Friday, March 27, 2015

Retreat 2015 Recap

What an amazing retreat!   Getting to spend so much uninterrupted  time together, sewing and sharing ideas and laughing, is truly the highlight of the guild year for most of us.

Thank you again to Gretchen, our retreat chair, for going above and beyond to make retreat so special!  From the swag bags to the door prizes, her hard work showed.

A couple of notes, for our meeting on April 11:
  • At the meeting we will be assembling quilts for our Project Linus rainbow stash buster challenge.   If you are still making blocks, we especially need blues and green blocks.   Keep your eyes on email for details about other donation items we're looking for

Thank you to Patrice, our unofficial documentarian, for providing all of the show-and-tell photos below.    Make sure to check out all other member photos posted on Instagram, under #bostonmqg and #bostonmqg2015retreat.

See you April 11!

Stephanie shows off her adorable Preppy the Whale(s)
Julie pieced this curvy delight.

Jane finished an amazing churn dash top (and didn't once curse it out, in frustration.  Wink wink.)

X marks the spots, where Caro's cats will one day snooze.

Zuzka's custom paper-pieced knots blew everyone away.

I believe Aimee started this lovely quilt at last year's retreat?
She was not the only member with a retreat repeat!

Gretchen finished a bunch of bags, including this cool tote.

She also completed this lovely piece, using the interface/grid method

Caro's zipper was a stunner, the first in a series based on 80s Mac icons.

Lia completed 3 ceremonial headdresses!
(actually tutus for her daughter, but so multi-functional!)

Stephanie finished this striking Chandelier quilt.

Alice refused to pose for photos with her 9000 Dresdens on her head.
Trust me, she rocked the look off-camera.

Alice also got this beauty basted on the lovely wood floors at the Franciscan.

Karen got a ton done, including starting a new quilt from "Beyond Neutral"
Julie also finished this mod petal quilt
Karen was also hard at work on an Elizabeth Hartman project that is clearly going to be amazing.

Karen also finished this beautiful drunkard's path.

Jen's rainbow-hued star quilt wowed everyone.  This is her design, and was paper pieced.

Patrice let me hold her camera to show off two completed projects.
First up, a bright and scrappy nine patch.

Patrice also finished up this rainbow scrap-buster.
Several of the blocks are the same pattern as the March BOM.

Margaret finished this fun star quilt.  




Jen also finished this lovely zipper bag,
the winner of the people's choice award in our Zipit challenge

Alice was another winner in the Zipit challenge, for her zip pouch entry.
Some lovely pieces will be made with these zips, I'm sure.
Elise and Jen both worked on triangle quilts this year.
Elise's quilt was pieced largely at last year's retreat, and she worked on the multicolored linear quilting this year.

This photo of Nancy doesn't do her project justice - she made a bajillion of these adorable squares!

Angie finished this trippy mod quilt, from an MQG quilt of the month pattern

Beth made an awesome low-volume improv quilt, a take on a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Courtney got busy making lots of AMH feathers










Taz's gorgeous blocks also featured Anna Maria fabric






Allison showed off a lively mosaic block

... as did Susan!

Susan also spent time on some scrappy string blocks

Amy showed off a beautiful bag ...

... as well as a beautifully textured linen and Liberty chevron top she finished.


Wendy showed off some chocolately string blocks


Wendy also completed this cheery one-patch top


and me?  Well, I showed lots of tiny pieces that will eventually be part of a large Carpenters Square quilt.
 I hope to have it ready for May show-and-tell!
















Friday, March 13, 2015

March BOM!

Our Block of the Month for March is from Patrice, who blogs at By Patrice.


This is a great block for using up scraps!  You can find the instructions here

If you're blocking along with us, please post pictures in our Flickr group here!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Retreat 2015: Everything You Need to Know...

It's hard to believe but retreat 2015 is almost here!!!  For those of you who are going here is everything you need to know...

