Quilt Retreat Catch-up

In October I was lucky enough to attend another retreat in Lake Tahoe, but thanks to Quilt Market and life in general, I never managed to get the photos posted. So here they are.

The gang at work with the Lake outside our windows

It was the same group from last year's retreat (although we missed De, Sue, Lynn, and Nancy very much). The locale was just as lovely, and the friends were dearer, because I knew them better.

Candy with her Featherweight

Mel & her Liberty print yoyos

Debbie and Kathy S. with their witch blocks

We decided last year to do a witch block exchange, and it was the first block exchange I'd participated in. I finished my blocks up just before I left, and we exchanged them on the last day of the retreat as a few members were still stitching.

Witch blocks by Molly and Mel

Figuring out how to put them together has been the perfect excuse to start collecting Halloween fabrics—a little of this for sashing, a bit of that for the border—as if I needed such an excuse.

The block ensemble

Haven't managed to start on that yet...the sewing, that is. The fabric collecting I'm pretty darned good at.

Carol finishing her blocks

Tina's Moooy (muy) Cowliente (caliente): Note the fringed udder

 One of the highlights of the retreat were the many cow quilts that kept being conceived and then quickly stitched. The idea for cow quilts comes from Mel and Mary Lou's new book Out of the Box with Easy Blocks book. These are a few of those that were created and then shown at Quilt Market the following week.

Psych-cow-delic by Mary Lou (detail)

Homage to Mary Lou (using all her fabrics) by Kathy C.

Boo-moo! Halloween quilt by Molly. Love the rick-rack spider legs

 A few other projects were undertaken, as well.

Debbie worked long and hard on her quilt back. Adding some cheddar fabrics was the final piece de resistance...it gave it the oomph it needed.

Tina got into some garment sewing (and cheerfully modeled).

 Mel and I stitched holiday table runners.

And making many baby bibs...flannel on one side, quilting cotton with rick rack details on the other, occupied a few of my sewing hours.

Can't wait for next year!