Circa 1880 top assembled (mostly)

Technically there are still borders to add, but it feels monumental to finally have the rows assembled. Here it is laying on our guest room bed.

I made the first blocks for this quilt at my usual January retreat in 2018--two years ago! At an invitation from Pam Buda to strip piece our blocks and then swap our duplicates to get more variety more quickly,  how could I say no? Though I admit that I wondered at the time if I would ever actually get one made. Lo and behold, I even made this larger than the pattern called for. I never dreamed I would have that much patience!

In the pattern every block is an uneven 9-patch, but after I heard that Lynn Hopkins (who works at the shop where I was participating in the Circa 1880 club) was going to put some little baskets in his quilt, I couldn't let that idea go. After a bit of pondering I thought, "Why just baskets?" Hence the "rogue blocks" were born. I added 7 actual "rogue blocks," and then I included 8 of what I like to call "surprise centers"--a 1" block in the center of the uneven 9-patch.

Here they are on display--and if you are looking for perfectly matched corners and no cut off points, go somewhere else. I wasn't that concerned about those things. Feels more "Circa 1880" to me if things aren't quite so precise.

First up: Rogue blocks
 

  

Blogger won't let me position photos like I normally do, so these look pretty random.
Next up: Surprise Centers

 

This has been the mainstay on my design wall for 2 years, and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to swap with Pam and a few friends. Now I need to decide what will live here for the next two years. :)

     
I didn't think I would get to go to my winter retreat this year,  but within the last few days the persistence of family and friends has come together and the way opened up--how could I say no? I know Mom is in good hands, and it is only 30 minutes from home, if there should be a need. I am on my way today and SO looking forward to it.

Until next time,
Janet O.

What happens at retreat...

...is never enough!
I always have such grand plans, and I honestly stay pretty well focused while I'm there. My roommate and I are not there to play (but we do still have fun). We are there to make serious progress. But it is never enough.

Once again our retreat was held at the lovely Academy Conference Center in downtown Brigham City, UT.

There were classes going on in a downstairs room most of the time, so the sewing room hardly ever seemed full, though there were about 35 of us there.

I did end up with 11 finished rows on my Circa 1880 quilt. I had six finished when I arrived, so I added five. (One more was made after this photo was taken.)

I haven't touched my Scrappy Trips (Bonnie Hunter free pattern) quilt since retreat last January. This time I added 12 blocks (4 of them were made after this photo was taken). Six more blocks to go. I'd better finish this up before next January!

This little quilt pattern was added to my luggage as a last minute afterthought (along with a basket of HSTs), but it turned out to be the only small project I brought that I actually worked on. There are supposed to be 5 more blocks, but it is really tempting to just sew up these 4 and call it good. I think the Broken Dish blocks finish at 2"











My leader/ender blocks were added to, when the project I was sewing didn't create its own leader/enders.
I almost have 200 of these windmill blocks now, and I have a bunch of them cut out. I think I will finish the ones I have cut, and then I will be done with this one. I have been doing these for years.

















The first two days they provided a make-n-take project at 7 p.m. I just brought home the kit for the first one--it is a project bag.

But the second day they hit me in a soft spot--foundation paper piecing mini flying geese!



It all came together to make this key holder that slips onto your wrist.




The retreat ran for three days and the sewing room was open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. We took full advantage of those hours. We were the first ones there each morning, and among those being shooed out at closing time each night--except for the last night. Technically we could stay and sew until 10 even the last night, but a good share of the quilters had packed up and left by 5 p.m.

In the photo above you can see three diehard quilters to the back of the room, and the ladies to the left are employees and owner of the sponsoring shop, just waiting around for the rest of us to go home, so they can do likewise. My retreat buddy got a shot of me about this same time.



We finally left around 7:30, and the other two gals were beginning to pack up to get on their way.
It was a great escape--just what I needed, and just in time to preserve my sanity!

Now back to real life. :)


Until next time, 
Janet O.