2015 Fall Sewing Retreat- Locust Grove, OK (Part 1)

Well, hello! Thanks for stopping by! I pray your day is going well! I thought I should blog about our 2015 3rd Annual Fall Sewing Retreat before spring 2016! My sisters, Mom and I have been fortunate to get together for the past three years for a sewing retreat. We've tweaked it each year and it keeps getting better. We don't call it a 'quilt' retreat because you can sew whatever you want, therefore it's a sewing retreat.

The retreat has been hosted by a different person each year. This retreat was hosted by my sister DeAnna. You may know her from Georgia-Girl Quilter. She and her husband moved from the Atlanta area to Locust Grove, OK. DeAnna has a sweet studio set up in the bonus room above the garage. It's more than enough room for 5 of us to have a sewing station, plus a cutting station and ironing/pressing station. I should also mention, DeAnna has cool equipment; a long arm and an embroidery machine.

A few days before the retreat I started a countdown in which I would randomly send in a text to everyone during the day to keep everyone excited about how little time was left until the retreat. We picked an approximate time we thought the retreat would officially start. Selecting a time after everyone's estimated time of arrival. 

My sister Rhunell, drove from Louisiana to my home outside of Little Rock, AR. She stayed at my house overnight and we left the next morning for a four hour drive to Locust Grove, OK. Of course we had to take a photo with the countdown.

Upon arrival on Sunday we set up in our rooms where we slept and we of course set up at our sewing stations. We kicked off the official start Sunday afternoon after everyone arrived.

From left to right is me (sister 4 - Arkansas), Rhunell (sister 3 - Louisiana), DeAnna (sister 2 - Oklahoma), Simone (sister 1 - Texas), Jennie (Mom). Both Mom and DeAnna made the fabric retreat bags for everyone with lots of surprises inside.

We sewed Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We shop hopped on Tuesday. Our Sewing to Serve Day was Friday. The next set of photos are photos from our sewing days.

Simone at the serger. She made curtains during the retreat. There will be a photo of the curtains in the part 3 post.

In this photo DeAnna was working on a retreat banner. Look for the photo in the part 3 post.

Rhunell completed the umbrella quilt top at the 2nd annual retreat. She brought it to quilt on DeAnna's long arm. Rhunell took to the long arm with ease. Watch for the completed quilt in the part 3 post.

I was working on a secret project, that's no longer a secret. I was making a quilt for my husband using linen calendar tea towels dated 1958, the year he was born. I was unable to finish the quilt at the retreat but able to complete the top.

Mom is working on a T-shirt quilt for her grandson's girlfriend. Mom made one for her grandson and his girlfriend requested to have one made too.

Rhunell brought a gallon ice cream bucket full of spools of threads. It was hard digging through the bucket to find a spool of thread, so this ledge made a good shelf for the thread.

Here's a panoramic photo of the thread on the ledge. Sew pretty.

Lunch on the porch was delightful. DeAnna lives in a rural area and it's nice sitting on the front porch visiting and enjoying the outdoors. 

A friend stopped by to visit and brought yummy dessert too!

We may live in different states but we all have fun times when we're together!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're able to hang around to read Part 2 and Part 3 of the retreat.

Have a blessed day,
Gina