NEW CHANGE FOR FQ BINGO !


The committee has decided to put a change in the FQ bingo game.  We will now make it so you can PLAY UP TO 4 FQs per game... With everyone flying in, we thought that it might be a challenge for everyone to get 4 FQs here for each game... SO HOW BOUT A CHANGE!


So if you only want to play with 1 FQ, we will give you 1 card... if you want 2 or 3, we can accommodate that as well :)  But if you're feeling REALLY lucky, then you will want to play with 4 FQs... that's what I'll be doing!


Do ya remember the choices of fabrics to bring?  I'll refresh my ... I mean your memory :)

~ ASIAN fabrics ... those gorgeous Orientals! (4 FQs per player)

~ REPRODUCTION fabrics ~ can be Civil War, 30's or other repro (4 FQs per player)

~ FALL ~ Gotta have those FABULOUS fall fabrics! {NO HALLOWEEN} (4 FQs per player)

~ BATIKS !!!  What would a party be without Batiks!!! (4 FQs per player)

~ BLACK & WHITES ~ fabric with black background & white print, or white background & black print (4 FQs per player)

~ NEUTRAL fabrics ~ beiges, tans, off whites, tone on tone lights (4 FQs per player)

~ UGLIES ... Everyone has some they are tired of or wonder WHY they ever bought those!  No limit as to how many go into the pot, but 4 minimum.

and possibly (time permitting)

~ ANYTHING GOES ~ this will be anything you want to throw in, or maybe you won some you don't really want.  Please make sure this is 100% GOOD QUALITY COTTON FABRIC.

This will be the last Bingo game.

Now for those that are flying, if you win big and don't want to carry them in your suitcase, or you do some shopping you just couldn't pass up ~~

WE WILL HAVE PRIORITY MAIL BOXES AND ENVELOPES AT RETREAT FOR ANY ITEMS YOU MAY WISH TO SEND.  THEY WILL BE FLAT RATE, SO YOU CAN WRITE ME A CHECK TO MAIL THEM (WE WILL ALREADY KNOW THE POSTAGE AMOUNT), AND I WILL GET THEM MAILED ON MONDAY AFTER RETREAT.  We will also have DELIVERY CONFIRMATION forms available as well.  Just please MARK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PACKAGE "FQ BINGO" ... 

Last year, I mailed my dirty laundry home via USPS and packed up all my fabric purchases and souvenirs in my carryon for the plane :)  I didn't care if my laundry got lost :)

So there's your categories for FAT QUARTER BINGO ... It's a retreat tradition... one we mean to carry on ~ big time! 

And what would the tradition of FQ Bingo be without our awesome bingo caller...  THANK YOU CHANLADY Lois for stepping up as our Bingo caller once again.  When I sought the advice of previous hostesses when I was considering having the retreat come to Branson, the previous hostesses HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Chanlady be kept as Bingo caller ... and after meeting her in NC and seeing her in action, I was MORE than appreciative of her "talents" ...  So THANK YOU LOIS !!!  I know you'll do a great job as Bingo hostess once again.

And remember... the games don't just have one winner!  THEY HAVE MULTIPLE WINNERS!!!

Quilters and their sicknesses

Just read this on another message board and thought I'd copy/paste it: 


A recent study indicated that fabric gives off certain Pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts. When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones (in the fabric) cases memory loss and induces the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter i.e. storing food). Therefore perpetuating their species and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others. 

Sound tests have also reveled that these fabrics emit a very high pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as "quilters." When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, "buy me, cut me and sew me." 

In order to overcome the so called "feeding frenzy effect" that these fabrics cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs to avoid being pulled into their grip. One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a quilt fabric store, with WWII army gas masks and headphones! Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects that these fabrics have on the human population. They are called Quilt Fabric Store Clerks. 



It's also been experienced that these same Pheromones cause a pathological need to hide these fabric purchases when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash), and when asked by significant other if the fabric is new, the reply is "I've had it for awhile." 

To "FIX" this sickness.... check out our friends at DJ's DISCOUNT FABRICS ...   you can find them on the internet at www.djsdiscountfabrics.com .  Diane is a sponsor for our retreat, and a new fabric store on the web ... so go check her out!  And tell her that you saw her on CIRCLE OF FRIENDS RETREAT BLOG!

Have a great week and happy sewing!

