Mennonite Relief

On Friday evening my husband and I went to the New Hamburg arena to see the quilts. For quite a few years, that was all that there was to do, but more people came out each year, so more activities were added over the last few years. First we had some of each of the 4 food groups, sausage on a bun, French fries, pie and icecream. Duly fortified we walked to the arena.The quilts are hanging on racks, covered with plastic. As you can see, that was necessary. A lot of people could not help themselves and had to touch the different fabrics in the quilt.Right before the quilt is sold, the plastic will come of. The pictures I took inside the arena did not turn out very well. My digital camera is just not good enough.Our quilt A Bird's Eye View is ready to be sold. 2 mattresses have been bolted on a revolving frame and the quilts are displayed on one of the mattresses. While one is sold, a new one is draped over the other side.This was the time we had waited for. Would it all be worthwhile? It was! The quilt, this year's feature, sold for the top price of $11.100 to Carl Hiebert. It were Carl's aerial photographes we had interpreted on the quilt. What an ending of a great project. Right after the sale Carl left for Vancouver. As I enter this he is driving on an old tractor across Canada, stopping along the way to take pictures and to talk to Canadian farmers.He plans to put it all in his new book. A view of the narrow rows with the plastic covered quilts.In total 286 quilts were sold, from crib quilts to king size quilts.Those quils totalled $187.245. If you combine this with the food, craft, other auctions and plant sale, the event raised more than $380.000. This is the highest over the 40 years. Finally I leave you with another picture of the sale. Behind the quilt to be auctioned, you can see the quilt made for the 35th anniversary. A group of local businessmen bought this quilt and donated it back to the committee.Since that time this quilt is hung behind the platform during the sale.

Quilt Festival

For the last week we have had visitors from out west. My mother-in-law will turn 85 later this year and this was the time it suited everybody to come home. It was a busy, but enjoyable time. It is from Hilda Mae that I learned about quilts and over the years she has been a big help.This is also the week of the Waterloo County Quilt Fest and I managed yesterday to see the shows at the RIM Park in Waterloo. This is the first year that most of the shows are under one roof and it will be interesting to see how it will work. One small exhibit was of some of the quilts that Bruce Menary from the Len's Mils Stores has bought over the years at the Mennonite Relief Sale. I organized 2 of the quilts. Both quilts were made by members of the Waterloo Couty Quilters Guild and the Listowel Mennonite Church. The "big" one was sold in 2000 (after getting and honorable mention in the group category in Houston) and brought up $16.000. This is the "little" sister and it was sold in 1999. It was also the top selling quilt and brought $7500. Both quilts have been exibited over the years and still look very good. One of the special exibits was a group of quilts from the province of Alberta. Each year a different province is highlighted. There were some beautiful quilts in the group. Another highlight was the exibit by a group of 10 male quilters. In total there were over 30 quilts. This picture shows the intrance to the group of quilts by Jim Willard. Tomorrow will be the 40th Mennonite Relief Sale in New Hamburg. Between 250 and 300 quilt will be auctioned of, from small crib quilts to extra large bed quilts. The sale starts around 8 and the quilts are only part of the day. There will be a lot of good food and lots of other things to do. The feature quilt, A Bird's Eye View, will be auctioned at 12.30. Later more on this quilt.

