Happy New Year!

These past few years have made me take a left turn in my life, and it seems I'm heading in a new direction. So many endings - the loss of my husband of 40 years, the sale of my retreat business, adult children moving away, the sale of my log cabin in the woods of Tomball, Texas...so much to process. But now I'm looking forward to new beginnings!

I bought a beautiful house of Texas limestone in Georgetown, just north of Austin. Still in Texas, cuz you'd have to blast me out of here! 

I went from living in a log cabin on 8.5 acres, down a dirt road in the woods (for the last 33 years):

...to a one story limestone ranch. Pro: It's on an acre of thickly tree'd land. Con: In a neighborhood. With neighbors. And people. And cars. And lawnmowers. And people. 

I renovated the 2 car side of the garage for my new studio, and now, for the first time since 1986, I have an actual garage. With a real floor. Not like my dirt-floored barn at the cabin. The studio isn't quite finished yet, but with a few more tweaks it should be finished by the end of January. I'm working in it now, though, and I'm finally back to what I really enjoy doing! Can't wait for the SewHos to come for our annual retreat in July. 

The house is on a wedge-shaped acre that's shaped like the Flatiron Building in NYC. The front of the house faces the top point of the triangle, which means the left side and the right side of the house are on two streets, and the front isn't on any street! It also means I don't have any side-neighbors, which is a consolation for having to live in an actual neighborhood. Don't know if I'm going to get used to this or not, and I'm leaving my options open. We'll see.

OAN: I took my business name, CabinQuilter, from having my studio in my former log cabin. Now that I'm in a limestone house, it doesn't seem to fit. Maybe StonedQuilter...I am in Austin, after all. And that alone is culture shock. Aside from all the man-buns and stoners, there's more dogs here than kids! Go to any restaurant and you'll see more hippies with their dog-babies, than parents with their children.

I'm pretty sure I don't want that guy to be my server. For real. I'm also pretty sure they'd change their minds about dogs if I brought my 400 lbs of puppies:

Torque and Diesel making themselves at home the first night in our new house. That's a queen-size bed they're dwarfing. So, yeah...I bet I could change the dog-friendly restaurant policy overnight.

Hey. How about a couple of customer quilt finishes for 2019?

Dream Big panel for Darleena's Sew By The Bay Quilt Shop

and Darla's Hurricane Harvey quilt - not the best photo, but you get what you pay for!

That's as productive as I was in the midst of the chaos that was 2019. I'm looking forward to a much more settled and self-indulgent 2020, and hope that yours is the same. If that's what you want. If you don't, then I hope you get yours. So to speak.

Happy 2019!

It's apparently that time of year when we, once again, reflect on the year just passed, and ponder what the new year might hold. I don't know about your year, but mine held the same 57 UFO's that I started 2018 with. I know that's the exact number, cuz I have them on a spreadsheet. For real. But, since I'm an over-achiever, I actually increased my UFO's to an even 61! (That doesn't make sense, but I'll blame it on the bourbon-spiked egg nog.) And I bought a few kits, patterns, books, and jelly rolls - which means the new year holds a minimum of 67 UFO's. I might not quite understand the concept of how that list works. 

I've started quilting for customers again, and my calendar is filling up. If you've got a quilt top in the works, you might want to get on my waiting list. 

Hang on. I lied. My sister finally became a grandmother in 2018, and I actually did finish 2 projects for my new great-nephew. Debbie embroidered and cross-stitched a cute little crib quilt, and gave it to me to quilt for her. They decorated the nursery in a space/universe-type theme, so I made a glow in the dark quilt for the crib. But I'm not sure they count as UFO's as they were never on the list in the first place.

2018 also saw me put the Quilter's Cabin Retreat up for sale. My older daughter and her family moved back to Tomball from Greenville, SC, and moved less than a mile from me. Then, as luck would have it, my son-in-law was offered a terrific job in Austin, and just like that, they were gone. And they even took the 3 grandkids! Now come on!! After 18 months of babysitting, school pick-ups, sleepovers, cookouts...how could I let all that get away? So, I'm going to retire from the retreat business and move to the Hill Country. Most likely, the Liberty Hill area. (Love the name!) 

After the retreat sells, I'll be selling my log cabin next door. And if you're in the market, my daughter's 2 other houses are also for sale. 

You can see them all on Zillow here:

My log cabin 

My daughter's house across from my log cabin

My daughter's house about a mile away

If you think you might like to have as much fun owning a retreat as I have these past 11 years, give me a holler! I have a wonderful business broker who's handling all the details for me, and I can put you in touch with her. 

We'll see what the new year holds, but I'm looking forward to the new chapter I'll be starting. And I hope yours is exciting and fulfilling for you, too! 

Retreat Winds of Change

Things are winding down here after a very busy summer, and I hope the Texas

temperatures start winding down, too!

