Quilt Market and Beyond

Portland was great. I know Quilt Market looks like a ton of fun on Instagram, but i find it exhausting and a lot of work (probably because I arrive as an introvert with a long to do list).

I loved being in Portland again.  I used to live in Seattle and during that time some very good friends lived in Portland, so I visited often. It’s a great town. My younger brother moved from Wisconsin to Portland last year and Quilt Market provided an opportunity to spend time with him. There are few people I love more than my baby brother (here he is with his lady on a lovely hike).

Colin and Kelly on a hike



And there are few dogs I love more than his dog Mabel!  So cute!

Mabel

Mabel is a border collie / australian cattle dog mix; crazy; around 50 pounds.


I just soaked up the brother and doggy and quilty love out in Portland.  And when I came home, my boyfriend had some more love for me! We went for a short birthday trip (my 36th) out to Lake Huron, and on the first night, as we strolled along the beach, he proposed!

Jon and Vin on Lake Huron



I said yes! The ring is a lovely thing, opals and pearls because I am not a diamonds girl. It belonged to his Tata (mother’s mother).  It’s on my right-hand for now as it feels just a little loose on the left.

Opals and Pearls


We’ve started making plans for a tiny ceremony and a big dance party.  Don’t worry that this blog will transform into a wedding blog…we’re going very minimalist.
Yes: Food, music, a photographer.
No: floofy dress, sparkely veil, fancy flowers, bridesmaids, groomsmen, churches, or name changes.  Though I did tell Jon, since he once told me that it is ‘confusing’ when married couples don’t have the same last name that he’s welcome to take my name. Dr. & Mr. Rossie Hutchinson has a certain ring to it. I love that he smiled when I said that to him.  

I love that when I tell him that I have no interest in doing all these things that 90% of the population does (in fact, seems hard-wired to do and to love doing) that it’s okay.  Usually he either already knows that was likely to be my preference or it immediately makes sense to him that I’m going to be an oddball about something.  That’s the thing about us: it’s a big love, but its not dramatic, we are always working on our relationship, but we also find each other really easy to understand and accept.  What more could a person ask for?

Rossie and Jon

Rossie

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This Post Has 65 Comments

  1. congratulations! I did a handmade/homemade wedding 22 years ago, and on a budget too. pick the parts that give you joy and leave the rest.

    1. Thanks so much! I'm always glad to hear from people who were able to keep it simple. I can see that it's easy to get swept up in all the hulabaloo!

  2. Wonderful! To each his own. It's your day together, no one else's. And such a wonderful description of introverts. I really relate to the illustration about extroverts going back to what they were doing, so we can feel safe that there will be no demands made on us. Whew, what a relief!

  4. Congratulations!! I saw your ring on Instagram, it's really precious 🙂 Me & my husband did much the same – had a small ceremony (courthouse!!), then dinner with my family, some good cake…really small affair. I haven't changed my name, but we're still trying to decide if he wants my name, we'll keep them as they are, or if we'll both change to his mother's maiden name. It's a hassle though!! We don't really care enough to be super worried about it, haha it's been over a year and a half…

    1. Ah yes, well Jon won't go for the courthouse. So right now the ceremony is at 15 people (parents, siblings, their partners, and his niece and nephew.) Jon wants aunts, uncles, and cousins, too. But that doubles the size and freaks me out, so I'm hoping everybody can relax about it. I can only handle so many people having feelings about me and my life at once!!!
      We've also talked about both taking another name (there are a couple unused goodies in our families. We'll see. I suspect we'll just stick with what we've got!

  5. Mabel is adorable I can see flying all the way to Portland to visit her (the brother too)!

    Congratulations on the engagement! Sharing your life with someone you love is difficult but wonderful at the same time! I found prior to getting married for the first time at 45 i had alot of notions of what i wanted it started out that we were just going to do something simple as well, but i found the poofy dress at a yard sale and i went with it, figured the dress was trying to tell me something. Like Brenda said. We picked what was important and left the rest. As far as the name, i always swore i wasnt going to change my name. I spent 45 years with the same name… but i started using his after the wedding and it seems right. We belong together and should share that too!

  6. Congratulations. I applaud your choice of a small ceremony. Marriage is not about the wedding day, it's about the years that come after it. Too many people invest all they have, emotionally and financially, in one day and then the relationship falls apart. I wish you happiness and fortitude. It 's a rewarding path and by turns hard and joyous. Good Luck!

  7. awww congratulations!!!!!! I'm so happy for you 🙂 My engagement ring was John's maternal grandmother's, and it means so much more than any random piece of jewellery. Love to you xxx

  8. Congratulations! With my travelling from New Zealand and the US (to Australia), our smallish wedding was the only time both sides of our family got to meet. I'm so glad we got lots of photos. Paying for a photographer was a great investment.

