Me again - Blogger and Jan have been having words, so I'm sneaking in for a post. We had a wonderful time in Elk Rapids, MI at Gwen's retreat - it's been about five years since we've made the trip. Mother Nature blessed us with a sampler of weather - sunny warm temps to driving rain. We visited favorite haunts and made new acquaintances. The Elk Rapids Library is an idyllic spot on the edge of Lake Michigan. It's filled with servicable antique chairs and tables and a wonderful sun porch overlooking Lake Michigan with a jigsaw puzzle scattered on an antique oak table waiting for attention. We always find treasures in the basesment booksale room. I'll miss the Elk Rapids Library! Another favorite haunt is McLean and Eakin independant bookstore in Petoskey - love to explore the 'staff pick' section. Bowties were my leader-ender project. I added a nice group to my total. I'm getting close to the target number to complete this top - Woo Hoo!
Liberated Medallions was the retreat topic. Spending time with Gwen is a gift! Jan was a 'smart cookie' and brought projects-in-flight. I, on the other hand, added one more to the in-flight total. I worked in solids, which I've collected over the years but have been hesitant to tackle. My progress doesn't look impressive (since I made the star segments in advance), but those Y seams ain't easy. The next border will be 'Corn and Beans' (making a zigzag around the center), but the scale of the two border blocks pictured is off - the blocks in the pic are 6 3/4" and the rescale is 4.5" (I think - need to recalculate). The background of the center is an 'attention' color, but I plan to surround it with saturated darks. I think the piece is successful because DH's comment was, "It doesn't look like you."
I always want to sew large Flying Geese at this time of year even though I have no project in mind. Today I made a 6 x 3 sample. I used the quick piecing method (1 large square for nose and 4 smaller squares for wings). Considering the large size, I think I'll use the waste method and save the throw aways for a doll or crib quilt. I'm thinking the Flying Geese will make a great back!
I've done a little seasonal decorating this weekend - Autumn is my favorite time of year. Enjoy this beautiful season!
