Fabulous Fall Fibre Fest in Awesome Amherst

My friend Gail and I are home from the Fall Fibre Fest in Amherst Nova Scotia. This was a first for both of us; we had each planned to attend last year but circumstances prevented, so we were pleased to get there this year. I feel  a connection to Amherst as my maternal grandmother was born and brought up there and my Mother was born there. My great-grandmother was a Pugsley- an old Amherst surname. As well Gail and I have a blogging friend there- Karen Neary, quilter and pattern designer extraordinaire and we were anxious to reconnect with her. I have never spent any significant time there, so was looking forward to having  a bit of a "look around"... It's a lovely little town and it was a-hoppin' with fibre enthusiasts. Gail and I were both anxious to take in as much as we could in our day and a half. We hit the ground runnin'...

First up was Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium, the headquarters of Fibre Fest, as we knew that's where we would find wildflower honey from the Neary Apiary, number one on our shopping list. (I had toast and honey for lunch yesterday- it was soooo good. I'm sure Winnie the Pooh would be envious...) Since the weather was threatening rain, we decided that the Fibre Walk would be our priority for the day. This is a self-guided walking tour in the downtown area to see the work of 17 local Fibre Artists displayed in windows and storefronts. We especially enjoyed the heirloom christening gowns by Celina White in the windows of Pugsley's Pharmacy (above), and the exquisite needlework of Mary Farrow Sinclair at Shear Impressions (left). In addition, we saw beautiful quilts, hooked rugs, felting and fur bears.

 The noonhour found us in a full house at the Tantramar Theatre for the Brown Bag Theatre performance of Knit Picker. Well  known local playwright Rev. Don Miller did it again, coming up with characters and a story that "hit the nail right on the head"... I think he must have an "in" to be able to so accurately portray the recognizable habits and quirks of  those of us who are fibre enthusiasts. I'm sure the continual laughter was because we all could see ourselves and/or our friends in those onstage. Laughter is, indeed, "good medicine"....
We ended off the afternoon by visiting our friend Karen and her very own quilt show. It was a thrill to see all of her quilts together in one space, after viewing some of them on her blog. I think her New York Beauties are my favourites. I definitely have a NYB on my "to do" list. Congrats Karen, on a lovely Show! Hope you had LOTS of visitors. At right above is "Farrago", one of my favs.
We topped off the day by meeting up with our friend Carole for dinner at the Marshlands Inn in nearby Sackville. We enjoyed a beautiful meal in elegant surroundings - a perfect end to the day. The Marshlands is one of Canada's most well known Inns. Built in 1854, and furnished with beautiful antiques it has been listed in Where To Eat In Canada for over 25 consecutive years... need I say more?
On Friday our focus was the Quilt Shows. There were two shows, both by the local Guilds and both were beautifully displayed in the sanctuaries of local churches. Of course that meant the lighting was not terribly bright, so my photos are not great exposure-wise, but I think they will give you a good idea of the wonderful variety and the many talents of the Amherst quilters. We enjoyed a leisurely perusal of both shows and chatted with a few of the local quilters.

 Our Fibre Fest experience ended with a visit to Don Miller's home for his Birdhouse Show and Sale. Yes this is the same Rev. Don Miller who writes the entertaining plays, and his wonderful humour is evident in his whimsical birdhouses as well. Even the "regular" houses were humourous, as he recycles and re-purposes many ordinary or antique items for use on the houses, but his "corkers" were just too funny! Visit his Facebook page to meet all the corkers. It's worth the visit, and I guarantee you'll chuckle as you read their stories. Each "Corker character" has their own story. He's called them corkers because their noses are corks or pegs which can be removed to turn them into a "habitable" birdhouse. Gail and I each bought a birdhouse - who could resist? Here I am with Don and my new birdhouse- it was SO hard to pick just one - there were at least 10 that I really liked...  Guess I'll have to return.... Thanks Amherst for an awesome Fibre Fest!!
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention the Zonta BaZaar
on Friday! It is a marvelous shopping experience for anyone who is "into" fibre- yarns galore, knitted goods, felted items, and many other handcrafted items. Ooooh yes, WELL worth a visit...

