9/19/2016

CQI Retreat in Kansas City



Arrived home yesterday from the CQI retreat and had a fabulous time.  It has been several years since I had attended a retreat and it was fun to meet new people and even more fun to connect with friends from past retreats... But the biggest treat was to have Lisa Boni as my roommate.  We have been online friends for years and years but somehow have missed being at the same events at the same time... I admire her work so much and she is definitely a sister in spirit.. We had 4 days to talk nonstop and work side by side.




Another friend who goes back to the very first retreat I attended was Connie Kalina.... She has taught herself to make bobbin lace and I couldn't wait to see it in progress.  Here she is giving a lesson to Carol Kramer..   It is an incredibly complex process and the end result is so delicate.

Since I had last seen Connie, she and her husband have taken up mountain climbing and have hiked several over
14,000 feet.












She gave me this small lace frame which I shall treasure and use in a most special project.

The thread is gossamer thin and the pattern is achieved by manipulating  the bobbins again and again in a very specific order.  Much too complex for me but I immensely admire that she was willing to learn.











Another treat was meeting Nancy Taber and giving the button I painted of her dog Brandy.. who is now deceased....  Most of the time special projects just go out in the mail so is was joyful for me to actually hand it to her and see her face light up.







I presented a slide program on making fabric books and had the cottage, corset, Morris and other books with me.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it. 

And an extra bit of serendipity was finding the perfect fabric to use as a base for the anniversary project.  I had a terrible time finding a moire taffeta that would coordinate even when I went to the garment district in LA with Susie a couple years ago.  I finally found a blue online but I was never happy with it... But when the stash dash was going on I saw Cathy Kizarian carrying this pastel green piece of moire that was perfect match and the right size. Being such a sweet person she gave it to me.  The blue was just too intense.   I had pretty much stalled on the project but excited now to finish.  We are leaving for Seaside Oregon on Monday and it is going with me...  Now I have to catch up at home before we leave..


7 comments:

Marilyn said...

Sounds like you had a great time. A retreat is so far out of reach for me but I do love checking out what others share. Have a wonderful time at the coast :)

Marlynne said...

I'm sure that was a fun time! You were close to us1 we live 50
miles south of K.C., Mo. and go up there frequently!

Renee said...

Gerry, thank you so much for sharing! The retreat looks like it was great fun. :) I do hope you have a wonderful time in Seaside! It's only a couple of hours from me. If I did not have to provide transportation to a couple of appointments, I would be very tempted to visit Seaside just for the off-chance of bumping into you. Have a great time!

margaret said...

what a great time you had and linking up with so many like minded stitchers must have been wonderful

Rengin Yazitas said...

Gerry, thank so much for sharing all those details. I thought I was there with you all. What a nice to be meet with online friends at these retreats.
Best wishes from Istanbul,
Rengin

Lisa Boni said...

I always enjoy the retreats, but this year was special because of the amour of time we got to spend together! Loved meeting you in person after all these years! Have a fabulous time in Seaside!

gocrazywithme said...

Thanks for posting about the retreat. Since I haven't been in years, it's fun to live vicariously through photos!

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