retreat recap

1. flock block progress, 2. checkerboard, 3. it's a sham, 4. red color study

Trying to write a recap of the retreat last weekend is difficult. It really was oh-so-wonderful, just like everyone says it was.

I got a LOT of sewing done. I only had one project that I took that was left untouched. That surprised me. Of course if I would have slept a little more, things would have been different. I was too excited to sleep! It borders on pathetic, I realize, but it's true. :)

The group of women I was with was incredible. Quilters are wonderful people. Bloggers are wonderful people, too. Quilt bloggers, well, they are the cream of the crop.

I had met Victoria last year, so I already knew how lovely she was. It was fascinating to watch her work. I may or may not have fondled her bin of scrap fabrics more than is socially acceptable. She has a fun (albeit messy) approach to quilting. Her stars are beautiful! She brought her kitchen sink quilt for show and tell. What an impressive work of art. V also brought her Accuquilt Go! cutter so we could try it out. Talk about a slick machine! I'm not normally a gadget girl, but I think I may need one of these!

Heather sewed with us for a few hours on Friday. What a humble and genuine woman. There were bolts of fabric that she designed sitting on the shelves at Gruber's, yet she was still hanging out with us normal folks, sewing quite unassumingly. She is also very generous. She donated a box of scraps to share...and my are they lovely! Thank you, Heather!

Mary is sweet and kind and I secretly hope she adopts me as her 3rd child. Her authentic quilt is stunning! As is her Hope Valley quilt. Her and I had a chance to talk while everyone else went to the MN quilt show, which was lovely and comfortable, despite the fact that we had just met. She's the best quilt model I've ever seen, what a ham! Thanks to Mary, I'm now working on my applique project with the highly acclaimed straw needles. It's amazing how having the right tools helps so much!

Shelly P. has a great sense of humor and she is one persistent quilter! She makes beautiful large quilts with teeny tiny pieces. Then she will say, "it's only a rail fence quilt." No only about it when the pieces finish at 1" wide. Her quilts are very impressive! We got to meet "her cowboy"...they are an adorable couple. I appreciate Shelly because she gets why I don't want my face plastered all over the internet without any explanation whatsoever. Thank you, Shelly! ;)

Shelly S...well she's a HOOT! You gotta love Shelly because you never have to wonder what she's thinking! She may be slow to pick up on teasing, but she's lovely all the same. Just don't smack talk against her beloved batiks or you may end up with your very own bag of scraps to take home. It was fun to pick her brain about machine quilting and to see her amazing work in person.

Rene is sweet and kind and generous. What a wonderful woman! She makes a great roomie, too. She may snore a little bit, but she is dainty while doing it. (Sorry, Rene, I shouldn't be picking on you!) It was fun to get to know her better and we had, as she put it, some interesting discussions about quilting and blogging. She was working on a quilt that had me distracted. It's definitely going on my "to do" list.

Terri is a fellow Wisconsin girl and she sure cranked out the quilt tops! Her fabric choices were gorgeous. She made us laugh! (If you ever lose your bindings, check your quilts!) I loved hearing her approach and thoughts on blogging and weight loss. So inspiring. It was fun to see her cute purse in real life, too...it is even more ADORABLE in person.

Toni is a hoot, too! It was nice having another woman there who has small children at home. I could relate with some of her stories all too well. This woman is AMAZING! She didn't buy fabric for a YEAR AND A HALF!!!! I can. not. imagine. She made up for it over the weekend, but I don't blame her one bit. Gruber's DID have one good sale going on. She was also a wealth of information. Did you know that laughter is good for the health of your liver? That's what I hear, anyway. :)

Doris is a great dinner companion and one meticulous quilter. I could learn a lot from her! Her applique pieces are so precise! Plus, she has great taste in fabric. She made an adorable little baby quilt that made me swoon. It was seriously cute! Her and I are planning to do a little swap on the side that I am excited about. (In contrast to the batik challenge that I somehow got roped into. Sorry, Shelly, I can't stop picking on you!) Doris and I live close enough that we may have a quilting weekend together in the not too distant future. Woo-hoo! You can tell that she is a retreat veteran...she had the slickest little setup with everything she needed right next to her sewing machine.

Last but certainly not least, there is Andrea. What an all around pleasant woman! She celebrated her birthday over the weekend with us. She was my other roomie and my Saturday morning running buddy. Thanks again, A! She told the BEST inappropriate stories and was kind enough to retell them to those of us who missed them the first time. She also dropped some great one liners. What a funny girl! She brought fabric and chocolate to share with all of us. Thanks Andrea!

Other highlights of the weekend included meeting up with my long time friend, Linda, for dinner at the Mexican Village. Yum! Both the dinner and conversation were so very wonderful. I also had the chance to take my dad out for dinner on Father's Day, which was great...I don't get to see him often enough.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my wonderful husband. What. a. gem. When I got home he and the kids were happy. The house was CLEAN. Plus, he didn't even flinch when I brought in my huge bag of new fabric. I love that man.