Retreat Project

My focus in 2024 has been to make progress with quilts that I've had on my 'to do' list for years. I had planned to work on two of those quilts at the Jane Stickle retreat a couple of weeks ago but progress was made with only one quilt.

I spent the entire retreat piecing pineapple blocks using the foundation paper piecing method. Pineapple blocks take a  l o n g  time. I actually thought I could piece the 49 blocks I needed in 4 days! That did not happen. 😞  I didn't quite complete 20 blocks but they have been finished since I returned home.

I purchased the foundation papers from Gigi's Thimble. Gigi had a sew along in 2022 but I wasn't aware of it. I thought her quilt was beautiful when I stumbled across it. Of course it was in blues, how could I resist? Then I ordered the foundation papers.

I was surprised when the papers arrived. The pattern was printed on ordinary white paper, just like what I would run through my printer. Normally paper used for foundation paper piecing is a lighter weight paper, easier to tear for removal, less apt to make the edge seams come undone.

The paper will not be removed from the back of the blocks until all the blocks are pieced. I'll work on and off this spring/summer to sew the last 29 blocks.

Surprisingly there were several pineapple quilts under construction at the retreat. One retreater was using the large ruler. She was frustrated when she couldn't get the blocks squared right. That is why I was foundation paper piecing. Another retreater was using the small ruler, her block ended up in the trash, she was going to use paper for the rest of her blocks. There were several pineapples in progress using small paper pieced blocks, I think they were a Bonnie Hunter pattern. My blocks are larger, I want this quilt finished in my lifetime.

The second quilt I had planned to sew blocks for was Garden Party, a Bonnie Hunter quilt from her Addicted to Scraps book. That kit will live in the retreat bag until next November.

I did take an embroidery project along which was embroidered during Show & Tell. I'll show you when it's completed.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts

Retreat Projects That Didn't Happen

Several weeks ago, I had a post showing you fabrics from all the projects I was going to make at retreat. Only one of those projects happened, the first one, the salmon/peach fabrics, which turned into Orange Sherbet.

This post is about the projects that didn't happen at retreat. The first one was a cow crib quilt. I did prep all the fabrics pieces for this one. While prepping I decided this pattern needed close attention, especially since I was changing the cow colors. Close attention is not a good candidate for piecing at a retreat, at least not for me.

Those pieces are on a tray, ready to be pieced sometime this winter.

The second scratched project was Blackbirds by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts. I didn't even cut this one out. These blocks are not foundation paper pieced. There are a lot of pieces to keep straight, again needing close attention. 

The last project, using my beloved blues, was Double Delight, a former mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter. This one did get completely prepped and taken along to the retreat but not worked on. It will happen sometime this winter. 

The individual 9 patches are all pieced and ready to be sewn into the double 9 patch block. 

The other block is a rolling stone block. I sewed one of the blocks to make sure I liked the color combination I'm using. I love it! There will be other blue fabrics used also. This will be a good scrap buster.

I greatly over estimated how much I'd accomplish but I'm glad to have several projects ready to sew.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers  Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday

Fall's Finery aka Orange Sherbet

The main project I worked on at the Jane Stickle retreat was Fall's Finery which I've renamed Orange Sherbet. I don't think it looks like a fall quilt, to me it looks cool and icy, like sherbet!

Here is my pieced quilt!

I used to subscribe to quilt magazines, but don't anymore. I've have more than enough inspiration in the old magazines! I do treat myself to a magazine or two to peruse while traveling.

Last September I bought issue 172 (October) of American Patchwork & quilting magazine. There were several quilts in the issue that I would love to make but the one that I like the best was Fall's Finery, designed by Andy Knowlton.

After I returned home, I pulled the peach fabrics I had on hand. I already had a lovely gray fabric. I did buy a few more peach fabrics to have more variety.