Peace,
Linda

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves...
for they will never cease to be amused.

Fall is here...

Despite the remaining few flowers in my perennial beds, shown on my previous post, Fall is definitely here. The days are getting shorter, (darn it!) and the temps are cooling down. We were lucky with beautiful warm weather on Thanksgiving weekend, but that is behind us now. I am still busy with outdoor work to be done; I dug out most of my carrots today, still have a half row more to get. After that there's not much left in the garden other than a few remaining beets and some weeds. I'll get it tilled up soon, and then it will lie in wait for spring to come.
No sewing happenin' here this week; I've been busy the last few days with boring stuff like making turkey soup, errands and laundry- all stuff you have to get done before going away. I'm off tomorrow to Amherst for my first ever visit to the Amherst Fibre Fest. You can read all about the exciting events here.  I think it's going to be a blast. I'll be sure to post some pics when we get back.
I did finish an excellent book last night (at 1:30a.m. - just couldn't go to bed until I reached the end and "solved the mystery"). I highly recommend The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I read another of hers a month ago - The House at Riverton - I liked this one much better. A great story with lots of suspense - check it out!

Just have to share  one more photo with you this evening. As the moon rose tonight, it truly looked like the "harvest moon"- large and orangey. (actually I guess the Harvest moon was in September and this is known as the Hunter's Moon).  It was so beautiful, I ran back in to get my camera and walked about a hundred feet down the street where I could get a photo between the trees on the golf course. With a long lens on, it really brought the view of the north end of our city bridge much closer (it is several miles away). It is not a perfect photo, but I knew by the time I ran back to get my tripod, the moon would be under cloud. It was casting an orange glow on the light cloud just above it- I guess you'll have to trust me when I tell you it was almost magical-looking. And several minutes later, it was totally obscured by cloud...

Peace,
Linda

Reach for the moon. If you fall short, you might land on a star.

Last Blooms of Summer... Happy Thanksgiving!!

It feels like summer this weekend! How blessed we have been to have such a wonderful warm Thanksgiving weekend - it's been sunny and unseasonably warm each day- almost too hot for cooking the turkey! Hard to believe Laura drove through snow on the Cobequid Pass on Thursday night!! Yesterday reached around 25Celcius and I was baking apple pie, rolls and then my turkey! But I'm NOT complaining. No sirree... not me. I'd be happy to have this nice weather continue right up until about Dec. 23. But that won't happen, I'm quite sure.

I've been spending some time outside trying to get the fall cleanup in the garden underway. Yesterday I dumped some planters, pulled all the remaining frost-withered cucumber plants, dug out some tender bulbs, etc. This afternoon I'm starting to pull out the annuals that have been touched by the frost and I'll cut all my Chinese Lanterns. I don't have many blooms left but thought you might like to see a few last flowers- the bees and wasps were having a feast yesterday... I guess it was their version of turkey dinner..?
It's been great having Laura home for a few days. We have eaten well - turkey dinner last night, and the night before we had a wonderful barbeque with our friends Donna and Pierre at the lake. Mark has golfed three days in a row, enjoying the sunshine and trying hard to break 80. Saturday he shot 81, yesterday it was 80 so maybe today it'll be a 79!

Peace,
Linda

May the bounty of the season fill your heart and your home. Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn Medley

Just a quick post this evening to share with you a  photo of my latest stitching finish. This cute little fall piece is for Laura for her apartment. She is on her way home tonight for the long weekend, and I'll surprise her with it as she has not seen it. I hope she likes it. It was fairly quick and easy; the pattern is called Autumn Medley, by Heart in Hand Needleart. I think I just might do one for myself as well! The finished (framed) size is 5.25" by 13.75". The design size is 2" by 10.75". Once I get mine done, the pattern is up for grabs. If you're interested let me know.

