Vashon Island Quilt Retreat

Oh my goodness y'all.   This last weekend was so freaking amazing.  Just what I needed when the monotony of winter, the keeping children from driving me crazy, and the lack of sewing was getting to me.  (And the myriad of other things that send me spiraling down the depression bunny hole this time of year.)  (February is hard--the anniversary of losing my little Tristan (Eamon's twin) always sneaks up on me and gets me down.)  (But onward ho!  No dwelling on that, we have fun stuff to discuss!)

For the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild's first retreat, we went to Camp Burton on Vashon Island.  You!  Guys!  The level of hospitality at Camp Burton was amazing.  I have a bunch of food allergies, and they made sure I had something to eat at every meal.  And it was all good food!  For someone who has to make nearly all their own food, this was a godsend.  It was so nice to be fed and watered at regular intervals!  Yes, we had to make our own beds--it is a camp after all--but the beds were nice and comfy.  And of course I brought my own quilt to add to my pile of blankets.  And the building we spent the majority of our time in was great.  We had a little kitchenette, plenty of hot water for tea, and hot coffee, and the guild members all brought in various snacks to share.

It was SO NICE to spend so much time sewing.  I never get to do that at home because I'm always busy with my kiddos and their various therapies and extracurricular activities, or my part-time job (I'm a freelance author for Pearson Education.  Who'da thunk, right?  Actually, I don't think many people know that about me.  Random fact of the day.)

I finished my quilt top from May of 2009.  Holy. Moly.  Yes, a nearly five year-old work in progress.  That's how far behind I am.  Whatever, the top is done.  Hopefully it won't sit for another four years before I finish it!

I also made a bunch of flying geese from Jeni Baker's Nordika line.  I'm in love with Ara Jane's Flock of Flying Geese quilt and wanted to try to do something similar.  I told myself I couldn't look at her's again because I don't want to copy it, so I'm working as much as possible with just the idea of what it is.  Mine is of course going in a different direction, which is what I want.  When I first started laying it out at the retreat, I wasn't quite happy with it, so I bought some neutrals from Island Quilter to start adding in.  And Chandra had the MOST BRILLIANT IDEA of adding in one giant goose.  That was my turning point for this quilt.  I'm loving it now that it has some more interest.

I had so much time I even went for an early morning run.  I haven't had a whole lot of time lately for just me, so that was extra special.  I got to wear my new shoes (which I bought because I have worn out TWO pairs of running shoes.)  (Holy amazing.  I never thought I'd say that about myself.)

I even had some sketchbook time!  I'm taking an online workshop from Heather over at Beauty that Moves, called Hibernate.  It's been a lot of fun to add in some of her recipes and tips for making winter a nice, relaxing time.  These flowers are a direct copy of hers (with permission--it's part of the course!) I wasn't in the mood to share my personal drawings at the time (I rarely am, which is something I'm trying to reconcile.  More on that later.)

I had some serious anxiety issues with this trip before I left.  I was nervous about spending time with people I hardly knew outside of our monthly meetings (and one trip to Portland last August.)  I was literally crying about it for the week before.  But once I got there and got caught up in the whirlwind of energy, I had such an amazing time.  And I wasn't the only one.  There were a few others I spoke with who were just as nervous as me.  Lesson learned: when I step out of my comfort zone, I am rewarded with personal growth and new friendships.  I am so glad I went, and hope to attend more in the future!

Sewing Summit 2013

Sewing Summit has come and gone.  It was a great experience this year, just like last year.  This year I already knew my roommates before I got there, so instead of breaking out in hives (seriously, I have issues) I was just super excited!

I shared a room with Leigh and Tracey, and it was so much fun.  We stayed up late talking, went out for drinks and ate every meal together.  I made them needlebooks (I used the NanaCompany tutorial) and little packages of embroidery thread and chocolate; Tracey made Leigh and I the cutest little bags with chocolates (and ear plugs, hahahahaha!;) and Leigh gave us European lotion, chocolate, and wine.  Very fancy-pants!

Instead of hopping on a bus with lots of other people for the shop hop, on Thursday, we rented a car and went on our own shopping trip around Salt Lake City.  Leigh had never been to JoAnn Fabrics (she's British!) so our first stop was there.  As we wandered the aisles looking for all the pieces for our Super Totes, Leigh kept stopping to stare at all the American products.  The look of wonder on her face was priceless.

We also stopped at Pine Needles, which was of course awesome!  They gave us the Sewing Summit discount, but I was super reserved and only bought a little bit.  It was so much more relaxed than last year when I was on the shop hop--I felt like I needed to make decisions RIGHT NOW and BUY ALL THE FABRIC.  This year I took my time and only bought what I thought I'd use right away (I did buy a little bit of fabric from JoAnn's--the blue and green herringbones and the ghosts.)

