Design Wall Monday 2/3/2013

Sorry this post starts with sad news but it will pick up with my progress later on.  I attended a retreat last weekend, January 25-27, and really had a great time.  

This is a picture of my friend and table mate, Karen. She had foot surgery and was on a one-legged scooter contraption because she couldn't apply pressure to the foot.  I assisted her the entire weekend, helping to get her equipment into the center, getting water, ice, food, and assisting however I could to make her stay enjoyable.  We are both members of the quilt guild sponsoring the retreat, but we also are members of a 6-member guild that meet in each other's home on a monthly basis. We function like a large guild in every aspect.  I dropped her off at home last Sunday and she was tired but so excited that she got out the house as she was getting bored.  It saddens me that she passed away last Tuesday due to a blood clot.  I've have had a mix emotions in the past week  I know that I will miss her dearly as she was the sweetest person I'd known, willing to assist others without expecting anything in return, even strangers.  I just wanted share with you a new angel that's watching over us and warn you that she's a perfectionist!

It's been two weeks since I posted and I do have a few projects that have moved along. We had an Asian inspired retreat and we had the option to make "Hu Hot Iron Caddy" This is a great pattern to make an iron caddy that doubles as an ironing surface as well. See that cord pocket on the outside; you can pack up and take the iron home while it's still hot.

 
Then I worked on a modified week whacker pattern. The top is pieced but I need to work on the border at some point. For this one, I used blue, green and red scraps. I have fabrics that have been in my stash from 1995.  They never go away!

 I also got an opportunity to sew these string blocks together.  I think this one may get a plain border; or I might change my mind as I haven't really decided yet.

For Superbowl Sunday I started out cleaning my studio. I haven't been able to sew in there for months.  After getting about 75% complete, I decided to reward myself and sew some stack blocks as they were already cut.  I have 21 blocks here. I may make about 40 of them so I need to cut down some 2.5" strips to continue.  I did piece some of the bricks to get rid of smaller scraps too.

Also in the photo above on Sunday, I sewed more tumbler units.  I'd previously sewed together 39 4-unit sections.  I laid them out as in photo below and realized I needed a few more with additional fabric choices.  Funny how if you have a large area to lay out the blocks/units the quilt top wants go be larger (okay they talk to me. LOL) So today I cut out more fabrics so I could make some new selections.  I now have 61 4-unit sections. I will save this project to work on Friday at my work group's craft night.

Please check Judy's site to see more design walls.

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Type-u-later,

http://www.teaquilts.com

Missouri State Quilters Guild Retreat

On Friday I left work three hours early to go to a quilt retreat organized by the Missouri State Quilters Guild.  I had been a member for about 3 years and I think my membership lapsed for about a year or two.  I'd always wanted to go but could never coordinate the dates into my schedule or couldn't get my friends' schedules to fit.  Well, this year it fit my schedule and I decided to attend. I had so much fun.  The hotel was great, the food was great (except for the extra strong coffee), the company was exceptional and I met old and new friends alike.  I'm going to work very hard to keep my schedule open to attend next year.

I've NEVER been to a retreat with almost 150 participants. It wasn't even in my imagination!  The organizers under Pat Smith's direction did a fantastic job. It takes many hands to pull off a wonderful event. Thank you to all the workers this weekend.

One-half of the participants during the Jelly Roll Race. I didn't participate but about eleven people did.  It was a hoot.

I took the Spicy Spiral Table Runner class.  I enjoyed the class and the process so much so that I plan to make a few more. I have a few photos of the class results, with my quilt being first. I'm making it for my mom who loves neutral colors.

 Then, we had a scrappy hat contest. I took photos of some of my favorites around my sitting area.  A few of them are winners, but I can't remember which one is which.  However, the nest won first place.

 The retreat chairperson gave her hat to one of the severs (I think his name is David) and he humored us and put it on and did a fancy bow.

For the challenge quilt, this was viewer's choice.

 Here is the raffle table. Can't see all the products, Here are three more shots with close up. I just had to buy a set of tickets. And I did.

See that sewing machine, I could use that for traveling, or how about the Rowenta traveling irons, I could use them too.

I love fabric too, or how about updating some of my rulers.  See  that Ott Lite i the back. Oh my, I must purchase more tickets. And I did get more.

Now, who don't need more storage containers and the flowers were even up for grabs.

I'm trying to be cool, but in my head I hear "Oh, please call me number and call it early as I really, really want one of those travel iron.

My number got called, but not early enough to get the irons or the sewing machine.  I did get some pretty dot fabrics I had my eyes on as well.














This post doesn't even begin to show everything that happened at retreat  I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures. We received very nice welcome packets, door prizes a lot of intangible items that a monetary value couldn't be placed.  We have wonder quilt shops from around the state supply our need to purchase "just one more item" LOL, display quilts, etc.
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Type-u-later,

http://www.teaquilts.com

Design Wall Monday and Retreat Update

I've received a lot of verbal comments regarding my lack of blogging.  I didn't think anyone would miss me so I appreciate the prompts to post on my blog.  I did not post last month's scrap quilting club photos and I'll do that sometime this week (if I can find the pictures).

