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.

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!

 

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.

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!