I started piecing Orange Sherbet Thursday morning after I finished the 16 patch quilt. It took me all the rest of Thursday to  piece the 120 corners for the star blocks. It was incredibly boring, a good retreat sewing project. 

Since the corners were finally finished, the flying geese blocks were the next item. That is what I did most of the day Friday. The geese were made with the flippy corner method. After the first squares were sewn, I took the time to sew a second seam. The blocks were pressed and ironed to the outside. I cut in between the lines and stuck all those smaller HST's in a bag for a future project. Then it was time to sew the next square, again sewing a second seam for make a smaller HST. I have a total of 240 of those triangles to press open.

Of course Friday night was show & tell, no sewing during that.

Saturday I could finally start start putting the sections together. That really didn't take long to do. The blocks were arranged on a display wall then it was time to sew the rows together. I kept on going and by 11 PM Saturday night, I had the center pieced.

Early Sunday morning the outside borders were attached and the quilt given a good pressing.

This quilt was pieced in a little over 3 days and measures 74" by 86.5".

Linking to Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Peacock Party,  TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, Patchwork & Quilts, UFO Busting

Odds & Ends About Retreat

It had been two years since I attended a quilt retreat. I didn't remember how to organize everything in the car but I finally got everything in. 

Here is a view of the trunk. I always take my personal sewing chair. It eliminates any backaches.

And the backseat. 

Of course I didn't need everything but I didn't want to have to run home to pick up anything.

There is a resale table at the retreat and I did a bit of shopping.

The bundle of green and brown fabrics is so pretty! The autumn fabric has become curtains in an upstairs bedroom. I have a granddaughter who will love the purples and teals in the jelly roll. The pack of charms are such cute fabrics, perfect for a crib quilt and everyone needs more neutrals.

I had planned to display my Floral Triangles for show & tell at the April 2020 retreat. After two years, she finally made it to there. When I have a large quilt to show, I like to use it on my  motel bed, so much more prettier than a motel bedspread. And yes, I'm a one pillow girl. The rest are on a shelf in the closet.

I needed a new pair of slippers so I stopped at Yoder Department store on the way and bought these lovelies. They're nice and warm and will be used all the time in the winter. They were my way of celebrating being able to attend a retreat again!

Linking To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday

What Now?

I've been concentrating on finishing UFQ's this fall. So what am I doing now? I'm prepping! The Jane Stickle quilt retreat is later this month and I'm planning on starting several new projects.

I'm not going to tell you the name of the projects, just give you some hints. You can see later if you guessed right.

Yes, these fabric groupings are unusual for me but in case you think I've forgotten about my beloved blues, here is another picture.

None of these projects are huge like the queen or king sized quilts I sometimes piece at retreat.

I'm also taking cut off triangles to add blocks to my nameless quilt. This quilt will never be finished, as long as I keep piecing quilts, I'll keep on having cut off triangles!

Of course Hearts & Wreaths is coming along for handwork.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Stitch Sew & Show,  Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday

Retreat Project #6, Moda Love

Project 6 was the last project of the retreat. 

Years ago I won a charm pack called Trail's End by Holly Taylor for Moda. It has lain around here ever since! On someone's blog somewhere, I came across the Moda Love Quilt pattern which is actually the same pattern in three different sizes and uses precut squares. Finally, a pattern to use that charm pack.

I prepped squares and stuck it and the pattern into my retreat bag. That project has lived there for awhile, waiting it's turn to be sewn. At the April retreat I pieced the HST's, at this retreat the star was finally sewn.

I didn't use any of the light creams from the package, I cut my own fabric for background just to provide continuity.

I like the way the block looks except for those light pinkish/brown HST's. I had used all the dark browns from the pack and pulled these from the pack. I have never liked that shade of brown.

Oh well, this is destined to be a charity quilt. I know how I want to finish it, again just need to find the time. And again, another project to finish in 2020.

This is my last post about the retreat and I need to show you what I bought! I only shopped at the resale table and came across these 2 fat quarter bundles and the yardage. 

