Patchwork Primer Party!

Many months ago ... when the Valdez Quilt Festival asked me to develop a one day beginning quilting class, I wasn't sure it was possible.  But in true dillydally fashion, I said yes!

As with most things ... planning and implementing can result in two very different results!  my public school teaching career has taught me to expect that!  ;-)  Sew ... the goal behind all my plans for this class was to have the participants leave feeling empowered by the experience.  If they feel empowered, my thought is they will continue on their quilting journey!

The class was small ... which was a relief for me knowing I would be able to give them all the individualized instruction they might need.

These four lovely women trusted me with their quilting experience ... I am always humbled by teaching others.  There may be only four ... but their range of quilting experiences covered almost everything!  That alone, was wonderful as it allowed them to learn from one another's past.

This woman had years of quilting experience that included years of frustration with certain piecing skills.  She set those frustrations aside, and gained a few tips and tricks.  It was fun to see her feel pleased with the results of her efforts!

A young mother of three has to work hard to fit quilting into a very busy family lifestyle!  Her desire to create is very strong ... she shared her frustration with starting projects and then getting stuck by pieces being inaccurate and not fitting together correctly.  She focused on accuracy and the results are lovely!  My hope is that the skills she practiced will enable her to enjoy the limited time she has to piece ... quilting should be fun not frustrating!

"I can't even hem a pair of pants!" was the first thing this woman said when I introduced myself!  I loved it ... an absolute beginner!  She was using an old Singer sewing machine that had belonged to her mother ... made my heart sew happy!  It was such fun to literally watch her skills develop, and by the end of day she was confidently working independently on her pieced units!  

Life happens and our passions and desires often are set aside.  The fabrics had been received 20 years ago from a friend that has since passed from this life.  This participant's intent was to make time to learn to quilt, use the fabric (filled with memories of her friend) she had received, and gift the results to her friend's adult child.  I was sew touched.  She made great progress and will fulfill her goal!

Teaching this class was such a wonderful experience ... each of the participants inspired me ... my hope is that I empowered them!

Do what you love.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Traveling within Alaska!

Yesterday was a travel day!  I was asked to teach a few classes at the Valdez Quilt Festival this year ... the event begins today!

There is only one way to get to Valdez from my remote corner of the planet ... and that is by sea!

Check-in time yesterday morning was 4:00 am ... I was there, packed and ready ... but very blurry eyed!  That is a brutal time of day!  But we had a gorgeous day to be on Prince William Sound!

It was a 13.5 hour trip ... lots of time to dillydally!  I worked on a couple of hand applique' blocks!

And it was sunny!  QBees Terry and Barb are also attending ... I love traveling with these two!  Yep ... we had to wear our sunglasses while dillydallying!

Every hour or so we'd get up ... walk around the ship ... take pictures ... it is so fun to travel by ferry!  at 6:45 we arrived in Valdez ... and went out for dinner!

Additional fun begins today!  I begin by teaching a beginning piecing class ... Patchwork Primer!  I heard last night that the class is small ... perfect for new quilters!

Do what you love.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Patchwork Primer 2

The arrival of September took me by surprise ... how is this possible!

Fall arrives early here in my remote corner of the planet.  What was green a few weeks ago has become brown and gold.

I have been busy preparing for the classes I will be teaching next weekend at the Valdez Quilt Festival.  This is the original sample I designed to be used to teach basic patchwork piecing skills.

I felt that making a second sample would provide me the opportunity to clarify the notes instructions I wrote while making the prototype!  ;-)  Plus ... I had a couple of Americana themed fat quarter packs that were just asking to be used!  My concern was that one pack was very traditional (on the right) and the other quite contemporary.  Could they be combined successfully as neither of them had enough fabric for this project?  There was only one way to find out ... so I took the challenge and hoped for the best!

Strips became checks ...

... flying geese, right triangles and a simple border were added.  At that point ... the Snoopervisor demanded that it was time for a catnap!

