Annual Quilt Retreat

This past Monday through Thursday I was on a quilt retreat. 

The retreat, which is now organized by several of the Asheville Quilt Guild members, actually happens twice a year, but for the last several years my friend Alice and I have only been attending the spring retreat. 

Formerly the retreat was held at Lake Logan, about an hour's drive from my house, in a rather remote Episcopal center which is on the site of a former logging camp. So think of lakeside housing and a large sewing/eating space with a fireplace and a rustic feel. 

This year we moved to Bonclarken, also an historic religious retreat, but closer to "civilization." It is a half hour drive from my house, very close to the golf course I often play at in Flat Rock, just outside of Hendersonville. There is a nice quilt shop just a couple miles down the road, and the center of Flat Rock Village which has a nice bakery/coffee shop is about a 3/4 mile walk away.

The move was motivated by a cost increase at Lake Logan, but all the 30 attendees seemed to be happier with the Bonclarken accommodations and agreed to return there in the fall.

We were housed in a newish facility that had the layout and feel of a three story chain motel/hotel and on the other side of the "lobby" was a huge, well lit, windowed room where we sewed. There was a full kitchen adjacent to the sewing space and a small gathering spot with a gas fireplace and a TV that was never turned on. We had a short walk past a couple of buildings and through a parking lot to get to the dining facility which was an add-on to the historic hotel on the property which dates back to the 1860's.

Here is a photo of my corner of the main sewing room.

And outside there is a patio with rocking chairs. The hotel rooms are above the patio and our sewing space is in the peaked portion of the building visible to the right.

After a few hours of sewing, I was ready for a walk, and just a short walk away was their lake which has a nice walking trail circling it.

The campus is quite large and includes several large meeting halls and many types of accommodations ranging from buildings that look like old fashioned strip motels, to larger boarding houses, to cabins, to year round homes. In addition to their own lake, some of the homes overlook neighboring Highland Lake.

I brought several projects to work on. I was happy to finally put together the rest of my scrap mystery quilt top from last year. It was a treat to have the floor space to lay it all out.

Alice and I also divided up some fabric that was donated to us and we each made a "Turning Twenty" quilt top.  Once the quilts are finished they will likely be given to Hospice.

We also hand sewed the binding on this year's Shindig quilt. I guess I didn't include a picture of that in this posting, but likely you will see it in a subsequent posting.

I am including some photos of other people's projects in progress so you can get an idea of the things people were working on and so I can remember some of them, too.

This annual retreat is a nice get-away. 

It's a treat to not have to meal plan and to be able to focus solely on a hobby we share with others. We enjoy the the fellowship, make new friends, get our creativity sparked, learn from each other, share resources and recipes... and so much more!

Prayer Flags!

I have been thinking about making some prayer flags for my front porch for a looooong time.

I'm not really sure why it took me so long. Probably that procrastination tendency at work again.

Then this week, I happened to see the suggestion of making them out of old handkerchiefs... brilliant! 

I have a collection of old handkerchiefs that I have accumulated... some from my childhood, others likely were my mother's or grandmothers'.

So, in about a half and hour, I had my prayer flags ready to hang.

I think they look rather like springtime! 

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Tip Toe through the Tulips... with me!

The Spring tulip season seems so fleeting, compared to the daffodils which we have been enjoying for two months. So yesterday we were at the Biltmore Estate gardens to see their annual tulip display. Apparently our timing was good, because it was a riot of color.

 I love this view from the garden this time of year when you can clearly see the house. Later in the season, when all the trees are leafed out, the house will be a bit more disguised.

 The rose bushes are in the upper left of this shot. They already have leaves and in another month they will be full of color!

 I noticed an absence of those stately red tulips... this year the oranges stole the show!

 The purple and white were impressive, too!

 These delicate blooms were tucked in an out of the way spot.

 And now... just a few more pictures:

 And finally, a stop at the winery for a tasting. Year 'round the whites and the reds steal the show there!

A Quick Finish!

In mid-February we went to the 30th Annual National Arts & Crafts Conference Show at the Grove Park Inn.

It's an amazing event featuring antiques from the "Arts and Crafts" or Craftsman era as well as all manner of things made by contemporary "makers" of items in that style.

This year Russ bought me a kit to make a pillow, selecting this nice design featuring pinecones and pine needles. For me, it was a quick finish, from a bag of loose materials to a finished product in less than 2 months!

I worked on it primarily during my winter TV viewing time.

The other day I finished it and now I think it looks pretty much at home on my Morris chair.

It only required satin stitch for the pine cones and a chain stitch for the needles. The linen has a very coarse burlap-like texture. The back of the pillow, which was also provided in the kit, is a dark brown finer weave linen.

This isn't the first pillow kit I have completed from this company, www.TextileStudio.com. At the A&C festival three or four years ago, I purchased a kit for myself. Again, I started the embroidery immediately and worked on it throughout the summer during many outdoor music events. I finished the embroidery, and then due to my tendency toward procrastination, I folded it up and put it away.

The next year when I saw the price tags on some completed pillows, I figured I had better find my project and finish it and put it to use.

This pillow design is a little more elaborate, but nothing requiring great embroidery skill. I liked the sage green linen background and backing and the acorn/oak leaf design.

The pillow now resides on the East Lake rocker in my living room.

If you like the A & C look, you might consider going to the 31st National Arts & Crafts Conference which will be held at the Grove Park Inn on February 16-18, 2018.

Arts-CraftsConference.com or ArtsAndCraftsCollector.com for more information.