Transformation Complete: I’ve Become My Mother

It’s official: I’ve become my mother. This isn’t news to anyone who knows me in non-blogging life, least of all my mother herself, but it’s a transformation that, I think, has only recently come to completion.

It began as an interest in sewing. That hobby then started to account for much of my free time. I decorated my house with handmade pillows, curtains, and such. I started dragging my children to fabric stores. I learned to quilt. My sewing machine and all the accoutrements that go with it laid claim to a sizable chunk of the square footage in my house. (My family used to call that space the “dining room.” My husband now calls it “Quilter’s Way,” after my local quilt shop. He thinks he’s being funny. He is not. My father calls the space my mother uses to sew the “sweat shop.” Now, that is funny. My dad also calls my mom’s guilds her “subversive groups,” convinced that a bunch of ladies don’t get together frequently to talk about sewing; they must be up to something more nefarious, like plotting world domination. Funny!)

Anyway, here is the latest sign that I’ve become my mother: I’m going on my first quilting retreat, and I’m crazy excited about it. This event doesn’t happen for another month, but I’m already choreographing my approach to nearly three days of uninterrupted sewing time. My current plan of attack is to cut three or four projects in advance of the trip, assembling whatever notions and stuff I will need. So far, this retreat looks as if it will be a scraptacular event.

Project #1: The Fat Quarter Shop’s Mini-Charm Mix Table Runner

I have some Christmas scraps to use up and like the simplicity of the Fat Quarter Shop’s Mini-Charm Mix Table Runner. (Get the free pattern here.) I cut up a bunch of fabrics that have a vintage feel to them—a red holly print, a green selection with bells and candy canes, a small red check, etc.—as well as a white-on-white crosshatch from Carolyn Friedlander. (My LQS had a bolt, and it went fast.) I’m hoping to chain-piece to my heart’s content during the retreat and save the quilting of this runner for afterward.

Project #2: Laura Jane Taylor’s Obsession Quilt

I’ve had Laura Jane Taylor’s Obsession Quilt on my radar screen since last fall. I thought I was further along with cutting the necessary squares, but once I began counting my stockpile, I realized I had more work to do.

I’m glad that I am prepping this ahead of schedule. As it turns out, there is a dearth of teal fabric—scraps or yardage—here at From Bolt to Beauty world headquarters. I need to remedy that!

I’m not sure what else I will take with me on my weekend away. Maybe projects #3 and #4 won’t be as scrappy; I’ll have to think about it. Have you been on a quilting retreat? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on my preparation plans and whether you have any advice for me, the retreat newbie.

Linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday and the folks who keep me honest about the scrap scene around here as well as Sew Cute Tuesday, WIP Wednesday, Let’s Bee Social, and Needle and Thread Thursday ...