Quilt Bliss!

My friend and I just returned from the Quilt Bliss quilting retreat, sponsored by the UCMQG. It was so fun. It's the first time either of us had been to a quilting retreat and we had no idea what to expect. I admit I was kind of nervous about it. Not sure why, exactly...

I am really glad I went. It was good to help me get excited about quilting again. It was nice to meet other quilters and see their passion for quilting. We took several classes that gave me good ideas and things to think about... not just about quilting, but about other things, too. I met more than a few of the women whose blogs I read, which was fun, too.

AND... how fun to win a $50 gift certificate to an online quilt shop (fabricworm.com!) There were also some freebies given away - fabric, thread, batting samples, needles -  and the food was fabulous! I took pictures of a few of the meals to send to my husband. While he and the kids were eating the typical "Mom's away" diet of easy, not-necessarily-nutritious "food", I was having things like salmon, tenderloin, gourmet salads, soups in bread bowls... everything homemade, and the desserts were so yummy! It was all delicious. These photos don't do it justice in the least, plus they are just of the lunches. (Even the lunches were fabulous, but the dinners were even more fabulous!)  Those ladies worked very hard for us, and I was impressed with what came out of the kitchen.

We also took a trip to a LQS in Heber, where I found some great fabric to make a "quilt retreat memory quilt." (Because that's what one does, right?) I think I will use it with Camille Roskelley's Spools pattern.

Here are some pictures taken from the windows of the lodge (Timber Moose Lodge)... the first one was the view right out the window of my sewing spot.

It was so gorgeous! Not just the view, but the lodge itself was huge and rustic and cozy. You can check it out online if you want to see it. (You can look at the Quilt Bliss website or just Google the lodge itself.)

I only took two projects to work on. I thought, "Three days of sewing, how much can I possibly get done?" Well, I judged correctly for myself, but there were seriously women there working on three+ quilts! I couldn't believe the piles of bags and fabric they had lined up! The Show-and-Tell was a fun way to see what everyone had accomplished.

I worked on this quilt that I'm making for my daughter who just went away to college. ("Away" being relative. It's only about a half-hour, but she moved out, so it's far enough away for me!) I think I'm about halfway done with it. I decided to finish it at home, where I could spread out more.

I also took a class by Amy Smart on using up scrap pieces. She taught us how to make these paper-pieced blocks using "strings" or strips of scraps. I had tons of 30's fabrics left over from my grandma's quilt and from another project, so I decided to use that. I really enjoyed the process and I finished eight blocks while at the retreat. I'm excited to see how many blocks I can make with my scraps, then I'll decide what kind of quilt it will be.

This week I'm going to finish up the blocks for the Saturday Sampler at my LQS, then I will work on finishing my daughter's quilt. I'd like to get it to her before she leaves for even bigger adventures in late summer. I am setting a goal to have it to a machine quilter by Valentine's Day.

Sooooo... thank you to the UCMQG for putting together this fun retreat! Every member of the staff worked hard to make sure it was a great time for the guests and everyone was so kind. My friend and I plan to go again - and the only thing we'll change is getting a room for two or three instead of sleeping in the bunk room. I am just too light of a sleeper and a little too claustrophobic for that. (Sharing a queen size bed on the inside of a bottom bunk...)

Oh... one more thing. My friend and I decided to join the UCMQG. I'm excited to get to know all these quilters better and keep the inspiration coming month after month.