Final Friends Retreat show n tell photos

We ended off our retreat with a show n tell session.  Here are a few I photographed.

Dee made this tulip quilt from her mother's scraps.  Her mother, Garna, was a part of our quilt guild for many many years.  At her passing she asked her daughters to not throw away her fabric, so they have been sewing it up.

This is the same pattern I made at Scrub Stitchin and Friends Retreats.  My top is done and ready to quilt.

This lady started the next quilt (stars) last year at this retreat and brought it to show it finished this year.

This was someone's self proclaimed "ugly quilt".  I just wanted to say that there is really no such thing as an ugly quilt.

Vera (lady closest to the camera below) brought her quilt from last year's retreat as well.  She never liked it but brought it anyway.  It is pretty cute.  Vera was one of  our instructors last year.

Here are a few more quilts from our trunk show lady, Cheryl.

Here is Cheryl and our guest teacher, Lori Allred.

Friends Retreat: Show N Tell

Show N Tell is just fun.  We quilters like to see each other's finished projects so we can get all excited about making one ourselves.  Sewing with others always gets me into things I hadn't planned.

Well, one of the classes I didn't take was an adorable machine embroidery pattern called "Me Without You".  So so so cute!  Shirley actually made two of them.

The quotes are just happy, feel good quotes.  Me without out you is like...

A kite that doesn't fly

A bird that doesn't sing

A quilter without thread

A guitar with no strings

A beach with no sand

A disco without music

A flower with no petals

A bee without stripes

A party with no friends

I am so in love with this quilt that I want to make one.  Unfortuneately, I don't have an embroidery machine. Well, no worries because Anji did hers by hand.  I loved it!

Now get ready for some quilts Cheryl showed us in her trunk show.

My Quilting Friends Sewing Progress, and I WON QUILT BLOCKS!

I made pretty good progress on my tulip quilt at the retreat getting all of my leaves done.  The tulip parts were made in AUSTRALIA AT SCRUB STITCHIN'.  (I just love savoring every memory there!) I came home and added them to the flowers.  Next step:  assembly.  White sashing between the columns is all pinned and ready.   I should have a top done today!

I purchased this tulip quilt kit at a little quilt shop back home - love it!

We do "make and takes" at this retreat as well.  They sew up quickly and are fun.  They pass around totes with the fabric and supplies in little baggies at lunch.  You choose one you like and then sew it up after lunch.

I made this little bin and scissor keeper.  The retreat hosts gave us the little matching zipper bag and filled it with binding clips.  They also gave us the charm pack - so cute!

They also have quilting quizzes and drawings.  I won the quiz once and got this cute little packet of goodies and mini charm pack.

I also drew to win this adorable bag made by Robyn. L O V E  I T   so much!  

I made a new friend at this retreat who came all the way from Arizona.  Anji sits with her mother-in-law, Carol in the photo.  

Anji  had just ordered these square rulers off Amazon for only $20, so I got my phone out and ordered them as well.  I have been needing more variety of squares.  For now, those rulers are kept inside my cute bag.  I like the little mustache's on them.

And these are the tulip blocks I won!  They are so cute!  Most of the ladies made them and entered them into the drawing.  I believe there were enough blocks to have 3-4 winners.

One of the ladies at the retreat told us about a Block of the Month that only costs $15 for all of the fabric to make a King sized quilt top.  I know it is crazy, but it is true.  That is not $15 per month; it is $15 total.  The host, Kloth. Studio which can be found on Facebook, gets promotions from the fabric designers to host this.  He also sells other products that you are not required to purchase, but they come at great prices to those who join the BOM.

Well, I got all excited and signed up for 4 of them!  It is a mystery and the first zoom meeting for the class is May 20th.  It goes for 15 months.  If you don't live close enough to pick up your monthly kits then you pay a one time $30 shipping fee.  When you buy his discounted products he sends them with your next kit's shipment without any charge.  They are shipping them out today so I will be getting a nice little package in the mail this week.

These are the color ways I signed up for:

Moda's Country Rose

Jewels of the Caribbean

Nutmeg

This one was more as listed below because it is a popular fabric line - Kaffe.

