Quilt Retreat 2012

Last month I went on my annual quilt retreat with the Dallas Quilt Guild.
It was the 25th anniversary of the retreat! Incredible. Forgive the horrible pictures but sometimes, you don't have the fancy camera with you...

On Saturday we usually have a sit down dinner and we all (all 100 + of us) commemorated the moment with a cake and factoids. There were a few ladies there that had been to all 25 retreats and others with 20+ years under their belt.

I looked at these ladies and thought that they probably started going to the retreat at the same age I did. Some were actually quite young and probably started going to the retreat at my daughter's age.

Anyway, these are the things I randomly think of at moments.

It was funny to see my two quilting worlds collide when the invited shop was Happiness is Quilting which is owned by a member of my Modern Guild. And there were a couple of other Modern Guild members at the retreat as well.

This is my spot. I got quite a bit done during my five days there 

(I KNOW! 5 Days!! Can you believe it? Oh Joy!)

Spent three days making 10 farmer's wife blocks and spent a day making a quilt. Somehow, that doesn't seem right but there it is.. 10 blocks vs an 84" quilt.. You can imagine what a pain in the... those blocks were a bit difficult!

I thought about this during this past weekend while I was piecing a few more of those Farmer's Wife blocks.. I was wondering how it is that I get roped into these situations.. I'm just not sure. I'm thinking that my daughter has a radar for when a puppy moment is about to happen and she pounces.

What is a puppy moment? While my daughter was growing up she would go and spend her summer's with her father and after 6-8 weeks she would return bathed in all that is sweet and tender because I would have missed her so fiercely that even her dirty socks would smell sweet. I realized that I had sunk to my lowest when one year, just a few weeks following her arrival I went out and got her a puppy. Obviously, a few weeks after that I returned to my reality and wala! There was a puppy in my house!

Every time I sit down to make a new block for this quilt, I realize it was a puppy moment. Just like that time when I agreed to make her that quilt for her wedding... Another puppy moment.

Okay, I've deviated from my main topic here, the retreat... I had a blast, like always.

These were my partners in crime, but there were many others...

Everyone was working away!

Making some wonderful things! 

And sharing the most amazing stories! 

This is my favorite time of year. I say it every year. Always a wonderful way to start the year. I was very productive, very inspired and looking forward to next year!