Sweet Home Quilt Co.

Runaway Quilter’s Retreat

Sponsored by Sweet Home Quilt Co.
1004 Green St SW, Conyers GA 30012
678-413-1611

Runaway with us for FOUR days of sewing fun (yes, we’ve added an extra day by popular request!) This is your opportunity to get away from it all and just quilt and sew ‘til you can’t sew anymore! Enjoy the company of other quilters in a relaxing setting.

Whether you finish a UFO, start a new project, or just kick back and relax, this will be a great weekend! Drawings, prizes and surprises…demos…SHQC mini store…spacious sewing area…great snacks and meals…good friends and fun!

When:  Thursday, October 18, 2012 to Sunday, October 21, 2012

Lodge Room Check In: 3:00 p.m. Thursday    

Lodge Room Check Out: 10:30 a.m. Sunday

Early Free Sew begins 10 a.m. Thursday &  Late Free Sew Sunday afternoon until 3 p.m. in the Conference Center

Charlie Elliott Conference Center
543 Elliott Trail
Mansfield, Georgia
(Located 30 miles east of Conyers)

REGISTER TODAY! SPACE IS LIMITED…

$300 per person, double occupancy

$100 deposit is due at registration.
Balance is due by September 1, 2012.

Registration Form must be submitted with deposit. Your registration is not complete until both the form and deposit are received.

Refund Policy: No refunds after September 1st unless we can find someone to take your place. If you find yourself unable to attend, feel free to find a replacement for your reservation. (We often have a waiting list, so please let us know if you aren’t able to use your reservation.)

Visit the “Upcoming Events” page at www.sweethomequiltco.com for specific details, and to download the Registration Form.

Second installment…this is the good stuff! I said before that this was the most productive retreat group I’ve ever seen and I wasn’t kidding!

In addition to all of the projects they brought with them, they were compelled to watch the demos I did throughout the weekend. Here I’m demonstrating how to insert a zipper using Terry Atkinson’s Sweet Zip pattern, and we had quite a few tackle zippers for the first time with great success!

We played with selvedges and made heart-shaped pincushions…

And Gwen made great progress on a queen-sized selvedge quilt…

Her plan is to do two blocks a week until it is finished and she figures she’s about ten weeks ahead of the game thanks to this great start!

Sew Simple Pineapple was another popular demo…

Here’s one Millie whipped out from a couple of fat quarters after seeing the demo…I love the effect of the stripes!

Sometimes you just need a friend to help out…Debbie’s pastel Popsicle Sticks went from this…

to this in no time flat! Debbie has a real hard time with “scrappy” so this was a bit of a challenge for her! Great job, Debbie…

Diann finished this Underground Railroad Sampler which will be a gift. She had to make a few extra blocks and then sash everything and get the borders on…it’s a king-size quilt so she had a ton of work to do to get it finished! Beautiful…

Donna finished this bright pink and black quilt…the black prints have fun smiley faces, chili peppers, etc. and although you can’t see it in the picture, the pink fabric has a texture that makes it look like chenille. Every single person reached out to touch that fabric only to be surprised that it wasn’t really chenille!

I think Gwen was the first to finish a project…a work-in-progress for a couple of years. This quilt is simply amazing and far more beautiful in person!

Jane whipped out not one…not two…but three (!!!) of these cute baby quilts in no time flat! Not to mention the fabulous neutral and gray quilt she’s working on for her son…unfortunately, she ran out of a key piece of fabric and now we’re on the hunt to track down enough for her to finish it up!

Marsha completed her Footprints in the Sand quilt…a fun Instant Bargello technique!

Millie finished her rail fence quilt made from Bowood House by Robyn Pandolph. She had to do a bit of maneuvering with the borders due to a shortage in the kit she had purchased, but it all worked out!

Peggy put together this fun quilt for her grandson. Her joy turned to agony when I pointed out that she had several of the same fabrics touching…why didn’t I keep my mouth shut???

After a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth, we figured out that it was just one section (and thus one L-O-N-G seam!) that was reversed. An easy fix…thank goodness!

I lost count of how many pillowcases Peggy made after Gwen taught her the Magic Pillowcase method!

Ruthanne was a chain-piecing machine…

resulting in this beauty! Doesn’t it remind you of sea glass?

Vicki finished this great patriotic quilt (after a quick trip to SHQC for a different border fabric!)

This was our Mystery Project…Happy String Flowers…a fun wallhanging or baby quilt!

