Retreats

SEW, another retreat is over …

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms, grandmas, aunts, cousins, friends and significant females in your lives!

Retreat!

This was a small retreat … only 11 of us attended … but I’m not surprised with lots of quilt shows happening … sunshine and other events!

But for the 11 of us that went, we had a blast!

Strip Poker, anyone? … always a fun game!

It was fun to see one of my mystery quilts all quilted and just needing binding! Totally made from her stash!

2 Blog Hops this week!

#1 Island Batik: Tool Craze

Lots of Beautiful Quilts, all using a Studio 180 tool and one of the fabric collections below!

May 15

Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting for You

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

May 16

Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting

Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique

May 17

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Blog Hop #2: Rose Coloured Glasses

MAY 15TH

MAY 16TH

MAY 17TH

MAY 18TH

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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A Fun Retreat!

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We were at Over The Rainbow Lodge on Camano Island for almost a week. It’s a beautiful place to retreat! And, since we’re an established group, we’re booked in until 2030!!!! WOOHOO!!!

I think all 12 people that attended the retreat enjoyed themselves … lots and lots of sewing and laughter!

We took turns cooking supper and had fabulous gourmet meals!!! DELICIOUS!!!

As I was preparing this blog post, I realized that I didn’t get any pictures of the food, the snack counter (TONS!), or of the 12 people sewing in one room and having fun!

I didn’t get a picture of each of the projects that people were working on … there was a great variety and a LOT of creativity happening! Here’s a few pictures of what was happening:

Pillow cases, kits from quilts, jelly roll quilts, quilts using templates, hand sewn hexi quilt, tiny tiny pieces, 3 yard quilts, scrappy quilts, coordinated quilts …. so many different things happening!

I know someone is going to ask … the dog chart was found on Pinterest and Kandy used 5″ blocks to make the quilt.

What did I work on?

I attempted to quilt my Melodic Mystery, but it was difficult on a smaller machine, eventually I gave up. The Black & white photo is of an Island Batik catalogue quilt and the top is completed! The blocks for the X’s & O’s were completed and the top is almost done. I just need to add the border …

The Melodic Mystery is made with Kansas Troubles fabric. The other 2 quilts are Island Batik fabric. The X’s & O’s were cut with Accuquilt

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Strip Poker and “Row, Row, Row the Boat”

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So, what does Strip Poker and “Row, Row, Row the Boat” have in common?

They were happenings at the retreat I attended this week. (and dang it … that silly song is still singing in my head!)

Yes, Strip Poker was played with different 2.5″ strips of fabric … lots of fun! And “Row, Row, Row the Boat” was sung by everyone that participated in the secret sister exchange!

Here’s a glimpse of what happened at the retreat … the first group of pictures were taken by Judy B.

And I took these pictures …

Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of what everyone was working on … but, believe me, there was a LOT of creativity happening!

So what did I get done?

I didn’t get a single thing finished … but I did get a few things done on a few things. Here is the list of what I took to work on and what I got done …

  • Birds panel (ufo). … to the flimsy stage
  • Wallet #1 (ufo) … a little bit of work on it … snaps are in
  • Wallet #2 (ufo). … a little bit of work on it
  • Colour BOM (ufo). … not even touched
  • MSQ wall hanging (Quilt More, Worry Less) … put together and quilted.
  • Chilhowie … one row of sashing on …
  • Shades of Blue project … not even touched
  • Nutcracker and Inktense pencils … a little colouring done

I could have easily finished the Quilt More, Worry Less wall hanging, but I didn’t have binding fabric with me and I did not want to buy any more fabric … but it may be finished soon!

Starting Monday …

Yes, the SAHRR (pronounced Stay At Home Round Robin) starts on Monday. You can read more about it HERE. Be sure to follow all of the bloggers and join in the fun!!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Retreats are fun!

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Two weeks ago, I went to the guild’s January retreat. That’s right – January’s retreat happened in March. It was postponed due to Covid. But it was a LOT of fun!

