Wednesday, September 28, 2016

A Quilting I went....Retreat Time


Photo by RR Retreats
Two Weeks ago I was so busy trying to stay caught up at work and at home all while I was trying to pack up fabric, and necessary equipment needed to sew for a week long retreat at RR Retreats by Margie
Friday before I left work we surprised my co-worker Ashley with a little Graduation party. She's the first one in her family to graduate from college. She ran into a couple of obstacles a long the way and having a two year old running around made it interesting but she succeeded and she should be proud of herself.  
So while I was busy packing my car and grocery shopping for me and for David she was walking across the stage in Austin getting her BS in Information Technology. I was there in spirit for her.
Way To Go!



I headed out on Sunday the 17th to spend the week with a few of my quilty friends.  Yep I left the Husband and my Fur Baby to hold down the fort at home while I went to sew, laugh, drink some wine and try to finish up some old projects that have been sitting on the shelf, the table or machine for way way toooo long. 
Plus I had to finish my Round Robin Medallion before our hand off on Tuesday. 
As I was driving along thru Fayetteville I saw this little self serve Library. Too cool. I had heard about them on the show Day Tripper and Country Reporter but never seen one until now. When I go through next March I'll have to stick a couple of books in there and if there's one I just really want to read maybe I'll help myself to it but for sure I want contribute a couple books to their library. What a great way to share the love of reading.
Whew I did it. I finished 97% of my medallion. LOL. I won't see it now for a year and then it will be a finished quilt top.  I knew I wanted a more rustic kind of Santa and I found this picture on pinterest but couldn't find the pattern. Of course not. That would be too easy. So I had to trace the pieces I wanted and figure out how to applique it on my fabric.  I left the rabbit off and I wanted a different type of truck. Thanks to my friend Sandy B. for finding a picture of a truck that was more to my liking. And here's how my medallion turned out. 
Now I was asking Margie how to put bows on my Christmas packages and the cactus and she started showing me but then she stopped and said just make a note in your book for "me, Margie" to embellish the packages and cactus and then I add to added the please embellish the windmill too. 
Then David came up with a good idea and asked if I could somehow put our Rockin K symbol on the truck. Mmmm and I thought yeah I can embroider it but I'll need to do that after I get the quilt top back since I forgot to do it before the hand off.


Wal-Mart and HEB got plenty of business this week from us at retreat. It seems everyone either needed or forgot something. I went with Donna Marie the first night while she picked up a couple of things and I looked for the dice game Left-Right-Center. A must have for this week. I was feeling silly and the display of silk flowers called my name and well a crazy picture. And No I did not have too much to drink even though that's what many thought. I hadn't started yet. LOL. 







The next morning Sandy was up early as usual and took these great pictures.  She said at one point you couldn't even see our cars in the parking lot the fog was so thick.







Here's Denise working hard on her medallion. She just started it Sunday evening. Holy crap and we're doing the hand off on Tuesday. The girl is crazy but good.


And here is part of a block that Sandy is working on. Can't wait to see how it all comes together and by the end of the blog I will have a picture of her putting the block up. This girls completes more quilt tops I tell ya.
And now it gets real. The last 2 of our 6 member Round Robin team arrived. Margie has helped us all sort though our fabric and complete our books,  fill in any blanks and now it's time for us to talk about our block and pass them and our suit case full of fabric off. Oh Boy here goes nothing.
So this below is how it's gonna work. I'll pass my medallion and suitcase of fabric that I bought to be used in my quilt to Mary Jane and she'll add the first border to it no bigger than say 2-4 inches. She can piece, applique, whatever floats her boat. And she passes to Margie and so forth. We won't meet again until November for the next hand off but we're not allowed to see our own medallions from now on. We'll see everyone else's but not our own at the next hand off.

We'll have to leave the room while they talk about our individual medallions so the final quilt top will be a total surprise a year from now. Oh our group is call the Reluctant Round Robins. We were Margie's Misfits but Margie said "No!" LOL
We each talk about our medallion, our inspiration, our wants and our don't wants. Margie went first. Her medallion is Mrs. Claus to go with her Bubba Claus that she did in another Round Robin. 