Finally ... the quarter square triangles were added.  Can you spot what I did with the color placement?  I used red next to the inner border, and blue for the outer triangles ... leaving the two light colored (neutral & light blue) triangles to form square shapes.  Combining the two different styles of fabric resulted in a very scrappy look ... I love that ... so am happy with the results! ;-)

We moved on to layering and quilting ... Flicka always shows up when I machine quilt!

And ... as always ... she is in charge!  Why she insists on sitting on a quilt filled with sharp pins is beyond understanding!

Eventually we got to the point where all that was left to do is hand sew the binding in place.

The sun decided to shine this week and out the road we went!  We took long walks ... long by my standards ... we are up to 1.5 miles!  We still have a way to go, but at least my new knee and I are making progress!  I am grateful!

Love those silly dillydally moments when you realize that your nail color matches your project!  Always makes me giggle out loud!  Sometimes the simple things are the most entertaining!

Finished!

The traditional bundle came with a panel ... so I used it for backing!

Fall truly is here ... the leaves are brittle ... there is a chill in the wind ... and yes, I have the urge to bake with pumpkin!

I love this picture ... it captures a perfect dillydally moment.  After a walk in the sun ... we sit in the shade ... puppy at my feet ... handwork on my lap ... outdoors in the arms of our Creator.  Yep ... a glimpse of heaven here on earth.  Enjoy September!

Do what you love.  Happy Fall!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Seeking a Bit of Blue Sky

Life has been stormy ... both literally and figuratively in my remote corner of the planet.  When life becomes complicated and stress or worries tend to monopolize my life, I turn to dillydallying.  Working with my hands ... creating ... being busy ... all assist to help me clear my head.  The complications and worries still exist, but I am better able to think and pray with clarity rather than confusion.  If you follow me on instagram, you know that I have been especially busy ... working on multiple projects ... and those are just the ones I post!  Mr. DD has noticed over the years that the number of projects directly relates to my stress level! ;-)

Today, I'll just share the progress I've made on our guild's 30th Anniversary Party!  It was such fun ... and the event's influence is still being felt here in DillyDallydom!  I took this pic at the beginning of the wool applique' class.  Roseann's sample is in the upper left corner.  Sew inspiring!

Girlfriend DD had never done an entire project with hand stitching!  And she was taught by the best!  Roseann is a wonderful instructor ... with both beginning and experienced stitchers.

After making our pincushions, we moved on to a more advanced project, this sweet table mat is a close-up photo of Roseann's sample.

GF made great progress on her mat ... it was nearly finished by the end of the day!

I have been working on my finishes here at home.

It only took a few minutes to finish the pincushion.  They were all sew dang cute ... I want to make more!

And one end of my mat is completely finished ... and I have made good progress on the remaining end.

"Her Majesty" got a new outfit during class with Sherri Falls!  QBee Marianne brought in decals and gifted me with them!  What a hoot!  I had such fun dressing my machine!  "Her Majesty" is such a workhorse ... she deserves to look pretty!  We began that day by working on our Crafty Basket!  Not to boast ... but I am in love with my kitty / yarn themed fabric!

QBee Marianne and GF working on their crafty basket ... love this pic, it really captures how much fun we were all having!

Sherri had many tricks and techniques that really helped everyone make their baskets successfully!  And GF and I have a new appreciation for binder clips!

I finished mine here at home ... and absolutely love the results!  This is a pattern I will make many times over!  I plan to use mine for knitting projects, but I can envision many uses for the pattern!

I am so in love with this fabric ... wish I had more yardage ... ugh!  The polka-a-dots with kitty ears and faces just makes me giggle!

GF decided to make her first mini under Sherri's tutelage ... yep, she is a very smart woman!

Those little one inch (half inch finished) squares can be challenging, but Sherri checked her accuracy and GF made great progress!

I was able to get started in class, but being chairperson of the event prevented me from making much progress.  But I was able to soak up all the hints and tips Sherri used to help us improve our piecing.  We all benefited from her insights and experiences ... I loved learning from her!

First block came together nicely ...

... and the second block went together even more quickly!  This block pattern is really fun!

Yep ... Little Miss Snoopervisor is always near ... lending a paw.  ;-)

Six blocks done ... half way there!

