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Retreat Report: Bag Making at Camp Stitchalot

Oh, I so needed a getaway, and one came just in time!

The polar vortex was brutal.  Ann Arbor had the snowiest winter on record.  It has been profoundly cold as well.  And I have been sick in a serious flu-like/food-poisoning-ish way THREE times in the last three months, all while working a full time job and doing the quilting job on the side.  Not fun.

Well, it’s officially spring now, so I’ve plunked down these beautiful tulip bulbs in my office:

Good morning, sunshine!☀️

And I’ve put on a happy face.

Camp Stitchalot this weekend really helped!  The teachers were Kristin Link (Sew Mama Sew) and Sara Lawson (Sew Sweetness) and they taught us all about bags.

Some serious bag making happened here yesterday. These are mine. Camp Stitchalot Bag & Tackle Bag. #campstitchalot

Having very limited experience making bags, one of my biggest takeaways was, “Wow are bags a serious amount of work!”  Pictured above are the bags I made: on the right is the Tackle Bag from Kristin (no tutorial or pattern as yet) and on left is the aptly named Camp Stitchalot bag (buy the pattern here).

The tackle bag is a gift for my dad.  He’s a great cook and brings knives and spices on vacation, I thought he could corral them in a tackle bag!

The Camp Stitchalot Bag is for me!  And I’ve already used it to bring home my blocks that I made at camp.

Camp Stitchalot bag in action! Transporting blocks back to the studio. #campstitchalot #rossiediscoquilt

These blocks are for a  Disco Quilt.  I was inspired to make one after seeing my guild-mate Rebekah’s version of this quilt.  Her’s is a gift, so she can’t post it online just yet.  I will be sure to link to her post/quilt once it is up!

Back to the #discoquilt #rossiediscoquilt Cut with an #accuquilt at #campstitchalot

 

Making block-based quilts is great at a retreat because you stay in your seat for a while!  My usual style of spreading out all over a design wall and bopping from machine to iron to cutting table is just not suited for shared spaces!

Quilting is also a good activity (depending on how much space you have).  I finally quilted this throw that has been sitting around basted for months!

Boom. Quilted. At #campstitchalot #dyedquilt #itajime

These blocks are dyed and bleached!  I’ll share this quilt again when it is bound and washed.  You can see previous posts about this quilt by clicking here: The Quilt for Kelly.

 

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. So you think we should go north (not sure where your camp is held) in September or November? When I live in Florida? I think Camp Stitchalot should come HERE!

    1. Not the whole time, just enough to burn off any buffer I have attempted to make between what needs to be finished and when it needs to be finished. It's been hard, but I like that I'm busy!

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