Thursday, January 16, 2014

January Thaw

Cold, warm, snow, rain, wind, ice. The thermometer was all over the place this weekend, but that didn't keep me from enjoying some time with 22 like-minded quilty-types.

It's an annual quilt retreat weekend at the Minnowbrook Conference Center in Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondacks. You know the drill, you pack up way more projects than you can ever finish in a weekend, throw in a sewing machine, and all kinds of supplies. Add a few friends, and a well-lit place to set everything up. Throw in lots of colorful fabric and friendly conversation. And let the quilting begin!

With freezing cold temperatures just prior to our arrival, and an abrupt switch to warmer temperatures and rain upon our arrival, the ice-covered lake looked a little mushy.


With the thawing temperatures, ice formations over the stream that empties into the lake look like brittle glass sculptures.


Inside, a plan was brewing to make some pillowcases to donate to the Jefferson County Hospice. Part of the 1,000,000 pillowcase challenge.


Seemed like everyone got into pillowcase production as the weekend advanced.


Hey, where'd everyone go? It's pretty embarrassing when you get so engrossed in what you are working on that you don't even notice that the room is suddenly empty. . .


There they are! A brief visit by the Ruby Scissors Quilt Shop, formerly known as Patti's Quilting and Fabric, from (sorta) nearby Glens Falls, NY shifted the attention from making quilts to fabric acquisition mode.


Jessica, shop owner, knows how to clear a room!


Color! Tempting! There's a quilt in here somewhere, just waiting to be stitched!


Temptation satisfied. . .


Sunday morning, and nature provided a fresh dusting of snow. Can't you just smell the pine?

A reminder that we are intruders in the natural landscape.


Oh, and about that pillowcase project. 71 pillowcases was the grand tally for the weekend. . . . Not bad!


Don't you just love to get away on a quilty holiday?

Happy Stitching!

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