August Retreat 2015

Quilting Queens of Laughlin 

For this retreat we were called the Quilting Queens.  :)   And quilting we did.  I did not make the progress I was hoping to - I think I was in denial of how long this one project was going to take me, but more on that later.
For this retreat as apposed to the retreat I went to in February, we were in a bigger room.  This room is the main Pavillon at the Tropicana Casino in Laughlin NV.  I've been to a couple of concerts here so that was kinda fun to see it in a different setting.

Here's a couple of pictures from Friday morning while everyone was setting up.

My station in this one here with the red pillow on the chair.  I'm so glad I brought it the chairs were a little low and even though the pillow was small, it helped a lot.  

Included in our retreat package was, Dinner on Friday, breakfast and dinner for Saturday and then Breakfast for Sunday.  I didn't take a picture of my plate at the breakfasts but here is Friday's dinner.  I'm sure this is someone else's plate - I would never eat that much.   ahem... clearing of the throat.  wink wink. 

Chicken, roast beef, salad, steamed veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy, and rolls with butter. 

There was also chocolate fudge cake for desert - yes I split a piece with my friend Judy.  

We did go back and sewed for a little while after dinner but not long.  I think all the prep for getting there and then setting up tired us out so we stopped sewing at around 7pm and went to our room.  

Nice and clean and comfortable.  

Judy and I had a great time together talking for a couple of hours like two school girls until finally we were like we need to stop and get some rest.  So at 9 pm we stopped talking and with in 10 seconds I think we were both out. We got up at 5:30 the next morning cleaned up and went down for the morning buffet that started at 7am.

I didn't get a picture of my plate but here's a picture of the wonderful fruit they had for us.  There was so much to choose from, oatmeal, cheese omelets, beans, eggs and chorizo, Fritata's, bacon, sausage, bagels, muffins, breakfast pizza, I don't know what all.  

I spent most of my day on Friday making strip sets to be used as sashing for the 12 blocks I had already completed. They also were being cut into smaller sections to be made into four patch corner stones around each block.  

Here is what I got completed Friday and finished up Saturday morning.  

It's a little hard to see in this picture so you'll have to click on it to enlarge, but the sashing is two colors.  A pink checked and the green. 

At 11 am on Saturday we broke and went downstairs to have lunch with my husband and his brother.  Frank whom  has been visiting for the last month. He was heading out on Sunday before I got  home so it was our farewell.  Four of my friends joined us so it was a very nice lunch. I met a new lady at my table her name is Barbara and was sitting next to my other friend Barbara and they both have the last initial of Z.  So they were the B.Z's. sitting next to each other for the retreat.  She is a friend of Melinda's that is part of our guild and will be joining the guild this year.  It was fun getting to know her.  So she and Melinda came with my Barbara Z. and my roomie for the weekend Judy.   

Then back upstairs to get at the sewing again.  

I brought 5 projects to work on, in case I was super speedy or if I got at a point and got stuck or if I was just bored with one and wanted to move on.  My hope was that after I got this top done - the next project I wanted to work on is this one. 

I have about 9 of the 12 blocks fused on their back grounds and probably 5 of those top stitched. So I was planning on top stitching them and and making some more blocks.  Nope that's didn't happen. 

So at around 4:30-5pm we broke for dinner, they had a taco bar for us.  Tortilla's, hard shells, two kinds of meat, rice, beans, salsa's cheese, sour cream, guacamole, you name it.  And yes again the chocolate fudge cake, however this time I didn't have any.  

Shortly after dinner Judy said she wanted to go play a few nickels and then go up to bed.  Her eyes were bugging her and she was tired.  I told her I would be quiet when I came up.  :)  So I kept working on the friendship stars.   I worked until 9 pm sewing and trimming 160  half square triangles. I got them all sewn and trimmed, whew. And made two of the friendship stars before I finally stopped.  I thought I better head up or wouldn't be worth anything on Sunday if I didn't.  

So I get upstairs and the TV was on a movie I really like so I watched some TV and munched on some corn nuts and then went to sleep.  

Sunday - Sunday (cue the music to Monday Monday....) - Off to the buffet again and then up to the sewing room.  We had until 2pm - again I had visions of grandeur of getting the top done. 