Peace,
Linda

"Autumn truly is what summer pretends to be: the best of all seasons."
~ Gregg Easterbrook

Busy as a Squirrel

We've had a few days of overcast and rainy weather. I chuckled as I watched this squirrel yesterday, sitting in the apple tree munching on an apple. He was holding his tail right up over his back- I wonder if his back was cold? They are cute to watch. Nothing more than rats with pretty tails, but cute none the less... I feel like a squirrel some days- scurrying around with what seems like too much to get done...
I'm off tomorrow to Woodstock again for another class. I'm all packed and ready, and soon off to bed.
I do have the borders on my ShooFly but it's still waiting to be quilted. I'm happy with my final decision on the border fabrics. You'll see it soon... I will have another "finish" to show you tomorrow though...

Peace
Linda

The Squirrel

These are the brown leaves fluttering down.
This is the tall tree bare and brown.
This is the squirrel with eyes so bright
Hunting for nuts with all his might.
This is the hole where day by day
Nut after nut he stores away.
When winter comes with its cold and storm
He'll sleep curled up all snug and warm.

Shoo Fly, don't bother me...

Wasn't that the first line of a song? I remember that from long ago..."Shoo fly don't bother me" (repeated 3 times), then "I belong to somebody..."
Here is my little ShooFly, minus borders. Each time I teach a Miniatures class, I try to have at least one new Miniature done. I decided I really should do up a few fairly simple ones that aren't too teeny, as "possibilities" for the students to try. (I let them choose their own project in this class.) So I will finish this one up, with borders and some fairly simple quilting. I think I'll also do a small Churn Dash and maybe another one or two.. eventually... I give the students a list of fairly simple blocks that I suggest they choose from, so I really should have a few little quilts to go along with that "possible block choices" list. So I'll work away at that over the winter...
These blocks are 2.25" finished size. The HST's are 3/4 " and I used Thangles to do them. I've been debating over what to do for borders. I have a border print that I thought I might use, but still not sure it's the look I want. I hope to finish this up this week so I'll be sure to show you a photo when it's done, don't worry. What are you working on these days?

Peace,
Linda

"Be what you are.  This is the first step toward becoming better than you are." ~ Julius Charles Hart

Long week, wet weekend...

This seemed to be a looong week, and I am tired! But I have accomplished a good deal, so it's all worth it. My teaching travels have begun again, with two classes this week, both out of town. On Thursday I did a Miniatures class for a great group of gals at a private home, upriver. We had such fun and I think I may have created a few new Miniature addicts like myself! lol Thanks Kathy and to all the group, for a fun day. I have about six new "Miniature wanna-do's" swimming around in my head now.. just what I needed  - more to add to the growing list!  :0)
Today I taught a Fundamentals class for the Woodstock Guild- again a great group of keen ladies. It was a good day, and other than my annoying cough, I think it went well. Thanks Ladies, for a great day! Two down, three to go. As you probably know, I'm a nighthawk and NOT a "bounce out of bed at an early hour" type, so being on the highway before 7:45a.m. is a bit of a stretch for me!! Thank God for the radio to keep me awake...
I have no photos tonight, but promise a few tomorrow. I have finished my Autumn stitchery piece- you may not see it until it's framed (next week). I have the blocks sashed and together on the latest Miniature - it's a Shoo-Fly. I promise you a pic tomorrow, whether I get the borders on or not. In fact I may be looking for some opinions... Other accomplishments this week are not significant, but feel good, nonetheless. Things like a big batch of Turkey Soup and lots of stewed tomaters  in the freezer. Yummmm...
Oops - almost forgot to tell you, in case you were waiting with baited breath - Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gown is NOT in town, as we were led to believe. What we did see on Wednesday afternoon was the current exhibit of Royal portraits, and one small sample of the embroidery that was on her gown. It was framed and not much bigger than 8"x10". The designer, Hartnell, did a number of samples for  Elizabeth's approval during the design process and it was one of these that we saw. You might be interested in visiting my friend Susan's blog - Plays with Needles - here - she did a lovely writeup a while back on the coronation gown, while she was making a "Queen" herself. Do go have a look and see the 3500 hours worth of embroidery, done by the Royal School of Needlework. The sample that she shows in that post is the one we saw, I believe, or very close to it.... It was spectacular, and very interesting to see, but a bit disappointing I must say, when we thought we were going to see the entire gown!!!   :(
I'm being totally lazy tonight, lounging on the couch with a good book - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. My quote below is a line I read about an hour ago - loved it... Okay, gotta go! Kate Morton is calling me back...

