What THEY did at the retreat!

OK - I think I have a serious problem with my camera. I went to load pictures this morning and the first picture is one of the first I took at the retreat. A different card than the previous one. That means something is wrong with the camera. Yikes - better get that fixed or I am in big trouble.  I will have to borrow M's camera or dig out my small point and shoot while it goes in for repair. I'm thinking it just needs a GOOD cleaning.

Anyway - I thought I would share with you what the others did on the retreat. We all got so much done - it is a true luxury to be able to sew all day and not worry about anything!!!!  We are truly blessed for that opportunity. I wonder if we took our stuff at home - put it all away except one or two bags of prepped projects. Work only on that - the rest of the stuff is distracting!!!!!!!!   Would we get more done????


Have a look at what they worked on......

Bags, rather than quilts seem to be on the agenda these days.  The duffle bag started back at Monday Mania when Marie made one (or several) for family members for Christmas. Well - the pattern lives on!!!!

Karen made a duffle bag (she has made about 6 now)

Claudette also made the same duffle bag

The next most popular bag is the Chubby Charmer. We have done that bag to death!  Yet - it lives on.

Paula made a chubby charmer

Virginia made a chubby charmer

Then there is the small zippered bag. This is a basic bag but very practical!

Paula made one

I made one with left over scraps that Katheleen was going to throw away!!!!   I gave it to Katheleen

So who influences the others to make these bags???  While several names come to mind, one in particular pops up over and over again!  That would be Claudette. I won't go into details here, but it seems that whenever she makes a bag - or has the pattern to make a bag - the others want to make it as well.  So let's see what happened................

Claudette is becoming VERY proficient with her free motion quilting

This is her finished bag

Karen was so busy focused on making her pocket that.............

She sewed he Amish with a Twist homework to the wrong side!!!!  However..............

Karen completed the bag

As did Susan

I had zipped out to buy supplies as well, but I ended up NOT making the bag.  However the bag called for visiable seams inside and we modified the pattern to have the lining cover the seams. It wasn't that hard EXCEPT for the fact that the bag was shaped right at the top along with the zipper.  I think everyone did a superb job of finishing up that bag!!!!!!   It wasn't easy!


Now there was other stuff going on as well.  I think I only took pictures of stuff that was finished or mostly finished.  And Lynn had to leave early due to illness and I didn't get any pictures of her stuff. No - it wasn't a food related illness!

Katheleen's paper pieced table runner that she started TWELVE years ago - DONE!!!!

Paula made bibs - she's going to be a grandma in a couple of months!!!!!

Karen made coasters (we had made coasters last year because there were none at the retreat house). Everyone loved them so I showed them how to make the coasters. Karen had pinking shears with her to finish off the edges!!!!   Several others made coasters as well. 

 Shoot - there were lots of pillow cases made, but I didn't get pictures of those.

This is what the design wall looked like before I went to bed one night. This is Katheleen's Blooming 9-patch

All her blocks are laid out and ready to sew together

This is what it looked like the next morning. She is a machine!!!!!

Hard at work to get those last big seams done!!!!

And it's done!!!!   That is a big smile and rightly so - it is gorgeous and a LOT of work!!!!!

Maureen got this quilt top together

Virginia got 30 of these blocks assembled - just needs to put the quilt together

At one point, I asked Susan where her bag was so I could take a picture. She couldn't remember!  Ah - there is her stuff - she found a little cubby hole to store her finished stuff!!!!

Susan's stash of finished things

Karen stored her finished things in a chubby charmer

And there you have it - that was a whole lot of productivity going on. I will post what I did later. I have a class this morning and a bit of prep work to get ready.


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


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