Pennsylvania Vacation SEWING SCHOOL, Part #1

One of my missions during our visit to Pennsylvania was to give Tran (married to John's nephew, Joel) another sewing lesson.

She got a sewing machine for Christmas a couple of years ago -- but after one initial lesson, she never really had a chance to sew anything. I hoped, with a little advance project planning, she might be more encouraged...

I thought the perfect starter project would be a ragged edge quilt...and my sister Ronda is THE MASTER...

But who are we kidding? Tran and I could spend three days just ramping up for this project. First, we have to find a fabric store (not easy in Schuylkill County) -- then, pick out a variety of little-boy-printed-and-solid flannels. The next step would be to wash the flannel, and cut it up in 10"squares...

Hey -- I only have a week.

SO -- Because I am a genius -- I decided to buy flannel squares from Ronda BEFORE I left for Pennsylvania. Ronda likes shopping for the fabric ALMOST as much as she enjoys making the quilts.

Shopping for the flannel is her own personal ongoing treasure hunt. She is plugged into every fabric sale within a 30 mile radius.  She shops year-round, buying every new pattern she finds, then she washes it, dries it, and cuts it into 10" squares, stacking them in neat color-coded piles. She sorts her beautifully prepared squares in plastic tubs, according to color, gender or subject matter.

Ronda -- in a fabric store!!

I don't have any pictures of her many bins(yet) -- but Ronda has collected thousands of squares of flannel -- and she has her own Dewey Decimal System for organizing. Every closet is full, one spare bedroom is stacked with tubs of flannel squares, her basement, too...she organizes them according to subject, or color...baby boy prints, baby girl prints, butterflies, birds, fish, geometrics, stripes, plaids, sports themes, fishing/hunting prints, solids (according to color) -- pastels, primary colors...she is obsessed with 10" flannel squares.

Lilly loved picking out the squares for her new quilt last year...

So, I went shopping at Ronda's house. We went through her many bins, picked out some boy prints, with a camo-hunting-fishing-theme and I made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She sent me away with a big stack of pre-washed, perfectly cut flannel squares.

THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN....Yes...it is good to be me....

And, I'm taking this with me...