Peace,
Linda

"The happiest folk are those that are busy, for their minds are starved of time to seek out woe."
~ Kate Morton in The Forgotten Garden

"You say To-may-to...

..and I say To-mah-to".. Isn't that how the song goes? Well anyway, I'm (happily) up to my eyeballs in tomatoes today. My garden crop was a total failure- lost them all to blight. I don't think I got more than a half dozen good tomatoes this year- the rest turned black and rotted in a very short time. How frustrating after nursing them along all summer. So I purchased a 22 pound box from my favourite friendly farmer at the Market on Saturday. I made one more batch of Ratatouille and am stewing and freezing the rest today. I love having a good supply of tomatoes on hand in the freezer- I use them all year long, for spaghetti sauce, chili, salsa, etc. Your own "home grown"  just taste SOO much better than those from a can... (If any of my local readers should happen to know of someone with an excess of garden tomatoes that they're trying to get rid of.. PLEASE let me know.   :)
I'm also busy gearing up for another "teaching season". I have six classes scheduled  for this fall, all out of town. Three are within the next 10 days, all different. So, that takes some prep time plus I'm trying to get one more Miniature done, since the class this Thursday is on Miniatures. I will have the top done, but it won't be quilted - I'll have to take it as a "flimsy". You'll see it in another day or two. I'm just sashing the blocks now...
In the evenings when I finally sit down, I'm stitching away on a new little Autumn piece- it's nearing completion too.
Last night was our first Embroiderers' Guild meeting, and tomorrow we are fortunate to go on a tour at our local Beaverbrook Art Gallery. As well as seeing the gallery's collection of tapestries, needlepoint and other embroidery-related exhibit pieces, we will be able to see Queen Elizabeth's coronation gown!! You can be sure I'll be taking some photos, IF they are allowed. Stay tuned....

Peace,
Linda

Gardeners are down to earth.

Spiced Apple Jelly Recipe

Several readers asked for the Apple Jelly recipe, so here you go. First, I should tell you that jelly is a rather finicky thing to make, so if you have never tried jelly before, I strongly recommend doing it with an experienced jelly-maker for the first time or two, as it is something that's hard to do just from written instructions. Much better to have someone "show you" - especially when it comes to knowing when the juice has cooked long enough and is ready for bottling. I speak from experience - I have undercooked and overcooked, it can be hard to get it "just right".
This is an old family recipe- from my Grandmother Kelly. Her name was Lil, short for Lillian. I barely remember her- the only thing I can clearly remember is that she always kept maple buds (chocolate candy) on the top shelf in her kitchen cupboard, for treating her grandchildren. And she was a great cook! Funny what kids remember, eh?
Of course you will need a jelly bag- you can purchase a stand with a bag to use, or you can make your own from unbleached muslin or an old pillowcase which is what I did. Choose a clean pillowcase you no longer use, but make sure the fabric is still strong and it has NO holes. I simply cut several slits in the hemmed end, and threaded through a strong string or cord- I actually used a length of double fold bias tape - the length you need will be determined by where you are going to hang your bag, and how high it will need to be. I hang mine in the basement from a nail driven in a floor joist, and the large bowl under it sits on top of my freezer. It's out of the way and can hang undisturbed for a day or two. It would be wise to figure out where you will hang your jelly bag before you begin, and make your drawstring ties the appropriate length.

