First of all, I'm learning a brand new (to me) blogging program, so if I hit publish before I'm finished, please forgive me! I'm probably just looking for a preview feature!
So now the post:
One of the coolest things about each new year is the quilters retreat where I meet my friends from all over the country just to spend a few days sewing. My friend Carol and her daughter Shelly, both from Chicago, are there as well as Shelly's sister in law Nancy, who hails from Pennsylvania. Carol's sister Susie lives in Georgia where the guild is based. We're all members and one of the very best perks is getting to go to the annual retreat.
I took a pretty long vacation late last year, leaving right before Christmas and getting back to California on January 8. I was home for a few days and then left on the 12th for the retreat. Flew to Atlanta, rented a car and drove to Hickory Knob State Park for the retreat. The weather was gorgeous and, once I got out of the city, was all through small towns and countryside.
This was a picture I took just as sunset was starting to get really pretty....
And this was one I took as night was falling -- both of these were taken from a spot right in front of my room at the Hickory Lodge. What a great start to the retreat!
(As a trying the new blogging program thing, the pictures are only showing about the top inch so I'm hoping the entire pic will publish! Oh, it is SO way fun to learn a new program!!)
The next day I got together with my group in our great big retreat space called "the barn" -- probably because it is big and red and very barn-like!
This is our little group....
And this is a wider shot so you can see some of the people -- there were probably about 60 people there over the Friday through Monday time frame.
I had a layer cake of chocolate themed fabrics that I quartered and used in a Missouri Star Quilt Company's quilt. I had seen the YouTube video for the Presents Quilt; you cut the layer cake into four 5" squares and then use other fabrics in a sashing technique to look like ribbons. I thought it would make a great Valentine's quilt!
And the reason I am thinking about all of this is that I was working on the quilt today! I got all of the blocks with the pink ribbons done at the retreat and did the red ones when I got home. Laid them out today and started sewing them together. Haven't taken pictures yet, but tomorrow's another day, right?
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