quilt retreat

Last weekend my sister and I packed up our sewing machines and our projects and headed to the quilt retreat! We were both pretty excited for it this year since there was a time when we didn't think we'd be able to go this fall. But as it turned out we made it happen and couldn't wait to work on our projects. And to make it even sweeter, we were both able to get off a whole day on Friday so we had ample time to get to the retreat and really get some work done.

As always it was so nice to see the other quilting ladies and catch up with them. It's almost like having my Grandma there with me. It's a real comfort to know that they still care about Cassie and I. They get a real big kick over us being there and continuing the tradition of it. There were actually some other girls out age that went this year too so that was pretty exciting for us. It's not very often that I meet quilters my age and sometimes I worry that it may die out after a while. I hope it won't. For all the old lady flack it gets, quilting is still a really beautiful art form I think and people would appreciate it more if they really knew the work that went into it.

Long story short we had a blast. We were able to get so much accomplished and had a really fun time with each other as well. I took the T-shirt quilt that I started during the Spring retreat. I hadn't really gotten much done back in the Spring so there was a lot of work to be done for it. I'm super pleased to say that my hard work really paid off. I was able to get 4 rows sewn on and only have 2 more to go. And I couldn't be more pleased with the way it's turning out. I can't wait for it to be finished!! I've wanted this quilt for so long.

Here are a few pics from the weekend. I don't have any of the quilt currently...I kind of want it to be a big reveal!

yes I had lunchables!

and yes they were delicious!!

the applique FCS square I made. It's a little silly but I still like it

the strips monster

the rooms of ladies

my happy little space

figuring out where I wanted the shirts to go

Row 1 complete!

UNC Throw

This was one of my early pieces I made, that I have a picture of. In high school, my boyfriend was accepted to UNC at Chapel Hill. As a graduation gift I wanted to make him something UNC related but I couldn't really find fabric or pattern that I wanted to use. So, with my grandmothers help, I designed my own pattern and template for a throw:

I must say, I was pretty impressed with the final product. There were SO many elements in this blanket that I had never used before. I appliqued the NC logo, "Tarheels" and UNC letters; a pretty big project in itself! I free hand stitched the "North Carolina" at the top of the blanket. Another large task to take on! I couldn't have done it without my grandmothers help, and to her I'm eternally grateful. She was an amazing sewer who taught me everything I know! I don't know if my Ex still uses this blanket but I sure hope he appreciates the work and thought that went into it!