Delayed retreat post

better late than never, right?

My lateness in posting about my recent retreat should not be taken as a lack of enthusiasm.

I had a wonderful time in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. I'd never been to that part of the US, and I hope it's not the last time.

Photo by Faith/Fresh Lemons

I spent several days with Anna, Deedee, Faith, Holly, and Jeni. I love these girls!

Jeni picked me up from the airport, and we jumped right in, with a fabric shop and some thrifting.

And of course, a visit with George!

We stayed near Madison, at a gorgeous cabin. Seriously, this place was stunning.

There was plenty of space for our group to relax and sew.

The place had lots of windows, too, to give us lovely natural light.

On our last full day, we tried indigo dyeing!

Using wooden (from Deedee's sweet husband) and plastic resists (Jeni purchased them from Rossie), we prepared our fabrics. Above, you can see how I prepped my pieces.

And look! The fabrics we dyed look beautiful together in the sun (my fabrics are in the front, center). I want to do this again, soon.

I didn't sew as much as I hoped, but I managed to finish my staple tunic, and I knit a hat. There was also MUCH eating. Deedee kept us well-fed. But, my favorite new thing?

Fried cheese curds. OMG.

I hope I can visit you again someday, Wisconsin.

Stash Bash recovery

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Last week, I drove with three of my HMQG buddies to the Stash Bash, hosted by Frecklemama.
It was a 13-hour drive, but pretty enjoyable, considering the distance.

I didn't get much sewing done, but I finally managed to assemble my Wonky Bee polaroid blocks! I've had these blocks for about a year. I just love them, and my procrastination paid off! Since I waited so long, 23 came out, which is perfect. I used the gray camera print to help assemble the blocks. (You can find it here and here).

I also started some fun new wonky star patchwork, just because.

I worked on a few other things, which I'll share soon!

Most importantly, there was the social aspect.
Meeting new people, seeing old friends, these are the most memorable parts of a retreat.

I got to spend time with my favoritest friend, Amanda. We had a blast together, and she was so sweet to share her screenprinting process with us. She also brought all of her screens and let us print anything we wanted.

I printed this fun shirt! I also printed a tote bag; I'll share that soon!

I was also thrilled to meet Beth, of Stash Fabrics. She lives in the Atlanta area, and was so kind to be one of the Stash Bash sponsors. We had a great time together, and I loved being able to tell her, in person, how much I appreciate her sponsorship of my blog. I hope to hang out with her again soon!

While I didn't get much sleep, and am still slightly recovering, I always appreciate this kind of opportunity. I learn so much from my peers, and I can't express the kinship I feel after a weekend like this one.

FOs: For Jessica

Thanks for all your kind words on the wedding photos! I didn't realize I hadn't shared them, but it was fun to look through them again and pick some favorites. I hope you all had fun weekends! E & I went to Austin to visit friends, so it feels like the weekend just flew by.

While I was at the retreat, Jessica mentioned she didn't have a pincushion. This fact, paired with the happy mini she gifted me last year (see below), encouraged me to make her a little gift.

Isn't the mini lovely?

So, I was tempted to make her a giant, MEGA pincushion, like the one I just made for the Modernista swap, but instead, I used the pincushion organizer pattern from Zakka Style, gifted to each of us at the retreat!

The pincushion is much tinier than the other one I made, but it's so cute! Fabrics used are Dear Stella stars and Essex linen in natural for the cushion. The stamps you see were borrowed from my pal, Amy.

Inside, I paired the Dear Stella stars with a favorite Maya print, Maria.

In case Jessica didn't like the organizer, I sweetened the gift with a patchwork basket, made from Ayumi's tutorial.

This is my second time to make her patchwork basket, and this time, I just omitted the the exterior patchwork. The basket includes a Moda canvas tape measure print, Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow for the handles and It's a Hoot for the interior.

Both of these patterns are highly recommended for fast and fun gifts!

Home again, home again

Ah, it's good to be home. Although, hmmm. It seems I didn't really mention I was leaving! Well, this weekend, I felt like a lucky duck. I met up with new and old friends in Atlanta. Rachel organized a sewing weekend for some friends, and it was lots of fun. I'd already met Rachel, Holly and Amanda at Sewing Summit. It was great to hang out with them, as well as meeting Ara Jane, Nicke, Jessica, and Maureen!

I'll share more pictures this week, but I thought I'd start with a few from Whipstitch. We visited on Saturday, and enjoyed the shop immensely.

Oh, and I got to meet Ella! She lives in the Atlanta area, and was able to come by Whipstitch. We didn't get to visit for long, but it was awesome to meet her!

Deborah has created a very lovely shop! We all found some lovely fabrics for the stash. Here's my loot:

I picked up some Monsterz, Lush running stitch, Melody Miller flowers, Laura GUnn Painter's canvas, and Ellen Luckett-Baker's Quilt Blocks!

Yes, my bag was a little heavier on the return trip, but that's normal, right?

I'll be back soon to share more pictures!

Precision and improvisation

At the HMQG retreat this weekend, I split my time between precise and freeform projects. Although, a good deal of time was also spent joking and having fun.

As usual, overpacking occurred, at least in terms of projects. I brought a laundry basket, which was essentially full of fabric and notions.

My goal was to focus on May bee blocks and my improv quilt top.
I also brought, but barely touched, a pajama set for Oliver. Oh, well. They'll get made someday.

But the positives! Yes, let's talk about what got done.

First up, I happily crossed off my do.Good Stitches May blocks, for Deb. These are patchwork wheel blocks, using Don't call me Betsy's tutorial. I always enjoy digging through the scrap bin, and I made sure to pack lots of fun fabrics for these blocks.

Next month is my first month to plan a do.Good Stitches quilt. I hope I can come with something just as fun!

One block got finished for Bee a Modern Swapper. Nilya asked for 2.5" unfinished postage stamps. I also managed to cut out the squares for my second block. That should be finished in the next few days.

It felt good to finish so many pieced blocks, and as a treat, I started assembling my improv quilt top Saturday night.

And I finished! There was a little bit of small piecing left, and then I just worked on assembling.

It feels so good to make serious progress on a large project like this. I've been mainly making minis, doing wedding stuff, and making bee blocks, so this was quite an accomplishment.
Want proof?

Just look at my face!

P.S. Thanks to my friend Safieh for the two quilt pictures!