Folded Christmas Tree

There are plenty of Folded Christmas Trees on Pinterest and Pat Sloan's Facebook Group has been flooded with them. I really liked them and decided, how hard could it be to make one?

I read Pat's instructions about 4 times and I must be dumber than dirt. You can find the instructions here...Kay’s Fabric Trees at Pat Sloan’s website.

I was not clear on how to attach the tree sections.

Elmer's Glue is very helpful in holding things in place.

My zipper foot kept my lines straight.

It's coming together!

A Star and ribbon for a hanger and voila! 

#foldedchristmastree #hangingfabricchristmastree 

Retreat by the Sea

I have the opportunity once a year to attend a Quilt Retreat at a hotel on the beach. It is off season so the weather can be iffy, but the rewards are great. We arrive on Tuesday and return home on Sunday. There are @100 quilters in the Grand Ballroom and the views are spectacular.

 

 

We each have our own table and set up a workstation... Many different types of sewing machines, projects, and quilting tools.

Do you think we brought enough stuff?

Sew when you want to...sleep when you want to...eat when you want to...NO rules, no quilt police!

 
 

We bring some food with us and usually eat dinner at local restaurants.

This is the amazing view from my room on the 6th floor.

Everyone brings their own projects to work on...
I decided to use this bright colored jelly roll to create a Bargello quilt. Using Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Bargello pattern, I had fun making this quilt. Borders will be added later this week.

 

I have made a few pencil cases, however, this one by Lorelei Jayne is the easiest and nicest one I have found. It is a free pattern and available here.

Each retreat we are given a craft to complete (totally optional) and this year our kit included enough supplies and instructions to make two coasters. Very easy and very cute!

It's a great opportunity to rewind, refresh, and rediscover the joy of sewing and reconnecting with friends.

Til next time...


#quiltretreat #quiltretreatsarethebest #sewingbythesea

The Lightkeeper's Daughters

The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol. New York: Harper Collins, 2017. 311 pages. Includes "About the author" "About the book" and Read On" ****

Told in the alternating voices of Morgan, a juvenile delinquent who is performing community service and Elizabeth, a resident in a nursing home who has lost her sight. An unlikely alliance and friendship is formed between the two. Morgan reads aloud Elizabeth's late father's diaries who was the lightkeeper on Porphyry Island on Lake Superior. As the story unfolds, Morgan and Elizabeth realize that their pasts are connected and both receive some of the answers they have been seeking.

A complicated tale about an unlikely friendship. Morgan a hostile, foul-mouthed teen who has to repaint a fence that she tagged and Elizabeth who seeks solace in her music because she can no longer enjoy reading. They form a kinship that bridges the generations and discover that they both have a connection to Porphyry Island.

I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and suspected that there was a connection between the two. While the story seemed to be confusing with the identities of the daughters (no spoilers here), it is a book that once started I wanted to stay with it until the end. I enjoyed it and will pass it on to my reading friends.

Jean E. Pendziwol was born and raised in Thunder Bay, and is an award-winning author of books for children. She lives in Ontario, where she can see Lake Superior (when it isn't foggy). The Lightkeeper's Daughters is her first novel for adults.

#historicalfiction #lighthousefiction