Sewing Sisters on the Eastern Shore of Maryland!

Sewing Sisters on The Hudson Creek (Cambridge, MD)

Quilting is a lot of fun for me, and it’s even better when I’m sharing this life hobby with my sewing sisters. We’ve descended on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to sew, laugh, eat, sleep, and repeat for 4+ glorious days as we sew to our hearts’ content. And yes, we talk about fabric, patterns, and sewing all weekend long!

As we say here at retreat (a new moniker for us), there are Quilt Quitters and Quilt Finishers. Here’s what I mean. Several weeks ago, a woman I know in Crofton contacted me about a lot of fabric she came into possession of (she is NOT a quilter, but knows me) that needs to be donated to anyone who would like more fabric. All my sewing sisters have a lot of fabric and enormous stashes, but I told “Clare” to bring all the fabric over, and I’d not only take a look, but also donate/share it around to my bee and quilt guild at our next meetings.

Sew, I opened a few tubs to check out the offerings and came away with a few projects to finish. I finished two of the unfinished projects with (12) - 12.5" blocks today. I started calling the offerings/stashes from at least three quilters - The Quitters (they never finished what they started, all in jest, mind you). The fabrics and blocks given free of charge were excellent, squared up, and the sewist(s) used judgment and sense of color in their sampler blocks. The quilts will eventually be donated to my guild’s Bingo next year.

Our Florida and Arizona contingencies immediately like the moniker of this donated fabric stash: The Quitters, and plan to use it when they return it to their home guilds. I think it’s better than “The Dead Lady’s Fabric,” which we also frequently use when our bees and guilds get families wanting their loved one’s stash to go to good homes.

Oh, and we eat well! The 11 of us had previously signed up leading up to the weekend, so our meal planning and prep are seamless. Dinner was perfect today—Maryland Crabcakes, coleslaw, and another side. I was a sous chef yesterday, and we had breakfast for dinner (I was responsible for the huge fruit salad!).

The soothing sounds of our voices and sewing machines are the salve for our ‘quilt weekend therapy.’

bSoleille!

Terri

Photos: The Sewing Sisters Shoe Box Swap: Deb Hoppe, Debbi Carter, Marjarie Mulla, Deb Johnson, Carrie Casto, Mary Nielsen, Susie Stevenson, Janet McCabe, Jane McKinley, and me. Our 12th member, Jaqui, is a national quilt show in Paducah, KY