Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat 2012

Another Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat has come and gone. We gathered at the Atlantica Hotel at Oak Island for 3 lovely days. The event has been held there for the past 3 years and it certainly is a very suitable venue. Most of the 186 attendees gather in the large room overlooking Mahone Bay. The light is excellent with windows all along 3 sides.

I love the way the room is set up with the spinners in the middle froming a circle, around them are round table where knitters, rug hookers, felters and weavers gather. Then around the outside are long tables for the quilters (close to electrical outlets!). It works really well and is a beehive of activity. This year there were so many spinners they had another circle in the adjoining room. It was wonderful to walk through there and hear the hum of the wheels and the chatter of the spinners. I must say I was thrilled to see so many "young" spinners and knitters at the Retreat. I wish we could get some young quilters to join us!

I am part of a wonderful group of (mostly) quilters fondly known as the "Quilt Mafia". We try and get together several times a year to see what we are up too and catch up on exhibitions we have seen, books we have read and fabric we have acquired.

Alex, Barb, Linda, Laureen and Betsey

Of the 20 or so members of the Quilt Mafia there were 14 of us at the Retreat! We had a wonderful time, lots of chat, lots of wonderful food, great stories and liquid refreshments! Once again we have all booked for next year...can't wait.

I was actually able to get quite a bit done this time. I finished the beading on my Cove Quilters challenge, I finshed the binding on a Christmas wallhanging and I started a new circle project for my class that I am teaching at Quilt Canada. 

My challenge - we had to blindly chose a chocolate bar from a bag and use that as our inspiration. I drew the Mars bar. I used stitches on my sewing machine I have never used before and did some beading. I am thinking of calling it "My Very Educated Mother..." (Just Showed Us Nine Planets) with thanks to Linda and Donna who taught me the mnemonic! I learned another one "Mount Vesuvius Erupts Mulberry Jam Sandwiches Under Normal Pressure".

Be sure and check my Flickr page for lots more pictures, with thanks to my daughter Kate who is a wonderful photographer.

A Pink Quilt

Last Friday I delivered another pile of 34 quilts to the NICU at the IWK Children's Hospital. Quilters primarily from the Mayflower Quilters Guild and the Mahone Bay Quilters Guild have been supporting this project for almost 5 years. I haven't kept track of the numbers of quilts we have made and donated but it must be well over 400 now.

As soon as I came into the NICU, I was approached by a Dad who saw the bag of quilts that I had and he asked how much they cost, he wanted to buy one, a pink one for his baby daughter, he told me that she weighed 1lb 4 oz when she was born on New Year's Eve. I explained that they weren't for sale but were for the babies in the NICU to be used while they were there and that if they wanted one, a quilt could go home with them. He asked if I did commissions, he wanted a pink one, just a pink one for his tiny daughter. The nurses explained that they had to be labelled and washed and then he could have one, he was happy with that and thanked us for our support. He wanted a pink one, he reminded us. He told me several times his baby was the smallest one there. My heart ached for him and his tiny daughter.

I remember that when we spent over 2 months there with our twin grandsons how we always talked to other families, sharing news of our babies, their progress, their milestones big or small. We were important to each other, the support was huge and needed, no matter how small or brief.

I couldn't get this Dad out of my mind and his tiny baby. Our grandsons were 2lb and 2lb 10oz when they were born and it is hard to imagine a smaller baby. I kept thinking about this baby girl and the struggles that lay ahead. So Saturday morning I went to work, pulled out all the pink scraps leftover from Molly's quilt and made a small 32" square quilt for "the smallest baby" and her Dad. There are 9 - 9" squares plus a narrow border and a 2" border with a soft flannel back, perfect size for a tiny baby to grow into.

I pieced it and mostly quilted on Saturday, finished the quilting and binding on Sunday and today I am going to deliver it.

The quilt is machine pieced, simple off centre log cabin blocks and it is machine quilted. 

I just hope and pray that they are still there.

An update - yes, baby is doing ok, holding her own. Her Dad wasn't there but I did give the quilt to the baby's primary care nurse so I know they will get it. I think I will make another one, I still have scraps left and I know there will be another little girl who will need a pink quilt.

The Quilt Mafia Meets Again

Another wonderful day with the "Quilt Mafia", a group of quilters who just love to get together, share ideas, share their work and enjoy a good lunch! We met today at the St. Stephen's Community Centre in Chester, a great space with lots of windows (no stairs!) and easy access to the Kiwi Cafe for a take out lunch.

Kate, Linda and Jamie

Penny, Celeste and Laurie

Deb, Laureen and Alex

We came from far and near, some quilted, some pieced and embellished, some knit. We laughed, we shared and we missed those who couldn't be with us. The day just flew by, we shared our works in progress and I began to realize that the SAQA show that the Atlantic chapter will put on for the CQA conference in late May will be a wonderful one! Such creativity, great care and thought as to the theme "Rooted". I can't wait to see this exhibition which will be at the Mary E. Black Gallery on the waterfront in Halifax. 

Laureen's piece for "Rooted".

I am so humbled by this group of creative and gifted women, grateful to be a part of this group and to call them my friends. More pictures can be found in the Flickr link to the left.

Plans are underway to have another gathering in the spring at the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat at the Atlantica Hotel, Oak Island and then a road trip to Cape Breton for a retreat in the Margaree Valley. Can't wait! Thanks everybody for coming!