I'm Home!

Got home safe and sound yesterday, spent some time with the family, made supper and at 9 pm was falling asleep in front of the tv so off to bed I went and slept til 8 am this morning! I don't think I've slept 11 hours straight since, well, I don't know when but the sleep deprivation was worth it :^)))

Thanks again to Myra for organizing a fabulous retreat weekend; such a treat to sew, socialize and have all meals cooked for us. Next up is one in February/09. I'm lookin' forward to it already! LOL

So now you want to see pics, right? Remember to click on each pic for a closer look.

First off is the centre of a wallhanging that P made, (I think her first try at Redwork) and then Friday night she promptly pieced the triangular border, added the border to the centre, machine quilted it (cross hatching) and applied the binding to the front so she could hand stitch the binding to the back once she got home and her eyeballs wouldn't be as tired. All that done between 3:30 pm and 12:30 am with an hour break for supper! On Sat and Sun she worked on a black and white and pink quilt that's a gift for her gd and I forgot to take a pic of her working on that, oopsy! But look here for the book that the pattern is from, by Atkinson Designs.Next up is a table runner that C made and then the rest of the weekend she sewed like crazy. One of her other projects involved Snoopy fabrics, very cute. It was C's first retreat, and I think her sis D, (who also attended) was impressed (as we all were) by how C got into the "retreat groove" so easily and enthusiatically! Next up is a laundry hamper that D picked up at Walmart . What impressed me is that this thing stood up no matter how full (or not). I picked it up when it was still full and was not heavy at all. A good storage idea! Also here's a top (wallhanging size) that D assembled this weekend. Next up she added 2 trees to it as well as some stars and a moon; very cute idea, huh? Next up is a quilt that J worked on first of 3 this weekend. This is a Christmas gift for her younger db. The second quilt J pieced (out of 12 FQs) and then assembled all ready to be quilted at home. She then worked on another Christmas gift after this one. J just worked and worked...Next up is a bag that Y finished up. It was made with some charm squares and she was making yo-yos from some other charm squares in the package to attach to the bag. I think the pattern was called Bali Bag and the fabric was a Moda charm pack called Full Moon Forest by Tula Pink. Check out these little lined bags that S was working on, are they cute or what? The ribbon is attached on the bottom and a gold ring is attached to the other end of the ribbon. The gold ring is pulled over the pointy ends with the bells on and that how the little bag is closed up. Next up is a quilt that A finished this weekend, she assembled the blocks into a quilt top and also machine quilted it. A is known for her (machine and/or by hand) beautiful embroidery. N was very busy making up these mesh bags that will be sold next month for a fund-raiser for children in Africa who have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS, and for Grandmothers who care for them. In Canada the money raised will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation: Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers Campaign. If you're interested in purchasing a bag send me an email and I'll forward it to N. Next up is a flannel quilt that L was making for a Christmas gift for her gs. How cozy is that! She kept holding it up as she was piecing it and asking "Is it big enough to cover my gs?" and meanwhile it's taller than her! LOL She also got it basted and was busy machine quilting it for the remainder of the retreat. This is DL holding up her Mexican Star quilt top. Her fabrics are batiks and it's just so pretty. Saturday was PJ day and several of us worked in our pjs all day long LOL . Even after breakfast people were still in the dining room talking about quilting and looking over magazines and catalogues and planning future projects. Then Myra and I got silly and took pics of each other at the same time...But look Myra finished her whole cloth quilt by adding the ruffle and a zippered backing to it so a pillow can be inserted. Way to go Myra, it's finish #5 for Finn's New Year's Eve challenge! Next up is DP who started this stack 'n whack quilt top from scratch. It's really neat because it's made with squares instead of diamonds etc which is the original method. See here for a pic. Here's another project that Y finished up, an embroidered armchair caddy. I think it's really pretty. Recognize the pattern? It's one of the free Stitcher's Angel patterns. :^)Phew! I'm exhausted! LOL! Hard work going through the pics to show you all out there in blogland. Hope you enjoyed the show and tell :^)
Until next time.......