Friday, January 23, 2015

Quick Picnic Quilt


It's Finish It Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts, and boy, do I have a finish for you!


This was originally a Quilt for Sarah. Sarah passed away this last Memorial Day. She is sorely missed! But this isn't a post about missing and sadness. This is a post about celebration and remembrance. A sharing among friends. Friends near and far, here and gone, but never absent.
This last week, I attended a retreat with my quilting ladies, the Gold Stitchers. It is always so lovely to get together for a long spell of stories and sharing. So come on in and join us!


Check out this splendid runner that Donna is making! Precious!! She's inventing it as she goes along. I mean really, people are amazing!!


Do you think she will adopt me?? I would really like that!


And Susan just has such a way with color!!! Everything, I mean EVERYTHING she makes is just wonderful! 


And Cleary has organized a drive for small quilts to go to hospice and pediatrics at our local hospital in honor of one of our ladies whose husband just passed away very suddenly and wrenchingly. The hospital staff were wonderful and the ladies just feel that anything they can do to make someone's day just a little bit better is the least we can do to thank them, and the world. Isn't Cleary something else?!! She has also arranged artisan days at the library wherein the library show a movie, and have a demonstration or display involving local artists. One of Susan's quilts is on display right now, and the Bee-Inspired Quilt and one from Rebecca Cleaver (@Cleaverr) will be on display soon. How cool is that?! You go, Cleary!

Whenever we go on retreat there are always visits to local quilt shops...

And little gifts left surreptitiously in the night

And a visit from Julia (said with your worst French accent and a pinkie in the air!)

And discussion about when we are going to make our own Calendar Girls calendar... and exactly what we are going to wear...

And fabulous Eats. Oh the EATS!!!

And Stories!! Stories of this and that, travels and triumphs, good times and bad... and stories you never knew about such as this one about the Northern Lights...
No S**t, there she was...! So, Ally is a Kiwi. There are lots of Kiwis in Alaska, I think it must be the splendor and the wanderlust. I love hearing Ally's stories of the Alaska that was here when she first arrived some 30-odd years ago... 
So Ally and her mate were driving up the AlCan (unpaved), and approaching Dawson City. Now, Ally tells me that a Kiwi just cannot resist a road less travelled or a secret byway beckoning (handy to know if you ever want to catch one!), so she and her bud turned off the highway and onto a narrow track leading out into the back of beyond. Several miles later, they came upon a large creek, a lone gold miner, and a dog. The creek was Eureka Creek, the miner is still a friend, and the dog, well, that's another story. So there are Ally and her mate, and the dog and the miner and a whole lotta nothing around, and he asks them if they would stay to help him protect the gold claim, and watch the sluice. A sluice is used to wash down the tailings from that day's digging in the creek. A section of the creek is dammed off, filled with water and let sit. And if you're the guard, you do some sitting too! And some mosquito swatting, and some long hours of thinking and just being, all whilst holding a rifle in case someone decides they need your gold more than you do. You have to watch the sluice and let water out every now and again, or it will overflow and wash your gold right on down the creek to the next guy. And trust me, he does not deserve it. 
So here's Ally, at 3 am or so, sitting out in the Night by herself, fresh from New Zealand and the surf, listening to the wolves and wondering about Bear, when over her head these Massive green and white and red shapes appear and reach down at her, shifting and squirming and growing.... What would you do?? Well, I can tell you, she ran like wildfire, hair streaming behind, to the bunkhouse to wake the guys to save her from the skies!! And so would I! 
Isn't it grand how big the world is, and how many things there are out there that you just don't know exist, or haven't thought of in real life? 

Ally is thinking of making a quilt from this gorgeous selection of indigos and white on white swirls. I think she should, don't you?

And this is the view from out the back door,




And Celebration! A quilt to celebrate friendship, and Sarah, and women in a group, and all that is good and right with the world so long as you have love,




And although we miss our friends when they are not with us, just the thought of them brings us joy,




And when we're together, there is so much laughter and love that you cannot even sew a straight seam!!

So, Cheers!!!
I'm so glad you stopped by! 

XX!
Lori
Here is the Pattern PDF, share it with friends and Enjoy!!



Linking up with:
 IMG_0279.JPG

A Lovely Year of Finishes

Quilting is more fun than Housework


9 comments:

  1. That all sounds so much fun! My sewing is all done at home these days, surrounded by my kids. I really need to find some buddies to quilt with!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How wonderful to have a group of ladies like that to sew with. I love the bright, happy quilt you made with that fun pieced border. Thanks for sharing it (and its story) with Oh Scrap!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful group of friends you have to sew with, Lori! What an adventurous spirit your friend Ally has. Your finished quilt is lovely and bright, I hope you have plans to keep it to remember your friends and good times shared.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fun group! My guild's next retreat is coming up in two weeks. I am looking forward to it and already planning what projects I will take.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fabulous bunch you all are, I don't know you, have never met any of you, live on the other side of the world and I'm sitting here now in front of my pc, in my PJ's with my cup of tea SO wishing I could have joined you! It looks like so much fun and support and sisterhoodness - and you made beautiful things too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I so enjoyed reading your story.. your retreat sounded lovely, a very special time together! Linda p.s.I'm a kiwi too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lookie at the perfect binding!!!
    Love you and the ladies!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am the BOSS of that binding!! Lol! Love back atcha!!

      Delete
  8. Great story about the Northern lights. I didn't know there are lots of Kiwis living in Alaska. I reckon half of the NZ population lives in Australia!

    ReplyDelete