My Quiltville Experience

Where to begin?  I guess I'll begin with her quilts.  To say that Bonnie's quilts are inspiring ... feels like an understatement.  They are "heart stopping"... in every way!

The detail is unreal ... even after touching them it is hard to wrap the mind around how ornate they are.

They were all "jaw dropping" stunning!  I had to keep reminding myself to close my mouth... yes, it's true ... I was drooling, everyone was ... didn't want to get any saliva on her quilts! ;-)

Bonnie was so willing to let us handle and photograph her quilts.  I have purchased all of her books, but seeing many of the quilts live ... well ... photos just can't capture their personalities.  ;-)  Honestly, you all know it's true, all quilts have an essence of their own!

Like I mentioned earlier ... I bought each of her books as soon as they were published ... I've been reading her blog and visiting her website for years ... have always appreciated her talent and quilting philosophy.   But when it came to using old shirts, well I just didn't think it was for me.  That was until I saw this quilt live!  I have informed the DillyDally men that all shirts purchased from this time forward must be 100% cotton and that after 6 months of wear ... they are mine!  Yep ... they better not leave any shirts on the floor!  ;-)

I brought in one of Brother DillyDally's summer shirts for her to demonstrate her technique with.  What he doesn't know won't hurt him!

It was so fun watching her make very short work of that shirt!

In less than 5 minutes she had that shirt dissected into usable fabric ... I think she could do it in her sleep!  Too fun!  Yep ... I am now on the hunt for used 100% cotton shirts!  I'm sure that I am not alone ... the men in Cordova had better keep a close eye on their shirts!  Can't you just see the male population in this remote corner of the planet walking around shirtless?  OMGosh Good Golly!  We have had the giggles over that one!

This is the quilt that really does cause one to have cardiac arrest!  It is made with a trillion bezillion hexagons!  Each side of the hexagon is 3/4's of an inch.  Yes...you read that right!  If you follow her blog, you know that she has been working on this for 12 years!  It would take me 12 lifetimes!

She gave us a demonstration...it was great to see how she breaks things down into manageable steps.  Doing that ... helps things look possible rather than impossible ... gosh, it was fun to watch her brain at work!  Believe me!  Bonnie is like the energizer bunny ... she keeps thinking and going!

When you're around someone who is passionate about what they do ... it rubs off on you ... I love catching that kind of enthusiasm!  If you would like to see everyone's (Guild members) projects and more on Bonnie's lecture and classes, check out the guild blog here.  Just scroll down to see the stories of Bonnie's visit.  She also posted about her visit to our remote corner of the planet ... be sure to go and take a look.

This is what I accomplished during class last Saturday.  I love two color quilts!  Bonnie had many hints and techniques to make four patches and right triangles fun, easy and accurate!  She talked about making them as leaders and enders ... even though I had read her book ... it seemed more doable when she explained it in the class!  I have proof that it is very doable ...

... look at how a few minutes here and there can add up!  Wow!  This morning I made my four patches and right triangles into blocks ... it all added up to 1/4 of my queen sized quilt!  I was sew excited when I laid them out ... too fun!

I also spent some time today making a few more blocks for my Cathedral Stars quilt.  As I mentioned in an earlier post ... I decided to make mine with 1930's themed fabrics ... so far I'm excited about the results, but need more to know for sure. ;-)

Bonnie's visit to our remote corner of the planet was even more than I had hoped it would be!  She was such a good sport ... about everything!  The weather ... our limited resources ... non-quilting activities ... all of it!  She embraced us and our lifestyle with warmth and acceptance.  And generously shared her time and talent with everyone!   Her quilts are a reflection of the person she is ... exceptional!  Yep ... my Quiltville experience was a little slice of heaven here on earth!  I'm honored to call Bonnie a QBee!

Do dillydally with Quilt Rock Stars when you have the chance!  If Bonnie is within 500 miles of you ... travel to attend her lectures or workshops ... it will be worth the trip!

P.S.  Bonnie asked me to let her know the next time we plan a MN Shop Hop Road Trip!  On a quilt vacation with her ... can you imagine?