Cute Little Purple Cup

When we were in Warwick on retreat (19-23 March), we had a bit of time to fill in before we could settle in at Glenrose.   I wandered into Bed Bath & Table.  All their Easter stuff was 40% off.   I don't really decorate for Easter....though having seen the goodies on display, I was tempted.

I spied a very pretty little cup... A silly purchase really...I have multiple pretty cups...too small for a decent cup of tea...And I have multiple pretty mugs . . .but I "had to have it". (and it WAS on special.)
I used it a couple of times at Glenrose for tea . . .but thought it needed a special coaster.

I found this machine embroidery design online - from Kreative Kiwi - and it was free - so whipped one up.....

and if I am going to take this cup anywhere - it needs a drawstring bag...doesnt it??

A very quick result...unlike some of my projects that linger for years....which I will now get back to.

Needle Girls March Retreat - Glenrose House

My first retreat for the year!!!

I keep a "Retreat Book" - I head each page with the venue and dates and list what I plan to work on (tick it off when done), and include other notes, such as who went and for one retreat - who was in which cabin.
The book was nearly full - not enough pages for the planned retreats for 2027 - so I selected this Journal that Deb had made and gifted to us at Sunday Stitchers last Christmas.

It is very pretty and will keep me going for a few years....

My plan included:

• DV Baby Quilt
• Baby Quilt for Alana
• 28 Square in a Square blocks for Flower Pop
• Squares for the centre panel for Village Green
• Placemats - if I got to them

I am happy to say I got it all done except the placemats, so I spent some of my free time making large scrappy blocks for a DV quilt - it takes me a while to get my head around the "randomness" and the "just hack it" as De suggests.
Anyway - I got 4 done and brought home a fair stash of fabric pieces to make some more...

My projects:

28 Square in a Square blocks

Baby Quilt for Alana

DV Baby Quilt

Village Green centre

These all need to be trimmed and joined.   There are two I might replace before that happens.

As always, a fun time was had, much chatting, some snacking and a glass or two!!!

Not too long til the next retreat!

Glenrose House Retreat

Yep, another retreat at Glenrose - in the house!
Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd November.

It is kind of good that I don't have another retreat til March!!!

There were only 4 of us this time, but it was fun, chatty, and I was as productive as possible.  I didn't achieve as much as I thought I might - but it is hard to know how long some things will take.

I took a few pictures of what the others worked on.

Donna is making a baby quilt...the blocks won't be arranged like this - she has progressed well, but there is still a way to go.

Fiona is making this quilt and has all her blocks made.  She had enough time to arrange some of them on the design wall.

Tracey made several bowl cosies - Donna used them as hats for some of the teddies...
That is the price you pay for going to bed earlier than the rest!!!

I made up these placemats (for Meals on Wheels) - using hexies made by friends at a Sunday group I go to.

  

I have plenty of hand sewing to do now to finish off the bindings.
As I was on the last bit of the charcoal placemats, I could see the bobbin was getting low - so of course I held my breath....and just managed to finish before I ran out of thread!!!!

That is how much thread was left - a Bobbin Lotto Win!!!

I did the applique and joined the rows on Be My Neighbour....then I put it in the naughty corner as some of the rows were longer than others...mmm...I didn't have the pattern with me, so I moved on to other "stuff".

I had a box of scraps with me so I made up two pieces for crumb blocks.  They are not my favourite thing to do, so once that box is empty, my scraps will go to the child care centre where my grandchildren go.

We went out to Warwick Gardens Galore for lunch on Friday... We really do need to eat there everyday to try all the delicious menu options.  This was my lunch - Seafood & Mango salad.

Dessert time on Friday Night.
Donna & Fiona had brought along chocolate mud cake, Biscoff cheesecake and ice cream.  Had to try it all...

A fun time was had by all.  This group is totally separate to my normal retreat group people - there were plenty of new topics and fabric options that were covered....No new projects followed me home though!

Needle Girls Retreat - Glenrose House

This year, we were able to get a booking in the house at Glenrose.   There are a lot of advantages to the house - more room and no walking back to the cabins in the dark over the gravel...

I had a collection of DV quilt tops to make - most of "my" stuff that is waiting for attention isn't really suitable for sewing at a retreat, so I thought I would just work on the DV stuff instead.

I had a 3 yard pattern called Town Square, which ended up a little wider than we like for a child's quilt, so I redrafted it to make it a little narrower.  (It will now fit a standard width of fabric.)