Speaking of winding down, I’m ready to do that too. After thinking about it long and hard

for the past two years, I’ve decided to retire and take it easy and head for the Hill Country. I'll still be quilting for customers and since many of my current customers are long-distance anyway, it shouldn't be too much of a change.

So, I’m putting the retreat up for sale - as a retreat business. It will not be closing, and

there will be no downtime between my handing over the keys and the new retreat owner

taking it over. As part of the sale, I am providing plenty of training on the website,

reservation & bookkeeping program, etc., to allow for a seamless transition. All the

furnishings and supplies will be sold with the retreat, so, even under new ownership, it'll

still be the familiar home-away-from-home that you're accustomed to.

Again - the retreat is not closing! It will just be under new management. All tentative and

confirmed dates will be honored, for as far into the future as has been booked (which is

several years!) Those on my Ad Infinitum List will remain on the new owner’s list.

As an aside, I’ll be selling my home (the log cabin next door) after I sell the business, as

my daughter’s family has already moved to Austin, and is busily looking for property for

me. She has a home across from my log cabin that’s for sale, as well as another one

about a mile away. Any potential retreat owner might be interested in looking at one (or all

three!) of these, as their proximity makes running the retreat a breeze.

I have thoroughly enjoyed these past 10+ years being host to so many wonderful groups

of quilters, scrapbookers, beaders, needleworkers, church groups, and so many more. I’ve made some tremendous friends through the retreat and will miss seeing you all on a regular basis. I do, however, reserve the right to come crash your group when I'm in town, so, be

forewarned!

If you’re interested in being a retreat owner, now’s your chance! Let me know, and I’ll put

you in touch with my business broker - she’s a sweetheart. If you know of anyone who might be interested, by all means, spread the word! It’s a fun enterprise, and I’d do it again in a

heartbeat!

And, one more time: Have no fear - the retreat is not closing!

Remember:

January 2018

It's been exactly two years since I last had a new post, and a lot has happened in my life. If you recall from my previous posts, I had to shut everything down to care for my gravely ill husband. Five months after my last post (January 2016), Andy passed away, leaving me and our five kids and six grandchildren heartbroken and devastated. I feel like I've been "lost" for all this time, and I'm still struggling to figure out who I am without him.

Andy truly was/is the love of my life - I couldn't have asked for a more loving, funny, caring, man to walk with me through life. We met in 1973, when I was 21 and he was 29. We started here, in Carmel, California

and ended here, at his "After Party" 

Not all of the kids and grandkids are in this photo, but they were all there. Andy's brothers and their wives (and some of their kids) made it out from California for the service, and it was a bittersweet reunion. I have that large wood sign in my studio. It quotes one of Andy's favorite songs, and I can remember it with reassurance every time I see it - even if some days I'm not totally convinced.

I know some of you won't want to read this...but I'm still not ready to commit to the monthly desktop calendars. Yet. I'm sorry. So much change, so many demands on me and my time, responsibilities, and a need for simplification and prioritizing, leaves me trying to come to terms with the difference between 'needs' and 'wants.'

My first priority has to be me - and figuring out who I am as mother, grandmother, quilter, musician, retreat owner... is at the top of my 'need' list. 

Speaking of the retreat. Last May, on the first anniversary, I sold my house, and closed the Cabin Too to retreaters, and moved back into it. You know how people say, "Don't make any big changes during that first year?" Well, don't schedule anything important on that first anniversary. I speak from experience. The movers, my kids, my son-in-law, the neighbors, and the dogs, were treated to a noisy, embarrassing meltdown in my front yard. Don't do that.
Don't think you're different. You're not. 

Back to the retreat: So now I'm back to just the one retreat and it's almost completely booked for 2018. 2019 is filling up, too! If you've got a group, even a small one, check out the website calendar for open dates, and nab one quick.

Now. It's the New Year, and with that comes at least one resolution, right? I don't usually go for those, cuz really, what's the point? I won't remember it by Jan 3rd, so why add to my frustration? But this year, I'm making one (1). Prelude: a few months ago, I was given a mug rug by my good friend Reeze Hanson (of Morning Glory Designs ), and I've decided to hang it in my studio where I can see it and follow it every single day.

And speaking of happy - here's to a Happy New Year for us all, complete with cookies - from my favorite bakery in Chicago - and they ship!

April 2012 Desktop Calendar

I'm at a retreat at Sky-Vue Lodge in Winslow Arkansas, and I've had puh-lenty of time to get some of the things on my To Do List checked off. This is the view from the porch off my room

My friend Peggy took these photos with her phone - aren't they gorgeous?

That's a Luna Moth - before the bird got him. Below was all that was left of him this morning. Damn bird.

Anyway - here's the April calendar - Click on it to expand the image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll be the envy of your cubicle!

