Cambria Quilt Retreat

What could be more relaxing and fun than a quilt retreat in Cambria with the wind whistling through the trees and a sunlit ocean view? On Friday Sept 19, a bevy of fabric hungry quilters met up in Paso Robles to begin a mini shop hop before hunkering down for a 4-day quilting frenzy at Camp Ocean Pines. 

Led by the energetic Annie Smith of Quilting Stash / SimpleArts, stops were made at Wine Country Quilting and The Quiltery in Paso Robles, and Quilters Cupboard and Sew Fun in Atascadero. Having found a treasure trove of fabrics and other goodies, we headed for camp and our first wonderful dinner meal in the ocean view dining lodge.

Following dinner, everyone went to set up their sleeping cabins and their sewing gear. Then we got down to some serious quilting... after introductions, Annie commenced our lesson in color value and fabric choices. Without a doubt, she presented the best compilation of color and fabric aids that I have ever been introduced to. (Francia the English teacher: I know... improper grammar - dangling preposition or something like that.)

The next day, ready and roaring to go, we worked on our sample color charts, learned how to arrange fabrics from light value to dark value, and began to finalize our fabric choices for our project quilt. Of course, we had a field trip to Morro Bay's Cotton Ball so we could purchase needed fabrics. All of the shops were ready for us and we sure filled the aisles, all 14 of us. A good day for the shops, I would think. We collectively spent a lot of $$.

As we arranged fabric pieces here and there, we got to know each other and enjoyed seeing color through different 'eyes'. Amazing how different a block appears when different prints and colors come together to make a whole. 

The photos here show: Fabric in order of value along with sample blocks made by all;  one of my fabric blocks; my sister Leslie and Janis, Aneda and Linda hard at work; and our special visitor, Jabber the Owl, who was being socialized by camp personnel prior to a crowd of middle schoolers arriving at camp that day.

As our retreat wound down, we realized we had bonded well as a group and determined to stay in contact one way or another. Our next retreat has been booked in March and then again in September of 2009. I personally can't wait to hear from our new quiltie friends and see their work. Such a special group, led by a special person... Annie Smith.