Quilting Intensity

 Retreat Season is in full swing. 

I finished October with my third quilt retreat, Material Girls at a B & B in Wasillla. I was a monagamous stitcher. My goal was to minimize my packing. 

All blue matalic batiks fabrics from my stash. I still need to sew all the blocks together.

This is a free pattern from Scott Flanagan's blog, 4th and Main Designs. He has done a free quilt along in the summer the last three or four years. I always print up the pattern but this one was finally the one I had to make. 

I finished quilting my grandson's quilt and for the first time used a minky fabric for the backside. 

"Enchanting," is the pattern from the book, "The Magic of Three Yard Quilts."

Hard to see but the focus fabric is a batik with the state of Alaska.

I'm definitely a fan of the minky backing and had no issues quilting with it.

The Breakfast Club group I quilted with many years ago desolved and a new group formed, the EOB...End of Bolt group. They meet every Tuesday at a quilt shop in Anchorage, Seams Like Home. I made it one day last month. As I am typing I am realizing it's Tuesday and I'm missing the group! It's just not in my habit pattern...yet. 

So...my goal for the one time I attended the EOB Tuesday was to finish cutting out parts for a new quilt, Blue Onion. It requires an expensive Creative Grids ruler that I was borrowing so I needed to return it to my friend that Tuesday. I stitched one block...came together beautifully with a lot of tips from other quilters on YouTube. 

The colors look so intense in this photo...color of my world has changed with the arrival of winter.

The quilt shop in Eagle River has a class for the Blue Onion pattern so several friends have made or are making this pattern. Seemed like the perfect time to jump on their bandwagon.

I have a retreat this upcoming weekend in Eagle River at my local quilt shop, Twisted Sisters Quilty Pleasures. For the first time I am attending a retreat run by the shop's owner. I really prefer these daytime retreats...sleeping in my own bed.

I have picked my focus project. A kit...not batiks. I seem to be captured by panel projects. A new phase! My granddaughter Kate loves purple...I think she will love this quilt. 

October Bucilla projects were devoted to Halloween.

Trick or Treat Puppies

Purrfectly Spooky

and Halloween Squad...

which I finished but never took pictures and now all the Halloween decorations are packed away.

I had enough decorations to fill a pretty good sized tree. My grandkids loved it!

I also stitched up a Lizzie Kate chart, Vinnie Von Fang. 

There are several embellishments to add to Vinnie and he will be finished as a stand up piece. There is a companion witch I hope to get done by next year. 

I also made a pinchusion kit I have had for several years. There are three more pieces to make in the kit. Maybe next year. This is from the pattern, "Fright Night," from Cottonwood Creations.

We've gotten some snow. It is with much relief our winter is looking a bit more normal than the last two that slammed us with record breaking snow fall amounts. 

I have started putting my Christmas decorations up. 

It is so dark in the winter...those Christmas lights really help!