Friendship in Stitches

Back on line!!
At last I can share with you some of the wonderful quilts I saw last week at the Bayberry Quilters Guild show in Harwich. Years ago, I belonged to this guild, but downsizing during a divorce and lack of time found me not able to quilt as much, and not having the time. It was so inspiring to see how the guild has grown and that many of the same people are still so active.
Each year there is a challenge project, and this year the theme was a celebration of the 50th birthday of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Living here, appreciating the Seashore as a national treasure, and living daily in gratitude to President John F. Kennedy for saving this outer area of the Cape, made these miniature theme quilts very special.
The first one to draw in my eye, is this depiction of a heron, sitting on the bank of a marsh searching for food, no doubt. It is a sight seen nearly daily here, and the colors were much deeper than my cheap little camera captured.
The three sisters are three beautiful lighthouses keeping navigators safe along our outer Atlantic Coast. "My" Chatham lighthouse is there! The outer beaches of the Cape almost all have very steep cliffs, and I adored the fanciful mermaid sisters here.
The three-dimensional fun of this piece was hard to capture, but many of the tinier sea creatures - clams, crabs and other tiny creatures, were beautifully done.
One of my favorite Cape Cod walks is through the Great Atlantic White Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet....it wends its way through what feels like primeval forest with boardwalks over the swamps. This little quilt has such depth and perfectly captured the color and feel of that walk.
Now, on to the full sized quilts....this quilt was made by a grandmother for her grandchild living in Africe. The animals were so lifelike.
An old-fashioned pattern with beautiful contemporary fabrics set into a black background for effect.
We loved this quilt as it was done entirely with batik fabrics. Stunning!! The quilting was also exquisite and witness my dear friend, Sue, showing the back and the beautiful stitches.
This was one of my very favorites! The story behind the quilt made it all the more special, not to mention that it was done with circles and perfect points. A mother and HS aged son collected the fabrics over a 2 year period, then the mother sewed the quilt for the son to take when he left for college. Truly a masterpiece.
That blue quilt at the end really caught my eye
Sure enough, up close the use of color and shading was perfectly captivating!
A beautifully feminine circle wall hanging ( from a guild workshop)
This tribute to the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park was amazing and such fun. The center contained player autographs, and the baseball themed fabrics were great.
A Christmas quilt made by many, many tiny off-kilter log cabin pieces

This chicken farmer's daughter was completely captivated by this rooster wall hanging. Even the breed type was hand embroidered atop each beautifully designed bird. The feathers were perfect, too, and they each had a unique personality and their own flower.
Jenni - this one is for you....a sweet three-dimensional sheep created from a photograph. Detail was wonderful, including the piece of fine screen mesh to duplicate that in the photo.

This piece reminded me of my current type of quilting......simple with very interesting fabrics.
There were some beautiful Baltimore Album quilts....
A close up from another Album quilt....the flowers were exquisitely done with ribbon.

An old and loved Cape Cod-themed quiltSpeaking of Cape Cod, this magnificent and fun creation is the combined efforts of many guild members and was raffled at the end of the day. It has so many wonderful Cape Cod landmarks and many fun details of life here.
The Chatham area of this elbow in the ocean
The 3 bridges which cross the Cape Cod Canal (one is a railroad bridge) were so meticulously created.

As I stood close to study the work on this quilt, the air was filled with the gasps of so many. It depicts an English cottage garden and each of the flowers are created from silk ribbon. Spectacular!
Seeing the show with two dear friends was such fun and so inspiring. Lunch followed and we all felt so committed, once again, to pursue our individual artistic passions! Thanks Sue and Gini!

A Brief Announcement

My home computer unceremoniously stopped working on Monday. LM, has advised he believes it is the power cord. I have a new one in hand and am headed home to test his theory!
Hope everyone is having a great week. We have the most glorious cool clean, sunny air here on Cape Cod today....hope it is nice in your world, too.
With lots of faith in my sweet LM, I will be back on-line soon to post some great quilt pictures from last week's show!

