Well, this is the final installment.  All I can say, is there was a lot of creativity in that room.  I love hosting the retreats.  I get so inspired by everyone!

This is Karen’s millennium quilt.  It has 2000 DIFFERENT fabrics in it.  Wow!

She also brought this applique sampler for show-and-tell.

I like the setting for this Redwork she did.

I thought maybe she brought this Thirties row quilt for me, but, alas, it wasn’t so.

She did a great demo on her favorite way to make circles for applique.  Turns out, it’s the same method I used for the Lollipops, like on the quilt in the background!  That’s one of the great thing about retreats, we’re always learning from each other!

Robin has a new grandson, and she made this quilt for him.  The motorcycle is an accurate depiction of the one his daddy has!

She also used the Bow Tie Block challenge to make him this matching quilt.

Robin and her mom, Mary, showed off the quilts they’d each made from a block swap they’re involved in.

 

These are Mary’s blocks from this years swap.  I think we may have to do this next year!

Mary also made this adorable Halloween table topper…

…and this pretty fall table runner.

She got a pillowcase finished…

…and started making a Bears Outside My Window quilt!

Connie did the Bow Tie Challenge, too.  I love her Hugs and Kisses setting.

At retreat she made 57 Halloween treat bags for her grandkids’ schoolmates.  Wow!

My sister, Sally, was there scrapbooking.  For our boutique, she brought 25 Christmas wreaths that she had made.

Even Josie, who’s on the Falls Creek Staff, brought show-and-tell to share.

I think these snowmen are fabulous!

I showed my Dress Up Time quilt…

…and my Christmas Memories quilt, which I was working on at the last retreat.

But I was happiest about getting this top all put together!

Retreats are wonderful.  We had mothers and daughters, mothers and daughters-in-law, sisters and lots and lots of friends.  I can’t wait for March when we get to do it all again.

I’ve been on a mission, cleaning closets in my studio.  I’m pretty proud of how the kit and bundle area turned out.  Hopefully, it will save me time when I’m shipping.

After that was done, I tackled the closet where I store batting, quilts to be quilted and quilts and quilt tops that are for sale.  The batting is now neat and organized.

While I was folding up “projects waiting to be quilted” to put them back in the closet, I decided I had to add one more to the web store.  It’s this pretty queen-sized Stack N Whack.

I love this quilt and I loved teaching the technique when I had my quilt shop.  Every block comes out a little different.

I fully intended to quilt this, but it’s been three years!

So, it’s now listed on the web catalog.  Maybe it can find a new home with one of you!  Maybe you need a Christmas gift, but time is not on your side!  I’ll never tell that you didn’t make it yourself.

I even have the backing pieced for it.

You can see it on the web catalog by CLICKING HERE.

I have other new and vintage quilt tops for sale there, too.  CLICK HERE to see them all.

My closet thanks you.

Pat P3, also known as Nana Pat, brought this pretty quilt for her show and tell.  I love how the checkerboard sashing is repeated in the border!

Mary’s favorite animal is the buffalo, so this is the perfect quilt for her.

She made this yummy batik top during the retreat.

Mary took Robin’s 1″ challenge.

Looks like she’s getting a good start!

Penny brought this beautiful cross quilt for show-and-tell.

She was working on another one during retreat.

While recuperating from surgery, she made this yo-yo table runner.  There are 78 yo-yo’s in it.  Can you imagine making enough for a bed quilt!?!

Penny and Nana Pat were both working on Hunter’s Star quilts.  I can’t remember if this is Pat’s or Penny’s!

This one is definitely Penny’s.  She did half blocks around the outside to make the start the center of every block.

Penny was also working on a layout for her split nine-patch.

Anna had several sampler projects that she brought to put together, including this pretty one.

She was framing these blocks to make them all the same size.  Smart trick!

Phyllis brought this wonderful wall hanging for show-and-tell…

…as well as this City Pavement quilt.

Barbara’s neighbor bought this quilt at a garage sale for $5.00!

During retreat, Barbara made my Center Piece Table Runner.

And from some scraps she made a bookmark!  Very clever!

