QUAP 2025

In April, I went on my usual spring retreat to Place of Grace in Tennessee:

with 8 other lovely ladies...a chance to catch up and be together with people, some of whom I only get to see once a year. Here's the cast of characters:

-Nancy from Chicago, who started this retreat with....

-my friend Pat (they used to work together in Chicago):

-Then there's Andi (Pat's daughter from New Mexico)

-and Raeann from Colorado (Andi's daughter....Pat's granddaughter) and it was wonderful to be there at the beginning of this newly minted quilter's journey!!!:

-Abby (Nancy's sister) from Chicago

-And Arizona Mary (from...can you guess?):

And BG (from Connecticut)

-And Janice from North Carolina:

We were only missing Jan from Arizona, who is having some health problems and couldn't make it this year. Geographically speaking, we're quite a far flung group!

We had some FABULOUS food while we were there:

-our Easter dinner feast!

And our shared snacks were certainly something to behold....

I've said this before, but it bears repeating....when you're on retreat and you finish something, you jump up and announce that you are ''ON THE BOARD'' and there was certainly TONS of that happening during our time away:

BG, Janice and I all decided to do the same new pattern for a QoV...thank goodness Janice kept us on the straight and narrow multiple times or those tops still wouldn't be done:

But we finally were at the finish line with our tops:

And I came home, determined to write a simpler, similar pattern...and (with Michael's help), I did!

Getting together with these women...sharing a purpose and our lives and dreams, makes my life better in ways I can't even begin to explain. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity in my life...and I do not take it lightly. I hope our ability to get together continues for many, many years to come.....