I'm Still Here!!

YIKES!! 

 It's been over a week since I posted!!

Where does the time go?????

No, seriously!!  Where does it go?

Do we find out the answers to these

important questions when we die?

Like where does mulch go?

How can socks go missing

between the washer and the dryer?

And why does time just fly by???

I'm just sayin'... NO FAIR!!

I've had some busy days lately.

The first weekend of October was our

annual fall guild retreat.

We've been going to this same

retreat site for years

and at this fall retreat

we found out it was our

last time to be there.

So, we were all a bit sad

as we sewed and chatted.

I did make a Christmas quilt top,

a table runner top, and I

finished a shaggy quilt UFO.

I finished the tablerunner

this week after work.

It was a kit I bought a while back from

Nancy's Notions.

I really like the fabrics allot.

I think it will be great to use

in the summer, don't you?

Last weekend my husband and I

went to visit my son and his girlfriend

at VA Tech.  Her parents came, too,

 and we had a lovely weekend in Blacksburg.

Don't they make a cute couple?

Caliente...Hot, Hot, Hot!

I finished my poppy quilt that I saw in the
winter issue of Fabric Trends magazine
and fell in love with! 

I even bought the kit offered in the mag, too.

It is so bright and the colors so hot! 

Makes me think of summer,

so I named it "Caliente".

Blogger rotated this photo for some weird
 reason?! I quilted shading lines flowers for
added dimension. It is raw edge applique
 over a pieced background.

And the backing is a fun wild print, too!

Hard to see the little label, huh?

I've been spending the nights lately cutting out projects to take to my quilt retreat this weekend.  We leave tomorrow morning and will be back Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait!  I love the chatty sewing fun we have!!  The bunk beds leave a bit to be desired,
but that's why I bring some Tyleno PM!  :-)  I promise to take good photos and will post them here on Sunday night!!

I just got a call around dinner time from my sister that my mother (in her late 80's - that's her in the photo above holding ME!)  has developed a blood clot in her leg and is being treated in a hospital in Orlando.  They found it quickly and feel they have a good treatment plan in effect.  Please send out a little prayer for her to dissolve that clot and get home soon!  Thank you!  :-)

Retreat Bags

Our Centreville Quilters Unlimited guild fall retreat is this coming weekend. We go to a semi-rustic retreat center in Winchester and sew, sew, sew for the whole weekend!! We all take lots of projects and supplies, so I'm glad to have these two GINORMOUS cool retreat bags!! This first one I just finished last weekend. My friend Linda bought the fabric for this bag a while back... for my birthday, I think??? It's about time I got it made up, huh?

I love the vintage look of the panel and I adore the bright primary colors! And boy, is this bag BIG!! It will hold lots of projects and supplies to haul to retreat! Thanks, Linda! I love it!

This big bag is my rendition of a bag a fellow CQU retreater Jean has brought to every retreat since I've been coming. She made it in a class while learning how to quilt. So I looked at it carefully and measured it and recreated it my way!

I used those cute quilter panels that I'd bought a while back but never knew what to make with them. And I had some cute fabrics with sewing notions printed on them in bright colors that went well with the panels. Both sides are made with different panels.

I used bright variegated quilting thread to quilt it. The long wooden dowels give the bag some structure and I added the 2 shoulder straps to make it easier to carry in from the car.




So, now, each day this week after work, I've got to get my retreat projects all cut out and supplies collected and packed in these bags in readiness for the retreat! Can't wait!! :-)