Saturday, February 26, 2011

Back from Winter Quilt Camp 2011



I worked on this Oceanica panel. I fell in love with this line of fabrics by Julie Paschkis for In the Beginning Fabrics. I saw the kit (panel with supporting fabrics and pattern) at The Fabric Quarter in California, and just couldn't pass it up. They don't seem to carry it any more. I purchased it last October, thinking these lovelies would disappear fast. You'd be able to re-create it with the fabrics and this pattern. The top is done. It still needs to be quilted ... I'll let that simmer a while.


Project 2 : I got the reds cut and strip sets sewn for Unca Ray's Barn Red Quilt. I had in mind the barn reds coupled with a dark gray, weathered barn wood colored fabric. However, everyone I consulted on color pushed me towards this earthy brown. Since it's not what I originally had in mind, I'm not quite sure I like it or not. I also need to remember that this quilt is not for me, but for my Unca Ray who will like the earthy browns.

In the photo above, that one polka dot strip looks pink. I assure you, it's not pink in real life. More of a brick brown. I wouldn't put pink a man's quilt!

This is the pattern :

Band Together by Weeks Ringle and her husband Bill Kerr of Fun Quilts. The pattern was published in American Patchwork & Quilting in February 2010.


Sunset over frozen Mission Lake, in Hatley, WI. Waypost Camp. Sara, the camp Director is great! Not only did she take excellent care of us, she even quilted with us for a few hours.

Dinner on Saturday night : Chicken stuffed with spinach and mushrooms. It was delicious! I'll see if I can find the recipe ... The food is real, made fresh for us. Not poured out of freezer boxes. Another reason I appreciate Sara's hospitality.

We had to leave early on Sunday morning due to another winter storm that dropped 10 inches of snow on us later that day. Sarah said we were welcome to spend another night there, if we so desired.

For those of you who don't consider yourselves political, you may want to tune out now. I will say that things got a little tense last weekend. I was there with my mom, and 4 teachers from my old high school. My Dad is also a retired teacher, and my mom a Public Health Nurse. These are some of the very people who will be affected by our union-busting governor's bogus budget repair bill. If you've heard about the protests in Wisconsin, this is what it's about. Gov'r wants to kill collective bargaining for public employees. Of course, we're all concerned. It's an assault on the middle class. These are people who work hard for their money, and spend money in their local economies, and pay taxes. Several of the teachers are married to policeman or fireman, 2 groups pardoned from the union-busting bill this time around. Though we were on retreat, we were all waiting to hear if there had been any progress on the protests or the governor being willing to negotiate. Have you ever heard of a politician NOT willing to compromise? That's who we got for Governor in WI. And now 1 week later, we're still waiting for a resolution ... Life will never be the same if this goes through. Think of it this way : If their disposable incomes disappear, so will the quilt shops and restaraunts and the local businesses they support. This is not a pro-business plan.

One woman at the table across from us said, "I don't consider myself to be political, but even I can tell this plan is just plain wrong!"

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