2014 RETREAT

This year, our annual retreat was held at Center Valley Center near West Bend, WI.  If you have a group that likes to get together this is a lovely place about six miles from West Bend.  They have beautiful sleeping rooms and the grounds are well maintained.  They have hiking trails and a small beach where you can paddle boat or swim.  The meals were delicious to say the least.

As usual, we enjoyed each other's company and encouragement as we worked on our individual projects.  I am posting some pictures of the grounds and of some of the beautiful show and tell items that the participants brought or were working on during the retreat.

FOR ALL YOU COWPOKES OUT THERE

We moved to Wisconsin 30 years ago but even before we moved here we were trail riding  with our kids at Wildcat Mountain State Park.  

We were there last October and had a conversation with the camp hosts, who are people we have come to know reasonably well, about improvements to the horse camp.  They knew I quilted and asked me if I ever did quilts for fundraisers and if so, would I consider doing one to raise money for materials to be used for improvements. They told me they had people who had volunteered their labor but had no money for materials.

 I told them I had a pattern at home that might work well and I would send them a picture of the pattern insert to see if they were interested.  It was a Pam Bono pattern called "Saddles".    I had bought this pattern and 95% of the fabric for it about 10 years ago at Quintessential Quilts in Reedsburg, WI.  

I should have hesitated when I pulled out the two very large doubled-sided pages of instructions but I wasn't smart enough to do that.  I began cutting out this pattern on January 4th and it was a bear.  The pattern had all the sections lettered and numbered to match the illustration of the quilt on the instructions.  If they hadn't done this, I would not have had a clue how to get the whole thing together.  I cut up approximately 10 yards of fabric for the top.

This is what it looked like when I got it all cut up.  You can see the little tags on each pile to designate where it should go on the pattern.

The saddles were put together first.  Their were 21 applique pieces that had to be fused and satin stitched.  The horse shoe blocks had to be appliqued and the border strips added.

Next came the broken star patterns that were combined with some other blocks to make the outer border of the quilt.

Then the 78 spurs had to be appliqued and satin stitched for the inner and outer borders.

And on it went until I finished it on the 22nd of May.  I do not usually keep track of the hours that I spend on a project but I knew as soon as we started selling tickets that was going to be the first thing that would be asked, "Boy, how long did that take you?" It took me 150 hours to construct the top and 77 hours to quilt it on my domestic machine.  Tickets will be on sale soon.

It has been the most challenging project I have ever worked on and the largest. It measures 100" x 103".

HURRY THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME LEFT

Hand Stitching at Woodland Ridge Retreat

In mid July, for the first time in Wisconsin, I'll be offering a multi-day workshop that is open to the public. Woodland Ridge Retreat (www.woodlandridgeretreat.com) is an amazing retreat center that is set up specifically (and ideally) for quilters and fiber artists. Lodging, meals, and workshops are all right on site in a beautiful wooded setting between Madison and the Twin Cities. From July 16-18 I'll be teaching a three-day workshop "Dots & Dashes: The Language of the Hand-Made Stitch." It is a sampler-based workshop in which we explore bead embroidery, thread embroidery, and a variety of design principles while each student develops her/his own visual "hand-writing"/style. I've taught this as a two-day class in the Chicago area and Florida and as a five-day class at QSDS. I'm really excited about the opportunity to offer it for three days and in such an amazing setting. The class will be fairly small, so I encourage you to sign up soon if you'd like to participate. Chris Daly, the owner of Woodland Ridge Retreat, can be contacted at dyecandy@gmail.com to register or answer logistical questions. Feel free to contact me with workshop-related questions.  

Registration for this class ends this week.

ANOTHER GREAT QUILT SHOW COMING SOON

On March 14th and 15th, the West Suburban Quilt Guild will host it's biennial quilt show entitled PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER.  It will be held at Mt. Mary  College, 2900 N. Menomonee River Parkway, Milwaukee, WI  53222.  There will be a showing of over 230 quilted items from full size bed quilts to small wall hangings, quilted clothing and accessories.  Vendors will be selling quilting related items.  You may shop a gift boutique with a large variety of handmade items.  You may attend quilting and craft demonstrations, have your quilt appraised and watch an antique bed turning.  Tickets for a raffle quilt made by guild members will be sold as well as for a Bernina sewing machine.

Lunch and refreshments will be available for purchase.  Admission is $5.
 

TEACHER WANTED

If you are interested in teaching quilting, this might be an opportunity for you.  The Joann Fabric & Craft store in Brookfield is looking for a quilt teacher.  If interested, you should contact:

 

KATHY NADON

 

EDUCATION COORDINATOR

 

262-786-6430 EXT 104

THINK ABOUT SPRING

Looking at this quilt makes you think about spring.  AND, if you live in Wisconsin, that's all you are thinking about these days as it has been a harsh winter so far with more or come.

The name of this quilt is "IT'S FOR THE BIRDS".  It's the 2014 raffle quilt for the Mukwonago, Wisconsin Crazy Quilters 2014 Quilt Show.  This is their 27th annual show and they are inviting you to join them.  It will be held at the Parkview Middle School in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, on April 26th and 27th.  the show is open from 9-5 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday.  Admission is $5.  Children under 10 are free.  Lunch is available both days.  The theme of this year's show is "Red and White".  In addition to almost 300 quilts, the above quilt will be raffled, a sewing machine raffle will be held, 20 vendor booths on site, a bed turning featuring 15 "never before seen" quilts from the Red Brick Museum in Mukwonago, a quilters boutique, quilt appraisals, on-going demonstrations, and bargain bins filled with quilting treasures.  For more information and entry forms, please visit their website www.mukwonagocrazyquilters.com.  Put this event on your spring calendar.  It will give you something to look forward to as this show always has some show stopping quilts.