Some Scrappy Stuff and a Quilt Retreat

I do love a good quilt retreat.  This summer I was able to go to a retreat for the first time in three years.  (Darn that Covid!)  The Farmstead Inn and Conference Center in Shipshewana, Indiana saw almost 40 quilters who had met and become friends over the years in an online quilting forum, and we were happy to be there.  What a beautiful setting!

This group had a good time and got a whole lot of sewing done.

A few weeks before retreat I came across some projects I had forgotten about.  First was a stack of scrappy 16-patch blocks I thought would make a nice donation quilt if I added dark blue alternate blocks.  I had just the thing.  When my middle grandson was about six years old I made curtains for his room, and when the room was re-decorated I deconstructed them and put the fabric in my stash.  Perfect!  Project number one was kitted and ready to pack.

Here's a little bonus pic.  My grandson, Gavin, jumping for joy in front of his curtains.  I just had to throw that in. 

Next I found a ziplock full of scrappy 4" by 8" bricks I had originally cut for a "Bricks and Stepping Stones" quilt (a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville site) and some black & white 4-patches I had made last year as leader/enders.    

I got a lot accomplished at retreat (in addition to visiting with friends, checking out what they were working on, and eating way too much!), and then got both tops finished when I got home  as well as using up some stash by making the backings. 

 

Now the challenge will be getting both of these finished and donated before the end of the year so they don't end up on the UFO list!

Linking up with Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Another Quilt Front.......and One More in the Works

I need to finish showing you (ahem....that especially includes you, Mimi) the quilt fronts that go with the backings I posted about here.  After all, I need to move on to something more current.  Oh, wait!  These two quilt fronts are current.  

About a year ago I was in a scrap cutting mood, cutting out all kinds of pieces for possible future quilts.  I bagged up a project called Bricks and Stepping Stones, a free project featured on www.quiltville.com.   My friend Jan was headed to Florida for two months last winter, afraid she would not have enough to keep her busy, so I sent this project with her.  I tried to get her to take more of my unfinished projects, but she wasn't really that worried about having things to do!   She put the top together for me, and last week I used the blue scrappy backing and got the job done -- quilted and bound!

That leaves the pink scrappy backing.  The front of that quilt is all cut out and ready to be put together (yes, by me!) at Retreat this week.

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And if Jan says anything about not having enough to do this week,  she may find all this piled up next to her machine.  I have three or four other projects I'm taking with me to work on!