Celtic Solstice, Brrrrrrr --, & English Manor Quilt Retreat

It was such a lovely surprise to have the early reveal of Celtic Solstice (http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year-2014-surprise-reveal.html). What a beautiful quilt!! Bonnie has done it again.

I plan to make the small size quilt longer for a twin size bed. Planning to add two rows, so I am busy cutting more pieces but I did piece one of each block. 

 

I just have to say --- Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr  Baby it's cold outside! During the night our thermometer temps ranged from - 28 to -35 F. outside but it is the wind that makes it so dangerous. We have been spoiled with our mild winters over the last few yearrs. 

Did you watch Downton Abbey Sunday evening? I am a huge fan of Downton Abbey TV series and watched all of the first three seasons in preparation for season four. Bet there are a lot of others that are fans!! LOL  In January, two of my friends and I are going on an "English Manor Quilt Retreat" held at the Linden Hill Mansion (http://www.linden-hill.org/historical_museum.php). It is a wonderful historical site in Little Falls, MN. It is such a fabulous place to stay and there are even "haunted" rooms!  The quilt we will be working on is a free pattern from Andover Fabrics called "Fanfare" (http://andoverfabrics.com/CuttingKits/Kitting_Downton%20Abbey-Fanfare.pdf) and was designed by Chris Hoover (Whirligig Designs). Gruber's Quilt Shop kitted the fabrics for anyone attending the retreat. So, instead of working only on Celtic Solstice, I am cutting all the pieces for Fanfare in preparation of the retreat which starts soon. Yaaa---  It should be fun. 

Right after the quilt retreat in Little Falls, I will be heading up to Fargo for the "Chipper Watch". Chipper is my daughter Natalie's dog. They will be going on a trip to Panama. Norm, my SIL, was awarded the trip by one of the vendors for the company where he works. It should be an interesting trip. My poor Hubby will be batching it but I know him and his bud, Butch, will probably get up to all kinds of michief while I am gone!! LOL Also, since our son comes around on a regular basis to be fed, Hubby will end up cooking for him.

Make sure you check out Quiltville's Quips & Snips (http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6.html) to see how others are doing on the Celtic Solstice. There are some beauties!  

Also, check out Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times (http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/01/06/design-wall-monday-january-6-2014/). There is a lot of eye candy to view.

 Hugs, Beth

Stash, Retreat & Nina

Used since last report:        0.00 yards
Used year to Date:             61.00 yards

Added since last report:   15.50 yards
Added Year to Date:          86.67 yards

Net Used for 2013:          - 25.67 yards

Boy, Oh Boy!!! The stash report is looking sad but I just had to do it! LOL  The Country Caboose had an Anniversary Sale with 30% off. In the last couple of years, I have used a lot of neutrals up, so the sale was the perfect time to replenish my neutral stash.  Thirteen and a half yards should keep me going for a while. I also added two yards of Civil War fabrics for swapping in January. 

Besides all of the purchases, I received my squishy of postage stamp squares from the postage stamp swap. What fun to receive these packages. Hubby always brings the packages in and then asks "what did I buy him?". I did very nicely offer to share with him. I don't think he was impressed!! LOL  Already using some of the squares for leaders/enders.

Last weekend, I was at retreat at Bugbee Hive Resort in Paynesville, MN. This was the third year I have attended this retreat and as usual, it was a fun time. Some of the ladies finished wonderful flimsies. The bottom picture is Lois with her quilt made with the "10-Minute Block" and I think I have to try this. It is a great stash buster and super easy. This retreat includes scrapbookers. I was sitting with a group of digital scrapbookers. They were very cute, but "toooooo" quiet, since they were working on their computers with ear buds plugged in most of the time. Must have to do something about that!!   VBG

While at the retreat, I sewed more blocks for my neutral "Strip Twist" quilt by Bonnie Hunter, basket blocks for a basket quilt, and string blocks for "Talkin' Turkey" from the book "String Fling" by Bonnie Hunter. Made some nice progress.

Bonnie Hunter has posted her fabric suggestions for this years mystery quilt,Celtic Solstice.   Since the requirements have posted, there has been discussion about, "who plans to use their vintage sewing machines to sew the mystery?" Well, I decided to dig little Nina out of storage and get her set-up to sew. I bought her at an auction for $25.00 a number of years ago and everything was there and worked. I did spend some time oiling, cleaning, changing needles, and setting the tension on Saturday. Nina is a 1931 Singer 99, which is a three-quarter size head. People have confused the Singer 99 with a Featherweight, but she is definitely not a Featherweight (weights a lot and is larger). Instead of a foot petal, she had a knee control that inserts into the side of the case. Nina is a sweet little lady and I am looking forward to sewing on her.

