I'm home from retreat! What fun it was. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I did manage to get a little sewing done. Not as much as I had hoped but it is not all about sewing, at least for me, I love to visit and catch up on what my friends are sewing. Also, getting to know some of the new comers better.

These are the strip blocks that I got done. I think there are about 45 of them. I need 98, so I still have a way to go.

For the fun of it, I like to go around and gather a few of my friends scraps that they were going to throw away and make some small (4-1/2") crumb blocks. They are always amazed at what can be made from something they were going to throw away. I have some from last years retreat also, but I think those were in bright colors. Won't it be fun to put them together in a quilt and have memories from the several retreats? I love it. By the way you can find out about crumb blocks on Bonnie's web site. I think it is great.

I did get the borders sewed on this panel that I brought. Everyone thought I had did the actual redwork embroidery on these blocks. I guess that means it is a good panel. It was a kit and very easy.

This is a quilt that my friend Eva finished. There are a lot of flying geese in this one (you can click on the picture to make it larger). The fabric is the "Hawaii fabric" that we all got in our mini group from a friend that visited Hawaii. She challenged us to make a quilt with it and all the quilts looked so different. I think I have pictures of mine in the archives. Anyway I love that she finished it and I love the way it looks.

This friend has been working on this quilt at retreat for the last 5 years. It is for her daughter. She started it when she started undergraduate school and now is finished school. The quilt will be finished soon I hope. There is a story that the quilt tells, The blue and green fabrics have a rose print which signifies her love for her daughter, The blue flying geese going up signify "To reach for the stars", and the green tiny flying geese signify "To keep her feet on the ground". What a lovely sentiment. She does have many more rows to put together. It will be a big quilt.

That is all, I have to unpack and housework to do.