2013 QUILTERS RETREAT/REUNION

For thirty years, Wisconsin Quilters Inc., provided quilters with education, appreciation and friendship for anyone who was interested in the art of quilting.  It was a diverse and talented group.  Unfortunately, due to the poor economy and declining enrollment, this organization was disbanded at the end of 2010.  To give former members an opportunity to renew old friendships and nurture new ones, an annual retreat/reunion was planned.

We are happy to announce that the 2013 Retreat/Reunion will be held again at Covenant Harbor in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on April 4th-7th. 

If you have never been to Covenant Harbor, you are in for a treat.  This facility is located on the shores of Geneva Lake.  There is a 20 mile trail that goes all the way around the lake and passes through the Covenant Harbor property.  It is a great place to take a walk or just sit and meditate.

There food is here is extraordinary and the guest rooms are hotel style.

 

If you are looking to spend some quality time with friendly folks who love doing what you love doing, please come and join us.  We
can guarantee that you will have a wonderful time.

For information on pricing see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ciZP4FXXLQ5xwfL2Elwrokm9zO9pno5oPaFAtTcBYRo/edit

Summer Inspirations

SUMMER INSPIRATIONS

I have never been much of a flower gardener.  In fact I have probably brought demise to more flowering plants that I have nurtured.  But, one year my son bought me a pink rose bush and it has managed to survive.  I believe he bought this bush when he was in high school and he will be 42 in August so it has lasted a long time.  It always has amazed me with it's ability to last through these cold Wisconsin winters and bloom again the following summer.  It has even been eaten down pretty far by the deer that trail through our yard.   Yet it still comes back.  

My husband and I have horses and we spend a lot of our time during the summer riding in state and national parks.  The picture of the sand hill cranes was taken in the horse riders campground near Palmyra in the Southern Kettle Moraine Forest.  We were there for a three day weekend and every day they appeared fairly early in the morning and stayed until early evening when they flew away to reappear the next day.  We were pretty sure that they were feasting on horse feed that had been dropped or left on the ground by the previous week's campers.  I got pretty close to them to take these pictures and they acted like it was an every day occurrence.  They were not frightened by our horses when we rode by.

These are the kind of things we think about in the winter when it's cold and could certainly be the inspiration for a new quilt. 

SOME MORE GREAT RETREAT PHOTOS

Linda Schubert sent me these great photos from the retreat.

We send a great big "THANK YOU" to Kathy Hicks and Mimi Oxman for making this a special weekend.

QUILT RETREAT 2012

 Retreat was just over at noon today but we'll be in the "glow" of it for awhile. 

This is such a special time for all of us to connect with one another.  We laugh, talk, share, laugh, encourage, eat, laugh, cajole, inspire and laugh. And we actually get some work done on our projects!     

We also had another amazing session of show and tell with a great fashion show by Nora Rader.  If you have any doubt about the talent in this group, you will not after you take a look at the photos.

The 2013 retreat is being planned.  If you are interested in joining this group of quilting and fashion divas, check back on this blog after June 1st.

A CHEERFUL GIVER

As many of you may know, I retired in January of 2011. 

When you get to an age and a stage in your life when you can retire, you find that lots of your friends are retiring too.  So, what better gift can you give someone than a quilt. I entitled this one "It's Finally Here" and will be giving it to a friend of mine at her retirement party this Sunday.  I am happy for her that she is able to retire and I am happy that I am retired and have more time to make these kinds of gifts for my friends.  The beautiful hand dyed fabric is the work of Chris Daly of Dye Candy.  You can see a selection of her beautiful fabric at http://www.dyecandy.blogspot.com/.

Retreat News

The top photo is our group from last year's retreat at Covenant Harbor in Lake Geneva.  The second photo is a shot of the pier at Covenant Harbor.  This is a beautiful place to be in May and we always have a GREAT group of quilters.  The majority of them are former WQI members but we always welcome new folks into this group.

This year's retreat is scheduled for May 18-20 and I have just been informed that we still have two rooms available.  Contact a quilting friend and come join us.  Pricing is listed on the attached form.  And just so you know, the food at this facility is absolutely fabulous.

Click on this link to access the form https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UUOIQ4WoHXJWCs6xtdjsSDThKRUXo53x6lIZsdm93S8/edit?hl=en_US.  If you have questions please contact Kathy Hicks.  Her e-mail address and phone number are listed on the form.

Craftsmanship

When we learn to quilt, we develop a respect and admiration for anything that is crafted by hand.  I recently took a trip with two quilting friends to Lake Mills, Wisconsin to visit the Ephraim Faience Pottery.  This establishment crafts some exquisite pottery items. 

If you were a member of WQI (Wisconsin Quilts Inc) I am sure you know Kathy Hicks.  Kathy's spouse, Kevin, operates this pottery.  He and his fellow potters certainly know the meaning of fine craftmanship. 

This picture is a small sample of the type of work you will see.  It is a small tile which is one of their anniversary pieces.  Whenever one of the potters reaches a fifth, tenth, fifteenth, etc anniversary, they create an anniversary piece that goes on sale for the next 12 months. The piece is then retired and won't be sold again.  This one is entitled Rocky Mountain Columbine and I purchased it for my daughter's upcoming birthday.

If you are in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, don't miss visiting their gallery. If you cannot visit the gallery, please visit the website http://www.ephraimpottery.com/ and look at their beautiful pieces on line. 

DO YOU REMEMBER?

Do you remember this Saturday nite party on October 2, 2010.  You should as it appears you were having a pretty good time!