Thank you for stopping by and make sure you hop over to Patchwork Times and see what others are doing.

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2013/11/03/stash-report-week-44-2013/

Hugs, Beth

Sunday Stash Report - 1/13/13

Used since last report:        0.50 yards
Used year to Date:             0.50 yards

Added since last report:    0.00 yards
Added Year to Date:         1.50 yards

Net Used for 2013:            -1.00 yards

I was hoping to report more fabric usage, but ----  VBG   For the last two days, I have worked on Easy Street. All the blocks are pieced and I have started putting the top together. This has been a fun quilt, and I love the colors. I don't have a border fabric yet.  Guess I need to go "shopping."  LOL  Hopefully I will be able to finish piecing the top today.

Our Featherweight Group meets on the second Thursday of each month.  So on Wednesday evening I decided to take Christine, my little white (celery green) Featherweight, out of her case and try her out. I absolutely love this little machine and I was so bummed when I received her and she didn't work like she was suppose to. I would sew for a while and then the belt would start slipping and the motor would get hot. She sat in the case for two years.  After I took her out of the case, I oiled & cleaned her, lubed the motor and then powered her up and practiced sewing on it. She sewed like a dream. I ran her at slow speeds and fast speeds and did this for an extensive period of time. Christine did not miss a beat. She has been behaving beautifully ever since. Who can figure??? Do you suppose she got over her "hissy" fit after sitting, ignored for two years? So on Thursday, she was able to go to Featherweight Group with me.

At the FW meeting Sarah, one of the members, demonstrated folding paper to make a pattern for fabric boxes. The paper box provides a pattern for making the fabric boxes. So, when I got home I just had to make a fabric box. Still need to make a bow for the top, but the boxes turn out very cute. What a fun way to present small gifts. I found this link which uses the same folding technique shown to us on Thursday:  http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/01/fabric-origami-box-tutorial.html

Couldn't bowl on Tuesday because I had a disagreement with the coffee table and the coffee table won. I stubbed my foot and have not been able to wear my regular shoes. It is slowly getting better (at least it did not interfere with sewing), but my foot was too sore to be able to wear my bowling shoes. Course, my blind score may have been better then my regular score would have been --  Point is, don't argue with the furniture by kicking it. You will not win!!!

Talked to my daughter, Natalie, this morning and she asked if I would like my own private retreat for a few days to  house & dog sit. Of course, I did not turn that down. I have gone up to Fargo ND the last two January's and done this for her and her hubby. My Hubby is welcome to come with but he prefers to stay home. Hummmm, what kind of mischief may he be brewing??? LOL

Check out Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others are doing:

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2013/01/13/stash-report-week-2-2013/

Beth

Stash Report, B-Day Party & Retreat

Used since last report:                   0.00  yards
Used year to Date:                       76.395 yards

Added since last report:                 2.875 yards
Added Year to Date:                   53.99 yards

Net Used for 2012:                        22.405 yards

It has been a month since my last report. My-O-My, where has time gone? This summer has flown by so fast.

I signed up for a washed strip swap of reds on Quiltville swaps and of course I had to add some fabrics just to make a nice assortment. They were on sale, so I feel completely justified. LOL

While I was waiting for these lovely fabrics to be cut, I spotted some cute fat-eights. My will power faded and I bought these cute ones!!!! They even had them folded so enticingly.  

When I wasn't buying fabric, we had some family events over the last couple of weeks. My Mother-in-Law celebrated her 100th Birthday. She looks pretty good for being 100 years young. Sixteen of the family members from Alaska came down for her birthday, as well as, some from California, Missouri, Arizona, and Utah. This picture is of my family. We were missing four of the grandchildren.

From left to right: Brenda (my youngest daughter), Wayne (my hubby), Me, Byron (my oldest child), Hannah (Byron's daughter), Natalie (middle child), and Norman (Natalie's hubby). In the front is my Mother-in-Law, Pearl. 

This last week, four friends and I were on a retreat. We had a lot of fun and it is always a good time to get some projects done. 

Darlene finished this cute little barn quilt top. There were a few unkind words used while she was sewing it. LOL  The directions were horrible but she managed to get it done. Doesn't she have the cutest smile?

