Thursday, March 3, 2011

Slip Slidin' Away

WARNING: Lots of pictures!!

*sigh* I wish it were last Thursday. Because then I would be on my way to the mountains for a long weekend of quilting and spending time with my best friends.



It is not at all unusual for there to be snow during Quilting in the Pines. Last year, I called my post "sewing in a snow globe." It was pretty much like that again this year. With one big difference. It turned treacherous to get back and forth from our cabins to the sewing room. We had snow, then it warmed up and turned slushy, then it got really cold and froze. So underneath all that pretty white snow was a layer of deadly slick ice. For the first time, we used the services of the resort SUV and driver to get us back and forth because it was just too dangerous to walk, even with snow boots. One poor lady slipped and broke her wrist in two places!

This was the view from our sewing table:
This is only about one third of the total sewing room:

And our little section:

Jennifer always makes the cutest placecards for our group. Deborah didn't like the picture Jennifer used so we tried to take sneaky pictures of her all weekend. Next year she will not be allowed to cover up her picture!
This year I didn't take many of pictures of other quilts, but this one definitely caught my eye. Super cute and lots of fun embellishment.

Here are some of the "challenge" quilts on the walls. I was standing there looking at the other quilts and someone said, "Oh, look. Someone used the fabric labels." Um, did you mean "selvages?"


Every year, we friends keep our challenge quilts totally secret from each other. When they are on the wall, we try to figure out which quilt each of us made. This year, other than mine, because my friends obviously know about my total obsession with selvages, none of us could figure out who made what. Everyone did something completely different than her normal "style." It was fun.

This was Dotty's:
And Jennifer's (she was in a three-way tie for third place. Way to go, Jennifer!). It had so many cute buttons, and I know she loves buttons. But it was machine quilted (by someone else), and Jennifer always does her own quilting on the challenge quilts. Very sneaky, Jennifer...

Jennifer spent most of the weekend working on her "gaggle of geese" because it was just so time-consuming, but also very cute and cheery.
Dotty seemed to work on a lot of different projects and accomplished a lot of different things. She even made two quilts from my Charm Parade pattern. The fabrics reminded us of Easter eggs.

Last year I was working on a quilt-along by Randi of Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. There is a basket in the sewing room where you can throw scraps you think someone else might be able to use. Well, someone did use some of my scraps and made this cute pincushion last year. This year she was sitting at the table next to us so I snapped a picture.  (Note to self: please finish the quilt because the fabrics are awesome and the pattern is great...and it's been a year.)


Are you wondering what I worked on?

While I had great intentions of working on Single Girl, the first two days I worked on Popbeads:


I'm so glad I chose Flea Market Fancy. Interestingly, not a single person blinked an eyelash when they saw that I was using FMF (FMF, people!!!!), on which I spent a virtual fortune slightly more per yard than the going rate.

I'm making two separate Birdie Stitches quilts (Central Park and Hoopla) and my thinking process was that if I had all the blocks made ahead of time, it would be easier to get the embroidery done. All the quilt blocks are finished and ready to embroider!

Sometimes odd things happen when you have been sewing for so many hours and it is 10 p.m. on a Saturday night. Dotty ended up sewing the right side and wrong side together on this block. Oops.... (Why is that non-bloggers think we bloggers take some "odd" pictures? Yeah, I don't know the answer to that one either...)

While we were having snow in the mountains, this is the kind of "snow" we have down here in Fresno. The orchards are in glorious, sweet-smelling bloom. (I asked Mark if this was a "drive-by shoot" and he assured me that he stopped the car this time.)
Sewing and friends: the perfect combination.

13 comments:

05 08
Carla said... #

What a wonderful and fun weekend you had! I love what you are working on. So glad that you weren't the one with the broken wrist!!

Little Spouse in the Old House said... #

So much beauty and creativity! Janice

Grandma G said... #

Such amazing quilts!

(I am jealous of Fresno "snow"!)

Kris said... #

Looked wonderful. Where was the retreat held?

Anne at Film and Thread said... #

So much fun! Did your spools quilt win anything? It is my favorite of the ones you showed pictures of.

Jessica said... #

Wow, what an amazing room! I bet everyone got a ton done! And now I will be signing Paul Simon all night ;)

Marit said... #

What a great way to spend your weekend!
It was fun to see a lot of the challenge quilts. I like yours the best...
Your new quilt using the FMF looks very pretty, enjoy working with those precious pieces!
; )

Terriaw said... #

That "orchard" snow is stunning! I love those kinds of trees. We have several blossoming trees in our yard, which look like giant bouquets in May.

Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, in spite of the weather and getting back and forth. Even with all the socializing, it's cool to see all the inspiration and productivity too.

Jennifer said... #

That looks like so much fun! You got so much accomplished. I SO need to go on a retreat sometime...

Jennifer :)

PS: the fabric labels comment made me smile...

. said... #

the retreat looks like great fun! I LOVE that pincushion any idea if theres a pattern for it? Thanks for all the pics of your fun weekend.

allisa jacobs said... #

Lovely photos! What a fun weekend :) Looks like you got a lot accomplished- hooray! xo

Poppyprint said... #

I LOVE your pop beads quilt!!! It's not just because of the FMF, but man, that's gonna be gorgeous!

Amanda Jean said... #

wow, cindy, it looks like a whole lot of fun! i LOVE how your pop beads quilt is coming along. it's just wonderful!