My Retreat Quilts

I finished piecing this first quilt completely at retreat, but did not do the appliqued flowers until I got home. I had decided to use rickrack for the stems and had none at the retreat, so waited to do the applique at home. So, I went out and bought the only 2 shades of rickrack I could find locally and neither one looked right... so I ended up using green variegated thread and satin stitched the stems onto the background. The red flowers and green leaves were ironed on with fusible then stitched around the edges with matching threads. It was made with a jelly roll!

This quilt was made from a kit from Connecting Threads. The colors are so springy and soft! I really love the stripes and how they are cut and placed to make the basket look really woven. The flowers , stems and leaves on this one was also fused on then the edges stitched. The binding is all made from a striped fabric cut on the bias so the stripes are diagonal! Should be really cute!

This quilt was made from a kit I bought at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show back in February. I love Kaffe fabrics and although this quilt is loaded with color and texture with 21 different fat quarters and 2 borders, I just LOVE the overload! The room we sewed in at the retreat was so hot, that I named it "Bohemian Hot Flash". How would you quilt it?

I really need to get to work quilting...I've not done any large projects since I hurt my shoulder and they're stacking up!!! Time to get my Juki back out in the dining room table! Leave me a comment and let me know where you do your quilting! Take care!

No Text Tuesday- Retreat Quilts!

Sue's maple leaf quilt!

Terri's baby quilt!

Sue's goose tracks quilt!

Sarah's batik stars quilt!

Mary Jane's Christmas quilt!

Marianne's million dollar quilt! Check it out, Sue, and pay up! :-)

Jean's one block wonder quilt!

Christine's cover quilt!

Christine's new baby boy's quilt!

Barbara's "not my colors" quilt!

My "Bohemian Hot Flash" quilt!

Back to Reality

Our Centreville Quilters Unlimited spring quilt retreat at the Hunting Ridge retreat facility in Winchester, Virginia this past weekend was fun and very productive for all! However, this was the first time we've been there when the temperature was hot...and BOY, was it HOT!! With 23 quilters in one non air-conditioned room with 23 sewing machines, more than 23 individual lights- not including the overhead lights, and over 23 irons....it was in reality a sweat shop!! But even so, I think a good time was had by all who came!!

Here's what it looked like in our weekend "sweat shop"!

I'll post photos of some the wonderful quilts that were made at retreat tomorrow on the blog on No-Text Tuesday! Gotta go sew!!

Quilt Retreat, Here I Come!!

This weekend, starting tomorrow, is our Centreville Quilters Unlimited quilt guild retreat in Winchester, VA. This week I've been getting stuff ready to take on retreat. I like to have everything all cut out and ready to sew when I get there. I just finished cutting out a quilt kit I bought from Connecting Threads. Pretty, huh? I just really love the baskets made with alternating that cool striped fabric.

All I have left to do is cut out the flower applique pieces that I traced on fusible and ironed onto the different fabrics...which I will do as soon as I post this!

I've got a UFO to bring to finish, too. I've had all the blocks done from the jelly roll pattern called "Field of flowers" finished for months. I've laid them out on my design wall and have them stacked in piles of rows and will put it all together at the retreat. The fabric line I used for it is "Roman Holiday" by Moda. It will be so pretty when it gets done! Can't wait to get this UFO out of the drawer.

We have so much fun at retreat. The meals are great there and the best part is that we don't have to cook them or clean them up! Yippee skippee!! See you in a few days! :-)

Online Quilt Festival!

Amy of http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/ has created and organized an online quilt blogger festival. Great idea, Amy!

So Amy's awesome idea is for quilters to share one of our favorite quilts, give the story behind it then link back to her blog. In this way, everyone can view quilts from all over the world from the comfort of their own homes and to read the stories behind them. I'm game!!

So, my favorite quilt... that's a hard thing to choose! I guess it would have to be my poppy quilt that is on my blog title banner.

I don't consider myself an art quilter by any means, but I did really love making that. It is not from a bought pattern per se. I saw an awesome poppy quilt online and I used that as my inspiration and drew the flowers and leaves free-hand on the paper side of fusible web and used only stash fabrics and scraps from other quilts to complete the project.

