The Five Oaks Retreat is open and ready for your reservations. For information about the retreat house and to see the booking calendar click here --> The Five Oaks Retreat.
Even though we are ready for your visit, there are still some things we want to do in the next several months. Last week there was a lot going on here:
- The studio got some much needed lighting.
- Several contractors came by to give us bids on adding an exterior door and remodeling a bathroom.
- Open house was done.
- Two quilts finished.
New Shop Lighting
Since the shop, which houses the quilt shop and the quilting machine, is a converted garage, there was insufficient lighting. We added a set of 12 LED lights. Each light is 4 feet long. We now have soft, but bright and abundant lighting. It beats going around turning on multiple floor lamps and there are no more shadows!
The company is Barrina LED. The cost was well under $100. Shipping was fast and free. Installation was very easy. I am looking for other places I can put these.
Current Renovations
Some retreaters told us it would be great if they could load/unload through the studio instead of going to the front door. We agree so we are getting bids to add an exterior door closer to the parking area.
Currently, the bathroom in the small bedroom is functional as a half bath. When we update that bathroom and add a shower we will be able to accommodate up to 10 guests. Bids for both of these projects should be coming in this week.
Shop and House Open
Last week was the first week to have the shop open so we decided to add an open house too. We had a good number of customers and people looking to book a retreat. Next week the shop will be open this Thursday from 10 to 2. There will be a demo at 10:30 on how to piece the Winding Ways block.
Two Quilts Finished
Winding Ways Quilt
I used various red and white fabrics and cut them using the Winding Ways die from AccuQuilt. As usual with any project made using AccuQuilt, the process was fast, easy and accurate! Look for a full tutorial in tomorrow's post.
Scrap Tumbler Quilt
This quilt is made from scraps I cut over several months. I used the 3" Finished Multiple Tumbler die from AccuQuilt. This die cuts 3 tumblers in one pass. You can stack up to 6 layers of fabric to cut 18 tumblers in one pass. Great way to use up scraps.
If you like larger tumblers, use these dies from AccuQuilt:
After cutting the pieces, I pieced the quilt using the process shown in the video below:
Happy quilting!
Carol