Pick up Sticks

I won a bundle of fat quarters from guild awhile ago and I struggled trying to figure out what to make out of them...I finally realized that these colours were similar to the ones my friends Rick and Karen in Michigan use throughout their home. So a gift for them was in order. I liked the pattern City Tracks in Cherri House's book City Quilts....but I felt it was too busy....then I thought well I would try sashing in between but I could not find the right fabric for the sashing.

This project was put away for almost a year before I thought of the shadow idea. I had a clipping of pattern from Quilt Mania of a quilt called Aussie. It used squares of lively aboriginal art patterns with a black shadow behind it to make the block seem 3 dimensional....but I didn't like the idea of black on this quilt. In the mean time I found the perfect sashing fabric, a cream fabric with little dots and scratches in all the colours in my blocks! how perfect!...but the black that would be too dark. I had come home form BIQR with some left over solids, when it occurred to me that any solid would do for the shadow, it didn't have to be black.

The happy couple with their new lap quilt!

Reunion retreat

Ok, Blogger is giving me grief....I can't seem to rearrange my photos and put them in the order I would like!

Last week I had the opportunity to get together with some of the ladies who were on the LOC for Quilt ON with me. Diane arranged a lovely retreat at Brentwood on the Beach, a lovely Bed and Breakfast on Lake Huron. Even though it was the beginning of February we had ideal weather....No Snow!!! and Sunny!! not that we would really spend any time outside, but the view was lovely! Brentwood on the beach has a lovely indoor pool and jacuzzi, especially great after Quilt Wrestling! We all brought our own projects to work on. A large breakfast was provided for us and pairs of us were responsible for a meal each. We stayed 2 nights and 3 afternoons. Lots of quilting time!

Above is Phyllis, she finally completed the top to a paper piecing project she started years ago for her husband!

Below is Karen's Christmas rag quilt she completed:


A gorgeous sunset over Lake Huron:

Brentwood on the Beach, the view that overlooks the beach:

Ice balls that line the shore of the beach, I don't know how they form, but they look kind of cool

Quilters hard at work:

Christine also brought an old project that was started years ago and never finished and now complete!

more beach view:

I had finished my City Harbor quilt weeks ago but there was no place at home I could take a good photo of this queen sized top!

The lovely indoor salt water pool!

I batted up this piece, "Pick up Sticks" I call it. A present for friends, but boy did it give me grief, trying to machine quilt this large quilt! Quilt Wrestling is more like it...Never again something that big!