There are a LOT of pictures …

First meal of the retreat …

Games: Secret Sister Gifts

Strip Poker: 50 shades of grey & Blue/ Green batiks

A Lots of projects being worked on

And the dresden craze: Candyce Grisham was a guild speaker earlier this year. She had a fabulous presentation and her book Dresden Reimagined is now in several guild member’s hands. (If you’re looking for a speaker – she’s great!) 2 of the ladies were working on many of the different dresden patterns in the book and soon, there were others in the room that also became addicted! And, one lady used the dresden for her sunflower for Ukraine and later used smaller petals for her leaves (sorry, no picture).

I know that I missed taking pictures of some of the projects … sorry about that!

My Finish for the Week

My SAHRR for 2022 is finished. You can read more about it HERE. (Made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil Thread).

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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When the boss is away … and TGIFF

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If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve heard me mention Essem Textiles. Well, the lovely couple that own the store had their traditional Indian wedding last week. They’re already married, but had to keep it small because of Covid, but now with the restrictions lifted, they were able to celebrate in style! I got to run the store for them. I asked if I could have a Mini Retreat in the classroom … and they said “yes.”

There were 4 ladies that were able to come … and I heard lots of laughter and chatting coming from the back.

This is what the classroom looked like after everyone left on Day 1:

The machines all set up and projects in process. Unfortunately, I neglected to get a close up of some of the projects. Judy, (bottom left) is working on a beautiful Card Trick Quilt. Robin, (top left) made pillowcases for each of her grandkids. Nora, (bottom right) is working on a Postcard from Sweden quilt. She had everything labeled … talk about organization – oh my! Nora takes organization to an all new level! Amy, (top right) worked on a couple of different projects: binding a quilt and making a block for a new quilt or pillow …

Fun work for the store & TGIFF

TGIFF is Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday. There is a linky party every week.

I did work on a couple of quilts for Essem. I managed to piece the whale in between customers, but the quilting on both of these happened at home. They were fun to do!

The whale is from the book “Fat Quarter Baby.” It’s a very cute book. Each of the quilts is named after someone. The whale one is called “Andrew.” The directions were very clear and easy to follow. The book is available at Essem Textiles, if you want to purchase it.

Aren’t the whales adorable? And yes, the bubbles and eyes were appliqued on … and I survived the process! ( For those that don’t know me very well, I’ve been know to call applique CRAP-lique! )

Here is a super cute panel that Essem Textiles has in the store. It was fun to quilt! Mostly stippling, outlining the main portion and some snowflakes thrown in. See the part on the right hand side? The panel comes so that there is enough of those snowmen and snowflakes to have as the complete back.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Virtual Retreat

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This week, a bunch of us were suppose to retreat at a lovely place about a 45 minute drive from my house. There are usually 18. Then, since Covid, the facility reduced the number to 12, then to 10 and then said “no” to overnight stays. But they offered us “Day” retreats where we could go out to sew, go to a restaurant to eat and go home at night. Uh, no thank you … I probably live the closest to the facility and many of the others have about 1.5 hr drive. And who wants to drive home in the dark on a stormy November night? None of us. And, in the end, we would have had to cancel anyhow because of further Covid restrictions.

SEW … since we’re lamenting that we can’t retreat in person … I bit the bullet and paid for 1 month of unlimited Zoom. Everyone that is part of our core group and a few others were sent the link and we Zoom and sewed away for 4 days.! That’s a LONG time for a Zoom quilting retreat!!!

However, it seems like everyone got a lot of sewing done. One lady said, “I got way more done staying home because I wasn’t up wandering from table to table to chat with everyone!”

It was a LOT of fun to “see” friends that I haven’t seen for a LONG time.

SEW … you’re probably wondering what I got done. Actually quite a bit. A lot of this and a lot of that. I did finish 2 pillowcases with the John Deere fabric I bought.

Continue reading →

Sewing with family by Zoom

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Quilt Canada was Cancelled

My sister (from Alberta), 2 cousins (from different areas of Ontario) and myself (from British Columbia) had planned to go together.   We were going to stay at my sister’s home in Edmonton.  Two days were planned for the show and classes (and shopping).  On the 3rd day, we planned to make the Retreat Bag from Emmeline bags as a project to work on together. Of course, with Covid – our plans changed.