  10. Congratulations. Sounds like a match of like-minded people. When my husband and I married, I took all sorts of guff from family and friends for NOT changing my name: 'What about children? People will be confused!' But didn't waiver and change it. 31 years later, can't really recall many instances when it made a difference. Go figure.

  11. You two are so cute. Totally skip the hullablu and the stress. Have fun and enjoy the moment. We got married in my parents house 35 years ago with only close family. NEVER regretted it! Precious moments should only be shared by people who count.

    1. That's my though, too. We do also want to have a big dance party with lots of people, but I want the ceremony to be 15 people only.

  14. Congrats Rossie!! I hope you and Jon have a day that makes you happy… that's the only part that really counts, right?

  15. Congratulations, your wedding idea sounds absolutely perfect to me. The only reason my OH and I have never got married (despite family pressures) is that we don't like weddings and they would disapprove if we just signed a register in the registry office in jeans with minimal witnesses and went to Nando's afterwards 😉

    1. Weddings are interesting, it seems like it should be down to the couple's choice, but everyone has expectations! Signing a registry sounds perfectly lovely to me!

  16. I got married for the first time at 38. I didnt take his name, do the wedding thing, or even a honeymoon. Did prudent things like paying off the house so we lived our first 5 years of marriage morgage free and buying a suite of furniture.
    My husband will answer to my last name and I answer to his depending who we are around. After 10 years its kinda a non issue – if it ever was one.
    So happy that you found your life partner! How you celebrate, mark, or symbolize it is minor compared to the joy you've found in sharing your life.
    congrats!

    1. Yes, we're also focused on house stuff and life stuff. Though the dance party will take some money. But minimal amounts, we hope. Thanks so much for your support!

  17. Congratulations Rossie! I don't know you so it seems a bit weird to be congratulating, but I'm making a quilt inspired by your cross quilt just now and I read your blog so it feels a bit odd not to congratulate you too! You sound like a good fit together. Enjoy sharing more life together!

  19. Congratulations! I love to hear about a happy couple making things easy for one another. And he's a looker, too!

  20. What a great story, congratulations! We hear some crazy wedding stories here in Vegas, simple seems very sane to me:-)

  21. Congratulations, Rossie! I feel like I "know" you a bit from your fantastic blog and I am very happy for you and for Jon. You seem perfectly matched! I think your wedding will be perfect for the two of you, as long as you stick to what YOU, the happy couple, want from the day, and don't bow to pressure from others. I love your non-traditional, sentimental ring too!

  22. Congratulations! I wish you all the best!!!
    Have a great dance party!
    Esther
    esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
    ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com

  24. Love this post. You are so good at sharing who you are without making everyone feel inferior b/c we're not you 🙂

  25. congrats!!!! that's such exciting news!! And yay for keeping it real. love that. And quilt market, I'm sure i'd feel the same way if I was there. whew.

  26. Congrats! And happy birthday! The ring is perfect – much like what i would hope for myself. I'm not a diamonds girl either. 🙂 However the day goes and whosever name you two have at the end of it, I'm sure it will be beautiful and entirely reflective of you both (as opposed to the mass-produced nuptials that are sadly commonplace.) Enjoy every minute of the journey!

    1. Thanks so much! I'm hoping we can make a nice day for ourselves. Just finding a venue is proving quite interesting!

  28. What a sweet thing to read this morning, how important your family is to you and how happy you are in your own space.
    Congratulations to both of you – I know you will work together to make the wedding and the marriage what both of you want.

    I planned my son's wedding last year in 3 weeks, while larger than yours, the reception was in our yard and the most fun reception I've ever seen. It is nice to not always do everything the 'traditional' way and go with what feels right.

    Mary

    1. Thanks so much! We are hoping to plan the party quickly, but we're having trouble because all the venues are booked! Oh well, fingers crossed that something comes up soon!

  30. Such a poignant statement about your love. As someone whose been with my man for 17 years now, those are honest and good words.

    Right after we go engaged a stranger gave us the best advice for our wedding. Decide what it important about having a wedding and make that guide all your decisions. Not about getting married, about the wedding. So, for us, it was the big party. Everything from decorations to music to location was dictated by how it would make for a better party. Even the ceremony was part of the party. And we couldn't have been happier.

    Thrilled for you!

  31. Rossie, I have read your blog for years now but I don't think I've commented before. Mazel tov! You are such a breath of fresh air. Personally speaking, I've found marriage to be a wonderful place to grow and change, and although it's not always easy, it's always worthwhile. And what a beautiful ring–I love opals and family heirlooms.

  33. What lovely news! May all the positive energy that you have sent out to the modern quilting world come back to you both many times over. Best wishes for a long, happy healthy life together.

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