My Joyful Journey Retreat #5

 For 5 years I have hosted a Retreat at the Red Rooster Retreat Center in Crane Hill, AL. This year I missed it because my flight home from EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINAR was canceled due to weather. I got stuck for two extra nights in Dallas.

So the SECRET PLAN to have me surprise everyone by showing up unexpectedly was for naught. 

But it looks like they had a great time. These photos were shared with me. And we did FACETIME  a couple times. Enjoy!

Conna

One part of the room

Cyndi

Julie

Kathy--who makes everything run smoothly

The other part of the room

Pam's quilt, I think

Pick a Petal--definitely not Australian fabrics

Pick a Petal--bright

Sally telling Julie something important

Sally

Suzie

Kathy 

Suzie and Victoria

Victoria

First timer Sandy

Mandatory Group shot on the Stairs

First timer Suzanne

Janey

Sue 

First Timer Sandra  

Instead of the usual "20 Questions"  asked at meals, this year everyone was asked to provide a Tip, or great idea. Then they were added to the "What I Learned" board. AND someone is always listening, so there was a "What I Heard" section too:

What I Heard and What I Learned Board

Since I wasn't there, there are NO pictures of FOOD! Suffice it to say the food was great and everyone had plenty to eat, including goodies brought to share.

In September all those who attended this year get a week's advance notice to sign up for next year's amazing event: March 5-9, 2025. If there are openings after that, I start working my WAITLIST.  If you would like to be added to the Waitlist, just let me know. Several of these women have been at all 5 and wouldn't miss it. We had 3 newbies this year who have already said they want to come back. 

Who wouldn't want to spend 5 days with smart, funny, creative, happy women? And have all your meals provided too!! Makeup free zone, stay in pj's all day if you like. It's just the BEST!  So sorry I missed it.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 4

 PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we make the Log Cabin blocks from light neutrals/low volume prints. They will form a border that gets lots of applique and embroidery embellishment. 

Jen's blocks from her quilt:

The idea is to use very low contrast fabrics for the log cabins so the embellishments can really show. For those using the Kit, there is a large supply of very lights for this purpose. I used 28 of them. A few others I used on some of the Month 2 and 3 blocks so I didn't use them here.

The center square is cut 2.5". There are 20 blocks so we need 20 2.5" squares. I started with 7 fabrics and cut a 2.5" x 9" strip from each, lengthwise grain, parallel to the selvedge. This gives 3 squares from each strip so you will have one extra square: 

Using the fabric that remained, I cut 7 strips 1.5" x 9" for some of the Logs from EACH OF THOSE 7 FABRICS.  Since they were already on the table for cutting the squares, I cut them now. This gives 49 strips, that's a small start. 

Next I used 21 more Neutral/Low Volume fabrics to cut lots more strips, 1.5" x 9". Again, lengthwise grain. How MANY STRIPS? 7 strips from EACH of the 21 fabrics--I cut 4 layers at a time. This gives 147 strips--now you have about as many strips as you will need for all 20 Log Cabin blocks:

The pattern instructions give the specific size of each log needed for a block. That is how I chose to do it, cutting two blocks at a time, not repeating a fabric within the block. 

NOTE: I DID NOT  cut all the strips up into all the sizes needed AHEAD OF TIME. I cut for TWO BLOCKS at a time, using any "leftover" pieces as I could. For example, cutting a 5.5" log from a 9" strip leaves a 3.5" x 1.5" log leftover--perfect! You can use that in another block.

The two at the top are ready to sew, the two at the bottom are complete:

A few of the fabrics are directional, like the one with words. Try to keep them all the same or just "wing it"--whatever makes you happy. I am a "symmetrical" kind of girl, so I kept them all "readable" in the quilt. You do you.

Yes, I know there are other ways to make Log Cabin blocks, like chain piecing all the squares to a long strip of fabric 1. Do whichever method you like that gives you the result you want--accurately sewn blocks. 

By cutting accurately  using the instructions, you will quickly see if your seam allowance is off. Remember the 3 things we can do wrong in piecing a block: the CUTTING, the SEWING, and/or the PRESSING. Each of these steps is very important in making these blocks.

Occasionally, I was off a little bit. I see it while pressing the newly added log. Upper right corner is not quite there, off by less than 1/8":

When I added the next strip I was careful to keep the block straight--the missing part is in the seam allowance and only I know it's there. The problem would come if I insisted on keeping the block raw edges aligned with the newly added strip--this would cause the block to be more "out of whack" with each new round: 

I measured each block as I added EACH round--with 1" finished logs it's easy to know what size the blocks should be as each log is added. For example, when the first log is added to the center square, it should measure 2.5" x 3.5" including seam allowance. When the second log is added, the unit is now 3.5" square. And so on... Yes, I checked every seam, every time. 

