Retreat, Day One

The VERY first thing after unloading the car and positioning everything in the workroom was to go to my bedroom and take a nap.

Then I pulled out these blue HSTs  and randomly sewed them together for the center of this neonatal quilt top.

The group leaders had a plan for us to each make a simple applique flower block to make a quilt for Kettunen Center as a gift from us. [Not until next year, though.]

Here's the block I made and a line-up of others from the first day.

Lastly that day I got out the UFO of the month and managed to get the necessary borders attached [one quarter shown in the photo], and then I used the remainder of the plaids to make a patchwork backing large enough to exceed the top.

More on the retreat tomorrow!

As for the Monday Design wall...it is just as it was last week, a scrap bargello that needs borders.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Four days of sewing fun

Four days of no cooking

Four days of making "leaders & enders" into neonatal quilts

Quilt Retreat, Sunday

Some years ago at a quilting retreat we all traded Fat Eighths of leaf patterned fabrics.  I soon decided that the thing to do with them was to make up Leaf blocks.  I analyzed this block and found that it was quite simple if I did it with a consistent background fabric for the alternate leaves.

I found a lovely tan leaf print and set to work.  And then I quit.  Who knows why?  I became just another UFO in a ziplock bag.

As I was packing for this retreat, I realized that the Lenten banner/quilt would need to be QUILTED before I could add embellishments.  So grabbed this Leaf Project to take its place.

On Sunday I put more of them together.  I now have fifteen blocks, and have used each of the fabrics at least once.

 Here is a first attempt at laying them out on the living room floor.  I will move them around some more and consider whether this is enough or whether I need a few more.  And I may have to replace a few of those triangles.

Throughout the last two retreats I have been joining 2" light and dark squares  as "leader/enders".  I currently have about 85 four-patches put together from these.  When I get to 100 I will be able to make a neonatal quilt from them.


Sara

Gratitudes:

Breakfast with my friends
"Disappearing Four Patch" picked up by other bloggers
Zeke making "dog angels" in the snow

Quilt Retreat, Friday/Saturday

I have a name of a boy who is turning 12 in March, named Devon, and he likes "football and red".    I thought a simple Snowball block would be easy to make up, but then I made it even simpler by only doing half the corners.  That makes the remaining "snowball" in the center look more like a football, you know!

Then I worked on using the remaining bits of red and gray into Devon's name at the top.

From cutting off the corners of the square blocks I had "bonus" HSTs, so I could make a little sawtooth border for the bottom border.  No side borders on this one.

[The backing and binding fabric has red and gray footballs and helmets printed all over it.]

Dropped this off at Catherine's Monday, so she can quilt it for me quickly.


Sara

Gratitudes:

Fun time with Bonnie Beute on the Retreat
Tonight a play reading at Actors' Theatre
Leftover chili for dinner

12" of Snow and Retreat

Sunday's view out the kitchen window.

Today's view out the kitchen window.  After the snow plow came.





Tomorrow I am driving 100 miles north to be on a quilting retreat for three and a half days.  What projects will I take to work on?

Trees from the Block Lotto exchange that I won.  I want to make a forest with a cabin or two in it.

Red and gray flannels for Devon's quilt need to be cut up and then re-assembled.

"Disappearing" four-patches need to be made and then cut apart and re-assembled to make a neonatal quilt.

"Lenten" banner/quilt to embellish with ?????



Is that enough?  Probably I'll also take some fabric "in case" I need something else.

I'll take my knitting also and work on the socks a little for a change of pace.

And some escapist novel.

And some chocolate.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Snow stopped and sun predicted for tomorrow's drive
Electricity stayed on
Favorite pizza for dinner
Charlie and Ray will do prep for the Super Bowl Party on Sunday

SpoolSpinners Retreat, Part 3

Next I attacked the UFO stack of Log Cabin blocks. sewing them into rows and columns.

I had used some pretty bight fabrics in these, but as usual for a distance they devolve into simply lights and darks. [After I got home I saw that one block is turned the wrong way, and I corrected it.]

And lest you should think we only worked and worked and worked--we did have FUN too! Here are a few of the gals one evening enjoying "Pudding Shots" -- which are made from a little instant pudding, and a stiff shot of vodka with liqueur for flavoring.

Thank you Donna for making them again!

The quilt top I previously could not get to load. Now it worked!

Altogether, a fun and very productive retreat. Now I have a few matters to finish off and I will be able to take credit for some UFO finishes.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Dianne's work to set up the retreat.

Meals all prepared for us.

Lynne's birthday dinner afterwards.

SpoolSpinner Retreat, Part 1

Last week I was away at our Bee's annual retreat for three nights. What did I accomplish?

First, I finished the borders on the Emerald Forest quilt for Peter and Lynne:

Then I got the back put together using extra sunflower fabric, some new green batik, and leftover portions of the blocks from the front:

Those two pieces were then ready to hand on to my Long-arm quilter.

There were more scraps, most of which I had sewn into strips as the occurred. I put them together in a small table-topper or wall quilt:

The next day I sewn together this set of UFO blocks. The blocks were all in a bag together, so that wasn't much work! I did not have any fabric along with me that was suitable for borders, so this was then put away. Hope to get this up to Twin sized.

More in another post!

Sara