Quilting at the Monastary was great!! I made some new friends, got a little quilting done, got to see what everyone else was into, discovered my new favorite quilt shop, made a fabric box, checked out some demos, and every meal was gluten free.  Sometimes something happens that I just have to run with . . . crazy me!  My roommate/table buddy quickly decide the orange batik she had was not going to be in her quilt, so she gave me the unwanted, rejected parts (one block with a quarter circle on it and he rest of her uncut orange).  I thought the purple looked like a planet, so I dubbed my creation, "The Planet Ruth Bag."  The planet Ruth lies in the Orange Galaxy.  The bag holds 2 medium quilts and a wallhanging.  I will be adding a link soon to share my adventures on the quilting retreat.  These things take time, especially since I don't know how to do that yet, but I am determined.

Tomorrow: Quilting Retreat.  This is my first quilting retreat. I have put a couple of things to work on in a bag, but I do not know if that is enough. My design wall is a flannel quilt mounted on our family room wall.  It has my crosses project on it, and on top of the crosses project is a barn project. I have all these cross blocks that just need squared up and pieced together, then they will be a quilt top.  I will have to take a photo of it, so I know the placement arrangement of the barn quilt I am working on, then I can take the barn off, to get to the crosses. Okay. I am going to do that and get this crosses project going. I am actually going to name it, Count Your Blessings.

      The Quilting Retreat is taking place at the monestary in Jerome, Idaho. I have heard nothing but positive comments on the experiences of others.  I will post a report with photos when I return.

This is my new Japanese bag I used all last week to carry my camera and umbrella in to work. The first one I made is a little bigger and holds alot of stuff. I cut it from a remnant that measured 13.5" X 40.5". It only took me 10 minutes to make. There are only two seams that are 13.5" long each.

After you cut your fabric to 3 times as long as wide, you can hem it, or not. I suggest you do not, on your first one. Then zig-zag the raw edges after. You fold the left third over and stitch the top edge down. You fold the right third in, and be sure to lift the bottom of the left third, so you do not sew it into the bottom seam. Sew the bottom edge. It will look like this . . . then lift the corner, and unfold to reveal your bag.

I went to my CONFAB tonight and received a refresher on hand applique.  I seemed to have a retention problem. First, I drew my elephant on the non-waxy side of the paper, then I cut it out before pressing the two pieces of  freezer paper with the iron. Then I forgot and cut out the ear without the 1/4 " allowance . . . he has a new ear!  It was clearly meant to be.  I am going to applique this elephant onto my latest kimono jacket.  Then, I gave a brief demo on the Japanese bag construction, which I am experimenting with.  Above is the piece of fabric I prepared for the demo.  I sewed a hem around the four edges, and added two bright patches for contrast, at the 1/3 mark in from each side.  Had a very enjoyable time at the CONFAB, and someone has a photo of me with my Japanese bag on my head.  It was determined that it is a versitile project.