Here’s one final post inspired by our recent quilting cruise, this time focusing on the items and information we found that could be used in future projects. Sometimes scenery is my greatest inspiration, and this shot of Montmorency Falls in Quebec is one I’m sure I’ll refer back to. The trees were just beginning to turn color and the rainbow in the mist was lovely (and no, we did not have time to climb the staircase and walk over the bridge 😉 .
We didn’t find any fabric in Quebec City, but aren’t the colors of these peppers at the farmer’s market breathtaking? What a great palatte for a piece of fiber art.
One thing we were surprised to discover while traveling was the absence of quilt shops in the areas we visited in Canada (or at least shops that we could get to in the time we had available). We did however find wool shops! My favorite was the “Bobbin Tree” in Sydney, Cape Breten Island, Nova Scotia. They had yarns, gifts, and loads of wool items and kits. I decided it was time to try my hand at wool penny rugs because they had the circles pre-cut. I began stitching them together on the ship that evening and they are addictive. Now it’s time to decide a pattern for stitching them onto the background.
I also succumbed to a kit for tradtional rug hooking on a piece of burlap sack. I haven’t gotten too far, but it will be a lovely candle mat some day.
Both kits included all the supplies, so I think they were well worth it. And I’m learning some new skills!
A few blocks away we found the “Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design”. They were having an artsy rug hooking display on the second floor and it was spectacular! Here are just a few of my favorites:
Makes my efforts with the kit I bought look rather meager, but I’m still enthused!
Our next port was Halifax, Nova Scotia. We enjoyed a wonderful bus tour of 3 seaside towns that day and found a wool shop in Lunenburg with a very clever display. Who would have thought to sew pattern pieces together? I had to take a picture!
The next seaport was Mahone Bay. They were having a scarecrow festival and I’ve never seen so many fascinating scarecrows. Here are two of my favorites:
As we drove into town we passed a “Quilt Shop”. We were very excited and quickly started walking towards the shop once we exited the bus. When we got there I posed for a quick picture out front,
and then went in to discover that it was a shop that sold finished quilts! I guess “quilt shop” is a misnomer – we expect to find fabric and supplies in them, not quilts.
When we got to Bar Harbor, Maine, more of the trees were starting to change. When we walked under this one, I couldn’t resist yet another color inspiration picture.
And Bar Harbor had a quilt shop! It was a great one! Quiltanna and I enjoyed it very much!
This final picture is one that may not inspire a quilt, but it makes my mouth water every time I look at it.
The best clam chowder I have ever had. It was at the Sail Loft in Boston. Yum!
I have many wonderful memories from this cruise and the inspiration for future projects makes it even more of a blessing.
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And I’d like to share one last item:
A Different Type of Quilting Adventure!
This past week Joan contacted me from North Carolina. She attended my lecture when I visited her guild in Hendersonville in 2013 and has been reading my blog ever since (thanks Joan). This is part of what she wrote:
“I am a member of an organization called Friendship Force and members can travel all over the world and the USA and participants stay at the homes of the people in the area they are visiting. I went to a quilting Journey (that’s what these experiences are called) in Iowa last year and 18 quilters from all over joined together for 9 days as we saw presentations, shopped, talked with other quilters and even made a table runner. I decided that our area of the Blue Ridge Mountains would be a perfect location for a Quilting Journey and we are calling it Quilting Mountain Style.”
The journey will take place from May 23 to May 31, 2018. She included a link to read all about it: https://friendshipforce.org/journeys/quilting-mountain-style/
I so enjoyed North Carolina and I’m sure this trip will be a great adventure. You’re welcome to contact Joan with any questions. Her email is:
Karen Moore says
Thanks for the pictures! Ready to go back to the Sail Loft for more chowder!! It was a great trip!!
Kathleen Freeman says
What a treat to follow your cruise trip! Born & raised in Canada, I visited many of the same places, and it was like a trip home again. Did you know each Can. province has its own official tartan, government approved? Each color in each plaid represents something specific to that province. I’d like to send a pic of one of 3 quilts made from a gift of these tartans, but don’t see a place to add this. My husband drew a maple leaf, I added an official emblem to each center. I made it very simply so the plaids would be the main focus. The center block is, of course, my home of Ontario. The border tartan is the official one of Canada – the colors represent the Maple Leaf, the forests and plains, blue sky and lakes.
clkquilt says
Fascinating. Please email a picture to me at: . I can’t wait to see it!