welcome.

Thanks to flying often enough, I can check three bags free, and they can be up to 70 lbs each! I think I’ve filled these duffels as far as they can go. My clothing suitcase is almost packed, I’ve just gotta put the toiletry/cosmetic stuff in there after I am done using it after my morning shower.

I had to pack short sleeves for California, and long sleeves for Louisiana which is supposed to be in the mid 50s to low 60s while I’m there. I can sure use the sunshine--

I sewed most of the day! The rows are together on the quilt I’m working on ((Yes, these are for the NEXT NEXT book -- Always an exciting goal in front of me!)) And I found just the perfect border fabrics! Borders are on, backing is pieced – It will be ready to quilt when I get home. In two weeks.

I’ve packed fabrics for sewing in the hotel at night, when I get a chance, if I get a chance…we’ll see. I need about another gazillion half square triangles, and they are pretty brainless to do and don’t take up a lot of luggage space

As to the picture above? After staying in Eve’s bed at Lynn’s house – I said I was going to find some flannel sheets and I did -- Walmart was having a SALE! Any size for $15.00 for the set? WOAH! So now all the beds in my house have flannel sheets -- They’ve been washed & dried and put on the beds.  I even thought of buying extras to use as backing for future quilts. It’s fairly good flannel, 100% cotton --- colors were limited. They had solid tan, solid navy, plaid in blue/red, green/tan and a blue/green/tan stripe.  Doesn’t this look inviting?! Let me tell you – it’s calling to me right now. It’s 10pm, and it’s kindle time!

Y’all be good now!

What’s in YOUR Carry-on!?

I did just what I said I’d do yesterday! I focused on SEWING and I have blocks sewn into rows, and rows ready to assemble into a top! YAY! It felt great. I’ll be working on that more today.
I’ve enjoyed some evening stitching the past few nights, though Oscar decided that he’d had enough of me shooing him off my legs or lap every time I needed to readjust the quilt in the hoop, and found THIS cozy spot! Doesn’t he look content?
Last evening Mary asked me to show a picture of what I travel with. She wrote on our Quiltville Friends Facebook Page:

bonnie..could you please show us the tools you take on your plane trips that are allowed? i would love to sew on my trips but i am not sure what is permitted any more!

I thought this was a great idea! I am NOT traveling light this trip! I am leaving early Sunday morning for San Diego where I’ll be visiting with the Canyon Quilters Guild on Monday, and Tuesday I head up for the Road to California Quiltshow! Then on Monday early early I fly to Louisiana to visit with the Quilters Guild Acadienne in Lafayette, and then over to Baton Rouge for the River City Quilters, and finally over to the Day Dreamers Quilt Guild in Prairieville! ((sorry they have no link!)) I’ll be gone 2 weeks – 2 weeks full of fun and quilters! How do you pack for 2 weeks gone?
((BTW, I love being in Louisiana this time of the year! I’m Ragin’ for some Cajun!))
This is how I am traveling! My two big duffel bags are filled with 50lbs of quilts each! I have a suitcase for clothes—and the demo and class stuff I’ll need both for the Road to California show and the Louisiana classes. Those are all CHECKED baggage, luckily! But this….is how we roll:

**NOTE** This post was originally written years ago. I understand that the Avanti Rolling Tote has changed models and the bottom is NOT as roomy as this one ---please check before buying one that it WILL fit your featherweight.

This is my “Rick Steves” Avanti Rolling Tote! It fits under the seats on the plane, even the small commuter planes. This is important to me because a lot of the other bags have to be checked plane-side on the smaller planes. I don’t want my laptop or my featherweight subjected to the baggage compartment and freezing temps! ((BTW, Until I wrote this post I had no idea WHO Rick Steeves is…but he made good luggage! Now I know! ))

The front cover has a big zipper…and this is where my wallet, boarding passes, chap stick, pens, “purse stuff” goes. I don’t fly with a purse. Too much too much too much. Empty purse goes in the clothing bag and is checked. This wheelie bag has two side pockets, one for a water bottle and one for my phone! I go through security with the water bottle empty and fill it once I’m past security. I also keep those individual crystal light packets with me in the zipper pouch if I’m wanting something flavored. There is also a zipper below that big opening for things like phone charger cords, etc.

And yes, behind the big opening is ANOTHER zipper to a padded compartment for my laptop and kindle.

My featherweight fits just GREAT in the space provided! I put it backwards because it makes more space in the front for my busy-bag and the other zipper bag ((shown in pic above with the flip flops!)) for all the other cords we have to travel with…

See that flat tan thing behind the featherweight? It’s another compartment, and I keep one of those reuseable fabric grocery bags there folded flat, just in case I need to take home MORE than my Rick Steves bag can handle. We are allowed two carry-ons….and I keep this one just in case!

Of course you’ve seen this…a lot! And I still love it! Yes, it could be prettier, but I figure form follows function and I’d rather stitch hexagons than spend the time trying to make a prettier bag. The zipper pouch to the far LEFT holds all my sewing necessities:

Randy made me the blue zipper bag with the phones and scottie dogs on it! I keep my paper hexes in there. There is my spool of aurifil thread, the weird greeny-grey that I’ve been using. And my little needle book….I’ve got some pins and needles pinned into it, and there are more needles tucked down inside that pocket behind the scissors. The scissors are small enough they fit inside the needle book pocket. This keeps them from poking holes through anything, and I am less likely to lose them if they are contained!
And of course…my ever present ipod, with the pink ear buds! I did tell you that since I switched to pink ear buds that they don’t go missing anymore? The men folk don’t seem to want to be caught dead wearing pink ear buds, so I’m safe!

Blogging Addictions?

Is there such a thing?

I was following a link this morning and some how I ended up in a Blogging Addiction Quiz! Of course, I took the questions as a grain of salt, but it was humorous AND intriguing, and it has made me think!

Not very often have I posted to my blog more than once a day, and usually I have something I want to share. First and foremost I think of my blog as my own journal. Back in junior high and high school I think you could probably call me a journal addict too. I kept notebooks for thoughts, ideas, letters ---they are still in a box somewhere. I need to remember where so I can go burn them before my kids find them.. LOL!

So back to blogging….let’s see how I did shall we?

57%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

((Is 57% good or bad? I have no clue!?))

But this is something that I DO talk about a bit in my lecture. There is so much available to us as Quilters! Blogs, email lists, chat forums, facebook, yahoo chat, gmail chat, terrific websites with how-to-videos, subscription quilting channels…and give-aways! How we love to chase down the give-away blogs just in case we might win something! I’m guilty of it too! Both in the giving, and of the leaving of the comments! It’s All great! But when is too much too much? How do we find balance?

For me, if blogging severely cuts into my quilting time, it’s not a productive thing. I am really finding the need to spend what little time I have actually SEWING something, than reading about everything else that is out there. I know there are some great things I am missing! But it’s like reading a great cook book, but only reading it…and reading the next recipe and the next recipe, always afraid there might be a better one down the line --- and never actually getting off my keester to go COOK SOMETHING. What good does it do?

So! I’m offering up a challenge weekend! This weekend…let’s see what we can sew away from the computer. Let’s try to find a bit of balance. The computer will be here Monday --- are you up for it? Really! Any posts you missed will be here Monday too, you just have to scroll down the page to find them!