In Florida's Friendliest Hometown

Where to begin? I dislike being secretive, but for security reasons, I didn't divulge that we've been away from home for almost three weeks. We left very early in the morning on November 19 to make the long, 24 hours-plus drive to Florida. First we visited our son and his little family, spending two nights with them in their downtown Tampa condo.

We sure have missed being around this guy, 18 month-old Austin. He definitely prefers Bapa to me, but when Bapa isn't around, Austin is content to come to me. Second-best is acceptable.

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, we went here for the next two weeks.

The Villages is a city of approximately 86,000 people comprised of 55 small "villages" - neighborhoods full of similar-aged people, 55 years and older, who're like-minded about retirement, wanting to live their senior years. The Villages is located next to the city of Lady Lake in central Florida. It's little over an hour northwest of Orlando (home of Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios, Sea World, and the like), and about a half hour southeast of Ocala.

It's a beautiful, idyllic place that has been called "Disney World for adults." Someone else likened The Villages to "being in eighth grade, without the homework!"

Photo taken while driving in a golf cart, on the golf cart road

View of Lake Miona from Market Square boardwalk.

Dan and I first visited The Villages one day last May. He attended a simulcast John Deere retiree meeting while I strolled and shopped the retail shops in Market Square. After his meeting we went to the sales office to learn more about The Villages. We were delighted with what we heard and left there with a strong desire to learn more. Hence our return visit these past weeks.

Just as we did, anyone 55 years or older is invited to make a "lifestyle visit" to The Villages, staying four to fourteen days in a furnished home. We were privileged to stay in the Lakeshore Cottages village, in this fabulous three-bedroom, two-bathroom, furnished house.

Hogan, our dog, came with us.

Our stay included use of two bicycles and this, a golf cart! Whether you're a golfer or not (we are not), this is the primary mode of transportation for anyone living in The Villages. After a lesson and some practice, I found it an excellent way to get around and enjoy the beautiful scenery and gorgeous weather. A golf cart gets about 45 miles to the gallon!

During the two weeks of our lifestyle visit, we had every opportunity to enjoy the amenities and we tried very hard to do so! Every single night of the year (except Christmas), there's free live music in both of the city squares - Spanish Springs Square, and Market Square, the latter of which was within short walking distance of our house. We took advantage and attended each evening except two, sitting outdoors listening and dancing! We don't dance often, and certainly don't know formal dances, but when the music played is mostly from the 60s and 70s, we couldn't resist.

Depending on who's performing, the Market Square can be a hoppin' place! Rocky and the Rollers are a particular favorite.

As well, every other night vendor booths are set up to sell things: jewelry, outdoor signage (residents of The Villages often display their names in front of their homes), designer soap and sporting goods. 

On this particular evening, Thursday, December 1, the square was especially busy because it was the annual Christmas Tree lighting, the most well-attended event of the year.

Check out the hundreds of golf carts parked along the streets!

Many of them just made me smile.

You can see here that we enjoyed our golf cart too. Our Tampa family visited us, staying for four nights over Thanksgiving and the weekend. This is how we went to church Sunday morning!

With more than 1,800 groups within The Villages, there is no shortage of opportunities to share interests and be active. While we didn't try out any of the 504 golf holes in The Villages, we found activities that interest us. Dan got to play cribbage, a card game he's loved since being taught by his grandfather and that he hasn't played for years. He also played badminton, platform tennis and tried pickleball, the most popular sport in The Villages. I think I could hear his creaky knees after that week.

Dan, on the right, at platform tennis lessons.

As for me, well of course you know I visited quilt groups. The Villages boasts 12 groups that meet weekly! All of them meet on Tuesdays though, so I couldn't attend many of them - only two: Laurel Manor Quilters and Allamanda Quilters. Then, once a month all of them meet as the Quilting Guild of The Villages and have about 500 members. I met some pretty nice people - Honestly, are there any not-nice quilters? I also visited a needlework group and they were just as nice. The Villages isn't called "Florida's Friendliest Hometown" without reason. (In future posts I have more to share about attending those groups.)

We made sure that Hogan would be comfortable riding in a golf cart. He was!

Suffice it to say we had a fabulous time, one that has instigated serious discussions about how we'll spend our retirement years. During our long drive back home, we spent considerable time accessing our living situation and lifestyle. We agree that we're ready to make a change and this may be it.

Dozens of neighborhood heated swimming pools are open year-round. 

Streets and properties are well-maintained with gorgeous landscaping.

Even though we don't golf, these course views are impressive.

 

Lots of planning lies ahead, and God-willing, we'll find ourselves spending the next 20 years living like this. Factored into decision-making is my unwillingness to physically further distance myself from young grandchildren. I've been praying earnestly about everything (Can we sell our house?), and will continue to do so. 

As I've been pondering, I do find it serendipitous that I like palm trees so much - that my blog name and my favorite Bible verses (Psalm 92:12-13) are about palm trees. Doesn't it seem right that someday I might live where palm trees do? Linda

Christmas Mats

When I saw one of these on Beth's blog, LoveLaughQuilt, I knew I would make and give them as pre-Christmas, holiday decorating gifts for my daughter, and daughter-in-law.

Beth has a very nice tutorial here, calling these "Holiday Hexagons." They sew up quickly, and look as festive as I'd hoped.

Thank you Beth, for sharing this with me.

Those little red and green ornaments are actually salt and pepper shakers! I enjoy using them each December.   Linda

Fun with Dick and Jane

Last April, my BFAB Carla, organized a swap of 5" I-Spy squares. With three little grandsons, I knew I'd need a lot of blocks, so I swapped three sets. Even though I was very pleased with the squares I received, I continued to pick up fat quarters here and there. Then, a very good friend, Norma, simply gave me a whole lot more squares that she had from the same swap! Thank you very much, Norma!