Joy

On July 30th there was a dual birthday celebration for son, Jason (41) and moi (35 - how did that happen?). The day was a picture perfect Cape Cod summer day and Jason and Alison hosted a lovely and simple celebration on their deck.
Dear sister-in-law, Trish admires the cousin love-fest between Samantha and Teddy. Trish is making an incredibly wonderful recovery from recent rotator cuff surgery and inspired me to go forth with my procedure....maybe in Oct.
When we arrived, Teddy came running full-speed to LM's arms, saying, "Woo, Woo" (his interpretation of LM's name, Lou) as he excitedly begged to be hugged. Of course, dear, Woo, is very popular as he always several forms of technology to be played with. This time it was a police scanner that Teddy thought was the highlight of the day. Well, he did love the cake.
Woo, the scanner, Teddy, brother, Sam, Alison and Kristi
Ahhhhh, bliss.
Kristi was so happy to spend time with her dream-man, Sam. They are great pals.
Friend extraordinaire, Sue, joined us for the celebration, and she brought bubble blowing equipment to entertain S & T. Great fun!
Alison cooking up our delicious fare...fancy hamburgers and lots of other goodies.
Soon it was time for the birthday cake....made by a certain 35 yr old...to appear.
Teddy and Samantha rushed in to help blow out the candles. (this really shows how tall Samantha is getting!)Teddy contemplates his first bite of cake, but not for long....it was consumed with gusto, a man after my own heart.
Finishing off their desserts
He's growing so much!
Time for more play with the scanner, as Sam reads one of my presents to Jason - a history of the Town of Bourne compiled in 1974. Jason has a great collection of Bourne memorabilia and this added to it nicely.
A wonderful time was had by all, and you may notice there are no pictures of the 35 year old (and sadly, none of Sara, as she was the photographer of the day). The birthday girl was sitting on a recliner recovering from yet another ridiculous fall. I'd gone to take a garden walk with Trish and Sue and, on the return, when I went to climb over the deck baby gate, I caught my sandal and went down in a big thud, nearly wiping out Teddy and Sue in the process. Of course, it happened in front of everyone there and I can still feel the sting of embarrassment. Nearly two weeks later my left leg from knee to ankle is green and the knee still very swollen. I was very lucky, though and got lots of love, concern and ice packs. Poor LM is still so upset about watching me fall and not being able to move quickly enough to stop me.
Nonetheless, it was a perfect family day and I am forever grateful for my great children and grandchildren.

Summer Scene

A morning at LM's house would not be complete unless we awoke to the sound of our neighbor's geese and the crowing of another's rooster. We love it. The geese happen to be the guards in a delightfully quirky flower garden, so here is a little peek for you. I love to walk over in the summer to buy flowers at the little wagon.
Customers are invited to "take the vase and bring it back when you have a chance."
Looking in to the garden there are all types of quirky little buildings and an abundance of wonderful flowers.
The geese usually come running to the fence, necks lowered and squawking at us.
Aha, do you see someone standing in that garden???
There he is all decked out in his farmer duds, Mr. Scarecrow. I wonder if he is necessary with all those geese? We love all the little wagons and buildings scattered about. The owner is renowned for his construction of fairy-type buildings in many Cape Cod gardens. It's on my list to check out an enchanted garden he made at a nearby lavender farm. It is near Sara and Samantha's house so will be a fun surprise walk one day soon.
On the morning I visited recently, he was building a new fence along the front of the garden and I was enchanted by his work wagon seen here. Typical of touches throughout the garden.
Later in the same day, LM and I went over to the northside of the Cape to have an al fresco supper by Sesuit Harbor. We love to watch the boats coming in off the water at the end of the day, and the little cafe has delicious food.
These delicious fried clams may or may not have been eaten by a certain writer.
Several weeks ago my first husband, Allan, father to daughters Anne and Sara, was here visiting from FL. We had a nice early dinner Mashpee Commons and then a little walk around. After all these years not much has changed.
Sweet Samantha loved seeing her Grampa.
One night last week, a co-worker and I were invited to have dinner with clients with whom we've both become good friends. Their house sits over Aunt Lydia's Cove which is Chatham Harbor. The view is east to North Beach Island, a barrier beach, and then to the open Atlantic, certainly one of the most beautiful spots I know. Note the gulls following the fishing boat returning home at the end of a day's work, and also the fish chairs from which we could enjoy the view.
It's taken me weeks to make this post, due to Blogger issues. I certainly hope to be back sooner.
We are doing really well right now, just had a fun birthday celebration last weekend, and tomorrow I will be attending a huge quilt show....hope to be back soon with pictures.
Summer is fleeting away, and it has been beautiful here.
Love to all!!

PS: Click on any of the photos to enlarge.