As usual the food at this facility is homecooked fare and delicious. We naturally had a very wide variety of snacks etc just outside out meeting room with coffee, tea, and juice always available. BUT the biggest difference from the quilting retreats is that there were only 14 of us instead of the 50-60 or more at a quilt retreat AND also no food or any beverage other than bottled water in the Green Room while stitching!!! We did watch a CD of Jocylyn's vacation including lacemaking and also of "Elizabeth" later in the evening which the gals were admiring the costumes with lace while I cringed at some of the brutal parts within. Surprised I didn't have nightmares from it.
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| Bobbin Lacemaking |
It is amazing the various types/styles of lacemaking and where they evolved and then like everything else the patterns for each. I'm just dumbfounded at how they can follow this simplistic drawing of a complicated piece with criss crossing of many threads on dangling bobbins (I keep calling them spindles) and then see this AWESOME design emerge from above all the pins. WOW!!! There were many OOOOOOHS and AAAAAHS of Ev's reduced bunny pattern and especially once finished it was placed next to Jocelyn's "rabbit"! And many commented on another cute pattern of a mouse that Yvonne was working on! Hmmmmm guess like other things there are the serious and then there are the cutsie patterns to enjoy. As for the serious patterns I can tell you that it truly is amazing to see the differences of techniques and threads and even the types of patterns that these ladies were working on. Mind boggling.
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| Lace Display going to Neepawa for an October show. |
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| Ev's reduced bunny pattern. |
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| Maija's tatted butterfly. Ev's bunny - Jocelyn's rabbit! |
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| Eva's collar - second time now! |
At this year's retreat Ulla (from Saskatoon) presented "finishing" techniques along with examples to the group which I found interesting and useful in anchoring my crocheted and tatted creations too! Jocelyn also brought in a mixture of beads and hat pins so those that wanted to could make "pin markers" for themselves for a small donation - great idea! Then Ev (from Kenora) did a hands on crystal butterly bracelet workshop and I must say there were many wrists just a sparkling the rest of the day! And as usual there was the Lace Market with some proceeds going back to the Group coffers for expenses and towards the end, what seemed to me, an endless doorprize drawing for various donated items.
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| Rose Anne's butterfly bracelet |
I found it hard enough venturing from my finally acquired skill at tatting the simplistic butterflies and dragonflies I've been doing to the Kokopelli and various hearts and now this weekend starting a teddy bear (listed as advanced - doing not too badly but I hate all the cut and ties) to a giraffe (found a difference in written to drafted instructions and corrected it) to last night's medallion which has me confused with it's piecemeal instructions so I'm writing them out step by step as I trully love this image. I've found out that tatting instructions "assume" you know the steps that follow certain stitches etc and are not included which naturally has me all messed up!!! SHEESH - can you imagine the mess if quilting patterns were written up like that!!! Thank GOD for Eva and Maija who bailed me out twice this weekend from a couple of closed rings that I could not undo myself. Love you both!!!
This was a totally different retreat also in respect that it is FALL whereas the quilting retreats I've attended here in the past were always mid-January - the dead of Manitoba's winter!!! So it was just AWESOME to take an hour and go for my walk on the grounds coming across some ruins and the next day within the community and with my camera too. No I didn't see any wild turkey's like in the winter, but we heard many geese honking and flying over this weekend along with the awesome beauty of Mother Nature's colour palette with the foilage. Then the gently blowing winds swirling that colour all around - just beautiful.
Why oh Why can we not have FALL as a full season of such beauty? Hmmm!
A hearty thank you goes out to all who organized this retreat! And I'm glad I was able to come and enjoy it too!
For more photos from the retreat please check out my Webshots album!
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing the pictures of the retreat pieces. I love your bracelet! The pictures from your walks were great, too. I'd love to see the ruins in person.
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