Mini Retreat fun

I went on a mini retreat over the weekend to the Retreat Center at Log Cabin Quilting in Exira, IA. A couple of the gals went Friday morning, 2 more came Friday after work and I drove up early Sat. morning. What a great time we had sewing, chatting, sewing.

My first project was to sew a backing together for a quilt top I finished on my last retreat, but haven't quilted yet. That went quickly and I could put a check mark by it! 

 I then went to work on this Super Tote pattern by Noodlehead. I came across the pattern one day and loved the size, the recessed zipper, and the front pocket. I had trouble picking out the fabric for it at Cut Up and Quilt, starting with these gorgeous circles, picking out several others, but then coming back to the circles in the end. I'm so glad I did and wonder...why did I waver? They are perfect!

 It's a fairly large bag with a deep gusset, so it will hold lots of goodies.

 There are large pockets on the inside too, perfect for your smaller treasures. I worked on figuring this out and making it most of the day on Saturday and plan on making another one soon to see how much faster it goes the second time around. I want to teach this pattern in January.

There was lots of creativity going on at the retreat and I'll write more soon with more pictures of my friends' projects as well as my other project. I really enjoyed myself on this retreat even though it was shorter than I'm used to. In some ways it was easier to pack and plan for and I didn't get so tired from all the late nights. No matter the size, retreats are always fun!