THE retreat

What can I say? - I LOVE LOVE LOVE quilting retreats.

I have been setting aside projects for the last couple of weeks in preparation for this retreat. Mary and I utilize every minute of our time and so we left her house shortly after 6 AM with the car PACKED to the roof (well not quite) and my bike safely stowed behind the car on my new (new this year) bike rack.

We make EXCELLENT time and arrived well before 9 AM. Fast trip and a great chit chat all the way up. I love those kind of drives!!!!!

We unpacked our stuff, claimed our beds and we were off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   The rest of the crew started to arrive around noon. By then - we were already ringing that bell - yes I took the bell with me.

Since what happens at retreat STAYS at retreat - I shall not recount any of the stories (well maybe a few), but here IN NO PARTICULAR order are the projects we worked on. Note - I did NOT get pictures of what everyone worked on.

Barb started the retreat with this YUMMY box of batik strips. We exchanged  a HUGE quantity of batik strips a number of years ago. Time to use them up..................

Getting messy

Ah - progress - looking great with that black

Some of the blocks

Oh - the box got neat again

Getting close to having all blocks done

Quilt top DONE - DING!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
We were all in love with this quilt and those of us with batik strips are thinking it would be neat to make. I have made it several times in pink and white. It is just one AWESOME pattern. It is from Atkison Book - Take Two and add a few - or something like that. 

Now when one makes a quilt like that - there are leftovers. I discovered a few in the garbage can. Hmmmmm - this won't do - these are fairly big. Mary (the creator of cute little things and she came prepared with ZIPPERS), made this cute little bag for Barb with the leftovers.

Barb with her little stuff bag. Mary also made her an eye glass case. 

Pat and Mary scouring the garbage can for MORE scraps

Barb also worked on Winter Wonderland (red work). She is doing THREE strands and I am doing TWO. Here is the same block by both of us. They are both nice . 

 I know Barb was hard at work on another quilt, but I didn't see how far along she got. AWESOME JOB Barb - great quilt. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.


Next up is Daphne. All I can say is that Daphne deserves the PERSEVERANCE award. Let's just say that something happened while putting this quilt together and well - she got out the ripper, ripped it apart and put it back together. It looked AMAZING.

Daphne's quilt on the design wall

Auditioning borders

Daphne also worked on another project, but I did not get a picture as I was to intent on my own work. She also made several rag quilts and even clipped them, but I seemed to have NOT gotten a picture of either quilt. DRAT.


Next up was Kathy. She got a couple of projects done as well.

The start of an X block pattern

Complete - well needs more borders - I just LOVE the woven effect with the pieces. 

Scrappy batik. This was just GORGEOUS. 

Now Kathy has other talents including keeping us well fed. Let's just say that she is a GREAT COOK (no make that AWESOMEST COOK in the whole world). Thanks Kathy - LOVED it all.

And now for the lovely Marian. Now at first I was going to say that Marian did NOT get much done, but that would be wrong. She did get the block done for the exchange which is SECRET so I cannot show you. She also worked on her BIG quilt which she is using this yummy thread for.

Isn't this just the BEST thread box in the whole world??????

She even brought a KNITTING project - yes a KNITTING project. 

I think she was there the shortest time, but she did accomplish things. BUT I think she needs to work faster on that big project of hers.

Pat was trying a creative way to baste a quilt on the lawn.

 She also worked on some paper pieced blocks and was doing some hand work. It is hard to get pictures of all this stuff - people finish it - roll it into a ball and back in their bags!!!!!!!!


Ronda also wasn't able to spend a lot of time at the retreat, but she managed to get this baby quilt complete including appliqueing the center square to the blocks. She even managed to get some of it quilted, until her machine crapped out. DRAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ronda's baby quilt

Tish accomplished a LOT as well. Can you tell the smoke was just pouring out of this house!!!!!!!!!

She started off with all these cut pieces and ended up with....................

A TREE quilt. I LOVE THIS. The pattern called for it to be bigger (longer), but we decided that it would be way out of proportion so this is it!!!!   Needless to say - she was HAPPY with our call. It was NOT an easy quilt to assemble. 

