Spring Retreat!

It's May!  It's the month of my birthday!  And, as usual, I have some pics to share.  This month, the focus is on quilts (or rooms... you'll soon understand) that I saw at my guild's, Lakeview Quilters Guild's, Spring Retreat in Galveston, Texas.  Here goes!

I finally finished my block of the month that I was working on all last year, from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts blog.  I have to admit that I wish I had used a little bit less muted palate of colors, but I do still love it.  And, I've already got quilting patterns picked out and ready to go.  I plan to add a "big honkin' border" (trademarked phrase of Sue Garman/Mom) of the red fabric this weekend and load her up on my longarm in the next week or so.  Yippee!

My Antebellum Album Quilt... imagine me with a big honkin' red border!

 Next, I want to share some of the beautiful and inspirational quilts that my fellow guildies were working on during retreat.  First up, a combination snail trail and star quilt top that Mary Ann Alexander's daughter designed for her on Electric Quilt, and which I couldn't stop stealing glances at across the room.  It didn't help that my seat was directly facing it when it was on the design wall!

Mary Ann Alexander's snail trail and star combination quilt.

A little further into the room, I came across this block of the month quilt that Maria Cazeras had purchased from Pinwheels and Posies down here in Dickinson, Texas, and had finally completed.  Great work!  Pinwheels suffered quite heavy damage during Hurricane Harvey.  We're so happy they were able to remodel and reopen, even bigger and better than before!

Maria Cazeras block of the month from Pinwheels.

I also came across another snail trail style quilt.  This one is a pattern called Azure Coast from Connecting Threads, made by Dottie Carlin.  I love the soft colors and it looks just gorgeous!

Dottie Carlin's Azure Coast by Connecting Threads.

Next is a little bit more teary story, but heartwarming all the same.  My dear friend, Mary Jo Thompson, lost her husband a few months ago.  She came to retreat with a box full of cut squares that came from his shirts.  And, she's working to make quilts for their kids/grandchildren out of those pieces.  What a wonderful way to remember such a great husband, father, grandfather, friend!

Boxes of squares from Mary Jo's husband's shirts.

The quilt pattern Mary Jo will be using to make quilts from those squares.

I can't move on without showing at least one finished quilt top from my good friend, Jerrianne Evans.  She finished this one at the retreat... a gorgeous top of 9-patches alternating with squares, all set on point.  It reminds me of several of Mom's patterns, has lots of my beloved Civil War colors, and calls to my affinity for scrappy quilts.  Love it!

Jerrianne's quilt top of 9-patches.





At the table right next to us, right behind me, we had a fairly young/new quilter, Kayleigh, working on a beautiful blue quilt.  She had drawn a name of a family member to give a Christmas gift to this year, and decided to make that person a quilt.  I know from experience that blues are a HUGE pain to match up... in fact, every time I make a blue quilt a swear I'm never making another one, but then I do it anyway... without a thought... usually fairly soon after.  I love blue.  LOL!  Great job on this one, Kayleigh!

Kayleigh's blue quilt.

Next I have a series of small quilts made by my good friend, Becky Stephenson.  She makes small quilts A LOT, and donates all or close to all of them to be sold in the small quilt auction at our bi-annual guild quilt show.  They're awesome!  I always have to reign myself in from buying them.  This year she and her sister, Jerrianne, did a short talk on making small quilts with a lot of tips and tricks.  It was great!  I think everyone appreciated what they learned and were inspired to go make their own small quilts.

Tiny boots.  How can you not fall in love?!

Simply lots of small scraps of matching stair-stepped colors.  Simple, but gorgeous.

Hearts (I know, upside down, but it's late and I'm too tired to fix it right now) and pinwheels.  Valentine's love!

Anyone watch the Tiny House show?  I think this would fit in perfectly!

A tiny, truncated alphabet.

Squares, half-triangles, and stars... OH MY!

There's always a last, but not least, right?  Remember at the beginning, when I mentioned rooms?  Here goes... we stay at the Victorian Condo-Hotel in Galveston for the retreat.  Well, some retreaters stay there and some stay elsewhere and travel to that locale daily for retreating.  Anyway, the rooms are individually owned and, thus, individually rented... and decorated.  One group of ladies was staying in a very special room... the flamingo room... and you'll see why...

A view looking toward the front bedroom, front door down that hall just a bit.  Note the flamingo wrapping paper used as wallpaper over the bunks on the right!

Flamingo-kitchen!  I love the bottle opener/flamingo butt on the wall.  The sink even had a flamingo drain catch!

Top and side of the refrigerator.  So fun!

Anyone for a flamingo-iced beverage?

How about some flamingo sugar or toothpicks?

Has anyone seen his keys?  I think he's had a few too many Pink Flamingos...

Wait!  That's not a flamingo in the framed art!  Maybe they thought we wouldn't notice with all of the surrounding pink towels and other flamingos. 

I hope you've enjoyed the flamingo room tour... and maybe gotten some inspiration from the quilts that we've shared with you this month.  See you soon!  I've already got a bunch of stuff ready to share with the next post, so stay tuned. 

Keep on quilting!
Jenny Arkinson