I'm very please with my purchases. I've been wanting to brighten my stash and these fabrics will make a great contribution to that.

Linking to Peacock Party, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Brag About Your Beauties, Finished Or Not Friday, UFO Busting

20th Anniversary Quilt Retreat!

I attended the Jane Stickle quilt retreat the weekend before Thanksgiving. This retreat was a celebration of 20 years of continuous retreats. The very first retreat was held in November 1998. I didn't start attending the retreats until November 2007 and haven't missed since.

We had two show & tells this retreat. On Thursday evening we had a special Dear Jane show & tell. Anything item that was made with Jane blocks  or special challenges from the last 20 years were eligible to be shown and there was a lot to show. Also . . . there were 9 new Dear Jane quilt finishes. 

Last summer, a large online group of retreat attendees started piecing Jane, completing two blocks a week. They will be piecing awhile but their quilts are in progress. The Dear Jane quilt is still alive and happening in our group.

Rosemary always does such a wonderful job of taking pictures at show & tell. I'm going to link to her blog and let you watch from the smile box she made. Rosemary's smilebox, November 2018 retreat. Have your coffee ready to sip while you watch, there are 400 pictures!

Of course I showed my Dear Jane which I hand quilted and finished in 2016. 

What else did I do at the retreat besides party?

I pieced a Boston Commons for me. She'll hang in the closet for awhile until I decide how I want her quilted.

The yellow fabric was left from my Nearly Insane quilt. It is nearly impossible to get a good picture, it always show lighter than it really is.  I took a close up of a corner and the yellow does look better, at least I thought it did, maybe it doesn't. Oh well.

I took one picture of the flimsy with the light on and the second one the overhead light is off and the blinds pulled shut. It didn't seem to help at all.

My Boston Commons is an old pattern, designed back in the 80's and this is the only pattern I've ever used for this design. I don't know if this method is used in other Boston Commons patterns or not.

First you piece the center and add the first border. 

Then you piece the corner sections then attach them which looks rather weird.

Finally you piece the top, bottom and side sections and attach them. After that it's the outside border and it's a flimsy ready to be quilted.

The pattern suggests you use the same fabric as the inside border for the outside. I don't really like light borders for bed quilts that are going to be used. I love deep dark blue so that is what I used. 

My quilt is king sized 98" by 120" and is the first flimsy to be crossed off this list for this winter's quilting season.

I also worked on Starlight Express. The center section is pieced. Currently I'm piecing 9-patch blocks to make a border around the center. Hopefully this will be a completed flimsy next week.

Linking to Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle & Thread Thursday, Finished Or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Show Off Saturday

Jane Stickle Quilt Retreat

Normally when I attend the Jane Stickle Retreat in Shipshewana, Ind., I work on several small projects. This spring I decided to change it up and worked mainly on a king sized Boston Commons quilt. I had sewn and cut the individual strips ahead of time so my time at the retreat was spent sewing the strips together and adding the borders.

The retreat started Wednesday afternoon. By noon Thursday I had the center pieced.

By evening I had added the cream center border, pieced and attached the corners and the pieced top section. (Sorry, no pictures of this progress)

I'm an early riser so by 6 am Friday I was sewing the strips together for the sides. When you are piecing a Boston Commons, the strips are sewn together diagonally so it is very important to make sure you are sewing the correct diagonal angle. By 10 am, I had those side strips pieced. I laid them down on the sides and I had sewn them incorrectly, my angle went the opposite direction. 

I spent the rest of the morning, afternoon and early evening taking the rows apart. During the show & tell Friday evening, I was pulling all those little threads out of the seam rows. After show & tell I pressed them and then started sewing the strips together correctly. I went to bed around 11pm. Saturday morning I was up and sewing them onto the main body by 5:30 am. (I never stay up late at night at home. My husband wonders why I'm so exhausted when I return home.)