Quilt Festival

For the last week we have had visitors from out west. My mother-in-law will turn 85 later this year and this was the time it suited everybody to come home. It was a busy, but enjoyable time. It is from Hilda Mae that I learned about quilts and over the years she has been a big help.This is also the week of the Waterloo County Quilt Fest and I managed yesterday to see the shows at the RIM Park in Waterloo. This is the first year that most of the shows are under one roof and it will be interesting to see how it will work. One small exhibit was of some of the quilts that Bruce Menary from the Len's Mils Stores has bought over the years at the Mennonite Relief Sale. I organized 2 of the quilts. Both quilts were made by members of the Waterloo Couty Quilters Guild and the Listowel Mennonite Church. The "big" one was sold in 2000 (after getting and honorable mention in the group category in Houston) and brought up $16.000. This is the "little" sister and it was sold in 1999. It was also the top selling quilt and brought $7500. Both quilts have been exibited over the years and still look very good. One of the special exibits was a group of quilts from the province of Alberta. Each year a different province is highlighted. There were some beautiful quilts in the group. Another highlight was the exibit by a group of 10 male quilters. In total there were over 30 quilts. This picture shows the intrance to the group of quilts by Jim Willard. Tomorrow will be the 40th Mennonite Relief Sale in New Hamburg. Between 250 and 300 quilt will be auctioned of, from small crib quilts to extra large bed quilts. The sale starts around 8 and the quilts are only part of the day. There will be a lot of good food and lots of other things to do. The feature quilt, A Bird's Eye View, will be auctioned at 12.30. Later more on this quilt.

Cranes

After a day of shopping and a guild meeting I did not have the energy last evening to update this. And besides the weather was beautiful ,so who wants to sit in the house. Today was a different story. Rain all day!. But this meant, that I could work on my applique.This picture shows what was left of my fabric after all 12 cranes were finished. These fabrics were used for the beaks,top of the heads and the legs.The grey was used for the pins in the tailfeathers. And this is the last and biggest crane, still in its working clothes. I will have to add embroidery to set the dark areas off against the dark background. Behind the bird I will applique green weeds, outlined with sashiko. In total I used only 5 different fabrics for all the cranes. This was the main fabric and as you can see I used almost 1 meter. It was the perfect fabric, white with mottled blue and brown areas. By selective cutting the parts I could get the desired effect. But I think 12 cranes will be enough. Time to make another landscape.

Spring on the farm

It has been a very busy week for us on the farm. The weather co-operated and all the corn has been planted and most of the soybeans are in the ground. Now, after one week of sun, we have received some badly needed rain. So today is the time to catch up on things that did not get done. It is not that I have to be out in the field all the time, but I have to be available . That means staying around the phone, so I can bring the needed item, being a tractor or seed or what not to the designated spot at the right time.Last week I went for a walk to the back of our farm to take some pictures, but the batteries on my camera gave up. This week I went again and my favorite, the Jack-in-the-pulpit, was in full bloom. Most years we have lots of trilliums with a few Jack-in-the-pulpits thrown in for good measure. This year was different.Not many trilliums, but lots of "Jack's". Even a very lonely red trillium. Even with all this dry weather the marsh marrigold are blooming profusely. A few months ago I had signed up for Ricky Tim's seminar in Ailsa Craig.If things were too busy here I would stay home and try to find somebody to take my place. But that was not necessary. Things were caught up, so off to Ailsa Craig it was. And I was very happy I did. This was something new for me.Instead of a hands-on workshop it was done in college style. I had my doubts, but it worked. The hand-out was excellent and his way of explaining techniques was very good. And of course he brought his fabulous quilts. To bad I won't have the time to try all these new ideas out. But there is always next winter!

Riley

We have had a beautiful week of warm weather.The lawn is raked and next the flowerbeds will need some attention. The first tulips are blooming and most of the daffodils are finished. Wit this weather I cannot sit inside, so no quilting pictures this week. That will have to wait till a rainy day. Earlier this afternoon I went for a walk to the "bush" at the back of the farm. I noticed that the trees are getting green and the winterwheat is getting taller. On most days our overly friendly dog, Riley, and I go for a walk. Riley is an eight year old mixed breed, who will greet everybody coming on the farm as if it was her long lost friend.She loves our walks and if I'm not out by 2 in the afternoon I will hear scratching at the back door. A few years ago I planted some violas and since that time we can find them all over in the flowerbeds in all kinds of pretty colors.Often they will be the first to bloom and some will last till late fall, somethimes we even will find a few straglers in the snow. Now it is back outside for more weeding.Maybe it might be time to start thinking about filling planters and boxes, though they will need to stay in the garage for a few weeks.