R&R

I took a few days off from the craziness at my house and retreated with some quilting buddies. Didn't get a whole lot done other than make the one extra Turning Twenty duvet cover I've needed for the past 3 years over at the retreat, and start on the 240 blocks I'll need for the new duvets at the Cabin Too (our log cabin that's being readied for its new life as another, smaller retreat facility.)
The first 49 blocks...ugh.
Packets of 2.5" strips for the 12" log cabin blocks.
Piles of leftover scraps with the Marti Michel Log Cabin Ruler I used to make the several hundred strips I've cut so far. I've only done some of the pink, yellow and green strips, and I'm looking forward to cutting the next 500 or so strips. Maybe I'll go ahead and schedule that root canal instead. My friendKaren, The Quilt Rambler,has offered me the use of her AccuQuilt Go cutter so I can cut those strips a lot faster. I'll still use Marti's ruler to subcut them into each round's exact length, though, cuz the blocks themselves went together really fast. And I need fast.
Or maybe I'll go through some of the goodies the retreaters exchanged. That little mug thingy has a fabric insert that we all signed for each other - just need to decorate it, do a quick quilting job on it, and stick it between the plastic layers for a java-filled reminder of my quilting friends til I see them again in the fall.
Peggy & I went for a little walk across the road to Ozark Folkways Heritage Center to see what kind of goodies we could find. They have classes in basket-weaving, rug hooking (The Happy Hookers!), pottery-throwing, jewelry-making, weaving, spinning...all kinds of stuff.
Look up. Yes, that's a quilt stapled to the ceiling! Wow.


Very folksy, in a rustic old stone building, with lots of charming crafts...except for this creepy doll.It looks like a clown playing the wolf playing Grandma in Little Red Riding Hood. Scary as hell. But so you won't have nightmares, here's something cute!A weird little Italian antique box with Baby Jesus swaddled to look like a mer-baby. I almost bought it. Glad I didn't. Sorry - not much of a "palate cleanser."Oh wait! I bought something!Looks great on my mantle!

Speaking of New Homes...

We were, right? Well, we were a few months back, anyway. I'm still getting my studio in order and it should be picture-perfect in another week or so. I hope.
But for now...I've got two other moving-related things to share. Guess who's moved in with us? No, not any more of our grown kids (for a change).
Mr. Collins and Angelique!


Mr. Collins is wearing the blue collar. Angelique has a pink one, which she promptly lost outside somewhere. They were strays living at the quilt shop in town, and after a week or so, they came to live with us. They're Snowshoe cats which are a relatively new breed, a cross between the American Shorthair and Siamese. He's full grown, but she's an older kitten. They don't talk nearly as much as Siamese do, and are very, very cuddly. Neither is afraid of Libby, our 150lb English Mastiff, and they taught her to back off in the first 30 seconds after meeting. They walk right under her chin to antagonize her, and she struggles to ignore them. They've settled in nicely!

Moving-related item Number 2:
Remember I said my oldest daughter and family moved into the log cabin? Well, they moved out again...and into their own house!

They bought a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2.5 car garage that's just perfect for them. Lots of wood flooring, 14' ceilings, formal dining room, state of the art appliances, and an attic that has a stairway not a pull-down ladder! Oh! And a Christmas Closet! We had no idea that it was anything other than an oddly-large hall closet (the size of a bedroom), until my friend Shirley saw it, and told Megan that it's for storing your fully-decorated Christmas tree, along with tons of shelves and cubbies for storing wreaths, garlands, and ornaments. Who'da thunk it?!
And look how big Baby Sofie's gotten! And that Jack is such a cutie! It's not as much fun not having them in the cabin, but it's a good move for them, so we're happy.
Anyway - almost all their stuff is out of the cabin now, so Andy and I have been pondering what to do with it. It sits right in the middle of our 16+ acres, so we don't want to sell it.

Sooo....we've decided to fix it up and make it the retreat annex, the "Cabin Too." (Name subject to change depending on what I can come up with - suggestions welcome!) Some of the logs need to be replaced, and the inside needs some spiffing up, but we're hoping that a year from now, we'll be able to handle more retreaters. As it stands now, our calendar is almost totally full, including weekdays. Usually only holiday weeks are open. And most of my retreats are repeat bookings, which makes it really difficult for new groups to squeeze in. We're thinking we'll just use the downstairs for now (since nobody really likes to haul their luggage upstairs), and we'll be able to sleep a max of 5-6. That'll still give plenty of room for sewing, scrapping, beading, etc, and some of the smaller groups can book it without worrying about the 6 minimum required at the Quilter's Cabin. I'm considering not having a minimum number at all for the Cabin Too. So, rather than settling into a predictable schedule, we're back to planning, budgeting, working with tradesmen, redecorating...the same thing we were doing almost 3 years ago. I'll post updates and photos when we actually get started. And we really hope a year is a workable goal. Wish us luck!