Greetings Lovelies. I have just returned from the mountains of New Hampshire and the amazing R&R Columbus Day Quilt Retreat sponsored by Purple Moose Designs. The retreat was held in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire in the White Mountains. Below is a lovely photo of the town lake and Town Square in the background. Although it was a little early this season, Columbus Day is normally the peak of the leaf-peeping season in the mountains. The retreat was the best I have ever been to and it was wonderful to escape the unseasonably hot temperatures in Virginia for a long weekend.
Seasons of Scraps Class at the Purple Moose Retreat
My wonderful friend Terri, Head Moose at Purple Moose Designs, invited me to teach my Seasons of Scraps class during the weekend. This year Terri hosted two teachers for the weekend. Sandi Blackwell taught her no math, on point quilting technique using a wall hanging called Colors of Fall. My class, Seasons of Scraps, is an extension of my All Scrapped Out! quilting technique using my exclusive Seasonal Silhouettes. Students use their scraps (or mine) to create an improvisational background and then apply the silhouettes. You can create a colorful background or a scrappy landscape. Take a look at a few of the samples that I created for the class.
The Snowy Owl Inn and the Purple Moose
Terri takes the R&R part of the retreat super seriously. Our host hotel, The Snowy Owl Inn, is a cozy, rustic retreat in the mountains offering an indoor pool and a leafy view. All meals are served on site in the dining hall during the retreat. Workrooms are available 24/7 to sew with your friends or all by yourself. When not in use the facilities are locked so you can leave your workstation set up until the next morning.
Upper Classroom
My classroom (the upper classroom) has windows on two sides with lots of awesome natural light and workspace lamps for the evening. Here are a few photos I snapped while setting up the classroom.
The Sites and Sounds of Waterville Valley
The hotel is a sidewalk away from the town square. The square hosts a post office, several restaurants, several shops, a general store, a coffee shop, and an escape room. There were festival activities happening all weekend during the retreat. You could take a break and go and enjoy the festivities whenever you like. Several of the quilters did. Sandi even walked the 5K on Sunday after she taught her class. Several of the quilters enjoyed runs and walks throughout the valley all weekend. One even saw a black bear. There was a lot to do and see during the weekend.
New Hampshire in the Fall
I don't think anything beats New England in the Fall. I drove up from Virginia early and taught an English Paper Piecing class and All Scrapped Out! trunk show for the Country Village Quilters of Moultonborough, New Hampshire prior to the event and got to see lots of sites. I was in heaven despite the rain earlier in the week. Here are a few of the photos I snapped from the Lake District. I even made a stop in at Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor and Bittersweet Quilt Shop which was celebrating their 50th Anniversary. I can't believe it… and this year is just my 15th Anniversary.
Lower Level Classroom and Quilt Shop
Sandi's class was in the downstairs classroom which is the larger of the two workrooms and also the room that houses the Purple Moose Pop-Up Shop. Terri has a little of everything so you are never without the things you need to make your project work. All the photos of the classroom were taken during setup before quilters had arrived. I'm sure it looked more exciting once everyone got settled.
Seasons of Scraps Class Success
Terri had lots of games to participate in should you want to and an evening Trunk Show and presentation by Sandi. Lots of gift baskets and prizes to be had by all. Every student in my class managed to finish their project and take home a wall hanging. I was so proud of them all. Here are a few of the project photos I managed to get before my students went on to the next UFO.
I'm sorry I didn't get photos of all the projects completed in class but I am hoping the girls will send me photos when they are quilted. What a wonderful time to visit New England and what a perfectly relaxing stay in the White Mountains. If you haven't gone on a retreat with the Purple Moose I sincerely hope you will look into it and try out one of their retreats. You will have a wonderful time.
I'm a Traveling Teacher
If you are interested in making your own Seasons of Scraps project you can find the silhouettes on sale HERE. You can also contact me about teaching at your local Quilt Shop, favorite yearly Quilt Show, local Guild or favorite Retreat. I am now booking in 2020 but have a few spots left for the 2019 calendar year. Ask for a packet of lectures, workshops, and pricing. I look forward to having more fun together in the future.
Until then… Happy Quilting! … and don't forget our 15th Anniversary Sale. To celebrate our 15th Anniversary get 15% OFF for 15 days this month (Oct 15-30) by using the promo code HAPPY15 at checkout.
