Quilt retreat weekend

This past weekend I participated in my first quilt retreat!  It was awesome.  There were 4 of us total (Catherine the host, Camille and Nanette) so it was small and intimate and everyone from a different level of quilting experience.   My dear friend Catherine hosted the retreat in her lovely home. 

About my friend Catherine: I met Catherine about 5 years ago or so at a company we both worked at.  I wouldn't say we became friends instantly but it happened pretty quickly.  She is an amazing person and is the one responsible for my addiction to quilting.  One day at work she brought in a few of her quilts to show everyone and I instantly fell in love and knew I wanted to learn.  She makes amazing quilts!  Thanks Catherine for sharing your passion with me and helping to create that passion in me. 

When packing things up to prepare for the retreat I couldn't decide which projects to work on so I brought several. 

One of them is a Mystery Quilt Block of Month I am doing with Fat Quarter Shop (www.fatquartershop.com).  I will write a separate post about that quilt.   I had completed 4 blocks prior to the retreat and had 3 more that needed to be completed so I brought them with me. 

With each block I got better and better.   I am so proud of my star in Block 5. 

That is my first star and it looks to awesome!  Woohoo!  I am proud of how far I have come in just a year and no matter how frustrated I have gotten at times, I never quit. 

Next I started working on another Mystery Quilt I had started working on early last year but gave up on it because I felt my flying geese were horrible and not working out.  So glad I brought that with me and showed Catherine who reassured me it would be fine.  I finished the stars for this quilt with the flying geese and I am very happy with the results. I made eight total, here is a close up of one of them.   I will write a separate post about this quilt. 

 

It was a great quilt retreat weekend.  I made a lot of progress on two quilts and learned how to make Grandma's Flower Garden which I am excited to try.  The food was amazing, the conversations were both funny and touching at the same time, and the projects being worked on were beautiful.   I look forward to the next one.