Laraine showed this charming button-on-wool piece that she’d made.

She’s also made these wool hearts.

I kinda like this photo of me!

For show-and-tell, Stephanie brought this great Bear’s Paw.

During the retreat she put her Lollipop quilt top together.  This is one of my designs, and it’s so fun to see someone making things I’ve designed.

She’ll be ready for Halloween with this charming wall hanging.

During retreat, she was experimenting with the Hunter’s Star ruler…

…and got this all put together!

She also made this adorable cat block, appropriately called “Stalker.”

At the last retreat, Judy started this wall hanging, and she brought it back finished for show-and-tell.  It should help chase away the winter blues!

She also got this Halloween table runner together during the retreat.

And how about this adorable, seasonal wall hanging.  I think these blocks are just the cutest I’ve seen in a long time.

One more post, and we’ll be caught up with retreat!

 

Pat P1 (We had three Becky P’s) made this great batik quilt.  Every time I looked up, she was pressing strips.  Now I know why!

She brought this jacket she made for show-and-tell.

Her sister, Becky L, was working on this quilt at the last retreat.  It’s so nice to get to see them finished.

And look at the interesting back she has on it.

At retreat she made this quilt top.  I love the bear tracks.  Once the border is on, she will applique a bear there!

Sharon brought this row-by-row quilt for show-and-tell.

She knew about the Summer Bow Tie Challenge, so brought this to show, too.  I love the asymmetrical setting.

She also brought this adorable Christmas Redwork.

Robin is always challenging everyone to do 1″ square scrap quilts, so this was a perfect show-and-tell.  Every print, both the light and dark, are florals!

Another pretty quilt from Sharon.

She did a great mitered border demonstration for us!

Diana is ready for Halloween!

She got this pieced at retreat.

Love the needlework and shading in this piece.

I did the Lemoyne Star demo…

…and Dianna whipped out this little sampler with two 12″ and three 4″ Lemoyne stars.  It’s really that easy–and no set in seams!

J
Julie made this pretty log cabin.

Pat P2 wore a jacket that she made with batik blocks.

I don’t know which came first, this quilt or the jacket!

Don’t you love the color combination in this Chain quilt?

Still more to come!

More great show-and-tell.  This is Patti’s Double Wedding Ring.

This Colorwash Cross was her project at the last retreat.

This time she was working with these great batiks.

Marsha was making a pretty pastel quilt for her granddaughter’s big girl bed!

Rosemarie had several Hmong embroideries that she had finished.

This nativity was charming!

She did a lot of embellishment on this one.

This pretty quilt is hers, too.

As is this black, white and red one.

Annie was duly proud of this quilt.

Here’s the back.  She did a quilt-as-you-go technique.

During the retreat she was working on this Friendship Star with a Twisted Ribbon border.

And this was the second car quilt she had on the design wall!

Pat T. (not to be confused with Patti or the other three Pats that were there!) made this sampler from shop hop blocks.

She also made two pillow covers to match.

I love the sweet embroidery in the center of this one.

For show-and-tell she brought her Crossroads quilt.

She also got this top put together during the retreat.

I believe this train pillowcase is for her grandson, who has a basement full of trains.

Sue brought a beautiful Twelve Step Program quilt from my book, Bundles of Fun.  I think this is the most frequently made quilt from the book!

She also brought this Checkerboard quilt that she’d made, but I heard a rumor that someone else tried to claim it, perhaps two someones!

Isn’t this soft and pretty.  I don’t know the pattern name, but it’s lovely!

Sue’s niece is going off to college, and Sue is making a quilt for her in her favorite colors–pink and orange.

I have to tell you, in high school, my bedroom was pink and orange.  I’m so old, it’s popular again!

This is Julie, and, yes, she’s wiping away a tear.  Julie is just learning to quilt—from her mom!  They came to a retreat a year ago, and again to this one.  Carol did all the embroidery for this quilt, and Julie has pieced all the blocks.  When she got up to show-and-tell this quilt, she got quite emotional, telling us all how much she treasures the time she spent with her mom on this.  It was very touching, and Julie wasn’t the only one wiping away tears.

