I had a wonderful time last week at the Just Takes 2 Shipshewana Quilt Retreat. Thirty ladies joined us for the retreat and I got so see some old friends and made lots of new friends too. Three ladies were attending their very first quilt retreat ever! I'm so honored they came to spend time with us!
I have so much to tell you about, and lots of pictures to share but decided last week not to bombard your Facebook feed with all of them. I'll put pictures on the Shipshewana Quilt Retreat web site too in the photo gallery. I stood way in the back during Show and Tell using the zoom on my phone to take pictures - big mistake and I knew better. Some of those are a little fuzzy but you'll still be able to see the wonderful quilts that were shared.
I drove to Shipshe after dinner on Easter Sunday and I'm sure it's no surprise that one of the first stops the next day was Rise 'n Roll Bakery in Middlebury, Indiana. We had lunch with a friend and didn't miss getting some of their great donuts!
I stopped in Yoder Department Store and was so happy to see another friend, Gretchen Weaver, being honored as their Artist of the Month.
There are more pictures of Gretchen's quilts in the Shipshewana Quilt Retreat Photo Gallery.
I saw some interesting patterns featuring solid color fabrics. I bought some in bubblegum pink, chrome yellow and poison green to go along with my reproduction prints from that era. I like a little solid color to balance things out sometimes. Yoder's also donated a door prize for the retreat. We drew the winner's name after Show 'n Tell on Friday. Judy K. was excited to take home the tote bag filled with goodies.
Everyone needs to have a pretzel from JoJo's Pretzels and a latte from Kitchen Cupboard. They're my favorite stops for lunch! If you haven't tried one of the pretzel sandwiches from Kitchen Cupboard, put it on the list for your next visit to Shipshewana. I also like to eat at Millie's Market Cafe on the third floor but didn't get there on this trip. Their soups and sandwiches are wonderful too!
Just in case you didn't know this, I'm the resident retreat shopper. I shop most of the day and stitch in the evening. I hope you'll enjoy my shopping adventures during this retreat.
I probably shouldn't admit this but at least twice a day I visit Lolly's Fabrics. Their other stores, A Little Bit of Lolly's and Cuddle Corner are on the lower level of the Davis Mercantile and I visit those shops too! You just can't have too much fabric! There is so much to see inside Lolly's so I'll let the pictures tell the story - enjoy............
If you've never been to Lolly's, it's a quilter's paradise. I didn't take pictures of even half of the areas in the store. It's just something you have to see and experience. I could go back tomorrow and find fabrics I missed just a few days before. New things are coming in all the time and they have things grouped together in an easy to shop arrangement.
These new wools are from Marcus. I think I'll use some of them in my Emily Munroe quilt. I didn't have my pattern with me or I could have gotten some wool for the background. I guess that means another trip to Lolly's is in my not too distant future!
It was also a Kaffe Fassett trip for me. I stocked up on some of the newer prints not in my collection.
And these..............they're for an upcoming secret project. I think you'll like it.
Kris and Mike had a special treat for everyone at the retreat. Each box was a little different and we were all thrilled with this special gift. Thank you Lolly's!!
These are some of the quilts for sale in the The Lang Store. The selection is always changing and they have quilt in every size and price range. It's always fun to see what's there.
Our retreat quilt this time was made using a Capper's Weekly block pattern called Friendship. Kits were available at Lolly's to make this scrappy little gem. It looks a little wonky to me but my quilting time has been limited lately and I didn't finish the quilting before the retreat. The binding is on there and for me that is a miracle! That seems to be my least favorite part. I'm already working on the little quilt for the November Retreat - at least in my dreams.....
We had bags for everyone with the Friendship Quilt pattern and some other goodies inside. They were fun to put together and I'm going to keep my eyes open all summer for treasures for the November retreat bags.
There was always someone stitching and a few were more productive than others. I managed to finished another Diva Wallet and a couple of embroidered blocks.
On Saturday Joan brought lots of things from the estate of Patricia Boucher. Her family is trying to make sure her quilt things are sold to people who will appreciate them. I've adopted more than my share. We had such great fun looking through all the quilt tops, blocks, fabric, books and so much more making selections of pretty things to take home.
Joan also brought some of her newly acquired antique quilts and one she's helping a friend get appraised. We loved seeing all the signatures and different fabrics used in this piece. Thank you Joan, it was wonderful!
There were more beautiful antique quilts to see on Saturday afternoon including the Grandmother's Fan quilt purchased at the Honeyville Quilt Auction.
I think I can safely say a wonderful time was had by all. If your head is spinning with inspiration I don't blame you. The work is well underway for the November retreat and beyond. I'll save all that for another day.