I also took part in the secret swap.  I made a bag for Christina Lane, who also happened to be one of my instructors.  I had taken her paper piecing class at Sewing Summit last year, but it didn't click until I took her class in Portland in August.  I decided to use the feather I pieced in her class and build a big improv block, which I then matchstick quilted and turned into a box bag.  She said she loved it, so I was super happy! 

I received a cute purple clutch from Erin, which she filled up with purple and green thread, a cute magnetic pin holder, and Madeleintosh yarn--I felt so lucky!

I took awesome classes--Sew a Skirt (Caroline Hulse,) Foundation Paper Piecing (Christina Lane,) Personal Branding(Olivia Omega,) PJ Pants (Ellen March,) Brands and Bloggers (Bernina,) Drafting a Skirt Block (Elizabeth and Liz,) Equilateral Triangles (Jeni Baker,) and Photography (Melissa Esplin.)  I seriously learned so much, I'm pretty sure my head is still spinning.  But I took great notes in my lectures, and ended up with some fun projects from my hands-on classes.

Saturday night, I convinced Shawn to take me to Tissu, where I bought three knit fabrics to turn into skirts.  This has yet to happen, but I have high hopes.  

Now, for the part I'm kind of dreading, but which I feel is necessary.  I don't feel like it's fair to leave everyone thinking that it was all super amazing and glorious.  Last year was a totally different experience.  I had never been, so I was unsure of what to expect.  I was absolutely blown away by how much fun I had, how much I grew, and how much stuff I came home with.  I (probably not realistically) expected that this year.  I've gone back and forth with myself and my friends who were there, and we all agree that the experience this year was...different.  

The event itself was not the same.  It seemed less professional and I was super put off a few times by the (lack of) reception from the staff.  Last year we were inundated with stuff, and it set the bar really high.  So, I paid the $334 fee (which was higher than last year) and expected the same level of hospitality.  Which didn't happen.  The provided food was not great, and there was just less fanfare and excitement in all of our events.  Last year, at registration we received swag bags and cute name tags/lanyards, and the staff seemed genuinely excited to see us.  This year we didn't receive swag bags, our name tags simply had our names (they didn't even say Sewing Summit), and the staff seemed cranky.  Last year, we went home with loads of stuff--people shipped boxes home.  This year we went home with a rotary cutter, a couple of blades, three spools of thread, a bit of Pellon interfacing, and sewing needles.  My instructors were all amazing.  But several of my classes didn't have the supplies we needed to complete our projects.  The machines we sewed on were great, but at $5500 and $7500, not accessible to me (though I know of at least a few people who purchased a machine there.)  Heather Bailey was our keynote speaker, which was wonderful.

I'm hesitating putting this out there, but I really feel like anyone who is considering going should have all the information.  I spent not only the $334 for my ticket, but also money for my hotel room and flight, not to mention all my meals, traveling around the city, shopping, etc.  I spent close to $1000.  Additionally, I was away from my family for five days, which of course costs us money and time as my husband had to take partial time from work and my mother in law stayed over to help him.  I'm perfectly OK with this because I knew in advance that I'd be spending that much money, and took on a part-time job to help fund it.  Plus, it was a much needed break from reality, which lets face it, is priceless for any stay at home mom.  But, I feel like it's necessary to have truthful reviews, so there you have it.

All in all, I had a really good time, I learned a lot, and I have met so many people and made lots of new friends.  I'm grateful to the staff for putting it on and for organizing it--overall it was a wonderful experience.  It was totally worth it for me.  But I've gone twice now, so I'm ready to let others take my place in the future.  I'll save my (few and far between) weekends away for new experiences.  

Cosmetic Pouches and Bunnies

Tonight I made two little zipper pouches.  I followed the instructions for the cosmetic bag in I Love Patchwork by Rashida Coleman-Hale.  I made this bag once before, but gave it to my mom before I got any pictures.  The construction is fairly simple, though I chose to sew in the lining at the same time I sewed the zipper to the outside, and it worked well.  (If you know how to sew a lined pouch, you can do it this way too.)

A few months ago, I made two bunnies for my boys.  I had intended for them to be done in time for the boys to see them Easter morning, but of course that didn't happen.  But, they were done sometime in May I think, so not too bad (I'm really bad at doing anything in a timely manner.  That's why I'm just now blogging about them.)  (What?!  It's hard to take pictures.  I have to hold my camera.  And click the button.  See?  Hard.)

I followed the Purl Bee tutorial for the Soft Woolen Bunny, and while they were certainly futzy (the SMQG women got an earful at one of our sew-ins, ahem,) they weren't impossible.  The directions are very clearly written, but the arms and legs are smaller than my usual projects.  Futzy.

I used two different colored corduroys for the bodies, and matching velveteen for the ears and ribbons.  I think they're adorable.

And of course I've been amassing more fabric.  That never stops (Nordika and Melody Miller Arrows.)

I've also been working on a Sparkling Cider quilt, for a commission project.  Super fun!