Trip to Vermont

Built in 1813 and set amidst the National Forest of Vermont, this place was like living in a storybook for the weekend.

I will forever remember the sweet gift my husband gave me by sending me away on a sewing weekend to Blueberry Hill. I truly hope to bring him back with me one day.

This was my room, shared with a friend.
From the front of the inn, it would be the top left two windows.

My friend looking across the way at the barn where everyone gathered to sew in the upstairs loft.

View from the front door looking at the barn across the way.

Liesl Gibson (from Oliver + S) and Heather Ross

Evening Vermont cheeses, crackers and wine, but what I enjoyed most was the endless laughter from Heather's amazing storytelling... seriously, my cheek muscles and stomach hurt from all the laughs. God has certainly blessed her with a gift for finding joy and humor in every circumstance - and then to be able to retell it was captivatingly FUN-NEEEE! OH, and did you know she can pick up a wine glass with her toes? And, her frog prince came right up to her hand while she was sitting in the grass... right. there! From the moment we stepped off the plane in Vermont and all around the country-side, it was easy to see the inspiration for her artwork everywhere - even the sway of the wildflowers along the side of the road looked just like her illustrations.

Liesl is everything I thought she would be - tender, graceful and ever-lovely with her cheerful smiles. She certainly has the heart of a teacher. I came to the weekend with the expectation of finishing a quilt-top I started for my son a couple of years ago. While I was disheartened about not having quite the right fabrics to complete it, Liesl taught me so much about color, fabric selection and together we drew a pattern so I would have a plan to complete it when I returned home. I do wish she and I would have been able to get away for a quiet walk - I felt there was so much more to talk about aside from sewing and quilting and pattern-speak... I look forward to spending more time with such a dear friend.

While sitting in the adirondack chair eating lunch near the pond, there was a little nest of baby birds being fed by their mama in the tree above. I was probably six feet away so I set my sandwich aside and zoomed in. You can see the little beak of one of them.

. . . more Heather Ross story-telling . . .

Heather was so generous with her lovely stashes of Kokka Far Far Away Double Gauze fabric. Any one of us could have had our pick. Karen helped give me the idea to make the slippers from Heather's Weekend Sewing book. I chose a little bit of the orange dandelions with deep aqua rick rack to trim the inside edge - I do believe it was during this process that my friend and I received a ric rac term of endearment. I have a feeling the label is going to stick.

My friend decided to make the Yard Sale skirt, also featured from Heather's book. OH-MY-WORD, it turned out perfect!  We all thought she should have gone out into the pasture and pretended to be Julie Andrews... but a barn-loft twirl was just as darling.