I’m finally finding time to post more photos from our fall retreat!

Lois made this great “guy” quilt.

Laraine did airplanes.

This quilt is Becky’s.  What a striking way to set rail fence blocks!

She also made this crimson and gray quilt for a WSU fan!

Sylvia showed off her embroidery skills.

Marsha pieced this broken star and set the blocks in a very interesting way!

Karen J. put us all to shame.  She cut out, pieced AND quilted this at the retreat!

Oh, and she worked on this project and a couple of others as well!

I really tried to bring this quilt home with me.  Kirstie made it for her granddaughter with my orange square dance fabric.  Her granddaughter’s favorite color is orange, and we have the same birthday!

Tracey had intended to use green as her accent color in this quilt, but she forgot to bring it.  Luckily I’d brought some solid red, and in the end, we all loved the choice!

Mary made this lovely, pastel quilt.

The bright yellow in Sarah’s quilt really makes it pop.

Bonnie and her husband specialize in floor coverings with quilt patterns in them!

Julie brought this great family treasure.  It’s tied at the corners of the blocks.

She also made this London pillowcase to commemorate the summer Olympics.

Connie had some Day of the Dead fabric that she didn’t really like, so she cut it up and did a string quilt, just like we were doing at A Quilt Block A Day.

Sandy’s group had done cowboy boot blocks, and she was putting them all together.

There are more to come, and I hope I get them up in a more timely fashion!

 

Another great quilt retreat is over!  54 of us gathered at Falls Creek Retreat Center once again.  We had plenty of room to spread out and work on our own projects.

There were also plenty of demonstrations, like this one by Karen J. on making perfect circles…

…and this one by Sarah M. on creating design boards.  That’s one thing I love about getting together with other quilters—I always learn something!

I did a little one-on-one, when necessary.

And everyone made a coffee cozy!

We’ve never had nicer weather at a retreat than this year.  It was perfect for a walk to the falls.

There’s nothing like crisp, fall days!

It’s been a very dry few months for us, so the water flow in the falls was quite low.

That did give us an opportunity to see some geology we hadn’t seen before, though.

Of course, besides being able to sew ’til your heart’s content, the best thing about retreat is seeing what everyone else has been doing!  This is a baby quilt Robin made with some of her famous 2″ squares.

Sue brought a great sampler quilt for show-and-tell.

Heather was putting together blocks for this stunning log cabin variation.

She also brought this quilt for show-and-tell night.

Stephanie made this quilt top from one of my mystery kits.  No, I can’t tell you which one.  Then it wouldn’t be a mystery!

Here she is modeling an apron she made.

Bonnie B. made this wonderful quilt with crazy blocks.

Patti’s French Roses quilt is soooo sweet.

That’s Eileen peeking out from behind her monochromatic gray quilt top.

I love Phyllis’ use of lime in this black, white and lime quilt.

Denise gives us her best “Vanna” and shows off her pretty flower blocks.

Carol made this patriotic quilt for the Quilts of Valor program.

Newcomer Kay made this stunner.

This very modern quilt was made by Kristy.

BJ created this beautiful rose with fabric and thread work.

BJ and nine others each made a section of this quilt from a photograph–and the only part of the photo they had was the part they were to recreate in fabric.  Incredible!

I’m in love with this Grandmother’s Flower Garden created by Laura.

She also made this tessellating cross quilt from my book, Fat Quarter Fun.  It just so happens that we’re doing this very block on A-Quilt-Block-A-Day!

Curved piecing is always impressive, and this Drunkard’s Path from Sue F. is no exception.

This Spider Web from Sue reminds me I need to do something with those Halloween fat quarters I’ve been collecting!

This is just the start!  I have more show-and-tell to share with you in the coming days.

 

 

Here’s the last installment of Tah-Dahs from the Spring Quilt Escape.

These bright blocks were made by Sue.

I love the tall, skinny Churn Dash blocks that Nan was making.

Chara made this baby quilt with lambs in the borders.

I think these snowball blocks belong to Karen J.

Stephanie made this striking quilt top.

That’s Connie, looking quite coy, behind her polka dot creation.

Pat made the quilt tote that I demonstrated.

She did some fabulous free motion quilting on it.

Sarah has some appliqué planned for this, but I made her pose with it anyway.

Marsha got this great top finished.

Lonna was working on some beautiful indigo and cheddar blocks.

Annie got this tah-dah finished just before we left on Sunday.

Jean made this incredible quilt.

And yes, I even did a little sewing.  That bin is filled with selvedges…

…and I got a lot of blocks made, but want to do more.

