Last of the retreat

My Linus blocks

Here are my remaining photos from the retreat. On the final morning I framed and trimmed some Linus blocks. I really enjoyed my time but it is also good to be home once again.

Farmer's Wife blocks in 30's fabrics by Yvette??

Kathy's cosy  Rail Fence

detail

Mandy's blue cobblestones

and detail

The pattern matches on all four border corners

Kathy's "Recession" bags

and Caroline's Christmas stockings

Isabel's double pinwheels

A good retreat's work

I finished my quilt top at 11 tonight  and hung it up and am so pleased with how it looks. I know it is not to everyone's taste but on its own terms I consider it successful and am pleased with myself for keeping going and getting over the hurdles of drafting setting blocks and marking borders to piece it in a matter of days rather than dragging on.

From across a crowded room

I pieced it in sections rather than rows

Heather's quilts

Heather brought in quilts she had made and which had been  by quilted by  Mandy. The Winding Ways ones create lovely circles but I like the scrappy pineapple best.

Winding ways in soft batiks

and in red and black batiks

Wonderful scrappy pineapple

and detail

Tessallations

Isabel showed a tiny tessellated piece then made a larger one with layer cakes and Colette took up the idea and made one too, also using the twister ruler. First squares are pieced with a border; then  an angled square is placed on the top with seam crossings at the centre and the new squares are marked then cut and turned to form the new pattern. The border becomes incorporporated into the twirling pinwheels.

10" squares 

Pinwheels cut and arranged.

Detail in finished piece

Colette's cheerful squares

detail

Colette's finished top

Isabel's finished inner top

Another busy retreat day

First group of pieced blocks by me

All the blocks laid out

the On Point view

Thursday retreat pictures

Miriam's pretty strippy quilt

Detail of embroidered and appliqued daisy

Isabel's disappearing 4-patch

and detail

Carrie's Kimonos

Detail of beautiful fabrics

Kathy's soft brushed cotton rails and houses top not quite done

Detail of little house

More from the Retreat

Seven Ssters by Julie with wonderful quilting

Pretty quilt with "30s'"  fabrics  by Isabel

Wonderful checks from Caroline

Strippy hexagons from Heather

Gone Sewing

I brought my Jelly Roll Race to put on my bed

Top done

Detail

I am quilt retreating with friends this week with friends I only see on these occasions so a double pleasure, I sewed blocks together to finish a top and am now embarked on a long contemplated Stack and Whackery squares project. As it's easy to be distracted in company I have sewn test blocks and measured carefully.

S & W blocks done

The first of 12 alternate blocks

One of the best things about these events though is seeing the work and progress on the other retreaters' projects, Some projects make repeated appearances.

Detail of  Kathy's disappearing four patch

Amazing project by Caroline - the 365 Challenge, a block a day for a year.
Al done with stash scraps. No fabric was purchased in making this project.

Kathy's, using a Janet Clare layer cake. 

Another Sewing Tidy in the making

Now with binding attached but not sewn down

Piece of Cake pieces trimmed and ready to join QAYG though trimming to the
finished size has caused a problem or two!

And with another block added; a monogram piece will complete this section.

U3A Sewing tidy

This is a sewing tidy to place under your machine with the pockets hanging down in front.
The mat under the machine protects table surfaces and reduces noise. The three pockets make it easy to keep track of your scissors and unpicker and any other items.

Twirling Hexagons

I handed over my Twirling Hexagons yesterday as a present for a young friend but took a picture before parting. It was made in a very interesting class with Maggie Breakspear and I used Malaysian batiks. All the class projects turned out well and were very different.

A different camera setting

Old and New at FOQ

Most of all I enjoyed the Guild's Family Connections gallery which included the sort of quilts I like and would like to emulate.

Bertha Mitchell Cumbrian Frame quilt

Lydia Davis smal frame quilt

Cann Family squares quilt

I always photograph quilts using shirtings and Marilyn Miles Recycling of Stripes quilt seemed very much in the spirit of older quilts.

Detail of shirtings quilt

Marilyn Miles' Recycling Stripes quilt