One of my favourite annual events just took place last weekend…the Material Girls Retreat at Elim Lodge. Now that all of us are triple or even quadruple vaxxed it’s wonderful to get back to some semblance of normal. Once again, event coordinators extraordinaire, sisters Diane and Doreen, worked their buns off to make our time there as enjoyable as ever. Since starting a new job in Saskatchewan Doreen even made the trek back to Ontario for this getaway (or maybe just to hang out with her sister!).

The room is set up in pods of 4 so you can still talk easily with your sewing neighbours as you work away, and when you need a break from your own work you can get up, walk around and admire everyone else’s projects. The variety of diverse projects, as well as colour choices and techniques, are so incredibly varied that the inspiration never ends. That’s why we have so many projects in our heads and not enough time in our lives to complete them all!!!

Diane and Doreen invited Sandra and Kim from Appleseed Quiltworks to the retreat on Saturday morning and they gave us a wonderful presentation highlighting the panels, kits and notions that they promote at their store. So much inspiration…many of us took advantage of them being there and purchased more future projects!

I always take advantage of the time spent with the rest of the Material Girls to work on my charity projects for guild and things I like to make for Christmas presents. Every quilter has fabric strips in a variety of widths as well as small pieces of batting left over from past projects. I use mine up by making quilt-as-you-go (QAYG) placemats for the Meals on Wheels program in our area. They are super simple to make…I’ll have a tutorial available for you soon. *** Sharon’s hint…they make a great Christmas/hostess gift as a set of four done in holiday fabrics or to coordinate with your host’s decor.

In the photo above right you can also see the make-up bags/notions bags/pencil cases on the table in front of me…I always like to have some on hand for quick gift giving and they use up even the smallest of scraps. I made an extra one for retreat members, put everyone’s name in the draw, and Carmen was the lucky winner.

Marilyn with the problem, Betty and Tiina

Last year Marilyn, Marj, Tiina and Betty told me that whenever I took a bathroom break I was to stop at their table on my way to help them out with any quilty problems they might have since I was at the other end of the room. They seem to think, after my many years of teaching, that I can help with any problem they might have. Well, this year they went a step further…Tina had purchased a fancy strobe light which quickly became the “Sharon, help!” light. “Attention K-Mart Shoppers” comes to mind (yeah, I know, I’m showing my age). Yes, the light was used a few times. Unfortunately, Marj wasn’t there when I took the picture.

I was able to talk some of the other ladies into showing off their wonderful projects. Christine made an incredible Dancing Diamonds Gem Bag using the most beautiful colours, Ruth’s amazing Tree of Life, with the most exquisite machine quilting, was made for her son, and Linda completed her quilt top that she started a few months ago when the Mystery Quilt was introduced. It turned out soooooo well and I’m particularly fond of the background fabric. Thanks for sharing, ladies.

We have such a great time at the Material Girls Retreat, and even though we see some of the ladies only once a year when we meet at Elim Lodge, it’s not difficult getting back into the swing of things once again. We easily get caught up at meal times and when we wander around the sewing room admiring each other’s work. Can’t wait for next year!

Material Girls Retreat 2022