FQ BINGO !!! WHO WANTS TO PLAY !!!

YES!  We WILL be playing FQ Bingo at the Circle of Friends Retreat in Branson ... what would a retreat be without it?  It's gonna be F-U-N ... FUN!

~ Each card will be 4 FQs .  You are limited to ONE card per game.

~ We will have an UGLY category ... you can throw in AS MANY FQs AS YOU LIKE, BUT STILL ONLY PLAY ONE CARD ... it's a good way to give some of those "uglies" a good home to go to !  And just because the category might be "uglies", beauty IS in the eye of the beholder!  I've done "ugly" swaps, and from what I received, I was blown away at the BEAUTY that people were passing on as rejects!  Sometimes the "ugly" stack is just fabrics that you've bought too much of ... you're tired of looking at it ... you want to trade for some perfect GREEN ! 

So the FABRICS we will be playing with and for are ~~

~ ASIAN fabrics ... those gorgeous Orientals! (4 FQs per player)

~ REPRODUCTION fabrics ~ can be Civil War, 30's or other repro (4 FQs per player)

~ FALL ~ Gotta have those FABULOUS fall fabrics! {NO HALLOWEEN} (4 FQs per player)

~ BATIKS !!!  What would a party be without Batiks!!! (4 FQs per player)

~ BLACK & WHITES ~ fabric with black background & white print, or white background & black print (4 FQs per player)

~ NEUTRAL fabrics ~ beiges, tans, off whites, tone on tone lights (4 FQs per player)

~ UGLIES ... Everyone has some they are tired of or wonder WHY they ever bought those!  No limit as to how many go into the pot, but 4 minimum.

and possibly (time permitting)

~ ANYTHING GOES ~ this will be anything you want to throw in, or maybe you won some you don't really want.  Please make sure this is 100% GOOD QUALITY COTTON FABRIC.

This will be the last Bingo game.

Now for those that are flying, if you win big and don't want to carry them in your suitcase, or you do some shopping you just couldn't pass up ~~

WE WILL HAVE PRIORITY MAIL BOXES AND ENVELOPES AT RETREAT FOR ANY ITEMS YOU MAY WISH TO SEND.  THEY WILL BE FLAT RATE, SO YOU CAN WRITE ME A CHECK TO MAIL THEM (WE WILL ALREADY KNOW THE POSTAGE AMOUNT), AND I WILL GET THEM MAILED ON MONDAY AFTER RETREAT.  We will also have DELIVERY CONFIRMATION forms available as well.  Just please MARK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PACKAGE "FQ BINGO" ... 

Last year, I mailed my dirty laundry home via USPS and packed up all my fabric purchases and souvenirs in my carryon for the plane :)  I didn't care if my laundry got lost :)

So there's your categories for FAT QUARTER BINGO ... It's a retreat tradition... one we mean to carry on ~ big time! 

And what would the tradition of FQ Bingo be without our awesome bingo caller...  THANK YOU CHANLADY Lois for stepping up as our Bingo caller once again.  When I sought the advice of previous hostesses when I was considering having the retreat come to Branson, the previous hostesses HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Chanlady be kept as Bingo caller ... and after meeting her in NC and seeing her in action, I was MORE than appreciative of her "talents" ...  So THANK YOU LOIS !!!  I know you'll do a great job as Bingo hostess once again.

And remember... the games don't just have one winner!  THEY HAVE MULTIPLE WINNERS!!!

So let's say there's 35 people playing (that's 1/2 the registrations) ... at 4 FQs per game, that's 140 FQs ... if there's 7 winners, that's 20 FQ for your entry of 4 !  Also, there's sometimes MORE than 35 playing at a time, and sometimes more winners ... I know that last year I put my FQs in and won a bingo, and came out with about 2 dozen BEAUTIFUL ASIAN FABRICS!!!  That was a GREAT win ... but more than that, it was GREAT FUN with my friends!!

No one has to play ... but I'm pretty sure you will be wishin you had brought those FQs once you see the fun every has while playing ...

 

And remember ... the Bingo games is where Lena and Olie hang out with Chanlady !  

Hey........ that doesn't look like Lena! 

WE HAVE A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS RETREAT!!!