After the main body was finished, I got the outside borders attached and the edge was zigzagged. I was finished by noon. The quilt flimsy measures 102" by 120". This unquilted top is one of my donations to the school auction my Pennsylvania grands attend. Someone there will hand quilt her before the 2019 auction. It's going to take awhile to quilt that giant quilt.

Boston Commons was the 4th flimsy to be crossed off my list of 10 unfinished quilts to progress to the flimsy stage this year.

I had taken another project along to work on and would have sewed on it if I hadn't had to spend Friday unsewing. I finished embroidering a block I wanted to finish before I started appliqueing the Star Dance border. 

I also made the bias vine for Star Dance. The appliqueing has started and I will show you the progress on Sunday's Slow Stitching post.

I'm adding links to other retreat attendees who have blogs. Rosemary will have several posts including a smilebox of show and tell.

Judy Hansen - Small Quilts and Doll Quilts; Rosemary Youngs - Reproducing an Antique Quilt; Rosemary Youngs - Smile Box from Jane Stickle Retreat. 

Linking to Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Let's Bee Social, Whatever Wednesday, Sew, Stitch, Snap SHOW, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished Or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Finish It Up Friday, Show Off Saturday

Quilting Nearly Insane, Week 3

This post has been written ahead of time on Tuesday evening. Tomorrow morning I'm headed to the Jane Stickle Retreat held at the Farmstead Inn located in Shipshewana, Indiana.

I really pushed the hand quilting on Nearly Insane this week and finished this row of 5 squares and 2 triangles. I'm trying to get as much quilting done now while it is still winter. Sometime spring is actually going to show up. I'll have flowerbeds to work in and grass to mow. 

Someone commented last week and asked me how large the square blocks are. They're 6" finished and the sashing is 1".

As in last week's row, the blocks are all stitched in the ditch or as much as I can in the ditch.

Left side borders and half triangle block. 

In remember piecing this block. The wonky zig-zags were very challenging to piece. They had strange angles.

And no, the tiny little HST's are not individually quilted.

Right side triangle and borders.

I'm using YLI thread for my hand quilting. This thread stitches so nicely without all the tangles I got from the that nasty spool of King Tut thread that was used on Spring Fever.

This is the bottom of the spool. The spools come in two sizes, 400 yards or 1000 yards.

I'm home from the retreat. I wanted to finish the embroidery on this block before I start the applique on Star Dance so I took it along to the retreat. 

My friend Elaine showed me how to make bias using a bias maker. It worked wonderful and the bias vine is made for Star Dance. I'll start the applique this week.

I'll show the rest of my retreat work later this week.

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Quilting is More Fun than Housework, Show & Tell Monday With Bambi, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt, BOM's Away, Esther's Wednesday WOW!

A Retreat Project

The farmer and I have been doing alternate traveling. We're finally both at home for awhile.

I returned Sunday from the Jane Stickle Quilt Retreat held at the Farmstead Inn in Shipshewana, Indiana. Normally when I post about the retreat, I show you everything I've worked on. I'm not that organized this year. The suitcases are put away but the projects are not unpacked yet.

I can show you this large churn dash crib quilt I pieced. The fabrics have traveled to several retreats but were never sewn. It measures approximately 48" x 54". I didn't have a pattern, just figured it out on my own. Easy, Peasy!

At the January 2018 guild meeting, I'm demonstrating spiral quilting. This is such an easy technique, hey if I can do it, so can others. Anyway, I decided I needed to get a crib quilt pieced and ready to go. Now I just need to get the layers together and I'll be ready to quilt!

Here it is displayed on the buggy next to a Christmas tree.

I'm attaching a link to Rosemary's blog. She always makes a lovely smile box of Show & Tell at the retreat. Enjoy the show!

