sewing up a (small) storm

Last weekend was my Gruber's retreat weekend with some dear friends. It was filled with laughter and shopping and eating and sewing and very little sleeping....just like a retreat should be!

I'm not quite sure how it all came about, but at some point during the weekend, someone threw down a micro quilt challenge. And, to quote my daughter, "I wouldn't say no!" There was much discussion as to what a micro quilt is. In the end, we decided that it had to be under 4" finished on each side and fully bound. One clarification...it is even smaller than a coaster!

This is what I came up with for my micro quilt, which is yet unnamed. :) It measures 3" x 3.25" and is fully bound! I used a single fold binding and put my "how to bind tiny things" tutorial to the test. I'm happy to say it worked! (Phew!!!) I sure love taking crazy to new levels!!! :)

My friend Doris took the challenge as well. Her quilt is on the left. Look at those cute little flying geese! Her micro quilt is even smaller...measuring 3" x 2 7/8"...and has double fold binding! Impressive! There was no winner or loser in the challenge...we did it just for fun!

I had the chance to be a personal fabric shopper for my friend, Michelle, who doesn't like fabric shopping. (I don't understand what that means, so please don't ask! Hahaha!) She gave me a certain dollar amount to spend on fabric that I would normally pick for myself. It was good that she emphasized that I should select things I would normally pick for myself, because I kept thinking of what her preferences might be. In the end, I liked my selections so much that I bought one stack for her AND one stack for me!! It was a fun experiment and thankfully she was happy with my selections. We are already planning on doing it again next year! I can't wait!

I dream of having a stack of 20 quilts just sitting around waiting for me to hand stitch the binding. (I really AM crazy, huh???) Well, I'm 3/20 of the way to my dream, apparently! I did a whole lot of sewing, quilting, binding making and knot burying this weekend. But, I don't intend to let them sit unfinished for long-I'm soooo ready for some quilt finishes!



This was our group this year: (Left to right) Me, Rene, Doris, Mary, Michelle, Terri, Cindy, Shelly and Stephanie. I'm so thankful for the chance to hang out and sew with these lovely ladies and I miss them already!

Happy Monday to you!