I went on a long country drive today ... it was a country drive, but with a purpose.  The scenery was SO beautiful!  The red bud trees and the dogwood trees are both in full bloom, and just breath taking as I drive through the country roads, over looking the hills and hollers, with the dog woods peeking out everywhere.  The other wooded areas are just starting to leaf, so they are pretty sparse, but then there are the dogwoods showing their beauty when nothing else is able to.  So as you drive, you have white dogwoods, a few pink, and then the beautiful shades of pink and purple from the redbud trees... I LOVE the Spring in the Ozarks!

So I drive a bit towards Table Rock Lake ... out to Cape Fair which is the BASS Capital of the US ... That's what the sign says :)  I cross over the lake, looking at the relaxed fishermen enjoying their day out on their bass boats ... I come to the small town of Cape Fair... drive a little bit more ... then, there it is!

It's a quilt shop in the middle of this small town ... and it's called THE QUILTED COW!  I had gone to a quilt show a few weeks earlier, where I met up and WORKED with our buddy Rainbow ... and I had talked with the gals from the Quilted Cow! 

So I drove and met up with the owner, Jennifer.  She is SO EXCITED y'all are coming to retreat!  She will have a vendor booth at the Ozark Piecemaker's Quilt Show when we go on Saturday ... 

but she is SO EXCITED, that she wants to do something special!!!

So... for those of you coming into Branson early, Jennifer would like to invite you to come to her shop, The Quilted Cow, and have lunch on her!  She'll be serving a light lunch of chicken salad, tuna, or egg salad, along with chips, goodies, sweets, and drinks. 

She'll also be having a GIVEAWAY while you're there!  There will be free patterns, door prizes (you must be present to win), AND she will also have a drawing for a GIFT CERTIFICATE that can be used on her website! 

You do NOT have to be present to win the gift certificate!  You just have to register in her shop while you're there for lunch!  

The hours for this fun is 10am to 2pm on Thursday, September 20th.  That will give you PLENTY of time to enjoy the Ozark beauty (about 30 minutes from Branson), have lunch, do a little pre-shopping at her store, and then make it back in time for Early Bird Fat Quarter Bingo and the Early Bird Dinner at Andy Williams Moon River Grill!  

She has LOTS of fabrics, patterns, everything a quilter could want, and they even do long arm quilting in the back room!  She's got a GREAT set-up, a friendly store and I think y'all will really enjoy yourselves if you visit her.  What a GREAT WAY to start off the retreat!

So think it over ... if you're driving in, might be worth it to come a little early.  If you're already planning on coming early, then it will give you a little added fun!  And if you're coming from the south, you can stop in on your way into Branson!

And HUBBYs ARE WELCOME!  For lunch and shopping!

She says they usually congregate in the back room with the MAN doing the long arm quilting!  They have a blast, she says!

I'll be asking about it later on as it gets closer, just to see what kinda of numbers we may have that want to do this ... just so she has enough food.  She's VERY excited y'all are coming!  So if you get a chance, stop by her QUILTED COW WEBSITE at www.thequiltedcow.com or LIKE them on facebook!  You'll like Jennifer, and you'll love her shop! 

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL QUILTING DAY !

Today is the day that celebrates our love of fabric, cutting it up, then putting it back together again!  I had a love for quilting LONG before I ever got to sew any of it ... I used to get up at 5am so I could watch Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson on HGTV.  Those were the days of GOOD TV!  I would watch in amazement at how beautiful these projects of love would turn out!  And I always thought... one day, when I retire, I'm gonna learn how to quilt!

When I moved to Missouri in 2005, I came Missouri, where I only knew 2 people, and we were 20 miles apart.  We moved to the country so I didn't have neighbors for quite a long time, and it was hard to get to know people.  So I just delved into my computer and decided that I would figure out this quilting stuff.  That's when I found the HGTV.com Quilting Message Forum, and my life has been forever changed!


SO ... in honor of International Quilting Day ... let's look at some quilts!  These are the LATEST ADDITIONS to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Quilt Raffle, that will happen at the Circle of Friends Retreat in Branson this September!  I hope you're coming!!!

 This beauty was donated by IRISH 62 ... LOVE the colors and the pattern is awesome! Thank you, Irish for such a BEAUTIFUL contribution to our raffle to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield, MO!

THIS gorgeous quilt was donated by Quiltaholics blogging friend, Pam ... Didn't she do an outstanding quilt?  Thank you for your donation, Pam!

