Retreat Preparation

My mom and I are going on a sleep away quilting retreat this weekend. We have not been on one in 9 years! Lindsey's mom's quilting group organized it and it is only an hour away from where we live, so we don't have to waste lots of time traveling. This is a belated birthday celebration for mom. So, I made a thread catcher to match my new sewing machine cover/mat.

The spool portion is a pin cushion. 

 I had a few remaining hourglass blocks and turned them into an eyeglass case for my readers I need for threading my needles especially on my Featherweight. These bright accessories will be very cheerful at my retreat workstation.

I made my N blocks for the Little Letters this morning. 

Another bonus is I get to use my mobile sewing station I splurged on this summer.  I have taken it to my mom's and Lindsey's for our sewing get togethers.

 I have stocked it with all the basic tools and it has plenty of room for all my projects.

Plus, my Featherweight fits perfectly in the bottom and it rolls easily.

 We are taking a wool class and can bring our own project or buy a kit there. I am bringing this pattern I inherited from my sister

and here is the wool felt for it. Of course, I could always be swayed to buy something new, but this is a lovely kit. Plus, it is small and not that complicated, so maybe I could actually finish it...

I have loved this Modern Herringbone quilt from Simply Pieced since it was posted last summer. I am a sucker for scrap quilts. She included instructions, so I am planning on making it! Just lots of half-square triangles, but she has a quick method. Here is the link 

http://simplypieced.blogspot.com/2013/08/modern-herringbone.html

 My neighbor is having a little girl in December and is doing the nursery in purples. I think a purple Modern Herringbone will be a perfect baby quilt. I dug through my stash of purples, my mom's, and my friend, Barbara's. The design uses 5 inch squares. I stopped by my LQS and found this white with purple for the background. I think it will be perfect to work on during the retreat with simple sewing and cutting.

 It was recommended to bring 9 fat quarters for some games we will play, so again I dug through my stash and found some random fat quarters that I can part with.

Here it is all together except for my handwork basket and a cooler.

Best of all the retreat is at a beautiful inn that is located in the middle of a vineyard, so we can sit on the porch, admire the view, and do handwork. After we tire of sewing, we can relax in the hot tub and drink some wine. Sounds like heaven! I will post pictures soon...