Scrappy Thursdays

Our Guild started a new fun get-together. We are now holding Scrappy Thursdays. We had our first get-together last Thursday. I probably shouldn't have started another project but I did. I started a quilt named Trail Mix. It consists of lots and lots of scrappy squares of various sizes and rectangles. I pulled a bunch of my fabrics and started cutting. The pattern is layed out in steps so it will be perfect for our Scrappy Thursdays. The first steps calls for 32 4 patches so I got those done. But the most exciting news of the first Scrappy Thursday was that I used our Featherweight Sewing Machine. We bought it a little over a year ago on E-Bay and I just never took time to play with it. Steve used it in a Featherweight Care and Maintenance class so she is all tuned up and ready to go. She is so beautiful and just purrs like a kitten (or as a farm girl, she purrs like an old John Deere). I am really excited about using the Featherweight and our Scrappy Thurdays. Several women worked on scrappy quilts and some worked on finishing up some Christmas stockings for area children. We will fill them with small gifts at our Christmas party in a couple of weeks. Thanks Sandi for the idea of Scrappy Thursday. I already have ideas for several scrappy quilts. But first ...... I need to get another quilt or two finished.

A Quilter's Retreat for the Retreat Coordinator

I had so much fun. I was able to attend a 3 day Quilter's Retreat last weekend. Daughter Heather and I enjoyed sewing and visiting with friends. This is the 4th year I have attended this retreat and Heather's 2nd year. Heather made a beautiful purple tote bag during the retreat. I did some machine button hole stitching on some flower blocks from a Guild Block of the Month from 4 or 5 years ago. My sewing machine didn't want to cooperate real well so I then moved on to some piecing. I worked on the Bouquet for Karen blocks from our Murder Mystery Quilter's Retreat. I was able to get 50 or 51 blocks done at the retreat. I think I just need to make about 10 more blocks, then I can start putting the quilt together. I think I will put up my design wall and lay the blocks out that way instead of on the living room floor. There were so many different projects going on during the retreat including sweatshirt jackets, full size quilts, a T-shirt quilt, wall hangings, wallets, bags and table runners. It is so much fun to see all of the different projects and fabrics. I am looking forward to this retreat next November. I am also looking forward to a small quilt camp with family members and friends in 10 days. Oh my, I didn't realize it was coming up that fast. I will have to get busy soon and get packing.

Our Beautiful Little Trick Or Treaters

I have always loved Halloween and seeing all of the little trick or treaters in their costumes. We live on a dead end street so usually we only have family members come to our house. This year we had 30 trick or treaters and it was so much fun. Grand daughter Allie and her Mom live on Mackinac Island and are here visiting for a couple of weeks before they head to Florida for the winter. When Allie arrived here in Hillman she was scared of everything Halloween including pumpkins. I think we are past most of that now. She dressed as a Dora Princess and looked so beautiful. She loves to dress up in princess dresses and even in her little tu-tu. London invited Papa and I to attend his party at pre-school. He decided to be a dinosaur and looked so cute in his costume. When it was time to go trick or treating he decided to wear his Thomas the Train costume. He looked so cute and I loved his hat. Cameryn chose a Star Wars costume. He was sick with the flu for several days before halloween so wasn't really into all of the trick or treating but he did manage to make it to a few houses. We loved seeing him and his half-sisters.

First Annual Murder Mystery Quilter's Retreat

A couple of weeks ago Thunder Bay Resort hosted our first Annual Quilter's Murder Mystery Weekend. Sherrie Jaqua a.k.a. Inspector Quiltsew discovered Retreat Assistant Karen murdered in The Quilt Barn. Cause of death was strangulation by a tape measure. Throughout the retreat Inspector Quiltsew interrogated 7 suspects. Detective Steve assisted by arresting the murderer following dinner on Saturday evening. During the retreat we worked on a mystery quilt, Bouquet for Karen. I managed to get 4 of the 64 blocks completed. I am attending a retreat next weekend and hope to get the remaining 60 blocks completed there. My camera was mis-behaving so I wasn't able to take many pictures. Sherrie or should I say Inspector Quiltsew will be back at Thunder Bay Resort on Aug. 26 - 29, 2010 for the Second Annual Quilter's Murder Mystery Retreat. Please watch our website for additional information.