Other retreat doings

This is an adorable little purse made from a pattern that Alison had...I actually made three of these, two were intended for my friend Jamie's mom and sister, but Jamie's daughters confiscated them as they were pulled from the bag :-) Forgive the long skinny pic, I didn't think you needed to see all the coats that have been hanging on the coat hooks since last spring! This is the top for my sister Amy. These are the fabrics picked by her when we vacationed in Tennessee a few months ago. I really played with the geese, this way and that, and the general consensus at the retreat was that it looked much more exciting and moving all jumbled up.

Guess what! I won!

I won this awesome cow block from Rhonda aka Ravelly1

How lucky am I? You cannot live in IN without seeing at least a few of these on the way to anywhere! LOL To see how its made, she has shared an awesome shadow tutorial, that can be adapted to any subject check it out! I'm so excited! Rhonda makes it look easier than it probably is, but I'm going to try one!

Home from retreat!

This is for anyone out there who has thought about going to a quilting retreat but has been too apprehensive to go.....GO!!!!!!! I know everyone thinks they're shy or that they wont fit in, but look at it this way, how can you go wrong with a room full of other women who share the same passions as yourself? I always have a wonderful time with old and new friends at retreat. There is so much experience to draw from, if you have a question or a technique that has been a problem in the past, chances are there will be someone there who is proficient and will take the time to show you one on one. Best of all is the friends you make. I have always been one of the guys, having very few female friends. But when I am at retreat surrounded by women, older and younger I feel....(searching for a not too overly sappy term)....belonging, kinship, centered.

Anyhoo....next time a retreat presents itself to you please just go for it! Take your open mind and you desire to learn and share and just jump in head first!

This is the cottage we stay at taken from the dock out on the lake a couple of May retreats ago. Gifties made for Liz who is the Retreat Mom who keeps us all in check with her whip and wit and the other for Alison, quilter, chef and friend extraordinaire.

Pumpkin blocks for a swap completed at retreat.

Christmasy Delectable Mountain blocks for an upcoming swap. (I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! this pattern, have already made 36 half blocks, going to make more for sure!)



For the rest of you woolenators to drool over, purchased at Lolly's and Yoder's in Shipshewana.



More pics to come when my quilt hanger gets home from work :-)

Wool Tissue holders

I thought these little tissue holders were just adorable. One of my favorite online shops QuiltersQuarter seems to be clearing its shelves of lots of great stuff, and I found this little kit for a wool tissue holder for 65% off!

Of course they were so easy and simple to make I had to make a few to help me make a dent in my wool. Aren't they great?

Retreat Prep

I am fortunate enough to be able to go to two retreats a year in North Webster, IN. The fall retreat is only 8 days away!!! As always I'm psyched to get away and meet with my quilty buddies but this time I am SUPER PSYCHED that my bestest buddy Jamie is going with me!

Jamie has just jumped into this whole quilting adventure with both feet, each time I talk to her she has just come back from a fabric store!

I have been gathering projects to work on during the five days I'll be away. I have so very many UFOs to choose from and I'm fighting off the urge to take new potential projects just so I can whittle down the UFO pile a bit. I have been pre-cutting everything so that when I get there I can just put the pedal to the metal and sew! I'm hoping to return home with enough tops to keep the frame and I busy for months!

I want to play with wool

I don't know if its the slight chill in the evening air or the schedule change at work that has allowed me to have my relaxing evenings back, but I was really needing some wool time. So I have been working on this penny rug and its finally finished!

I have learned a few things, which is always a good thing, and I realize now that I need to throw my wool back in a hot washer for another go around, its really not as felted as I thought with just one trip through. I need to continue practicing my buttonhole stitch to work to get a more even consistent stitch width and length. But all and all, I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Stuff

The countdown is on! I have about 2½ weeks to prepare for the retreat in September. I have been cutting kits and gathering fabrics to hopefully finish loads of tops during the five day quilting extravaganza! But I have managed to complete a few things.

A chili pepper potholder made from a pattern found in Pam Bono's Big Book Of Rotary Cutter Quilts for a swap at Mailblocks. Lotto blocks using Marcia Hohn's pattern for Starflower from Quilterscache.com for lotto blocks.

UFO or UFOs?

So I did it, I backed a UFO with another UFO. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Scrappy and fun...I'm smiling!

Back is Turning Twenty from homespuns.

Front is Wonky Houses from quiltville.com with some free formed wonky looking trees and geese all around.

Just a little time...

Last weekend my mom, sister and I all met in Gatlinburg, TN for a mini girls only reunion. We had lots of fun talking and exploring Smokey Mountain National Park. What a beautiful area, I know I will be returning as soon as I can! It was a great way to spend the first part of my vacation.

The second part has been spent doing a little tidying up around my sewing area and trying to get caught up on some swap/lotto blocks.

This first pic are my Blocks in a Box from The Golden Thimble.com Aren't they fun? Super easy and a nice size at 9" they will work up into a couple of quilts very quickly.

These are Bear Tracks blocks from Quilterscache.com Talk about a really nice autumn quilt for the winner Genevieve!

Me and my poor machine...

...have been apart now for almost two weeks! I have just not had a spare minute to sit down and have some girl on machine action and I'm truly missing it!
I would show some great non quilty pics if I had them. I guess I could take some pics of yummy recipes that I have been trying. But its garden time and who wants to see the sliced tomatoes and cukes I ate last night? Or the sliced cukes and tomatoes I ate the night before? :-)

Work, work, work makes Mary an unfulfilled quilter.