Currently I have eight blocks done, and only four remain.  I am busy getting ready to teach at the Valdez Quilt Festival, so have set my Winter Lights quilt aside ... for now!  I hope to use this quilt during the winter months following the Holidays ... stay tuned!

Dillydallying provides for me a glimpse of blue sky during stormy and complicated times.  I truly am serious when I say ... do dillydally!

Do what you love.  Take good care!  Do dillydally! 

Mrs. DillyDally

Our Hearts Are Heavy

Here, in our remote corner of the planet ... we are grieving.  An outstanding 2016 graduate left this earthly life last week.  Every corner of our community has reached out to support his parents, brother, and friends.  The pain ... the sorrow ... the love ... the emotions are intense and overwhelming.

Class of 2016 - Photo taken May 2015

Today was a "Celebration of Life" event to honor his short, but influential life.  My comments were the following:

As a teacher, one of the first things I did when I had new students is work to identify their strengths through observation.  I was co-advisor for the Class of 2016 from 7^th grade through their 10^th grade year.

It was quickly apparent that Enrique had many talents … but one was particularly unusual for a student his age.  The greatest desire of every human heart is acceptance.  Even as a 7^th grader, Enrique would seek out those who might not feel included and bring them into the activity that was taking place.  Those gestures of friendship and compassion mean so much to the recipient, helping others feel like they belong can be life changing.

As a sophomore, he was in my Healthy Living and Career classes.  Enrique’s personal development and relationship skills were extraordinary.  He surrounded himself with a diverse group of friends, offering them encouragement and unconditional acceptance.  I enjoyed and respected him for his independent thinking skills, sense of humor, loyalty, and willingness to question the status quo.  He was such a pleasure to have in the classroom and he contributed to everyone’s learning.

We are here today to celebrate Enrique’s life … I have a personal message for his classmates and friends.

You have all been in my thoughts and prayers … we will miss Enrique and all that he brought into our lives.  I know in my heart that you wish to honor his memory.

The best way for you to honor Enrique is to live and enjoy a future in this world that is no longer possible for him…

·      Make decisions that create possibilities for your life.

·      Choose a career path that is your passion.

·      Fall in love, many times if necessary.

·      Share your life with a special someone.

·      Have a family.

·      Love unconditionally.

Life is never perfect … it is certainly unfair … and nothing is promised.  So … honor Enrique by living with purpose … create a future that maximizes your potential.  Enrique would encourage and want that for you.

Love one another.

Mrs. DillyDally

My Birthday Bash!

Sew much has happened since my last post ... every time I sat down to write, I couldn't decide where to begin!  I am so grateful for an especially busy dillydally life ... no complaints from me!  Finally, I decided to just dive in and begin with my birthday!

QBee Diane made me a beautiful German Chocolate cake and extra vanilla cupcakes for those with chocolate allergies!  Love that she shared her baking talent with us!  The truth is that the day wasn't really about my birthday.

The day was really about these two Minnesotans visiting my remote corner of the planet!  "Quilt Rock Stars" Sherri Falls and Roseann Kermes were here to help our local quilting guild celebrate our 30th anniversary.  We have learned to schedule such visits with an extra day to assist with their adjustment to the Alaska time zone or in the likely event of travel complications!

 We spent the day exploring all 36 miles of road available here!  The weather was less than perfect, but Minnesota is "where the women are strong" ...

... "and the men are good looking"!  Roseann's husband and youngest son came as well!  Despite the weather, all four Minnesotans embraced the experience and were up for the adventure!

That evening, the guild's organizing committee came to my home and we hosted an Alaskan themed potluck dinner with moose meatballs, halibut enchiladas, and Copper River Red Salmon cooked on the grill!  Add to that three salads and birthday cake for dessert!

Best! Birthday! Ever!  Sharing my remote corner of the planet ... listening to that beloved Minnesota accent all day ... hanging with Quilt Rock Stars ... working with amazing QBees ... and sharing a meal with family and friends!  It was a perfect dillydally birthday!  I am blessed!

Do what you love.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally