Visiting Quilt Shops in MT

Bob and I were on a ten day camping trip to Montana with the main purpose of seeing six musicals in those ten days; we also visited some historic sites, the Montana Folk Fest, and spent some time on the Missouri River and Flathead Lake.  However, Bob just knows that the trip won't be complete without a couple of quilt stores.  My three favorite in the Flathead Lake area are Bigfork Cotton Company, and Quilt Gallery and Glacier Quilts both in Kalispell.  Bigfork Cotton Company has changed from being a quilt shop to strictly selling patterns - I know some of you are familiar with them.  Most of their business is via internet but apparently shoppers are welcome to visit them ... if they can be found.  I never found their new location.

No problem finding the other two though and both of them are divine!  Someday I'd love to take a class as there are idols of mine such as Judy Niemeyer and Ruth B. McDowell in the area although I've learned that Ruth has retired from teaching.  I hope her retirement is similar to those bands who do one last concert tour ten more times!

I loved that the shops didn't mind me taking photos and, in both cases, thanked me for asking before I took the photos.  My favorite, favorite, favorite in the Quilt Gallery was this huge bear.

This shop sells most of Judy Niemeyer's patterns as well as kits with her patterns.

The longarm machine in the store had this wonderful little piece draped over it.

Vera, the Quilt Gallery still has its shelves and shelves of western fabrics.

Glacier Quilts is my favorite of the stores as it is stuffed to the rafters with merchandise.

This little cowboy-booted girl and her mom were selecting farm prints for her 4H project.

I mentioned the store is stuffed to the rafters, didn't I?  Yes, quilts are hung on the ceiling.

I had to go back three days in a row and I should have gone back a fourth!  Now if any of you are feeling sympathy for Bob, stop right now.  He wasn't sitting outside the store on a "Husband's Bench" in the 90 degree heat while I did my browsing.  I sent him off to the golf course each day in the 90 degree heat.

I fell in love with this piece.

I told the ladies at Glacier Quilts that others from our guild head down that way from time to time, and so they asked if I would advertise their quilt show.  I would!  I am!  Read the poster!

Not far down the road (about  an hour and a quarter) is Eureka, MT and they have the quilt show you really should see.  It's a one day, outdoor show which is August 3rd this year.  We've only been to it once, but even Bob was impressed.

The rest of this entry has nothing to do with quilts or quilting or quilt shops, so feel free to stop reading now.  I just wanted to show you our camping spot at Whitefish.  We loved the shade when it was 90 degrees and we loved the night temperature of 68 degrees ... perfect for sleeping.

Many years the Flathead cherries aren't in season when we go (traditionally this same week every year), but this year they were ready.  This is a staged photo as I didn't have to pick them; we bought them from the roadside stand ... 12 pounds for $13.50.  Yum!

Not so "yum" is one of the items on this diner menu.  Guess which one I would never, ever order, especially after working at Wynyard's evicerating plant every summer during my university days.

Finally, I've got to show you what we found at the front of Walmart in Kalispell.

Here's a close-up.  Even if we live in tornado country, I'm not buying.  There were some major forest fires burning while we were in MT and many millionaires and billionaires build in the heart of the forest, so maybe they are the ones who buy these emergency food kits.

Should we have a dyeing day in September?  I learned this easy, peasy technique with Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol.  As well, I'd be willing to put a pot of wax on the barbeque so that we can do batiks.  Let me know what you think.

Torquay Ladies' Quilt Show

Barb H. and I made the trek to Torquay yesterday to see "a few" quilts.  After all, the Block Party Quilters are only ten and they lead busy lives so how many quilts could there be?
Christa greeted us at the door and then we entered a LARGE room FILLED with
100s (I don't exaggerate) of AMAZING pieces.

Christa was just back from a trip to New York City so my phone had to photo her phone so that I know some cool shops to check out in the garment district when we're there in August.

There was coffee and tea and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.  I tried to pay for Barb's and mine only to find out it was included in the $5 admission price.  Cool!  Here are some of the Weyburn ladies that we spotted.

                               We also ran into Kathy and her friend.  Kathy is looking marvelous!

