2010 Retreat

Greetings from a blog that has been quiet for too long. Some of us just returned from our Nov 2010 retreat. We had a great time! Hope you enjoy these pictures. Notice how much we got done (and this is just a fraction of it all)!!

This is the beautiful lake as seen on Thursday and Friday



We slept well in quilt-bedecked beds



We ate well



We had fun while working hard





















We took exercise breaks (also massage and facial breaks and game breaks such as 'Last One Standing' and 'Quilt Bingo')



On Friday night the snow began to fly!






When it's snowy and cold outside, what's better than staying warm inside and making quilts??





















L. created this from the Bag O' Scraps, and M. was the lucky recipient





the worst part of the retreat.... leaving



Mark your calendars for next year's retreat: November 10-13, 2011.

Tribute to Jean L.

We are sad to report that Jean Loken passed away on July 17, 2010.

Read Carol's blurb about Jean here.

Picnic in a Windstorm

Our July meeting, the annual picnic, took place on July 14, a very windy night. We enjoyed the usual lovely spread of delicious food, good company, and wind-blown hairdos. Show and Tell was quite the challenge for those who volunteered to help hold the quilts. The quilts, aka sails, tried to drag our holders through the park, but they held on bravely.

Some wind-blown hairdos:

Nanette's daughter made this quilt when she was 7 yrs old, and won a blue ribbon for it!

This is one by Edel Ruth.. Nanette does the quilting for her.

This one, by Beth K., tried its best to drag the volunteer holders all over the park, but they held on tight.

Read the previous post about our monthly Saturday Sew-ins, and please join us on July 18 if you can!

Another One-Day Sewing Event

We're going to try to do our one-day sewing retreats more regularly (monthly). We met on June 27 and had a great time. We started at 8:00 a.m. and a couple of us stayed to the very end... 10:00 p.m. Come join us! It's lots of fun, a great sewing space, and we always get a lot done as there are no interruptions from daily life (unless you follow the summons from your cell phone).

Look at what you missed by not showing up -- warm caramel rolls, courtesy of Janet S.!! Yummy!

It's worth coming even without caramel rolls. You'll get to see some of Janet S.'s beautiful hand work.. she does lots of applique, or sometimes she attaches a binding. She doesn't lug along a big machine like the rest of us. It's great to see all the variety of tasks we work on.

Maureen worked on a folded piece that she had learned in a class at MQ. Wait 'til you see it. It's beautiful!

Cindy worked on a shop sample for Quilt Cove.

See how pretty it is? it is now on display at the shop (she made 4 of these blocks).

Carol worked on some charity quilts. These will be donated... somewhere... when she decides where.

If you can, please come to our next sewing days. There is no need to sign up or RSVP. Just show up with your supplies and your projects, and be prepared to work and have fun.

Next dates:
Sat., July 18, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sat., August 22, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 26, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. - watch for announcements. This date may need to change due to the church needing the space that day.

The place where we meet is St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 700 Wesley Lane, Mendota Heights. Great lighting, roomy, and you don't need to climb any stairs. Just roll on in and get to work! (Please bring your own extension cord.)

Great Show and Tell in June

I missed the June meeting, but Beth K. kindly took pictures and sent them to me with notes. The program was a talk on the Minnesota Quilt Project, given by Jean Loken and Gail Bakkom. These first pictures are from the program:

The rest of these pictures are from Show and Tell. We have such talented quilters in our guild! It's always fun to see their creations.

This first one is by Janet S----e.

The next one is by Janet S----r.

The next four are by Karen A. Notice how she immediately uses up her scraps by making mini quilts with her leftover pieces.

The next 4 are by Mo J.

This one is a high school graduation gift, made by Pat B.:

This is a gift for a nephew, made by Rosemary R. Each picture is in the quilt twice, so he can hunt for the matching picture.. a quilt puzzle!

Sally M. made this for a relative's fruit stand.

This batik top is also by Sally M.

This one is by Stephanie W. It is going to her neighbor's parents in India!

This one is made from a jelly roll, by Susie S.