Summer Hooking & Stitching

I have been terrible about posting in the past few months!  I blame internet overload...  While the one benefit of the pandemic has been an explosion in virtual quilting (and even rug hooking) events, my desire to participate in too many of them has monopolized my non-work computer time.  By the time I finish catching up on all the posts and FB Live sessions I am ready to get away from the screen!

I did manage to get away to a couple of real-life events over the past few weeks.  In July I headed to Kansas City for our annual workshop with Jayne Hester, which ended up being the "No Jayne Camp" due to COVID.  It was very nice - a small group with Janice teaching instead. I decided to start yet another rug - my third start of the year. It's a sampler, an older pattern of Janice's, and I am in love with the colors.  I am removing the people from mine...I'm not a fan of having people (especially faces) in my projects.

I had a chance to escape to a retreat center with a small group of friends for a long weekend and managed to get quite a bit of sewing done.  It was so wonderful to get away!  It has been so sad clearing all of my vacation trips from the calendar, so I especially enjoyed the chance to sew in person with friends.  I got the binding sewn onto my 2018 mystery quilt so all that is left is stitching it down, and also finished week two of the PG pieced SBOW.  I also managed to get the borders onto Frolic! so it is ready to load onto the long arm. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm even happier to be finished piecing it!

I decided mid-retreat that I would rather sit my 2020 pieced SBOW aside until I finish the one from 2019. I spent the last day of retreat completing week six, so I am halfway through the blocks.  Still a long way to go but I absolutely love this quilt!


Ans yes, that is one week's assignment! And speaking of intense piecing projects, in a weak moment I somehow decided it would be fun to sign up for Vintage Rose, a Judy Niemeyer technique-of-the-month workshop that is being taught by one of our local quilt shops via Zoom.  We've had two classes so far and I am hopelessly behind.  There are monthly classes through January....supposedly if I keep up the top will be nearly complete by then. I'm not seeing that happening!

I find paper piecing incredibly tedious.  I am following all of the prescribed steps and have to give Judy credit for developing a some pretty slick process steps to help things along, but I still am not a fan of tearing the paper out.   

Another online event that I participated in last month was a "retreat in a box" through Granny's Legacy Patterns.  They shipped all of the supplies for the retreat project along with a treats and a couple of little gifts a week or so ahead of the retreat event, and then during the retreat they hosted a few technique sessions, games, a trunk show and a shop tour via FB Live. It was fun and I enjoyed the project.  I just finished mine over the weekend - now I need to get one of those oval trays for it to sit in.

I have several virtual events scheduled for September, including another workshop in a box from Granny's Legacy and another Vintage Rose class. I also hope to get Frolic quilted and the bindings on both it and the 2018 mystery before the next one begins - it's hard to believe but November is right around the corner!