Last month I attended my annual Smokey Mountain retreat with ladies I met through The Crafty Gemini. We wanted to get together even more often so Andra, of Andramakes on Instagram, came up with the idea of a fall retreat in a lovely log cabin in the beautiful Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. We think about it all year! We have a count-down from the end of the last day of one retreat to the beginning of the first day of the next retreat! This year was no different. We gathered, cooked, ate, shared, and of course sewed and quilted. It is an incredible feeling to be surrounded by women who share a common passion: fabric and all things made with fabric!
We are cheerleaders for each other, teachers, mentors, and design assistants. However, not one Quilt Police among us. Encouragement and support is what drives people to keep going even on their worst days and it's no different with my quilty friends. We are our worst critics, however, being part of a positive and enriching quilting community is key to success.
Over the summer my dear friend BJ and I attended the Mid-Appalacian Quilt Convention. It has been in existence for over 30 years and this year was special because it was the first year held at a different venue, Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Lovely campus, albeit a little spread out. But it was the first year and actually put together at the last minute due to the original venue needing to cancel with no warning. So, all in all, it was still successful.
The classes were amazing, the instructors top in their field, the accomodations adequate (probably working the bugs out) and the food, surprisingly good. It was a bargain considering I took a top-notch class every day for three days, was lodged and fed... it added up to $400! That's right! Plus, they had "volunteer" porters to move your equipment to and from classes as needed, tips welcome. And remembering what it was like to be a student, I was very grateful and generous for their service. What was missing? Camraderie. The kind you receive from an intimate gathering of friends who treat you like family (or better) and who don't "police" your work. BJ and I found it amusing and I am sure there were other like-minded quilters there. In fact, the instructors were more like my retreat sisters; not looking for perfection or loosing sight of the reason we do what we do. Remember, perfect is not necesarily finished and finished is perfect!
Here are some pictures of work I completed at the retreat and pieces I am still working on from the MAQ convention. Enjoy and remember, "Stay Calm and Quilt On".
MAQ Convention, July 2019. BJ and I on campus, enjoying the beautiful historic buildings and yummy food:
Over the summer my dear friend BJ and I attended the Mid-Appalacian Quilt Convention. It has been in existence for over 30 years and this year was special because it was the first year held at a different venue, Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Lovely campus, albeit a little spread out. But it was the first year and actually put together at the last minute due to the original venue needing to cancel with no warning. So, all in all, it was still successful.
The classes were amazing, the instructors top in their field, the accomodations adequate (probably working the bugs out) and the food, surprisingly good. It was a bargain considering I took a top-notch class every day for three days, was lodged and fed... it added up to $400! That's right! Plus, they had "volunteer" porters to move your equipment to and from classes as needed, tips welcome. And remembering what it was like to be a student, I was very grateful and generous for their service. What was missing? Camraderie. The kind you receive from an intimate gathering of friends who treat you like family (or better) and who don't "police" your work. BJ and I found it amusing and I am sure there were other like-minded quilters there. In fact, the instructors were more like my retreat sisters; not looking for perfection or loosing sight of the reason we do what we do. Remember, perfect is not necesarily finished and finished is perfect!
Here are some pictures of work I completed at the retreat and pieces I am still working on from the MAQ convention. Enjoy and remember, "Stay Calm and Quilt On".
MAQ Convention, July 2019. BJ and I on campus, enjoying the beautiful historic buildings and yummy food:
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| Hummingbird Thread Painting Class with Joyce Hughes |
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| Water Color and Thread painting with Joyce Hughes |
Tennessee Retreat:
techniques for FMQ that I learned from watching
Angela Walters YouTube Videos
On the Right is a Quilt I have promised my Jeep Loving Wife! It still needs boarders but it's nearly done. This is my own pattern.
