A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
My little mini-vacation to join some good friends on the HGTV Message Board for a mini-retreat in Alabama...was such a good time. But, I did miss my daily posts with you! I tried to talk to you on Thursday, but the wireless connection was so slow...I could not get a single photo to upload.
Now, I'm back home...and tired...and can't wait until I can see my dear friends again!
Part of the time we worked hard!
Part of the time we partied hard!
There was a lot of stitches put into my Merry Merry Snowman quilt (yep, this is me!), and I only have one more block to go and it will be all appliqued! I'll share some photos of the finished blocks when I get a moment to put the button eyes on and embroider the arms of the snow-people.
We shopped at the Ashland Quilt House and the Heart to Heart Quilt Shop...and look at part of the stash I purchased. Can you tell that I like this fabric? I had no idea that I had purchased the same package of 5" squares at each shop!! Do you ever do that?
While at the quilt shop in Asland, a man/woman delivered a beautiful rocking horse to the owner. Her mother was so pleased that she had to take a little ride herself...she is 97 years old!
I had to have a photo...hope I have half the energy she has when I'm 79...much less at 97!!!
Time to start unpacking all of my dirty clothes, fabric, projects, and such!
See y'all again soon.
Isn't this tree glorious! It is a maple, sitting right outside one of the quilt shops we visited during the Odenville Retreat. Twice a year, some of the ladies off of the HGTV Message Board "Quilting and Needlework" meet near Birmingham Alabama for a little mini-retreat. Annually, all of the member try to meet somewhere nationally..but smaller portions of the membership will also get together locally. Ours is not really "much" locally..since we have folks that travel down from as far as Maine to join in...because we have so much fun!
This is the view from my corner seat next to the windows...far right back.
Isn't this a lovely group of ladies to be stitching with! I think so!
See y'all again soon.....in April!
Hugs!
If you ever get the chance to join a group of women....for any "outing". Do it! Here's my view from my little "nest" in the corner....
Now, usually, "What Happens at Retreat...Stays at Retreat!"...but, here is the henna Tattoo I got!Aidan loves it...(it will wear off...eventually!). Gonna see just how long that takes! Toryam from Mississippi did them for us....thanks Charlyn!And, the Magnolia Park Retreat Center coordinated massages if you wanted one...I got 30 minutes on my back/shoulders...and promptly proposed marriage to the masseuse afterwards! She didn't take me seriously....but I would have taken care of her for life just for a massage each day! I didn't care what her gender was!...I was in love!We also had a great presentation...also coordinated by the Center...thanks Elizabeth! Or, as we were told...Hookers and Strippers! That got our attention!Really, these were ladies that "hooked wool rugs" and used various widths of cloth strips to make "string blocks". Barbara Sanders and Virginia Baker just published a great new book called String Quilt Revival...and I highly recommend it! We saw all of their quilts up close...and they are gorgeous...and SO EASY to create! I have never been a big fan of string quilts...but they converted me! The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon...the release date is very soon.And...as if these things were not enough! We had a talk by an area artist, Bettye Kimbrell, on Cherokee Native American Leaf Pounding technique. She received an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work..and they used a photo of one of her quilts for their programs! How cool is that. She used a wooden cutting board, covered with a dishtowel...and taped a small multi-leaf rose leaf sprig to a piece of muslin. Then, she covered the leaf with more masking tape to secure it completely to the muslin. She turned the muslin over (leaf/tape) on bottom...and with a small hammer (regular style) pounded the outline and then the center. The chloroform in the leaf came out and stained the muslin...leaving a perfect imprint of the leaf on the fabric. She stated that she then washed the muslin in a vinegar/water solution...and she hand quilts all of her quilts! Her stitching was gorgeous too! Here is an article with photos of her technique.It was an inspirational few days...with outside speakers...and all of the wonderful work by my cyber friends at HGTV attending as well! And the food served by Magnolia Retreat Center head mistress...Ms Elizabeth...was so savory; each day was a real treat!
