What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I'm here at the retreat! We're back at Retreat at the Farm in Shelbourne. I arrived at 7 PM, and it's good to be back even if I have to work most of the week. Hey -- I have presentations to prep and samples to sew, but I can have more fun doing that while visiting with friends than being at home. 

I brought most things I need, and whatever I'm missing, then we'll make it up! There is one thing that I have a big issue with my phone charger. I have two, but again ...

Well, I'm back home, and it feels great. We have Monday sewing as a distraction today, and then it will be heads-down while I get some work done, and there's a lot to do. 

But let's look at what happened yesterday. OH -- we had a lot of snow overnight, and it was still snowing into the morning. Which wasn't a bad thing. I acquired my steps by shoveling the front step TWICE, shoveling around some of the cars, and a path to the cars! How nice I am! The laneway was a bit deep, but I ...

It's that bittersweet day of any retreat -- it's time to go home! And we have a snowstorm today! Yippee!!! It's happened before, and I'm going to wait until about 1 PM to head out. The plows will have been out by then, and the heaviest snowfall is forecast to be over. I got snow tires, and we are Canadians, and it's not the first winter we've driven home in the snow. 

I had two Zoom sessions yesterday morning, which cut into the sewing time a wee bit, but that's OK. It's nice ...

 A week is a long time to be at a retreat, but it is heaven. I'm not thinking about the girls. They are in good hands. I miss them, but sometimes, it's great to get a break from their antics -- just like your kids! We go home tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll get the cold shoulder from the Princess and five minutes of love from Murphy, and then she'll be off to get into trouble! Dogs don't appreciate the passage of time; all is forgiven as soon as you are back! 

We have been ...

You guessed it -- EVERYTHING takes longer than you think it will. Did I finish those improv blocks with the leftovers from Farmer's Wife? Nope --- and I went to bed with the problem of figuring out how many blocks I would need, how many I have, and whether I have enough fabric to complete the blocks? 

Thanks to a discussion with Katheleen, I will keep these blocks myself. I have a plan and hope I have enough craps to finish it. 

Here are the finished blocks. They look fantastic, and I'm very excited about them. 

My improv blocks

I ...

I have yet to go outside, but could we be snowed in? We had a lot of snow yesterday, but the retreat house is also on a hill, and the snow was blowing, so hopefully, it blew away from the yard and not into it! 

We'll be out for our walk once it gets light, and then we'll see. This region is on the ball for road maintenance, so that won't be a problem, but we have to get from the house to the road. And if we don't get out for our walk until later ...

 Here we are on Day Three of the retreat. How fun to run away from home for a week and get to sew with friends all day. And if you don't want to sew -- that's OK. I only brought a few projects, but I brought some doozies! Lots of improv stuff, which is fun to do, and I don't really stick with them at home. 

We took a wee break in the afternoon and went to Creekbank Sewing. While they sell a competitor's sewing machines, I really like the store. It's currently situated on a ...

I'm so glad to see people ARE using those special dishes! And eating in the dining room! That won't happen at our house, but that brings back memories. Remember those houses that had the "front room," and the furniture was wrapped in plastic. Oh my --- someone was afraid of a little stain or two. Thankfully, our mindsets have changed, and crack out that good china!!!!! 

So we're happily ensconced at Retreat at the Farm in Shelburne. What a nice, cozy house. I can hear the wind whipping outside this morning, and I'm toasty warm in the ...

 OK --- so how many of you are saving the "good" stuff for a special day? Don't use the good china - that's for a special day? Or the linens, the new shirt, or whatever item you save for a special day?

I hear so many stories of people going into their parent's home to clean it out and finding so many items that are brand new and were being saved for a special day. A friend gave some nice embroidered kitchen towels to some friends, and they all said they were too nice to be used daily. So ...

I took a circuitous way home from the Retreat. I had something to drop off, and I wanted to visit the art show where my friend, Helen Anne, had a couple of pieces hanging. Thank goodness for the GPS, or I wouldn't have made it! All those country back roads, some of which were pretty basic with gravel and barely a road as far as I was concerned, but it was the back way to get to The Hobby Horse. There were many trees down in that area, and that road was definitely closed after this storm. Fortunately, everything ...