Lil's Spiced Apple Jelly:

Ingredients: Apples or crabapples or a combination of both - firm, not too ripe
water and white vinegar
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
1 Tblsp. whole cloves
white sugar

I usually use a combination of crabapples and apples. I try to find crabs with nice red skins, so I get good red color. This year I picked up a 3 litre basket at the farmer's market. I add at least 10-12 large apples, usually Paula Reds or Macs- again, I choose apples with nice red skins if possible. The ripeness of the fruit is important- they cannot be under-ripe or over-ripe. (Degree of ripeness affects the level of pectin in the fruit- VERY important when making jelly as pectin is what makes it gel.) I usually make an apple pie the same day (Gravensteins) and I add those peels and cores with seeds to the apple mixture as well, ensuring I will have lots of pectin.
Wash the apples and crabs, and cut up into your stockpot. Remove stem and blossom end, but use everything else- leave skins on and core and seeds go into the pot as well. The small crabs I just cut in half- the large apples I cut into eighths.  Add equal amounts of water and white vinegar until you can just see the liquid through the apples. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring to a boil, then boil gently until all apple pieces are softened, stirring often to prevent scorching on the bottom. Do not overcook. Wet your jelly bag and wring out, place it in bowl you will use to catch the juice. Ladle or pour the hot apple mixture into your jelly bag, (juice will start to run through bag immediately) and hang to drip overnight. (it is really great to have a second pair of hands to help you hang your bag as it will be HOT!!) Use the largest bowl you own to catch all that beautiful red juice.
Day Two: (My Mum always told me- never boil jelly on a rainy day- wait for a dry day, so you can store the juice in refrigerator for a few days, if need be, while you wait for a dry day.) Wash and prepare your bottles for sterilizing. I use 250 ml. (1 cup) jelly jars, the type with sealer caps and rings. See photo with Sept. 21 post. Take down your jelly bag, being careful not to dip it into the juice. (I put all the "apple mash" into my compost pile.) Measure the juice exactly and place in large pot or stockpot. (If you have a good amount of juice, divide it into two batches- don't boil more than about 5 cups of juice at a time- otherwise it takes too long.) Measure an equal amount of white sugar- place into another large bowl and put in your oven at 200-225F to warm. Bring juice to a full rolling boil and time for 8 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms. After 8 minutes add the warmed sugar, stirring well. Place bottles in oven to sterilize. Return juice to full rolling boil, continuing to skim off any foam. Knowing when it is done is the crucial ( and tricky!) part. I do not use a thermometer although  I am considering getting one. Consulting an experienced jelly-maker at this point would be invaluable..... I use the "drops from the spoon" test: at first the drip from your spoon will be light and syrupy - running in one drop. As it cooks and thickens, it will eventually form two drops along the edge of the spoon. When those two drops come together and fall as a single drop, it is done! [ The required cooking time will vary depending on the type of fruit used, the amount of pectin (degree of ripeness), the amount of sugar and the amount of juice you are cooking (more juice = longer time). It may range from 8 - 30 minutes.]
Remove hot bottles from oven and fill with the hot juice, to within 1/2 " of top. I place a metal spoon in the bottle to absorb some of the heat, as I fill each bottle. I seal my jelly with paraffin wax, then top with the sealer tops and rings. Let sit until completely cool - I actually let them sit in the same spot for at least a day, before storing in the coldroom. Good Luck!

Peace,
Linda

"The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living."
~Dione Lucas

Teeny Tiny Twister

Here it is- finally finished! It's a teeny tiny Twister. It measures 6" x 7.5". My buddy Sue bought both sizes of the  Twister templates, and tried them out, using the smaller size. When she finished I asked her for the leftover "bits" so I could try doing a miniature version of hers. I wanted to challenge myself to see how small I could go - the finished blocks are slightly under 3/4 ".
Twisters are a lot of fun. The templates are very easy to use- you sew either 5" or 10" squares together, then use the template to cut out the twister blocks. I am working on one now for a Community Projects quilt for Guild- it will go to the Neonatal unit at our local hospital. I just cut a variety of pink prints - for someone's precious baby girl, and will do one in blues as well. It's a fun quick project.

