Been a while since I've been here...Christmas rush and crazy at work. You know how it goes. BUT I did find time for a weekend retreat at Dumas with fellow guild members.

If you've never been on a retreat - you are missing one of the finer things in life. Dumas Bay is a converted convent. The rooms are Spartan...a twin bed, a chair, a radio. Each room does have it's own toilet and sink - showers down the hall. But since the whole point of the retreat is to spend time sewing...the rooms don't matter much. And - come to think of it - the simple plain rooms are also to the point of the retreat. When you retire to your room, you have time to comtemplate WITHOUT distraction. I usually knit in the room and it's a great time for planning and putting my life in some form of mental order.

BUT - the high point of the retreat is the quilts. The December retreat is always fun as a lot of the people are working on Christmas gifts so it's a good start on the holiday spirit.

These are postcards that Alicia was working on. I got the top done for a quilt for my grandson...

I shared the pattern with everyone - as it was a free one from a quilt shop - all it requires is 5 yds. 1 yard of each fabric...how easy is that? Anyway - one of the 'girls' went home, pulled 5 yds out of her stash and proceded to finish this top...Laurel Birch fabric....

and a more sophisticated look of autumn like colors...I have some fall colors picked out for one for me and I can hardly wait to get started!

More later as I get more pictures ready.