Well, it was more than likely me that you heard because a DREAM! CAME! TRUE!
Actually...........SO MANY dreams came true!!!!!!
Because................
My quilting heroine Bonnie Hunter came to St. Louis!!!!!
I know several of you have followed photos of this past weekend on social media and Bonnie's Blog, but, I want to share everything here on my blog too. This is going to be a seriously photo heavy post.
THE MEETING
I was literally giddy on my drive to pick Bonnie up for our fun day with Mary Ellen!
We decided a picnic in historic Forest Park would be a PERFECT way to greet Bonnie!
Bonnie with Mary Ellen on top of Mary Ellen's version of Celtic Solstice.
I was officially designated the CEO of Bonnie's visit.
CEO = Carry Everything Out
LOL
Still in disbelief I had the opportunity to share time with Bonnie!
DREAM! COME! TRUE!
Bonnie was also able to visit with the staff of O'Sewpersonal.
An Antique Mall with Bonnie??????
ANOTHER! DREAM! COME! TRUE!
Let me make this clear here. I frequent this antique mall, and NEVER have I seen
the amount of antique quilts and sewing machines I did this day with Bonnie and Mary Ellen!
I think they follow Bonnie!
BONNIE GIVES LESSONS IN ANTIQUE QUILTS AND
VINTAGE MACHINES
As Bonnie always teaches, "Antique Malls are like history museums where you can
touch everything!"
Inspiration from antique quilts.
Sister's Choice
Bow tie blocks!
This is going to be an inspiration for me from the bow tie
blocks received from Barb's block swap!
Mary Ellen found herself a treasure!
A Periwinkle Stars top, also known as Humming Bird.
Mary Ellen plans to get this one quilted!
So cool!
I have seen this particular quilt many times at this antique mall.
It has been very worn over time, but....
definitely was deserving of a closer look.
I learned from Bonnie that she would date this quilt
somewhere around the early 1900's by the fabrics and quilting!
WOW!
We all melted when we saw this beautiful Double Wedding Ring!
This has some beautiful quilting and LOW VOLUME arcs... right Bonnie?! LOL
It had never been washed, and would have come home with me.......but...
look at that middle yellow piece just left of the center.
Someone had taken some kind of staining agent to dye the fabric!!!!!!
It was almost paint like! Good eye Mary Ellen, and what a shame!
Bonnie is unstoppable in an antique mall!
I think she would stand on her head if she had to in order to inspect a vintage machine!
So much knowledge was obtained from Bonnie about vintage sewing machines this day!
MY BLUE HEAVEN WORKSHOP
Saturday was the workshop with Bonnie. If you have never taken a class with her
or attended her lecture.......GET THYSELF TO ONE!!!!!
Wonderful tips and tricks can be learned from her on a variety of
sewing subjects!
Bonnie posing in front of the beautiful quilt!
She also has great taste in baseball teams don't you think?
GO CARDS!
Demonstrations are VERY informative!
My quilting buddyVernie with her first alternate block!
YEAH VERNIE!
Not to be outdone by my quilting buddy Bev and her first alternate block!
YEAH BEV!
And here are me and my new found friend Ora, who traveled from Kentucky with our first blocks!
We were working with the same colors, but, I decided to reverse my placements.
YES, on purpose! LOL
You know me..........I never can go with the flow!
There were even some quilters from Indiana at the workshop!
It was a pleasure meeting everyone!
During Show-N-Tell I was able to show these off......
My version of Geese on a String.
Quilted by my friend Alycia of Alycia Quilts which will be a Quilt of Valor!
AND......................TA-DA!!!!!!!!!
I was able to debut my completed version of Bonnie's Talkin' Turkey ala Christmas colors!
I LOVE this quilt and it is gonna be mine!
My friend Kim finished the quilting up for me and I LOVE IT!
Bonnie even signed my quilt label!
How incredibly special this quilt will be for me and future generations!
Taking a class with Bonnie Hunter......DREAM! COME! TRUE!
I LOVE THIS PHOTO!
But, something else special happened during class.........
Bonnie spotted a quilter using a black Singer 301...SQUIRREL!!!!
I had mentioned to Bonnie and Mary Ellen I had been on the lookout for a
Singer 301 for well over a year, and Mary Ellen agreed they are VERY hard
to come by in St. Louis. Mary Ellen is in search of one as well!
