February, 2020 Sewing Retreat with Friends

How Could I Forget

| Cindy Anderson

I’ve been focusing all my attention on finished art projects yet overlooked two very exciting accomplishments. The first occurred shortly before I left for my sewing retreat. Aside from the information I share on my blog I also post tidbits on Facebook and Instagram.

As I mentioned earlier, something very special happened before my marathon sewing extravaganza. After posting a photo on IG I received a private message from a friend. This amazing lady bakes and decorates cookies. By decorate I don’t mean she slathers a thick layer of canned frosting on top then sprinkles it with those itty bitty candies you shake from a bottle. No way! Her cookies are masterpieces. She painstakingly covers each cookie with unbelievably gorgeous images. Her cookies are a work of art. In fact they are almost too pretty to eat…but I wouldn’t go that far.

My friend’s inquiry asked about purchasing the item I had just posted. I’m sure you can imagine how ecstatic I was. After trading several messages the deal was sealed. With no time to spare, before I left for my northern extravaganza, plans were made to handle the sale after I returned home.

This is the item she purchased.

New Life for a Discard, Art Piece # 184

My friend is now the proud owner of this sweet little fiber art piece.

The other very unexpected surprise happened while I was at the sewing retreat with friends. In a previous post I talked of the many items I worked on. One of the projects was this one.

Cow On A Pedestal, Art Piece # 126

Part of the fun of being at a sewing retreat is being able to see the amazing projects of your fellow quilters. Cow On A Pedestal was one of the items I started while attending A Sue Benner class at the Woodland Ridge Retreat. I’m not going to give a whole lot of detail about it now because I have a future post dedicated to this specimen. What I will share is that one of my roommates approached me about buying the art quilt. She fell in love with it’s appearance and just had to have it for her collection. I was so honored. Shortly after we agreed on a price, money exchanged hands and so did Cow On A Pedestal.

Now how awesome is that! Right before and during my sewing retreat I made two sales! Who would have thought!

It seems only natural to mention at this point that many things on this website can be purchased. Items that are available for sale will have a section at the bottom of the post listing the purchase price, etc. along with links to available methods of payment. This is a new feature that I am slowly adding. My newer fiber art pieces will have the option to purchase added as soon as the post is published. Items that were shared in the past will be updated as time allows.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! ~smile~

Warm regards for a wonderful day!

Sew Much Fun!

| Cindy Anderson

I returned home a week ago Sunday after sewing with my friends at the Woodland Ridge Retreat. This was the second time I was invited to participate. Most of us arrived on Tuesday and stayed until the official finale Sunday. While there we were treated to an endless array of snacks, one of which was my husband’s famous popcorn, as well as guest and facility meals.

Sewing was not our only activity. Also enjoyed were trips to Minnesota, Menomonie and Altoona. The escapades centered around, of all things, fabric shopping. GASP! Who would have thought? ~Smile~ I have to admit that I did participate in one of those excursions. Even though I managed to get away for a couple of hours the majority of my time was spent centered in front of my sewing machine focused on completing as many items as possible. All of the projects are slated for my August solo exhibit at Raven’s Wish which means time is of the essence.

I am very pleased with the progress I was able to achieve. While there I managed to finish hand stitching tasks on five of my nearly finished art pieces, made final adjustments to several small items, quilted fifteen new fiber art projects, and made two improv bird blocks. I belong to a small group of ladies that meet once a month to work on projects. Recently we all decided to try our hand at stitching the bird blocks so many of you made several years ago. During our April gathering interested participants will have the option to swap blocks with fellow participants.

As is always the case I arrived home totally spent. My visit to Woodland Ridge Retreat was a total success. I had so much fun connecting with and sharing time with my friends. I look forward to next year’s adventures.

Want to see what my adorable birds look like? Here they are!

Bird One and Bird Two (How’s that for creativity?)

I usually try to be a bit more imaginative when naming my items so Bird One and Bird Two seems totally out of character. Want to give them a name? Add a comment with your suggestions.

I bet you would also like to see photos of the other items I worked on during my marathon stitching escapade but it’s not going to happen. Those pictures are being saved for later in the year. Guess you are just going to have to follow my blog to be one of the first to see their reveal.

Thank you for showing interest in my little corner of the universe. I look forward to our next encounter.

With warm wishes for a wonderful day!