As at any retreat, we had lots of goodies, but I had to share photos of these two.  Cookies from Karen R…

…and cake balls from Robin.

It was all great fun. I can’t wait until September when we do it again!

There were lots and lots of projects finished at our quilt retreat.  Each time one got finished, it got held up for a big, “TAH-DAH!

Isn’t this a great pattern to showcase a bold print!

Several ladies made thread-catcher/pincushions for their work spaces.

Joy is “pretty in pink.”  And lime!

Julie and Carol (daughter and mother) made these for Julie’s two granddaughters.  The girls had seen them in a magazine and wanted them.  There was no pattern, but Grandma and Great-grandma couldn’t say, “no!”

Several people were working on Hunter’s Star quilts.

And while they may not have gotten finished….

…I thought you might like to see them.

Sharon’s Off Center Bow Ties are striking.

I asked Marsha to pose by her 6100 Quilt, and pose she did!  She’s done this before, me thinks!

Sarah was making striking quilt with the Lil’ Twister tool.

I think this bright beauty was Sherrie’s.

Chara brought back a quilt that she made at the last retreat–all quilted now and just waiting for binding.

Connie sewed up this Double Delight quilt top for me.  There are kits on my website!

I love the shadow effect on this quilt by Sherrie.

Chara was making a stack of circles for a Rob Peter to Pay Paul quilt.

Stacey took this mystery class from me, hmm, a “few” years ago.  I was so glad to see it getting put together.

Julie stitched up this sweet quilt.

Mary, Penny and Denise also made 6100 Quilts!

We did a Block Swap with the Crossroad to Jericho blocks, and Pat put hers together during the retreat!  Way to go, Pat.

Barbara was ready to put the borders on her polka-dot quilt.

This is Anina’s own design, Geese in the Forest.  She sells the pattern on her website.  I think it’s stunning!

Karen J. was nearly finished with this charming bird pincushion.

Sarah made this baby blanket with “opportunity cloth!”

Kathy spent many hours on this fabulous beauty.  This is 1/4 of it.  She’s getting there!

I have one more batch of photos from retreat to post, so check back!

Quilt retreats are all about fun!  When I host a retreat, we usually have between 45 and 55 women.  I bring along my trusty staff–also known as Connie and Robin.

They’re there to lend a hand. like whenever someone finishes a project.  We make sure they hold up their quilt and get a big, “Tah-dah!”  I thought I’d share the recent Tah-Dahs with you.

This is Kathy’s Friendship Star.  I love the Twisted Ribbon border.

Denise’s quilt is Pretty in Pink.

Sue is obviously in love with her 6100 quilt.

Penny finished her Garden Twist.

This is Barbara’s Watermelon quilt.  I think it would make a great table topper.

It was April Showers for Judy.

Marsha started this quilt at the last retreat, and now it’s finished!

Isn’t this the most adorable bib you’ve ever seen?

Here’s Kathy’s pretty Star Sampler.

Nan finished her Plaid quilt.

Jean was piecing and appliquéing these whimsical barn blocks.

Mary got this Alphabet quilt finished.

Suzie got the borders on this great Star quilt.

This Log Cabin/Star quilt by Sue really pops!

Judy made this Princess Lunch Bag for a co-worker!

If I remember correctly, Pat P1 made this bag that holds a hot iron.

Anina was working on these tiny Log Cabin blocks with yummy Provence fabrics.

I think that’s Tracey behind this pretty quilt.

Pat T. made her Quilt Tote start-to-finish during the retreat!

Karen J. made this cool tote.

Denise got her black and white quilt finished.

…and this was the first of Stephanie’s Tah-dahs!

I just love seeing all the happy, proud faces!

 

 

This is Josie, who works in the kitchen at Falls Creek.  She is a hoot!  She always asks if she can share show-and-tell…

…then borrow something from one of the retreaters, trying to convince me that she made it.  Finally, I’m on to her!

Sue shared this fabulous row quilt.

She also made this Turning Twenty.

Sharon said she made this during her Nine-Patch phase!

She also made this quilt with tulip blocks from a block swap.

Kathy made this “Man Cave’ quilt for her husband.

This colorful quilt was made by Mary T.

She also made this snuggle star quilt.

Isn’t the touch of green great in this black and white quilt she made.

Karen V. shared these cute snap bags.

She made these placemats while trying to improve her machine binding skills.  What a great idea!

Karen V also made this table runner…

…and this stunning quilt.

Karen V

 

Marsha showed her pretty star quilt.