Cindi, the quilter using the 301 discussed with me that she had something I
may be interested in? Really????? What could it be????
HMMMM?????????
Cindi attends auctions and estate sales weekly. She said she came across this Singer 301
and was the only bidder left around to even place a bid. She walked away with this beauty for $5!
Yes, that's right........$5!!!! After Cindi found out about my work with Quilts of Valor, she asked if
I would like the machine? Uh.....YEAH! ABSOLUTELY! However, while speaking with her I found out her husband is a veteran and has never received a Quilt of Valor! Well......guess who is getting one now? Oh, and I reimbursed her for the $5! LOL
This machine shall be so special to me for so many different reasons and her name will be Cindi!
You should see and hear this machine stitch!!!!!!!
Pedal to the metal baby!
DREAM! COME! TRUE!
Smile Quilters! You are on Bonnie's Camera!
MORE PHOTOS OF BONNIE!
Finding inspiration in the University City Loop.
Selfies with another new found friend Robin!
Sodas at Fitz's in U City!
The Quiltin' Blues with Bonnie!
Although that seems a little like an oxymoron!
This guy made up a song for Bonnie off the top of his head!
VERY TALENTED!
Bye Bye beautiful quilts!
Packed away until another lecture and trunk show!
This was seriously a DREAM! COME! TRUE! Bonnie!
Thanks for your friendship and inspirations!
I will remember this weekend for the rest of my life!
Before I leave I MUST thank my quilting friend Cherie of
Quilted Jonquil for the wonderful donation of backing fabrics
for the Quilt of Valor Block Drive Quilts!
It was wonderful spending the weekend with you and thank you so much for everything you and your husband did!
And....I must give a shout out to Sara on her Honorable Mention award for her
Mariner's Compass quilt she entered in the Quintessential Quilt Show!
It is STUNNING!
Sara is one of the many wonderful customers at O'Sewpersonal!
Congratulations Sara!
And...........last but not least......after 9 days on the market.....
my home is officially under contract!
YEAH!
Dreams DO come true when Bonnie Hunter comes to town!
LOLOL
I shall relish this past weekend's memories for a lifetime!
Thanks for all of the encouragement!
Kevin the Quilter
What a fantabulous weekend for sure - so jealous!!
ReplyDeleteGood for You! So happy that you got to take a class from Bonnie. I got the chance this spring to take a class and like you I love it! I enjoy reading your blog and you are very inspiring with everything you do for Quilt of Valor! Stay on that high for awhile. Happy Quilting! Robin
ReplyDeleteWOW, Kevin!!! What a weekend!! Bonnie is AWESOME, your "new" machine is fabulous, and congrats! on selling your house.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so happy for you (both)! I can see you had a wonderful time together. I love the sewing machine/quilts of valor story. You are such an inspiration! and P.S., you are looking quite svelte! I need some inspiration in that department as well. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteWHEW!! What a blog post, Kevin. The pictures show a fantastic time by all! I'm sure glad you got to spend time with Bonnie outside of class. And that new 301?? WOWZERS!! that's a heck of a deal. I have a couple of those machines and love them... I sure didn't pay $5 for them, I'll tell ya that!! Congrats on the sale of your house!! Now the fun begins....where to move?? How much time do you have??? Good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteWow. I stopped counting the exclamation points after 100. Lol! the time sure went by fast, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteWow......all of THAT in just ONE weekend ?????? I can't believe it !! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to tell you one thing : I'm so happy for you ! The dream came true and it's wonderful !!
I think that you deserve a nap today - what a fun weekend!! And all the quilty goodness - that had to be so fantastic!! Glad you had such a great time - Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGee, did you have a good time ;-) It was lovely to see this wonderful weekend through your eyes. I hope you make it to the "cheap fabric store" one day.....I'd love to join you so let's keep in touch :)
ReplyDeleteMy smile got bigger and bigger as I read this post!! You were even in Bonnie's hotel room!!!! Sorry, I notice stuff like that! I am sew, sew happy for you Kevin. Looks like you had a ball. We should all be so lucky to spend time with Bonnie!! And you have a new to you 301! S-q-u-e-e-l!!!! Can't beat that price!
ReplyDeleteI will have to re read this post a couple of times to make sure I saw EVERYTHING!!
