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?

Another Good-Bye....

Teacup Dainty DillyDally

March 15, 1993 - September 26, 2011

The DillyDally family is saddened by the loss of our sweet kitty, Teacup.  She passed away peacefully in the early morning hours on Monday.

Her devotion to her family was legendary ...

... especially to the DillyDally children.  She gave them comfort and loved them unconditionally.  When it came to the DillyDally parents, she took an affectionate but supervisory position.  ;-)

Even Mr. DillyDally was not exempt from her scrutiny.  Teacup understood the importance of dillydallying.

Unlike most of her species, she developed excellent knitting manners.  She enjoyed sitting on my lap while I was knitting.  However...  

...her true dillydally passion was quilting.  She especially loved it when I was working on a scrap quilt ... as they require me to make a bigger mess.  Here she was relaxing on a pile of 2.5 inch strips!

All quilts had to meet her approval ... yep, she was a Bonnie Hunter fan! ;-)

She was also a huge Terry Atkinson fan ... obviously! ;-)

She even attended quilt guild meetings on occasion!  

Our hearts are so heavy ... we miss her presence ... the house feels empty.  We keep expecting her to be underfoot or in the middle of what we're doing.  She held such a special place in our lives and in our hearts ... we loved her deeply ... and miss her severely.  We will treasure the many years of memories ... she lived a full and valuable life.  

Love your pets ... do dillydally with them...

Dillydally Dreams Do Come True!

Guess who is hanging out with us here in our remote corner of the planet?

Yep...Quilt Rock Star Bonnie Hunter!  Believe it or not, we were on the same flight to Cordova!  No ... I can't explain how that happened ... it felt like the heavens were in charge!  She arrived to heavy rain and high winds ... yep, it was some serious weather!  I was impressed ... it was a rough flight ... she didn't even flinch ... in fact she pieced hexagons the entire flight!  We arrived here in Cordova about 8:00 pm ... that is midnight east coast time ... she had had a very long day of traveling!

Remember what I said about the heavens being in charge?  Well, even though the weather experts said differently ... this was the view from my front deck the next morning!

We know how to feed a Quilt Rock Star ... Alaska style!  Yep ... your looking at King Crab Legs, fresh salad, halibut, fresh dinner rolls, clam chowder, kippered salmon cheesecake and for dessert we had cheesecake topped with our wild blueberries!

All that food can make a quilter thirsty...we took care of that as well!  ;-)

Here is Bonnie with the guild committee that has worked hard over the past two years to bring her here!  I am so fortunate to call these amazing women my friends!  We had a wonderful evening filled with laughter, fun and "quilt talk"!  Be sure to follow Bonnie's version of her experience here on her blog!

As we ate, chatted, and giggled our way through the evening, the heavens crowned the day by giving us this sunset!  What a wonderful way to end Bonnie's first day in our remote corner of the planet!

Do dillydally!
Do dream!
Dillydally dreams do come true!

Saying Goodbye to My Father-In-Law

My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly ten days ago.  We all feel saddened and confused by this sudden change in our lives.

Although he spent most of his life working in an office ... in downtown Chicago ... in a skyscraper ... his heart remained on the prairie of his childhood home in rural South Dakota.

He loved everything about the prairie ... the agriculture ... the animals ... the seasons ... the people ... the expansive sky ... all of it!  On the prairie, Mother Nature is in complete control ... she alone determines the pace by which people live and shapes who they become.

He loved children ... the five he fathered ... and the ten who call him Grandpa.  He treasured their individual personalities and cheered their many "antics"!  He was often the biggest kid amongst them! 

We have spent this week ... in South Dakota ... remembering ... and loving one another.  

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

 "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

DillyDally Bits & Pieces

Honestly...the only exciting thing happening in my remote corner of the planet is an early coastal storm!  Yep...we've had 60-75 mile an hour winds and over 15 inches of rain over the past 7 days!  It is a good thing that I have a job that forces me to get out of bed every morning, shower, dress and leave the house! ;-)  When these storms come ... the urge is to stay in bed all day! ;-)  Up here...we don't name our hurricanes...but that doesn't stop them from coming! ;-)

Am now able to unveil one of the 007 projects I was working on in July!  I gave it to a friend for her birthday.  It is a Bare Roots pattern from their book "Down to Earth".  I love their designs ... and replaced Love what you do with "Do dillydally".   ;-)

I was finally able to finish the candy corn border on my Crazy Jacks!  Gosh...I love these bad boys... just  enough of a challenge to keep me focused, but a ton of fun to make!  Now I'm trying to decide if I should quilt it myself or not ... will keep you posted!

Mr. DillyDally left about 10 days ago to be with family in South Dakota.  During the storm, this lone eagle was perched on the mud flats in front of the house.  He looked as lonely as I felt that day ... a kindred spirit.   ;-)

Yesterday, Mother Nature showed us a bit of mercy ... ;-) ... and all is now well in my remote corner of the planet!

Wishing you well ... do what you love ... do dillydally!

News...Good & Not So Good

OK ... I'll begin with the "Not So Good" news.

