Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I'm sharing a painting of my oldest brother which looks just like him. Yes, I grew up with Santa!

Hope you enjoy your day!

December Retreat - Projects

This Quilt Retreat at Prairie Star Lodge was a wonderful break for all of us. We did listen to some Christmas carols and K wore her fantastic necklace.

There were MANY projects and I want to share a few. K's reversible apron was adorable - chickens on one side and eggs on the reverse.

K also made this pretty table runner.

B made some great tree skirts. 

P worked on her double wedding ring quilt. She is making progress but there are so many pieces...

P took a couple of breaks and worked on some small projects like this neat little table mat.

Our second B made some great small projects before tackling a large quilt. The snowmen in the snow globes are adorable on this table mat.

B also did this cute little runner. It's a good thing that we had comfy swivel chairs because B was behind me and I could easily turn and visit with her.

Our third B made this neat snowman hanging. He just needs button eyes.

B also made this darling, little Christmas hanging.

And a cute wreath that she's had in kit form for maybe 30 years a long time!

Our second P made this great bed runner. She is a quilt shop owner and sponsors one of the bedrooms at Prairie Star Lodge.

P also finished this beautiful quilt.

M worked on a gorgeous paper-pieced quilt. It is slow-going but going to be so worth her time and effort.

It was so much fun watching the parts go together.

update: M sent me an updated photo with more parts done! I can't wait to see it finished.

 G was doing some cute placemats. I love that border fabric.

I made this little 15" pillow cover. My echo quilting really showed that I haven't quilted in a while.

Then I made a doll quilt. By the time I had this quilted, I felt a lot better about my free-motion quilting.

I finally finished all 48 blocks and put them together. This is my disappearing pinwheel - friendship star/Illinois road quilt. It just needs borders, batting, backing, quilting, binding, and it will be done!

update: K sent me a better photo of our group:

December Retreat - Prairie Star Lodge

Photo from Prairie Star Lodge website

I just spent 3 days quilting at Prairie Star Lodge, a fantastic retreat center!  It is definitely the most exclusive retreat house that I have ever been to! Now, don’t get me wrong – there are other great places. It’s just that this one has all of the extra touches of elegance! It is very close to my home, too!

You can see photos on their website but I'll share a few too. I'll concentrate on the lodge in this post. 

We each slept in a queen-size bed with luxurious micro-fiber sheets and soft, cozy blankets. Each bedroom has a quilt shop sponsor that makes the bed runner, pillows, etc.There are two bedrooms on each of the three levels. My room was on the main floor - it is the only room with just one bed. 

When I looked out my window, this was the view - a beautiful in-ground pool! We will try that out when it is much warmer!

The master bedroom is on the 2nd floor - beautiful! There is a full bathroom on each floor. The one on the 2nd floor has a 2-person jacuzzi and the one on the lower level has a sauna.

The lower level was set up with 14 six-foot tables plus couches for relaxing by the fireplace.  

This was my area, along with a small side table.  

I was right next to the sliding doors going out to the hot tub and the pool.

Here's another picture of the work area. To the right are three couches and a large fireplace.

The sitting area was a great place for a little hand stitching, surfing the Internet, or just relaxing and visiting.

We enjoyed our meals at the dining room table near the fireplace on the main level. We took food and had a couple of husbands bring in the evening meal. We never left during our three days! 

Dining area from 2nd floor landing

Behind these ladies is the main living room.

The doorway at the back left goes to a large kitchen. The wide opening on the right goes to the sun room.

There were many wonderful touches. This tractor was one of my favorites.

We had a wonderful time and are already planning another retreat - at the same place!