Design Wall Monday

Recycling this picture to show you the fun I will be having at retreat this week.

I can't wait to dive into my red and neutral parts.

These are my mistake blocks from Garden Party.

All of the dark corners have now been replaced with neutral corners.

I honestly don't know how I missed that part of the directions.

I also cut and kitted up the remain blocks I need.

This will be my main retreat project this week.

These Dresden Plates are now a quilt top.

I need to trim the setting triangles and add the borders.

I can't wait to show you how awesome it is.

I need to get my machine cleaned and oiled 

and check my to go supplies for this week.

I love this time of year when the retreats are happening.

After this weekend, the countdown to the May retreat will begin.

The May retreat/birthday party that I will be spending with Bonnie.

Oh I cannot wait!!!

Check out great design walls at Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.

Beach Life

Our beach property is a no hunting zone.

This makes my hunter a bit anxious.

Not really.

We see deer all over, I've heard there are bear.

I saw a porcupine.

I want to see a bear.

From the pickup window.

This fat coyote was standing in the middle of the road one day.

He finally moved to lay down under this tree.

Boardwalk Quilts in Long Beach is closing.

I am sad to see this happen but the owners want to retire.

I understand.

So I helped reduce the inventory on a recent trip to the property.

The scrap bin was my first stop.

Do I have a scrap problem.

I don't think it's a problem.

I filled one lunch bag with neutrals that will be used for my On The Road Quilt

and a table runner that I will quilt and use in the bus.

This time I went to the scrap bin and loaded up my lunch sack with all kinds of zip baggies.

Open the baggie to get all the air out and roll.

I stuffed that bag full. 

I guess I could have emptied the baggies but it was more fun squishing the air out.

I saw this fabric and passed on it.

I had Ernie stop on the way home because it haunted my dreams.

I bought 3 yards.

 I love it so much.

Retro typewriters bring back childhood memories of my Aunt Sharon.

Walks on the beach are nice.

Tony dog runs like a crazy dog.

My little Brother machine now lives in the bus.

I took a few projects to work on.

I needed to applique some blocks for a swap.

Then my Dresden Plates were all appliqued down. 

I wish I would have thought to use the walking foot sooner. 

It made the applique so much smoother.

The blocks were sewn into rows.

I brought them all home because I need a good hot iron.

That has now been added to my bus bag.

Some of the items are already to go on the next trip.

I love this beach life. 

I'm so glad we finally achieved my dream.

I really happy that it is now Ernie's dream as well.

He took a long time to think about it.

Like 40 years. LOL

OK, when's the next trip???

Design Wall Monday...

...and Retreat Report

This past weekend was our annual quilt retreat.

Most of the quilters have been coming to this retreat for several years.

I always look forward to spending time with my friends and 

sewing with my daughter.

Numerous hours of sewing, talking, laughing, eating.

Definitely having fun!

  

I mostly worked on quilts in progress.

These Garlic Knot blocks will complete my quilt after the blocks swap next month.

I can't believe I have them ready ahead of time.

Unlike these log cabin blocks that I made to complete a top from a swap earlier this year

I now have enough to put my blocks together.

 I started these Dresden Plates at our May retreat.

I put them in the box at the retreat and promptly put them away

and didn't even look at them until this weekend.

Now they are ready to applique to the background.

I'm pretty excited to get this one done.

I must have leaders/enders!

I do that crazy reach for something when nothing is there.

I'm working on Bonnie's Garden Party.

Just the flower blocks are my l/e project and 17 were finished.

I started the connector blocks as my last project of the weekend.

Of course I had to put a few together,

just to see. :)

I have a nice bunch of parts for 9 patches now.

I think red  9 patches might be my favorite.

The weather for the weekend was super stormy.

For a little excitement Friday night,

 this tree crashed into the barn.

No one was hurt.

There was a horseback riding class happening at the time.

The kids kept their horses under control,

the instructor did a wonderful job of keeping everyone calm,

despite "wanting to have a nervous breakdown".

We sew in a huge classroom on the other side of this huge barn/covered arena.

That was more excitement than anyone wanted.

Here's a great video of Royal Ridges where I retreat to 3 times a year.

You can see the covered arena and on the far side is where the tree came down.

We sew on the opposite side.

Despite the storm and the tree,

we had a fabulous weekend.

Great to spend time with friends doing what we love to do.

See great design walls at Patchwork Times.

Edited to add...

I forgot to show you my Be My Neighbor blocks~~

The last one is a tribute to my cat loving friend Sue.

I call it the Crazy Cat Lady's house.

Design Wall Monday

Are you doing the Moda Be My Neighbor Block of the Week?

I was in the not starting any new projects mode when this first started.

Then my friend asked if I was doing it and I said no.

Then I looked at it.......

You all know what happened then.

I have been keeping up with the pattern printing.

I decided it was time to cut some block kits to work on at retreat.

I'm having fun digging into my bigger scraps and chunks.

Sorry Moda, I'm using what I have.

These Dresden Plates were started at the May 2016 retreat.

I haven't opened the box since then.

I am hoping to get all the plates complete this coming weekend.

I'll just have my featherweight so the applique will have to wait.

I'm hoping to have it to that point.

I just love all those batiks!!

Once my house blocks are all kitted up,

my retreat projects are ready to go.

Check out design walls from all over Blogland at

Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.

Retreat Prep

It all started very innocent.

I just needed some strips.

Just a few to get me started.

But I got distracted.

Like normal.

A little over a year ago, I started Bonnie's Garden Party Quilt.

You can see her's here and in her latest book. 

I made 45 blocks before I discovered I had the corners wrong.

Last weekend I took all those corners off.

Next trip to the beach, they will get replaced,

because I forgot them there.

I decided to work on the 9 patches at retreat.

So I started pulling what I needed.

I didn't have very many wide strips.

I have a drawer stuffed full of neutrals so I pulled those out.

And I got busy.

I decided to cut those pieces less that 1/2 yard into strips for all my sizes.

1 1/2", 2 1/2" and 3 1/2"

Sometimes I had barely anything left.

Other times, there were strings.

Glorious strings!!!

Now there is more room in the neutral drawer and more variety in my strips.

This morning I decided to stay quiet so the men of the house could sleep.

(Oh you goof--I'm talking about the husband and 3 male dogs.)

I need these for my On The Road Quilt.

Strings and crumb blocks to be turned into hexies.

I can't believe how many I made in just an hour.

What fun I had early this morning. 

These are now in their new homes.

Breakfast is over.

I made these muffins this morning.

 OMG Delicious!

Now to get real serious and get some stuff packed up.

Garden Party is ready to work on.

I have some Garlic Knot blocks to complete.

I need to pack at least one or 2 more just in case.

The sewing machine needs cleaned and bobbins filled.

It won't take long to be ready to go.

Is it Thursday yet???

Design Wall Monday

Not much sewing has been happening around here. 

I'm working on some Garlic Knots blocks made from 2 1/2" strips from batik swaps.

There is a group of us swapping.

I'm making 20 to swap and 18 more to keep for myself.

That will make a nice cuddle on the couch quilt.

I'm sewing all the squares into sets.

I'll almost ready for a good pressing session.

Then there will be the layout on the design boards

and on to sewing them into blocks.

We have been busy designing.

We bought a beach lot for our retirement gift to ourselves.

I've always wanted a place at the beach, 

Ernie, not so much until recently.

We have lots of work to do here.

We have lots of time to do the work.

The bus is parked in her home.

The shed has been cleaned out.

Their garbage and recycle has been taken away.

My sewing station is already set up.

Take some time to see what others have on their design wall at

Patchwork Times.