Peace
Linda

Sewing mends the soul.

Apple Jelly...yummm

Today was a beautiful day- sunny and warm, and I really wanted to spend the entire day outside working in the garden. It's time to start cutting things down and getting ready for wi... oh, I can't say that word!! You know what I mean - that cold season that will soon be upon us... But instead I stayed indoors and bottled my apple jelly this afternoon. The next few days will supposedly be rainy and my Mother always said you should boil jelly on a dry day, so I decided today was the day! I think of my Mum most days, but I always think of her and wish she was here each and every time I make jelly. I just wish she was here to consult- have I cooked it long enough? A little longer? It's always a tough call. Not long enough and it won't be properly gelled. Too long and it will be gummy - I did that once- it wasn't pretty! Just like rubber! I nearly cried.
Anyway, here it is- done for another year. Fourteen bottles. I just did a single batch this year- I think I did a double batch last year and still have some left. This jelly, my paternal grandmother's recipe, is an old Kelly family favourite. Whereas most people like cranberries with their turkey or roast chicken, in my family, we have this Spiced Apple Jelly. If there is no jelly, well there's just no sense in having turkey or chicken. It just won't taste the same! So I make it now that Mum's gone, and give some to my brothers. I use a combination of crabapples, apples, spices (cinnamon sticks and whole cloves) and I usually make an apple pie the same day so I can throw in the peels and cores from the Gravensteins as well - that way I am sure there will be lots of pectin. This batch is a gorgeous ruby red color- a deeper red than this photo suggests.
Tomorrow I'm spending some time in the studio, finishing up a very small miniature quilt. Stay tuned!

Peace
Linda

"Autumn...makes a double demand. It asks that we prepare for the future--that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go--to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness."
~ Bonaro W. Overstreet

A Few Finishes Feel Fine!

Framed piece is about 5" by 8"

Don't you love seeing projects through to completion? Whether it's a batch of pickles (finished my 14 day crock pickles this week) or a quilt or piece of needlework - it just feels good to be able to cross them off the list!
I have had several small pieces laying around a long while, waiting for me to get them to the framer. When hubby had something he needed framed quickly last week, for a gift, I rounded up some of my pieces and took them along. So here they are - two pieces of cross stitch and two H'mong applique. You may remember me showing the first H'mong piece before here, I was trying to decide whether to border it and frame it, make it into a pillow, or whatever.. I finally decided there was so much "motion" in the piece that it just needed a simple treatment, so I chose a simple black molding for both. These incredible appliques are done by the H'mong women of the Golden Triangle- an area of northern Thailand where it meets Burma and Laos. They call these works pa'ndau, pronounced "pan dow", often translated as "flower cloth" - a style of reverse applique that decorates many items used by

Framed piece is 7" by 8.5"

 traditional H'mong families. The H'mong people have no written language, so rituals and artistry have been vital in
keeping their culture alive. Extraordinary needlework has long been a part of that culture. H'mong girls traditionally begin to learn the stitches for pa'ndau embroidery as young as five years old! (info from Tammachat website and blog here. Tammachat is a Nova Scotia business run by Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase. They import high quality fairly traded environmentally friendly handcrafted textiles from women artisans in Thailand and Laos. Imagine my delight, when reading back through their travel blog, I found mention of  Laurie Swim! How serendipitous! Ellen and Alleson had presented Panmai weavers in northeastern Thailand with one of Laurie's photo cards. They had previously taken several Panmai weavers to Laurie's website to show them why we cut up their beautiful silks into small pieces- for art quilts! )

Framed piece is 9.75" by 10"

I purchased the second pa'ndau this past summer in the Merchant's Mall at Maine Quilts. The workmanship on these pieces is amazing- below is a  photo of the back side. Their stitches are tiny and oh so neat and even! I'd love to know what size needles they use???!!
I am amazed at the precision and perfection of this applique- the very narrow strips of fabric (about 1/8" on this first piece) are so even and straight. I couldn't do this if my life depended on it! Wow!
And the second piece, below, is equally impressive- look at the smoothness of those curves, and again the consistency of the width of the pieces. I'd love to meet the ladies who did these...and know how many years they have been doing this wonderful work...
And you just know they are not working with Ott lights and John James needles....

