Guild retreat...

Every year my guild has a four day retreat at a local state park - Hickory Knob.  This is the first time I haven't gone up for the weekend but I did go up for the day.

Prayer/comfort quilt for a guild member who lost her sister (also a guild member) last fall.

It is fun to see what other folks are working on.  Plus there are demonstrations during the day on things like continuous bias binding, back-baste applique and loads of other subjects.

These blocks are part of the block raffle...they will make a really fun quilt!

Since about half the guild is there it is also a good time to hand out the kits for the next donation quilt...I'm not "quilt Mom" but I am helping out the new member so she doesn't feel like it was totally dropped on her!

This year we are doing a version of "Baltimore Country Cousin."  It will be much more traditional than our last two donation quilt but not too traditional...more French country!  We have found two things lead to good ticket sales - applique and at least queen size!  Good thing it is a group project!

Reading list and what-not

One of my sister's sent me a reading list for fans of Downton Abbey. Almost all of the books were nonfiction. Now I do like to read nonfiction but I think there are a lot of novels out there that can do an equally good job representing the time period.

For mysteries I like Anne Perry and Robin Paige. Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series includes lots of class struggles similar to the what we see on D.A. Paige's mysteries include some real-life characters and early "CSI" developments like photography and fingerprints. Both are great beach and airplane reading.

Do you have any recommendations for historical novels or mysteries set in the first quarter of the 20th century?

Back to quilts...can you believe someone found this quilt top in a dumpster?

That sort of thing never happens to me...

the fabrics in it are really interesting and once it got a good washing it is in great shape!

Home from retreat

Well I'm back from retreat...not sure what was the most fun-hours of uninterrupted sewing time in the "barn" or the Masterpiece theater pajama party (two episodes of season 2 of Downton Abbey and a Sherlock rerun) accompanied by good friends, chocolate wine and homemade German Chocolate cake.

There were lots of fun projects going on in the barn. I was happy to finish putting together the blocks of my Orca Bay Mystery quilt. Yikes....I have most the pieced borders together and should get this finished this week.

It was fun watching the changing design walls around the room....

This is a guild birthday quilt for Paula M. She obviously loves Christmas!

These scrappy arcs are part of wedding ring quilt being sewn by one of our members...love how these are coming together! (she got the leftover blocks from my Orca bay which were absorbed by this project!)

Now for a retreat recovery nap....

Packed and ready to go...

I am packed and ready to head out to my guild's retreat...I love retreats. We have a big room for all the quilters then head to the cabins in the woods at night. Most of us take turns cooking so we get together for dinners in a predetermined cabin...all fun.

My mystery quilt is all packed, my blue and green star quilt, and some applique for the springs and stars. Also have a couple of backs washed and press that still need to be sewn together. Should keep me busy for a few days.

A fellow quilter gave me these unfinished dresden plate blocks. Think they are from the 40's. Like I am so good at finishing my own UFO's that I can start taking in other quilters abandoned projects? but I do love there blocks...

I'm am sorry I am going to miss seeing the Pat's play Saturday night and a good political rally tomorrow...but quilting calls...

Fun stuff in the mailbox.

Making my sewing space more workable (and safe!) and turning into a lot of work! Needless to say I have uncovered yet more UFO's and bags of fabric that was put aside for a project long forgotten. The UFO below just needs three inner-borders and then the blue outer border and it will be finished!

So with my body tired from all this stash maintenance I was still really excited to get a squishy in the mail from Dawn at collectorwithaneedle.blogspot.com I do have a separate shelf for my Kaffe Fasset and moderns. I use them as sparks. There are at least three UFO's (based on my drooling over the Material Obsession Books) that could use a bit of these! Thank you Dawn!

Also some non-fabric but still quilt-y goodness. This polymer logcabin pin and earrings from Jennifer Patterson at Polymer Clay Jewelry. I wear pins all the time and have the perfect lime green sweater for this one! I also have a red,white, and blue patriotic one by Jennifer that I wear every national holiday.

