Retreat season for 2020 has officially begun!!! Even though I've only had one day at home, I am excited to see the Quilt Sisters again. I know that the weekend will revive me and adjust any attitude issues I may have. When I arrive at the center, Val is in full swing and has almost everything set up. I simply am so indebted to her --- forever.As the place fills, my belly starts to growl. I left home without breakfast and by now (12:30), I am starving. Time to head to Babes. We have a full table today and I love that so much. I also love the chicken. What can I say?
Ana has found a delightful gift for me. Oooooh, I will open and share a few and then take them home to my sweetie and somehow manage to save a can for the memory shelf.
Our first TA-DONE is by Lana. A sewing mat.
Speaking of denim, I am settling in to work on my rag quilt. First up is to make all the little quilted square packets. Chaining seems the way to go. The stacks just keep getting bigger and bigger as I go. One hundred thirty-something is quite a bit.Once I've gone through the first time, stack them up and another line the opposite direction is next. Finally, I'm ready to just start webbing this. No layout required as I'm simply flipping sides as I go. However, that is for tomorrow. I'm kinda tired of these little things right now.
I have my Talking Turkey string squares to trim, slice, and de-paper. That seems mindless enough for me at this point.This day has been so much fun - filled with laughter and love. I am so grateful to these women who constantly make me smile. Love to all, but I'm beat and headed to bed. Last ladies standing and see ya tomorrow (yes, all in this post.)
Our lovely retreat center owner, Kay, has brought in a quilt to share with us along with the story behind it. Oh, to have something like this in my own family. So jelly.
There is a type-written letter to go along with it and I'll share the contents here: "This quilt was made by Elizabeth Carey Burns (Mrs. W.A. Burns), mother of Samuel J. Burns. It is dated September 12, 1870, which we believe was the wedding date of Samuel J. Burns and Rebecca (Alexander) Burns, and given to them as a wedding gift. They are the parents of our grandmother, Ruth Anna (Burns) Myers (born in 1882).Applique designs were of Pennsylvania origin: whig rose, tulip and peony. Uncle Ernest has said some of our ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. The name and date are sewn onto the quilt: 'W.A. Burns Sept. 12, 1870'.
A good tale (not based on facts) is that Elizabeth was part Cherokee Indian. She spun the thread on a spinning wheel and hand wove the cotton cloth. She gathered tree bark and various berries to make the different dyes. Amazingly, the colors are still vibrant. This quilt has been displayed several times at the Deaf Smith County Museum in Hereford, TX and once at the Amarillo Art Museum in Amarillo, TX. I sewed a strip of muslin on the back edge of the quilt so that a rod could be inserted in it and hung for display without tearing any of the quilt. Good conservation practices are that it should not be hung more than six months at a time to prevent any tearing or fading. It should be kept out of bright sunlight or spotlights. To store the quilt, it should be folded in sections, then rolled up. Wrap with washed unbleached muslin or white cotton sheet. No plastic covering or stored in a plastic container. Our great, great grandmother was very artistic, but made one error in putting the blocks together. You will notice it after a while.
This quilt is of some value, possibly around $350.00 to $500.00, with the provenance (history) included, depending on being in a good auction or antique store, and interested quilt enthusiasts. However, we can't put a price on what it means to our family history. I know you will take good care of it, and it will be passed down through your children along with all the family tales to relate to them. I'm including a copy of a photograph of Samuel and Rebecca Burns. You may have a copy of this already. I though I had more family history that would have included dates of W.A. & Elizabether Burns' births, etc., but couldn't find it. You may have more information than I do.
Enjoy, Love, Paula."
With that, I feel the need to sew again. Maybe some day, generations in the future will hold onto one of the items I have made. It could happen. Turning my attention back to my rag quilt, it gets webbed and then finished, except for binding and clipping. Somehow, no pictures. Moving onto making the binding and label is next.
Let's get this binding ON!!!
Val with a TA-DA
Game night fun!!! We are RED, WHITE, and BLUE!!!
Around the room -- Lana and Karen
Jennifer and Kay
Janet and Brenda
Paula and Kelly
Ana and Mindy
Ellen and Samantha
Terry and Gwen
Susan and Val
Yours truly and Cindy
Onto the game and all the fun that comes from it ----
and Val
Saturday - I want time to slow down. SLOW DOWN. Slooooowwwww Doooooowwwwwn. These events just seem to fly by though. Some morning clipping takes place by me and I'm super close to a finish, but I also see that binding going onto Sapphire Blues. Love, love, love. As I sit and clip - here's my view. Kinda lonely this morning, but we had great times in here yesterday.Stan arrives to take our group picture and want's us to climb aboard his tractor. We can do that. He even requests that we caption it, "We think his tractor's sexy." So here ya go. So much fun and love around here today. Back row: Ana, Kay, Gwen, Cindy Third Row: Brenda, yours truly, Val, Ellen, Terry Row two: Susan, Lana, Samantha, Mindy Front row: Paula, Jennifer, Janet (yep, they're in the bucket), and Bob Thank you, Stan, for coming to help out. (Kelly and Karen are not back from town so I'll take a separate picture of the two of them.)
Even Fatsy is in on the fun.
But first, a walk. Gwen and I decide to go and check out the river. Along the way a couple of new items are spotted. First, a firepit that is wonderful.
And a tree snag cross.
Ahhhh, the river.
Ana has been working on charity quilts and has FOUR TA-DA's
Along with a Show and Share of her Texas Tumbleweeds quilt. Love this one so much. It is one of my favorite patterns.
Susan with a Mini-Mondo TA-DONE
Jennifer's has a TA-DA with her Frolic top.
I'm on the dinner committee tonight and have been rising bread in my room (it has a great window that was directly in the sunlight) and they are ready to bake. Just a half hour later, Oh, my. How lovely this looks. There are six loaves and withing mere moments, the committee has taken that down to five. It is what it is.
I have been determined ALL day to finish my Frolic blocks. I have a giant webbing stack going on here.
Up close.
With a wee bit of time left to sew tonight, I set to making the Frolic sashing and discover that I made TWICE the required number of small pieces. Does anyone want a full set of Clue 2? At any rate, the sashings go together easily and I have checked off another part of the final clue. Those are the only parts I brought with me and I am now out of projects to work on. Might as well start packing up.
Sunday has arrived and that means good-byes are coming. Drat. I am already looking forward to March where I get to just hang for 10 days. So many amazing memories this weekend. New friends and old. My personal "going home" treats and I'm loving each and every one of them. Some gifts, some prizes, all treasured.Late last night Val finished up a top and has her TA-DA this morning. These are the strips she won Friday night during the game. Fast, fast, fast. She was one determined woman.
As we are breaking down the room, Val and I set to recovering all of the big boards with new muslin. A staple gun in hand and lots of tugging and pulling results in the desired outcome. Yay!!!
And then, we're done. Everything has been cleaned up. Gwen is a saint in the kitchen, Val handled the swap table and anything else I asked of her along with recovering the boards, Sam, Ana, Janet just kept at it breaking down tables, gathering lamps, and hauling trash. Refrigerators were cleaned out and I cannot express my love to these women strong enough. Due to them, we ALL were able to be traveling home before noon. See some of ya next month and others whenever I can. Hugs and Brazos Out!
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