Leading A Virtual Retreat

Charity block

One of my small groups led a virtual retreat last weekend. We had 29 participants attend with most participants members of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. Members paid $40 to attend the event. The retreat began at 3pm Friday afternoon and ended at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. Participants were from two provinces in Canada and six states in the United States. We set up the Zoom session so participants could sew every hour of the retreat. 

Creative piecing of the charity block

We "soft" opened the event with open sew time. People worked on their projects and chatted. Later, we held an ice breaker to officially welcome the participants. We wanted to give those that were at work time to join us. We asked people for two answers: The first: Name three items you would put in a time capsule. The second, If you were a stripper, what would your name be? The responses were great and there were lots of giggles and laughs! 

We tried having a dedicated time we called Marketplace. This was a time when participants could buy, sale, trade or give away a sewing or sewing related item that they no longer needed. How the item went from one person to the other was between

Blocks with alternate color on the wings

the two parties. Throughout the weekend, there were conversations held so it was a success.

Toward the end of the evening, there was a door prize drawing. In keeping with our goal to keep the event virtual and to support our business guild members, winners were given a choice of which business they would like a gift certificate. For winners outside of Oregon and Washington, they could pick a business that they frequent. 

Retreat blocks

During the event, we awarded ten $25 gift certificates and one $50 gift certificate. Monday, one of our group members, contacted the businesses which issued electronic gift certificates to the participants. We get as close to the amount as we can without shorting the Canadian winner when it comes to the exchange rate!

Adding sashing

People logged off when they were ready to rest. For the night owls, the Zoom session stayed open. One of our members stayed up at least until midnight acting as host.

Saturday morning, the retreat opened with open sew. One of our members lives on the East coast so she would log on by 7am her tine which was 4am our time. This allowed the early birds to roll out of bed and begin stitching. We tried to time our activities so it wouldn't be too late for those in a different time zone nor would it be too early for people in the Pacific time zone.

We played a virtual game that one of our group devised at 9:30am. It was a combination of questions she generated from the guild website and blocks to identify. It was surprising how much members didn't know! The game generated a lot of conversation afterward. We had a pop up demo (how to sew a tool caddy) and two scheduled demos (how to sew the charity block and how to sew an inside mitered corner).

Two virtual speakers lectured. Valerie Goodwin's lecture was Mapping Narratives Using Fabric, Paint and Thread. Judy Johnson AKA Threadmongers   talked about cotton alternatives to Aurifil thread. Both speakers were well received. Later we played virtual Bingo. Bingo is always a hit.

Sunday, we played with layouts using the charity blocks that people had sewn and sent to one member of our group. This member will put the blocks together and quilt the project. It will be donated to the guild Charity group. We had an additional demo of how to sew on a quilt sleeve. We had a final show and share of participants' projects. It was a fun weekend. Our group did a great job. This was our second time to lead the virtual retreat. We are planning to be participants at the next virtual retreat though!

Goal number four on my November list was to help lead this virtual retreat. Linking to Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

In 2014 our Thread Tales book club read "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford. It was an additional read for the quarter. Since it was an extra book, it wasn't on the list for a project. Our group has few rules! I decided, however, that I would make a quilt inspired by the book!

Embroidery with free motion quilting

Around this time, I was taking some classes to learn how to operate my embroidery software. We were to embroider four flower motifs and four crazy patch blocks. There was also a sentiment that we embroidered. The practice was a good introduction to the software. I'm still learning how to use that software several updates later!

Back of quilt

I free motioned quilted different filler stitches in the background of the flower blocks. The flower blocks represented the lilies that the Chinese character Henry would bring to his mother. The crazy patchwork symbolized the relationship between Henry and Keiko the Japanese girl he befriended in school. The story takes place just as WWII breaks out and is set in Seattle, Washington. The sentiment fit how Henry and Keiko lived their lives.

Most of the label

All the fabrics used in this project were scraps! I finished it in 2014. A few years ago, I decided to add a page to this blog documenting the book club quilts I've made over the years. I missed getting this project into the page! Goal number one on my November list was to document this quilt. 

Front

The group's first book was "The Davinci Code" by Dan Brown. We read it at the end of 2007! We are currently reading our 76th book! I haven't made a project or finished a project for every book; but, I have finished 65 projects. That is 65 quilts that I wouldn't have made had I not been involved with this group!

Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell, To Do Tuesday and I Quilted This.