In addition to cleaning and organizing (with occasional fun moments to drink tea and open mail...) I am packing for my guild retreat. Every year we have a four day quilting retreat up at Hickory Knob State Park. I always bring too much. This year I am bringing my Bonnie Hunter mystery, some hand applique and maybe my blue and green stars....

A few folks are bringing antique/vintage quilts for me to look at...so now I am debating bringing my trunk of reference materials? Aye...good think I have a lot of storage space in my car....

Too much retreat...

Retreat was wonderful...lots of fun, food, fabric, friends, and general fooling around. What I didn't get was enough rest and I am so paying for it. Yup, the cold did a rebound that has laid me out flat for the past week. (don't tell my DH but yes, it was worth it!)

Just a few of the photos...

We have been called the guild that "forces" you to applique. We really don't strong arm anyone but when you see all the great applique quilts these folks make it just drives even the staunchest piecer to search out a straw needle and some freezer paper.... the photo above is a group project for a member's 60th birthday showing her garden and cats!


Can you believe two of our members each made one of these Piece of Cake quilts last year...they kept each other on track each month...right now they are working on the border (when not posing for photos....)The other was done in red...


This was out guild's 12th year holding this retreat and we had over 50 quilters attend! It is a good news bad new sort of thing...great to have all these quilters but now we may have to do a bit more planning. It was only sheer dumb luck no-one tripped over a cord or send a machine flying! We will do better next year....

A new quilter with her first sampler quilt...she finished two during the retreat!
We had some Kaffe Fasset fans there...Maggie has almost finished her top.

and it was nice to see I did not bring the most "stuff...." (good we have honest quilters though there is some great fabric in these totes!) Now it is back to guzzling some Theraflu and climbing back into bed...so glad my DH gave me lots of DVD's for Christmas...I just watched a couple of episodes of Firefly, Wild Wild West, and Cadfael....

What to pack...

Packing you ask? "Haven't all your blogs been whining about unpacking?" you cry. Well, this is good packing. (as opposed to unpacking old towels and your husband's golf clubs....) I am headed off to a quilt retreat for a few days!

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go. When I got around to asking there wasn't any space left in the cabins (the guild starts planning this a year in advance...) I had pretty much decided I would only go up for the day but my eyes aren't doing too well and I can't drive in low light which would only give me a few hours of sewing time before having to pack up to come back home...sad. Anyway, a quilter dropped out and I got the call there was an open spot!
So what to bring? I have cut all the pieces for Bonnie's mystery quilt...I am doing it in purples, greens, browns, shirtings, and golds. Totally scrappy (except for the brown which I used the same one all the way through...not sure why. I think I was just in a groove cutting strips or something....) So mystery quilt is project #1. (This is also a nod to Bonnie since she was my roomate at this retreat the last two times I went...I'm going to miss here but she will be there in spirit/scraps)

I also have a set of blocks won by a member of this guild many years ago who passed away after a long battle with cancer. Her husband gave the blocks to the guild and no one quite knew what to do with them. So they are 80% put together...why do I have so much trouble with that last finishing lap? Oh ya...I trimmed a setting triangle too early and now have to (gulp) unsew the block and reset a new one...duhhhhh. So this is project #2. (the photo of Goldie is from her "supervising" the packing....)

And finally, I have the 1930's dresdan plate project all packed up and ready to come with me...This is hand work and should be good for the cabin at night. Project #3.
Past years I have overloaded myself with projects. Some never even get unpacked when I get there! So if I limit myself there may acually be progress...what a concept! Even so, there is the sewing machine, the bags with the projects, ironing pad, rulers, cutting mat, rotary cutters, bottles of wine (not to be used in cunjunction with the rotary cutters....), cookies, snacks, and of course some clothes and a quilt (weatherman says it will be really cold!) The photo above is from the end of my street. This leads to the Savannah river. At the bottom center you can just make out the raccoon tracks. She like to use this area to wash her food. I haven't seen her yet but see her tracks and her tricks (upended trash cans!) often in our area.