Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Gasthof Quilt Retreat 2015--Show & Tell

I just got back from a quilt retreat with a bunch of REALLY fun ladies. We spent three FULL days sewing, sewing, and sewing. I would put the names of the quiltmakers with the quilts I'm showing you, but I don't know everybody's name yet. (If any of you ladies from the retreat know the name of the quiltmakers, leave me a comment telling me which maker made which quilt.) There always seems to be a wide variety of projects at the retreats I attend, and this retreat was no exception.

I went to this retreat with three goals in mind--to make a table runner top, to work on the blocks of my Train Car Quilt kit, and to make a zig-zag donation quilt. I accomplished the first two, but there was a little snafu with the third goal.

Here is my table runner. I used the Fiesta pattern from the "Skinny Quilts" book using a "Tonga Treats" batik pack (from Craftsy) to make this. I love the colors and festive nature of this piece.

Here are the Train Car blocks I finished. These blocks are from a kit I bought (on sale, of course) from Craftsy. Craftsy has different sales all the time. (This particular kit may no longer be on sale or available at all, but you should definitely check out the Craftsy site if you haven't. You can get some GREAT bargains.) Eight more blocks are required to complete this quilt.

As for my third goal, it didn't go so well. I worked on the blocks for this quilt while I was working on my other two projects. I used the blocks as "leaders and enders." By the time I finished the Train Car blocks, I had the blocks for this quilt ready to put together. I think this will be a donation quilt. Can you see the problem I had with this?

All looks well at first glance; but--oops--there is a BIG mistake. SPOILER ALERT---If you haven't found it (and want to), look for the white zig zag that (pretty much) splits the quilt on the diagonal. Now, locate the gray zig zag to the left (above) that. The mistake occurs on the next white zig zag (moving upwards). The mistake is the orange polka-dot and white block on the left-hand side of the quilt. The block should have been placed so that the orange polka-dot (rather than the white piece) is on the top and the white is on the bottom. I'll be doing some ripping...whaaaaaaaah...

I ironed the last seam in this quilt as the timer went off for me to stop sewing and start putting things away at the end of the retreat. I REALLY rushed the construction of this quilt, so I could finish it before I left. Because I rushed and wasn't as careful as I should have been, I'm going to have to do some ripping and resewing to correct the error. The zig zags should be continuous; as you can see, mine are not!

Here is the Show & Tell of some of the other projects completed by retreat participants. Robin showed this bed runner. I'm really loving the modern look of this piece.

Joann finished her Periwinkle Border quilt top from Missour Star. (She is a new friend I made during the retreat. How wonderful it is to meet a "kindred spirit.")

I'm SO terrible with names. I just hate it, but it is a reality. These ladies were SO much fun and SO nice to this retreat newbie. (Again, if some of you retreat attendees check out this page and know the names of the quilt makers, let me know; and I'll add the names to the narrative.)

This quilt is a miniature version of the Periwinkle Border quilt in the picture directly above this one. It is amazing to see the difference the color of the "leading" makes.

How cute is this crayon quilt? I know a few kids (and adults too) that would LOVE this one.

This log cabin layout is gorgeous!

These blocks were made as a gift by one of the retreat attendees.

This would be a great quilt for a guy.

It will be no surprise to those of you who know me that I LOVE the lime green in this quilt!

This quilt is made entirely of batiks. I love the diagonal setting, but I sure hate to set quilts on the diagonal myself.

The minimalist nature of this quilt is SO attractive, and the black sure makes it pop.

They even celebrated a birthday with a special cake. Check this out!

I know my grandson would LOVE this cake!

I had a wonderful time at this retreat. I met A LOT of nice people who all love sewing and quilting as much as I do. It was a real treat to spend time with such amazing people.

 

4 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Another fun productive time. I love that table runner. It is fun for me to see the results of these retreats. I think it is funny that I can't see the mistake in your quilt even with the clue. ha... I will have to study further when I have time.

Robbie said...

What a fun and PRODUCTIVE time you all had!!! And, honestly, you could have NEVER told us about the zig zag quilt...I can't tell you how long it took me to find the so called 'mistake'!!! Love your first piece...gave me an idea for my orange/blue patchwork piece I'm working on! THANKS!

Anonymous said...

What a nice idea to post a retreat gallery! I'll have to take more pix on my next retreat.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful quilt shares! Thank you for the inspiration. I love the minion cake, too. So cute! Following your instructions, I was able to find the mistake, but if you hadn't said where it was, I would never have found it! It wouldn't bother me one little tiny bit, so you can send it over here. =)