This is Julie’s mom, Carol, and her fabulous row quilt.

Carol also made this sweet doll and doll quilt for her granddaughter.

This quilt has a wonderful story, too.  These blocks were made by Carol’s mother in the 1930′s.  One day she brought them to a Redwork Club meeting in my studio to ask how she should put them together.  Before long, we had a setting figured out, but we also could see that these block designs and the fabulous prints used to make them would be a great fabric line.  My Dear Dorothy collection was born that day!  Carol is doing a beautiful job of hand quilting her quilt and is almost finished.

Julie also had this quilt for show-and-tell.

This is Teresa with a fabulously frilly bag she made.

Kristy was making this quilt for her sister, who is facing some health issues.

By the next day, she had the top finished!

Then she was working on these blocks.

Barbara made this great sampler quilt.

Roberta is a first time sewer and made this adorable Santa wall hanging.

Her mom-in-law was there, too, and made this quilt top from my new Dolly Dear collection.  She has four granddaughters who will be getting one of these!

She brought a Twister for show-and-tell.  It started out similar to the quilt on the right.  After being cut by the Twister Ruler, you sew up your new blocks and get the quilt on the left!

Mary Disilva made this Christmas row quilt…

…and this wonderful medallion sampler.

Kathy was showing her patriotic side with this flag wall hanging.

She also showed us this great bag that she stitched up in less than an hour.  It’s the same technique as used in my Ditty Bag.

I love this Log Cabin that Lonna made.  Hmm.  Lonna emailed to say this isn’t hers.  Will someone claim it, please?

She also made this sampler.

She turning this amazing Hmong embroidered block into a wall hanging.

And she was working on these indigo and cheddar blocks.

More tomorrow!

 

 

There were 50 of us at Falls Creek Retreat Center for our retreat last weekend, and everyone was very productive.  I have lots and lots of photos to share, and will break them down into six posts.  Here goes!

Evelyn brought her Postcards from Hawaii quilt that she started at a previous retreat.

She put this top together…

…and gave us a tutorial on how she did it.  Thanks, Evelyn!

She was extremely productive at retreat.  If you’re counting how many tops she completed, this is #2.

#3.

#4.

#5.

#6.

#7.

And #8!  Amazing!  I should have given her a prize for getting the most accomplished.

Quynh brought two quilts for show-and-tell.  This one…

…and this one.

She also pieced a strippy quilt.  It may look like solids, but it’s actually tiny gingham fabric!  Very cute.

Chara joined us for the first time and brought this pretty quilt for show-and-tell.

She finished this top made with a combination of fabrics, including linen.

Can you spot the expectant mother?

This is Melissa who had embellished some adorable onsies.

She also completed two tops while she was there.  These adorable houses…

…and this great batik one.  I was just at her blog and she’s posted some retreat photos, too!

I was so touched when Sarah brought a quilt that she had made from my book, Fat Quarter Fun! I love how it turned out!

She also got this log cabin top put together at retreat…

…and was working on these blocks.  The pattern is designed by my friend Michelle and the fabric is by my sista-friend, Monica!

Kirstie’s show and tell was this great old Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  The story is even greater than the quilt.  After a car was abandoned at her husband’s business for two years, he was going to have it crushed.  Before he did, he opened the trunk and found this in there!  Good thing he knew enough to call his wife!

Kirstie got this wonderful star quilt top together.

So, that’s a start!

 

There were fifty women at our retreat last weekend!

When we got there, the room looked like this–

But before long, it looked like this–

We did a lot of this–

 

 

And Robin brought me a birthday cake that looked like this–

Some of us walked to the falls, which looked like this–

I’ll post lots of photos soon, but right now, I feel like doing this–

 

I LOVE it when quilts come a-visitng!  Yesterday I had a phone call from a woman who had just come into possession of a signature quilt and she thought I might like to see it.  Me?  Look at a quilt?  Eespecially an old quilt?  Hmm.  I said, “Okay,” before she could finish her sentence.  So today, Lois and our mutual friend Cortne` came by to show me the quilt.  Here’s its story.

