Winter Retreat

What happens when you put together:

• a room of 12 quilters who know one another, and a few who don't;
• oodles of quilting gadgets and rotary supplies;
• quilting books and stashed fabric;
• dozens of unfinished blocks;
• a few irons and ironing boards;
• nine sewing machines;
• bedding, clothes, and personal items;
• food and drinks;
• and chocolate?

The makin's for a quilting retreat you might find pretty much any place in the world!

Err. Well. Almost any place in the world.

To say it's been cold in Iowa is an understatement.

(But doesn't she look happy about it!?)

Old man winter been beating us, almost relentlessly. In fact, our Hope Quilters group took an eleventh hour vote Friday afternoon as to whether or not we should brave the elements to travel to Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp retreat center for our long-planned, one-night quilt retreat. The vote was for "bravery," so in spite of Saturday morning's -7 F (-22C) temperature, we retreated. We're all glad we did!

Linda, Erika, Linda, Crystal, Lorna, Jeri, Linda, Laura, Susan, Michelle, Norma, and Kim (Did I miss any of the Lindas?) had a fabulous time together, sharing lots of chatter and laughs as we stayed snuggly warm in our sewing cocoon.

After a long Saturday of nearly non-stop sewing, and waking to more of the same on Sunday, we gave thanks with a favorite Bible verse:

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and sew in it!

Psalm 118:24 (NIV, and revised by Hope Quilters).

May you too rejoice and be glad, for every day, no matter what you're doing.

P.S. Friday Flaunt

In my previous blog post I mentioned this weekend's church quilting group retreat at Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp. Well, I couldn't flaunt the item below on Friday because I didn't want to give away my secret before Saturday's retreat.

Retreat-goers will each get a kit to make this travel tray.

It's a very special travel tray because it's made from a custom-printed fabric. The round design is part of our church logo, a circle of four quadrants representing aspects of life in Christ.

The fabric was ordered from Spoonflower. It's an on-line company that allows you to create your own designs, upload them to their website, and order them as fabric. Check it out!

Since I don't have, and am not familiar with graphic design software, a very generous Minnesota graphic artist, Tammy, offered to create what I wanted.

You should see the other beautiful fabrics she's created. You can order her fabrics, and those of other designers, through Spoonflower. How cool is that!?

See more of Tammy's great stuff on her blog www.artalphaadventure.blogspot.com

Thanks, Tammy!

Friday Flaunt - A "Hole-y" Flimsy

This week has mostly been spent making plans for Stitchin' Mission #20 that begins next Tuesday, and this weekend's church quilting group retreat (I'm a co-chair) at Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp in Story City, Iowa.

But, I've managed a little sewing to piece Noah's Ark stitchery blocks for a wall hanging, for baby Tay's bedroom. Thanks to Skype (I couldn't live without it!), I was able to show my daughter a couple block layout possibilities. Between us we worked out this one.

Now it's an almost-complete flimsy (I love using that Aussie word!). Do you like the sashing/border fabric? It's a sort of after-the-storm print with a few weak light rays shining through. I think it nicely compliments the Noah's Ark theme and is a good boy color.

Perhaps you noticed the hole? That blank space right above the lambs and camels? That's where I'll stitch and insert one last block, a rectangle piece with Tay's full name, his date of birth, weight, and place of birth. Then, when the last bits of sashing and borders are sewn, the flimsy will measure 33" X 33".

I like it! That pencil-coloring made all the difference in the looks of this stitchery. I can't imagine how plain it would be without it. Learning how to color and set the color is all thanks to Helen Stubbings whose Colourque technique was the feature of a DVD in issue #39 of .Australian Quilters Companion Good stuff!

Full Disclosure

Where I Went on My Christmas Vacation

Christmas and New Years were spent in Florida. While it wasn't exactly warm - never warm enough for me to wear shorts - we did miss some of Central Iowa's 27 inches (68.5 cm) of December snow.