I worked on some calendar table runners. This watermelon one is all ready to be stitched around. A runner for January has been started also and most of the appliques have been cut out. Retreat was a good time to do tedious tracing and cutting of appliques because we talked, ate, sewed, talked, and ate some more.

Beth

Home from Retreat

Received a call from my daughter Natalie this afternoon. Since I had not posted retreat results, she was wondering if I was home yet. Yes!! I am home. Going to retreats is fun but it sure can be exhausting. I arrived home late yesterday afternoon and I was tired!!  Fell asleep on the couch for a nap before dinner (Hubby cooked) and did absolutely nothing in the evening except catch up with the shows I had saved on the DVR. Is that lazy or what?? LOL Sure was nice though.

Arrived up at the casino on Monday afternoon and set up all of my equipment.  The guys from St. Cloud Sewing Center were at the doors to help us unload all of our supplies. That was great!! Since this was a machine embroidery retreat, most of us came with two machines; one for machine embroidery and one for general sewing. Some of the ladies bring their whole thread cart, computers, extra small table, irons, etc. The retreat went until Friday afternoon. The food was great and the beds were very comfortable in the hotel. My friend, Maureen, and I were roommates. I served her coffee in bed in the morning! She is a slow starter in the morning. LOL  Her husband is going to have to fulfill some big expectations! ROFLOL What ever I can do to help the situation.


The first project we worked on was a felt bag with a mylar applique' on it. It will make a great Christmas gift bag. The snow flakes were embroidered on first, then we placed the mylar snowman applique' on and embroidered the texture all over the mylar, then embroidered the scarf and nose on the snowman. They turned out very cute and shiny. I still have the sides and handles to put on the bag but I want to embroider a name on the bag first.

Another project we worked on was a purse. I still have the lining and pockets to finish and then it is done.

Since most of the work for the purse was done in the hoop it was a challenge. Some of the machines did not like the layers of peltex, fabric, and buckram. One of the things I found out at this retreat was, if you are traveling with electronic sewing machines and are doing heavy duty sewing - BRING A BATTERY BACKUP/SURGE PROTECTOR!!! I have always traveled with plenty of surge protection but never battery backup for my sewing machines. The issue some of us had, was that we were experiencing mini brown outs when all of the machines where running and it caused other machines to experience operating problems. It was a little disappointing because I was not able to work on all of the projects but I still enjoyed the social time. St. Cloud Sewing Center works very hard to provide us with fun projects plus a lot of fun gifts and door prizes.

On Tuesday evening, Kenny and Lisa from Embroidery Library and Karline from Urban Threads brought a trunk show of embroidered items for us to see. It was awesome!!! I loved some of the edgy designs that Urban threads has.

Kenny from Embroidery Library



Karline from Urban Threads (center) and Janelle from St. Cloud Sewing Center (on right)

 

Retreat Photos

 Working Hard!!

Lots of supplies!

Dedicated workers!

Linda and Judy with their purses. Great job!!

Sharing!

How about having some Mascot's?? LOL Just too cute!

Enough thread??  No, I don't think so!  LOL

I still think scrapbookers have more "stuff" at retreats then quilters or machine embroiderers. Not sure anybody left anything at home. Thank goodness the casino had plenty of large carts for us to haul all of our things in and out with. Too bad it is another whole year until we have this retreat again.

Beth 

Off to Retreat We Go

Well, I have been packing since last night!! I still am not sure I have enough "stuff" and that I have everything that I need. This retreat is a machine embroidery retreat. That means two sets of projects - one set for machine embroidery and one set for quilting. Of course two machines are going with me. I will be bringing my Bernina 640 with embroidery module (Queen Bess the Bernina 830 has to stay home) and my little Featherweight.  Since this retreat is only 30 miles away, I can always zip home to get something or have hubby bring it to me. The retreat is at the Mille Lacs Grand Casino, so he will not mind making the trip. LOL  Now that I have taken a picture, it doesn't look like much in the picture but I still have more to add. No, I am not taking the whole sewing room with my like my DH thinks!!

For the OB turtles, I am still making progress but I am not taking Orca Bay with me to work on at retreat. When I get to layout stage I like to work at home. Instead I am starting Blue Ridge Beauty from "Leaders and Enders" by Bonnie K Hunter. Blue Ridge Beauty is a super simple pattern with just a lot of sewing that will be a great project for being able to socialize, eat, socialize, sew, and socialize. 

Well, better finish packing and getting ready. The computer needs to be packed up yet.

Beth