I can't believe November is almost over and I haven't yet told you about my great retreat in October! That's what happens when you're booked every weekend.
I did a little prep in early October, but my month of sewing (almost) every day in September really paid off as I was ready to go by the time retreat arrived. I packed my bags and headed out on a Wednesday morning in mid-October. We go to Shipshewana, Indiana - the heart of Amish and RV construction country! We had a little smaller group this year, but still had a great time, and it was good to see friends that we only see a couple times a year, especially Debbie and Hannah who have moved in the last year.
I took lots of projects and am happy to say that I worked a little on everything. Here are some pictures of what I got done:
- Added binding to the Kaleidoscope quilt, one of my UFOs for the year. I quilted it just before retreat, so it was great to have a finish while there! I used the quiet time during introductions to sew down the hanging sleeve, so it was ready to hang up in my living room when I arrived home. The colors don't match my house at all, but I love the bright colors in this quilt.
- Made a Mondo bag - for this bag, you have to have 208 squares cut (which I had done over time and finished up just before retreat), and then you fuse them onto an interfacing. After that, you sew lots of rows, then the columns, and it all works out pretty well. This was a fun bag to make and I've already used it twice - it's the perfect size for an overnight trip.
- Fused, appliqued, quilted, and bound this summer wall hanging. I bought this back in January with the intent to make it for a Christmas gift, and I am so glad it is ready to go!
- Made a few selvage ornaments. This was our group's challenge for this year - make something with your scraps. I could also count the Mondo bag, but I'd been planning for that a while. I decided it was high time to use some of the selvages that I save. As you can imagine, this didn't even make a dent in my box of selvages, but aren't they cute?
- Finished the top that I started at retreat back in May. I brought this home and it only needed borders. I figured I'd finish it by the end of the month. Wrong! I hadn't touched it since getting home from that retreat, so it came back to this one with me. I got the top done and was able to find some fabric from the same line for binding. My plan is to get this one quilted soon as I plan to gift it before the end of the year.
- Paper piecing border blocks. I have had this project in my bag for several retreats and it has come and gone without being touched. After finishing up my blue and purple paper pieced top in September, I got the bug to work on this again. I still have several border sections to go, but at least I made some progress.
- Finished the rows and put together the top for this french braid quilt. I've used this as my leader/ender project for several retreats and have only worked on it at retreats. I was so happy to get it done and into a finished top. My daughter loves it, so it may become a new bed quilt for her.
- Last up, I started the little candle mat kit that I picked up in September. I still have borders and some hand embroidery to go on this one, so I will show a picture when it is closer to done.
Whew - that was a busy retreat! In between all that sewing, I also enjoyed time with friends, shopping, eating, and walking around town. We also met a brand new quilter and helped her get going in her quilting journey. It was really fun to experience the fun of the craft through a new quilter's eyes.
So, that's the rundown for the month. I didn't touch anything else in the sewing room the rest of the month, and I've only been down to the basement (my sewing room) once or twice since I got home. I did get some stitching done, but will save that for another post.
The result for the stash report was pretty good. I did add some fabric - a small kit, fat quarters for a purse and just because, and binding for the top I finished above. I also used quite a bit of fabric as I got all that stuff up there done!
Fabric added this month: 3 1/4 yards
Fabric used this month: 4 1/8 yards
Fabric added year to date: 16 1/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 43 3/4 yards
Net fabric used: 27 5/8 yards
Hope your fall is going well and look forward to seeing what you've been up to!
I did a little prep in early October, but my month of sewing (almost) every day in September really paid off as I was ready to go by the time retreat arrived. I packed my bags and headed out on a Wednesday morning in mid-October. We go to Shipshewana, Indiana - the heart of Amish and RV construction country! We had a little smaller group this year, but still had a great time, and it was good to see friends that we only see a couple times a year, especially Debbie and Hannah who have moved in the last year.
I took lots of projects and am happy to say that I worked a little on everything. Here are some pictures of what I got done:
- Added binding to the Kaleidoscope quilt, one of my UFOs for the year. I quilted it just before retreat, so it was great to have a finish while there! I used the quiet time during introductions to sew down the hanging sleeve, so it was ready to hang up in my living room when I arrived home. The colors don't match my house at all, but I love the bright colors in this quilt.
- Made a Mondo bag - for this bag, you have to have 208 squares cut (which I had done over time and finished up just before retreat), and then you fuse them onto an interfacing. After that, you sew lots of rows, then the columns, and it all works out pretty well. This was a fun bag to make and I've already used it twice - it's the perfect size for an overnight trip.
- Fused, appliqued, quilted, and bound this summer wall hanging. I bought this back in January with the intent to make it for a Christmas gift, and I am so glad it is ready to go!
- Made a few selvage ornaments. This was our group's challenge for this year - make something with your scraps. I could also count the Mondo bag, but I'd been planning for that a while. I decided it was high time to use some of the selvages that I save. As you can imagine, this didn't even make a dent in my box of selvages, but aren't they cute?
- Finished the top that I started at retreat back in May. I brought this home and it only needed borders. I figured I'd finish it by the end of the month. Wrong! I hadn't touched it since getting home from that retreat, so it came back to this one with me. I got the top done and was able to find some fabric from the same line for binding. My plan is to get this one quilted soon as I plan to gift it before the end of the year.
- Paper piecing border blocks. I have had this project in my bag for several retreats and it has come and gone without being touched. After finishing up my blue and purple paper pieced top in September, I got the bug to work on this again. I still have several border sections to go, but at least I made some progress.
- Finished the rows and put together the top for this french braid quilt. I've used this as my leader/ender project for several retreats and have only worked on it at retreats. I was so happy to get it done and into a finished top. My daughter loves it, so it may become a new bed quilt for her.
- Last up, I started the little candle mat kit that I picked up in September. I still have borders and some hand embroidery to go on this one, so I will show a picture when it is closer to done.
Whew - that was a busy retreat! In between all that sewing, I also enjoyed time with friends, shopping, eating, and walking around town. We also met a brand new quilter and helped her get going in her quilting journey. It was really fun to experience the fun of the craft through a new quilter's eyes.
So, that's the rundown for the month. I didn't touch anything else in the sewing room the rest of the month, and I've only been down to the basement (my sewing room) once or twice since I got home. I did get some stitching done, but will save that for another post.
The result for the stash report was pretty good. I did add some fabric - a small kit, fat quarters for a purse and just because, and binding for the top I finished above. I also used quite a bit of fabric as I got all that stuff up there done!
Fabric added this month: 3 1/4 yards
Fabric used this month: 4 1/8 yards
Fabric added year to date: 16 1/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 43 3/4 yards
Net fabric used: 27 5/8 yards
Hope your fall is going well and look forward to seeing what you've been up to!
Comments
Hope you enjoy these last few days of November--can hardly believe December is almost here :)