Michigan Memories

Earlier this week I flew to Grand Rapids, MI and had a delightful stay in Muskegon with the PALS (Patchers at the Lakeshore) Guild. Two guild members collected me and all my 100 lbs of quilts at the airport. It was so nice to have a guided tour of the area with gorgeous views of Lake Michigan.

I settled into my hotel room with a quilt of course. I hate duvets (how does a person not melt from overheating under one of those?) and since I had dozens of quilts to choose from...

Before the two days of workshops and the trunk show for the guild, my sweet hostess brought me to a wonderful coffee/bagel shop and this was too funny. I loved the little sign. Fueled by caffeine we headed to the workshop.

The first day of workshops was my favorite Under the Mistletoe. This is always fun because there are lots of steps to cover. Making paper and freezer paper templates, foundation piecing, sewing curves and putting it all together!

Even the most skeptical skeptics finds out that this quilt isn't nearly as hard as it looks. And it's even fun! Especially when you are in a room with 24 friends!

And I always love seeing these cute little featherweights in class. Oh the stories they could tell...

Look at all these beautiful smiling faces! Don't they look happy? I am so proud of their hard work and determination. Some of these women have been quilting for decades and some are new sewers. They all started what will be amazing quilts.

The second day of workshops was a "Twice As Nice" day. The guild gets to choose two patterns and we cover both of them. This time the Pumpkins in the Patch and Origami Galaxy were our two quilts. It's always fun to see how they share elements and can be taught starting with what they have in common, then the following steps are taught alternating between the two. Everyone who attends is welcome to watch and learn all the tips and tricks for both quilts and double their fun!

We started with strip cutting and piecing and turned some four patches into triple four patches, complete with pinwheel pressed seams. Then one group started making pumpkins. Don't you love these fabric choices?

And the Origami Galaxy folks turned their four patches into star centers and their strips into squares...

A little planning goes a long when you're making a scrap quilt. Sometimes, if you plan ahead, you can create amazing surprises in your quilt once the blocks and sashing start coming together.

See the aqua square in the corners of the star block? These become part of the 9 patches once the blocks get their sashing. I love it when things like that happen.

I had a wonderful time in Michigan but I took a very long nap when I got home! I always enjoy meeting new folks and sharing quilting secrets with them. I find quilters are truly the best folks around.

Enjoy every stitch!

Diane