Cue the doom and gloom music - dunt dunt daaaaaaa

 Unfortunately - the top still looks like it does above.   Try as I might I just couldn't  get it done.  

I did however get 33 of the 40 friendship stars done - so I am really hoping that at tomorrows open sew at the shop I finish the remaining starts and then will finally have the top done.  

As for my other projects I wanted to get done.  Well they may end up on my goal list for one of the upcoming months.  But may be down the line a few months.  I already have some heavy goals for September and October so not sure they will get in there and then November we have a lot of family things going on, Our Son is getting married in Vegas the first part of the month. My Sister is coming to visit for a week the middle of the month. And our oldest Daughter and son in law, and grandaughter and great grand babies are going to try and make it at the end of the month for Thanksgiving.  So these other sewing projects may get pushed out a ways. 

Well I've spent long enough on this post  - hope you all have a wonderful day!  

Blessings, 

Lynn 

July finishes and August Goals.

1. Continue to blog more ... still doing better. So I'd say goal met.
2.  Mail the Not Forgotten Quilt. Complete.  The Auction was Friday night I'm still waiting to hear how it did.

#2.  Mystery Monday - Complete   It was a notebook cover. 

4. Top stitch the Woodsy Squirrel  - Complete.  There will probably be more stitching some thread play - but that will be done when I quilt it. 

5. Progress on SNR Guild Mystery Quilt - Goal met.  I completed the top.  I started the month with only a few 9 patches done.  I had already cut them and realized I forgot to take a picture so you'll have to trust me on that one. 

I finished sewing the rest together, then chopped them apart. 

Then sewed them back together. And now I have a new top.  

6. APQ random number UFO buster.  #1. 

Henrietta Whiskers - goal met. I wanted to make progress on this one and I did. Very little but progress.  It is a hand pieced, hand appliqued quilt, I started with only two blocks done.  

and I got this much of a block done.

7.   Not like I planned.   Well I put this one in because it seems like there is always some kind of project that comes up that takes me away from my goals.  Well I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not to put that in.  First off I did have a lot of Not like I planned things that came up.  Yikes.  

         A.  We were on vacation , came home and decided to paint living room, kitchen and bathroom. 

         B.  We were wrapping the painting up and our Arizona room flooded and we had to tear out all the carpet.  This is also my sewing room.  So I had it all cleaned and set up pretty like I wanted it and bam  total chaos.  So these were definitely "Not Planned" events. I was talking about Not Planned Sewing events but that still counts and not sure I want to put that on the list again - ha ha. Even though I know things come up I don't want them to be like that.  I have however rearranged all the bins of my stuff and my sewing tables AGAIN...  I decided to bring my sewing tables closer to this end of the room because it is closer to the air conditioning.  So here is the new arrangement.  Once Monsoon season is over and we are sure everything is sealed up right we will do something to the floors - but for now I'm liking the fact that I can wheel my sewing chair around on the concrete real speedy like.  

 8. Charity work -  Well there are a couple of things, part of which I don't have pictures of.  We made curtains for an old school house that is going to be part of a historic arena in the area and the old school house is going to be a museum.  Then we are sewing things that can be sold in our next quilt show boutique to help the guild - we are making little fabric boxes and coasters and  bottle covers.  This fabric box and set of coasters are ones I made for someone else but they are the same type we made for the guild.  

And here are some bottle covers that I made for the guild.  So I'd say this goal is met. 

9.  Start quilting one of my tops.  - Goal met.   

This is a goal and an extra credit.  For extra credit that I noted on my goal list but not on my blog cause I thought there was no way to get to my extra credit - I said I wanted to do the top stitching on my Sea Turtles from last September. Well, I got the top stitching done and have started quilting it, I'm actually pretty close to being done.  I'll finish up in August for sure.  Here's how it was when I started the top stitching. 

         Here's where I'm at now.  It has a fin that will hang loose on top of the quilt 3D.  That's why there is a little paper and pin there.   I've put it in for the picture but it needs to be quilted before the final attachment.  Please excuse the threads I have a lot of burying to do.  :) 

10.  Work on and make progress on the wool projects I prepped.   Well I didn't make much progress but I did make some - so - Goal met.  I've done a blanket stitch around the star, the staph, the grassy hill and part of the shepherd's clothing.  Still need to do the sheep, the buildings and the rest of the shepherd. 

