Spring 2021 Retreat Roundup

Time is flying by now that things are happening in the world again, isn't it? It was time in May for our annual spring quilt retreat in Shipshewana and it was so great to be back with friends for a long weekend of sewing. We packed up the car on Wednesday morning, settled into the quilting room by Wednesday afternoon and then commenced with our sewing, eating, laughing, and general happiness. 

My theme this time seemed to be paper piecing...I didn't really plan to, but wound up bringing 3 projects for paper piecing. It's okay though, I do like the projects. 

I started with an orphan block that I found when going through my cabinet. I always intended to come back to this one and make a few more blocks, so I decided to put them into a cross-stitch project bag. The funny thing is that I made the original block probably 10 years ago and printed out two more paper patterns at the time. When I made the new blocks, they were bigger than the original one! I managed to make it work out by putting one block on the front of the bag and the other two on the back. I used lots of batik scraps to make up the rest of the bag and like the scrappiness of it.

Project bag back

Project bag front

Next up was a quilt I've been planning to make for a long time - this is Harvest Moon by Deb Karasik and it went together rather quickly and quite nicely. It's come to retreat with me at least 3 times and I decided that this time I should actually make it! 

My third project was to make some blocks for Which Way North by Judy Niemeyer. This one will take around 60 blocks and I didn't have any ambitions to make them all at retreat, but I made some good progress on them.

Block progress...and still lots to go!

After all that paper piecing, I made this really cute tote bag. It is from a panel by QT Fabrics called Take Along Tote. I bought it last fall and I just love the bright colors - it is the perfect size to bring along to a retreat with all your goodies in it. I wish I'd known how much I would like this - I'd have bought more panels when I had the chance and it was quite popular with our group - I may have to do some surfing to see if I can find some more of these panels. 

My last project was a new start called Urban Chained by Sew Kind of Wonderful. It is the fourth quilt I've made with the Quick Curve Ruler and I realized while working on it that I've made all of them at our Shipshewana retreats! The blocks are all pieced and the columns sewn together, but I still have to add sashing between the columns. The fabric is from a kit I bought years ago and I love the rich jewel tones. 

Blocks as tall as I am!

All the projects are great, but the best part of retreat is being with friends. We enjoy talking to the wee hours of the morning, trying new places to eat, and seeing what everyone else is working on. There is a good amount of quilt enabling that goes on too as we trade patterns and start new projects.  

"We Are Trouble When We Are Together - Who Knew!"

Our group at the spring 2021 retreat

The weekend always goes way too quickly and then it is Sunday morning and we have to figure out how to pack up everything in the car to get it back home. With 4 machines, 4 overnight bags, 4 chairs, and lots of project and shopping bags, it is sometimes a bit of a challenge to get everything packed in, but I am always up to the challenge! 

I am already looking forward to our next retreat - a stitching retreat this summer - we won't need to pack nearly as much for that one and it is only 10 minutes from home so much easier to run back if you need something! 

If you've never been to a retreat, I highly recommend it - lots of fun and lots of chance to get inspiration from others who share your craft. If you'd like to see a video report of the retreat along with lots of show and tell at the end, you can visit me and my mom at Two Tall Stitchers on YouTube and watch our Spring Quilt Retreat video - you'll see what my mom worked on too!