What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Not that I get around much, but there is one thing when you go to someone's house, or in this case, a retreat house, that always throws me for a loop. One thing every time, and it's in the kitchen. Can anyone guess? Almost everyone has one, and while they all look similar from the outside, they are NOT!!!! I'm talking about the microwave. The difference is the wattage? Power? I'm not sure what you would call it, but oh my --- they are totally different. 

I know from cooking oatmeal in many microwaves. Yesterday I struggled ...

OH - I love the fact that puzzles helped calm someone down. I can see that. I find it extremely relaxing to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. I am going to try to always have one on the go since I have learned how to tackle my addiction to them. 

MOVE OVER MOM!!!! 

Hello everyone, this is Murphy and Lexi, and we have something to say. 

It's the girls -- Murphy and Lexi!!!

We love our Mom, and she is very good to us, although we do NOT get nearly as many treats as we need. We are starving ...

Yes, I am picking strawberries! You might think that's a stretch since the ground is snow covered and that wouldn't be physically possible; but, yes it is, I am picking strawberries in the sewing room!  First, I am readying this years-old project for retreat weekend. The pattern was one from Westwood Acres.  I have dusted off the bin on the shelf with all the necessary fabrics and,

Yes, I am picking strawberries! You might think that's a stretch since the ground is snow covered and that wouldn't be physically possible; but, yes it is, I am picking strawberries in the sewing room!  First, I am readying this years-old project for retreat weekend. The pattern was one from Westwood Acres.  I have dusted off the bin on the shelf with all the necessary fabrics and,

Let the good times roll, if only for about 48 hours!

 Ha ha, love the word 'delulu' which was added to one of the dictionaries this year.

 Hello Everyone,

 Hello Everyone,

Where do I even begin to describe the talent that filled our retreat? Melinda left us speechless with her completed Lucy Boston quilt, an absolute masterpiece that stopped us in our tracks.

 Hello Everyone,

Yesterday was a joy from start to finish—full of conversation, laughter, learning, good food, and yes, a bit of quilting too! Simply walking through the room was a visual delight, with each table showcasing the incredible creativity of this talented group of women.  Let's begin with Angie's jaw-dropping block.

 Hello Everyone,

The November 2025 Sew’n Wild Oaks Retreat kicked off yesterday at Snowflake Lodge in Arnold, California. Pictured here is Barbara Black of The Quilt Show, proudly standing beside her completed Laurel Ridge quilt.

 Retreat is half about socializing and half about productivity.  I was plugging away and got the braid border finished for a Round Robin.

We looked at this for a while:

Then, we decided that since my laptop was charged up I could show them my pics from Birmingham Quilt Festival.  EXCEPT ...

 I have temporarily exchanged my horizon, from this:

Rug Hooking Retreat at the Heritage Inn

 When I was in college, I belonged to the Newman Center group on campus.  The priest who was the moderator would take us on a spiritual retreat to a monastery outside of Elmira, NY.  My time there made a big impression on me. I loved the fact that we were getting away from campus.  I would catch up on homework, get up early (5 am!) to hear morning vespers, take long walks on the farm and explore the monastery.  It would center me.

That's why when I heard that Sauder Village offered ...

The calm before the storm

After going through the Covid plague of 2020, I made myself one promise...I would make sure I wasn't blowing off chances to socialize just because it seemed like "too much bother".  What that awful time made me realize was not to take socializing with my community for granted.  To that end, I took a leap of faith and went to my first Hook-in.

 Today is the last day of retreat. We got breakfast in the hotel. It was pretty good. They really had a spread for everyone. DON'T MISS DAY 1 BELOW!

Sandy V left about the same time we did. We headed to get coffee at Starbuck's and didn't realize we were 15 minutes late for the classes. When we arrived, they told us not to worry, they were going to start Q&A before we get started. They were running behind as well. 

Of course, I pulled out Blitz to work on. I had to take out the ...

 I'm a day behind, so I'm going to post twice with both days covered. 

Yesterday - 

Patrick dropped me off at Sandy's house at 6:30 am. We needed to be in Auburn, WA by 8 am - so we thought. It was actually 9 am. We ended up being early, so we sent a text asking if we were in the right place. They were on the way. The facility was awesome, but they had a manikin (sp) that looked real. It was a little spooky. So, we set up in our chairs to get to work. 

We ...

Just waiting for the email wth the photos to come through! It's been a super productive retreat so far, and we still have a few days to go. Can I finish the remaining quilt tops for the dog quilts? They will have to wait unit October to be quilted, but that's OK. 

OK -- the pictures came through, but some of them need a bit of editing; however, that doesn't seem to want to happen this morning. No big deal -- some are sideways -- we'll just have to let it go. 

This first picture is a bit weird ...