Black (and White and Gray) Rock Retreat!

Oh, what fun we had! An even dozen of us, nine regulars, two from Northeast Ohio and one from the Midwest, gathered at Black Rock for our second quilting retreat at that location. Half of us arrived on Thursday evening and the other half on Friday, just in time for a non-wine and cheese party.

Kathy had had the brilliant idea that we should swap 12" blocks, all stars, made only from black, white, and gray fabrics. The name of the swap was "Retro TV Stars." I wanted more than a 12-block quilt, so I made 13 more . . . .

Aren't they fantastic? The photo should enlarge if you click on it, and you'll see a couple of genuine retro TV stars, i.e., in block 2B you'll find Lucy and block 4D holds the Three Stooges! I was so excited when I found those fabrics that I made little gift baggies for each participant; along with cuts of Lucy and the Stooges, I gave each one a spool of gray thread; thought they might need that for assembling their tops. I've come up with a lay-out for mine (with a lot of help from my friends) and have one row all together. Will be resuming this work shortly . . . .

Black Rock is a spectacular site for a retreat. Meals are served cafeteria style. Beds are comfortable. The grounds are gorgeous and amenable to Fitbit users (yup, I put down a lot of steps, some by hiking the trails and many others by going back and forth between the cutting table, Bernina, ironing board, and design wall). There are other groups sharing the facility, and members tend to drop in on us to see what we are doing. If we listen carefully in the corridor, we can sometimes hear their singing. We had a marvelous time.

And it is only about six months until we return!