And she worked on this wall hanging/table runner. It is so pretty in  real life. I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

 But Tish did a BAD thing. Well to me she did. She brought out this knitting project. Hmmmmmm - that looks interesting. OH MY GOD. This was a pattern that I saw several months back - did not buy, but when I got to see it up close - well I WANT TO MAKE IT.

Tish's knitted squares - GORGEOUS

The finished afghan  

 And so while we were in town - she acquired a ball of the yarn for me to get started. And yes - I did give her money for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   She was finished all the blocks so she lent me her needles.

The start of my first square. That knitting looks  a bit wonky!!!!!!!!!!    I love this project. 

Then there was Mary - what can I say about Mary. While Mary is NOT focused (well some of the time), she cranks out the projects like no tomorrow. And the funny thing - she tends to bring fabric and then gets an idea at the retreat on what to do with it. So as normal, she was browsing some of the magazines - saw this pattern (from a recent Fons and Porter magazine)

Quilt in recent Fons and Porter magazine

Mary's version - how cool is that!!!!    She did have to buy the fabric for the little black sashing, but the rest was from an exchange of brights that we did several years ago.  I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May just had to add the two borders to this quilt - it was done before anyone else arrived on the first day!!!!!!!!!

Again - Mary used the brights from our exchange. This was in a magazine that she brought with her - an older magazine. 

 And then there was GREEN TEA. This was a kit that Mary bought and involved curved piecing which slowed her down (but not much)

Green Tea pattern using batiks.

 However there was a problem with this - once it was done, we all agreed it is bizarre.

We tried it sideways

We tried eliminated the two insipid rows in the center

 BUT - we all agreed that is not the most successful pattern around. Perhaps if she plays with the colouring (in a future quilt) that it will be better. Oh well - can't win them all.

Then she got busy and worked on this project with Tonka batiks (yes Mary - likes brights and batiks)

She whipped up SIXTY blocks of this pattern (yes - it is easy, but still SIXTY blocks??????)

Pat is directing the placement of the blocks.

 Then we had major discussion about the number of blocks - how big the quilt should be. Where could she get more squares, etc.

I knew I had some of the same fabric squares at home and Kathy offered her some as well.

I got home and dug out my squares....................

OH BOY - there is enough fabric for ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY blocks here. Oooops - someone was a tad over excited about this quilt. But wait - there was supposed to be enough for TWO quilts for Marian and myself - eighty blocks per quilt is probably what we said. Yes - that is what I think we said. So NOPE Mary - no extra - check with Kathy!!!!!

Not everyone could stay for the entire retreat. Some people came and then had to leave and some people came later and left today. Mary and I stayed until after lunch. It was so LUXURIOUS to have the house to ourselves. Once everyone left - we took our work out and hung it on the line.

Mary's quilts on the clothesline (her blocks are on the platform on the left)

What did I accomplish?????   Well - I looked at my 2012 shelf and picked a FEW things that I thought I could finish. I tend not to take something brand new - I go for something that is cut and ready to sew together. You better grab a coffee because if you thought there was a lot before this - well - get ready..............

First - I seemed to have moved my sewing machine a LOT during the retreat.

I started in the kitchen

Then several times, I sewed outside on the porch - it was GORGEOUS

And ended up in the other (the official sewing) room

 And here is what I completed......................

This is the latest Border Creek mystery. I had THREE clues left to sew on the queen sized quilt. There is also an intensively pieced border, but once I got to see what it was, I did NOT like it (AFTER I had spent a LONG time piecing that border), so I have to rejig the pieces. (No ripping will be required - thank god) It is now in the border/backing and binding pile

Anyone recognize this quilt????   It is Pieceful Nights by Lori Smith - it was a $10 quilt from several years ago. It was ALMOST complete, but needed some mitered seams on the corners and then Y seams to insert the setting triangles. It also needs one more border so yes it is in the border, binding and backing pile

An I Spy quilt from the Possibilities book. Again - it was mostly pieced - a couple of rows to assemble and then put the rows together. It is also in the borders, backing, binding pile

A pattern for a witch table runner from Happy Hollow. The pieces were fused to the fusible grid - just needed to be sewn together. Now it needs to be completed - turned inside out and quilted and embellished. It is BACK on the 2012 shelf. 

