Thursday, January 12, 2017

Why I need quilt retreats

     I am aware that there are some quilters who think it is silly to pay to go somewhere to sew. However, I know that I need to. Last weekend, 10 of us rented an used convent in the country, and sewed for 3 solid days. Meals were split up between us and we were able to use the kitchen and dining room, yet leave the sewing machines up. Eating meals together was also a good time of sharing, trying different tools, seeing other techniques. Twice a year, my guild goes to a retreat center for 3 nights where they make and serve and clean up the meals- even more time to sew.
    Since this old convent is small, I try to take projects that just need assembly or block sewing as cutting and laying out is tight. I was able to sew together three tops and start working on three more. I will show the quilts here now, and new projects in another post. I used my new display stand that my daughter and son-in-law bought me for Christmas. It is fantastic, folds up and goes into a zip duffle. What an absolutely terrific present! I will use it all the time for photo shoots.
Exploding Squares laid out at home, numbered columns
Sewn and bordered. I started with 4" squares



Disappearing Hourglass (MSQC) quilt sewn

Exploding Squares starting with 6" squares, added thin sashing
as blocks were a bit busy

My new display stand, Woo-hoo!

It all goes in this zip bag!

15 comments:

Sarah said...

Congrats! You accomplished quite a lot. The display rack was a fab gift!! So many uses and it travels well.

Warm Quilts said...

It sounds like great camaraderie at your retreat. Have fun using your display rack.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Wow, you got a lot done!

Debbie said...

Count it as a success. You got tons done and all look great. Those stands are so nice!

Kathy S. said...

Beautiful quilts. I LOVE the rug in your room. That could be inspiration too! Happy quilting.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

Wow, you got a lot done! It pays to have it all organized and ready to sew when you get there.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I have one of those stands and LOVE it. I don't do retreats for a variety of reasons (chief among them the ergonomics of sitting/sewing in a makeshift set up) but I totally understand the value in terms of being away from our normal environment with the absence of daily to-do items and distractions.

Gwen said...

Wow! You were super-productive! They all came out great!
The Disappearing Hour Glass is my favorite.

Kevin the Quilter said...

What a perfect gift! Great tops completed! Is the exploding squares pattern from MSQC too? I think I remember them doing a tutorial on that?

Missy Shay said...

I love quilt retreats, the one my guild goes on is too expensive though. I used to go to one on TX where we split the cost of the retreat center so it was more affordable. Your quilts turned out great.

Mystic Quilter said...

Great ideas, both the retreat and the fold up display stand, I think I'll see if I can track one down here in NZ, it would be great for photographing out in the garden.

Saartje said...

A very big whoop on the exploding stars (I prefer the one without sahing)! I think the colors and values are in perfect balance. It's interesting to look at and restful for the eyes at the same time: really, really beautiful!

Linda Swanekamp said...

Saartje, You are a no-reply comment blogger, so I could not answer you. So, I will put it here:
Thanks for the kind comment. I do like the blocks without sashing also. I thought I would try it because those blocks were so large compared to the other ones and I would not have to do a border.

I did a guest tutorial a while back for Sarah on the exploding squares:
http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2014/05/hands2help-featuring-guest-blogger-linda.html

Linda

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Enjoy your new stand. I've never been on a 'away' sew retreat. I do go to lots of 'in town' sewing days, with different groups.

Vicki W said...

There is no better therapy than a quilt retreat!