About 1½ weeks ago, my sister set up an all day Zoom meeting for us all as we made the bag.  We had all gathered the supplies prior to the day.  It was a TON of fun!!!  It was great to visit with each other … sharing our love for fabric and the creations we were making!

Here’s Connie’s … made for when she goes on a real quilting retreat!

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And Terry … The speed demon, made 2, yes TWO bags during our Zoom time … she made both the small and the large bag!

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My sister, Lynn, made one bag during our time and the other right afterwards … both were kits from Emmeline bags …

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My bag was made from Shweshwe fabric that I bought last September when in Africa.

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Obviously, we’re all quite different in our fabric choices, but we all agreed that it was fun to do and plan to have another Zoom quilting day in the future.

Cleaning and Tidying

My daughter came in the sewing room (studio) the other day and said, “Mom, have you cleaned up or something? It looks so much better!”  That made me smile and determined to keep this up!  Plus, it is actually easier to work when I don’t have to move something!

Design Wall

Piecing:

Summer Solstice: These pieces are now sewn together … ready for the set-in seams … do you think that might be why I’m procrastinating???  Oh, yes, I KNOW that’s why …

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Quilting: 

Nothing being quilted right now!

Stash Report

SS yellow

No shopping.  The zipper pouches that I made (you can see them HERE) were all made with Island Batik fabric, which I don’t count.  However, I did use about ½ yard of Shweshwe for the Retreat Bag, and ½ yard for the lining.

  • Fabric Used this week      1 yards
  • Fabric Used this year:        191.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      20
  • Net Fabric used                    171.5  yards

Stitchin’ Time

I am aiming for 30 minutes/day – at least!  I switched from 15 minutes / day to 30 minutes/day in April!

  • 15 minute days:  January – May:  151 / 152
  • 30 min days/  June:  28 / 28
  • Total days in 2020: 179/ 180
  • Percentage = 99% 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”

Last week’s list:

  1. Work on UFO, Summer Solstice     √   done 
  2. Finish watching a video on how to digitize an In the Hoop Zipper Pouch.  √   done 
  3. Make a Zipper pouch from my own digitized design.  √   done 
  4. Spend at least 30 minutes this week CLEANING/ TIDYING my sewing room.  √   done   

This week’s list:

  1. Work on  Summer Solstice:  get the top DONE
  2.  Quilt a baby quilt to practice some free motion feathers that I want to do when I’m ready to quilt Summer Solstice.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes this week CLEANING/ TIDYING my sewing room.

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I did start # 27 in Starts in 2020 and I finished it.  I will show you in a future post!

No UFOs are finished …

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A great Laugh!

XIrc3ExcQ4qWhltQLymotQ_thumb_3883Tish, from “Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland” featured this quilt (see it HERE) … then she went to say that she enjoys visiting my blog because, and I quote: “I love visiting Gail’s blog because she really is one of the most organized quilters in knowing what status her projects are in.  Seeing her lists always reminds me to check mine. ”   OH Tish!!!   The only reason I have lists is that I NEED to decrease my UFO list and NOT make any more!!!  As for organization … well that is totally not very true! But, thank you for the high compliment!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!  
Gail 

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The Retreat – January 2020

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The retreat I went to earlier this week was fantastic!  (I know, aren’t they always?)

It was a lot of fun!

Here is a slide show of the people and the projects … and I’m sure that I missed some of them!  You will see several “52 blocks in 52 weeks” quilts,  bags, games of Left-Right-Centre, Secret gift exchange, Maple leaf and tree blocks for Australia, and lots and lots of eye candy!

Here’s pictures of what I got done!

2 quilts quilted and bound:  The photo shoot happened at home during a break in the snow!

French General Layer Cake – a UFO from 2012

This was quilted with a large meander following the back fabric.  It was fun to do, but I doubt if I’ll do it again.  As I quilted, when I hit a seam, it would sort-of startle me.  I think when I quilt from the front, I know where the seams are and can prepare myself for the bumps that may be coming.

75″ x  58″  IMG_2196.jpeg

Ode to 30’s – a UFO from 2009

IMG_2178.jpeg   58″ x 66″

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Maple Leaf Blocks

I made 3 maple-leaf blocks for the Australian wildfire relief.

