A gathering of friends… quilting friends… over several days – it just doesn’t get any better than that!
My annual (6 years now!) summer mini retreat has come and gone all too quickly – but the memories remain and I know I am looking forward to next year for many reasons.
I think we have a nice mix of people – Some of us have been friends for more than a decade… (gosh now I’m starting to feel old) and some for just a few years… but when we come together it’s all about sharing our knowledge, talents, and friendships.
Our best intentions never seem to remind us to get a group photo until after someone has left… so I cropped a picture of her out of a group photo from another year!
Our Challenge this year was to use a color – shading of that color – to show shape or movement in their project. We set a 36” minimum size and here are our entries. Although everyone seemed to have a busy year we had a good showing – many projects completed at the very last minute!
This was a stunning entry – inspired from a photograph of the splash-down of a flamingo in a pond… complete with beads for the water splash. The second photo shows the birds head partially submerged.
A landscape to ponder…
Someone worked outside the box…
by showing the inside of the box.
I want to see the light at the end of this tunnel…
Love the pop of color with some hand painted work in the center.
Lovely light table cloth with the shading in the prairie points that surround it.
Pictures don’t do this justice… she dyed her own fabrics for the shading of the reds.
And last but not least – the winning entry this year! Beautiful undulating work here… and the quilting lines enhance the flow.
I could use the words lovely, beautiful, stunning in describing all of these quilts – I love what my friends create…. such a talented bunch!
I am always amazed at how quickly our days together go by. Most folks who travel arrive on Wednesday and leave again on Monday… we sew Thursday through Sunday. There are always a few trips out to this, that, or the other store… and we have even discussed starting a day or two earlier so that they can fit in some more shopping trips around the area.
Our weather was spectacular! I live in an old stone house that doesn’t have central air – so we have to rely on individual room units when it’s hot. Some years it’s been miserable – but this year – no AC’s!! It was cool overnight and dry… DRY in July! And the temps only in the 80’s during the day. I couldn’t have planned better weather… if I could plan such a thing.
My only regret was not having everyone bring a 5 gallon bucket… so that they could pull weeds to take home… sounds like a good idea huh? LOL
Monday after everyone left I ran a couple errands and then took a 2 hour nap. Then Tuesday my handyman helper showed up… so I’ve been out ‘helping’ him pull weeds. I ordered 3 yards of mulch which we will be spreading as soon as the weeds are all out (ha, ha, ha… that’s optimistic huh?) Anyway – he’s out there right now and I’m sitting here… so I’ve gotta go… pull weeds…
