Quilt and Sew Forever: Lucy & Ethel Quilting Adventures Part 2

So....at this point in the quilting workshop, we are thinking... "All that could go wrong has already gone wrong so the rest of the day should be a breeze!"

The morning hours pass by too quickly as we continue to sew, chat and watch Bonnie Hunter demonstrate more steps in the quilt top design. In the blink of an eye it was lunch time. We had all placed our orders as we arrived to have a local sandwich shop deliver our meals at noon. The food arrived and it was difficult to pull ourselves away from our sewing machines....we were on a roll and didn't want to stop!!

We picked up our bag lunches and JUST as we were preparing to sit down and start eating....lo and behold, what did we hear?

FIRE ALARM!!!!!!!!

Everyone was told to evacuate the building....but....but....our lunches.....our sewing machines.....our finished blocks.....our purses!!!!

I don't know what everyone else grabbed to take with them....but I had my lunch (thankfully still in the plastic bag) slung over one arm, my diet Pepsi stuck in my front pants pocket, my purse on my back and last but not least...I grabbed for my cell phone that was laying on the table next to my sewing machine.

We all scurried (unhappily) out the back door. Thankfully, we found that there was a huge patio space with outdoor tables and chairs...and wow, what a view!!!

To our left.....

Then slowly turn to the right and see....

Thankfully it was not too hot to sit outside in the direct sunlight (there was no shade whatsoever). We all ended up taking a long, leisurely lunch whether we wanted to or not. Finally we were allowed back inside.

We were greeted with the bad news that the building manager decided it MUST have been the ironing station that was set up near the heat sensor which had triggered the fire alarm. Some of the ladies unplugged the irons and moved a couple of the ironing boards to the center of the room (far away from the fire alarm sensor). Most of us had our own mini-ironing stations set up at our tables but the full-size ironing boards were for anyone needing to do LOTS of ironing from their chain-piecing.

Before we started sewing again....our instructor, Bonnie, asked if anyone had brought any "show and tell" projects to share with the class.

I was blown away when one lady steps forward and unfolds this....

This is a quilt design called "Dear Jane". Every single 4 1/2 inch block is different, every single large triangle along the border is different. All this lady had left to do was attach the binder and she was finished! There is so much history in this quilt design (originally designed and made during the Civil War)....and I LOVE the stories behind each quilt design. The reason I was in such shock is due to the fact that I had just ordered this book the week before the workshop...never dreaming that I would ever have the opportunity to see this pattern up close and personal!!! (My copy arrived the day after the workshop...but after seeing it in person, I'm not so sure that I can do it now! LOL)

Then another lady unfolded this quilt top....(one of Bonnie Hunter's designs)

The maker of this quilt top had actually attended with her friend who had also made the exact same quilt top design....only in completely different colors....

If I'm not mistaken, I believe I heard these ladies say that they had attended a past Bonnie Hunter workshop in another location and this was the result of their hard work. I snapped a photo of the two together just to get a good feel for the contrast.

Next in line was a lady who shared that she had used Bonnie's ideas for using "Leaders and Enders" (sewing odds and ends scrap squares, or triangles together in between your main sewing project so that there is always some fabric underneath your needle and your never have long strings of thread to cut). Her quilt was made entirely from the little scraps of fabric that most would have thrown away. Isn't it adorable?

Only one other lady had brought a project to share....this lady also mentioned she had used Bonnie's ideas and patterns to use her scraps from other quilts to complete this one.