SKETCHING AT JOE RETREAT

 Occassionally I would get tired of sewing and I would sketch.

RIBBONS

 Today Joe gave us two narrow strips of fabric.  He showed us how he draped fabric to create a quilt that he showed us.  He wanted us to drape our strips and figure out how to sew them into a background.

I was burned out.  This was not for me.

So, I sketched for a bit.  While I was sketching I came up with an idea and began to piece it.

This is as far as I got today.

WEDNESDAY AT JOE RETREAT

 I finished the Borders project from yesterday.

After lunch, Joe had us pick two fabrics and cut 6" by 5" retangles.  Then had us cut them diagonally and sew pairs together.  Once we had the Half Rectangle Triangles (HRTs), we cut them in half the long way.

He invited us to sew them together in any arrangement.  I immediately saw a Snake - probably because the Monday Sewcial group on Brave Patch had a Challenge about making a Snake Quilt.

Here are some variations.

I have an idea for making another Snake Quilt using these as the jumping off point.

BORDERS

 Today's Joe Project was about Borders.  He asked us to make a border using two fabrics.  

Joe had us choose a fabric from a bag of fabrics he brought, without looking, and use it with ours to make one of the sides of the border.  The other side would be made with our other border fabric and a piece of clothing we were asked to bring.  I didn't bring clothing, so I used one of other fabrics I brought.

This green dotted fabric is the one I picked from Joe's bag.

We had homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Back to work after lunch.

Working on the next side, I wasn't happy with how it was going and quit early.

SALMON FOR DINNER

 The food at the Saint Andrew's Retreat Center is one of the main reasons for going to the Joe Retreat.  Tonight we had Salmon.  What a treat!

Always a dessert after dinner.

CUT, SEW, REPEAT

The first day of the Joe Retreat, and his instruction for the day is to think of a theme.  Then cut some fabrics, sew them together and repeat.

So we were off and running.

 

I picked some fabrics and started sewing.

Joe provided the music.

My project at the end of the day.

GREAT BREAKFASTS

 Staying at Saint Andrew's starts every morning with a great breakfast.  They usually serve up eggs and bacon, and oatmeal with the fixings, and Greek Yogurt with berries.  There is toast and juices, and sometimes muffins.  It's always good.

GOING TO UNION

 I'm all packed and set out for my week at the Joe Retreat in Union Washington on Hood Canal.  We'll be staying at the Saint Andrew's House Retreat Center.

It's just 2 miles from home to the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock where I boarded the ferry to Southworth on the Olympic Peninsula.  It was a nice day for a ferry ride.

It was a plus that when I arrived at Saint Andrews it wasn't raining.  I unloaded my stuff and started setting everything up.

Just arriving at St Andrews

The windows in the workroom looking out at Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains.

The view from the workroom.

My little room - we make our own beds.

Getting everything set up.