And then our friend, Jayardi, made this "so" outside the box quilt!  Jayardi is in love with dots ... all sizes, all colors ... and her quilts are her own design and masterpiece.  Thank you, Jayardi, for your very expressive DOTS !




SO ... have you bought YOUR raffle tickets yet?  One of these beauties could be yours!  For MORE BEAUTIFUL QUILTS, click on the CRAYOLA PICS tab... there are 22 more quilts for you to see.  And for purchasing YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS, click the Crayola Quilt Raffle tab!

A New Year Brings LOTS of Happenings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!  I am so thankful 2012 is here!  This year will bring lots of fun, frolic and friendships to the 2012 Circle of Friends Retreat in Branson!!!

This month is when all the juggling for registration ends ... you MUST have your registration fees in by January 31st for you to be able to come have fun with us in Branson... and we would SURE hate for anyone to miss out on the fun! 

Also along with that, I have a renewed sense of getting the word out... so look for more updates and info as time passes on ... so let's recap about last year and what's happened so far.

Registration has started for Circle of Friends ... it's the 6th annual, you know :)  If you are called up from the waiting list, go to the REGISTRATION tab to get your sign up form!

The hotel has been set, and quilters are making arrangements for their stay.  We will be staying at the beautiful Thousand Hills Resort.  It's just off the heart of the Branson strip, down by Andy Williams Moon River Theatre.  There are plenty of restaurants around, lots of shopping you can walk to, many entertainment theatres just up the road, and lots of fun to be had!  If you haven't made your hotel arrangements yet, go to the LODGING tab on how to do that!

For those of you driving to the retreat, go to the TRAVEL tab to see a chart on mileage and how far it is to Branson from where you live!  Many gals are teaming up to ride together for a fun trip across the country! :)

If flying is your choice, the airlines that service this area should be putting out their schedules for September real soon... so keep your eyes open for that!  The airlines into Branson have opened up more flight availability from different cities so I'll be posting more info as it gets here!

Have you sent off for your BRANSON INFO PACKET YET ?  The good folks over at the Branson Chamber and Visitors Bureau put this together every year, and it's filled with all the info you may want to know about and do while you're in Branson!  You can find it at  http://www.explorebranson.com/ and they will mail it to you for free!

We look FORWARD to meeting up with all y'all in Branson next September!!!  IF you have any problems or concerns, about registration for the retreat, please leave me a message with your email, and I will get back with you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!  THIS is the year of the 6th Annual HGTV CIRCLE OF FRIENDS RETREAT ... bringing it home to Branson!

HAD SOME FUN THIS WEEK!

I had some GREAT fun this week visiting Branson !  It IS one of my favorite places to go... even with the heat and even with the traffic ... did someone say traffic?  Yes, Branson has TRAFFIC during the tourist season, but there are maps in every store or restaurant, with side roads that all us locals take to avoid getting stuck in the downtown or on the strip traffic.  But even with that, Branson has the MOST courteous drivers... it just promotes that kinda atmosphere.  It's not uncommon to have people stop and just let you in... and yes, we still wave when we pass people on the backroads !


My first stop was to the bus company and put down our deposit to reserve our bus for the Springfield Ozark Piecemakers Guild Quilt Show on the Saturday of the retreat.  That was one of the good "pulls" to have it that weekend in Branson!  Quilt shows are always fun, and there's some REALLY good talent and beautiful work to see.  Lots of vendors and eye candy everywhere!

I went to our condos to work out a couple details in my mind, and visited my friend who helps me.  It was SO beautiful there !  The crepe myrtles were blooming, and the golf course was really lush and green.  They will be working on a special price for our retreaters and/or guests who like to golf!  I'll publish that as soon as I know what it is :)

We went over the room set up and some details about our sewing room and classes, where we'll have the boutique, where we will eat, which patio we'll be using, that sort of thing. 



As time gets closer, we will be adjusting and readjusting details and agenda items ... and y'all will be getting info.   This place is really working nicely with us to make this the best time y'all would expect!  And they are ALL ABOUT showing visitors a good time in Branson ... more on that later :)


I hope y'all are getting as excited as we are!  
We can't wait to meet all everyone in September 2012!  C'mon to Branson ... you'll feel like you're family !

WoW! What a SIGN-UP !!!

