She'll Be Back!

I just went to AmandaJean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts to see if she had any new Flicker photos and saw the surprising announcement that she'll be blogging again soon. Sooooo happy to hear that. She's the first quilt blogger that I followed and I was so sad to see her blogging come to an end.

To celebrate this wonderful news, I'm sharing the red and aqua quilt top that I finished at my retreat in March. AmandaJean provided the inspiration for this one.

I had so much fun working with these colors and I love the layout. Not loving the block with stripes. I wasn't about to try to match the stripes but it still bugs me a little.

This quilt top was my big accomplishment at the retreat. You can see one of the sewing rooms here. We had a snow storm while we were at the retreat and enjoyed the view all weekend. We even saw deer running across the dam.

My sewing station was just down the sidewalk in the next building. It was kind of nice to get some brisk fresh air on the way to and from "The Big House". I'm so lucky to have such a nice group of women to get together with while we quilt. Looking forward to the next one in the fall already!

Something for Santa

Here's a little peek at something I've been working on for Christmas. I started it at the retreat and have a little more of the piecing to do. I'm not sure how far I'll go with embellishing it. The pattern I'm using has some applique and needlework included but I may make some modifications. I love the holly/peppermint fabric.

And before anyone is amazed by how on top of things I am to be getting ready for Christmas, let it be known that this was going to be gracing our home for my sweet little girl's first Christmas. She's three now.....I had all of it cut before she turned one but had stopped because when I was ready to cut the last part (the binding), I got stuck. I didn't know whether I should cut it on the bias or straight. So I put it away until I could figure it out. Now, I'm not sure why I was wondering that but I must have learned along the way that bias binding is for curvy edges. It was obvious to me when I pulled it out to work on again. But I still haven't cut the binding. I just got started sewing.

In the process of sewing, I discovered that I have either put back on my original non-1/4 inch foot or my 1/4 inch foot is not really a 1/4 inch foot. I decided to leave it on and continue as I was so that it all turns out in the end but I discovered it when one of my borders turned out too long. I was also getting frustrated that my corners were not aligning. One of my lovely new friends inspected my project and decided I was overcompensating in my attempt to make the seams match so they were overlapping a bit. UGGG! It's so hard for me not to pull that seam ripper out of the little box it sits in. I'm going to keep going carefully and keep learning and live with my progress and little mistakes. I crave that precision piecing though that I need to to some more intricate work.

I may try to just do my piecing with my walking foot on so that the fabric feeds evenly on both sides. I think my mom does this and several of the other gals at the retreat do the same thing. But I really like using the edge of the foot as a guide so I'll have to experiment a little

Faded Glory

This is the second project I worked on at the retreat. It is a smaller version of the Turning Twenty pattern. I had completed the middle and just needed to add the border and corners. It's amazing to me that I got so far and then let it sit for so long (maybe 2 years? - gasp)! I met some wonderful quilters at the retreat who confessed that they don't often get to quilt either. One even said that she takes the same project to her quilt group once a month and works on it for 2 hours, then puts it away until next time. I'm starting to suspect that there are perhaps more quilters like me that I thought...ones that let house work, trips, playing with little ones, etc. come before quilting.

Some of the stripes look wonky in this photo and I think it's because the wind was blowing the quilt around. I tried to snap the picture when it flapped back down but I think maybe it was still moving.

This one gets named Faded Glory because it has a dark blue piece of fabric in it that must have been exposed to some light through my craft room window and has a faded spot. I left it in. Wasn't about to take stitches out. I will be using this to top a table during July and probably Independence Day festivities so it will get a lot of use and washings. Now I won't be afraid to use it.


I'm not quite sure how I'll quilt it yet. Any ideas?

Lake Doniphan

I had a wonderful time at the retreat last weekend. It was so fun to get away and concentrate on those projects that have been waiting for a while. Stitch On Needlework Shop in Lawrence, Kansas put the retreat together. Leslie, Laura, and Teresa were so thoughtful and helpful in all of the little touches they provided to help everyone feel welcome and enjoy themselves. All of our beds had a goody bag waiting with fat quarters, coupons, candy, and other treats. Terrific soaps and shampoos elevated the camp experience into something more spa-like. A great homemade soup dinner and yummy snacks were so tasty.

The retreat center was at Lake Doniphan in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. The leaves on the trees were just beginning to turn so the view was fantastic. I had three other roommates who were so very nice! I was just amazed at all of the great projects everyone was putting together.


I finished three quilt tops and started on a fourth. My plan for the pumpkin wall hanging changed. I've been encouraged by several people to hand quilt it since I did so much hand applique work on it. I'll share pictures of the others as soon as the sun comes out and I can snap a few photos.

Stitch On announced that they will be holding two more retreats in 2010 and I am so excited to have an opportunity to join them again!