SUMMER CAMP

I remember as a child I always wanted to go to summer camp like I

saw on television or in the movies. It just looked like so much fun for

an entire week with no responsibilities. It wasn’t until about twelve

years ago that I finally saw that dream come true and I went to camp.

Well, it wasn’t exactly camp like in the movies or on television. But it

was about as close to what camp for adults should be.

QUILTING RETREATS

Picture a group of retired women who all share a love of quilting and

are also good friends spending four days together doing exactly what

they want to do which is quilt all day and have their meals prepared by

someone else. It sounds like heaven to me and to those of us who

attend. At this retreat center we have basic lodging, a large classroom

with tables and chairs, bathrooms, and a small kitchen with just a sink

and refrigerator to chill our white wine and soft drinks. Next to the

classroom is another kitchen with an automatic coffee machine. But

the very best part of this retreat center is the dining room with a chef

who cooks our three meals a day! 

When we first started going to our summer quilt retreats we knew

once a year was just not enough so we made this outing a bi-annual

event with a summer and spring retreat. It is so interesting to walk around 

the room and see what each of my friends are making. Quilts of all 

different sizes, colors, and designs are being made for charities, 

friends, gifts, and for no other reason than trying out a new pattern with 

gorgeous fabrics. It’s therapy at it’s best! We even play some fun 

games and have prizes for winning.

SUMMER RETREAT

I’ve been busy the past week packing for my annual summer retreat.

It’s a bit like moving out of my sewing room as I gather all my rulers,

rotary cutters, scissors, cutting mats, and NUMEROUS supplies. Not to 

mention my sewing machine and extension table. It’s a long list I’ve

printed out so I can check each item off and make sure I don’t forget

something critical. (Not really critical except to me that is). I have all

my assorted projects organized and in tote bags. I always want to

make sure I have enough to do. Of course I have never gotten

anywhere close to finishing what I have brought because of all the

talking and laughing and walking to and from the meals three times a

day, plus playing games and taking breaks by walking around the

beautiful grounds outside.

Going to summer camp when I was a child would have been

wonderful but going to summer camp (I mean retreat) as an adult is

more fun and more rewarding than I could ever have imagined.

                                               A NEW ADVENTURE

Those who know me know that I love to quilt and I love to travel.  Quite coincidentally I’ve been doing both of these things since 2003.  Both of these passions of mine have now led me to a brand new type of adventure.  This is how I’ve gotten to where I am now and why I've chosen the name quiltingtravelerdi for this new adventure.

TRAVELING

My husband and I have always enjoyed traveling and we’ve been to almost every state.  He had frequently traveled internationally with his job but the farthest I’d been was Canada and Mexico.  We took our first international trip together in 2003 which was when I became hooked on adventure travel, which was what we did for the next 16 years.  We both share the adrenalin rush of visiting other countries.  The most exciting places were where we couldn’t speak the language, the culture was very different from ours, including the food, clothing, housing, and customs.

SEWING

I learned to sew when I was a child, first making doll clothes then eventually clothes for myself.  As time went on I sewed clothes for my children, shirts for my husband, and a multitude of sewing related crafts.  I found sewing quite enjoyable and immensely satisfying.

In 2003 I took a six week beginning quilting class.  I found I experienced the same sense of enjoyment and satisfaction that sewing clothes gave me, only now I could make quilts to give as gifts or to use in my home.

The first few years I made quilts using traditional patterns, but after awhile I started to explore art quilts, which were becoming popular.  This was what I was looking for - a way to express my creativity and turn my sketches based on travel photos into quilts that I could hang on the wall.

During the last six years I’ve been designing quilt patterns using Electric Quilt 8.  I feel that the patterns I design still have an art feel to them but are made in a more traditional way with quarter inch seams and blocks, rather than raw edge fusible appliqué which was how I created all my original art quilts that hang throughout my home.

NEW ADVENTURE

It’s been several years now that I’ve been designing quilt patterns on the computer and making many of these patterns into quilts.   During this time I’ve been buying different items from the Etsy website and in the back of my mind I thought about opening my own shop someday.  As the years have gone by the thought of having my own on-line shop has gotten stronger until I finally decided, I’m really going to do this!

I didn’t realize how much time and effort I was going to have to put into getting my on-line Etsy shop ready to open.  The patterns I had designed that I was going to start selling had to be in PDF format, plus all the information that was needed to fill out the Etsy form was a real challenge.  I’m not one to give up so I marched on each day working diligently on getting all my i’s dotted and t’s crossed.  

I finally finished setting up everything that was required and this week I opened my new shop:  quiltingtravelerdi.  If you’re interested in taking a look, the Etsy link is:  https://quiltingtravelerdi.etsy.com.     I’ll be adding more patterns as the weeks go on so please check back often, and I’d appreciate it if you would pass on my link to any quilters you know.

Thank you very much,

Diane