Our larger group got together recently at a new-to-us retreat centre. This beautiful, large home in Newcastle, Ontario, My Quilting Retreat, had enough room to accommodate 9 of us, although it can hold up to 10. Our host, Kim, thought of everything to make our sewing, eating, resting time comfortable and productive. The beds were so comfortable, there were more than enough bathrooms for everyone, and the kitchen was well laid out and spacious. The sewing room had incredible lighting, even at night, and the pressing/cutting room was just down the hall from the sewing room. We liked it so much that we’ve already booked for next year!

I get so many emails from all of you that you really enjoy the variety of projects that we all work on at our retreats. That’s the wonderful thing about this fulfilling hobby…there’s something for everyone no matter what your taste is. So, as usual after our retreats, I have some eye candy for you.

Linda completed these awesome placemats from a pattern called Leftovers by Canuck Quilter Designs. The variety of blues look so nice up against the crisp white background and I love that each placemat has a different binding.

Nora worked on this wonderful fabric bucket design, The Camden Bag by Aunties Two Patterns, using her favourite blacks and whites. This is the perfect project for using a jelly roll of coordinating fabrics or cutting strips from your stash. It was really interesting watching Nora build this bag from a whole pile of padded strips. I’m tempted to give it a try myself.

Donna worked on this lovely quilt called Bloom & Buzz. Here she is showing us only one block of many, using a beautiful blue/grey background with warm honey coloured strips for the bee hives. It’s soooo cute.

Yay! Gail completed the quilt top for her Harbor quilt by A Quilting Life. This was one of those quilts that she worked on a little at a time over a few months because each row was a different pattern. Her whole quilt is gorgeous, but I’m particularly fond of the stars and baskets.

Patti made this incredible Pittsburgh Steelers quilt for one lucky family member. At first I thought she fussy cut the cornerstone squares from a pre-printed fabric, but NO!…she actually machine embroidered each and every one of them. What a beautiful job she did.

Marg had such a great time making the Rescued selvedge bag with Becky that she wanted to make another one and this time Sandra joined her. Their bags turned out so well! And check out the denim and back pocket that Marg used on hers. What a great way to upcycle an old pair of jeans.

Judy used the most adorable sheep fabric on her Roman Holiday quilt from the book Quick as a Wink 3 yard Quilts. What a beautiful, soft colour palette. I wonder if this is for someone special or for our guild’s charity program (which Judy does a lot for!).

I managed to complete this quilt top that I started 2 retreats ago! After I found this incredible fat quarter bundle of Deco Glo 2 about 3 years ago, I knew I wanted to do a gradient design with these fabrics. Unfortunately, I just found a photo on the internet without any instructions so I have no source for you. All I can tell you is that the entire quilt is made of staggered half hexagons. At the top of the page my Shimmering Triangles quilt is on the design wall in the pressing/cutting room.

I hope you enjoyed seeing all the amazing creations from this talented group. My next retreat is not until September when we’re back with the Material Girls at Elim Lodge. It’s always a great time with an incredible group of people. So…I’ll be going through retreat withdrawal until then!

May Retreat 2026