Retreat Monday

I don't think there is any better Monday than a Monday when you're on a quilting retreat! The morning dawned beautifully and we decided to make it a field trip day. The original plan was to go to a shop about 45 minutes north of our retreat center, but we changed plans and headed about 30 minutes south instead to Lori's in Paris, IL. I worked on my red and white snowball blocks for about an hour before we left and we had a nice little shopping trip. I added three batik fat quarters and a book from the sale rack to my stash (forgot to take a picture of them!). 









I pretty much worked on the snowballs for the rest of the day. I managed to get all 49 white snowballs completed and added 11 red snowballs, so now I have 22 of 50 complete. When I just couldn't look at red and white any more, I cleaned and oiled my machine, changed the needle, and worked on a charity top. We all brought 8 1/2" squares to put together with the intent to make a couple of tops for victims of the Southern Indiana tornadoes. Kathy and I worked together on the first one and finished it in under an hour. After we got that one done, others in the group laid out then finished two more. 

 

Here's a picture of the setup. We were in a large room with 12 6" tables. With 8 of us, we had a full table and then some. It was plenty of room for us and the sleeping rooms were right around the corner, so it was easy to stumble out of bed and into the sewing room (or the snacking room!). 

I didn't get a picture of all my progress on the red & white blocks but will try to get them up on my design wall soon for a picture. The first full day ended late and I slept like a ton of bricks ready to go on my next project....stay tuned!