11. Vintage Kitchen - I had a few to do on this.  I wanted to do the alternate block for #5.  Then I needed to do #6 for June and #7 for July.  Boy when you get behind it snowballs.  :)  - Goal met I got them all done.  

The month ended up being really productive.  We were on vacation until the 8th.  Then came home and did the painting and home repairs.  And on top of the things listed above, I made 6 presents for people. Most of them are Birthday presents so I can't show them right now, but some of them I can be shown later in the month.  :) 

August 

1.  I'm going to keep going with this one * Blog More * 

2.  New - Mystery Monday - complete it. That's always a gamble since I don't know what it is.  

3.  Woodsy Quilt - Make a new animal block.  I'm torn between a rabbit and a fox.  I'll let you know.

4.  Wool Project - finish Bethlehem wall hanging. (Pictured above) 

5.  Quilting -  First, finish the Sea Turtles, then start quilting another top.  I haven't decided which one for sure but I'm leaning towards "Beehive Baby".  I've had this top done for way too long.  I took inventory of already completed tops - I need to knock out some serious quilting to get these done.  :) 

6. Embroidery - Vintage Kitchen Block # 8  - I am still doing all of my blocks in a salmon color, but this is the block.  

#7.  Pieced - UFO  Chocolate Stars. - It's a BOM quilt that I started a few many years ago.  ha ha.  I want to make progress on it.   I'd really like to finish the top - so we'll see.  

I have 10 of the 12 blocks done and then there are 40 friendship stars around the border.  

Here's a close up so you can see the colors a little better.  The original pattern was done in browns which is probably why it was called Chocolate Stars, but I think I'll rename mine to Strawberries n Mint, what do you think?   LOL

Here's a close up of the 10th block so you can see the colors better. 

#8.  Charity/Boutique - If we don't have small projects that need to be done for the boutique I will work on getting a top done for one of the guilds.  I have material and projects for quilts from both.  

Here are some blocks that were donated - I'm going to put a common sashing on each of them and then a border.  

#9.  Boutique - in addition to the guild making money in the boutique, we can make our own stuff and sell in the boutique.  I have a few things I would like to make to sell for myself.  So I will say the goal is to plan out and start on some of these items. 

#10.  All People Quilts - Random UFO Buster # ________  I'll know on Monday which number is picked and will update you on the UFO and what the starting status is.  Since I don't know which project will be picked, to meet my goal, I will say - Make Progress. 

#11.  Challenge Quilt - Also for the quilt show in February 2016 they are having a challenge quilt.  So I want to start on that.  Again I have some Ideas so I need to finalize the plan and start it. 

#12.  SNR guild workshop - I'm teaching a class in October at the SNR guild workshop.  I have created a pattern and have put in an order for the supplies.  I need to make up the sample to show at the September meeting to get sign ups.  I need to write out the instructions and draw out the pattern pieces to be cut.  I will be doing this in wool felt.  I prefer felted wool but am trying to keep the costs down for those who want to participate. Anyhow, I need to get that pretty close to done this month. 

#13 Row by Row pillow.  There is the nation wide Row by Row experience going on.  I have not traveled enough to collect a lot of the patterns but I am going to use the pattern from our local quilt shop to create one of the bench pillows.  On the 3rd Saturday of the month we are doing bench pillows from Kimber Belle.   But we're also improvising.  A few of us are using the Row by Row as our August Pillow.  So I want to finish my pillow form, and make the Fabrics Unlimited Row by Row for it.  

Well I've made a pretty long list - but what I haven't shared is that I have two tricks up my sleeve. My hubby's brother is in town and so I've had a little extra time in the sewing room and will until the 23rd of August AND I am going to  a retreat.  Not only do I get to go there for 3 days but this time I'm staying overnight.  So I can get up as early as I want and stay as late as I want and sew as much as I want.  :)  So between these two things - I'm hoping that I will get real close to meeting and completing all my goals this month. 

Wish me luck.  :)

Have a blessed day! 

Lynn