Although this was my first ever quilting retreat, it was clear that this particular weekend was all about combining an old steady routine, with flexibility and fun. To start, we had a “minor” detour thanks to landslides and flooding. This complicated things like running for a quick Thursday lunch (see ya in 3 hours Phyliss and Lisa), walking along the water (nope, can’t get there from here!), and shopping at Web Fabrics. Now there’s even more to look forward to in the spring! As much as this detour changed up our weekend, we are all grateful that the local homes weren’t damaged and everyone was safe. Plus, we got to see Kennedy Farm where John Brown staged and planned his raid on Harpers Ferry.
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| Here’s a picture of John Brown’s farmhouse, but unfortunately I didn’t catch a picture of Carolyn’s llamas nearby :) |
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| The Blue Mountain Retreat Center. We were lucky to have beautiful sunny days! |
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| Melanie put a splash of color into this fun, mostly black and white top. |
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| My stars coming along now that I’ve worked through the kinks of lining everything up correctly. |
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| Dara finished up this adorable charity quilt with a perfectly relaxed and steady FMQ flower design. |
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| Melissa finished her clamshell top! This was a new technique and she did a great job mastering it. |
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| Jennifer had these squares all ready to be put together and she did it in the most adorable way! |
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| Jill, the crafty giraffe, with her new machine and her trusty pal! We all LOVED the mascot. |
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| Lisa was busy assembling her second top of the weekend. She has the best color choices! |
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| Watching this Jelly Roll Rug come together was a fun process for all of us and I especially loved learning something new. Thanks, Susan, for bringing this to the group. |
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The crew, heads down and focused, late at night. This was mid Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. |
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| Barbara played around with new designs and this one is truly a work of art. She fussy cut from the scrap pile to make this festive wall hanging. |
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| Anne added to her flower garden from her class with Anna Maria Horner at QuiltCon. It’s impossible not to smile when you see how bright and cheery this quilt is going to be. |
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| The Weebraw Bag swap was a success! We had fun sharing all the creative and personal touches that can be added to this little bag. |
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| LRC winners! Denise x2 and Dolores showing off their loot. Playing the game without the dice was a true testament to the ingenuity of this group! |
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| Carolyn and her quilt from Anna Maria Horner Garden BOM quilt top. The details and fussy cutting are unbelievable in this masterpiece! |
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| Denise and her wicked cute charity quilt. It’s so nice to think that not only did she get to practice her FMQ, but a kid in need is going to stay warm this winter! |
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| Jennifer and one of the two Halloween costumes for her nieces that she created this weekend. I’m in awe of people who make garments, and really enjoyed seeing it come together. |
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| Sabrina was also busy making up some matching mommy and me tops for herself and her daughter. Aren’t these cute! |
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| Carolyn finished up this Lone Star pillow that showed us not only the technique of strip piecing it, but also showed off the grunge fabrics. |
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| It was like magic watching how this top came together. Phyliss had the blocks all ready to go and we all enjoyed watching it grow. |
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| Almost 20 years ago Lisa taught her son to sew and he made tiny heart squares. Last year she added more color to make them into big blocks. This year she added the black and pieced it together into a precious gift for her son. |
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| Martha and her solids challenge. Of course it’s purple, and it came out perfectly! |
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| Lynne finishing up this fabulous center panel to go into her top for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club -The Year of Color! |
I had to save this picture for the end because it just perfectly captures the fun and spirit of the weekend. Phyliss did an amazing job organizing the retreat into something everyone looks forward to and enjoys. It was relaxing, and exciting all at the same time. She announced that she’s looking for someone to step up and help take over some of the organizer duties. The retreat was the coming together of so much talent and kindness, and I know I learned more in this one weekend than I have in all my 3 years of owning a sewing machine. Thank you, Phyliss, for your hard work as it would not have been possible without you!
I can’t wait to return to the quiet and peacefulness of being out in the woods, enjoying the laughter and encouragement of this wonderful guild, and being immersed in the expertise and creativity of everyone's projects.
