Holly Girls 1st Annual Quilt Retreat

What a fabulous week I had, Sept. 23-28!  Attended the 1st Annual Holly Girls Quilt Retreat with 3 friends.  We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom cottage at the White Birch Lodge, and had classes with the wonderful sister team Sue Nickels and Pat Holly.  So much quilting talent in one family!

We were immersed in a week of machine quilting, and I tell you, Sue KNOWS her machine quilting!  Her work is wonderful!  I've had short classes with her in the past, but it's been some time.  Her work was beautiful then and her skills have increased tenfold since.  You can see some of her work here, but photos don't do it justice.  Both sisters have multiple quilts in the Quilt Museum in Paducah.

I think this small piece below was a gift to her sister, Pat. (photo includes my feet, no extra charge!)

Weather was perfect, PERFECT, which doesn't happen often in Michigan, and the Holly Girls said it was the best of their weeks so far (we were week 4 of 5).   There was great harmony & joy in my group, we had 2 other quilter friends of ours who now live in the North visit us, and a great time was had by all.

I cannot rave enough about the great job Sue and Pat did.  So many wonderful hand-outs I will treasure and look at each & every time I plan quilting on a quilt-top.  They love all parts of the process, and hopefully I will now slow down and try to enjoy the quilting as much as I love the piecing.  I have the skills, just need the patience.

Now, just pics for you to enjoy.....

The Dining Hall at White Birch Lodge, otherwise known as the sewing room

View of Elk Lake and some of the lodging taken from the dock

ahhhh, Elk Lake

A sunrise, and our beautiful view from the condo doorwall & deck

Fall color was spectacular, and surrounded by blue, blue skies

a selfie of our happy, happy faces!!

A close-up of my finished whole-cloth project.  The designs were marked with pencil, then free-motion quilted

Then, when I got home, I became 2-3 ounces lighter, with removal of my gallbladder.  isn't it a pity that they don't weigh 5-10 pounds?  But then.... they wouldn't be able to remove them laparascopically!!

Beautiful flower basket from my good friends, The Chickens

P.S.  Was Holly Girls Retreat so wonderful that we signed up for next year?  Why, yes....we did!  And reserved our same condo!