It was Her Pick...

Rena and I have been best friends since high school. I am glad we have stayed in touch all these years, though we now live thousands of miles apart. And I think she is one of the kindest souls I know, and I am glad we have maintained our friendship.

Rena at the retreat with her finished quilt top...

Now that our children are grown and out of the house, we have a bit more discretionary funds and we try to visit for a couple of weeks every year. We alternate deciding where we go and what we do. Rena is a quilter. This year, she wanted me to go with her to a quilt retreat in a remote village in Alaska. You know I don't quilt, right?

But, it was her pick where we went ... I grinned and started planning my trip. Rena sent me a list of the required supplies. So, I asked my local quilting friends, Julianne and Clare, for a bit of assistance. They agreed, Hamilton, Missouri, a mere three hours away, had all the fabric I could want. We got in the car and away we went.

With their help, I found some lovely muted purpley/greeny material to take to the retreat.

Clare and me and Julianne in MO.

Then the first part of June found Rena and me driving over mountains and through valleys heading for the tiny town of Eagle, Alaska.

So far, the adventure was absolutely grand!

Me, sewing with the Yukon River as a backdrop...

I learned about rotary cutters and putting cut bits in plastic bags. I learned about quilt patterns and putting blocks together. I learned more than I ever expected to know about modern quilt making.

When I finished my quilt top, I had scraps of fabric left, and decided to make coasters as souvenirs for my friends in the lower 48.

No pattern, just sewing scraps down, trimming the square, and putting on edging. (So fun!)

Four of the eight coasters I made from scraps...

After the retreat, I flew home and started the quilting process (with direction from Rena). All I have left now is finishing the edge.

From purchasing fabric to retreat to sewing on binding, this has been a grand, creative, learning experience. I have a deeper understanding of what quilters do and how Rena made my favorite quilt.

I decided to finish the quilt myself and have the whole experience...

We retreat attendees had beautiful inspiration all around us as we followed the directions for the mystery quilt. No two quilt tops looked alike, though the pattern was the same for all. I enjoyed myself and my new friends immensely... what a wonderful, creative community. Methinks I may attend again next year and make myself another quilt.

The retreat attendees with their quilt tops...

At first, the notion of cutting perfectly good fabric into tiny pieces, then sewing it all back together, puzzled me. As I watched these incredible, talented women sitting around, helping each other, sharing ideas, teaching me... I finally understood.

Fabric is the fiber artist's medium of choice. And these women were certainly artists.