Where are we going?  The Franciscan Guest House is located at 26 Beach Ave, Kennebunk, ME.  207-967-4865

When can I get there?  People can arrive Thursday the 19th at 1 PM and anytime Friday.  Room check in begins at 3 PM.  Please check in at the front desk for your key.  The gym where we sew is located all the way down on the left with parking in front.

Can I carpool?  Absolutely!  Check out this document to coordinate rides.

What is provided?
  • tables, chairs, electrical outlets, lighting
  • ironing boards and irons
  • design walls
  • tables for cutting stations
  • water, coffee and tea throughout the day
  • refrigerator
  • breakfast each morning
  • lunch on Saturday (wraps and salads)

Any suggestions for what to bring?
  • sewing machine (do not forget the power cord or foot pedal!) and presser feet
  • notions (sewing machine needles, pins, scissors, starch/Best Press, seam ripper, marking pens...)
  • projects and fabrics
  • thread
  • rotary cutter and mat (not everyone has to bring theirs.  We set them up at the stations and share)
  • iron (irons are provided but each group of tables can have 1 personal iron.)
  • rulers
  • anything you use during the course of normal sewing/quilting

Is there anything else I should bring?
  • shampoo/toiletries/hair dryer (the hotel does not provide anything)
  • snacks/beverages
  • cash for dinners
  • iPod and headphones (the gym can get quite loud at times)
  • boots or sneakers for the short walk to town/restaurants
  • flashlight (it can be dark walking back from dinner and between buildings)
  • seat cushion (some of our more petite members found the chair height to be a bit low - alternatively you can use a bed pillow from your room)

Are there any quilt shops on the way?
  • Portsmouth Fabric Company, Portsmouth NH - great selection of modern fabrics
  • Knight's Quilt Shop, Cape Neddick, ME - more traditional, lots of Moda
  • Marden's, Sanford, ME - actually a surplus store, but a fantastic selection of fabric at $4-5 a yard.  Very hit or miss though in terms of what is currently on offer.  If you mention you're with the guild at the cutting table, you'll receive a 10% discount.
  • Saltwater Fabrics, South Berwick ME - a brand new quilt shop that just opened in December.  Lots of modern choices including Cotton + Steel and Kona.  

Is there any programming?

No, the entire weekend is open sewing time.  While we do lock the sewing room at night we will happily make arrangements for early birds/night owls to have a key so you can sew whenever you want.

There will be an optional zippered bag challenge at retreat. Everyone will be provided with a 14" navy zipper which can be shortened if desired. The bag will be made at retreat (zipper given there) but you can have everything prepped and ready to go. One prize will go to the one voted as favorite and the other to a random non-winner participant. There are lots of great free patterns available online.

If you are looking for something easy to do as a break, there will be background fabric available to make sparkle punch blocks. If you have a 3.5" x 17.5" scrap, you'll have enough for one star (5-3.5" squares, so a single fat quarter could make 6 sets). You just have to have to make the stars pieces, after retreat this will be pieced together as a charity quilt.  Ideal fabrics for this are bright small to medium prints. For every set of blocks made your name will be entered in a raffle for one of three fabric prizes.

Other stuff:

For dinner, we usually pair up in groups of 4 or so and do our own things.  Ordering takeout food is also an option that people usually do on Saturday night in order to maximize their sewing time.  Kennebunkport has many restaurants choices and all are within easy walking distance.

Plan to dress in layers as the temperature in the gym can fluctuate.

Be aware that the nearest quilt shop is a good distance away, so err on the side of over-packing as you won't want to leave to purchase something you need.  Although with 40 other women someone will probably have an extra of whatever you are missing!

Please mark your items like scissors, rotary cutters, etc to identify them as yours.

Please respect the fact that the design boards are shared, and do not leave projects up for an extended period when others might need them.

Still have questions?  Contact Gretchen at gretchenstares@gmail.com

Full payment is now due!  If you have not already paid please do so immediately by clicking here or risk losing your spot.