Quilt Retreat

As you all know already, Thursday was my BIG 60th birthday.  

What you don't know is that it is also my annual retreat with 3 of my best friends.  

Every year for the last 3 years we have gotten together to celebrate my birthday 

(and my friend Cori's birthday, although that got forgotten this year, sorry Cori).  

She and I used to go out to dinner and then one year I suggested 

we make our own quilt retreat, so we did!  

I also invited my SIL, Mary and after the first year, my friend Traci.  

Traci is the only one that doesn't live in MI.  S

he flies in from Wisconsin.  

Traci arrived at the airport on Thursday.  

I picked her up and we went shopping at some quilt shops, at the grocery store and at JAF.  

THEN we got pedicures and then it was time to go home and pack up the car.

Here we are getting our toes done.

Much to no one's surprise mine are sparkly teal!

Next up was heading to the retreat.  

We arrived and got unpacked and settled in.  

I cannot believe the amount of food we brought for the 4 of us.  

Also movies, lots and lots of movies. 

 I forgot Bad Mom's Christmas, which they would not let me forget

I suggested that we make the Double Slice quilt.  It required one layer cake.  

Cori, Mary and I each made one.

I used some of my Vintage Sheets to make mine and made it a row longer.

Cori made one that used the blocks, cut yet again, into 2.5" pieces to make the borders

Mary's was the original pattern.  

Cori, that little over achiever, finished this quilt before making her Double Slice quilt top.

Cori had her needle come off and it stuck right in her fabric, still threaded!

Traci was helping the other 2 make an "easy" bag 

while I was working away on the infamous"Wedding Quilt". 

 Little did I realize how small the blocks for this pattern are.  

I had to make 670 blocks before I could even begin assembling the top. 

I sewed, and sewed and SEWED.  

This is about half of my trimmings.  

I can't even show you the blocks yet.  

I did manage to get all of the blocks made.  

I still need to trim the last 70 of them, but I thought I did pretty well!

 Cori made one more top too.  

They both finished their bags and Cori made a one hour basket.  

Traci finished her bag, and some other things. 

Mary also got started on some dresses for her grands, did some self binding blankets and 

finished her Winnie the Pooh top.

I made kabobs for our Friday night dinner and Cori brought the rice.  

We got to eat outside.  

It was so nice.

Mary brought her famous sugar cookies

(goodbye Ketosis for me)

Back to work for everyone.

Mary gave us all unicorn pinatas full of sewing notions.  Jack made a new friend.

Birthday gifts and cards were abundant.

Check out the science wine.

I even received a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  Delivered after I got home from my sweet SIL.

I'm pretty sure this was one of my best birthdays ever!  I'm hoping we can do this again next year.

Maybe the year each of them turns 60 it will be their turn to be showered with so much love.

Thank you my sweet, sweet friends for making this an amazing birthday.  

My sixties have begun with so much love, I hope the whole decade is the same.  

You guys are the BEST!

I miss you already

Is it February yet??

~XOP~