I had a blast thread painting on it. It is my dear husband's favorite, too. It hangs on the wall in our family room.

Make sure you click on the Bloggers Quilt Festival icon/link on my sidebar and go look at some other quilter's favorite quilts, too! Please DO leave me a comment and tell me your story of your favorite quilt!

No Text Tuesday- Two Hours Early!

Our one open tulip!

Kinda doesn't look like a tulip!

Our pink dogwood is blooming!

Ain't spring purty??

Garden of Weedin"!

Yikes! My back and knees are hurting big time! I spent a good part of the afternoon weeding the flower beds around the circumference of the house. Got it all done except for about 12 feet on the west side...had to stop when my back was screaming!! If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll finish it! Then comes the mulch! ACK! It never ends, does it? I broke down and bought a few pretty hanging baskets for the deck at Walmart... although I usually try not to buy any plants for outside until around Mother's Day to avoid killing them with late spring freezes. But I was really craving some color out there!!

And just guess who was snoozing the whole time I was weeding??? Yep! Yogi!! Man he sure has the life!! :-)

I sewed up the top of the pajamas and hated it! It was too big and did not fit right and I especially didn't like the neckline. So I tried altering it and it just got worse so it's in the garbage. I still have the bottoms, so will look for some more of the same fabric at Joann's. So then I made another of the tops I cut out and although it fits fine, it is not real flattering...UGH! Bad choices of pattern styles on my part. So, I've still got one more top cut out and will try to sew it up tomorrow night. Hopefully it won't be strike three!!

Hope you got lots done this weekend and got to relax some, too!

Mud Room Reorg!

I've not been doing any piecing or quilting or garment sewing this week...busy doing some reorganizing in the mud room now that the old utility sink has been removed and new shelf in it's place.

I had an old stuffed bear plastic bag holder on the wall in there...it was so dingy and dusty that I couldn't "bear"...pun intended... to put it back up in there after the sink was removed. So, I found some pretty bright floral fabric in my stash and made a new plastic bag holder

and a new lint bag, too.

I'm sooooo glad it's Friday and tomorrow it is to be warm and sunny! YAY!! I hope to get some garments sewn up this weekend! Also need to get some projects together and cut out to take to quilt retreat this coming weekend! I like to have everything cut out and ready to sew when I get to retreat. Our Centreville Quilter's Unlimited guild has their retreats now at the Hunting Ridge Retreat center in Winchester, VA.

It's about an hour drive from here... out in the mountains. We have around 22 gals come. It is sooo fun to be around all those talented women who love to sew just like you do! The meals are made and cleaned up for us and the sewing hall is always open so you can sew as late as you want and go in as early as you want... many will be sewing in their jammies until the wee hours... Speaking of PJ's... mine are getting old so have cut out some new ones using this Vogue pattern. I thought it looked neat! We'll see!

Well, off to start some sewing until hubby gets home! What are you doing this weekend? Something fun, I hope! :-)

No Text Tuesday- Old Family Photos

An old family photo... where am I?

Four sisters... where am I?

The fam in a glass bottom boat!

Here I am! The baby!

Happy Easter, Y'all!!

Such a family filled calm lazy day! My younger son, Anthony, 23, is home from Virginia Tech for the weekend. We got up early and went to 7:30am Mass. My older son, A.J., 26, and his girlfriend Susan, met us there and we all went out to breakfast at our local Silver Diner. It is sooooo nice to be surrounded by my boys! I don't have a very recent photo of them, but this one was taken on vacation 2 years ago in Vegas. That's my dear husband, Al!

So, came home after breakfast, Al walked Yogi, Ant went back to bed- you know those college kids never get enough sleep, and I started the laundry! For dessert today, now that Lent is over and we can eat some, I made a new coffee cake recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. Just took it out of the oven... smells great... gotta wait for it to cool before taking it out of the pan and drizzling a glaze over it. I will be surprised if it stays uncut by dinner!

What are you making for Easter dinner today? Do you have a traditional meal? Ham? I am making stuffed Cornish game hens! My fav! Yumm!! Don't have to start making the meal until around 4:30, so now I have time to head up to the sewing room and work on some more of those new spring tops! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

I pray you all have a wonderful Easter with family and friends!