The fourth and final day

This is my final  Easter retreat update, and tomorrow it is back to work and reality. It has been a lovely few days, with a couple of stayers, and lots of local visitors joining us on and off. Some just coming to check on what we had been doing. Some came bearing gifts of scissor fobs or chocolates, and others joined with us for sewing. My Easter fairy picked some flowers from the garden for the table, which made a lovely bright display. (It had been one of my "gunna do" jobs this week.)

Val managed to finish her quilt, which she has now decided will be a quillow. Before she left for home this afternoon, she made another frog which will be for the pocket of the quillow.

Pat joined us for the day and was sewing table runners and placemats, made with border print fabrics.

Helen also came to join us, and cut out the blocks for her next embellished quilt creation, which will be on a cream background, and will have some burgundy on it. Here you can see she is dismantling a dress, to get the fabric and the gorgeous lace to use in the quilt. 

Raelene managed to finish her bees, I think, but I did not get a photo before they were packed away. She is travelling home on the train tomorrow. I am so blessed that she did all my bindings for me, and ironed, and even sewed for me today, all the while cracking the whip to get me finishing projects! THANKYOU. She did manage to spend some time sitting outside in the sun, while sewing a binding. I am sure her vitamin D levels will be better than the rest of us, who weren't game to sit outside, for fear we wouldn't get back inside to sew. It has been a beautiful weather weekend, and I could have spent 4 days in the garden easily, but was on a mission inside.

I will recap my 4 days to summarise what the results have been.

Day one I quilted this top, and sewed the binding on which was hand sewn by Raelene. A finish that has been in the box for quilting since 2002.

And then I quilted this wall hanging that I made in a Michele Hill workshop, back in 2005. Another one out of the box, and bound by Raelene!

And this applique was quilted, embellished and made into a cushion. When I was searching for the workshop instructions for one of the other projects, I found the notes from this class, which was in February, 1998. It would have been the first machine applique I had done.

Day 2 was spent at the sewing machine, and I finished sewing the quarter circles for my Fractured Circle quilt, and then put them back in the box until I decided what to do with them next.

On the second day I put the blocks from my Quick Curve Ruler workshop together, and this is now in the box, waiting to be quilted "one day".

On day three I stood at the quilting machine all day, and finished another 3 things. 

This applique wall hanging has languished in the box for many years, and was made using fabrics from Holly Hand dyes. The background is a Ricky Tims Convergence quilt, and I fused the flowers to this, and put it in the box. I had not stitched the flowers, so decided I would do this as part of the quilting process. Raw edge applique is not as neat, but it is certainly quick and easy on the longarm, and it is finished and not in the box any longer. Thankyou to Raelene again, as she hand stitched this binding too.

I also quilted this Contoured Landscape quilt, made in a workshop with Gloria Loughman, and I don't know how long ago this was. At last it is out of the box, quilted and bound!

This is the table runner that I quilted, all done and bound, ready to use on the table. The other hexagons that were to be placemats, will be joined by more when I make them, and hopefully will be another quilt in the "near??" future. (Watch this space).

Now this brings me to the start of day four, and I wanted some sit down at the machine sewing time. By mid morning, (after a very late start), I had decided that I would sew the quarter circles together into blocks, and then sash them and add borders for a quilt. I sort of had a plan, and started working it out in EQ7, but drawing the curves got the better of me, and I just decided to sew them. I admit to picking them up by the machine and making the blocks, and not laying them out first. And by about 8pm tonight this is what I had.

Now that I can see the photo, I can see where the same colour is close to each other in a couple of spots, but as it was just picked up and sewn together, it is not a bad result, and it is a finish to the top stage, and not blocks in a box anymore. This has only been waiting in the box since 2008. Hopefully it will be quilted by October for our local exhibition!! And I have to thank Raelene again, as she pressed for me, and also helped to sew the strips for the pieced border. So I think a good day's work for day four. After that I looked at the hexagon box and made a plan, so that I know just where I am heading with that.

All in all, I think my 4 days have been rather fruitful, although I admit some of those projects are only small ones. I have taken things out of the "to be quilted" box, to make room for some more that have been added. I still have a long list of projects to work on, but I do feel a little less stressed about them, and can see my way forward. Another "long" weekend might be in order when I can schedule it in??

Time for bed, another quilt to load tomorrow.

Blessings, From Jude