Patty amazing Carpenter’s Star quilt.

Jean shared this great medallion quilt…

…and this fun animal print quilt.

She also made this stack of Sunbonnet Sue quilts.

Annie shared this quilt.

She brought back these two quilts that she started at the last retreat

This is also her Sampler Quilt.

Annie’s.

This is my Dear Dorothy quilt.

We had lots of wonderful show-and-tell at the retreat, including this stitchery from Carol.  I believe she did the stitching on linen.

She had also finished this wall hanging.  She did the center a couple of decades ago!  Don’t you love the paper pieced geese in the corners?

Nan recently finished a quilt top from my Bears Outside My Window kit. I hadn’t made it in the green variation, so was really pleased she let me photograph it for the catalog!  It’s really a fun quilt–I split the pre-printed panel and put it back together with an attic windows setting, then put bear paws around the outside, hence Bears Outside My Window!

Here’s my original red version.

Gloria, a member of my guild, designed this fabulous bag.  She shared the pattern with the guild members, and I asked permission to share it with my retreaters.

I wanted to demo it, so whipped up this version.  It’s amazing how much it holds.  I have six quilts in here!

After my demo, Pat T made one from this fun animal print!

She also shared this quilt she made with leftovers from years of quilting.  I love the pillow tuck!

I’m always saying that the Twelve Step Program quilt from my first book, Bundles of Fun, has been made more than any other quilt I’ve designed, and Pat helped prove my point!  She made this one with an interesting border…

…and this one with the traditional border.

Sue made several of these adorable pincushions, and I got to take this one home with me.  Thank you, Sue!

Lonna brought this early Sunbonnet Sue.

This quilt she made for her son when he was a baby.  It’s just opportunity cloth, but she embroidered around all if the characters!

She also made this Christmas wreath wall hanging…

…and this Christmas quilt.

This Nine-Patch is also one of Lonna’s.  I like the random squares in the borders.

My favorites are always the vintage quilts.  This is one that’s been in Lonna’s family since the Thirties.

Of course, I loved looking at all the prints and had to examine each one up close!

Denise brought the first quilt she ever made, this adorable ducky quilt.

This is Denise’s most recent quilt.  I know because she finished it just before show-and-tell!

Tracey made this OSU quilt, showcasing a lot of different sports.

At the last retreat, Robin challenged the ladies to make quilts from 1-1/2″ squares–squares that would finish at 1″!  Well, several of the ladies took her up on it and surprised her with a cute skit during show-and-tell.  This is Anna’s finished quilt.

And this is Penny’s.  Nana Pat and Mary K. have started making them, too, and I’m pretty sure Denise got the bug before the weekend was over!

Our other Pat P. made this quilt, which she said reminds her of her childhood on the farm.

Laraine brought the finished product to show us.  This is another quilt that had it’s start at an earlier retreat.  It’s so great to see them finished!

She also made this sweet row quilt.

At the last retreat, Judy was working on the blocks for this quilt.  The detail in it is incredible!

Several of the ladies had participated in a row challenge.  This Halloween one belongs to Joy.  Don’t you love how someone added their row up the right side?

Karen J (there were FOUR Karen’s at the retreat!) showed us her warm row quilt.

Judy’s row quilt had a Christmas theme.  There were some talented quilters participating in this challenge!

Suzie was a first timer at our retreat.  I love this medallion quilt that she made.

And look what she did with the back.  It’s as pretty as the front!

Stephanie showed off some pot holders…

…and table runners…

…and this precious bunny quilt.

I shared the Bavarian Rose quilt, which is made with my fabric collection, Bavaria.

And this is one of four placemats made with my newest collection, Red, White and True Blue.  I guest posted on the Sew Timeless blog with a tutorial on making the placemats.

This isn’t the end.  I have more!  I told you this was a prolific group!

Wow and wow again!  What a fun time we had at our Quilt Escape last weekend.  There were 46 of us, and it was four days filled with sewing, fun, eating, fun and inspiration.  I’m truly amazed at how much everyone accomplishes, and their work inspires me.  Part of the fun is Show-and-Tell.  Here’s the start of what we saw.

Several people brought back quilts they worked on at the last retreat, like this one from Robin.  It was part of my A Quilt Block A Day from Facebook.  All it needs now are cornerstones and two more borders, and it’s finished!  There’s a tutorial here on my blog for the blocks.  Click HERE for a tutorial on regular Bow Tie blocks and click HERE for a tutorial on making three dimensional.

Robin did blocks like the ones below for her Secret Sister one time, and made a set for herself, too.  I love how she used the two different colors for her setting squares.

