Projects in the Pipeline

     When it was time for the retreat, I went into a cutting frenzy to get ready as I had no projects at a point to bring. Cutting is always easier for me when I have a bunch to cut- the mindset I need is better when totally engaged. After choosing/cutting the strip pairs for Maggie Pearl, I cut more quilts.
     One of the projects is Jelly Twist, a pattern I bought from Cluck, cluck, sew. I had a few friends that had made it and I thought it would look good with a darkish jelly roll that a blog friend gifted me. I was able to sew 30 of the I think, 48 blocks. All pieces are cut, just sew, usually I do two blocks at a time.

     Then I cut Fat Quarter Frenzy II from Sew Can She. I had a fat quarter bundle I had bought of Tula Pink fabric. Not my favorite fabric, but some girl will love it. I did some sample blocks and sewed all the HSTs. I did not do the lines drawn across the square and cut in the middle method. I never get the lines straight. I cut all the squares in half and sewed with the guide  (credit card) on my machine. I can be much more accurate. I still have to sew the white triangles on.

    I also mostly cut an octagon One Block Wonder, but did not sew any blocks. Photos at a later time.
    Other cut quilts, I did not get to at retreat. But, I have plenty of stuff to work on now as well as leader/enders for my Sugar Grove quilt.

Sort of spring

     It is a bit early here in Buffalo, NY to see outdoor flowers, but I had some Snow irises, crocus and the beginning of the Hellebores start to open.

Yellow Hellebores

Pink buds starting on Hellebores

     Inside, some of the Christmas cactus are blooming the second time- first at Christmas, then now. Lucky me!

     And two orchids are blooming although one has to open yet!

Maggie Pearl progress

      I took strip pairs to the retreat that were pulled from my stash to make the Maggie Pearl free pattern I saw other blog friends make. Each set of strips makes one block. I sewed all the strips and subcut them, sewing again, and then tried to arrange them in a coherent way.

     Finally, I found a layout and sewed the entire quilt using the webbing technique.

     However, when I got home, I realized that the quilt was too narrow. I dug around and found 5 more sets to sew after auditioning them to the left side.

     After completing those blocks, I finished the top and like it much better for a comfort quilt.

Birthday retreat and lots of quilts!

      My quilt guild had a retreat at Stella Niagara, an old Catholic school and convent complex in Lewiston, NY the first weekend of March. March 3rd is my birthday and this was a great way to celebrate it. It is a terrific place. The view is atop the slope of the Niagara River and you can see Canada across the river. There is actually a path down to the River that is flat enough to walk and stand as most of the river from the Falls to Lake Ontario is a gorge. During the War of 1812, the British crossed from Canada at that spot and marched the miles to Fort Niagara and burned/captured it.

Building complex behind trees, meadow in front between buildings and river. Taken in November, too rainy to take on this March.

Meadow down from buildings to Niagara River, Canada across River, tiny chapel at edge of shore. Photo taken in November, weather was uncooperative for photos this March.

 

 

 

     We have a large room in the basement where we leave all our sewing set up. We go upstairs and they feed us. We all have a single bedroom and share bathroom facilities. Everything is clean and nice. One of the things we do is, as we finish projects, we hang them over the railing to the ramp in the room. At the end of the retreat, we do a show and share. I finished one quilt top as I had a lot of quilt kits I had cut up to bring.

     I especially loved my friend, Elizabeth's, quilt that was a memory quilt dedicated to her mother. It was just beautiful.