There were three vendors and we were happy to leave some of our $$$$$ with them.

These next few photos show items at the vendors' booths; they were a quilt show in themselves.

There were two wall hangings like this displayed; I would have loved to take the class as the fabrics were wild and the embellishments charming.

You'll  like this quilt ....

.... and even moreso when you see the size of the squares - 1/2" I think.

This barn quilt appealed to me, not only for the beautiful workmanship, but also because the barns are framed with log cabins.

My photo can't do justice to this whole cloth, hand-quilted piece...

...here's a close-up...

... and here's the card to go with it.  Do you think we can hire Terry to hand-quilt for us?

Barb and I are crazy for the magazine British Country Living and there are always photos of buntings in it so I loved this cheerful bunting.  Drive by my house (stop in for tea while you are in the neighborhood) to see the summer bunting on my deck.

This photo is for Elma; I hope she's bought this panel somewhere along the way too and incorporated it into her own McCormick quilt. (Surely she isn't a John Deere fan.)  I missed gettting a photo of the whole quilt but the next photo shows one of the blocks.  I love how the barn doors open to reveal what's inside.  A hen was sitting in the hayloft.

The next quilt interested me for three reasons.  (1) it's a variation on a carpenter's wheel, I think, and that was a hint for me to finish mine from Jill's class  (2)  it's a color wheel so it fits with our guild's program theme for the year, and (3) its creator is Esther Bangsund of Estevan.  Now we know what she's been doing in her retirement.  She had more than one great work in the show.

Love the three dimensional birdhouses here, each with a cheery button.

When Tracey blogged about this quilt, I  couldn't wait to see it in person.  Incredible stitching, Tracey!

My young friend Justin, the one who would have made us gourmet lunches if there were enough of us, showed Barb and me the works of the featured quilter.  She was ill and couldn't attend, but we enjoyed her work and what Justin could tell us about it.  Thanks, Justin!

 Kudos to the Block Party Quilters for the wonderful display of their quilts; they added many extra elements like old ironing boards, antique sewing machines, live bouquets to give their show extra charm.

Whoever lent this piece must be happy that our mothers taught us to be honest people so that none of us stole it.  What a beauty.

I love this close-up of Christa's redwork.  The snowman pinning up candy canes is charming, the quilted swirls of snow are so complementary.

I fell in love with this paper piecing.

Every show needs a Sunbonnet Sue quilt!

And as icing on the cake ... or maybe whipped cream on the cake ...there were buttons for sale at a ridiculously low price.  I didn't tell the seller that until after I bought a bagful.  She was an enabler for my button addiction.

What's not to love about a quilt show where the vendors are served tea in china cups.

There you have it, my reflections on the Torquay quilt show.  When Christa and Tracey get over the exhaustion of being part of the show, they'll probably have blog entries about it on their sites too.  Keep checking them at www.secondstoryquilting.blogspot.ca and www.theblockpartyguild.blogspot.ca

Who Made This?

Before we get to "who made what and why do I want to know", look at this poster

hanging in our public library:

How many of us are going?  I realize now that there aren't enough to fill a Stagecoach bus, but lots of us should go on Saturday and we should get organized.  If I know how many are going, I can order gourmet lunches from Christa's son Justin.  I think that would be a great idea!

I'll post a note to everyone in the guild via Jill.

This will be a great show with many, many inspiring pieces

with probably one or two of them quilted by Terry.    ;o)

Now to the "who made this"?

I'm sure I saw this at one of our show-and-tells.  I recognize the fabrics from the Fabric Centre.

Hopefully whoever made it, didn't make it for a best friend knowing that best friend would cherish it forever.

Why?  Because I am now the owner or it and I will cherish it forever! 

It's looking great on my kitchen table right now.

How did I come to possess it?  I found it at the local Sally Ann.

How much did I pay?

Isn't that crazy-ridiculous?

I love it, I love it, I love it; it will be used and cherished and admired

and I consider it priceless.

Hmm,  I'm going to frequent the Sally Ann even more after the Torquay show ... probably some of the full-size quilts from it will end up there and the workers will mark them $1 or $1.50.   LOL