Rag Log Cabin

Worked on what I was calling a rag bento box … but have since changed the name to a “Rag Log Cabin” quilt.  It’s definitely NOT a bento box!  Prior to the retreat, the centres were all fussy-cut at 6 ½” and the strips were cut at 3 ½”.  I had to cut more strips to finish the blocks.  Thankfully, I had taken the extra fabric with me.

It’s such a simple quilt design, but oh my … the ripping I had to do.  It was hard to wrap my head around “sew WRONG sides together.”  At least all the wrong sides together part is done!

Once I got home, I put the blocks up on the design wall and have webbed the top together.

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One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Monday … and I’m off to a retreat!

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YEAH, I LOVE retreats!!!  They are always lots of fun!  Lots of chatting and laughing and eating and sewing and laughing and eating and … oh ya, lots of fun!

I hope to work on a few UFOs … we’ll see how that goes!

Design Wall

Piecing:

Summer Solstice:  This section of 8 is done!  Spending 15 min / day worked!  Often it turned out to be closer to an hour … it takes a LOT of time when you need to take out the little tiny stitches that you can barely see!IMG_5960

Frolic: Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery:   All caught up .. and everything fits in this container. I suspect that the reveal may come soon … either this week or next … and I’ll be ready! Continue reading →

Retreat accomplishments – some …

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Oh my! The retreat was a great time.  They always are!  So many different projects, so many ideas, so much help … so much food … and 2 people brought halloween jellies and candy corn … groan!  … too much sugar …  click HERE to see the slide show of other people’s projects.

SEW … What did I get done? 

fullsizeoutput_bdf Continue reading →

The Retreat is Over

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Yes, the retreat is over.  It is done for another year!  It was a wonderful time of sharing, quilting, laughing and laughing!

We played games!  Instead of strip poker (See HERE) we used the LRC die and played with loonies (Canadian $1 coins).  It was fun to the end.   Then there was a scavenger hunt … looking for all sorts of things sewing and non-sewing related.  One thing that we needed was a selfie of the team, taken in a car.  Neither my partner or I had our own cars at the retreat. Much to the surprize of the owner, we hopped into the back of another car as she and her partner were getting out!  We have a gift exchange at the retreat and played a game with each of us ending up with a gift we didn’t make.

One of my secret projects in the recent weeks was a snappy bag and a roll of toilet paper.

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Continue reading →

Fun Times

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It’s a lot of fun when we have company come.  Especially a family with 4 kids that we LOVE!!!  The youngest son was asking me about my quilts and we scrolled through the pictures on my computer and he said, “that’s my quilt!”  As soon as they got home his younger sister and he had their pictures taken with their quilts … I made these several years ago – before I started blogging.  I LOVE that they are still LOVED~

Continue reading →

Quilter’s Strip Poker

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Strip Poker
S T R I P   P O K E R

Did the title get your attention?  In a previous post, I mentioned that we played strip poker at the quilting retreat.

OK >>> OK >>>  You keep your clothes ON!!!

Several people asked me how we play it. Here’s how:

First: you instruct everyone to bring anywhere between 5 and 8  WOF 2½” strips. Obviously, the less strips, the faster the game. Continue reading →

Retreat Fun!

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I got back from a fabulous retreat this afternoon.  Oh – what fun we had!  Lots of sewing got done!  Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of my projects in progress.  And, I’m sure that I missed a few of the projects that were being put together.

And approximately 4″ of snow fell … snowball snow … and for some reason, some of it ended up down my nightgown … but we weren’t really fighting!

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This wall hanging was spectacular!  It included crayon (heat set), embroidery and piecing.

The expertise and talent at the retreat was amazing!

A few quilters “webbed” their quilts together.  It was the first time they had tried it.  I believe it won’t be their last time!

Another quilter did her first machine quilting and did an fantastic job!

 

There were a few guild mystery quilts put together.  Totally different jelly rolls were used, and the effect is somewhat similar (because they both had red in similar locations), and yet totally different!

And yes, the quilt on the right was getting fixed as I left!

Each one of the pictures has a story to tell.  But I’m tired and about to go to bed.  Enjoy the Show!

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To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

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