This was my first quilting retreat, held last few days of November and over Sylvia’s birthday. I’m told that the rule is “what happens on retreat stays on retreat”, i.e. no telling tales. Ha ! I’m a rule breaker……
What a surprise: I turned up later than anyone else on late on the Friday, having got lost after picking up quilts and eating cake with Lynn Banks on the way and having dropped hubster off to stay with his brother for the weekend. I checked in, found the bar, found the sewing room. And what a fab, huge, well set up room it was. Found my “spot”, put faces to some Bloggerati names, had a mooch around, and then went for dinner. A good retreat can be judged by its provision of food, and its beds: both 4 star for me.
I didn’t join the overnighters on Friday but made a reasonably early start on Saturday. Now, I’d taken all the blocks sent to me by the Christmas Dinner quilters, and a few tops, along with a box of plain stash, a couple of small bolts of fabric for sashing/borders, and 150 cms wide fabric for the quilt backing. I hoped that some retreaters would lend me their time for an hour or two to help piece the blocks into tops. I was called on to do the “ask”, which ended up with me doing a full rundown of what the project is about, and happy I was to do so. Many of you will know by now I am heading up the creation of the Quilts that will be given to three of the Christmas Dinner for Careleavers project this year – an annual event started by Lemn Sissay, who was, himself, once in care.
Blocks were taken out of the box, and spread over the floor, and a great and protracted game of sorting the jigsaw took over, thank you Chris Hart !! Into colours, into patterns, spread and replaced…..taken away and juggled and swapped. “who has the bolt of yellow? “ “ Anyone got any spotty green for a binding ?” “ Shall we use wadding or fleece do you think ?” “I have the right colour for sashing at home “ “will they like them ??” We were all swopping and working together. Lovely stuff.
I worked until just after midnight – it flew by. I told people that they could unpick blocks and small tops if that made a better sized quilt. I was taking a risk I knew but, I’d set a preferred size for new quilts when the project was initiated and offered to accept tops and quilts of any size. No block or child remains an orphan for long on my watch if I have anything to do with it.
My preferred block pattern for those not sending in full quilts or tops was rail fence or log cabin. These 2 tops show how different the same pattern can look in different fabrics. Both of these tops were made up into quilts during the weekend, both using wadding. We did, however, have a huge roll of caramel fleece donated by Rebbeca Nevard, and that went on the back of at least 2 block-juggled masterpieces.
Just before we broke on Sunday, we made a video, which I hope can be seen using this link www.facebook.com/maggie.lloydjones.5/videos/2219003991451236/ a bit of after lunch frivolity, but showing tops and quilts either brought to the retreat as part of the great Collect or as the result of the block fest.
I have come to the conclusion that quilters are lousy timekeepers: I asked for an hour of their time, some gave me just about all of their time. Some took blocks home to make into tops or quilts, some donated blocks or fabric. I was and remain inspired and dumbstruck by their artistry. I learnt so much in such a relaxed yet sometimes fevered but always friendly atmosphere, and yet again was awestruck by the kindness and generosity of our quilting community. I was never the novice there. I kept apologising for taking over the retreat, when in fact, I think they took me over, and I am so very grateful.
As I write this, the closing date for finished quilts to be received by me is fast approaching (17th December). What I can say at this point is that we will have reached our target of 100 completed quilts; have at least 20 if not more tops ready for next year; have pledges from group members of another batch of quilts for next year. And perhaps most touching and reassuring of all, both Lemn Sissay MBE and leaders of both Leeds and Manchester dinners love the quilts.
And I get to play Mrs Claus on Christmas Eve to the Manchester venue.
How good is all of that ??
Maggie Lloyd-Jones
Inspiring and heart warming.
Totally amazing!