One of my little grandies, 26 month-old Tay, is talking up a storm. He's speaking in complete sentences. For example, he recently said to his mom, "Talk to Nana on the 'puter." (Skype). He's learning so quickly that I decided that by Christmas he will be good and ready for the fun and challenge of an I-Spy quilt. And his little 13 month-old brother will benefit too.

With inspiration from Robin who made this quilt seen on Carla's blog, I made this quilt top one evening.

incomplete quilt top, 45" X 54"

I inquired how Robin quilted hers, and then agreed with her assessment that an all over design is the only way to quilt such a busy top. This is my first quilting attempt at big, loopy bubbles. I like them!

Finished I-Spy, 48" X 57"

I couldn't leave out a square of UNI Panther (University of Northern Iowa) fabric. A couple years ago, I bought four yards of it when I came across it at a local quilt show. Last year, I went to the UNI campus to look for it in the University Bookstore, I learned that the fabric had been printed without legal permission! I've since been very particular about where and how I use the precious amount of fabric I have left.

For the back, I came across the perfect fabric in the bottom of one of my bins. It's Michael Miller's "Dick and Jane" fabric that I bought when it came out about five years ago.

It will be ideal in helping teach alphabet letters and perhaps a few words. After all, Dick, Jane and Sally - Spot and Puff too - taught me to read!

The quilt front has 99 squares, so with Christmas tree beside the label, that makes 100 blocks for the boys to I-Spy.

I can't wait to play it with them. Linda

Space Crystals

While telling students in a recent Stitchin' Mission class about binding, and how it can be sewn to a quilt in many different ways, I recalled this quilt that hasn't seen the light of day for several years. It's another older quilt that's tucked into a pillowcase in my quilt cupboard. 

"Space Crystals," 40" X 40"

When I teach about binding a quilt, I explain how it can be sewn to a quilt using a variety of methods. (If you haven't already, be sure to check out my tutorial for non continuous sewn binding.) And a few different enhancements can make binding more of an accessory to a quilt than just a finished edge.
Susan Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding tool makes piped binding an easy enhancement. While it's not appropriate for every quilt, it can add a little pop. My challenge is to remember to keep yards and yards of cording on hand for whenever it strikes me that "this is a quilt for piped binding." 
On this all batik quilt, a small purple batik piping contrasts with the black-blue background.

Also, instead of the usual mitered corner binding, I sewed binding on a curve drawn along a sandwich plate. Much easier than mitering!

I did this quilting without a stitch regulator, on a Bernina QE153, which I no longer have. These days I'm quilting on a Pfaff Grand Quilter... without a frame; while sitting down.

"Space Crystals" was made during a 2006 class with Sara Nephew whose geometric designs have always appealed to me. Though I like this quilt, there's absolutely no suitable place for it in my home, nor the homes of my kids. It earned a second-place ribbon at the 2006 Des Moines Area Quilters Guild annual quilt show. 

40" X 40"

Linda

Zig-Zag

Recently, when going through my quilt cupboard where I have too many quilts folded-up and tucked into pillowcases, I came across this made-in-2006 quilt. It's one I created and wrote a pattern for when I began teaching quiltmaking. Because of its effective use of scrappy lights and darks, it's a good lesson in starting to understand value as it relates to color.

"Zig-Zag," 48" X 60"

Quilting is easy with a simple stipple design, and effective with variegated thread.

Big, double loops give interest to the border.

Since none of the five Stitchin' Mission lessons I teach are about how to sew on the bias (except for joining binding strips), this pattern allows Stitchin' Mission "graduates" to try sewing on the diagonal to make half-square triangles.

48" X 60"

If you like Zig-Zag, the free download is here, on the Stitchin' Mission website. Linda

Was Ugly. Still Ugly?

In September, quilters who wanted to participate in our DSMMQG (Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild) "One Fourth Ugly" swap brought in a sack with a quarter yard of fabric, or equivalent pieces of a quarter yard of fabric, and took home someone else's fabric. We had two months to make something using that ugly stuff, and can keep what we made. Last night's DSMMQG meeting was our big reveal.

Here's mine.

"Ugly," 31-1/2" X 31-1/2"

The single piece of fabric in my sack was the tone-on-tone dull aqua print. It appears as wedges in each circle, and as binding.

Flipping through my trusty Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, I came across this "Snowball Wreath" and proceeded to figure out how to make it.

Piecing and machine applique were both used to make four 15" finished blocks. 

I quilted with bright yellow 50-weight Aurifil thread.

The quilting designs include lots of channel quilting marked with a Hera marker, and free motion bubbles.

Because the challenge was to use ugly fabric I made that perfectly clear on the quilt back! Since winning a giveaway that included the book "Word Play Quilts," (Thank you, Madame Samm!) I'm having fun finding places to put words. 

indoor photo

Three more of my own ugly prints were used up in this backing too. Yay! This print, that I finally used up, was bought sometime in the mid-80's. I've heard, but can't find any supporting evidence, that it's considered "a classic." It was one of Concord's (?) most popular prints and was available in several colorways. I also have it in lavender.

Though I didn't use to be, I'm now fairly diligent about making sure my quilts get a label.

For this quilt, I probably didn't need a label at all since this really says it. 

Check out more of our uglies on Doris's blog. And even more pictures of uglies and our holiday swap items are on our modern guild website. 

The antithesis of ugly is this - what our front yard looked like a couple days ago. It was quite literally "raining leaves"...  pretty golden-colored ones from a maple tree. 

However, by the end of the day the tree was bereft of leaves, and after several passes with the mulching lawn mower, was a mass of golden compost. Such a pretty end to autumn. Linda