Lois and her family are from the Palouse–an area that spans the Washington/Idaho border and is known for it’s fertile farm land.  Coincidentally it’s where my Grandma Ikey grew up!  Bill Taylor photo, snagged from the web.

Recently, an aunt of Lois’ passed away.

Lios was unable to visit her aunt’s home, but her brother was invited to come by and see if there was anything he would like as a memento.

When he saw this quilt, he knew he’d better take it for Lois.

What a good brother!

Judging by the fabrics, this quilt was made in the late Thirties or early Forties.

Lois recognized several of the names on the quilt, including another one of her aunts, Elva Calhoun.

It’s beautifully made and quilted, and I loved looking at the fabrics (of course!).

There was even someone with the last name Snyder, but, alas, not a relative of mine.

Here’s Lois with her new treasure.  Big kudos to her brother for making sure this quilt stayed in the family and is now living with someone who loves it.

If there are any more quilts that want to come visit me, I’m ready!

We had so much fun with the Summer Bow Tie blocks that people are clamoring (well, at least asking) if we’re going to do another block for fall.  Well, of course we are!

What was the Summer Bow Tie Block Challenge all about?  It was about making a quilt block a day.  It was about getting into your sewing room if even for just a few minutes.  It was about using up some scraps!

If you’d made one quilt block each day from the beginning of summer until the end of summer, you would have made 94 blocks!  I’m not sure anyone managed the one-a-day approach, but it still kept many people sewing.  Lots of people are finishing up their quilts now and posting them on the Facebook page.  Here’s Toni’s that she posted today.  There are lots of photos on the Facebook page.  Feel free to check them out.

Ready for the next challenge?  How about Hour Glass blocks for fall?  Did I hear a moan?  Really, they’re easy.  It’s just a twice sewn half-square triangle–kind of like biscotti–twice baked cookies!  If you make one block each day during fall, you will have 91 blocks made before the first day of winter even sets in!  Here’s what an Hour Glass block looks like.

A few minutes ago I decided to make a few blocks and takes photos so I could post this tutorial  Since I have shelves full of fabric bolts, it’s really tempting to just pull a few down and start cutting.  But, I really need to do something with all my scraps.  So, I pulled out one of my scrap bins.

I cut a bunch of 4-1/4″ squares.  These will make a 3″ unfinished Hour Glass block.  Note: You can make any size blocks.  The formula is this–add 1-1/4″ to the finished size you desire.

I cut some cream solid to go with them.  You can get ten 4-1/4″  squares from a strip.  Mark a diagonal line on the solid squares.

Pair a solid square with a print square, right sides together.  I used two matching solids and two matching prints.  This will yield four Hour Glass blocks.

Stitch 1/4″ on each side of the drawn line.

Cut apart on the drawn line.

Press to the print fabric.  (Yes, I have an orange iron!)  You’ve made a half-square triangle–and you’re half way finished!

Now take two of your half-square triangles and put them together, light against dark, dark against light.  Snug up the center seam.

Draw a diagonal line that passes through your stitched seam.

Stitch 1/4″ on either side of the line and cut apart.

Voila!  An Hour Glass block.  Wasn’t that easy?

Here’s a little pressing tip.  Wiggle the intersection a bit to loosen a stitch or two.

Finger press seams in opposite directions.  This really eliminates bulk in you seams.  A teeny tiny four patch will show up in the middle if you do this correctly.  Your seams will press to the light, but that’s okay.

Turn it over and give it a press.  Trim away the dog ears.  There it is–your first Hour Glass block.  Actually, you’ll get two blocks from each pair of fabric.

Since I did two pair, I ended up with four blocks.  This is a very traditional way to put Hour Glass blocks together, but there are lots of possibilities with this block.

Use two different prints when sewing your half-square triangles together.

Much more scrappy.

If you put your four blocks together with all the browns facing in, it forms a pinwheel.  Magic!

Or you can just mix them up for a scrappy effect.

You don’t even have to use a solid if you want to go totally scrappy, like this.

I hope you’ll join in the fun.  Come to the new Facebook Page, A Quilt Block A Day.  Even if you don’t make blocks, it’s fun to watch everyone’s progress.