Jillily's Trellis

Mother Nature delivered rain on Saturday ...

... but guild members arrived early with their own version of sunshine!

We were all happy to be at retreat ...

... and couldn't wait to begin Jill's Trellis design!

We began with piecing ...

... and mastering that perfect 1/4 inch seam!

Pressing tips ...

... Jill provided us with sew much insight by sharing her experiences.

In the afternoon, she demonstrated her applique' techniques.

Hand applique' is intimidating for many members ... Jill removed that fear!

She also demonstrated how to machine applique' turned under pieces ... quilters enjoy having choices!

By evening ... many tops were coming together!

What a wonderful, busy, and productive day!  Jill was such a joy to be around ... lots of learning ... tons of fun!  We all left Saturday evening excited and looking forward to coming the next day!

Jill's Trunk Show!

The fun began Friday evening with a guild potluck!  As always, we enjoyed delicious food that reflects our Cordova lifestyle!

Jill is a very warm and personable quilter ... it was such fun to finally meet her in person!

She also brought along her personal quilt rack husband to assist in displaying her quilts! ;-)

Jill's designs are a playful mix of color, piecing and applique'!

Seeing her quilts live was so inspiring!

Jill shared with us her designing process and we enjoyed the stories behind many of her fabric designs!

She ended her trunk show with quilts that represent how important she feels family and community are!

She organizes a yearly family quilt retreat ...

... she shared examples of round-robin quilts ...

... they were stunning!

It was so inspiring to hear how quilting can be the common thread that ties us to one another.

Jill's quilts inspired us all on so many levels.  But just as important was her ability to remind us that what we do as quilters is important and that the relationships we have with one another is the most valuable part of our quilting lives.  It was a wonderful evening ... we left so excited for the fun to begin on Saturday!