I know I have more pictures somewhere (note to self: don’t use the iPhone, iPad and camera to take pictures!) but I’ll have to find them…something else for you to look forward to!

Melisa

Our four-day Spring Runaway Quilter’s Retreat is rapidly becoming a distant memory and things are beginning to return to normal (whatever that is!) I have finally recuperated enough to get the photos all in one place and ready to share. We had so much fun and everyone was super-productive! I don’t think I’ve ever been on a retreat when so much work was accomplished…this group was focused!

Our retreats are held at the Charlie Elliott Conference Center, which is out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nature and wildlife.

Buford and Beulah Buzzard are the resident “pets” who keep a close eye on the comings and goings of quilters at the Center. This was the only photo I was able to get of them…they’re sneaky little buzzards! But Donna managed to get some great shots (I shamelessly stole these photos from her!)

Notice not only the pair of buzzards but the beautifully landscaped grounds!

The view from our workroom…that’s a beautiful lake glistening through the trees.

I managed to get a couple of good shots of the Super Moon on the 5th…

This shot was taken through the window and is of the moon reflecting off the water in the lake.

Super Moon about midnight shining down on the Conference Center where we were.

We couldn’t ask for a better facility…plenty of room for everyone to spread out and work!

My right-hand assistant, Gwen!

Peggy seems to think if she ignores me, I’ll go away with the camera…NOT!

I have lots more pix to share, but in another post since this one is rather picture-heavy already. Prepare to be wowed…

Melisa

Our retreat was designed to offer plenty of time for everyone to work on their own projects, but we also offered an optional mystery quilt project and challenge, which many of the ladies participated in. We provided kits for the mystery quilt project in Fall and Christmas versions so no one would have to agonize over what fabrics to use.

The mystery project was small and only had four steps…we had pre-cut most of the kit fabrics so all their time wouldn’t be spent on the cutting.

Even so, intense concentration was called for…Leiann is in her own little world!

This is Janet with her Christmas version…all complete except for the borders!

Risa changed up the setting for her Fall version so she could use it as a table topper. Just two side borders and it will be finished!

Our “Bag of Parts” Challenge was a little more intense. Participants received a kit containing block parts…squares, rectangles, triangles, etc…and they had to use all the parts in their project. Here Debbie and Brenda are collaborating on a possible block layout.

These were a few of the blocks Mellie made at the shop to test the block cuts…

You can see what a variety of results came out of those little bags! (They all had the same parts, just different fabrics.)

Doris was our Viewer’s Choice winner! Her prize was a 12-piece collection of Auriful threads from designer Pat Sloan.

Everyone got a little package of fabric-covered tacks (all handmade by moi!) and Risa won a fat quarter bundle because her package contained the one lone ORANGE tack!

No, Vicki isn’t modeling a new look…that’s an ice pack on her neck in the picture on the left…we thought we’d found a new use for the amazing Wonder Clips, but the ice was a little too heavy. Vicki ended up wrapping the ice pack in her retreat pillowcase and clipping it around her neck…worked like a charm! Quilters are very resourceful in the face of necessity!

I personally hate wearing a name tag, so we made little chalkboard painted treat baskets for everyone and wrote their names in chalk, which were placed on their tables before they arrived. No one had to worry about not getting a good seat because there wasn’t a bad seat in the house!

The view out my rear window as I drove away Sunday afternoon…a perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

Melisa

Personally, I didn’t get much any quilting done at retreat since I managed to leave the power cord for my machine at home! I brought the extension cord and I thought it was still attached…NOT! I did manage to do a little handwork, but there was plenty of work getting done by everyone else…

Debbie worked on putting together her niece’s wedding quilt.

Gwen auditioned backings for her Jelly Roll Race quilt top, and eventually decided to make a quilt from one of the potential backings…it’s a cheater piece that she added borders to…

The Jelly Roll Race quilt will get a plain backing!

Mary had to get creative with her setting triangles when she ran out of the orange fabric.

Peggy made five bags this weekend to take on a trip to Chicago next week.

Doris’ version of a cover quilt from McCall’s magazine…the church even has stained glass-looking windows!

Here’s Donna hiding behind this great “Georgia” quilt she made for her sister-in-law. We had a few Georgia Bulldogs fans in the room who really coveted this quilt!

In between projects, Peggy managed to find a little snack!

Impromptu teaching moments and quick demos happened all weekend! We learned some great techniques…like making hexagons from a circle without templates or papers!

Millie officially hates pinwheels now!