Linking to - Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts, Jo's Junction, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished Or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, TGIFF!, Let's Make Baby Quilts, Finish It Up Friday

Retreat Review - April 2017

I recently spent 5 days at the Jane Stickle Retreat held in Shipshewana, Indiana. As always, I had a wonderful time. Some people say "What happens at retreat, stays at retreat", but I haven't done anything I need to keep secret. I'm going to share my retreat time with you on a day by day diary basis. Be prepared for a lot of pictures.

Wednesday - The retreat officially starts at 3 pm when we are allowed into the conference room. See my sewing space for the next several days. See how nice and organized it is? Hmmm, maybe it isn't so organized.

I received my tulip quilt from Lori Null who long arm quilted her. For a great photo, I draped the quilt on the buggy in display on the west lobby.

Lori did a wonderful job with the quilting. I did select this feathered pattern for the large spaced area.

I wanted something similar for the border and she pulled this design, excellent choice.

She came up with her own design in the tulip blocks and in the chain squares.

She did a wonderful job and I am very please with her talent and skill on my quilt. 

Would you like to see the back? I had purchased the floral fabric several years ago for a different quilt and never used it. It wasn't wide enough so I added this section of white fossil fern fabric which shows the quilting quite nicely.

Another view. She used red thread to quilt the tulips. You can see the thread on the white fabric but not in the busy flower fabric.

I spent the rest of my day attaching the binding by machine then turning and finishing by hand.

I know the new have to have tool are the little Clover clips. I think they look like they could easily be knocked off. I use these hair clips and have for years. They cost a lot less too, at least in the area I live in.

I also sewed a sleeve on the back. When I went to hang the quilt Sunday afternoon, the sleeve wasn't wide enough. I removed the hand stitching Sunday evening, sewed a strip onto it and will hand stitch the sleeve this evening.

 Thursday - Starting around 5:30 am, I spent most of the day Thursday sewing the square blocks I need to surround the Wilfred & Cloves Medallion center. This is a pattern from Carolyn Konig's book Creating Heirlooms, One Stitch at a Time. These blocks are stacked several inches high.

Of course I'm making it larger than the quilt in the book, so I've made double the number of blocks. Sometime this summer I will lay them out and then move blocks around; sometime, not this week though.

Also on Thursday, Nancy Mast Troyer, an employee of Yoder Dept Store, came and gave us a demonstration on applying misty-fuse to fabric. 

She also demonstrated using specialty rulers.

She used the misty fuse and rulers in making the Kaffe Clam Shell Quilt from the book Hearts and More by Sue Pelland Designs. 

Nancy did not make her quilt with Kaffe fabrics, she used her stash of 30's fabrics.

I and several other friends intend to make this quilt. My friends spent most their time at the retreat prepping for their quilts. I didn't. I do prepping in the peace and quiet of my home. I don't know what fabrics I'll use. I'm hoping to make a practice clam shell crib quilt sometime this summer using the rulers and see if I like this technique before I jump into a large size quilt. If I don't like them, the rulers and book will be for sale at the resale table at the November retreat.

Friday - I spent Friday working on 3 charity crib quilts. I always stick some projects into my kit bag just in case I need something extra to work on. I had prepped these crib quilts last November and took them to the fall retreat as just in case projects but I had enough to keep me busy. I decided to sew them this spring.

The pattern is titled Go Baby! and is found in the January/February 2013 issue of Quiltmaker magazine.

That year Quiltmaker was taking a block from a quilt in each issue and enlarging the block to be used as a Big Block Baby Quilt. I thought this was an easy looking pattern and it is. 

I'm an early riser, so I was sewing along, making good progress when the lights flickered then the electric went off. I turned off my machine, then the lights flickered again and the electric came back on. 

I decided to go for breakfast. I didn't like this on and off bit. As I was eating, the lights flashed on and off several times. This was strange; this has never happened before at retreat. 

