Fabric bowls at STITCH retreat

I just got back from our very first STITCH retreat on Whidbey Island, WA, where some of us churned out these coiled fabric bowls. The retreat was fabulous, fun, inspirational, colorful, and comforting, but today I'll just focus on the bowls because I want to link them up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

Linda -- at the machine -- has been teaching how to make these bowls for years. She's the one who taught me a few years ago and I've been blogging about them and selling them and giving them as gifts ever since. But Carol (left) and Barbara were bowl newbies.

Here's Carol's first bowl as it progresses. She used a Washington Shop Hop bird fabric, but in some places she left the blue and white cording show because it goes so well with the fabric.

Here are a few starting to pile up. That's teacher's on the bottom with the handles. Speaking of piling up, look at those beautiful soft piles of sunset clouds over the water that we could see from our sewing area. Talk about color inspiration!

Here's the beginning of my bowl, which I made from a few batiks that my friend Sheila the Idaho Beauty gave me. Thanks Sheila! (Sheila is seeking advice on a quilt she's working on, if you want to stop over and throw in your two cents.)

Delaine's bowl reminds me of a garden, like our host, Anne's, garden. Anne was beyond generous and so gracious in offering the nine of us the run of her house for four days. (There are 12 of us in our art quilt group, but three couldn't make it.)
 

That's my blue bowl on the left and Linda's orange one on the right. Complementary colors and complementary personalities. I love being around Linda because she's so sassy (in a good way) and confident, and I tend to be too timid and cautious, so she gives me a needed confidence boost. 

Here's a bowl of another type -- one of Anne's gorgeous pottery bowls. We took turns making meals, and here Linda is making chicken salad for lunch. We had SO much food and it was all SO good and I gained two pounds but it was SO worth it!

I'll write more later about the retreat, but for now, hop on over to Nina Marie's blog and see what other fiber artists have been up to this week. http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/2013/05/off-wall-friday.html

Have a colorful day