Then here's Mildred.  This is the medallion I have to add the first border on. I actually already have an idea and ran it by the gals after Mildred left the next day. She and her sister Mary Jane couldn't stay for the retreat. They just came up for the Round Robin hand off.  Now I have to figure out how to make my idea work.
Our 3rd Robin is Donna Marie. She did a pieced medallion. I'm not sure but I think she kinda getting into this Round Robin thing. She was giving me a bad time about even considering the possibility of liking this quilting adventure even as scary as it is.
What's scary you ask? The idea of messing up someone else's quilt that's what!





Then it was my turn to talk about my medallion. Here's what a couple of the pages look like in our book. Then there's a page for me to write about my medallion and then there's pages for each person that adds a border to write about what inspired them to add the border they added. 
This is Mary Jane and her block. She like me created a Christmas medallion. And the funny thing is that neither one of us typically applique but go figure that's the way we both went.



And our 6th Robin is Denise that I volunteered.  LOL  That's what happens when you don't come to a retreat and travel to Japan to see your new Grandson Henry. Who by the way is one adorable little guy. Any arguments? Didn't think So. Back to Denise and her medallion. As I said earlier she just started her medallion Sunday when we got here and she's left on Wednesday. 
In this picture on Tuesday the day of the hand off she wasn't quite finished but later that afternoon she finished up so she could work on something else for a while before packing up so she could go home the next day. Here's what the final medallion looks like. 
We had three new gals join us this retreat but 2 of them were leaving Tuesday and Alice one of our new gals wanted a group picture. Alice is the one on the far left and Debbie the one hiding behind her is also new. They were lots of fun but had to leave too soon. Now our third newbie wouldn't get in the picture because well she used to be an under cover cop. 

So I decided to make her our Mr. Wilson. Did you ever watch Home Improvement with Tim Allen? Remember the neighbor Mr. Wilson you never saw his face well you'll never see Ms. V's face either.  Problem solved. LOL
Cute bag!
Projects being completed or started.
I was able to make 12 wine bottle gift bags. And Ms V. work on her 4th or 5th friendship star quilt. She had gotten into a block exchange and had hundreds of them. She was on a mission to get them put into quilt tops.


Beginners luck. We played the Dice Game Left Right Center with Batik Fat Quarters and she was the last one standing and won the basket of fat quarters. And she loves batik fabrics.
Always have the greatest sunsets up there during retreat.
Donna is having laptop issues. Not a good thing. V. is trying to help. She's very helpful and so much fun.








Margie pulled out a Round Robin Quilt she had for someone to pick up. This is my kind of quilt.  Love love the quilting too! It might have disappeared if the owner hadn't showed up when she did. LOL
Here's some blocks by Donna Lynn. She was just sewing away. Couldn't believe how many blocks for this quilt and a flag block quilt she was working on and completed.  The flag was made out of 1930's fabric I think. Thought I had a picture but don't. 




A tiny block that Donna Marie was working on.
One Morning we had a Hoot of a breakfast. Jane gave us everything we needed to create cute little owls for breakfast.
It was all about OWLS

Someone decided to to go for a mouse. Sandy.
Remember that single block next to the iron in the beginning of the post? This is what a bunch of those little blocks together create! Cool block and look it also creates a cross in between each colorful block.
Every evening Margie cooks us a yummy dinner. This was Wednesday's dinner I believe. Sooo good!


We're so easily amused. Jim and Margie came in with a bubble coffee maker. It was very interesting little gadget. Looked like a science project.





By Thursday night we had two more new ladies join us. Linda and Rhonda.
Fun Gals. It was Great meeting them.
Rhonda hid away when we went out to take another group picture. The retreat had come to an end and it was time to go home. Bah hum bug. We still have projects to finish and wine to drink and stories to tell. 

I can post this now . This is Margie's Round Robin Quilt top that she got to see for the first time since Saturday after we left. It had been a year since she handed off her center medallion Wow! Awesome quilt. Not my favorite color of course.  It would have been better if it had been maroon and the horns sawed off. LOL. 
Just kidding Margie! They did a beautiful job on each and every row. I hope our Reluctant Round Robins live up to your expectations.

Until next blogging adventure....