More horse quilts get finished and some new projects started, hmm imagine that...smile

We are working on our quilts with a date set for our Gallapalooza party, where we will roll out all the 12 quilts in their various stages of completion.

Here in Louisville, Kentucky, where we host the Super Bowl of Horse Racing every year on the first Saturday in May, there is a fund raiser called the Gallapalooza. Life size horses are painted and auctioned off to raise money for different causes.

Our group has so many horse quilts in the cue for completion that we've decided to have our own Gallapalooza party. Here we will display most of our quilts and have a party for the unveiling.

Besides our horses, some of the ladies are finishing up quilts that belong to granddaughters and our world traveler, Shirley, is working on the Serengeti quilt after being inspired by her recent trip there.

We are still working out the date, as people are traveling and we want everyone to attend that would like to be there, but, it's sometime in May.

A Dozen horse quilts were made at the retreat!

We had our retreat at Pieceful Haven. There were 4 that spent the night, but the rest, 8, made a long day of it. We had wonderful meals prepared and ate very well, as quilters are known to do. Maybe that's why cookbooks are such a successful fund raising option.

Shirley made a quilt with the horses on a darker background which gave her horse(s) an etherial look, running out of the mist sort of.

My daughter had a special request to use retro fabrics.

Most of the ladies used the batiks. One of our new members said she didn't know if she was a quilter. I said, if you finish this then you are a quilter. This pattern gives you a great opportunity for learning multiple things for quilting, on a smaller scale.

First and for most, to me is learning to use a design wall. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to stand back and get a perspective on your piece. At Pieceful Haven, the ladies had that opportunity, because design walls were all over it. It's one thing to be looking down and start cutting and placing your fabrics for the horse, it's another to stand back, at least 10 feet for working with your design. This is true for bed quilts as well as wall hangings.

The other thing that made this retreat such as huge success was the willingness of all to share their efforts, whether it was in the fabrics we put up on the tables for all to use, or the time and effort it took to cook or clean the dishes. As we all know, these retreats don't happen by magic and I thank all who helped make this such a great time of quilting with friends and finishing, or almost finishing our quilts is a super by product.

Retreat Time Again!

Well, we are off to our second retreat for the group. The first was many years ago at the White Oak Cabins in Indiana. Back then, there were no "quilt specific" retreat facilities available. This time around we will be going to Pieceful Haven in Crestwood, Kentucky.

The horse quilt pattern, Race the Wind will be taught and the rest of the time the ladies will be working on their own projects over the next 2 days and nights. There are 12 in attendance for this retreat.