More Retreat Makes

We're at the end of school crazy time around here and while classes finished yesterday we are now in the throes of exam prep. Each of them have 5 exams to write to write this week. I may lock myself in my sewing room to keep from incessantly nagging them to "Get the heck off Facebook and study!"  Honestly, how does anyone make it through university these days with all the social media they have to keep up on?

Ok, so I'm really dragging this retreat thing out, but here are a few more pics. My spring retreat buddies are French General Fanatics. When we retreat, they both just bring bags and bags of every line of FG. And I mean every line. Then they proceed to make the most beautiful quilts, pillows, pin cushions, table runners and bags out of it!

To start, here was our basement sweat shop! The set up was perfect - big cutting table, individual work stations, a heater and carpeted floor. Our iron was just around the corner in the laundry room.

Isn't Rossie's bed gorgeous?! That's my dresden plate pillow pattern on the right - she 

made a beautiful one!

This is the quilt top Sandi got together. That border print is a fav of all three of us.

Here are our farm fresh breakfast eggs from local friend Sue's hens. And a sweet table topper by Rossie under the rose glass bowl.

Rossie's hand-quilted couch throw was super cozy in the mornings.

She made this gorgeous 241 Bag with Martha Negley's Farmdale feathers print and a French General linen look blue solid.

I was the beneficiary of a few choice selvage pieces and had some of my own to add so I got a start on this pillow top and made a few little pin cushions of similar design with leftovers

My second Scrap Vomit top is together. This time I used Kona pomegranate and a grey/white dot for the accent blocks.

I started free-motion quilting my first Scrap top that's been basted for weeks already. I was struggling with shredded top thread (I'm using a gorgeous variegated Sulky Blendable in 40wt). I tried 90/14 and 100/16 topstitch needles but the problem wasn't solved. I said a few choice words and soldiered on, but it was very frustrating.

A neighbourhood of tiny houses destined to become tape measure holders. I'm making these for the Fat Quarterly retreat sample swap. Laurraine's pattern can be found here.

I also made my secret partner's nametag for FQRLondon. I have to get that in the mail this week! The idea is that we send them in advance so we can arrive all nametag-equipped at the retreat Friday afternoon.

I think that just about wraps it up for spring retreat 2013. Only 31 more sleeps 'till I leave for London and I'm running a day retreat next Saturday as well, so there's plenty more social sewing in my near future. Yay!