The Quilters descended......................

 

We have just had the best retreat, that lasted from last Tuesday, to this morning!! The above words were written by one lady in the guest book so I had to share. Ladies came and went, some for 3 nights, some for 5 and a few day visitors who stayed elsewhere, as well as local ladies who called in to say hello.

It was just so special to be able to gather in greater numbers again, after an absence of more than 2 years. I am humbled that quilters want to "descend" to my place. Friendships were renewed and others met for the first time. 

Another message said in part...thanks for a memorable time with your memorable friends.......  Another comment in the guest book.......I have missed my Bordertown time... old friends, new friends, lots of laughs.... a few 'bubbles', I have really relaxed, No 8 is better than therapy..... oh, almost forgot, I quilted too!

Robyn was the first arrival after driving 3 hours from her home, and soon set to work with her project, a hand appliqued sloth!

Progress was made over the next few days..........

..and now it's ready for quilting at home. 

Pat was the next arrival and was on a mission to sew the borders on a quilt that will be a wedding gift for her grandson................

When she had finished, I loaded it to Max and it was quilted with an allover pattern. Then it was time for some binding, and here she is working on this. The quilt was VERY large, and she is pulling it back onto the table!! Soon after this, a chair was placed in a strategic position to support the weight.

The next arrival was Dot, who came bearing some goodies, and Pat is choosing her favourite flavour!!

Here is Pat's quilt laid out on the bed, so you can see how large it is.

Then it was time to work on the next project. Quilters always have 'the next one'.

Dot set to work on a quilt that needed the borders added, and then pieced a backing, and this was my next job. Note that I am not the only one that wanders around taking photos!!

Dot then set out to finish another quilt and here she is about to add the burgundy border, with Pat also at the cutting table.

The borders are going on........

.............and then I had another quilt to load onto Max.............

....and here is Dot's next project in progress.......

.............and a finish just before her departure. This one will be quilted by Dot.......edit..... but only after Dot does some reverse stitching and shifts the block in the centre around. (error spotted by Pat after the blog was posted)

And her next WIP being laid out.

It wasn't all work, with some socializing when friends called in to say hello..........

.....................and evenings were for sharing.

Thursday was a declared Public Holiday for Australia, to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth. 

Some of the girls decided that they would start the celebrations at breakfast that morning, with a toast of Champagne and orange juice!!

..............and the celebrations continued into lunch time!

.....and we made a full day of the celebrations by partaking in afternoon tea using my grandmother's cups and saucers, and eating cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and cream!

There was a debate about whether the little finger should be up while we drank our tea??

Julie was working on a string quilt, using these colours, and sorry I forgot to get a pic of her blocks before she left.

Yvonne continued with the string border for her quilt and decided to do a bit of sorting on the strings!

Ruth brought 2 quilt kits all cut and ready to sew, and wondered why she didn't get them both finished! Some of her time was spent in deep discussion, and I believe she spent time at the local golf course as well. (Robyn is also a golfer, so they had lots to discuss!)

Ruth brought a quilt top with her that she was having some issues with, and I offered to quilt it for her. This quilt had some very friendly borders, but it is done.

Then it was time to set to work with her green and purple.............

.................and now a decision was needed to be made re the border.............

.....and here is another quilt that Max has finished off....................

.......and I've just received this photo with the striped binding attached, ready for hand sewing!!

Now onto the next kit, but only this progress before it was time to depart............ but I don't expect it will be long before I receive a pic of the finished top from home.

                             Time for an afternoon cuppa, and note, that there is no bottle in sight!

Gayle was working on a block of the month project and was the quiet achiever over 5 days. It is very special that she drives an 8 hour journey to come and stay with us. Gayle was last here in March 2020, just before the border was shut.. 

Each block was printed and placed into plastic sleeves in a folder, with the pieces already cut. Such organisation, and I know someone else who loves this idea.

                                     There was some night sewing one evening....................

..................perhaps they were helped along?

Here are the blocks that Gayle made...... lots of triangles in these blocks and she is a very precise sewer........... another edit..... but apparently not quite correct as Raylene has spotted the top left corner that needs to be turned around!! (Just as well there are some eagle eyed ladies, and just as well it was spotted before quilting!!)

Saturday afternoon was the AFL grand final and one lady had a relative playing in the Sydney team, so the TV was switched on, with no sound, so we could watch. If you know what the final score was, it would be no surprise that the TV was switched off before the end!! A very one sided match.

Val came to visit one morning, and renewed friendships.

The cook had a night off one night and we went to the local hotel. 

After quilting 5 quilts with Max, it was now time for me to sit and sew, and I had these jelly roll strips in a tub to use up. This is my progress so far......

That "other camera" caught me as I was taking the 'recycle' rubbish out to the bin!! 

This is the group photo for this retreat.

It was disappointing that Raylene (the fairy) was unable to be here, due to family issues, and I know she was suffering FOMO. We kept in contact with her over the week with phone calls and photos, so she could still feel like she was a part of the gathering.

Pat had left us on Thursday evening to go to Adelaide for her grandson's birthday party, but called in on Sunday evening on her way home and we enjoyed tea and a birthday cake to celebrate Pat's birthday.

And now it's Monday. This morning it was time to say good bye to Gayle. All is quiet in the house after a fantastic week.

The washing machine has been working, bathroom cleaned, fridge cleared out, some beds remade and  the kitchen sorted. The weather is drizzly, so the washing is hanging  by the fire, and my lounge looks like a chinese laundry. I might even admit to having a little nanna nap by the fire about lunch time.

We haven't watched any news, or read the paper for almost a week so it must be time to get back into the real world. Be back soon.

Blessings, From Jude