Finger on the Shutter

By: Jill Finger

Apr 27 2018

Category: Uncategorized

1 Comment

Cathy and I went to our semi-annual quilt retreat last weekend. For a couple years, the retreat was held at the Landmark Inn in Glens Falls. That inn has been sold so Patti, the retreat coordinator, had to find a different place. She did, and did it well, finding the Hyatt in Malta. It’s right off Northway exit 12 instead of 17, so it’s closer for us, which is nice.  The sewing room is huge, the complimentary breakfast is wonderful and there’s a lovely walking path nearby. That’s a win/win/win in my book.

The picture above is a quilt called Passages. I had it all cut out before I left home and sewed the whole thing together on Saturday.  I love  the 3 -D look- pretty cool for a flat piece. Last night, I gave it to my friend Mary to machine quilt it for me, which will add more depth. Another project was this bag.  Cathy and I had made ourselves each one in January and I had the bright idea of making a couple more for gifts. Instead of piecing 5 inch squares together, I used one piece of fabric. It’s quicker to make that way and it showcases a pretty piece of fabric. We stopped at Patti’s quilt shop before checking into our hotel and she had a this little doggy on display.  It required two packs of 2 1/2 inch squares and lots of pinning to sew it all together.  I did the basic sewing at the retreat and stuffed it yesterday. I had made a cat one a few months ago, and thought this would look cute on the chair with it, but it will probably end up going home with Andrew. Just in case that happens, I bought two more packs of 2 1/2 inch squares in different fabric..This is another almost finish from the retreat.  I did the machine applique there and now have to hand stitch the binding down. Every retreat Patti comes up with a quick project that she supplies the pattern and fabric for.  This time it was a drawstring bag made from two 17 1/2 inch squares of fabric. The bag finishes approximately 7 x 7 inches and holds a surprising amount of stuff.  Patti had also made a smaller bag using  7 1/2 inch squares that was a perfect size to put a gift card in.  I wanted to see if I could make it smaller, so I used 6 inch squares.  It was a little difficult to finagle the fabric because it was so small, but it came out just big enough to hold a candy kiss or two, and measures almost 2 x2 inches.

After spending almost three full days sewing, I didn’t touch my machine until yesterday, when I cleaned it and worked on a pattern I brought home with me for a microwave cozy. It’s a fabric bowl that will just fit my bowl of oatmeal in the morning so I don’t burn my hands.

I can’t wait for the next retreat in November!