More Retreat Fun!

If you ever get the chance to join a group of women....for any "outing". Do it! Here's my view from my little "nest" in the corner....

 Now, usually, "What Happens at Retreat...Stays at Retreat!"...but, here is the henna Tattoo I got!Aidan loves it...(it will wear off...eventually!). Gonna see just how long that takes! Toryam from Mississippi did them for us....thanks Charlyn!And, the Magnolia Park Retreat Center coordinated massages if you wanted one...I got 30 minutes on my back/shoulders...and promptly proposed marriage to the masseuse afterwards! She didn't take me seriously....but I would have taken care of her for life just for a massage each day! I didn't care what her gender was!...I was in love!We also had a great presentation...also coordinated by the Center...thanks Elizabeth! Or, as we were told...Hookers and Strippers! That got our attention!Really, these were ladies that "hooked wool rugs" and used various widths of cloth strips to make "string blocks". Barbara Sanders and Virginia Baker just published a great new book called String Quilt Revival...and I highly recommend it! We saw all of their quilts up close...and they are gorgeous...and SO EASY to create! I have never been a big fan of string quilts...but they converted me! The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon...the release date is very soon.And...as if these things were not enough! We had a talk by an area artist, Bettye Kimbrell,  on Cherokee Native American Leaf Pounding technique. She received an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work..and they used a photo of one of her quilts for their programs! How cool is that. She used a wooden cutting board, covered with a dishtowel...and taped a small multi-leaf rose leaf sprig to a piece of muslin. Then, she covered the leaf with more masking tape to secure it completely to the muslin. She turned the muslin over (leaf/tape) on bottom...and with a small hammer (regular style) pounded the outline and then the center. The chloroform in the leaf came out and stained the muslin...leaving a perfect imprint of the leaf on the fabric. She stated that she then washed the muslin in a vinegar/water solution...and she hand quilts all of her quilts! Her stitching was gorgeous too! Here is an article with photos of her technique.It was an inspirational few days...with outside speakers...and all of the wonderful work by my cyber friends at HGTV attending as well! And the food served by Magnolia Retreat Center head mistress...Ms Elizabeth...was so savory; each day was a real treat!