Monday, November 28, 2011

retreat recap

I've been home from the Colorado quilt retreat for 2 weeks already! I don't know where the time went...I think I blinked.
 
Just a few of the many wonderful goodies from the gift bags...made by Tara.
If you EVER get the chance to attend a quilting retreat, JUST DO IT! (Especially if Tara is hosting...she knows how to do it!) It is so much fun to get together with like minded women and create/sew/chat for the whole weekend. It's overwhelming and so, so good! The only thing is that it just might take you 2 weeks to recover from the sleep deprivation. :)

I remember reading a post awhile back by Cherri House about teaching and she said that she learned so much from her students. I had that same exact experience! I learned a TON and came home so inspired! (I can only hope that everyone else left feeling the same way.) Everyone brought such great ideas to the table. I was astounded. Not to mention all the gorgeous fabric combinations there were to drool over. Seriously, I was on overload! We had running little game throughout the weekend called "name that fabric". There is a very specific audience that would appreciate that game, and we were it!  Let me tell you, Randi knows her fabric!

I taught machine quilting and I showed this quilt completed. That means that I had to start another version of the same quilt so I would have something to demo for the class. Bummer! ;)
 
loopy quilting inspired by Denyse Schmidt,
herringbone quilting inspired by Latifah's amazing quilt.
During the weekend I somehow committed to quilting each of the 24 blocks in my second quilt with different designs than I used for the 20 in my first quilt. Maybe I really AM crazy?! Or maybe it does get easier to come up with quilting ideas the more you work at it? I hope that the latter is true!
We had a scrap exchange as part of the weekend. Everyone that wanted to participate could bring a bag full of scraps, dump them in a community basket and then take what you want in return. I could regularly be found hanging out at the scrap basket. No surprise there. I may have been teased about it a time or two or three. But in my defense, no one else would have wanted the tiny pieces that I was rescuing. I pieced a bunch of scraps together for more of these blocks. I was so happy to see new-to-me scraps. Mine had been worked over and then some!

We also had a mini quilt exchange.
I took a ticker tape quilt (I can't get the photo to flip correctly, sorry!)....
and came home with a log cabin quilt, made by my friend Mama Urchin. It happily hangs in my craft room right beneath my thread shelf so I can see it whenever I'm sewing. I just love it! Thanks, Jen!
I came home with loads of new fabric, thanks to some generous friends. And a new Chik-fil-a cup. A reusable Chik-fil-a cup. (I'm still trying to live down drinking out of the same styrofoam cup all weekend long two years ago!) Several people were involved in the acquiring of said cup, which makes me grin. A lot. I love it and I use it all the time. Thanks Michelle!

I'd like to thank everyone of the women who attended the weekend: Julie, Rebecca, Emily, Ruth, Randi, Amanda, Penny, Jennifer, Meloddee, Audrey, Carmen and Darla. A huge thank you to Tara and Lizzy for feeding us so well, and for making it such a memorable weekend. I sure appreciate all the hard work it takes to make it happen! I keep smiling when I think about the weekend. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. And I'm super excited that Tara and I have already started to plan for next year....I can hardly wait!

Happy Monday to you!

22 comments:

Brittany said...

You sure fooled me with the picture needing to be flipped. I would not have known other wise. Also, anytime you want to send me one of those ticker tape quilts, let me know, because I will gladly take it of your hands! Glad you had so much fun!

Carmen said...

Sign me up for next year! :)

Tara said...

It is so so worth it! Was it only two weeks ago?!? The time flies way too fast!!

Kelli Fannin Quilts said...

Sounds like a great time! I love that ticker tape quilt, btw. That has been on my mental list of to-do's for some time now. I need to JUST DO IT and make one. :o)

Laura said...

Sounds super fun! And I'm soo jealous of the scrap basket exchange!

Shannon said...

OMG - I love that you love Chick-fil-A!! We don't have any in CT so while I was in NJ for Thanksgiving I got a Chick-fil-A party platter and froze the nuggets so that I won't have to go 6 months between nuggety goodness! (yep, 120 nuggets - for 2 of us!) It's not quite the same without the waffle fries and fountain Dr. Pepper, but I'm taking what I can get! Oh yeah, and the retreat sounds amazing too! I'm thinking of signing up for next year's sewing summit!.... Ok, back to dreaming about Chick-fil-A!...

tarabu said...

Wonderful recap! Thank you again for sharing your adventures with us.

Suzanne said...

What a wonderful recap! If anyone can meet the challenge of unique quilting, I think I might know who can. ;-)

elizabeth said...

Sounds wonderful....I wonder if there is ever a chance to sign up, I would love it : ) I haven't ever been to a quilt retreat and I think that is something I should definitely do one day!

Live a Colorful Life said...

I'm ready to sign up. Seriously. I know the joys of a spending a quilting weekend with you. So I'm playing my cards right and doing it twice in 2012! Yippee!! (Oh, and I have a big container of itsy scraps for you--I just had to retype that word--at first I typed "itsy craps"--oops).

Love Of Quilts said...

Your ticker tape quilt so so cute. Trish

Annalia said...

Sounds like heaven. Sadly, I don't think my husband could handle our 2-year-old alone. (She's uber-drama-y.) ...and Randi seems so nice too...I hear she's as nice in the real world as in the virtual one.

That ticker tape looks so cute in aqua! :) Glad you had a nice time.

Jeni Allen said...

Tell me more about this quilting retreat in Colorado! I live near said Chick fil-A.

Jean said...

Hi, Amanda Jean
Now that the retreat is behind you, any chance of you producing an on-line tutorial on quilt-as-you-go?
Thanks, as always, for your wonderful blog.
Jean

Michele said...

It sounds like it was a fantastic time. I hope to be able to go on a retreat some day myself. And I'd like to hear more about what makes up a ticker tape quilt. I have loads of tiny scraps and no idea what to do with them.

michelle said...

I was sad I wasn't able to be there to see you this year. I am glad you are enjoying the chick-fil-a cup..I hate to admit it but I am so hooked on mine! Maybe next time I won't be out of town and will be able to come!

Peggy said...

It's a good thing there are people around to use up scraps! Good job!

Pam B said...

Oh my goodness! I'm a brand new quilter and the thought of going to a quilt retreat like you described would be awesome! Sounds like you had a ball...

Hugs,
Pam

Anonymous said...

I second Jean's request for a tutorial on the quilt-as-you-go method. It's genius I tell you and totally practical for someone (like me) who doesn't have a lot of room to make a ginormous quilt top. As always, I love your blog and the quilts you create. Happy Holidays!

Dilla said...

Love your ticker tape quilt! So gorgeous :)

Anonymous said...

AmandaJean,
You need a Tervis Tumbler!They sell them on the internet and are guaranteed for LIFE! They keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold! Anytime something happens to them send them back to the company (the cheapest way you can since they are going to trash them anyway) and they will mail you a brand new one free of charge! No more foam cup, no more teasing! Loved the quilt show from the retreat. I really liked the pin cushion. I am addicted to them! Hugs to you!

quirky granola girl said...

i adore the quilting examples! i'm afraid my machine is too crummy to learn FMQ on. i may need pointers before you WI retreat.