Quiltin' and Stitchin' in The Villages

For the two weeks we were in The Villages, Florida, we had guest passes to every activity that a resident might enjoy. While Dan was inclined to participate in physical activities, I leaned toward more leisurely, familiar activities like quilting and needlework.

Because 12 quilting groups in The Villages meet weekly, on Tuesdays only, I was able to attend only two of them: a morning Laurel Manor quilting group, and an afternoon Allamanda quilting group. Each group is named for the recreational center in which they meet. This is the beautiful Laurel Manor recreational center. 

I can't tell you how pleasant it was to make the scenic, 15 minute golf cart drive to this recreational center. This is how I left my golf cart in the parking lot. I can't get over how charming this seems!

Once inside, I was directed to the room where the quilters meet, and had no qualms about walking into a room full of strangers. With the commonality of quilting, there's nothing to fear. I was welcomed by the group president and then sat next to a friendly woman who kept me apprised of some of the group's recent activities. They had just come from a weekend retreat and had these stack and whack table runners to show for their time together. 

Another lifestyle visitor like me, showed this quilt. She was visiting from Alabama and had made this quilt top for a niece attending Oklahoma State University - school colors, orange and black.

Here are three of the quilters I became acquainted with. All of them are permanent residents of The Villages. Pat (in the visor) is from Michigan; Kristen (wearing pink) is from Wisconsin; and Jeannie, the president is from Delaware.

Laurel Manor quilters have secret sisters. They opened gifts and this bath towel/washcloth reindeer was one of the presents given. Isn't it cute? It's meant to be hung across the back of a chair as decoration. I've never seen anything like it. 

I also attended Allamanda quilters, but might not have done so if it weren't for Karen (I don't have a picture of her!) who waited on me when I stopped at the Peterbrooke Chocolates in Market Square. Karen inquired about our lifestyle visit and in an open, friendly way told me about being from Minneapolis and involved in several groups, including Allamanda quilters. As soon as I learned that, I wanted to attend myself. Karen quickly said, "See? It's just that easy to make friends in The Villages."

She couldn't have been nicer. As soon as I arrived - by golf cart, of course! - at Allamanda, she was waving and beckoning me to sit near her. Dan and I also ran into Karen and her husband at the December 1 Christmas tree lighting event. We spent considerable time discussing how one decides whether to take a leap and move to The Villages. They were very helpful.

December 1 tree lighting

In any case, thanks to Karen, in no time at all I struck up conversations with several Allamanda quilters, learning their hometowns, how long they'd been making quilts, and what projects they were working on.

Janice, from Mississippi, was needleturn appliqueing a Hawaiian quilt block. She and I made a couple connections - her grandchildren live in Waukee, Iowa, one suburb away from me; and she drives a Volkswagen Bug, just as I do!

Sorry about the tipped picture!

After such good times with quilters, I unhesitatingly attended a Thursday morning needlework group. All types of needleworkers are welcome. I saw lots of counted cross-stitch, wool applique, crocheting and knitting. I got such a kick out of this piece - a knitted alligator scarf!

The two grapefruit were from a backyard tree. They were brought by one needleworker for another needleworker who makes them into grapefruit pie! Have you ever heard of such a thing? After I inquired about the pie ingredients - cream cheese, grapefruit, and a cooked sugar/grapefruit glaze - it didn't sound half bad!

Thank you ladies, every one of you, for making me feel welcome.

We were very sad to leave The Villages on Monday, December 5. However we did make a very pleasant overnight stop in Kansas City before returning to Des Moines. I never miss the chance to see these little boys.

Thirteen month old Aesa has a mischievous, toothy grin. Other than saying "mama" he isn't speaking yet, but he does use sign language to make his wishes known.

Tay, at 26 months, talks up a storm. For his age, the thoughts and compound sentences that come out of his mouth boggle my mind. He offered me his best smile for this picture. LOL

And he can sing. Take 37 seconds to enjoy this classic nursery hit, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Linda

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