Yep -- last trip of the year and it's a quilt retreat. What a great way to end the year! I love quilt retreats!! We are a small group, which I love. It's quiet, with lots of room, great company, and sewing all day long! Does it get any better than that?
It's going to be weird next year because this year we had 7 retreats, and next year there are only 2 (well, technically 3), and all of them only have room for FOUR people besides me. Yikes!!!! But I find that interest is waning a bit, and I think some of that is due to cost.
We are staying at Springhouse Retreat in New Hamburg.
There have been some road closures in the area, and my GPS took me down a road I have never been on before, and I was a bit uncertain where I would come out, but I should have faith in Google Maps (OK -- there are times when you may not want to do that, but it worked). I arrived right at 10 AM!!!
One other person arrived two minutes after me, and the remaining four straggled in throughout the day. While it's great to chat with people on Zoom, there is NOTHING like talking in person. This is where my friendships flourish!!! So I send a HUGE thank you to my companions for the week!!! It's interesting because of the five people here, four of them live very close to me, and one lives about 30 minutes away. How often do we see each other? Not very often - so this is a good way to catch up!
Something peculiar happens at this retreat. There are two groups of 6 tables, and once the rest of our group comes later this week, we each have a table and a half to spread out - more on that in a minute.
As a result of the table configuration, in the past, some people have asked if I could "save" them a table so their backs wouldn't be facing the others. WHY? It's not a huge room, and if you want to see or address anyone, just turn your chair! No? Am I missing something? It happened yesterday as well. It kind of takes me back because to me, the MOST coveted spot in the room is the one I take. I've tried multiple places, but this one is the BEST. Actually, there are four of these spots, and I like them all!
I am sitting near the window at one end of a group of six tables. My back is to half of the room, but if I want to chat, I simply turn my chair slightly. What I love is that I am not "trapped" behind the tables, and I am super close to the cutting tables, where I store my crap underneath. And then I can commandeer one end of a cutting table. It's right beside my sewing machine. Back to the room? Heck no -- I go for convenience. I have never felt like I am missing anything in the room! There is zero issue with squeezing behind someone else to get out! I must be missing something.
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| My spot is near the cutting table |
I just find that the weirdest thing, and it's happened more than once! I get it that everyone wants the optimal seat - whatever that is. But I go for convenience! And the cutting table is essential, and then the ironing station, which is just a few feet from my sewing table. Yep --- this is my spot!!
I got things set up pretty quickly while chatting. I like to keep my sewing table clear - just like at home. I bring all my stuff in plastic bags because they take up less space than project containers. It's funny how we are all different! But the fewer trips to the car, the better!
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| My sewing table |
I think I mostly brought scraps, so which bag should I dig out first? I decided to work on the blue flannel. The little squares in the top left were already made by Diane, and they had been shoved into the blue flannel bag. The rest was a mishmash of scraps that fit the blue theme to varying degrees.
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| My bag of blue flannel scraps |
While working, it was a bit cumbersome with all those scraps on the table, so since one of the tables beside the cutting table isn't in use until later this week, I took advantage of the empty space.
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| What needs to be made into squares |
And that was great for me until someone noticed that I had commandeered another table! Ooops!!! It'll all be removed soon!
By the time I went to bed, I had removed a fair number of piles, and this is what I'm going to deal with today.
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| What was left at the end of the day |
I'm working on 6" blocks that are primarily blue. I know - the ones in that top stack are not really blue, but that's OK. I have almost 120 squares cut, and I should be able to get them completed pretty quickly this morning. Some of them required creative piecing to get a 6" square, but I LOVE to do this. Remember, when I'm old and in a nursing home, just give me some fabric bits to play with, and I'll be happy!
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| Almost completed 120 six-inch squares |
I contemplated making a quilt here with the 120 squares, but decided to leave them nicely stored in a bag with a label. Then, when I get a chance to go through different colors at home, I may mix and match a bit, and I think I have one more quilt with a blue backing. My goal for this retreat for the blue flannel is to make squares.
" The next set you saw in that earlier picture is 5," and I'll take the remaining scraps on the table and cut them into 5" squares. I'd like to move on to something new tomorrow, so let's hope that I can get through the rest of the fabric today!
I found a few pieces that don't really qualify as blue, so they will be bagged today and sorted into the correct pile when I get home. It's all about super organization. I should share the picture of how those scraps are sorted when I get home. I would LOVE to get them used up! Maybe I have a scrap day at home once a month! Even then, it'll take quite a while to process all the flannel. And once I finish the backings for those "favor" quilts, I'll have more scraps. But I've made significant progress at getting rid of it, and I'm determined!!!
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| Imposters in the blue pile |
I watched a video this morning while I worked. Sorry—I have no idea how to turn that picture on my laptop. When I go to photo edit, it thinks everything is a video. Why? I'm not even going to bother looking for a solution.
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| Watching a video this morning |
And while I am sewing these scraps, I'm working on enders and leaders, and I should easily finish this bundle from my Barn Star Sampler. Yes - yes - yes!!!!! A little at a time, and it'll come together.
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| Half square triangles |
This is all that remains from this grouping. Everything else in this grouping is sewn, pressed, and trimmed!!!
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| What's left to sew |
I should share the picture of what's happening in Studio B. Yep - while I'm away, a quilt is being born. My SIL sent me an update: she now has two pairs of rows together and a lot of half-square triangles to trim. I'll forward that tomorrow. She's doing a great job!!!
Let's see - what else happens at retreat? Well, you don't get to hear about the conversations, but you can see what I'm doing. The first thing I did when I walked in the door was check for any new puzzles. YEP -- a 500-piece on with a sewing theme.
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| 500-piece puzzle with a sewing theme |
I did bring a small one as well, which I hope to get done because I do NOT want to take it home. Somehow, I got connected to Karen on IG, who is a "professional" jigsaw puzzler. OK -- seriously -- she makes giant puzzles and has great tips. But it seems that every puzzle she puts together is under stress as she races against the clock. Why? Where is the fun in that? That's like me saying that every quilt I'm going to make, I'm going to calculate how many hours it took and do nothing else. That would drive me nuts. I don't get it, but that's what she does.
Anyway, very quickly (only 500 pieces and they are larger), and I had the pieces laid out and the border done.
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| Progress on the jigsaw puzzle |
Then I grabbed all the color green, and that section is now done. The one thing I did learn from Karen is that as she lays out the pieces, she uses trays or boards to sort by color, so when you put it together, she works on a section at a time. I get that the sorting would be beneficial, but on something this small, when I'm doing it for FUN, why bother?
And of course, the other pastime while at retreat is to walk. And it was a beautiful day here. No sun, but lovely.
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| Out for a walk |
I was a little apprehensive of the snow on the roads, but after Helen Anne went out and declared it non-slippery, I went out. I'm so glad I did!
I was pretty excited last night because I woke up very early, so I think a nap will be in order today. And I MUST take regular breaks or my back is going to seize up, which would not be good!!!
I had a few small chores to do before I left, and I spotted Miss Murphy on the deck, chewing on her frozen fish!!! Oh Murphy!!!
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| MOM - Frozen fish are good to eat |
And there you have it - a very successful first day at quilt retreat! I should be done with the first 120 blocks shortly and then onto the remaining scrap fabric!
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