The lady who did the Trunk Show, I think her name was Cheryl, brought some of her fabric stash to sell.  This is what I came home with:

Besides the round robin and the rulers, I also recently purchased a fat q bundle of Tula Pink for use in my Pineapple quilt, Celestial Star quilt, and Stashbee flowers quilt.  Look how yummy they are...

Quilting Friends Retreat: Classes

Much is needed to still post so I am gradually getting it logged.  Stay tuned for more over the next couple of weeks.

At this retreat they have classes.  I kind of prefer retreats that don't because I enjoy just sewing on my UFOs rather than starting new projects.  I will say, however, it really is fun to see several ladies make the same quilt in different fabrics.  The classes make that happen.

I took a foundation paper piecing class.  I am already a pretty accomplished paper piecer; however, we can ALWAYS learn something new.  My take away from this class is that you can buy newsprint paper at Amazon and run it through your printer.  I ordered some and received it yesterday.  I really love paper piecing on newsprint because it eliminates a piecing step for me.  When I use regular copy paper, I like to score the paper on the sew lines with the back side of an old seam ripper.  It makes for perfect folding on the lines and the paper comes out so easily.  With newsprint there is no need for scoring because the paper folds more easily and comes out easily as well.

Here is my first block nearly done!  I intentionally did not sew up the ends of the wedges because I am going to add a couple of fabric pieces to the corners.  I won't know which corners to add them to until I make all the blocks and decide on the arrangement I like.  I am appliqueing the little elephants in the centers of the blocks and will be adding some hand embroidery to highlight them better.  I want to do the same in the corners of four blocks assembled together.  The fabric I wish to add to the corners will frame the elephant circles.

I am alternating between two different background fabrics in order to create a secondary design when the blocks come together.  Another new thing for me is using , in my mind, wild and unusual fabrics together.  Lately I have been drawn to quilts described as such.  I have mixed batiks, Tula Pink, country, and a solid to try my hand at it.  We shall see if I can pull it all together in the end.

I also took a EPP class.  The teacher, Robyn, is a retired school teacher and did an exceptional job.  She went over the best needles and threads to use as well as glue and a variety of ways you can create your own or purchase templates and papers.

My last post showed this cute little travel pouch Robyn made us to get us started on EPP.  She had us sew the little hexagon together on top and hand appliqued it at the class.  

I am displaying it on top of my Tulip Market Quilt that is all pinned and ready to assemble.  More on that later.

When you open it up, there are little EPP storage pockets.  She gave us all of these items inside our pouches to get us started.  I am so excited!

Here is a close up to show the brands and items she likes to use.

Here is a book Robyn had at the class that I want to buy.

Another cool take away from this class was a long time quilt friend, Peggy, let me use her sewing glasses in the EPP class. Wowzer!  I went straight out and purchased a pair just for EPP and hand sewing.  I could see to do it with my contacts, but that little extra really brought everything in nice and clear.

My zoom friends like to do EPP when we get together because it makes sewing and talking very simple.  While in Australia, both Chooky and Kylie showed me their tips and tricks for EPP as well.  I have been trying to decide which EPP project I want to undertake.

Here is Kylie's EPP project that I fell in love with.  I am leaning toward doing this one.

Here is a photo of a finished EPP quilt that I fell in love with while at the Baradine show n tell night done in the same pattern.  If anyone remembers who made this one, please let me know.  I want to say it was someone sitting by kylie like maybe Diane or Annette or Natasha.

My zoom friends showed me this pattern by Sue Daley Designs I can use to make it.  They say it is very similar to the Australian designer's pattern.

This is the EPP project that Chooky and some of the ladies are doing.  I am also contemplating doing this one.  It is called Miss Elizabeth by Cherry Pie designs.

Side note: here is a photo of our latest zoom session!  They all make me smile.  I should have taken more photos as others came in and out while I was on including my sister.

The other class I took was on designing your own fabric.  I am super excited about this one and want to give it a go this summer.  The teacher showed us how to purchase graphic art online to use in our designs.  I have already been to Etsy buying up some things.

This was not a class, but I was shown a new, cute, and easy way to do a machine binding.  I am going to try it soon.  There is always something new to learn from someone even if you have been quilting for as long as I have - over 25 years!