On retreat!

I'm on my quilting retreat in Chesaning, MI. The retreat facility was originally built as a church. This photo is taken from the front door. (I took it first thing in the morning and some of us had just gotten out of bed.) You can see the large workroom with lots of tables. Beyond that is the full kitchen and dining area. Upstairs are the bedrooms. There are also a couple of bedrooms on the first floor.

We have a full house this week. My group includes seven and there is another group of six here too. We are all having a great time sewing, sewing and sewing. It is a lot of fun to see the variety of projects everyone is working on.

If you haven't had a chance to go on a quilting retreat with some friends, I highly recommend it! It is so relaxing to get away from the demands of everyday life and focus on doing something you love! Whenever one of us gets stuck, the others have ideas to help her out. I think each of us has been on the giving and the receiving ends this way. Sharing with friends is the best!

Spring is here!

The tulips and trees are all blooming here in Michigan - spring is really here! We have had lovely weather this March and April (very unusual). We could use some rain now to give all the new plants a good drink.

I have not been out in the garden at all. Making way for the addition removed a large chunk of my garden which has not been replaced yet. In addition, Mom and I are trying to clear out her condo to get it ready to sell, so I haven't had any time for gardening anyway. I must admit, though, that if I have a choice between gardening and quilting, I pick quilting just about every time. Do you garden instead of quilt in the good weather?

I love the springy colors of this quilt I call BirdSong. I made it last spring using my Urban Trail pattern. I believe the main fabric with the birds is from a Basic Grey line for Moda. Unfortunately, all I have left is scraps with no selvedges to give me more info! I must get better at keeping notes on the fabrics I use.

I hope the weather is lovely wherever you are and you have some time for quilting AND gardening!

Blueberry Lime Fizz

I have had so much fun with my Triangle Maze pattern! Blueberry Lime Fizz is the third version I've made. I can think of a lot more fabric and color combinations I'd like to try, but I am going to stop now and move on to something else!

My Handwork group's retreat is coming up in less than two weeks and I am SO looking forward to four days of sewing and fun with friends. Today I have been trying to get my projects organized so they are ready to go.

The only disadvantage to the retreat we go to is that the nearest quilt shop is at least 3o minutes away. I hate to lose sewing time because I am out of thread! On the other hand, it is not such a hardship to NEED a trip to the quilt shop.

Do you have a retreat or special quilt related trip coming up?

I've been working on:

• A messenger bag for my niece's birthday (I hope she likes it!)


• Bibs (see this post)


• Helping my Mom clear out her condo so she can put it on the market


• Rearranging my kitchen to store the things I bring back from her condo! (she has some good stuff)


• Taxes (still not done!)


• Fundraising and clothes shopping for my 17 year old daughter's trip to the National Mock Trial Tournament in early May


• A new quilt design (only in my mind so far)


• Trying to decide what to take to my Handwork group's retreat coming up in two weeks

That's about it for the past week!

Modern Quilting on Etsy

Back in early February, the Modern Quilt Guild blog asked "What does modern quilting mean to you?" I was among those who put their two cents in to answer.

Writer Linzee McCray has written a post for Etsy's blog about modern quilting and Modern Quilt Guilds. I am very flattered to have been included in the article.

Thanks, Linzee and thanks to everyone who keeps thinking about quilting - modern, traditional or any kind you like!