Quilt Retreat Progress!

Turning a errant block on my trusty old BERNINA 910

I feel like I am losing my sense of time.  How can it be the end of March already??? At the same time it also feels like the declutter challenge was months ago. And remember I was away for a week at Quiltcon. Geesh. Sometimes I think that my pill caddy is the only thing grounding me in time.

Last weekend, I attended my first retreat in a while. It was at the Elmhurst Inn near London, Ontario. The Inn was known as a wedding venue for all of its photogenic spaces. But about 10 years ago, they found quilting retreats were a lot less effort. They supply the tables, chairs, ironing boards and irons. And everyone gets a huge table to work at. 

I met up with some quilters that I had not seen in a while. Played some games. Ate a lot of food.

From past retreats I know that I’d rather not cut fabrics away from home. So I only brought UFO’s and kits that just needed assembly. I also know now to keep my projects to a minimum…I packed 5, down from my 10+ of yesteryear. And I am pleased to say that I completed 3 flimsies and one backing . 

The first was a Stashbuster #9 done in Halloween fabrics. As a Halloween baby, I thought it was time for a Halloween quilt. I had previously cut the fabric during the Declutter Challenge and assembly was so quick and easy. I had it made the first night. You can watch the video here.

Download the free pattern here

My Saturday was filled with a sampler project. I had taken a hand sewing class in 2023 around the time my jaw started flaring up and hand sewing made it worse. So the quilt had some bad mojo attached to it. I found it on the high shelf in my cupboard in January and knew that it was the perfect project to finish up at the retreat.

I had 8 blocks done and needed 4 more plus sashing. I played with some fussy cuts. I was amazed how it went from a project I hated to a project I loved in one afternoon. They are my regular colours but in a muddier desaturated version.

I also made the afterquilt to go with it from the leftover half square triangles and scraps. It only needed a strip down the centre as I had this beautiful piece of yardage that matched.

My last top was my disappearing 9 patch from my recent video that you can watch here. I have a pile of Kaffe Fasset fabrics that I am trying to use up and this block was perfect for it. Since the blocks were already made, it was simple to assemble them. 

Disappearing 9-Patch

I also fixed my Chippy Chains quilt top. When I posted last week’s video, I saw that one block was reversed along the edge. Once a video goes live, there is nothing much that you can do about it. But I did manage to fix it. Now I need to update the thumbnail photo. There was also an error in the pattern layout. This is what happens when you are desperate to finish editing at 2:30 in the morning! Again, nothing much I can do about the live video than blur out the offending block. You can find a corrected version of the pattern on my website. And watch the video here.

Now that I am home, I see my finished top pile has grown out of its space. And so has my binding pile. I guess that’s what I’ll be doing in April. 

Karen's Quilt Circle

Quilts tell us a story of our past, but it’s a struggle when the label is absent. Define the connection to the maker, and you'll find the why and how behind the fabrics. One of my Quilt Crew members told me of the Quebec Quilt Registry where not only are quilts documented, but it’s become a useful resource for research on the culturally diverse history of Canadian quilts. Carla Rivard, the Coordinator of the Registry tells us all about it. You can listen to my interview here.

Listen to any of my Karen's Quilt Circle podcasts on the YouTube Music app here. 

Upcoming events

The next Live Q&A will be Tuesday, April 1st at 7:00 pm EST. You'll be able to ask me anything! Be sure to turn on notifications so you don't miss it. Or use this link

It’s not too late to join in my Boost Your Sampler Skills BOM. At 12:00 pm (NOON) EST, April 13th, we are covering flying geese.  If you are a member of Karen’s Quilt Crew you can find the videos and links to the patterns on the community page of my channel. There is also a members-only Playlist to access all the classes.

My next Stitch’n Chat with Karen’s Quilt Crew is on Sunday, April 13th at 2:00 pm EST. If you are a channel member, you will find the zoom link on the Just Get It Done Quilts community page.

Travel with Karen

Not only am I heading to Scandinavia in May (sold out), and Indonesia in the fall (a few spots left!), I have been asked to give two lectures at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in the UK in early August! The lectures will be: 535-The Joy of Symmetry and 542-Be the Best Quilter You Can Be. You can purchase tickets at  thefestivalofquilts.seetickets.com I hope to see you there.

Take care