It arrived today wrapped in a nondescript plastic shopping bag – a mostly finished quilt. Last summer, my sister-in-law had asked me to finish the quilt for her youngest daughter, Miss M, in case she wasn’t able to complete it before she passed away. Kathy’s funeral was in early March. It took several weeks for her daughters to locate all the bits and pieces to the quilt. Hubs went to visit his folks for Father’s Day and brought it home with him.
The quilt is already spray basted with a few spots of ditch quilting. The brown binding strips were already cut. All I need to do is quilt, bind and add a label. Miss M chose an all-over big loopy meander for the quilting design in gold thread. Sadie & I will try to pick up gold thread tomorrow, along with brown hand quilting thread. This special quilt deserves to have the binding stitched by hand.
Once finished, I’ll ask Miss M if she wants to pick it up on her way through ATL next month or have it shipped to her in Boston.
My favorite type of quilty travel happened this week – an event with classes, shopportunity and pretty quilts to see – Mountain QuiltFest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It’s a regional quilt show that attracts national teaching faculty. I really like the work of two west-coast based instructors teaching this year, so I took advantage of the opportunity to take classes with them close to home.
At least one solo quilty adventure each year seems to be the norm for me since retirement. It’s a time to focus exclusively on quilting and whatever else I want to do. Outside of classes and viewing the quilts, I can be as social as I choose to be. This year included a dinner event with Edyta Sitar (where I ran into four members from my quilt guild who’d come up to get quilt appraisals and check out potential instructors for the guild to bring to ATL in 2026 and 2027). There was also an evening show & tell, antique quilt lectures and a local quilt tour. Severe thunderstorms arrived just as my final class ended. I took myself out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant and spent the stormy evening stitching in my hotel room.
Classes with Edyta Sitar and Krista Moser were wonderful. I completed all the log cabin blocks in the Pioneer Log Cabin class with Mrs. Sitar. I even won one of her autographed books as a door prize!
For Krisa Moser’s class, once I understood the preparation and process for handling diamonds and pieced equilateral triangles, block assembly went quickly. The goal was for each student to complete at least 3 blocks by the end of class. She demonstrated how to assemble the quilt top by using all of the student blocks as her example. Here’s a sample Vintage Windmill layout utilizing blocks from 17 students:
Here’s one of my blocks:
I completed the required 3 blocks in class. The rest of the time was spent cutting diamonds from my pre-cut strips and assembling strip sets/cutting equilateral triangles for each hexie block. Next week will be spent getting the rest of the diamonds cut out and the pieced triangles made (12 required for each block).
Everyone I met in classes and in the show area was raving about how good this year’s event was. I concur. It was definitely the right call to attend this event in lieu of some other events I typically do this time of year. A return in 2026 depends how it works with my guild’s big quilt show to be held June 4-6, 2026.
Random stuff: My stay at the Best Western Plus Apple Valley Lodge on the Parkway was comfortable and convenient. Tips: Request a non-balcony room on an upper floor if you like maximum quiet and privacy. The parking garage exits to a street that runs behind the property. Go two blocks over toward the Hampton Inn. There’s a traffic signal that will make left turns much easier. Traffic on the Parkway can be a nightmare. My plan is to stay at a hotel closer to the LeConte Center next time.
Just as we have to maintain our sewing machines, we also need to keep up with home maintenance. As your home ages, it will begin to require more than routine upkeep. Do you have a list of trusted professionals to call in case of an emergency? Can you answer basic questions about your home’s systems?
This morning I noticed a wet spot on the garage floor. Water had seeped in under the garage door. It looked as if hubs had dumped ice or water just outside the garage door before he left for an event this morning. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the wetness spread down the driveway as the day went on.
Curious, I checked the water meter to see if there was a potential leak as no water was supposed to be running in the house. Yep, the little dial was spinning – meaning a leak somewhere! Given the degree of sudden dampness at the corner of the garage, I turned off the water supply to the irrigation system. Checked the water meter – the dial had stopped spinning. Checked it again an hour later – still no spinning. I placed a call to the irrigation company to come take a look.
My best guess is it’s either a broken pipe or a failed part inside the master control box where the water is distributed to all three zones. Why? It’s located very close to the recent wetness. More evidence that I probably guessed the correct source of the leak? The driveway was completely dry by sundown.
Many of my newer neighbors are first time homebuyers. The homeowner learning curve has been steep for some. Consider this my Adulting 101 of things things every homeowner or renter should know: (1) Location of water shut-off inside your home or apartment. (2) Location of electrical panel. (3) Location and type of HVAC equipment, including thermostats and air filter sizes. (4) Location and type of hot water tank plus any recirculating pumps. (5) Location of master battery to security system and replacement size, if applicable. (6) Type of smoke detector/carbon monoxide detector installed and how to replace batteries.
Nice to know: (1) Water meter location and how to read it. (2) Sewer clean-out location. If on septic system, location of tank and clean out connection. (3) How to turn off water to exterior faucets, so you can drain exterior lines before winter. (4) Irrigation system: location of main water supply cut-off, master zone control box and interior control console (usually inside garage). (5) Operating instructions for any smart home features: thermostat, garage door opener, keyless entry system, lights, appliances, etc.
Extra maintenance that is worth it: (1) Service agreement with reputable HVAC company. They service your system(s) once in the spring and again in the fall. You get priority service when your heat or a/c goes out. (2) Termite bond agreement. Be sure to periodically reapply termite treatment (usually every 5-10 years). Insure your home against the wood chewing critters and remember to pay the annual fees. For about $200/year and a 15 minute inspection, it’s worth it. (3) Gutter clean-out. Even with gutter guards, leaves and debris get caught in hard-to-reach places. (4) Pressure washing and window cleaning (make sure they clean porch ceilings, window sills and screens as part of the quote)
Come Stitch With Me 