Thursday, August 19, 2021

Retreat Wrap-up - Part 1

I have a lot to show and tell so I'm going to split my retreat wrap-up into two parts, the first being what I accomplished.

I arrived shortly after noon on Monday and unloaded all my gear into the sewing room.

My table was way back in the left corner.  From this photo, though, you can see what a lovely sewing space we have that accommodated 17 sewing stations (we've had as many as 22 in the past).  We use bed risers to raise the cutting tables and we provide our own irons and ironing boards.  The long row of tables down the middle is for eating and socializing.  Our sleeping rooms are like motel rooms -- two double beds and a bathroom -- located on the second floor (handicap accessible from the back side of the building  which is built into a hill).  Meals used to be included at the dining hall, but the last few years we've been bringing our own food.

So once I was situated, I set about finishing up several small tops.  First was this little gem I made circa 2018 from someone else's cast-off HSTs.


I added the two borders and then passed it on to Becky who is our Teal Freak.  The border is really  a plaid, though in this photo it looks like a stripe, from a Moda Christmas line several years ago.  It has all the right colors in it.

Next I tackled the borders on Jet Girl.  This will make a nice baby quilt.


I call it Jet Girl because I made it in a class (I don't remember the project name) with Yvonne, the Quilting Jetgirl who was teaching at a local shop while visiting her mother in this area.  I was still wearing the boot from my broken ankle so it dates to March of 2018.

Tucked in with Jet Girl was this little star-in-a-star, my first attempt at something "modern."  The design was a block in a magazine and I wish I could give proper credit but I don't remember.

Since it's the same color family as Jet Girl, I must have had some idea of combining them but, instead, I made another baby quilt.  The stripe border has been in my stash for a long time -- one of those things you love but can never find a use for ...

I wrapped up Monday night by adding borders to this modern piece with no name 😞.

This one will ultimately hang in my sewing room.  It makes me smile.  I finished off Monday by cutting borders for a RSC Sampler, but it came back home with me unfinished (not sure why).

I began Tuesday laying out and assembling Megan II, so-named because it is made from leftovers of a quilt I made for niece Megan's marriage on 10-10-10.

I think 11 years is plenty of time to let blocks mature, don't you?  This one may get a border and is probably destined to be a wheelchair quilt.  I am one block short of enough to make a second quilt just like this and I think I already have the pieces cut ... somewhere ...

The rest of Tuesday was devoted to assembling the Patricia Kaleidoscope (In The Beginning) I began in June at the Jonesborough retreat.


I want to give it a good pressing before I trim and measure for the borders so it came back home with me as-is.

Wednesday was devoted to Tumbling Triangles.  For the life of me, I cannot find the magazine photo (and pattern?) that was the inspiration for this one, but I love it and it will probably stay with me.  

After arranging then stitching the rows, I realized I hadn't thought about the side setting triangles.  The assembled "village" helped me select the same dark green that is in the HSTs (hence the flat bottoms in the edge squares).  It would not have been my first choice, but I am thrilled with the results!  I brought it home to give it a good pressing before measuring for the borders.

The rest of my time was spent cutting a new project for a retreat in September.


5 comments:

  1. Libby, I always am inspired by your blog. Beautiful. Miss you and hope to see you soon. Keep sewing and posting. Harriett

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  2. Fun to see what you've been working on, and it's a lot! Love the Jet Girl design and the modern one that will hang in your studio. And the Tumbling Triangles quilt is really neat! Lots of good stuff!

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  3. I should follow your lead and do a border marathon. That's where I halt in every project.

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  4. My goodness, what a productive time you had! I remember the Tumbling Triangles -- a Bev Getschel pattern -- I tore it out of American Quilter, inspired by you.

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