Friends, Food, and Fabric - A Day at Valerie's

It's a play day and I am off to Plano for some fun.  Mister is being a sweetheart, as always, and working from home so that I can play with friends.  Seriously, I feel like a child when these opportunities come up.  Let's go.

First stop is at Allison's where I run into Janet.  Oh yes, an added bonus and I even took a picture of her but can't show it cos there is something in the background that I just can't show yet.  So sorry.  I can, however, show my Allietare quilt which Allison has quilted.  Oh yummy.  (Remember that if you need a top quilted, she is amazing and will love your project as much as you do.  You can get her info at this LINK).  I am SO excited and yet scared at the same time.  Now to scallop the edges and put the bias binding on.  How long will I let it intimidate me?  Time will tell.  After some delightful tea, it's time to depart for our sew day at Valerie's.



Valerie has rearranged her sewing area to accommodate even more people with a better traffic flow.  We LOVE it and settle in with yummy espresso and lively conversation.

I am just so on top of things right now that I have carted my ENTIRE tote of batiks with me so that I can spend the day attempting to prepare for my class that starts tomorrow.  Oh yeah, Debi on the spot.  Gag.

I am taking two Judy Niemeyer classes and since Allison and I are doing them together, we are going to do the same patterns.  HOWEVER, the similarities end there as she is totally prepared for class and I have no idea the direction I am going with either of them.  What I do know is that Desert Sky is a wall hanging and I would like it in my dining room.  That does give me a color scheme to work in.

I start pulling the oranges, golds, browns, greens, etc. before running into a problem.  I do not have enough variety.  Oh wait, what is this?  I find a gift from my birthday retreat.  A wonderful snack pack of oranges/golds/creams.  What could be more perfect.  I am thrilled and finally have a vision.  It's time to pull fabrics, press, and cut fat quarters.

Meanwhile, Allison has Mad City Mama (top and back) going in addition to working on the backing for her Chasing the Sun quilt.  There are bright colors abounding in our life today.

So, at this point, one might ask what Valerie is doing.  She is busily emptying a bin and either discarding (into Allison and my loving hands) or restocking onto her stash shelves.  She has finally hit the bottom and has gone downstairs to finish preparing lunch.  I gotta tell ya, it smells diving up here.

I have finished pulling fabrics for Desert Sky AND also for the second day's class of some placemats we are working on.  The batiks have been put away and I am drawing owl parts for our November project.

As I work away making 18 sets of parts and pieces, Allison and I just chat away while listening to Valerie downstairs.  Soon, we are called and make our move to downstairs.

Look how lovely Valerie's table is set.  Now, what can we do to help her out with the final touches.

Quick --- an attempt at a selfie before we eat.  Yes, you see, Valerie does exist.

Our lunch is absolutely incredible.  It is a fish curry with lentils and cauliflower over rice.  I simply am loving each bite of it.  Wonderful job Valerie.  We take our time, enjoy, chat, and clean up before once again heading upstairs to our world of color.

I am back to drawing owl parts and and then move onto cutting out my gifts for the November retreat.  No sewing machines in my projected plans for the day.

However, Valerie is finally sewing and working on this lovely Kaffe project.  Her design wall shimmers with color and I love seeing it come together first hand.  Those bold prints are hard for me but her vision makes them easier for sure.

Thank you, Ms. Valerie, for having me be a part of your day.  I truly believe that good friends are the best medicine we can take.  Time together heals many things and today was good for all three of us.  Love ya Allison and Valerie.