A productive weekend
Well the retreat was yet again a wonderful time away just chatting and catching up with friends while we busily tried to get through as much sewing / knitting / painting / stitching etc as we could.
My position for the weekend was not too different from last year … and even though I thought I was being more selective in my selections I think I ended up taking even more up than last year.
This year my focus was to get some sewing done.. to finally finish my sampler quilt top and then see what happened. Friday saw the quilt top finished without too much effort but a lot of whining on my part about how hard the mitred corners were. I know they weren’t that hard but they were fiddly. I am quite surprised at how large this top has turned out it is well and truly at least a DB size and is now proving to be quite a daunting prospect for quilting.
I thought I had ideas about what I wanted to do for the quilting but really I am still at an incredible loss as to where to start. Just how are you meant to go about selecting a quilting design.. I think the technical aspect of it I will be able to work out but the design selection… that has left me completely at a loss and not just for this top.
The other big achievement for me this weekend was I started and finished the space quilt kit that I picked up at Pick up Stitches in Kyneton… the thing that tipped me over the edge finally in starting quilting. I mean really who can go past space and glow in the dark stars! Friday afternoon and evening was all the panel trimming and getting the pieces ready.. lots and lots of measuring to be sure before cutting as the kit did not have much excess fabric if I made a mistake… in some instances there was no room for error. There is one alteration in the fabric which is a substitution of a deep purple border rather than a bright orange around each of the picture panels I mean really there is no way I was putting bright orange in this quilt.
Saturday I got everything pieced and stitched together and then Sunday before having to pack up and go I managed to get the borders done… so there we go a completed top form start to finish in one weekend… that sure was a surprise.
As with the other one I have no idea where to start with the quilting on this… the centre panel is one large piece so just in the ditch won’t be enough it will need some kind of filling design… what and how to do it.. that really is the question. Maybe I’ll ask my head of science (who is a quilter) to help me with some inspiration and help. I know that if I don’t take these in to school on Monday for show and tell I’ll be in trouble 😀
In addition to these there was a little bit of stitching (i’ll update a picture of violet soon I promise), some reading, and absolutely no knitting … woops.
There is already talk of doing this again next year but we may try a new place I have a lead on a similar set up down at Apollo Bay… stitchy retreat with a view of the ocean.. Yes Please!