Play Date with the Thimbles! Another Excellent Adventure!
Yesterday I was invited to “play” with the Silver Thimble Quilt Club at their annual Summer Stitch-in. I arrived a little early (but there were others much more anxious than I was apparently who arrived well before me!) and it took me nearly an hour to get unpacked and set up to sew. I think I mentioned that I took far more than I could ever possibly get done in 12 hours, but I was optimistic. I did get a little done, in between the laughter and the eating and the visiting with friends. Unfortunately I can’t show you what I accomplished because it is a mystery quilt that I’m working on with the Batty Babes and I don’t want them to see it yet! Let me just say that I am loving how it is turning out, though.
Pat is offering optional mini projects for the group to work on at various times throughout the week, and Monday’s project from Sweet Home Quilt Co. was the Moda Bake Shop Christmas Stockings. Each of these little mini Honey Buns makes 3 little stockings, plus a half yard for the backings per box. The technique is Seminole piecing, which is not difficult at all to do, but is something that not a lot of people have done before. We have a limited number of these kits in the shop.
Somehow I didn’t get any pictures of the group working on their individual stockings, but here’s Pat in her “teaching” mode. She’s a great teacher!
Here’s Pat “threatening” me for taking her picture! Lordy, she scares me! Did you see on her blog where she actually declared “WAR” if I posted an unflattering photo of her??? So no unflattering photos…this time!I think I did get my name on the board for this one, though!
You can see that the entire room was buzzing with the sounds of laughter and conversation amid the whirr of sewing machines. A running tally is kept of the number of projects finished during the retreat and it seems like the total was at five or six when I left yesterday. This group knows how to have fun, but they can turn out the work, too!
Here’s Julie B. showing a fat quarter quilt she’s working on – all it needs is the three borders. I helped her pick out the fabrics for this one, and the green is a little unexpected with the red, white and blue. Doesn’t it look fantastic, though!
Here’s Marie M. with her Dancing Stars quilt on the design wall. I think she still has one more multi-color border to go, but it is looking wonderful! This was a Silver Thimble Quilt Club selection from April, which we kitted at Sweet Home. A couple of kits are still available.
Here’s Teresa W. showing her completed Ring in the New stitchery BOM. This was a BOM from Kathy Schmitz that we offered at Sweet Home last year, and Pat designed the setting exclusively for us. The stitchery is blackwork done on aged muslin. A few kits are still available for this one, also.
Teresa also won the day’s “Princess Prize” drawing, which was a much-coveted notions bag in red and brown. We’ll all be searching all over town to find one of these, I’m sure!
This is a shop sample that I took to share with the group (I actually intended to sew the binding on, but didn’t get to it!) The basket blocks are hand embroidered, set with a variety of scrappy 30′s prints. The quilt is STUNNING in person! We have a limited number of kits available in the shop.
A rousing game of Left Right Center resulted in lots of laughter and a pile of really ugly fat quarters, none of which, I can assure you, came from Sweet Home Quilt Co.!
Julie D. was the lucky winner – see that expression of delight as she looks through the awesome selection she won!!!
I had such a blast with this group of friends – it was just the therapy I needed! Pat goes to great lengths to make sure her retreaters have everything they need or could possibly want – the food, the fun and the learning are all in plentiful supply! I sure hope I get invited back next time…hint, hint!
If you have an opportunity to retreat with other quilters, take advantage of it! Even if you don’t know anyone, trust me, you’ll be fast friends before you know it and you’ll have the best time, I guarantee!
Play time is over, and I’ve got to get back to work. I’ve got lots of things brewing at the shop this week and it won’t happen if I don’t buckle down!
Tags: friendship, Honey Buns, kit, Moda Bake Shop, Silver Thimble Quilt Club, Summer Stitch-In
July 7th, 2009 at 7:27 PM
I really enjoyed your update on the happenings at Pat’s Stitch-In. I was planning on going, but I’m in TN taking care of my mother. I really, really miss being there!