What a great post Kevin! I love all the quilts, especially your talking turkey! AWESOME! And HEY YO! A Singer 301, two toned! BOMB!! SCORE! I love my 301's, I have two mocha ones, a short bed (Betsy) and a long bed (Beatrice)....and a 404 name Lilly...and a featherweight named Trixie....and a longarm named A-Hole and a old Singer model 15 that is hunter green that's name is "handsome devil", cuz he is...and and...oh god...its bad, its really bad! Ha! LOL! I love my machines! I am in the market for a black 301 though....really want one of those! Great post...love all the pictures and antics of our wonderful Bonnie! Shes great! By the way, where can I get one of those tshirts like yours?
ReplyDeleteA 2 toned 301! Woohoo! I have 2 tan ones. Glad you have a contract on the house. Looking forward to finding out where you will land. I was thinking of you, with Bonnie. She will be at my other guild in May (3 different classes being offered). I'll be driving thru on Sunday in my new (used) car (long story about transmissions that keep going out, and out).
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful report! I smiled the whole time I read it and could feel the energy and happiness coming right through the computer! Congrats on your finished turkey! And the thoughtfulness and generosity of Cindi made me teary... there are still good people in the world!
ReplyDeleteOMGosh! I smiled the whole time I was reading. Kevin your excitement oozed out of your words. Thank you! I still giggle thinking of when I met Bonnie. She does have that effect on her cyber friends.
ReplyDeleteHow special that Cindi found that fantastic machine and thought of you!
Thank you for sharing your Bonnie story. I love it!
WOW!!! What an incredible weekend you had! So many things happening at once and quilting too! Your Talkin' Turkey is fabulous - so glad you are keeping it for yourself. Congrats on the 301! Mine is also the LBOW color but I haven't done much with her...yet. $5 is pretty amazing for this wonderful workhorse. I'm sure Bonnie was grateful ahving you as her CEO of this trip :)
ReplyDeleteAll of the HAPPY SMILES on your faces really tell the story of how great your time together was! Such fabulous everything!! Creative Quilting Bliss...
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you! I do love your talkin' turkey quilt. So beautiful! I may have to check out her pattern on that one. Looks so complicated!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely had a weekend where dreams came true!!! Bonnie...301...Bonnie...house SOLD...Bonnie!!!!!!!! Love all the pictures and I was definitely thinking of you all weekend long!!!!!!!!! So, where you moving to???
ReplyDeleteOh my Gosh,what a wonderful weekend with Bonnie & the Girls. You lucky Devil..BTW, you look FABULOUS! Hands raised & clapping for you...I knew your house would sell quick, just knew it, YAY!!! Congratulations. I will keep my fingers & toes crossed for a smooth & easy sell. Oh, "I think they follow Bonnie!!"...Love that..
ReplyDeleteDebra in Ma.
This was such a fun post! It was much more fun on my computer once I got home and could see it BIG instead of on my phone in an airport! Thank you so much for making my trip so much fun! Let's do it AGAIN!!!
ReplyDeleteWow Wee Kevin! Just one incredible blessing after another! Your posts always make me smile but this one has me grinning from ear to ear, tearing up a bit and shivers going up my spine. What an incredible time you had with Bonnie and with all your quilting friends!
ReplyDeleteGeese on a String and Talking Turkey look fabulous - great finishes!
So many wonderful photos of you with Bonnie - you sure know how to have a great time!
Congrats on your Singer 301 gift! My favorite machine is my Singer 301, Dorothy. I sew more with her than with my modern sewing machine.
What a fun weekend! And thanks fir faking the time to share it all with us!
ReplyDeleteBonnie was so lucky to have you for a tour guide! Your quilts are great as always! You are selling your house, great news! A new machine!! I am exhausted just reading about your weekend! So happy for you! When are you moving to Kentucky? haha
ReplyDeleteBonnie mentioned your blog post to me so I had to check it out. What a whirlwind! I'm so excited for you! How fun to show Bonnie your quilt and have her sign it.
ReplyDeleteWow! this is my second time reading your awesome post. I needed to take it all in. So happy for you. What an experience! A life-long memory or what! A picnic with BH! and to receive that awesome sewing machine. You are all set now!.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post, loved seeing all your photo's, and loved knowing that dreams can come true - wow - meeting Bonnie and lots of other new found friends. And a 301 for $5 - what a generous lady to let you have it :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing post...enjoyed every line and every picture! What a wonderful time you had! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you that you me your hero and had such a great time with her. I loved seeing the antique quilts and hooray! there was a bow tie quilt!!!