Star of Maghrib--The Bonnie Hunter 2026 Mystery Sew Along--post 1

Bonnie's colors

On Halloween, Bonnie Hunter released the introduction to her 2026 mystery sew along which she named "Star of Maghrib." I've been eagerly anticipating that day. Would I like the fabric combination? Would I have fabrics in my stash? The answer was yes and yes. Although, I did consider switching the colors if I found that I didn't have near enough of one or more of the fabrics in the chosen colors.  

Neutral collection

Goal number two on my November list was to gather fabrics for this mystery. Bonnie chose red, green, blue for the colors and white/cream/pearl colors for the neutral. My plan was to use the cream fabrics in my stash for the neutrals. How fortunate that cream was the neutral color Bonnie chose! I have a few darker neutrals to add to the variety. Many of these fabrics are small pieces which I hope will be perfect in this pattern!

Fat quarter tree

I've used a lot of green fabrics in projects this year and I was concerned that I would be short. I thought if I was short, I could use orange or purple; but, I didn't have enough of those colors! Years ago, my friend, Gail gifted me a "tree" of fat quarters. It has been a "decoration" in my studio ever since.I decided I would use these fabrics. 

Then, I decided I wanted to create another tree so I found a couple fat quarters and carefully figured out the fold pattern. I made a two tier tree to again have a fat quarter tree in my studio!

Green collection

Next, I pulled out my green drawer. With the fat quarter tree fabrics, I had enough green fabrics. There is a good range of values in this pull! Again, a number of these fabrics are less than a fat quarter so there should be a good variety! 

Blue collection

My blue drawer was over full; but, I didn't have as many small prints or tonal fabrics as I thought. Still, I sorted. I auditioned and I came up with enough yardage! 

Red collection

Red was the final color. I've been gifted a lot of red fabrics in the past year so much that it flowed into two stuffed drawers! I, however, don't have enough to not use a fabric twice! The tonal range is good. 

I have prewashed, starched and ironed the neutrals. All of the greens are prewashed and starched. Today, I'll iron them. The blues are all prewashed and about half are starched. I will also work on the processing the red fabrics. It is a slow process because I prewash each fabric to test for colorfastness. My goal is to finish in time to start clue one which Bonnie will release the day after Thanksgiving. 

The entire pull

I'm happy to sew these fabrics into a quilt. I'm looking forward to putting a lot fewer fabrics away at the end of the project! When Bonnie releases the clues, I'll check my "precuts" for any fabrics that can be used as I like to use those when the pattern calls for a fabric width I already have cut!

Linking to Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

October Recap and November Goals

Granddaughter's rainbow sparkly slippers

My October goals were:

✔1. Document making the back for Lala's Irish Chain.

✔2. Document my rug weaving process. It now measures 40 inches in diameter, which is nine inches larger than it was last month!

✔3. Pre-wash and starch some background fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

✔4. Document my plan for the project for Radium Girls.

Miss A's watercolor art

✒5. Make a Memory Bear. I cut out the pattern pieces from the flannel sheet that I'm using to make the woven rug. The project is close to a finish.

I listed few goals because I didn't know if or how much I'd be able to stitch as I recovered from knee revision surgery on September 14. This was a good plan because sitting to sew at the machine is still uncomfortable. Although, I managed a number of 30 minute sessions yesterday! I attribute the improvement to pain medication. I'm making progress with the knee rehab so I will take that as a WIN! 

Our watercolor art

The best part of the month was hanging out with my London daughter and granddaughter. We did a little online shopping for an unnecessary; but important item--rainbow sparkly slippers. The deal was for her to wear her slippers and not her mama's dress shoes. Let's see how long the four year old's memory lasts now that they are home!

Sidewalk art

Her favorite activity is painting. My favorite of her work is her spinning ballerina in shades of pink. Her favorite is her flower because she had fun mixing shades of brown! Her two favorite techniques were splattering and using her fingers to make dots.

She left some chalk art behind for her papa and me to enjoy. It was fun to have her here.

Fabric Accounting:

Current Month:

Fabric in:  0 yards

Fabric out: 0 yards

Net gain for the month:  0 yards 

Year to Date:

Fabric in: 57.25 yards

Scraps to use for Meadow Mist mystery 

Fabric out: 124.75yards 

Net loss: 67.50 yards 

Best Book of the month: The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes. This is a story filled with mystery, corruption and secrecy. It revolves around three women in Montana back when the copper mining companies were king. The unifying factor is the love of books and sharing
that love with others. 

