Cove Quilters "Flowers" Challenge #7

For our 7th 12" x 12" challenge Donna chose the theme "Flowers". We could do whatever we wanted, no restrictions as to techniques or design or type of flower. I found this one had, perhaps too many choices? I kept changing my mind. Since we live by the ocean, I decided to use that as my theme and make it a garden of flowers I wish that I could have had.

My April garden, the Daphne is in bloom, the rhubarb is coming, here I am looking out St. Margaret's Bay to Peggy's Cove. Sure wish we didn't have all those power lines!

My "Ocean Garden" machine applique, fused, machine quilted. The rest of the flower challenges can be seen here.

With almost an acre and a half of land, there is lots of room for the garden of my dreams, just wish I was about 30 years younger! Vicki has chosen "Lotsa Dots" as our last challenge - should be fun. I certainly have lots of polka dot fabric to chose from!

Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat 2013

A view of the main room.

The Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat was held at the Atlantica Hotel, Oak Island last weekend. There was well over 200 quilters, knitters, stitchers, tatters, lace makers, spinners and rug hookers there. What a gathering! The noise level when everyone was in the room was quite something!

Pre dinner gathering.

Several of us went a day early to relax and chat and sew a little. By Friday the rest of our group arrived and in all there was 20 of us from the Mahone Bay Quilters Guild and the Quilt Mafia and several other quilt/fibre friends.

I couldn't begin to count all the different varieties of spinning wheels!

The days just flew by, there was lots of visiting back and forth, new friends made and old friendship rekindled. There was lots of laughter, lots of shared stories and lots of sharing of techniques and advice. I am so grateful for all my fibre friends. They are all so talented, so gifted and so wise. I think we could have solved all the world's problems!

Sharon Orpin is our faithful organizer, she and her husband Richard have taken on this role and they do it so well. We are all grateful for her dedication and determination to bring us all together. My room is booked already for next year - can't wait!

I posted lots more pictures on my Flickr Photostream here.

A Kindred Spirit

I had a kindred spirit, a soulmate, a very good friend in Cheryl Hughes. We met over 30 years ago when she came to live in Halifax with her husband Peter. They were posted here on a transfer with the British Navy for a few years and Cheryl wanted to learn how to quilt - she came to a Mayflower Quilters Guild meeting and thus began a 30+ year friendship.

Cheryl, Peter, Rebecca and Ian (2006) at Fox Point

While Cheryl was here she became a wonderful quilter, a stab stitch quilter and a respected member of our Guild. She jumped in and volunteered at every chance she could. When she moved back to England she was instrumental in starting a Guild there near where she lived. It is still going strong today. She has taught at many Guilds in England, a teacher by training she excelled at teaching patchwork and quilting.

We visited back and forth over the years, we mourned together the loss of our parents, we celebrated the birth of her two children and our 5 grandchildren, we mourned the loss of our grandson, we celebrated the wonderful accomplishments of all our children. We have been through a lot together but the last 3 years and her battle with breast cancer showed me a courageous side of her that I will admire for the rest of my life. She fought this disease with strength, courage and dignity but she left far too soon. I wrote a bit about our last visit together here. I will miss her immensely, I will cherish the memories.

"Friends are like stars, you don't have to see them to know they are there".