Binding hand stitched down (yes - me -  a binding completed!!!). Also stitched down the sleeve. Just needs a label.

Pieced this quilt. The blocks were made (by Marian). I just had to sew the blocks together. It is so cute!!!!!   (She wants it back - NOT GOING TO HAPPEN) - she was kidding anyway (I hope). It is also in the backing, binding, border pile. Hmmmmmm - I wonder if she has any more of that green fabric???????     And yes - the last two pictures are the SAME pattern. 

Two blocks completed from a kit from The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw. 

FIVE braids completed. These were so easy and fast. OK - they took a while, but if you have an iron beside you - they  are easy to do. This was pre-cut, but nothing sewn. 

Another binding ALMOST finished. 

 And last but not least - look what else got completed.

Dragon Star by Judy Niemeyer

OH MY - this was a last minute throw in the bag project. An " I will never get to it project". Well I decided after some of the girls left that there was room for me to take over one of the design walls and I could spread out the paper piecing stuff (yes I wasn't finished the paper piecing!!!)

This is what it looked like at 10 AM on Sunday morning. I finished at 10 AM on Monday morning. No I did not work all night. I got a good sleep - woke up at six and hopped out of bed thinking what can I get done. And well the more I got done, the more I wanted to completed it before I left. Needless to say - I was THRILLED

Here are all my projects on the clothesline

See those lovely curved seams in Dragon Star. They don't look so bad like this, but look at this.........................

ICK!!!

BUT - if you put in those registration marks - it all went together like a charm. I think I did more ripping on the straight seams than I did on the curves. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now like any retreat - there is LOADS of food.

The fridge was so full - we could barely squeeze anything else in. 

Loads of bread and other goodies

Watermelon to die for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 And then there was the cups.......................

Tish had a cool sippy cup

Mary had hers and MINE WAS AT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Speaking of drinks - I don't normally have wine -well not much. But when Pat offered me a glass with dinner last night, I was feeling good about my Dragon Star progress so I decided to celebrate.
No kidding - this is a GLASS of wine.

With glasses like this - one bottle does TWO glasses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   No wonder I fell into a deep sleep last night!!!!!!!!!!!!

The girls relaxing outside!!!!   It really is a gorgeous place to have a retreat. 

Carol, who lives not that far away from the retreat house, did stop in on Saturday to visit and exchange some stuff for our exchange. She brought a binding and we had a great visit.


Now the retreat did have some excitement with wild life. We saw these wild turkeys just outside the window................

Wild turkeys

And a ground hog. Actually two of them. 

One evening we went down to the lake

where some of the girls went swimming. I sat on the dock

The bottom of the lake

A daisy!!!!!

I went out biking three times - it was awesome. There is a nice 35k route around one of the lakes. Lots of hills - it was perfect for training. And on the days when I cycling, I was revved (can you tell??????). Then one day I decided to get a geocache which was close to the house. I rode my bike as far as I could, then had to hike the rest of the way in (1 KM) in the THICK, WET, HUMID forest. What does THICK, WET, HUMID forest imply?????   Oh yes - mosquitos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     Let's just say that I am covered in welts, but so far they are NOT very itchy (thank god for AFTERBITE). I am afraid that I am going to get hit soon though.


On the way home - Mary and I stopped at Thimbles and Things in Orillia. We saw this quilt and almost died. Do you know how it was made??????

Insanity quilt

Close up of INSANITY quilt - yes -  those blocks were made with the MINI TWISTER ruler. It was a local lady who made it - I have forgotten her name. 

If ever you go to a retreat - see how perfect these IKEA bags are to carry those IRIS plastic boxes with the projects in them?????

IKEA bags - perfect for travelling. Can't have too many though - my car isn't that big!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And we found this cool bag at Wal-Mart. We had to made a detour there to pick up a couple of things. 

Well there you have it - AMAZING PEOPLE, AMAZING FOOD, AMAZING WEATHER, - just the best of times. This was probably one of my BEST RETREATS. I am pumped to keep sewing (but first I had to get this blog out of the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!