2 Days to Play, the Straits of Mackinac Way!

It’s so hard to wave goodbye to these ladies!

We really did have an awesome time over the past week – Each and every day – Sunday through Friday things were hopping with excitement in the Brighton Pavilion room where my classes were held.

But THESE ladies were BRAVE!

Not only did they take on loads of string piecing to build their pyramid fabric for the background of the large and small star points on day 1 -

All of those gorgeous water colors!

Some folks stayed up late into the night on Wednesday night so they would be even more ready to put things together in yesterday’s Finale Day 2!

Rotary cutters UP! – it’s a half-square triangle morning!

Loads and loads and loads of triangles!

My Essential Triangle Tool made things SO easy and accurate!

Making triangle four-patches!

Variety was KEY to everything we were doing so we needed to make enough triangles of varying fabrics to not have too much of the same thing next to the same thing when it came time to assemble the blocks together.

Struttin’ the chain!!

A chain of pairs -

And soon the blocks are ready to be assembled!

We went over things like pinning to successfully match points – webbing the block along the way so units don’t get turned around and the pieces are held together by the chaining threads left in place between the rows.  NO GUESSING and NO ROWS UPSIDE DOWN!

Not only did we soon have our first block completion -

But unbeknownst to everyone -

Our first block completion won the Signature 60 wt 3 ply gift pack!

Congrats!  (Can you see how happy she is?)

More block completions happened all through the afternoon!

Beautiful! 

Lani and her niece Sarah came to play!

So happy to have had them here.

So well done, ladies!

So many blocks they won’t all fit in the photo!

For the rest of our Straits of Mackinac workshop fun, enjoy the video below.  Click to Play:

Straits of Mackinac is found in my book String Frenzy.

At the end of the day - as things started to be pulled down, packed up and put away, we were all talking about the next time we may be able to see each other and do something like this again.

Some I will see at the Minnesota Quilt Show in Rochester, MN in June.  

Others I will see in Louisville, Kentucky in July at the retreat sponsored by The Cozy Quilter quilt shop.  Will you be there?

Some I will see in  Bedford Pennsylvania at my Summer Workshop Series in July hosted by Mary’s Quilt Shop – or at Quilt Odyssey in Hershey Pennsylvania.  Are you coming to see me there?

I can’t believe how fast 2019 is flying past and we are already talking about July.

Last minute photos -

I missed my opportunity to get some really great outdoor photos of Straits of Mackinac in front of the hotel.  It has rained the past two days – the best days would have been Saturday or Sunday, but we were out playing in the sunshine (even if it was chilly) and I thought for sure there would be more nice weather ahead.  Wrong again.

So I took some time this morning at 6am to get some photos around the Parlor.  still fun!

I could curl up with a book just right here.

Couldn’t you?

And I shall call this one

“Still life with red velvet chairs”  LOL!

Rickshaw in Mackin-AW!

Love seat too small for love.

And with that last giggle – I am hitting send, packing up the laptop, finishing the packing of my suitcase, setting them outside the door for the bellman to pick up – and off for my last round of fancy breakfast in La Salle Manger – the dining room.

My thanks to Carmen Hartwig and Cousins Quilt Shop for coordinating this fabulous event and bringing me back for a 3rd time. The amount of work that happens behind the scenes is staggering and everything was top notch.

Will I be back again?  I don’t know!  I would love to come back if they invite me again.  We shall see.

I am now turning my sights towards home.  Carriage to dock. Ferry to shuttle. Planes from Pellston to Detroit to Greensboro. Car out of long term parking to home. My own bed awaits.

Quiltville Quote of the Day

Don't let fear stop you from doing what you really want to do! Find a way!

Grand Illusion quilt inspired by my first visit to Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel. Pattern found in the digital section of the Quiltville Store.

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!