THE FUN STARTS IN ........

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

THE RETREAT !!!

The RETREAT is something that our Circle of Friends look forward to each year.  It's a gathering of friends who are like minded in that they have a LOVE of quilting... sewing home decor items... sewing for kids and grandkids ... they love putting the pedal to the metal (the foot pedal that is), and allowing their creativity to take over.  And they LOVE their fabric!  A quilter's fabric stash is as valuable to her as any jewels she wears.  

The retreats offer a time of friendship building, of fellowship, of having fun sewing, some learning, definitely some good food, and LOTS of fun!  One year the HGTV Circle of Friends worked the retreat around the Houston Quilt Festival, and an excursion was planned for the festival ... one year it was in Portland, and planned around the Sisters Quilt Show, and they took a bus down to Sisters and spent the day drooling over quilts, talking with friends, and buying some gorgeous fabric!

This is our sweet friend, Bluesnail ... the bags were almost as big as she was!
Last year was the 5th anniversary for the Circle of Friends and the retreat was held in Charlotte, NC.  We took a double-decker bus to Mary Jo's Cloth Store in Gastonia... O MY GOODNESS !  What a PALACE of fabrics!!!  It was fun getting to know everyone during the retreat, and we ALL had a blast hauling our booty back with us.  I LOVED the batiks collection they had, and did most of my shopping in that section ... altho I did get sidetracked just a tad, and my friend Lori helped me pick out a real beauty!   THANKS LORI !  I'm thinking this would make a GREAT fat-quarter challenge fabric! ;) ~~ but we'll show THAT later !

9 comments:

mcpatches said...

Did you mention the wild bus ride to Keepsake Quilting and Quiltaholic's growing boobies while we were in New Hampshire? : )

Sherry said...

Great COF history lesson!

I love the batiks too! ;-)

Rainbow said...

Just checking in!

Thearica said...

mcpatches... Someone asked me if I was going to sell tickets at the retreat for Jayardi's quilts this past year in NC and I told them J would have to grow her own boobies. LOL

Lois said...

We all enjoyed the double decker bus ride. It was a lovely day and the side curtains were open, the wind was blowing and we were chatting away like little girls on the way to the playground. We did arrive at a playground...Mary Jo's Cloth Shop! Fun for all.
Chanlady

bluesnail said...

Well, not ALL those bags are mine! I ended up 'garding' several bags for fellow shoppers who just had to return for "one more piece of fabric"! (I guess about half of that stash ended up at my house. LOL)

Anonymous said...

HEY! I remember taking that pic of Lois (Bluesnail)...I LOVE it!!! She made a comment that everyone would think they were all hers...lol!! Bet she could've bought that much IF she wasn't thinkjng of moving & didn't want to haul it all home or to Florida!!! ;)
Mary Jo's was a fantastic store but the bus ride was a B~L~A~S~T!!!! =)
I don't have a blog so have to post this as 'anonymous' but I'm sewlove2quilt

Gonesewin said...

I din't mean to "help"! Actually, I did mean to help but she found the chicken fabrics in spite of my "help"...Please don't everyone hate me!!!

Lois said...

Bring on the chicken fabric! I'm ready!! chanlady

I'm a member of the Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild

I'm a member of the Ozark Piecemakers Quilt Guild

Branson Scenery

Branson Scenery
Table Rock Lake has over 800 miles of shoreline!