My.  Feet.  Are.  Angry!

No ... I am not showing a picture of how unhappy they are ... believe me ... it is not pretty!  They are angry because...

...I expect them to wear these.  They are a well made, known for their comfort, brand of shoes ... but my ungrateful feet literally rebelled!

Being the clever person that I am ... ;-) ... I pulled out the shoes they were happy to wear last year.  The revolt continued!  UGH!

This would be their first choice ... not only are they broken in ... let's be honest, they are broken down!

My feet are willing to wear these when they go out into the great outdoors!

When they're chilled ... wool clogs warm them and make them very happy!

These sandals are as close to dress shoes as my feet want to get ... they are broken in, but not broken down!  What is a working woman to do?  It is frustrating, as I spend the whole day on my feet!

Hmmm ... I wonder ...

Do you think these might make my feet happy?  Thanks to reader, Carol, a pair of these "beauties"  may be coming to my home in the near future!  Thank you Carol!  I am always surprised that anyone reads my silliness, but you sought out useful information and shared it with me ... you are a peach!

Now the good news!  Finally!  I have a new love...

... his name is Jack.  In fact ... I love all nine of them!  You can call me crazy ... after all the pattern is named, Crazy Jacks!  He is one of those "Bad Boys" we were attracted to as teenagers ... difficult to handle ... charming personality ... a challenge to tame ... yep, you remember the type!

Each one has a unique personality ... remember microdots?  They were the "new solid" in the 80's!  I bought far too much of every color I could find ... what a hoot!  I swear ... it reproduces!  Every time I think I've used it up, I find more!  Love this Jack ... microdots with corn cob features!  Too much fun!

A spotted Jack with blueberry background...striped Jack with polk-a-dots ... see why I am in love with these bad boys?

But ... lumberman Jack is my favorite!  A man wearing brushed flannel plaid has no trouble winning my heart!  He is the most wonky ... I love wonky!

Well ... that's the news from my remote corner of the planet.  I can't believe that I wrote a post about my feet ... or that I walked around my home taking pictures of my shoes ... yes, the DillyDally family members are worried!  ;-)

Do what you love ... do dillydally!

Back to School Week! Love It!

Growing up on a dairy farm ... I always loved the seasonal cycles ... spring always meant newborn calves and lilacs ... summer was fresh creamed peas with new potatoes and haying ... fall was harvesting oats and going back to school.  We'll talk about winter later, when we have to ... ;-)!

In my remote corner of the planet, we teachers returned to school on Monday of this week for two days of inservice.  This was the view from the front deck Monday morning.

This was the view on Wednesday morning when the students returned to school!  I love seeing the kids ... all spiffed up in their new clothes!  They were busy learning their new locker combination ... talking about their summer ... and showing off their new shoes.

 My first day of school took place in the fall of 1962 at the Alida Country School ... I was in love with my new "saddle shoes" along with my box of 8 large crayons.  Every morning my mother made sure my pigtails were in place ... neat and tight.  And every morning, Mrs. Jurgens would place me on her lap and undo the tight pigtails then redo them gently.  I have been in love with school ever since.

Yep ... this week has been crazy busy!  But, when you love what you do, it doesn't really feel like work. My throat is sore ... yes ... believe it or not I talk more while teaching than I do in "normal" life! ;-)

Returning to work means that the dillydally winds have become more of a light breeze ... they usually arrive in the early morning hours or in the evenings.

Last weekend I took a lace knitting class with Nancy Davidson from Fairbanks, Alaska.  She and several women traveled here to Cordova to spend the weekend taking classes at our local yarn shop, The Net Loft.  It is always enjoyable to meet women with the same interests from other places ... I am now looking for an excuse to travel to Fairbanks ... I would love to spend more time with them!

Last October I saw this quilt made up at The Quilt Zone in Anchorage ( see story here) and fell in love with it ... sadly, they were out of the pattern.  I was thrilled when I came across it during our travels in Minnesota.  Sew ... I went to my stash and pulled out nine purples, oranges and yellows ... and started cutting!  I had never used this technique before ... what fun ... scary at first ... but it sew matches the dillydally lifestyle!

They have you cut all nine layers of fabric at once ... yes ... a new blade for the rotary cutter was necessary! ;-)

It is pieced ... sort of like paper piecing, but without the paper!  There are no lines to follow! YIKES!  For a recovering perfectionist, that is tough!

Then they are trimmed down to 12.5 X 14.5 inches!  No two are really alike ... each one slightly off ... just like us! ;-) Sorry, I just couldn't resist!  Sew ... I've pieced three Crazy Jacks so far, and have six to go ... then the candy corn borders ... I'm without a deadline, so am just enjoying the journey!

It has been a crazy busy week ... but a wonderful one!

My mother never could understand why my pigtails were falling out by the time I got home from school  every afternoon.  Mrs. Jurgens and I never told her. ;-)

I wonder if they still make saddle shoes?  I would love to have a pair of red and white ones.

I still love the smell of a freshly opened box of crayons.  Do dillydally!