The Raffle Quilt is Finished!

The 2011 Hawks Aloft raffle quilt is completely finished. Michele Hymel did the spectacular quilting and Donna Barnitz applied the binding. It looks just beautiful! I hope you can see some of the intricate quilting in this photo. Because of the southwestern design of the quilt we decided not to do our usual feathery quilting and instead did geometric and southwestern style quilting. We debuted the quilt at the Monte Vista Colorado Festival of the Cranes and sold a bunch of raffle tickets. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. If you wish to purchase tickets, please send me a check made out to Hawks Aloft and mail it to me at PO Box 10028, Albuquerque NM 87184. Please be sure to include your name, address and phone number. I will mail you back your filled out ticket stubs. The winning ticket will be drawn at our annual Christmas party in December.

Hawks Aloft Raffle Quilt Retreat 2011

It took a team of 13 makers and three dogs 1 and 1/2 days to make the top for this year's raffle quilt. The design is by yours truly and inspired by my new fascination with Navajo rugs. The 13 humans are Donna Barnitz, Ruth Burstrom, Debbie Caffrey, Ed & Mary Chappelle, Steve Elkins, Mike & Michele Hymel, Anita McSorley, Chellye Porter, Lizzie Roberts, and Sam Sanborn and me.
Each year we retreat to the cabin in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico for a weekend of, not relaxation, but . . .

Sweat Shop Central!

In short order, we got down to business working on the center design.

Mike and Ed are the official cutters.

Ed does double duty as a paper remover. The entire quilt is paper foundation pieced (except for the bird's heads that were appliqued by Anita).

Steve and Lizzie make great sewing partners!

All that paper has to go somewhere!

Laney helps hold down the paper while she guards her favorite toy, a pumpkin, that she never leaves out of sight.

Debbie displays the center diamond.

We started on Friday afternoon and by late Saturday the top was stitched. So, we switched from serious sewing mode to New Mexico relaxation mode with a traditional dinner with the traditional pre-dinner drink -margaritas! It was quite the festive evening.

Sunday morning is a time for sharing stories as we sit in front of the windows, drinking coffee and watching the birds outside.
Pogo, who was attending his first quilt retreat, wasn't so sure about all the people and all the activity, so he took to hiding in the closet.

Shoes and jackets in the mud room, outdoor wear abandoned for inside activity.

Sunday morning after coffee was set aside for a hike to the overlook where the snow was only ankle deep.
Here, Chellye and I pose with the two unwilling dogs, Gabby and Laney. There was so much to do and so little time. Why waste it holding still for a photo!
The view from the overlook of Jemez Springs. We look forward to returning for our 2012 retreat. The quilt has now gone home with Michele Hymel, who has a longarm quilting machine and a very talented quilter! We hope to finish all of it in time for the Monte Vista, CO Festival of the Cranes in mid-March. We'll have raffle tickets very soon.

Hawks Aloft Quilt Retreat 2010

What can 14 ecclectic, diverse indviduals accomplish in one day when focused on a common mission? It all begins with Ed C., the master cutter, and a simple drawing.

Others work on various sections using paper foundation piecing. Here Steve E. and Lizzie R. trim and press.

Ruth B. pins carefully so no points are lost.

Mary C., like Ruth, pins to prevent having to unsew.

Lindsey P. is our youngest quilter.

Sammie S. shows off the border.

Master quilter, Debbie Caffrey shows off 1/2 of the quilt center.

Our supervisor.

The quillt top almost complete.

Ah, the best part of paper foundation piecing, ripping off the paper.

Mike looks on as wife, Michele, sews the final seams.

Ed sweeps up threads and paper scraps.

Success! We have the Hawks Aloft Raffle Quilt 2010. Thanks to the 14 people who shared their weekend to assemble it.

A Quilting We Did Go!

It's that time of year again, time for the 16th annual Hawks Aloft Quilt Retreat. This year we were thrilled to have running water at the cabin, so we could actually really retreat from the big city. Above , you see Michele Hymel stitching the last seams on our quilt top.
As always, Ruth, ably assisted by Sam Sanborn, cooked up a delectable Friday night feast. Sadly, Ruth had to go home early so she missed the Saturday night festivities.
Veteran quilters, Steve Elkins and Patty Phillips, cranked out block after block using foundation piecing techniques.
After a full day of sewing, Quilter Mary Chappelle, takes a break.
We welcomed newcomer, Nancy Cella, to our little group. We liked her a lot, and we hope she will return next year.
Our youngest quilter was Lindsey Porter , age 12. She took to quilting like a duck takes to water.
Our cutting team, Ed Chappelle and Mike Hymel, take an afternoon break.
Oops! Another Lindsey photo!
Master quilter, Anita McSorley held down the fort in the sewing kitchen.
Chellye Porter also learned to quilt and cooked up a fabulous breakfast with her fellow kitchen slave, Lindsey.
In the end, we were 13 strong, the largest group so far! And, we finished the quilt in just over 6 hours, also a record. Shown above, from left to right: Sitting: Patty Phillips, Sam Sanborn, Steve Elkins, Yours Truly with Gabby the dog, and Nancy Cella. Standing: Ed Chappelle, Mary Chappelle, Mike Mymel, Michele Hymel, and Anita McSorley. Not shown: Ruth Burstrom, Chellye Porter and Lindsey Porter.

Now, the quilting begins, but I won't be a part of that for a while. Ed and Mary are layering it, then moving it along to Patty for the anchor quilting. Then, it's off to Michele for more quilting.
Me? Well, I can't quilt right now. I am off to Venezuela along with Sam to search for the world's largest eagle, the Harpy Eagle! Wish me luck!