When the block is done, it is 8.5" square, including seam allowance. Make 20. No rush, you now have several months to make them as we start embellishing the first FOUR log cabins next month: 

IMPORTANT TIP: even if you make ALL 20 BLOCKS RIGHT NOW, do not sew them into borders and add them to the center as soon as you have the center all done. The embellishing with applique and embroidery is done while the Log Cabin borders are NOT YET sewn to the quilt.

Here is how far I have gotten. The borders are complete, (except the final small fan borders) but are not sewn to the center yet. Each border is labeled Top, Bottom, Left or Right:

On the FORUM I posted a photo of how much Kit fabric I now have left for the appliques--find that TOPIC HERE

I will do the Facebook LIVE broadcast Wednesday April 3, 2024, noon Central Time. It will also be on YouTube on The Quilt Show channel. And as always will be recorded to watch whenever convenient, find the links to all the LIVE broadcasts HERE.

This can be a fun "leader/ender" project if you have to be working on another quilt at the same time. I was doing Ricky Tims' virtual class, Papaw's Choice, while making these. It was nice to switch between the neutral blocks and the deep/dark blocks. Here is my Papaw's Choice, 82" square:

I hope this helps as you make the Log Cabin Border blocks.

Next month we start embellishing them, FOUR of them!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

FULL CIRCLE AT EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINAR

More than two years ago I was invited to teach at EMPTY SPOOLS SEMINAR held every year at Asilomar Conference Center on the Monterey Peninsula in central CA. I have been looking forward to it since then. This is the 39th year, it began the year I became a quilter.

See my post about the place and the experience here: Empty Spools Seminar Part 1

The class I was asked to teach is FULL CIRCLE, a pattern by Wendy Williams. This is a great project for a 5 day Seminar--it has lots to teach and would keep the students engaged for the entire time. My sample turned out great and the quilting by local longarmer extraordinaire Patty Wilson made it that much better:

I have written several blog posts about this quilt, read them here for more info:

What You Can Learn

See the Quilting

Class Taught Locally September 2023

Each student bought the pattern and my 10 page addendum with tips and clarifications. 

I was thrilled to have 21 students, one of the largest classes that Session. They came from all over the country: OH, WI, HI, WA, UT, CO, and CA. The two from Hawaii had taken Western Sun with me in Houston last fall--I was so pleased they wanted another class. The two from Colorado took class with me in Durango last spring--so great to see familiar faces again. 

This class had to be fast-paced as I had to be sure we covered all 9 of the patterns in Quadrant A as well as how to assemble the outer borders and complete quilt. "We advance for the swift and repeat for the deliberate." Everyone was encouraged to ask all the questions they might have, as frequently as necessary until they "got it". 

The first day was 1.5 hours of instruction before dinner and the evening welcome program. They got right to work drawing their patterns. The first full day, Day 2, we spent the morning on more pattern drawing. After lunch it was time to sew and sew they did. 

Here is what I saw before class began the morning of Day Three:

Wow! I was so happy to see so much progress. Everyone was cheerful, eager to learn, fun to talk to and kept up with what is a pretty fast-paced class. 

A couple showed me quilts they were inspired to make from my blog:

Suzanne made X blogs from Charm Squares from my tutorial

Susan was happy to have the outer road on Color My World, another Wendy Williams pattern that was the 2021 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show

And here are the photos I took at the end of day 5:

And there has to be a CLASS PHOTO. I would be delighted to see any of these students in class again. They worked hard, learned more than they know, and will be able to make the entire quilt now. Although a couple plan to make only Quadrant A. I look forward to seeing their completed quilts sometime in the future:

Empty Spools Seminars is such a magical experience! I will teach there as often as I am invited--it's just that kind of place. I came home with my cup of creativity full to overflowing. I am working on a new sample or two for future class offerings.

AND IF YOU WANT TO LEARN THIS QUILT, YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE: I am teaching this at Southern Charm Quilting in Huntsville, AL as a 5 day SPECIAL EVENT May 6-10, 2024. The fee includes the pattern, my addendum, 5 full days of class instruction, lunch the first day and $100 toward fabric purchases. Don't miss this opportunity. Fifteen students attended the first of these Special Events last September. There is a great hotel nearby if you are traveling from out of the area. I hope to see you there. Register online today.

Let's quilt!

Barbara