So, while many of you are suffering with winter weather, I’m writing from Florida in January once again. Last year at this time my friend Linda invited me to come for a visit to Ft. Myers ~ and to teach for her guild. Today, as I pulled up my blog post about that wonderful trip, I read that it was below zero back then too. If it makes those of you in the north feel any better ~ the first part of my trip was cool and rainy. But I’m not complaining.
On top of that, Mike and I decided it was time to renovate the kitchen and have the floors refinished on almost all of the main level in our home. All the cupboards are gone, and the day I flew away work was continuing on the floors.

By the time I return home Mike should have all the furniture back in place, and the kitchen cupboards will be arriving. I’m feeling very blessed (spoiled rotten might be a better term ☺️).
Linda and I love to stitch together, so as I was packing I looked around to see if I had anything new for us to try. I found the Yorkshire Button Looms I’d purchased in a booth at the Birmingham Festival of Quilts.

There were so many delightful patterns. I especially liked the way the loom was used to make cacti and pumpkins by stuffing the “buttons” rather than finishing them flat.

So I took the looms along with some threads I had on hand, and my first morning here we gave it a try.

Thank goodness for video tutorials! Linda and I started slow, but caught on quickly.

We experimented with different sized looms and different threads.

It was such fun to see how the variety of threads and yarns worked (and don’t we all have fun fibers in our stash?) The colorful one at bottom center still has the “petals” sticking out and can be appliquéd onto something to look like a flower. All the others had the “petals” threaded and gathered up tight to either make a flat “button” (multi-color, farthest left), or stuffed to add a 3D effect. I think I’m going to make a few in orange and combine them with the yellow one to make my own Fall display.

I can’t wait to see what we do with the rest. I enjoyed trying a different type of traditional English button making. The Dorset button class I took in England was great fun too.

Linda’s guild is so energetic and welcoming, and they really seemed to enjoy my Journey With a Compass lecture on Tuesday night. The next day Linda and I decided to make a new project for their guild’s quilt show boutique. Their President, another Linda, sent my Linda the link ~ and the video tutorial was great! It was a fun afternoon of sewing.

The following day Linda invited some of her friends from the guild for a yummy lunch, and it was so nice to get to know these dear ladies. Then, on Friday, the sun decided to make an appearance and the temps got into the 60s. So we went to the Manatee Park to see a large number of these gentle giants.



I’d never seen manatees before, and it was a lovely way to celebrate our first day in the sun. We also visited Linda’s friend Carla. Our time with her was inspiring, but I’m going to save that for my next post.
My last day in Florida was warmer and filled with sunshine. I was scheduled to teach my Mariner’s Compass workshop for the Southwest Florida Quilters Guild, and there were 19 quilters signed up. The problem was the facility where the class was supposed to take place didn’t have the reservation. Thankfully a nearby quilt shop, PJ’s Quilts, was able to set up their classroom so the class could go on. All of these delightful ladies handled the change with grace and good humor and, even though we were rather cozy, a good time was had by all!


I want to send a huge THANK YOU! to my friend Linda, and her husband Carl. They were the best hosts! I so enjoyed spending time with them in their lovely home. God bless you both 😁!
judy raddatz says
Lovely time as a snow bird. Enjoy every minute with your friend.
Barb Jordan says
Glad you had a good time.
Hello Linda, you look wonderful.
Mary Lou Cotton says
Chris you may not remember me from the NEIA Quilt Guild but I do remember you and follow your posts. I have been fascinated with the Dorset buttons and started purchasing books and looking for more info. I envy you you time in FL not for the traffic and weather but for you companship with someone who loves to learn. I am interested in the looms you are talking about. Can you share some info so I could learn more? Thanks