Framed piece is 10.5" square

Piece,
Linda

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." ~ John Quincy Adams

Class with Laurie

Laurie Swim was born and brought up in Lockeport, Nova Scotia. She has worked as an artist for more than 40 years, honing her skills and developing techniques specific to her landscape/pictorial wall quilts. I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend two days learning from her and soaking up her tips and techniques.
Laurie offers workshops to students of intermediate level and beyond. I must admit I went with fairly low expectations for myself - landscape quilts are not really my thing. I did not want to have to try to "create a masterpiece" - you know how that just works much better in your own familiar surroundings. In a class you are always wishing you had brought those other fabrics or whatever... I wanted to just learn some of Laurie's techniques and work on small samples.
As we neared Lunenburg a message came through on the Blackberry that there was a change of venue - we would be in Laurie's studio rather than the previously arranged Lunenburg Academy. I immediately said to the other two gals- "Maybe it will be just the three of us! How great would THAT be!" And I was right!! We had Laurie all to ourselves for two whole days. Her studio is upstairs over her inspiring Gallery (a MUST VISIT if you are EVER in Lunenburg). The view is inspiring, looking out on Front Harbour and over to the golf course- we all wondered how she ever gets work done with such a "distraction" right in front of her. I find a view of the water is mesmorizing.. I could watch it all day long...

Anyway, we had a wonderful two days- doing just exactly what I had wished for - learning new techniques and making small samples. We painted skies and water, made cobweb lace, we learned Laurie's trick for easy applique, her finishing techniques and more. Laurie was warm and welcoming, supportive and helpful, and happy to answer our every question. Her class was well paced and organized and we appreciated her notes and the prep she had done for us. Thanks Laurie, it was wonderful!!
You can visit Laurie's website here . Be sure to have a look at her quilts, notecards and her latest book  Rags to Riches- The Quilt as Art. Laurie's quilts can be found in many public and private collections, as well as in her own Gallery at 138 Lincoln Street in Lunenburg. She has also been very involved in initiating and carrying out the "building" of a number of large scale "community quilts" created with the help of volunteers. These large pieces have been done as memorials and historical records, some addressing social issues such as workplace safety.
Breaking Ground, The Hogg's Hollow Disaster, 1960 measures seven feet by twenty feet and is permanently installed in the York Mills subway station in Toronto. It is a tribute to five Italian immigrant workers who lost their lives while digging a tunnel for a water main

Left - Right,  Sue, Laurie, Marty and I

under the Don River in northern Toronto. I will definitely be making a trip to see it next time I'm in Toronto. The Canadian Young Workers Memorial Quilt is a memorial to 100 young workers, aged 15-24, killed on the job. It was completed in 2003 and measures nine feet by eighteen feet. We felt a connection to Laurie because of her work on this quilt, as one of the young people commemorated on it is my buddy Sue's niece, TerriLynn Stewart.
If you are looking for a special workshop set in a magical little town by the ocean - this is it! Get in touch with Laurie and book your spot. Alternately, Laurie is on the teaching faculty when Quilt Canada 2012 comes to Halifax N.S. next spring. You can see more info on that here.
Just down the road several miles from Lunenburg is a picturesque little spot known as Blue Rocks. I'll leave you with these last few photos taken there. Is it any wonder I love Nova Scotia? I can't wait to return to Lunenburg and just spend several days doing nothing but photography... and maybe eating a little seafood, of course... (Okay, that's not a maybe, that's a definite...)

Piece,
Linda

Near the sea, we forget to count the days.