After eating, I went back to the sewing room and was considering trying to sew again when the power again went off. This time it stayed off. Then an announcement was made. There had been an accident on State Road 20 west of State Road 5, a vehicle had crashed into a transformer pole. NIPSCO had to replace the pole, hook up downed lines and repair the transformer. All of Shipshewana and the surrounding area was without power.

I had planned on driving to Caroline's later in the afternoon but quickly changed my mind and went in the morning. They were not in the outage area. {I forgot to take my camera along but here is link to Rosemary's blog where she makes a visit to Caroline's.} I purchased a some fat quarters for future projects and a few for my Nearly Insane quilt.

When I returned to the Farmstead Inn, the power was still off. I had taken along some embroidery, you know, just in case, so I sat, embroidered and visited with friends. I didn't get many stitches stitched when the power came back on. By then it was noon and I resumed sewing on the crib quilts.

At retreat, we often have an Amish meal or some other kind of activity at the Carriage House. This is a business run by Elaine Jones and her family. They are Amish and I enjoy visiting her place. She invited the retreat participants to an appreciation open house on Friday afternoon. Refreshments were her wonderful, delicious cinnamon rolls and coffee. 

One of the activity she provides is an old fashioned quilting. People can come and hand quilt at the old style sticks and stands frame. Everyone who quilts is allowed to put their name and phone number in a box for a drawing that is held at the end of the season. The prizes are one of the quilts that were quilted by the varying groups through the summer and fall.

She had several of the quilts to be quilted on display at the open house.

This quilt is in the frame and was standing on the sticks again the wall right now. There is a light colored border on the edge.

She said there was also a 4th quilt which was not yet pieced.

All of her quilts are made with solid fabrics, no prints.

She also has wall hanging for sale made by Amish women from her community. I asked permission before taking these photos.

Soon after I took this picture, the blue bargello was purchased and now resides in California.

I tried to get the pictures to be several across the page, but blogger and I are not agreeing how to do that. They will trail down the center of the page.

I loved this one, maybe I'll try it someday.

This one is my favorite. It looks a little dark here but the colors just glow.

These two were hanging on the west wall and the sun was shining in very bright which makes the colors look off. 

This is a full sized quilt. A lot of the quilts use light gray instead of white.

The fabrics in this quilt are blues, not gray.

There were more wall quilts but they were in a different room. There was a group in there who eating and I didn't want to interrupt their meal.

Show & Tell is held Friday evening. I didn't take any pictures, Rosemary always does and here is a link to her smilebox pictures.

After show & tell, I finished the 3rd crib quilt which I forgot to take a picture of.

Saturday -  Every month Amber of Gigi's Thimble and Amanda of Jedi Craft Girl have a Five Fat Quarter Fun project. Before I left home, I packed the January pattern, Cabin Fever, a bundle of fat quarters along with white background fabric I had on hand.

Because I hadn't done any prepping ahead of time, I cut my pieces early Friday morning. (I like early morning cutting, there are very few people in the sewing room up that early!)

I sewed during the day and had this top completed by 1:30 pm. This was a very good pattern, good directions and simple to make. I highly recommend it. However, there is 1 correction to the pattern. The directions say to mark all the 2 1/2" blocks with a diagonal line. You only need to mark 96 of the blocks with diagonal lines.

After I finished sewing this project, I cleaned and packed up my space. There were thunderstorms and heavy rains headed our way. I wanted to get my sewing things loaded into the car before the rain started.

Sunday - I had completed all the sewing projects I had brought so I pulled out the knitting needles and finished this dishcloth I had started at home.

I like using up leftover variegated yarn with a coordinating solid yarn.

I visited with my friends and finished it shortly before it was time for me to head home around 2 pm.

I hope you enjoyed my review of the retreat. I had a wonderful time and have many great memories. I really appreciate the great pictures Rosemary Youngs takes so I can link up to her blog and you can view what I miss.

Linking to - Show & Tell With Bambi, Fiber Tuesday, Esther's Wednesday WOW!,  Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished Or Not Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict