What I did on my Thankgsgiving Holiday - My Favorite long weekend!!

                                  
This is my favorite long weekend because the holiday part is the first day usually, followed by three days of dong whatever you want.  This year was a little different but still very enjoyable.  Well, we weren't having a big meal on Thanksgiving as the married kids are spending it with their other half's families.  Jess and Jason came to our house Thanksgiving afternoon to spend the long weekend with us.  Thursday was 1) read the ads for Black Friday.  2) plan for Black Friday shopping trip starting at 2am.  3) start making approximately 30  fabric wallets as gifts for friends.  Click on Valori Wells to see the pattern and link to "Keep Me in Stitches" quilt shop where you can purchase the pattern and fabric.  Jacqi shared the pattern with us last weekend at our Bjorklunden retreat last weekend.  Thursday night we selected coordinating fabrics and cut them to the pattern size.

 Friday we did get up at 1:45 am to do our "Black Friday" shopping trip with daughters/sisters Tracy and Liz.  We had a chilling fun bargain hunting adventure arriving back home by 10 am.  Naps immediately followed.  Afterwards Jess spent the day with one of her nieces and one of her nephews having the funnest day ever according to one young gentleman.  Later that day we finished pinning together wallet fabric preparing for sewing. 

That evening sewing, turning and pressing was done

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Saturday was brunch with the family, grand kids and all.  It was a wonderful morning together.  Liz and Tracy picked out their favorite wallet from the assortment.  They will get them as soon as we finish the closures.  We thought they were an appropriate initiation gift to "Black Friday" shopping, their first time for this, where you just use your cash and cards, no time for big bulky purses.  Its serious business, hunt and buy, no browsing.  Get in and get out. 

Later that day after more bargain shopping, a nap by one and a workout by the other, more work was done on the wallets, we opted for buttons and buttonholes.  At the end of the day we had put together 37 (thirty-seven)!!!! Valori Wells wallets. 

Are you one of the lucky ones on our Christmas list?  To make your own wallet check out Jacqi's shop, "Keep Me In Stitches", Appleton, WI.  She has great fabrics and buttons to finish these quick, cute gifts.  Easy too, but 37 is a lot.  Thank goodness, Jess and I worked well as a team.   Thanks J!

Door County,WI Sewing Retreat Weekend

Daugher Jess and I at Bjorklunden, not sure who took this picture of us with my camera.......hmmmm, Jacqi?  Rhonda?

 Last weekend, the weekend before Thanksgiving was our semi-annual date for Bjorklunden Retreat with Jacqi Levy from "Keep Me in Stitches".  Jacqi invites 30-40 of her closest sewing/crafting/scrapping/knitting friends for a four day fun-filled gathering to indulge in your favorite pastime along with eating, talking smart, eating, staying up late, eating and generally having a "Dear Camp" extended weekend.  Think hunters' deer camp, female style.  This time we had the option of a one hour massage with an awesome certified massage therapist, Catherine De Valk of Appleton, WI www.devalkhealth.com which many of the ladies took advantage of.  It was heaven. 

 Here's Rhonda(left), Alice(the chicken in the center with the lime green "do") and Jacqi(right).  Looks like Rhonda is giving Jacqi sage advice on how to make a mug rug with invisible thread using free motion quilting on her domestic Bernina.  Don't tell anyone but Jacqi hates invisible thread, doesn't do free motion quilting on her Bernina, (though she is an accomplished and award winning long-arm quilter) and is the original inventor of the "mug rug". 

 Our table is the closest one from this view, we had two new mates at our table, Victoria the chicken lady (see her masterpiece hanging on the chair closest to us) and friend Connie (with their backs to us).  Both great additions to the crew.  Welcome ladies!  And across from them, the next "project runway" finalist, Ellen, possibly working on her neice's wardrobe, the Chanel jacket or who knows what.  Whatever it is its gorgeous, I hope that little girl knows how fortunate she is.  I wonder if Ellen's three daughters were ever that well dressed. 

Here's (clockwise starting at the left) Rhonda, Jacqi, Amy, Gretchen and Jess all hard at it.  I don't see any wine glasses on the table, oh yes, there's one by Rhonda and another one to the right my Janome.  All burning the midnight oil sewing our hearts out. 

And then there's the issue of the ugly slipper, forbidden to set foot outside the building.  We won't name names but who would ever think this is attractive footwear?  Comfortable yes, but not even in the northwoods of WI is this appropriate even for Walmart, or so I'm told.  Cheeze!

Along with our hippo fabric mug rugs (a Jacqi tradition of making a coaster out of fabric and batting, similar to a mini-quilt, approximately 4-5 inches square), (sorry no mug rug pics)many of us made Valori Wells wallets, too cute.  More on that later.  Thank you Jacqi for a great time.  Thank you friends for another memorable bonding weekend!