Five Rag Quilts in Eleven Days

I cannot believe the pile of t-shirts I received on the 20th of November have been transformed into five quilts already. In between all of the sewing and cutting, I hosted Thanksgiving as well. I do have to give credit to one of my quilting friends that did sew one of the quilts together on Thanksgiving day after all of the festivities were over. 

Memory quilts are both something I love and hate to do. The main reason why I love to do them is that I know it helps the family heal and provides them some comfort in a difficult time. The reason why I hate doing them is that I know that a family suffered a loss and I feel for them. In this case, two children lost their dad and I can't begin to fathom what they are going through. 

I just hope that when I make these quilts, I am making them the way they envision them. I make sure that I follow their instructions carefully (they didn't want one side of the shirt in the quilt) and get it right. I probably get annoying by calling and texting if I need clarification on something. I want to get it right. Once the shirts are cut, you can't undo it. 

I hope these quilts do provide some healing for the family. I am happy that they will have these quilts for years to come. 

I would love to take a break, but I have some other projects that I have been commissioned to do and I need to get those done as well. Those projects have been put off far too long and need to get done. I feel bad that I put these five ahead of them but I think they will understand. 

Time to get back to quilting!

Quilt Retreat Fun!

All I can say is wow, what a weekend! I went the Quilted Steeple up near Lone Rock, Iowa. It is a great place for a quilt retreat. There were fourteen of us and I think all of us had a great time. I ended up going up on Thursday and it was a good thing that I did. I managed to get three quilts done by the end of day one. Friday wasn't as productive since I made two different kinds of homemade soup that morning. On Saturday, I was able to get three more quilts done and started my second scrappy mountain majesties quilt. Sunday morning I was able to finish two more quilt projects for a grand total of eight quilts. That is the most I have ever finished at a quilt retreat. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #1

My quilting friends often ask me how I get so much done at retreats. I try give them as many tips and suggestions as possible even though I am far from being an expert. This is what works for me, but figure out what works best for you.

1. Plan ahead. If you know that you are going to a retreat, figure out what you are going to work on well in advance. Get all of the fabric you may need. Try not to bring partial projects if you are missing fabric.
2. Make a list of the projects that you want to work on and prioritize. If you need to get a wedding quilt or graduation quilt that is coming up, get that one done first so you don't run out of time later on during the retreat.
3. Cut all of your projects up ahead of time. Make a test block if you can to make sure you have the right measurements. I have seen a lot of quilters cut their project up wrong because they were too busy socializing and not paying attention to what they were doing. I have also seen quilters cut things wrong because the rulers they are borrowing are different than what they are used to. 
4. I put all of my projects in Ziploc bags and label them. I also have the instructions in there if I need them. I sometimes have instructions saved on my phone or laptop. If so, I will indicate that on the label so I am not hunting for them later because I can't remember where they are.
5. Do research on the retreat itself if you have never been there before. Not all retreat centers are created equal. Some have limited table space, others have limited design wall space. Do research helps you know what tools to bring and what to leave behind. For example, at this one, there were plenty of irons. They also had really good chairs so I left mine behind. I also left my design walls (vinyl table cloths) behind since there is limited wall space. 
6. If the retreat center offers an extra day and you can afford it, do the extra day. It is amazing how much can be accomplished with an extra day of quilting. I know that this doesn't work for everyone if you cannot take off work or if you have health issues. Having the extra day also enables you to have all of your stuff ready for the next day when others are arriving. You are quilting away while everyone else is trying to get settled in.
7. Wind your bobbins ahead of time. I have a bunch of bobbins for my machine. This weekend I ended up going through twelve bobbins. It is nice to pop a new one in when one runs out. I hate wasting time in a middle of a project waiting for me to wind bobbins.
8. If you get stuck on a project or just get tired of it, don't be afraid to put it away and work on something else. This weekend I had to put my house quilt project away because I got tired of making houses. I went onto something else and came back to them the next day and finished the project.
9. Bring extra projects.  For this last retreat, I brought a total of twelve projects. I knew that I would never get that many done but what this does is gives me options on what to work on. Sometimes, I look at a project and I won't be in the mood to work on it at that moment. 
10. Don't forget to socialize and have fun. Walk around and see what others are working on. Take a break if you need to. Go shopping for more fabric if you have the opportunity. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #2

Marmalade Squares II Quilt

Big Calico Kitty Quilt

Giant Star Quilt

House Quilt

Square Quilt 

Rocky Mountain Puzzle Quilt

Hopefully I can get to my next retreat in January. I will be cutting projects for it soon. No more quilting this weekend, but tomorrow I will get to work!

Happy Quilitng!