A heavenly weekend!

I spent the weekend at a "Quilter's Retreat" organized by the lovely folks at the Country Quilter, Jane Davila and her mother, Claire Oehler. It took place at the Interlaken Inn in Lakevile, Ct, just over the border from Dutchess County, NY.

The conference center has many outdoor amenities like a pool, tennis court, and golf course, and has gardens and spaces to accommodate weddings. The food was plentiful and delicious, with a full breakfast buffet featuring an omelet station (I love that!), many home-baked snacks like pastries, cinnamon buns, and pretzels, and delicious desserts too!

Below is only one of the conference rooms we took over and filled with sewing machines, fabric, design walls, and fun people! There were 3 rooms like this! The wet weather on Saturday only made us cozier, as we were all indoors together creating quilted masterpieces. At first I thought I might have difficulty concentrating enough to compose a new piece with all the hub-bub going on around me, but I found I was able to screen it out and get down to business. Also, as my piece progressed, it was nice to have some favorable feedback from other quilters passing by.
This shot below features my table group and my work-in-progress, the waterlilies piece I blogged about in June. It is coming along, thanks to the long uninterrupted hours I had to design it, choose fabrics, and begin the fusing and quilting. I hope it will be finished in time for Christmas.
I owe a big thank you to my parents who were able to come stay with the girls (and the puppy) this weekend so I could enjoy a few days of indulgence! Thanks, Mom and Dad!