And she made this quilt with blocks she received from her Secret Sister.

Robin also made this Bargello quilt.  The squares finish at 1″!  She’s going to do a demo on how to make it at our next retreat.

This vintage Double Wedding Ring belongs to a family member of R obin’s.  It still needs to be quilted.  Don’t you love how the addition of one more piece of fabric on the four-patches forms a blue border on the top and bottom and a yellow border on the sides of this quilt?

Julie made this Patriotic Log Cabin.

This gorgeous quilt was done by Pat P.  We only had three Pats this time, and only two were Pat P!

Pat P #1 also made this quilt.  This color combination in batiks is my favorite!

Here’s Phyllis holding up several table runners that Barbara made.  The first is from my Center Piece Table Runner kit.

She liked it so well, she did it in Christmas fabrics!

This one is perfect for fall.

I know what she’ll have on her Easter table!

This is a very sweet Valentine runner.

Phyllis made this beautiful cover for either an iPad or Kindle, I can’t remember which!

She also made these two amazing miniatures.

Make that three amazing miniatures!

We had two token scrapbookers at retreat.  Karen R shows us her Christmas album with yearly photos of her son and Santa.  Although now that he’s nearly 16, he says he’s through with Santa pictures!

This is my sister Sally, who also came to scrapbook.  But, she had a quilt to show-and-tell—a gift from HER sister!

She also shared an album that covered multiple trips to Hawaii.

Sarah had a pretty, spring table runner to show…

…as well as this incredible Many Trips quilt.

A few retreats ago, I demonstrated the Hunter’s Star ruler from Studio 180.  Many of the ladies started quilts.  Here’s Sarah’s finished one!

In fact, here she is at the retreat a year ago, just getting started!

Sarah also made this wonderful wildlife quilt for a raffle.

Stacey brought the first quilt she ever made, I mean started!  She’s hand quilting it, and hasn’t given up yet!

She also brought this completed quilt that she started in a mystery class I taught a few years ago.

This was Dante’s first quilt.  I think it’s amazing!  She said it nearly drove her crazy.

After making the Flying Geese quilt, she kept on quilting, and this is her quilt, too.

Carol made this wonderful sampler quilt.

Susan did a Twelve Step Program from my Bundles of Fun book.  It uses just 12 fat quarters!

I shared two quilts from my Dolly Dear fabric collection. This is made from a pre-printed panel.

This one is called Let’s Play Paper Dolls, and the pockets hold the dolly dresses!  There are kits for it on my website.

That’s a start!  I’ll share more in a day or two.

 

 

 

Last fall at the Anna Lena retreat, Mary and Robin had a stack of really fun blocks that they had gotten in a block swap.

Once the blocks started going up on the wall, they drew a lot of attention.  That led to a conversation about block swaps, and before you could say “Crossroads to Jericho” we decided we would do a block swap at our next retreat!

Robin and Mary’s blocks were so striking yet so simple that we decided to do this block for our first swap.  You might want to organize a swap with your friends, too!

Blocks finish at 8-1/2″. Here are the fabric requirements for each block.

Black: 5) 2-1/2” squares

Four different bright prints: 1) 2-1/2” squares of each and 1) 5-1/2” squares of each cut once diagonally.

When you cut your large square diagonally, you will end up with two triangles.  You only need one per color per block, so set half aside for another block.

L
Lay out your squares to form a nine-patch with the black in the middle and on the corners.

Match the triangles to their companion prints.  I love how this forms an arrow.

Once you have the nine-patch sewn together, line it up with one of the triangles as shown below.  Make sure an equal amount of fabric is visible on each side then stitch.  I like to do opposite sides first, press, then do the remaining sides.  On the nine-patches, I press toward the dark.  On the triangles, I press toward the triangle.

Voila!  Your finished block.

If you set the blocks straight, the black forms a chain through the bright arrows.

If you set the blocks on point, the nine-patch is more visible.

Every swap needs a few rules.  Below are ours.  The last one is the most important!

Your pieced block should measure slightly more than 9”.  There’s a little wiggle room here, so blocks can be trimmed to 9”.  If your block is smaller than 9”, it isn’t acceptable.  Either restitch with slightly smaller seams or make another one to swap.

Don’t trim your blocks.  Let the person receiving them do the trimming.

The black can be a solid black, or a black-on-black print, but be sure it “reads” black from a distance.

Bright means bright, clear colors.  Nothing muddy!

You may make all your blocks the same, or use lots of different blacks and brights.

Have fun!