Retreat Time Again

I know I’m not the only one who looks forward to quilt retreats with friends. Three or four days away with some of your favourite people, getting away from the usual routines of cleaning, meals and everyday life, and getting to sew at the same time…bliss!

We went back again to one of our favourite places, Retreat at the Farm near Shelburne, Ontario, and Becky even traveled from New Brunswick to join us. She hasn’t wasted any time since being there by joining her local guild and taking part in sew days. It just reminds us all about how welcoming and inclusive quilters are.

We all worked on some very different projects while there, and even though I’m only sharing one project from each of the ladies, they worked on multiple things. There will also be a couple of freebie instructions for all of you soon…Disappearing 9-Patch and Log Cabin. Most of the blocks were completed at retreat, but a few more need to be done (along with the accompanying photos) before I can share them with you. Both designs are equally beautiful if done with either scraps or a planned colour scheme. I think you’ll enjoy making them.

Gail managed to make a few blocks of her Pear Toss pattern that she got from the June 2024 magazine issue from the AllPeopleQuilt website. Her colour choices, as usual, are gorgeous and I know this will be just beautiful when she’s done. Patti did her own thing with an existing pattern called Snapshots of Summer and changed things up a bit. Instead of doing pieced “photo” squares, she used an adorable panel and made her own Polaroid style photos using a bright cheery turquoise instead of the traditional white. Some little person will love getting this quilt.

Pear #1

Pear #2

Patti’s snapshots

Becky has gotten into the more modern style of quilting over the last while and loves graphic designs. This wonderful Missouri Star design, Saved By The Bell, is no exception. Black and white with brights is one of my favourite combos too…it’s always very striking. Marg is no stranger to the Twister Tool by Twisted Sisters Designs…from the large square all the way down to the mini tool…she’s used them all. Her latest is Twister Stroll, an adorable duck taking a stroll in the rain…so stinkin’ cute!

Saved by the Bell

Twister Stroll

After making Becky Bags for Becky, Marg and myself, the offer went out to Gail and Patti too. Gail took me up on it for this particular bag because she does a lot of English Paper Piecing (EPP) as well. Her bag incorporates fabrics from her favourite fabric designer, Tula Pink…and check out that cool stripey zipper tape! Patti does not do EPP and prefers something else, so at the next retreat I’ll be working on an A Place For Everything 2.0 bag for her in her favourite red, black and white colour scheme. I no longer need to work on countless samples for work, and nearly everyone I love already has a couple of my quilts, so I’m at the point where I just want to Enjoy the Process and keep creating and sewing. If that means making stuff for my friends, I’m OK with that!

Here you get a sneak peek at the Log Cabin blocks that I made at retreat. There are still a couple more strips that need to be added, but you can see how colourful it will be when finished. Log Cabin is my favourite traditional quilt pattern and looks great in any colour scheme and any of the countless settings, and is absolutely perfect for using up scraps and leftover strips from other projects. Definitely more to come about Log Cabin in a future post.

I go to about four retreats a year, always have an amazing time and can’t wait for the next one in May. How many more sleeps?!

Gail’s Becky Bag

Log Cabin blocks