Woo Hoo ~~~ Friday the registration opened for the 6th Annual HGTV Quilting Message Board "Circle of Friends" Retreat ... This next one will be held in Branson Missouri !!!  My kinda town!


The anticipation was intense :)  All sorts of people were asking "what time are you gonna post the registration"?  Well I just kept telling them the same thing ... have you looked at the blog ... and sure enough, the little tired chick really couldn't go to sleep before getting it opened and going.  Apparently ALOT of quilters know when that chicken gets up ... or how the "early bird" catches the worm !


It was somewhat of a challenge, because I had to go to Kansas for my hubby's 36th annual family reunion ... THE BIG "M" !  This has been happening for generations, and is always well attended... even when it was 112 degrees!  Nothing says HOT like Kansas in July !  But we also had a chance to visit with his parents, which was much needed ...


Y'all have such an AWESOME committee working behind the scenes to make sure this all goes well ... I just wanna say THANKS TO Crazy'boutQuilts and DJBrown for helping in making sure all the posts were up on time while I was looking for a place with wi-fi ... and McDonald's didn't open until morning!  It was nice to have a plan in place and know that everything would be cared for if I was computer lacking...  THANK YOU GALS for covering my tail feathers and having a GREAT kick-off to the fun upcoming in Branson!


We had spaces open for 60 retreaters, and that was besides the committee.  The 60 was filled up before noon on Friday, and there is a waiting list for those wanting to come.  SO let's see what happens ... it has been experienced in past retreats that about 20% change their minds, or life happens...


The DEADLINE for retreat registration forms and deposit to be turned in is September 30th.  Those that don't get them turned in on time will be moved to the waiting list ... PLEASE mark your calendars with the deadlines we've made, cause I'm not one for babysitting, and y'all will miss out ... and WE WANT YOU ALL THERE !  The remaining retreat fee is due by January 31st, 2012 !!!  Check the registration forms on where to mail them :) 


SO IF YOU ARE ON THE WAITING LIST ... please be patient cause I'm sure things will change, and it might just be YOUR turn to get "movin on up"!


If you want to see who's on the list, or maybe you're interested in attending and being put on the waiting list, please go over to the REGISTRATION NOW OPEN at the top left of this page, and click on the "Message Board List" link... it'll take you right to where you need to go !


And for travel or registration info on HOW to get registered, just look at the TABS at the top of this post ... everything you will need to know about the retreat will be here on the blog, BUT WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FIRST!  
This blog is just an organized way to share the info ... but please always remember to look on the message board for the latest and greatest info on the 2012 Circle of Friends Retreat in Branson.


Come join us in Branson ... you too could have a sunrise like this ... what FUN we will have !

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 !

WELCOME FRIENDS and QUILTERS

WELCOME to the launch of our blog for the upcoming Circle of Friends Quilters Retreat in Branson... we are excited you are here !  Here's a little bit about these quilty friends ...    

I have a Circle of Friends ... we are quilters united by the internet and our love of quilting, thru the HGTV.com message boards.  You'll find us at our favorite board... the Quilting and Needlework Message Board. There are a group of gals (and a few guys) who join together in cyberspace and share skills, experiences, tips, love, prayers, concern, and bond a true friendship. Thru this love and friendship, there are many projects done as a combined effort. Sometimes a friend going thru chemo needs a quilt of love, or one of our friends has lost a cherished family member, or a member of our military service needs some hugs from home... I call them our "heroes". A quilt is something that wraps that special someone not only in comfort, but in the love and care it took to make that quilt. 

These Circle of Friends also do many charity benefits, making quilts for raffle to raise money for donations to such charities as the Ronald McDonald House charities, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. There are quilts made for Relay for Life, or for devastating circumstances, such as Katrina, or the recent tornado destruction in Joplin. I truly believe QUILTERS ARE THE MOST GENEROUS OF SOULS!

Back in 2006, some gals on the message board wanted to get together and meet in person and do some shopping... so the first Circle of Friends was formed, and a small group spent a weekend together in Minnesota. Since then there has been a Circle of Friends in different parts of the country... from Texas, to New Hampshire, to Oregon, to North Carolina. And it has grown from that very first small group to an annual tradition of meeting new friends and catching up with old friends.

Come check out our CIRCLE OF FRIENDS ... they're a GREAT bunch of folks who love quilting, love helping each other, and who love to travel around the country making friends doing good deeds!  And the retreat adventures continue .....