Tumbler meets the Sippy cup, a quilt top

One of the greatest gifts of retreat are the people you meet.

 I went this year only knowing a few people and each year

when I leave I know a few more.

My work table partner was Betty and Betty had an amazing aesthetic for

design and my taste in fabric. Save for batiks which I cannot yet love.

She was also one of the kindest persons I have met.

I needed earphones...she had an extra pair.

And she gave them to me. Just like that. 

Have you ever meet someone and you just instantly hit it off?

Like you have been friends forever?

That was how I felt about Sarah, Natalie and their mother.

 

Betty Jenny and Sarah

 

We just hit it off. We had a blast chatting and laughing.

I was often mesmerized by the sewing ability of Jenny,

she was whipping out quilt tops at lightening speed

and was the stealthiest cutter I never saw.

 Sarah and Natalie where the same way,

except Sarah was working on the tiniest pieces ever.

 

At some point they told me they had a website,

a brick and mortar shop and an on-line business.  

Cool I thought, I shop on-line, a lot, I will have to check it out.

Then they showed me some of the rulers they created and sold.

Wow, I thought, you guys are good.

It just so happened they had a ruler for the tumbler block that fits perfectly on a charm pack with little waste.

 

Tumbler meets Sippy cup. Quilt top.

 

Even better,

 I brought charm packs

and planned to make a tumbler

 using a cardboard template,

 but acrylic is all the better.

 

 

Then Jenny, did a trunk show

and I was blown away.

I feel a little naïve now,

  but Jenny actually has a ton of tutorials ,

on just about any quilt pattern out there.

 Not only does she show you

how to create the block

 but most likely it will be

faster and easier.

She specializes in

 

using all pre-cuts.

I had always been drawn to pre-cuts

but they perplexed me.

And sat on the shelf.

This opened a whole new world for me.

Believe me I got caught up in watching

her tutorials for a couple of hours

when I got home.

I could listen to her talk all day.

Plus, she has and amazing singing voice.

 

 

 

 Their quilts are beautiful. Jenny is a born teacher.

Not to mention that when you talk to Jenny, she seriously makes you

feel like the most important person in the room.

When I got home it occurred to me that Jenny had heard some of the

questions I asked a hundred times, yet she responded to me as

if it was the first time she heard it.

 

 

The case above,

is for knitting needles for my daughter.

I show it because

I had admired Natalie's blocks made of

Ty Pennington's new line.

She had a stack of blues and greens that

she wasn't using and the yellow and birds above.

She gave them to me.

Just like that.

A. Mazing.

I used what I had left to

make Lilli a needle case for Easter.

 

If you are in the market for anything quilting you have to check out their site, Missouri Star Quilt Co, the tutorials (also on YouTube) and their blog.