It was so nice to take Hogan for a walk with no ice or snow underfoot.

But, I couldn't quite adjust to the sight of palm trees sporting Christmas decorations!

We stayed at Village Sands, a condo complex in Indian Shores.

One resident annually hires a sand sculptor to make a Christmas creation for all beach-goers to enjoy.

Not many people spend Christmas at the beach. I found it quite nice, and quiet for a Christmas day walk.

We didn't have a typical Christmas (for example, no tree) instead focusing on the reason for Christmas (we attended a Baptist church for worship), and spending time with our son and DIL. The gift we received from our kids was very thoughtful: a Des Moines Civic Center gift certificate. And my gift was to get a treatment for toenail fungus. There's only one podiatrist in Iowa offering this new, PinPointe Laser treatment. Granted, it isn't fabric, but what girl doesn't want pretty toes so she can wear sandals in the summer?

Actually, it's a physical shock to be back in Iowa's snow and cold! There are lots of grumbles emanating from our house about the below zero (IE: -24 C) temperatures today and through this week. But I intend to make the best of staying indoors. After several weeks of doing only handwork - I got a lot of hexagons pieced - I'm looking forward to using my sewing machine again. Unfortunately though, for the fourth time, my eight year-old Bernina (model QE153) needs a major repair. I've already replaced the: 1) bobbin case base, 2) thread take-up mechanism, and 3) the body case. I know I use my machine a lot, but these repairs are frustrating, especially when an annual tune-up is $80+.

The newest problem is with the knee lift.

While pushing the knee lift to the right, to raise the presser foot, the presser foot dropped, making a ka-thunk sound. The internal knee lift assembly will likely need to be replaced. Servicing...again. (Sigh.) I've sewn on a Bernina since 1972. My old model 830 is a workhorse (though it's not suitable for non-stop free-motion quilting). Perhaps Bernina's quality isn't what it once was. Should my next machine be a different brand? What do you think?

Tay's Tabbie

You may remember that on December 4 I showed you this Tabbie I made following Lettie's tutorial. I mailed the Tabbie to Sydney, (Australia) along with some other Christmas gifts.

Here's a photo of three-month old Tay enjoying his new toy. He's doing with it just what a baby is supposed to do, touch, feel, and chew.

Don't you just want to pick him up and give him a hug? This long-distance Nana sure does!

Friday Flaunt - Stitchery and 2009 Finished

Happy New Year 2010!

On track to keep my Ten in '10 resolution, this past week I spent every free moment on this Noah's Ark stitchery that I began in early October. It will become a quilt for Tay. Below is the finished large portion of the project, the largest, focal point stitchery. I finished the smaller stitcheries several weeks ago.

As you can see, I colored this piece in the same way I colored the smaller stitcheries. Using Derwent Coloursoft pencils to add depth, some places are fully colored-in, and other places (ark, clouds, and water) are just shaded. I really enjoyed doing this! I felt like a kid with a coloring book.

After coloring, I brush-painted those areas with FolkArt textile medium. It's a clear coat that will protect the colors, making the stitchery and the quilt it will become, washable.

If you're a devotee of anything related to a needle and thread, I hope you're on track for a quilting-filled, stitchery-filled, sewing-filled 2010. There isn't much that's more fun than spending time doing what you love to do - that God has blessed you to be good at and enjoy.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 tells us:

"Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, drink wine with a robust heart. Make quilts, make stitcheries, and sew for all you're worth. Oh yes - God takes pleasure in your pleasure!" (The Message) Italicized words my own.

Hogan adds, and demonstrates so well, "Keep your head down and nose to the grindstone."

Here's wishing you the most blessed, and most productive, 2010 possible. Go with God.

Each Friday, bloggers who belong to Quilting Down Under chat group post a flaunt of their productivity. Visit Cinzia's blog to find links to all 24 Friday Flaunt-ers.