My November goals are:

1. Document On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet project.

2. Gather fabrics for Star of Maghreb the 2026 Bonnie Hunter mystery.

3. Finish Lala's Chain.

4. Help host Portland Modern Guild's virtual retreat.

5. Finish the Memory Bear.

6. Make progress on the Marigold Meadow Mist mystery.

7. Continue quilting the butterfly.

8. Get the Radium Girls project into a top.

9. Prepare a demo for English Paper Piecing.

Let's see how much my knee function improves this month. I have missed being in my studio stitching, cutting and quilting!

Linking to: Sew & Tell and To Do Tuesday.

Memory Bear

Pieces cut and sewing begun

Goal number five on my October list was to make a memory bear. I'm using flannel from the sheet set my daughter had when she was around ten. This is the same fabric I'm using to weave the rug I posted about in the past.

The head is together

The reason I decided to make the memory bear was that when she saw the rug project, she said, I thought I would get a bear. Goodness! Look at all the time I've spent storing that sheet set and pondering what kind of project I could actually finish for her, when all it would have taken was less than a pillow case made into a bear!

Body sewn together, legs and arms started

Following the online tutorial was a challenge for me. I like following a printed pattern best. Over time and a few sessions with "Jack," I did manage to sew all the parts to the bear. 

Cutting batting scraps

Next up was stuffing the bear. I had a small bag of batting scraps that I used to partially stuff the body, the arms and the legs. I had planned to finish stuffing the bear with poly fiberfill. Then I decided why not continue using my leftover batting scraps. My four year old granddaughter, who loves to cut, took on the job of cutting the scraps into smaller pieces. I actually wore her hand out with the cutting job. When I cut the batting scraps, I use a rotary cutter so my hand is not going to tire!

She added her pile of scraps to the body but, there was room for more so it was back to the batting scrap pile to make more bits! My granddaughter did not like adding the bits to the body. It was much too slow a job!

Adding the mouth

She also was quite concerned that there were no arms or legs on the bear. She didn't see how it could be a bear with legs and arms! I was also informed bears have eyes and a nose. She said the bear needed a ribbon tie too. Such a lot of "needs" to make it work. . .she didn't know if I would be able to accomplish making an actual bear! For being four, she is quite the thinker!

Arms and legs ready for attaching

We did embroider a mouth. We decided the eyes could be buttons which we will work on today. We may also work on the nose. I ordered a set of doll needles to attach the arms and legs. This will likely arrive after she leaves. We did select a recycled ribbon from the wrapping paper that will make a great tie.

While I didn't finish the bear, the project is far enough along to share! Linking to: Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts. 

Granddaughter Activities

 

Breaking up the frozen zucchini to make cake

My granddaughter and daughter from London are here for a visit. I asked what was on my granddaughter's to do list. Cooking came up first. We baked a rhubarb coffee cake which she said she liked; but, didn't eat much of her serving. 

Adding the toppings to zucchini cake 

We baked zucchini cake which she said was okay; but, ate every last morsel. Chocolate is a favorite food. I think she liked eating the chocolate chips that I placed on the counter best. I said those were for her and her tummy!

We also made a green salad. She loves peeling. . .the large carrot that she started with was pared to a small size by the time she deemed it was ready for shredding. She did a great job tearing the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Of course, she needed to "test" the tomatoes and cucumbers to be sure each was "good!"

Watching squirrel antics

She marveled at the antics of a squirrel eating a nut in the yard one morning. She helped bring home the recycling containers from pick up day with her papa. She watched the horses buck and play in the field  next to us.

The best seat in the house

One of her favorite positions was sitting/laying on the arm of the couch. This way she could see what was happening outside as well as keep an eye on the activities inside. She is so much like her mama in this trait!

Cutting batting scraps for stuffing the memory bear

We did do some sewing. Well, she did some batting cutting for me. I'm to the point of stuffing the memory bear. She LOVES cutting. It took several tries to find a pair of scissors that fit her hand well enough for her to cut. She probably cut for 20 minutes and recycled a small pile of batting bits for me. She even stuffed the bits into the memory bear. Stuffing, she told me, was boring. She actually said her hand was sore from cutting and needed to stop!

Her favorite activity is painting. We use watercolors. She has definite ideas about ensuring that there is a frame first on her paper. This time she wanted to make shapes similar to mine. She practiced. She also wanted to know how I achieved some of the colors. I showed her about mixing colors. . .I didn't share that the colors came from her wild dipping into the paint palette. I was working to clean the palette!