I want to give a gigantic shout out to the Sew Sweet Quilt Shop in Brunswick, Missouri.  This was there first annual (did you see the word ANNUAL) quilt retreat.  They featured Missouri instructors this year, including artists Tula Pink, Cindy Lammon, Lyna Dagley, Carl Hentsch, Jenny Doan, and myself.  Jessica and Jeanette definitely know how to throw a party.  If I were you, I'd mark my calendar to attend this event next year as it is money well spent.  It will be an annual event the 3rd weekend in July; no excuses - start planning to attend!  If you'd like more information, send me an email and I'll tell you all about it. I didn't take very many photos as I was too busy "oohing" and "aahing" and of course teaching class and presenting a lecture.  Here are a couple of photos from the workshop.  The first one is some of the students working on the exploding star quilt and the second is the finished product of a student in Tula Pink's class.

 In the last week I made this clothes line tote bag.  It has lining and pockets inside.  I really get a kick out of making something from trash.  I wrapped strings leftover from squaring up fabrics, wrapping it around the clothes line.  I wanted the handles to be made from clothes line too but after making them, it broke my machine when sewing the double layers - I WOULDN'T DO IT IF I WERE YOU - it cost me a trip to the sewing machine repair center! I love my tote and plan to make another.

 I'm also still working on the last Rouge Rive Log Cabin blocks; these are my remaining sections to be pieced.

 Last up, same photo as in last post, but I do have the top sewn.  I'm looking for those fabric pieces that I put in a "special place" so I wouldn't lose them; well, I can't find them and it's starting to bother me as I want this project completed.

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Design Wall Monday and Quilt Retreat

I had a great week.  I spent the first portion getting ready to attend quilt retreat.  I sewed strips and cut fabrics for special projects.  Below are the two quilts in progress that I worked on.  Then, I have a slide show of projects I saw during retreat.

First, here is my log cabin quilt I took out of my UFOs to move further along.  I needed to add two rounds to each of the blocks.  I only have 9 circles shown, but I have all 64 blocks completed, enough to make 16 full circles.  I'll lay this out on Friday during my craft guild meeting at work.  I'm looking forward to sewing the quilt top together.

 Then, I worked on the main retreat project for which I prepped the strip  sets at home.  The project is from Ricky Tims' book Kool Kaleidoscope Quilts.  If you haven't tried this technique, please do so.  I must warn you that it can become addicting.

Here is a link of a slide show of some of the participants and projects I saw at retreat.  We had so many projects going on among us.  "Ain't no mountain high enough" to stop the creativity.  For some reason blogger is not recognizing the YouTube video so click here.

To view more design walls, go to Patchwork Times.

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Type-u-later,

http://www.teaquilts.com

Retreat Pictures

I haven't forgotten my blog and my friends.  I've just been extremely busy with working, family, and trips.  My job keeps changing daily with new boss, new support staff (as 3 has retired in the last 9 months and 2 were laid off), and I now supervise three employees. 

I've also had two trips, one a quilting retreat and a family reunion.  I'm posting the retreat pictures from May 20-22 at Whistling Meadows Retreat Center in Greenville, IL.  We had so much fun.  You've got to view this video of the quilt police showing up at our meeting.  It was unexpected so I missed recording at the beginning.  We are definitely a rowdy bunch!

So what did I work on at retreat?  I started working on my Shakespeare in the Park and got almost half of the rows pieced.  Then, I realized that I left a set of setting blocks at home and had to put it away and work on something else.  I was disappointed as I really need a large workspace to finish this quilt.

 So, I started working on a Scrap Quilting Club project from a few months ago.  I have a few more blocks done than what's showing.  Have a few more to go.

Our group project was the Jellyroll Sewing Race.  The quickest anyone could make this quilt was 1 hour 45 minutes.  So, the quilter who completed this in 30 minutes is definitely a sweatshop worker. LOL  We had so much fun.  I made two of them at retreat.  This is my first one.

And, here is my second one made from a scrap bag I purchased at Hancocks of Paducah during the quilt show.  I joined the strips with a diagonal seam.  I've come to the conclusion these will make excellent quilts for my family members (about 10) that are still on my list.

Here are the other quilts made.  They all have their own personality depending upon fabrics used, scraps or from a collection.  These are our charity quilts for 2011.

 Debra won the race and received $15 gift to local quilt shop.

Here is a photo of the challenge quilts to make any quilt, any size that was dimension with fabric, not just embellishments.  I did not make a challenge project as my life is too hectic at the moment.

We also made cd holders for our cars but I don't have pictures of them.  In the next post I'll post that along with two other quilts I gave away at the family reunion.

--------------------------
Type-u-later,

http://www.teaquilts.com