Lucy & Ethel Quilting Adventures Part 1

Hopefully, if you are reading today's post, you have already read the post from two days ago when I told about us showing up for the first day's Bonnie Hunter quilt workshop lecture at the wrong address, terrible parking, arriving late, getting seats in the back, etc., etc., etc. 

Well...hold on to you seats...the second day is even more ridiculous!  In fact, I now think that we should change our names to Lucy and Ethel!

Tuesday morning arrived with plenty of sunshine and excitement for the day ahead.  Marianne decided to drive again...basically because her sewing machine and supplies were already in her mini-van and she wouldn't have to lift it out in order to put it in my Jeep. :)  LOL  So I tossed my Stanley, plastic. 2-level tool box filled with my little 11 lb. Singer Featherweight and other supplies into Marianne's van and off we went.

We had an early start so we stopped by the Dunkin' Donut shop for breakfast and coffee.  We actually ate healthy...we ordered breakfast sandwiches rather than donuts (even though I did pick up a 50 count box of assorted donut holes to take and share with the other ladies taking the workshop....and Marianne had baked a loaf of zucchini bread.) :)  :)

We finished our breakfast and headed to the workshop location....knowing that we would easily be arriving at least 30 minutes early in order to get our sewing stations set up and ready to roll!

Marianne plugged the address (taken from an e-mail from the workshop coordinator I had printed and brought with me) for the workshop location into her Garmin and we headed that way.  After about 10 minutes of driving I turned to Marianne and said, "The workshop location is only supposed to be 1.3 miles from the hotel...shouldn't we be there by now?"

We double checked the address in the Garmin and didn't know what to do except keep driving (BIG MISTAKE).  By this time, we are driving "out in the countryside of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania".

There is complete and utter nothingness!!!!

Marianne - cool, calm and collected

I'm starting to go crazy....my watch is saying that it is now 20 minutes until the workshop.  If you are someone that knows me well, you already know that I am an "arrive early" fanatic.  I blame this trait on my dad who had to (and still does) arrive early for EVERYTHING.  The thought of walking into any function late (or even exactly on time) gives me heart palpatations!!!  On the other hand, Marianne is acting completely in control, cool, calm and collected.  LOLOL

The Garmin is saying we have less than a mile to go before reaching our destination....I'm sitting on the edge of the passenger seat, moving my head back and forth trying to see ANYTHING!

Then we hear the Garmin's computer generated voice say "ARRIVING AT _______ ON RIGHT".

Our destination....I don't think so!!!!

We have arrived at an empty field!!!!!!!  Can we say "PANIC TIME!!!!!!!!!"

What to do, what to do!!  We remember the name of the business building being used for the workshop....with a road of the same name as the building....but no actual address.  We quickly plug in that road name....Marianne puts the pedal to the metal and off we go as fast as we safely can on a gravel, country road in the middle of nowhere!!!!!

Somehow, some way, we FINALLY found the correct location....and it was 9:05 when we were pulling into the parking lot.  (Yes, I'm sick at my stomach by this time!) :)  Marianne dropped me off with my sewing machine and supplies at the door so I could try to go find us tables while she parked.

I walked as fast as these ol' legs could carry me, pulling my toolbox behind me...and wouldn't you know it....I entered the workshop to find all the other attendees sitting at their sewing stations with their machines out, sewing supplies arranged neatly around them, ready to begin the workshop.  As I entered through the doorway, I see Bonnie Hunter standing in the middle of the room saying, "We really need to get started."  At this point, I realize that I am experiencing one of my worst nightmares....arriving late and all eyes are on me! :)

In panic mode I look around and don't see any available table space.  I won't go into all the details, but thankfully, we are finally told to set up at two lonely tables, away from all the other quilters.

Now, you have to REALLY LOOK CLOSELY to find us.  Look in the very back, against the wall, away from all the other quilters, to the left of the hanging quilt display.  I am wearing Fushia.  Marianne is to my right but since she was wearing pastels, you can't really see her. LOL  And yes, Marianne and I are both waving for the camera!!! LOLOLOLOL   (By the way, this was only one side of the room....there are more quilters set up to the left of this photo.

Thankfully, we decided to take our own photos....otherwise we would never be able to PROVE we had attended based on any "group shots". LOLOL

Marianne smiling pretty

Me

One thing you can say about our instructor, she is full of energy....and it was contagious! :)

Once the morning was well underway, and we "late-arrivers" finally had time to set up our sewing stations....the true fun began!!!!

At one point in the early hours of the workshop, Bonnie came by our two lonely tables and chatted a while.  She was getting ready for another demonstration to the whole class and asked to borrow Marianne's specialty rulers and rotary cutter.  Then she went through my box of  2 1/2 inch strips of fabric and chose two pieces for the demonstration.  She even grabbed one of my completed quilt blocks...I wasn't sure why at that point. :)

Marianne and I felt "special", if only for a moment, as Bonnie used Marianne's rulers and cutter to demonstrate how to cut the 2 1/2 inch half-square triangles needed for the hour glass centers of our blocks and the quarter square triangles needed for the flying geese blocks and the corner blocks.

Bonnie Hunter demonstrating how to use the specialty rulers

Bonnie showing how to assemble the triangles to make an hour glass center block

Don't forget....that's my fabric she is using!!! LOLOLOLOL

One of my completed blocks

Wow...I can't believe she is showing one of my completed blocks to the entire group as an example of how different our quilt tops will be simply because of our individual fabric choices and how we placed them.

Our Lucy & Ethel Quilting Adventure will continue tomorrow.