Our painting progress

She doesn't not like working on wet paper; but, she does like using a paper towel to dab excess paint and to create textures. She likes to paint on different surfaces and then is disappointed when the paint soaked through the paper!

This time, she was better at cleaning her brush in the dirty water and then dipping her brush into the clean water. She still paints on the table instead of the newspaper because she wants to see what color happens when the surface is brown instead of white. Again, she is so much like her mama!

Watercolor on regular paper

She returns from a long sleepover with her auntie, favorite uncle and cousins tonight. I'm sure she has been living her best life! She and her mama leave for London at the end of the week. It's been great having them here!

Sitting for sewing is still painful for my knee; but, I do keep trying the activity. I find I can manage about 15 minutes once a day. Fifteen minutes is a short time; but, it's better than no time! I had hoped to be sewing five weeks after from surgery; but, I'm not. 

I did get a pain prescription from the surgeon and that has helped me move a bit more fluidly. I am currently working on training my brain to believe that this new appliance is working great in my knee. Convincing my brain that I don't need protection from the muscles continues to be an ongoing project!

In case you are looking for an at home activity, come join us at the Portland Modern Quilt Guild (PMQG) virtual retreat. We have two speakers; we will be playing games and we will make lots of progress on our projects!

NON-PMQG Member Workshop Fee

$10.00

Linking to: Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell and To Do Tuesday.

Radium Girls Plan--post 1

Project fabrics

Goal number four on my October list was to document my plan for the book Radium Girls by Kate Moore. As I read the book, I thought about passages that could inspire a quilt project. This was a tough listen; but, a good listen. 

I hang book quilts in my home. As I make them, I ensure that each contain a positive vibe. A tough listen, makes finding a positive vibe more challenging! 

Thumbnail sketches

As I listened, I noted words and a few thoughts on a piece of paper. I've already shared that I purchased a fabric with watch faces for this project. I kept telling myself that I was looking for a modern design.

Next, I drew a few thumbnail sketches. In the book, the dial painters had a tray of either 24 or 48 watch faces to paint with radium. They did this with a lip, dip, paint method, meaning they slipped the end of the paint brush into their mouth, dipped it in the radium and then painted. They swallowed the excess radium,

Looking on line, I learned that the girls sat at long tables or in desks in long rows when they worked. Drawing number one and two were based on the girls sitting in their rows.

Drawings three, four and five were based on a smaller tray. I thought I had settled on drawing three as my project.After a few days into my recovery from knee revision surgery, I wanted to flesh out more ideas.

Drawing my pattern

I looked online to see if there were photographs of alpha and or gamma rays. There were not. I thought about purchasing a panel with a skeleton and stitching it in glow in the dark thread. 

Then, I drew a more modern layout of a few circles. I then thought about the watch face fabric. What if I used a chunk of it rather than looking at it to be appliquéd in
circles? What if the center fabric was a dark fabric representing the unknown result of the lip, dip, paint process? What if the right fabric was a green fabric that represented the radium? What if curves were larger in the foreground and smaller in the background! Thumbnail number nine brought about so many questions, that I decided to make a pattern.

I've begun the process of making a pattern. Once I have refined the pattern, I can transfer it to freezer paper and use the freezer paper to cut out my shapes. I can either hand or machine appliqué the pieces. I'm also thinking about quilting possibilities.

Linking to Finished Or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Prewashing

Fabrics to prewash

Goal number three on my October list was to prewash and starch some fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. In the photo were also background and accent fabrics for the Marigold Mystery.

Since my knee revision surgery on September 14, I've been working on standing and sitting. I've also been working on flexing and bending! I had a set back last week. I'm working through the pain and hope each day will be better than the last. So far it is a toss up whether I'm making forward progress or not! I am approaching this recovery with patience and persistence!

Black fabrics ready for starch and pressing

Generally, I test each fabric for color fastness so that means a separate hand wash for each item. I knew I didn't have the ability to follow that protocol for all those black fat quarters. I--gasp--broke protocol and washed all of them at once in the machine! These fabrics will be used to make a border for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.

I did wash the yellow and brown yardage separately and by hand. Neither fabric had a color fast issue.

Instead of using the heavy starch process I often use, I went with a gentle spritz of Best Press. I did manage to iron all of the fabrics the same day. I did take several breaks; but, I was able to stand and press without causing more pain or swelling to my recovering knee.

Ready to be added to a project

In a day or two, I will try again to sit and sew at my machine. Fingers crossed that my body is ready for a little stitching actions! Linking to Oh Scrap, Sew & Tell.and To Do Tuesday.