A treat to Retreat

Last weekend I spent four wonderful days with six of my sewing pals and about fifty other ladies from our Guild at our autumn retreat at Wesley Woods. The weather was gorgeous to boot, so on my third visit to Wesley Woods I finally had the chance to take advantage of the trails and get some hiking in.

I worked on two, actually three, UFOs....photos to come. My Kyle's Marketplace top got finished, as did my sister's birthday gift (only one month late!) and I finished most of my Black & White UFO, here is a sneak peek of it without the borders added:
(Ignore the camouflaged blob in the center.) A detail shot to show you some of my fabulous fabrics...(see the fussy cut Eiffel Tower?):
One of my favorite parts of this retreat is at the end of the third day we have "Show-and-Tell" so you get to see what everyone has been working on. My friend Dawn, who has only been quilting for about a year and a half, completed this Day & Night quilt for a high school graduation gift, literally started and finished the quilt top at this retreat:Stunning! And this is my friend Teresa's winter wall hanging...not quite finished but lovely, nonetheless!This Kinetic Energy quilt was made by Jan, one of a trio of quilting sisters at the table next to mine...The woman who made this top, Jan is in her 70s, her sister Peggy is in her 60s, Nora the baby sister is in her 50s. They also brought along a daughter-in-law in her 40s, and one of their daughters, in her 30s. Wouldn't you like to be a part of that family? I petitioned them for adoption, but I don't think they felt they needed another quilter in the family. This is her sister Nora's Tapas quilt in progress, what a great way to use stripes!...
Janet's sunburst flower quilt, an original design...I loved this block from Dana's Round Robin Row Quilt....what a great use of black and white!And a great use of flannel batiks, made by a relatively new quilter...
Those colors are unbelievably vibrant in reality! One of the unfortunate (for me) aspects of the weekend is the endless options of good food, meals and snacks...not good for a weight watcher like myself who has a little self control problem when it comes to a table full of treats available for my pleasure 24 hours a day...(seriously, I don't think I should ever take a cruise for just that reason!). We even had a quilt themed cake, decorated by a young baker at the local Hy-Vee supermarket. Didn't she do a great job?Oh well, it's only twice a year, and I did get a lot of good exercise in on those trails.

Here's wishing all of you the chance to go on a great retreat this coming year, quilting or otherwise!

Sew Happy

I've had a chance to get some sewing in lately, which makes me a very happy girl. I haven't had as much time to blog about it, but not to worry, I always get around to it eventually. And, of course, when I sew or quilt, I always have a helper of two...
I made myself a new pair of flannel pajama bottoms out of the adorable Riley Blake "Be Merry" snowmen...One reason I like to make pajamas for myself is that I can make them long enough! Readymade pants and pajamas are typically just a hair too short for me. I trimmed them in a cute striped cuff at the bottom of the pant leg:In addition to my sewing, I found time to make birthday shirts for two special little nephews...a separate post on tomorrow's Curious George birthday party will come next week!
How cute are these?!?!
Can't wait to see them wearing them...

Happy sewing weekend,

Doris

In Appreciation

I've fallen behind on posting, and keeping up with my Giving Thanks Challenge...but you can see me list over there to the right. Something I am thankful for, for each day of the month of November.

I appreciate that I have a comfortable and safe home. It may not be the house of my dreams, as a matter of fact, it isn't even a house, and it may not be a home I chose, but it is home and I am grateful that I have it.
I appreciate that God blessed me with good health.

He blessed me with four siblings to share my childhood with, and now, to enjoy as friends in our adulthood.He blessed me with love, not only of family and friends who have seen me through the good and bad times, but the love of someone to share my life with. Someone who stands there as one of my loudest cheerleaders, encourages my whims and my dreams, and tells me daily how wonderful he thinks I am.

I appreciate that I have a job to go to every day, even on the days when I'd rather stay home in my studio. Work is one of the greatest blessings of all.

I appreciate that I live in a time and a place where food is plentiful. I've never known hunger, not real hunger, and I count the bountiful harvest as a true blessing. Most of all, and most appropriate today of all days, I appreciate and Thank God for my freedom. Freedom is something most of us take for granted. Today, Veterans Day, we honor those who paid the price for our freedom.Thank you.

Fortunate

I'm fortunate to not only have good friends to share my hobby with, but to share sewing days with these fine people as well. I'm thankful for the long weekend quilting retreat that starts tomorrow and that I am able to attend.
I'm also fortunate to have loved ones who truly understand that I have an (obsession) interest in fabric and quilting and encourage me to pursue that interest. They were even kind enough to shower me with fabric this year to celebrate an important milestone in my life. Now that's love and support!

Indebted

I am truly grateful for the friends I've made in this virtual quilt world. For each and every one of you that have ever commented on one of my posts, befriended me on Flickr, emailed me, sent me goodies to brighten my day as my swap partner, or visited my etsy shop. Each contact brightens my day and gives me motivation to keep creating and keep posting even on my darkest days. I am indebted to you all.

So, thank you.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

...a little late, I'm afraid. I thought I had posted about my Halloween quilt I finished just before Halloween 2007, but could not find it in my blog archives, so I wanted to be sure and show it this year.This is loosely adapted from a 2004 (I think?) Fons & Porter cover quilt, but I changed the inner border(s) around the jack-o-lantern medallion, and the candy corn border is my own addition. The candy corns are strip pieced and appliqued onto the quilt..and there is one cute little ghost hiding amidst the candy. The bats and the spider web outer border are made from a felted sheer fabric intended for costume construction. You can see here how the orange polka-dot fabric shows through the sheer material:The spiderwebs on the black fabric I used in the jack-o-lantern's face glow in the dark...which adds an extra element of fun!So, here's hoping you had a great Halloween weekend, from our batty house to yours!

Grateful

November. Thanksgiving Month. A time for being grateful. Something that I, for one, often fail to be. My four-year-old-nephew asks everyone around his dinner table to name two things they are thankful for. He's done this the last three or four times I have dined at my brother's home. What a great example set from "the mouth's of babes". So, I'm grateful for the children in my life, and their childhood innocence, that remind me, without even trying, to be grateful for the little blessings in my life.

Are you a member of a Virtual Quilting Bee? Or wish you were? Well...head on over to Block Party Quilts and check out the exciting changes...you may even win this:
Don't forget to be grateful, today!