Back from the retreat

I had a fabulous time at the retreat - except for the fact that I started getting sick on Saturday morning and am now home feeling lousy with a nasty cold bug of some kind. I don't even feel like sitting at the computer or sewing so you know how lousy I feel!

In did get a lot accomplished at the retreat - more that I ever imagined I could. Believe it or not I worked on almost everything I took with me.

I made more blocks for my black sashed string quilt and finished that top. I made 25 string blocks with red centers for another Hotel Hope string quilt - that's a good start for that one.

I did some Crumb Chaos blocks so I could demo the process to some of others. I'd never done them before so it was new to me also. They are so much fun, very addicting, and really go together quickly. After I put everything away yesterday I cut up the scraps I'd created at retreat and made a bunch more of them. So now I have a good start on a Crumb Chaos Hotel Hope quilt too.

I almost left my 2006 Jan Patek mystery quilt - "Posies and Points" - at home. It was one of the projects I kept taking out and putting away while I was packing. I'm really glad I took it because I finished all but one of the November appliqué blocks and stitched most of it together. I've not shown a picture of this project for a long time so some of you may not have seen it. I love how it's turning out - I may make this into my bed quilt for camping in our tent trailer. I think I'll big stitch it with Cebelia, using a nice wool batting and a flannel back. I'm hoping I can get the last block appliquéd today - if I can find the energy somewhere.

As far as will power and not buying - well, I failed miserably at that. I decided it was OK if I spent, however, as this was a special time. My boss told me I'd receive a very nice bonus this week when she did my yearly review, so I decided that was really a gift and I could spend some of it how I wanted to. Some of the purchases were legal - four, 3-yard pieces of bright Shadow Play fabric for sashings and borders on scrappy quilts and three, 2 1/2-yard pieces of warm light neutrals for backgrounds on reproduction quilts. My indulgences were a packet of fabrics to make "Reminiscence" by Lori Smith, as well as packets of blue, neutral, pink and brown reproduction fabrics. The picture is of Sharon who owns Momma Made It and the Reminiscence quilt. I also bought one book - Medallion Quilts by Cindy Vermillion Hamilton. None of those were necessities, but they were things I wanted. I figured I deserved a gift after being good for so long!

I'm totally behind on my blog reading - Bloglines says I have 142 updated feeds. As long as I don't fall asleep sitting at the computer I should be able to at least find the energy to read.

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Gratitudes:

1. New fabric to fondle and drool over

2. A new quilt book to read

3. Wonderful quilty friends

4. Quilting retreats

5. My own bed

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