I will say that this retreat is a first. A first in what you say? While I did throw stuff in a bag without much thought, I didn't pack much. And after this morning, I'll be able to say that I worked on EVERY project that I brought! Now how did that happen? 

Saying that I worked on every project is a bit of a lie. There were two I brought that I couldn't work on anyway because I needed special presser feet. However, I went through the projects and highlighted what I needed. When I'm ...

What can I say besides the fact that we are so relaxed here that -- if we don't get any sewing done - who cares? We didn't spend quite so much time at the dinner table, but we had other things we needed to get done! 

We are all sleeping like babies here. Since some babies don't sleep well, is that a good expression to use? But it's so darn peaceful here; I could stay here forever. In my case, it's likely peaceful because Lexi and Murphy are not here! But then I miss their furry antics ...

I love that we all have the same interests! Recommending books to each other is so much fun, and I have to say that you have introduced me to some new authors, and I've returned the favor! It's been a  bit of an eye-opener, to say the least. I would be stuck with the same author's over and over again! 

And thanks to everyone for your comments -- I need to get some time to acknowledge them because I read them all and love the feedback! 

Speaking of antiques - I saw Judy has donated the last box of ...

The best part of going away is coming home! My plan was to be packed up and on the road by 2:00 PM. I was the last one to leave, and it was 1:45 -- perfect. 

OH -- before I forget, I checked the app on my phone, and my Sonos speaker works with my Alexa app. I know -- it belongs to that online conglomerate. More on that another day, but it works! I just need to connect it. So many little things, and it's hard to keep on top of it all. 

It took me forever to get ...

I'm so excited this morning; I'm practically bursting at the seams! Why? Well, there is good in this world! 

I almost hate to tell you this because it means that I have to be on the ball to ensure I can get a booking! What does that mean? We are staying at Retreat at the Farm, a retreat house near Shelbourne, Ontario. I think this is my fourth time or maybe my fifth. I write the numbers in the guest book, so I can remember. All the retreats seem to blend into each other! 

If you haven't ...

I'm so excited, as I made excellent progress yesterday on my projects, and it makes up for the lack of real progress on projects over the last couple of days. 

It seemed to take forever to get the first one done, and I thought I was doomed for the day. But at last, I got my scrappy green quilt done. Well, this is step one of the project. It's not super big -- about 21 inches. I made 49 blocks that are 3" finished. It was totally from the scrap box, and it took a long time to complete ...

We've all been waiting for this moment -- getting back to in-person events. Well, we must be careful what we wish for! 

In-person events require getting in the car and traveling! It's a challenge to go from ZERO traveling by car to spending THREE hours commuting -- that's 1 1/2 hours each way, and I have one more day to do that. It's not that it's a big deal, but I paid almost $80 to fill the car the other day -- I wouldn't have had to do that if I were doing an in-person event ...

 Well, this is undoubtedly a different retreat. As much as I missed the group sewing yesterday, it was certainly worth it for me to go to the training. 

What's the training all about? Well, it is the brand new PFAFF creative icon 2. Yes --- there is a new top-of-the-line PFAFF on the market. It's an embroidery and sewing machine, and it's impressive. they've added artificial intelligence, projection abilities for sewing and embroidery, and you can set up specific tasks via Alexa! (Yes -- I know Alexa is tied to that dreaded online company!) New stitches and so ...

 There's nothing like going to a retreat and spending quality time with friends! And yep -- I'm at my second retreat for the year. And it's definitely NOT my last. We're staying for an ENTIRE week, which is a luxury, but I've found that staying in a small group at a house, rather than a large group in a hotel, is much more cost-effective. The total per person for the week is often less than at a hotel for a couple of days. 

Lunch is a very casual affair with sandwiches that we each make. One ...

 I MUST remember that what happens at the retreat stays at the retreat; however, last night, the conversation of our current pandemic arose as we all sat in the living room, and these conversations drive me crazy. 

All I can say is that common sense does not prevail even in our group! Why? Well, the future of our world is going to be riddled with epidemics, pandemics, and such. Even the common cold and flu can be a hazard to many people's health. 

My suggestion is to get more rest, drink lots of water, don't use antiseptic wipes ...