Retreat = Relaxation

Last week I spent four wonderful days at my local guild’s retreat.  As I was working at my desk on the day prior to the retreat, I realized that I was clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth which made me think that I REALLY needed some relaxing time.  The quilt retreat did exactly that!!

We gather at an FFA camp that is about 45 minutes from my home.   It is a marvelous place, with a wonderful working area, 3 solid meals every day, endless coffee and tea bar, and great rooms for sleeping.   What more could you ask for??

Here is our quilting room……

It is amazing to look at this and realize just how much STUFF we all brought with us!!

Joan, our fearless leader always brings a gift bag to get our days off to a good start and she outdid herself this year…..

My favorite is the wonderful mug, although I am not so sure that I shouldn’t be offened by the sentiment……

True to my plans, I immediately started sewing on my pineapple blocks…..

The wool ironing mat and the travel iron were the perfect companions!!

Things went really well except for running out of bobbin thread.   My record was to have sewn strips onto ELEVEN blocks before I realized that I was sewing with air.   My sweet husband starting sending me texts reminding me to check the bobbin thread!!

I spent the first two days sewing blocks for the borders and then put the center section together to see how it was going to look.   I was not disappointed…..

I played a bit with the border blocks…..

…..and went right back to sewing!!!  It was great that I had already cut the pieces needed for the blocks so I could just sew like the wind!!

I did spend a bit of time walking around the beautiful camp and enjoyed seeing all of the spring flowers/weeds that were making their appearance.

I was enamored with this lacy leafed tree that had been recently planted…

My local horticulturist told me that it is a Grancy Greybeard!!!

Other’s were madly completing projects as well.   The three Sue’s did some great work…..

Sue B. made a Quilt of Valor…..

Sue T put together this wonderful top using a panel that she found…..

And Sue L. had us looking at stars…..

On Thursday evening a group of us took a fieldtrip to a local-ish art gallery that contained the work of Steffen Thomas.  He was a very prolific artist and I was astounded with the many mediums that he worked in.   There were oil paintings, scultures, metal work, block printing and mosaics…..and they were all wonderfully done!!

One of the reasons for our expedition was that local quilters had been asked to make quilts that were based on his art.  Some were very traditional and looked much like the painting…..

While others were much more representational……

Our own Sue T. posed with her quilt based on one of his sculptures…..

I loved this mosaic and would have enjoyed making a “flying geese” quilt to go along wth it…..

But of course, I would never have been able to resist this lovely rendition of my FAVORITE flower…..

The fieldtrip was well worth the time spent….both in seeing the magnificent art but in spending time with quilting friends….they are the best you know!!

I left the retreat at noon on Friday, feeling relaxed, encouraged and ready to enjoy the upcoming season of creating!!