I made this one in a child size:

I also made an adult version - its wider:

I had cut a lot of I Spy squares for Helen as she was planning a simple I Spy quilt.  This is the one she finished:

And, as there were a lot of squares left over, I decided to make one the same - for DV.

De made this Daisy quilt - it was a bit fiddly so it took most of her time.

Maureen put her sashiko runner together - Sashiko one side and a lovely rose fabric the other, so that it is reversible.

Helen also finished off this top.

In Sunday Stitchers, a number of us were making a quilt called Floral Fun from Quilter's Companion.  Although I love it - it was a small quilt - 36" square and I wasn't sure what I would do with it....So, as Helen was thinking the same, we decided to join them together and add something down the sides and use it as a DV quilt.....during that process, "we" decided not to add the flowers....LOL
Helen added the Black side borders and the pieced borders that I had made earlier.

Needle Girls Pillowcase Challenge

Last year, we decided that we would each make a pillowcase that could be used when we are on retreat.
Here are 4 - Lynda hadn't arrived when we took this photo, and we forgot to take a second one with hers.

Naturally, I had to make mine matchy-matchy with all my other Needle Girls things.

Retreat Challenge - Sashiko

Last year, Chookyblue kindly gave us each a piece of a sashiko panel.   We decided that we should have them finished by this retreat.   I have already posted about mine - but here is the collection....minus Lynda as she wasn't finished.

Retreat Stocking Swap

Every year since 2021, we have made a stocking from a Nancy Havorsen book. Its title eludes me for now....

This is this year's collection - minus Lynda's as she forgot to pack it.   I will add a photo of it later.

The requirement is that the stocking is the shape in the book - but the design can vary.
It is interesting that mostly we each pick a different design even when using the book..

I made the stack of presents and it went to Lynda.

There was other sewing happening

• Helen and Sandi made some scrap blocks for a future DV quilt, 
• Maureen made a lot of blocks for her long-term Chuck Nohara quilt, 
• De put some pre-printed floral blocks and 9 patch blocks together for a DV quilt
• Helen cut what seemed like 2000 squares for some of the Sunday Stitchers girls to put together.

We had a great time - we always do - of course!!!

Our normal Thursday is to leave by 9:30 or so and go to the Garden Centre for a look at the Christmas things and a farewell breakfast/brunch.

This year we were able to book into a class at Sew Pretty Patchwork to make a bag from Denim bits and pieces.   That deserves a separate post....it was such a lot of fun!

Retreat at Glenrose (in the House)

Last year I went to Glenrose (House) with a group of people - some of whom I had sewed with before, some not.
The booking for 2025 had been retained but none of the other ladies were able to go this year, so I took it over and roped in the usual sewing buddies.

The booking is from Thursday at 4PM to Sunday at 2PM, so it's shorter than a "week" booking, but we're always up for a retreat.

I was able to finish the I Spy top for Montana's 2nd Birthday coming up in July.

I joined the wedges for a Christmas tree skirt.  I have a red & green one cut ready to go too - but realise I will need to make the hole in the centre bigger...so can fix that before I sew the other one.

For DV projects, I put this Coin Quilt together (the strips of "coins" had been made & hanging around for a long while).

And I put the borders on this top - which had also been hanging around for a while.

 I had been saving this for a retreat with Helen as she had a nifty way of making the mitered corners....it was quite easy!

Some of the other things that the girls worked on
Maureen made several Crowns for the border of her Chuck Nohara quilt...these are just a few..

Maureen also put together this quilt top for the DV project

Helen made a bag - the fabric is so lovely

and added the borders to this DV quilt top

Sandi made and bound 22 strip-pieced placemats, which I will give to the local Meals on Wheels group. She also experimented with finishing the binding by machine—we decided that using the Ditch foot was the most successful method.

De made another giraffe quilt top - so cute!!!

Lynda put a quilt top together - but I missed getting a photo! 

Both Helen & De made up this Quilters Retreat Panel - all the Needle Girls have one to make up by November.

Here is Helens - no picture of De's 😖

The girls are well-trained and know to save the Teabags so I can collect the strings for Jo.

No retreat would be complete without some retail therapy and there is a new shop in Warwick - so off we went.   I found a new "must have" project, as did most of us....and we spied this cute wall hanging - well, we all like the machine part...maybe not the dingle dangles.
It's a machine embroidery design so I have - of course - purchased it...(Designs by Juju..)

The booking is in place for next year.   But I have a few more retreats this year - one next weekend!!!!!, then June, August & November...I am quite the expert in planning & prepping!