ReplyDeletefun fun times for you
Awesome post Kevin. So glad you were able to partake of some time with her. She is indeed amazing and I cannot wait until January when I get to see her again.
ReplyDeleteI saw the "selfie" of your and Bonnie on her page earlier this week. Sounds like it was a great class. Looks like lots of fun for all.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else has said, WOW what a fantastic time with Bonnie and such an enjoyable read your blog is. Now more than ever, I am anxiously awaiting the end of October to arrive. I will be attending a retreat 22-25 where we have the honor of being graced with the presence of Bonnie! Whooohoooo, I can hardly wait. Oh, the quilts you shared are so neat. And the quilts of valor you make are so appreciated, I'm sure. I too have made some (6 this year) and it touches your heart when you hear from a recipient. Keep on with the wonderful work you're doing. You are an inspiration to many! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else has said, WOW what a fantastic time with Bonnie and such an enjoyable read your blog is. Now more than ever, I am anxiously awaiting the end of October to arrive. I will be attending a retreat 22-25 where we have the honor of being graced with the presence of Bonnie! Whooohoooo, I can hardly wait. Oh, the quilts you shared are so neat. And the quilts of valor you make are so appreciated, I'm sure. I too have made some (6 this year) and it touches your heart when you hear from a recipient. Keep on with the wonderful work you're doing. You are an inspiration to many! ;-)
ReplyDeleteFantastic post Kevin. So glad you documented all the fun you had with Bonnie and friends over the weekend. Loved seeing all the great St. Louis landmarks that you shared with Bonnie to help her remember our fair city in a good light. I really loved your Talkin Turkey and Geese on a string quilts too.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had such a great weekend. I will start looking for a way to take a Bonnie retreat! I have a 301 and I love her! I bought 2 at the same time. One worked and the other "didn't"--they had the bobbin case in wrong. Moved that baby around, and she hums and purrs! I gave that one to my daughter. $60.00 for the pair. Cindi is doing a great service, saving all those great machines! We, too want to sell our home, and hope your can spread some good vibes our way! Great post!
ReplyDeleteKevin, loved your post. I'm going to follow your blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kevin for sharing your photos . It was a most enjoyable post and how lucky getting 301 wow!! Love Geese on a string and Bonnie's Talking Turkey is amazing, Ideal for Christmas on the wall or bed. Fantastic weekend.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I am going to meet you someday...maybe on land ...maybe in the air! It was wonderful reading your blog and Bonnie's. She is such a sweet person. Always upbeat and positive. I know she had a fabulous time with you and Mary Ellen. You are certainly the best tour guide she could have had...and the picnic? Brilliant. I just smiled and smiled while reading the blogs. Dreams really do come true and I am betting you see Bonnie many more times.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a fantastic time with Bonnie! Glad you were able to finally spend time with your special mentor. I am totally jealous!
ReplyDeleteGet another side view she can look anther back we're going for 20 seconds on the mountain climbers white outright I doubt left good knows how the head is staying strong her back cover head is nice Alpha XTRM thing even with the spine really working that core from the lower belly all the way to the upper stern a great job five more seconds good I’ll show you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.idolizeadvancedeyeserumfacts.com/alpha-xtrm/
Sounds like an amazing time! Thanks for sharing so many lovely pictures!
ReplyDeleteis important I would argue and this is not been said but I would argue that each of these that I have an equivalent number of i've highlighted darts Neurocell
ReplyDeleteor if your program is really imp really want to stress um professionalism maybe everyone has that in there and you consistently look at that this is a way to frame it what happens now there's no system to this it's happening episodically instance and.
http://www.optimalstackfacts.org/neurocell/
the stakes truly no doubt and they're exceptionally expensive according to our inventory need to state from a list goodness yeahthere from Omaha Millionaire Blueprint
ReplyDeleteGreg it's a cow where lives doesn’t matter how it tastes which got the shot from so like said been somebody has basic yet they saw me coming I only .
http://www.optimalstackfacts.org/millionaire-blueprint-system/
Isn't Bonnie the absolute best? I love all her talent and wisdom!
ReplyDeleteIt Food Penther is currently thought expanded lack of sleep, dozing consistently just 4 or five hours a night can have hurtful wellbeing impacts.
ReplyDeletehttps://foodpenther.com/