Next up, pictures of our mystery quilt project and Bag of Parts Challenge.

Melisa

Sadly, our Runaway Quilter’s Retreat is behind us, but we have so many wonderful memories and new friends made during the weekend that I can’t really be too sad. I don’t think I could have asked for our first retreat to have gone any better…the weather was perfect, the facility was fabulous, the food was delicious, and most of all, we had the greatest group of quilters there that you’d ever have the pleasure to meet!

This gives you an idea of what a wonderful quilting space we had…there are two rows behind where I’m standing. Everyone had plenty of room to spread out.

We enjoyed a nice comfy lounge/dining area with beautiful murals on the walls. This facility is part of a Wildlife Management Area so there is an emphasis on the outdoors. I stood at the door Saturday morning talking on the phone to Mike and watched an 8-point buck emerge from the woods and walk across the parking lot toward me…magnificent! Several of the ladies reported seeing herds of deer, foxes and racoons…and you wouldn’t believe how peaceful and quiet it was…outside, at least!

Meal times were always fun…the food was delicious and plentiful, but best of all, none of us had to cook it!

From our “Taste of Mexico” buffet…

Saturday night we enjoyed a “Death by Chocolate” buffet complete with chocolate fountain. There were marshmallows, pound cake, bananas, apples, and pretzels for dipping, along with chocolate cake, chocolate chip pecan bars, brownies, chocolate bark…chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The whole group was totally wired after all the chocolate we consumed…resulting in this…

Good thing they share the same taste in music!

More to come…our Mystery Quilt project and Bag of Parts Challenge!

Melisa

Runaway Quilter’s Retreat

Runaway with us for three days of sewing fun! This is your opportunity to get away from it all and just quilt and sew ‘til you can’t sew anymore! Enjoy the company of other quilters in a relaxing setting. You can choose to stay the night or just runaway for the day.

Whether you finish a UFO, start a new project, make our special mystery quilt project, or just kick back and relax, this will be a great weekend! Drawings, prizes and surprises…demos…SHQC mini store…spacious sewing area…great snacks and meals…good friends and fun!

When: Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 16, 2011

Check In: 3:00 p.m. Friday Check Out: 10:30 a.m. Sunday
Early Free Sew begins 10 a.m. Friday and Late Free Sew Sunday afternoon until 4 p.m.

Charlie Elliott Conference Center
543 Elliott Trail
Mansfield, Georgia
(Located 30 miles east of Conyers)

Accommodations:

Stay in a spacious hotel style room. No one shares a bed and no one sleeps on the top bunk! All rooms are double occupancy; if you come alone we can arrange a roommate. You will be sure to have many new friends before the retreat is over. Smoke free rooms; smoking is permitted in designated areas outside the buildings. No pets or alcohol permitted.

Cost:

Retreat Fees are $250 Per Person for the full weekend, or $175.00 Per Person for Day Retreat with no overnight accommodations.

This fee includes:

• Three days of unlimited sewing and two nights lodging
• Six meals, snacks and “Death by Chocolate” Extravaganza
• One beautiful finished quilt will be given away along with other prizes
• Block Challenge (fabric and guidelines will be mailed to all participants)
• Demos, instruction and special mystery quilt pattern
• Lots of fun and lots of friends – PRICELESS!

Food:

Traditional style buffet meals included:

Friday (Dinner)
Saturday (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Sunday (Breakfast & Lunch)
Plus snacks and beverages (including our “Death by Chocolate” Extravaganza!)

Project:

A fabric kit for the Mystery Quilt project will be available for purchase through SHQC or you may bring fabric from your stash. Fabric requirements will be provided at a later date.

Kit price is $45.00 plus 7% sales tax (for GA residents only.) There are two color choices to select from and some of the fabric will be precut for you. When you register for the retreat, please choose one of these fabric kits:

Fabulous Fall or Christmas Splendor

Kits must be ordered and purchased by September 15. We will have extra kits available if you wish to purchase a second (third or fourth) one! Final kit selections must be made by September 15.

REGISTER TODAY! SPACE IS LIMITED…

$100 deposit is due at registration.
Balance is due by September 1, 2011.

Refund Policy: No refunds after September 1 unless we can find someone to take your place. If you find yourself unable to attend, feel free to find a replacement for your reservation. (Sometimes we have a waiting list, so please let us know.)

Download Registration Form

Sponsored by Sweet Home Quilt Co.
1004 Green St. SW Conyers, GA 30012
www.sweethomequiltco.com 678-413-1611