What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Hello Everyone,

I was so happy when Justin Hancock, the owner of Hancock's of Paducah asked if they could display A Ribbon Runs Through It in their shop during American Quilter's Society (AQS) show in Paducah this month.

My friend Christine and I attended the Spring Crafter's Retreat at Camp Kintail this past weekend.  Since last week was extremely busy, I did not have anything to blog about before I left on Friday, but now, I have lots to share! We drove through some snow squalls on the way to the camp on Friday but the roads were fine.  We managed to get some walking in while we were there, in between meals and sewing.  I always get lots done at a retreat--no meals to prepare, no dishes to do...just sew, sew and sew!

Our longarm group decided it was high time to get away from our worries and have some fun. We booked the same retreat house we’d been to before, Febuary Hill in Jonesborough, Tennessee. I did a post on this lovely place the last time we went, so you can see the gorgeous quilts and antiques – Febuary Hill. Each of us took a covid test before we came, only if our tests were negative were we allowed to be there. Luckily, all of us tested negative so we could relax. This time we arrived early on Friday, so we could ...

And so another day at the retreat is over. Sadly, the end of the week is coming, and I'm not even looking forward to going home! We are an amazing group, and they are great to hang around with. OH -- wait -- we had one incident where someone (not going to mention any names) closed the door to the sewing room, which is an add-on to the house. Now in these frigid temperatures, that room became like an icebox overnight, and it took a long time to warm up. So we got that problem resolved, and it won't happen ...

So the temperature has dropped, and it's a tad cool outside. Helen Anne and I bundled up and went for a walk, but we only went for one. It was chilly on the face walking in one direction, and on the way home, it was beautiful. If we could have walked in only ONE direction, we could have walked for hours. I know I didn't meet my daily goal of 11.5 KM, but I'm OK with that. I have cranked out a few extra KM over the past couple of days, so that took care of ...

ACK --- I feel like I'm missing out on something. The more I talk about the Bruce Trail, the more I hear stories of people who have hiked the trail or are currently hiking it. I need new friends -- ones that are hikers! And we need a support person to ferry us to and from sleeping accommodations each day! 

I may never walk the entire thing, but I will walk part of it. The trail goes close to where I live, so YES -- I have walked part of it already. But a short section. 

So this happened yesterday. I had ...

Have you ever looked at a task as a whole and just about fainted because of what you have taken on? Oh yes -- that can be the most daunting thing in the world. How will I ever walk the equivalent of the distance across Canada? How will I ever finish these UFOs? The whole thing looks too much, and we fall off the wagon. 

I want to show you what happens when you take one small step at a time. You MUST keep that end goal in the back of your mind, but you can't let it get you ...

 Here it is - -the morning of the 4th day of our retreat, and I'm making significant progress. I can't believe how quickly these days are passing. WOW!!!  We're settling comfortably into our "new" retreat house. It's close to us, and as we become more familiar with it, we're learning to like it as much as the old one. If you want to check it out -- it's called retreat at the Farm. Please note that our five days here are very unusual and were granted because of COVID and a few other minor details. Usually ...

 My friend, Christine, and I are off to another quilting retreat this weekend!  The weather looks good and won't interfere with our plans.  I have packed several projects to take with me including the Lupin Quilt (all of the blocks are made and the sashing and borders are cut out and ready to go):

 Yikes -- the days seem to be flying by. But that's OK. I'm making significant progress on my UFO, sleeping like a log, taking long walks, and trying to resist all the goodies.

I'm sleeping in the "quiet" room, and for some reason, that has a scary movie connotation to it. But it's not scary at all. There are two twin beds in there, and it's pretty large and cozy. I'm by myself, and I love it!

As for the walking, the weather was pretty nasty yesterday. Or let's say that it changed by ...

WOW!!!  Day One of the retreat is already gone, but so much happened, and well, I couldn't be happier. 

I will say that with technology, you can do anything. The internet is not the best at the house, so we're not using it. Instead, I'm using my phone as a hotspot  - who cares about data usage. I swear the speed is faster than if I were home. By the way -- I do have unlimited data on my phone. 

So I had to do a Zoom call last night, and the technology worked like a charm. And I ...

 Last weekend, I attended a quilting retreat, my first in two years.  Everyone in attendance was double vaccinated and our tables were spaced apart.  I brought along 4 projects plus some mending to work on over the three days of the retreat.  My husband gave me a nifty folding cart for my birthday in February 2020 and this was my first chance to use it since I got it.  With the cart, I was able to bring in all my sewing stuff in one trip as well as my overnight bag. 

 The Modern Snowflake quilt is growing!  I made 10 more blocks but only have a picture of the first 8--all sewn together.  The next four blocks are made, but not added to the quilt yet. Part of the snowflake is starting to appear!  The buffalo plaid is looking good too.  I'm hoping to finish this top in the next week or so--I have purchased some red flannel snowflake fabric for the backing.  I love a cozy quilt with a flannel back!

 I also managed to re-knit the hat I started last week and had to rip out due to ...

This is me with my sister, Gail.

No rain meant we could go for a walk around the lake after brunch.

I was amazed there were any leaves left on the trees after our rain and wind storm.

 Hello Everyone,

The clouds gave way to blue sky yesterday afternoon after a record breaking 11.39" of rain in 24 hours here in the mountains of Northern California.  The rain did not stop the quilters from their appointed rounds to get themselves to Snowflake Lodge for my Sew'n Wild Oaks quilt retreat.

The girls started in working right away, after they finished visiting with ...

I continue to work with my hand dyes... 

Idaho Quilt Retreat.....Day 2

From Oregon to Idaho

10 hour road trip...

We are staying at:

Twinlow Camp and Retreat Center

Rathdrum, Idaho

More to come...

 Hello Everyone,

 It was a dark Halloween night......in Paula's version of my October Magic pattern.  It is "Spook-tacular"!