Take a pause

I had a lot of fun at the Quilt Symposium of Alabama! 

The first day I took a class, after checking in, with Cindy Blackberg. We quietly hand-stitched.  It was a good way to relax after unloading my car.  On Friday I had a full day with Sally Collins and I fell completely in love with her miniatures!

These little tiny pieces

go at the corners of little tiny wedding ring intersections.

Like so:

She is serious fun to learn from; I think you can tell:

I can't wait to get one of her books!  

Saturday I sat with Pat from Spirited Quilters, and we worked on Mariner's Compass with Brenda Henning of Bear Paw Productions.  We aspire to learn this:

 One of the other students found a good use for her partially completed Compass:

And here is another student's nearly completed Compass:

Lovely! 

The grounds of the Abbey in Cullman are lush and peaceful. The food is wonderful.  I swear my pants shrank two sizes while I was there.  Think of blueberry white chocolate scones for breakfast and prime rib and tiramisu for dinner. Yeah, really, that good!

Next year's teachers were announced:  Peggy Barkle (see previous post here ), Lisa Bongean (see previous posts here and here), Karen Kay Buckley, Pepper Cory, Beth Ferrier, Anne Lullie and Helen Squire. I hope the vacation fairies smile on me again next summer.

I went walk-about with my camera yesterday. At the Ave Maria Grotto I found this whimsical composition:

On a pedestal of sea shells and marbles

and a pretty kitty-kitty.

I leave for Kansas City Tuesday morning early, so I'll have to visit with you again next weekend.

Finish a UFO day.

Last night I cut and ironed the binding. This time I cut 2 1/4 inches, but maybe I need 2 1/2?  I'll see how this works.  I used 2" on the turtle baby quilt.

I had help from the "other" tuxedo kitty.  Kitten must have been busy skulking around in my sewing room while the door was open and I was in the guest room ironing.

The binding is rolled (on an empty bath tissue tube) and ready for me to trim the top and sit down to sew.
I aim to finish the top I blogged about so long ago here:  Samurai Squares UFO.  I had been so intimidated by the (home) machine quilting process, and distracted by everything else that came along, that I am nearly a year and a half in getting it quilted.  But hey, that is better, WAY better than the 30 years it took me finish Eron's Tippecanoe quilt (which was originally a wedding gift for his dad to whom I am no longer married).

And then off to Mita's Patchwork Cottage to pick up the supplies I ordered for my trip to Quilt Symposium of Alabama.   This will be my first quilt retreat experience; I am so excited to go!