A busy week into another busy week

Thursday's  CRQ business meeting went well.  There were a lot of technical business matters to take care of and that always is a little challenging to appease all the members but it's done and that is great.  Also there was an item that I needed to address and I am please to say it was well received and passed by the members.  We will no longer be having lunch after the business meeting provided by the members.  We will have a more hardy continental breakfast before the meeting at social time, and fore go the lunch, with the exception of potluck luncheon for our last meeting of the year as we have now and the December Christmas potluck.  Everyone agreed that was a good idea.  Whew.   Here's a picture of our last regular lunch.

When I came home - I cleaned up a few things around the house before the guys got home, and of course work on packing my stuff for the retreat. Then when they got home we went to a local Mexican restaurant we have wanted to share with my Brother in Law Frank.  

Friday - Yay - Funny how you can be so full of energy when you know you've got 3 days of sewing going on :)   I got up showered, and got to the retreat at 9am.   So what did I end up taking for my Projects you ask.   I took my Bears to finish the second bear,  material to make a calendar holder,  material make the sewing mat for my friend Ronni, the paper pieced block we made at the workshop  - I needed to finish sewing it together.  Then for good measures I threw in kit that I hadn't started.  :)  

Here is my sewing area at the retreat - 

So first off I made the sewing mat.  It's all done except the hand stitching of the binding.  That went really quick thanks to my new walking foot.  Yay!  

I needed some contrasting fabric for the calendar holder and my honey needed to come down so I could check into the hotel so I asked him to bring some fabric.  So next I did the calendar holder.  That too went together quick and Vickie gave me some gray for the pocket and the binding  and she has a cute Lamb I can applique on the top.  

For lunch we had a catered sandwich bar.  Breads, fruit, pasta salad, cheese and meats.  Sorry forgot the picture.  

Then I put the paper pieced square together.  

Then I started putting the background of the kit I brought together. Then that wrapped up the day.   It originally was needle turn applique - but I am going to use wool.  

Also this was supposed to be put together so that is had the light for points as a star but I've put it together to be more of an "X".  Such a rebel.  :)  Here's a picture of the pattern.   I have the wool cut out I just need to fuse.  I'll lay it out first and see if I really do like it this way if not I'll take apart and change back to the way it is in the pattern.  :)

Saturday Morning I started on a couple of my Snowman Collector blocks.  I worked on that until breakfast time.   I got the pieces fused on before breakfast and then left the top stitching until after I work on the bears.  

 Pictured below.  :)

Here was some pictures from breakfast, didn't get my actual plate of food.  A couple of gals love peel and eat shrimp for breakfast - not my style, but hey eat what you want.  Here are some of my friends. 

Then after breakfast.... The Bears.  This is where I started  - 

This is after putting the "body" parts on. 

Here are the two bears all put together.  

The next step will be to position them and put trees around them on the background.   Well that went together pretty easily - so next I worked  more and the snowmen block(s).   I was able to top

Here is the Lunch we had that was included in the retreat 

Lunch was baked Chicken, Pot Roast, Potatoes, Broccoli, Salad, Rolls, and Chocolate Cake. 

And we were not all that hungry for dinner after that lunch so I only had soup and salad for dinner.   Okay and One count it One bread stick.  :)

Here are the snowmen after the top stitching.   I still need to put their faces on. 

I finished the top stitching on the last block of snowmen just in time to pack up and get ready to go home.  And of course I was dog tired.  But in a good way.  

It's been busy since the retreat too - Hence why it's Wednesday night and I'm just finishing up this post. But I'll write more later, and let you know what I've been up to since the retreat and what I'm doing to get ready for my trip.  

Have a Blessed Day! 

Lynn