It was great to see repeat attendees and loved meeting new sewing friends.
We received TWO swag bags and they gave away FOUR sewing machines; that's unheard of! Their sponsors were amazing!
I started the retreat with a bus shop hop with 20 attendees to Quintessential Quilts, Mill House Quilts, Ardyth's Sew n Vac Shoppe, Electric Needle, and Blue Bar Quilts on Thursday. We got back just in time to register and mingle at the opening reception. After the reception, we set up our spaces/machines in the sewing room and had free sewing time. I spent this time finishing my prep for the classes.
Friday Sarah Lawson of Sew Sweetness, was our instructor for the making of her Crimson & Clover Train Case. It was a well written pattern, but it was great to have Sarah on hand to answer questions as we went along. The top is a bit wonky. :p I plan to go back in and fix it before hand stitching it closed. There were several tips I learned from other attendees: (1) sew the top interior by machine as close to around the corners, which makes minimal hand sewing; (2) glue, not sew the interior bottom. The next one I sew, I'll be better at fussy cutting the pieces and I will use piping to better define the case body.
Friday night was free sewing where I mingled with other attendees and went to dinner with my table mate. Here's my finished case. I need to practice sewing my corners, but it's functional. LOL!
Saturday's instructor Tara Curtis of Wefty Needle guided us through her fabric weaving technique using the hefty needle tool that she create. Here's her Wefty Needle YouTube channel that demonstrates her technique. Below is my finished panel. I only used three different fabrics, instead of nine. I haven't decided what I'm going to use it for. I am planning to weave a larger piece with some fun fabrics that use a table topper. Stay tuned! :p
Saturday night was open sew and Sunday morning was cleanup. Since my flight didn't leave until Monday morning, I headed over to Blue Bar Quilts Sunday afternoon for their One Year Anniversary and a bit of last minute shopping. If you are in the Madison area, you should definitely stop by. It's a great quilt shop!
In addition to meeting great people and seeing friends, I was shown two books that I bought online while I was there and they were waiting for me when I got home.
Mini Wonderful Curves
I can't wait to make a few of these patterns, especially the bats; they are so cool!
Southwest Modern
MSA 2019 will be announced soon, and I can't wait!
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will continue to follow me on this journey.
TTFN!
Christina
